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Episode 66: Retired Admiral James Stavridis
Episode 66
Friday, 6 March, 2026
“21st Century Geopolitics and Investments” Retired Admiral James Stavridis, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and Partner & Vice Chairman of the global investment firm Carlyle, shares his insight on today’s world hotspots, including Iran, and potential investment opportunities, before a February 17, 2026 meeting of The Economic Club of Florida. Show Notes (for complete Show Notes, please visit https://ecf.memberclicks.net/2026-february-admiral-stavridis) Admiral Stavridis took the Club on a world tour of potential investment opportunities. His first stop was in the Middle East. He foresees a peace treaty in Gaza implemented by the Palestinian Authority, Israel, the United Nations, President Trump’s Board of Peace, and the Arab League.“Gaza,” he said, “which has been on fire for two and a half years, I think, is headed toward a period of hopefully prolonged cease fire. That's good news for investors. It means investment in Israel makes more sense. It means investment in general in the region makes more sense. And all of us ought to feel it's a positive humanitarian development that 2.2 million Arabs, Palestinians are going to see some kind of relief in the situation they've been facing.”The admiral spoke just 11 days before the U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran began on February 28, 2026, but had some things for investors to watch for, in the event of such an attack.“Number one, if it goes sideways and we end up in an ongoing conflict, the Iranians will respond by closing the Strait of Hormuz. There goes 30% of the world's oil bottled up for months. And they will attack Israel with ballistic missiles, and they'll attack U.S. bases in the region. We will get dragged into this. So you ought to be watching this for the dark end of the spectrum.”“If this rotten regime tumbles,” he continued, “and I think there's a one in three chance it could, the theocracy could fail. If that happens, Iran could come out from under sanctions, and that's a lot of oil hitting the world markets. So as investors, you ought to be thinking both at the dark end of the spectrum and positive outcomes.”As for Ukraine, Admiral Stavridis said Vladimir Putin and his ego are the problem. He pointed out that Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe and is full of wheat and corn. Putin’s dream is alignment with China, and he is recruiting mercenaries from all around the world. Cuba is providing troops, and North Korea has more than 30,000 troops fighting in Ukraine. He said investors should be watching for a deal between Russia and Ukraine. Number one, what if... (for complete Show Notes, please visit https://ecf.memberclicks.net/2026-february-admiral-stavridis)
