S 01 | Ep 48 Deep Dive : Navigating the Complexities of Global Power Dynamics Dmitri Alperovitch , co - founder and former CTO of CrowdStrike and author of the national bestselling book World on the Brink , joins the show to share his perspective on cybersecurity , geopolitics , and what he calls Cold War II . This episode covers Dmitri as he traces his path from immigrating to the United States to becoming one of the most influential voices in both cybersecurity and foreign policy , explaining how his early insight that America does not have a cyber problem but rather a China , Russia , Iran , and North Korea problem became the foundation for CrowdStrike ' s success . He walks through the five factors he identified months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine that convinced him Putin was not bluffing , and draws a direct parallel to why he believes China intends to invade Taiwan before 2028 . Dmitri explains why Taiwan matters far beyond semiconductor manufacturing , arguing it represents the key to whether China can break free of its geographic containment and project naval power globally . He also addresses where American foreign policy has gone wrong , why moralizing about democracy has pushed neutral nations toward China and Russia , and why deterrence in the next few years is the single most important action the United States can take to avoid a catastrophic war .