As the United States confronts an ever-changing set of international challenges, our foreign policy leaders continue to offer the same old answers. But what are the alternatives? In None Of The Above, the Eurasia Group Institute for Global Affairs' Mark Hannah asks leading global thinkers for new answers and new ideas to guide an America increasingly adrift in the world. www.noneoftheabovepodcast.org
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เนื้อหาจัดทำโดย FDD เนื้อหาพอดแคสต์ทั้งหมด รวมถึงตอน กราฟิก และคำอธิบายพอดแคสต์ได้รับการอัปโหลดและจัดหาให้โดยตรงจาก FDD หรือพันธมิตรแพลตฟอร์มพอดแคสต์ของพวกเขา หากคุณเชื่อว่ามีบุคคลอื่นใช้งานที่มีลิขสิทธิ์ของคุณโดยไม่ได้รับอนุญาต คุณสามารถปฏิบัติตามขั้นตอนที่แสดงไว้ที่นี่ https://th.player.fm/legal
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Know What You See with Brian Lowery
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National Geographic photographer and conservationist Jaime Rojo has spent decades capturing the beauty and fragility of the monarch butterfly. Their epic migration is one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles, but their survival is under threat. In this episode, Jaime shares how his passion for photography and conservation led him to document the monarchs’ journey. He and host Brian Lowery discuss the deeper story behind his award-winning images, one about resilience, connection, and the urgent need to protect our natural world. See Jaime's story on the monarch butterflies at his website: rojovisuals.com , and follow Brian Lowery at knowwhatyousee.com .…
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เนื้อหาจัดทำโดย FDD เนื้อหาพอดแคสต์ทั้งหมด รวมถึงตอน กราฟิก และคำอธิบายพอดแคสต์ได้รับการอัปโหลดและจัดหาให้โดยตรงจาก FDD หรือพันธมิตรแพลตฟอร์มพอดแคสต์ของพวกเขา หากคุณเชื่อว่ามีบุคคลอื่นใช้งานที่มีลิขสิทธิ์ของคุณโดยไม่ได้รับอนุญาต คุณสามารถปฏิบัติตามขั้นตอนที่แสดงไว้ที่นี่ https://th.player.fm/legal
A national security and foreign policy podcast from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
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252 ตอน
ทำเครื่องหมายทั้งหมดว่า (ยังไม่ได้)เล่น…
Manage series 3419019
เนื้อหาจัดทำโดย FDD เนื้อหาพอดแคสต์ทั้งหมด รวมถึงตอน กราฟิก และคำอธิบายพอดแคสต์ได้รับการอัปโหลดและจัดหาให้โดยตรงจาก FDD หรือพันธมิตรแพลตฟอร์มพอดแคสต์ของพวกเขา หากคุณเชื่อว่ามีบุคคลอื่นใช้งานที่มีลิขสิทธิ์ของคุณโดยไม่ได้รับอนุญาต คุณสามารถปฏิบัติตามขั้นตอนที่แสดงไว้ที่นี่ https://th.player.fm/legal
A national security and foreign policy podcast from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
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252 ตอน
Alle afleveringen
×Back when host Cliff May was an exchange student at Leningrad State University in 1972, he believed that if the Soviet Union ever collapsed that Russia would become a free country. Well, that’s not how things turned out. Peter Pomerantsev has a new book on Russian propaganda: “Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia.” He joins Cliff along with Ivana Stradner, a research fellow with FDD’s Barish Center for Media Integrity, to discuss.…
Some might think of veterans issues and national security issues separately, but they are intricately intertwined. There's a moral imperative to care for those who have risked their lives to defend freedom. There's also a national security imperative to do so. This fact raises several questions: How are America’s veterans doing? How well are we taking care of those who have served our country in uniform? How can we do better? To discuss these questions and more, as well as some new research, guest host Bradley Bowman is joined by Marcus Ruzek and retired Navy Captain Dan Goldenberg. Marcus Ruzek Marcus is Senior Program Director at The Marcus Foundation. The Marcus Foundation is a leader in philanthropy, specifically in the areas of military and veterans’ support. He has worked at The Marcus Foundation for over 10 years, supporting its Free Enterprise initiatives, National Security/Foreign Policy, and Free Market Ideals programs. An infantryman and combat veteran, Marcus deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq. He commanded a Special Forces “A Team” which partnered with Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against Islamic State terrorists (aka: ISIS). Dan Goldenberg Dan had led the Call of Duty Endowment or CODE since 2013. During his tenure there, the Call of Duty Endowment has become the largest philanthropic funder of veteran employment, backing more than 150,000 high-quality job placements and driving more than $9 billion in economic value for veterans and their families. Dan is a retired Navy Captain. His military service includes four tours as a commanding officer, as well as serving as a carrier-based naval flight officer, and special assistant to four Secretaries of the Navy. He also has two decades of business experience. Discussed in the episode CODE Report H.R. McMaster's article "Preserving the Warrior Ethos"…
A two-state solution was first offered to Palestinian leaders as early as 1937. Israel offered two-state solutions again in 1947, 1967, 1978, 2000, 2001, and 2008. Palestinian leaders declined each and every such offer. They have proposed no alternatives. Their grievance, it should by now be clear, is not the absence of a nation-state called Palestine but rather the existence of a nation-state called Israel: the resurrected homeland of the Jewish people, a tiny island in an ocean of Arab and Muslim states. Yet within the foreign policy establishment in the U.S. and Europe, there has for generations been an unshakeable belief that there must be a two-state solution. President Trump has shaken that belief, changed the debate, and widened what’s known as the Overton Window, the range of policy proposals considered acceptable. To discuss, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues Jonathan Conricus and Rich Goldberg.…
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1 The Battle for Israel and The Dream of Gaz-a-Lago 1:01:42
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In 2019 after serving as deputy national security advisor to President Donald Trump, Victoria Coates was promoted to Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa, overseeing the Maximum Pressure campaign against Tehran and initiating the negotiations for the Abraham Accords. She joins Cliff to discuss her new book: “The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—And America—Can Win.”…
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1 The Shifting Sands of the Middle East 1:02:27
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The war that Yahya Sinwar launched on Oct. 7, 2023 was meant to profoundly restructure the Middle East. And that is happening – although not in the way the late Hamas leader envisioned. It’s not easy to discern the emerging new realities; to understand the rivalries among the many jihadi groups and leaders, Sunni and Shia; the shifting threats to Israelis, Kurds, Druze, Christians, and those Arabs who are not eager to sacrifice their children to the cause of Islamic supremacy. David Wurmser is attempting to comprehend and explain these realignments and to suggest responses that would further American interests. He joins host Cliff May to discuss these issues as well as his recent essay for The Editors: “Prepare for Disintegration of Syria and Rise of Imperial Turkey.”…
Watch this episode on YouTube. As President Trump returns to the White House, he has no more important task than defense of the homeland and ensuring “peace through strength,” because U.S. national security is threatened by the Axis of Aggressors in Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, and Pyongyang and their Star Wars cantina of terrorist group friends. How should Trump prioritize? And what should he do? Host Cliff May discusses with his FDD colleagues RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery and Bradley Bowman.…
A few facts central to any discussion of a deal between Israel and Hamas: On Oct. 6, 2023. Gaza was not occupied. No Israelis lived there. No Israeli soldiers patrolled there. Gaza was not an open-air prison. It had schools, malls, libraries, hospitals, restaurants, sandy beaches. Hamas initiated a war on Oct. 7, 2023 by staging the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas could have brought a halt to this war at any time by releasing the hostages and laying down their weapons. They refused to do so. Hamas deserves the blame for every death, on both sides, over the past 468 days. Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a ceasefire and the return of hostages – over time – in exchange for Israel halting its offensive and releasing hundreds of convicted terrorists from prison. Host Cliff May asks his FDD colleagues Jonathan Schanzer and Richard Goldberg some of the many questions that arise.…
“Artificial intelligence is the future… Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.” — Vladimir Putin The Russian president-for-life and neo-tzar waging a terrible war of conquest against Ukraine is evil but he’s not stupid, certainly not when it comes to artificial intelligence. Americans don’t want to rule the world. But neither do most of us want the world to be ruled from Moscow, Tehran, or Beijing. So, we have to get smart. We have to run an arms race — or maybe a brains race. What will that require? Host Cliff May asks his FDD colleagues Matt Pottinger and RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery.…
Just hours into the New Year, we were reminded that the Jihad against the West is not over. It’s not even taking a winter break. A man inspired by the Islamic State drove a pickup truck into a crowd in the French Quarter of New Orleans, murdering at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. Hours later in New York City, demonstrators chanted: “There is only one solution – intifada revolution!” and “No war on Iran!” Meanwhile, Iran’s ruler, Ali Khamenei must be pondering whether Hezbollah and Hamas, two of his proxy terrorist militias that have been decimated by Israel, can be built back better. Also on his mind: What it means that Syria, once his satrapy, is now under Turkey’s influence. Host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleague Behnam Ben Taleblu to discuss these and related issues.…
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1 What Does Regime Change in Syria Change? 1:00:17
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What does regime change in Syria change? The overthrow of longtime, mass-murdering dictator Bashar al-Assad is a good thing. But those who did the overthrowing? Not good. The most important rebel group involved in this revolution is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, better known as HTS. It has roots in both al Qaeda and the Islamic State (also known as ISIS). Its leader’s nom de guerre is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. He and HTS have been officially designated as terrorists by the U.S. government. The fall of Assad weakens Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both had backed Assad, and both had derived benefits from Assad in exchange. And the fall of Assad strengthens Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. To discuss all of this and more, host Cliff May is joined by Jonathan Schanzer, Reuel Marc Gerecht, and Michael Doran. NOTE: We hope you enjoy the soothing sounds of Reuel's Ring Doorbell chimes.…
It seems a favorite pastime of leaders in Washington is telling us — Americans — what we believe and what we want. Such assertions by politicians are sometimes true, but they inevitably reflect the policy the politician is attempting to promulgate. So what do Americans actually believe when it comes to key defense and foreign policy issues? We don’t have to guess, thanks to the Reagan National Defense Survey. The Washington Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, Roger Zakheim, joins guest host Bradley Bowman to share the latest survey’s findings.…
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1 Another Day, Another Blood Libel 1:03:26
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Another day, another blood libel against the Jewish state. What’s new but certainly not surprising is that Amnesty International (a lavishly well-funded organization and one that has long been viciously anti-Israel) has published a report accusing Israelis of genocide in Gaza. What evidence do they have? They don’t need evidence. Why bother when they knew from the get-go what their verdict would be. To discuss the Amnesty report, host Cliff May is joined by FDD’s David Adesnik . David is also a Syria expert. He offers his take on the fast-breaking and complicated developments unfolding there.…
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1 The Military America Needs 1:04:13
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Last week, President Biden finally (belatedly) allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia. This made Vladimir Putin very angry. Some argue that we should be careful not to anger or provoke Putin and that if he issues threats, then we had better back down. But such weakness only emboldens Putin and his axis of aggressors in Tehran, Beijing, and Pyongyang who are helping him wage his illegal war in Ukraine. In exchange for Russian weapons that can be used to target commercial shipping and U.S. Navy vessels, Tehran-backed Houthi rebels helped Putin recruit hundreds of Yemenis to fight in Ukraine; North Korea has provided Putin some 10,000 soldiers; and China’s communist rulers in Beijing are also supporting Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. Despite a bleak reality, FDD’s Mark Montgomery says in a new essay for a report published by the Vandenberg Coalition and the McCain Institute that “there is much the incoming administration can do to improve U.S. military capabilities to deter and, if necessary, defeat potential threats.” He joins host Cliff May to discuss.…
The two most recent attacks on Israel did not take place in the Middle East. The first was in Turtle Bay at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The second was in The Hague where the International Criminal Court is located — and about 40 miles from Amsterdam where Israeli soccer fans were violently assaulted earlier this month. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The action comes as Israel continues to fight a war on seven other fronts against Tehran-backed enemies. Host Cliff May discusses with his FDD colleagues Orde Kittrie and Rich Goldberg.…
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1 Trump Begins to Build His Team 1:22:08
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President Trump – now also President-elect Trump – has named the team he wants to advise him on foreign policy and national security. How will they fare in facing challenges like the Islamic Republic of Iran's war on Israel (and America), Russia's war against Ukraine, and the threat from China’s Communist rulers? Host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleague Richard Goldberg to discuss.…
45 years ago this month, followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini seized the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage. Last weekend, regime supporters in Tehran celebrated that blatant violation of the most basic international law by rallying outside what used to be the embassy building. Over the decades since, the threats posed by the regime that came to power, the misleadingly named Islamic Republic of Iran, have not diminished. What should be America’s policy toward Iran? Host Cliff May asks Ilan Berman , vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council and author of a new “special report” entitled: Navigating the Iranian Opposition: A National Security Briefing for the United States .…
FDD’s RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery just returned from Ukraine where he was on a mission to support and train the Ukrainian general staff in planning and executing integrated joint operations and, secondarily, to get a prioritized assessment of what the Ukrainians need to retain their independence, to prevent being re-colonized by Russia, to defend their homes and families. He joins host Cliff May to share what he learned about the terrible and illegal war that Putin is waging against the Ukrainian people — including Russia’s addition of North Korean soldiers to the battlefield.…
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1 Decolonize Lebanon 1:03:22
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On Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel and carried out the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust, Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon began firing missiles at Israel, and the attacks have continued ever since. Last month, Israelis defended themselves against Hezbollah in new ways, including by exploding thousands of pagers worn on the belts of Hezbollah members and eliminating longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Soon after, Israeli troops began operating in southern Lebanon and uncovered a Hezbollah plot to invade Israel — all right under the noses of UN employees who claim to be peacekeepers and are bankrolled by U.S. tax dollars. To discuss Lebanon’s colonization by Tehran, its war with Israel, its storied past, its troubled present, and its uncertain future – host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues Hussain Abdul-Hussain and David Daoud .…
Yahya Sinwar is dead. He was the leader of Hamas, the architect of the October 7 attack on Israel — the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has the blood of many Americans on his hands, too, and was designated as a terrorist by the U.S. For Israel, this is a significant battle won in a long and multi-front war. What’s next? Host Cliff May discusses with his FDD colleagues Mark Dubowitz, Jonathan Schanzer, and Hussain Abdul-Hussain.…
Gen. H.R. McMaster has written a memoir about his action-packed 13 months serving as national security advisor to the 45th president of the United States. It’s titled “At War With Ourselves,” and it focuses on the widening divisions among Americans — divisions not just between the major political parties but very much within them. H.R. is an historian as well as a soldier, and his mission, in writing this book was, as he spells out for readers, “to explain what the Trump Administration achieved and failed to achieve in the areas of foreign policy and national security during a pivotal moment in American history.” Gen. McMaster now chairs FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power where Bradley Bowman is the senior director. They both join host Cliff May to discuss the new book and a range of conflicts, crises, and issues.…
America and other free nations are threatened by enemies – an axis of tyrants, of aggressors, of authoritarians, of revanchists – all those terms are apt. But the response of Western leaders continues to be woefully inadequate. The most imminently endangered democratic societies: Ukraine and Israel. Host Cliff May discusses with Bernard Henri-Lévy and Oleksandra Matviichuk .…
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1 International Law and Disorder 1:02:37
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On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and conducted the largest pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust. The next day, Hezbollah began to rain missiles from southern Lebanon on Israel’s northern communities. Officials at the UN, other transnational organizations, various non-governmental organizations, and media platforms — AKA the “international community” — has responded to this Iran-backed terrorism mostly by aiding and abetting the terrorists and attacking Israel with a campaign we’ve come to call “lawfare.” Host Cliff May is joined by two leading international law practitioners and experts: Natasha Hausdorff of UK Lawyers for Israel and FDD senior fellow Orde Kittrie .…
The theocrats in Tehran have surrounded Israel with proxies — a “ring of fire,” as it’s being called. The regime’s nuclear weapons development program has made progress, too. And so has its development of the missiles that could deliver these nuclear weapons to targets anywhere in the world. Plus: the regime has made common cause with Communist China, neo-imperialist Russia, and the dynastic dictatorship in North Korea: an “axis of aggressors,” as it’s being called. For an update on Iran, its rulers, its proxies, its subjects, its victims, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues Mark Dubowitz and Reuel Marc Gerecht.…
Twenty-three years ago, al Qaeda terrorists hijacked passenger jets to use as missiles and crash two into the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon. United Airlines Flight 93 – thanks to brave passengers onboard – crashed into an open field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. These attacks came as a shock and a surprise. But they shouldn’t have — particularly to the American intelligence community, professors of Middle East and Islamic studies at elite universities, the news media. To unpack why and discuss the threats facing America and other democratic societies all these years later, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues Hussain Abdul-Hussain and Jonathan Schanzer.…
General Randy A. George is the 41st Army Chief of Staff, making him a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Army. He enlisted in the Army decades ago, has commanded at all levels, and deployed to war multiple times. What are America’s adversaries up to, and what lessons can be drawn from the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East? How is the character of war changing, and what is he doing to ensure that the U.S. Army is ready to deploy, fight, and win? To find out, Bradley Bowman — senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power and guest host — went to the Pentagon to ask the general.…
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1 Matt Pottinger and the Boiling Moat 1:01:44
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Before Matt Pottinger was a reporter in China, he served as a U.S. Marine, deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He then spent four years in senior roles on the White House National Security Council, including as senior director for Asia, and deputy national security advisor. Now, he’s a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and he’s Chairman of FDD’s China Program. And he’s the editor of a new book: “ The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan .” He joins host Cliff May to discuss Xi Jinping’s Stalinist efforts to usher in “the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation” — and its possible consequences for Taiwan.…
Taiwan is a vibrant democracy in the western Pacific just east of Communist China where Xi Jinping, the most powerful Chinese ruler since Mao Zedong, is the decider. His intentions toward Taiwan are imperialist and predatory. But it’s not just Taiwan that is in his crosshairs — he also seeks to displace the United States as the preeminent global power. An FDD delegation led by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery , Craig Singleton , and Cliff May recently visited Taiwan. They discuss their visit and what Taiwan is doing to defend its homeland and its freedom.…
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1 MAAGA: Make the Abraham Accords Great Again 1:00:56
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Growing up a religious Muslim in Saudi Arabia, Loay Ahmed Alshareef believed that Jews descended from pigs and apes and Israelis lived on stolen land. Later in his twenties, he went to study abroad in France where his homestay family turned out to be… Jewish. Despite initially contacting his school to be moved, he stayed put. Eventually his views evolved and he became a “proud Muslim Zionist.” Loay joins FDD’s Hussain Abdul-Hussain and host Cliff May to discuss the ancient roots of antisemitism, its modern application on college campuses, how it fuels the war on Israel being waged by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, why Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to reform Saudi Arabia could make the Kingdom ripe for peace with Israel and more.…
In response to an attack last weekend that killed 12 Israeli children playing soccer in the Golan Heights, a top Hezbollah commander was killed in Beirut. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was also killed this week in Tehran. In response to the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist leaders meeting their demise, Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei threatened “severe punishment,” while Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah suggested he wants “a real response, not a performative response.” The region is teetering on the brink of a major escalation. To discuss the events that unfolded this week and what could happen next, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power and guest host Bradley Bowman is joined by his FDD colleagues Jonathan Schanzer and Behnam Ben Taleblu.…
Daniel N. Hoffman spent decades as an officer in America’s “clandestine services.” He was a station chief in Moscow and Baghdad, and he was chief of the CIA's Near East Division. He also did a tour of duty in South Asia. He’s now a Fox News contributor and a columnist for the Washington Times where host Cliff May writes the weekly “Foreign Desk” column. They discuss some of the many conflicts and crises underway, including Russia's illegal war in Ukraine and Israel's defensive war in Gaza.…
When we talk about ‘hostage diplomacy’, it’s almost like we’re normalizing and legitimizing hostage-taking and admitting that American policy is not to deter hostage-taking or punish hostage-takers but simply to manage the criminals’ demands for ransom and the release of their terrorists and other rewards – and to do it with respect and civility. Vladimir Putin is among the autocratic world leaders who understand how much benefit – and how little risk – is involved in taking hostages from countries that respect international law and then offering to trade them for something or someone he wants. Since March of last year, his regime has incarcerated and just sentenced to 16 years in prison Evan Gershkovich, a fully accredited foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, on what are obviously baseless and bogus charges. But Putin also is holding another American journalist: Alsu Kurmasheva with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Her husband, Pavel Butorin, also an RFE/RL journalist, joins host Cliff May and his FDD colleague Rich Goldberg to tell her — and his — story.…
NATO is 75 years old. It was founded to “deter” the expansion of the Soviet Union, “forbid” the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong American presence on the continent, and “encourage European political integration.” Today, there is a European Union, reasonably integrated politically, nationalist militarism is not a serious European problem, and the Soviet Union lies in the “dust heap of history.” But the successor state to the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, is right now waging a brutal and criminal war against Ukraine which is not a NATO country but which has borders with NATO countries. So, how is NATO holding up after all these years? What else should it be doing? Is it addressing Moscow’s alliance with Beijing and Tehran? To discuss, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Bradley Bowman.…
As the Israel Defense Forces appear to have almost completed their mission to defeat Hamas terrorists in Rafah, a Gazan city along the Egyptian border, the Islamic Republic of Iran is utilizing Hezbollah, its proxy in Lebanon, to attack – even more aggressively – Israel’s northern territories. Behind Hezbollah, behind Hamas, behind Islamic Jihad, behind the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and multiple Shia militias in Syria and Iraq is an expanding jihadist empire whose metropole is in Tehran. Seth Cropsey , former naval officer and deputy undersecretary of the Navy, recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Israel faces a tough choice: to go to war directly against the Tehran regime now, or to go war against the Tehran regime later. He joins host Cliff May along with FDD’s RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery to discuss his article and Tehran’s war strategy, the Houthi chokehold on commercial shipping, and Beijing’s threat to Taiwan.…
After attending a conference she was invited to in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2018, Australian-British academic Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert was arrested by the intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of espionage which the Australian government rejected as "baseless.” Two years later, she was released in exchange for three convicted Iranian terrorists connected to a bomb plot in Bangkok in 2012. Two years ago, she published a memoir which became a bestseller: The Uncaged Sky: My 804 Days in an Iranian Prison . From her forced confession and kangaroo court sentencing presided over by Tehran’s notorious “hanging judge” Salavati to her solitary confinement and near-escape at the infamous Evin Prison and successful Australia- and UK-led efforts to free her in a prisoner swap, Kylie joins host Cliff May and his FDD colleague Behnam Ben Taleblu to discuss how her time in captivity shaped her current views on Iran’s regional aggression, the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protests, and hostage diplomacy — and how the West can help the Iranian people by not helping the regime.…
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1 Out of South Africa 1:07:28
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South Africa has been in the news lately. Most recently, it had elections. There’s also this: The government of South Africa has filed a lawsuit under the Genocide Convention to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The indictment is not against Hamas whose terrorists invaded Israel and massacred more than a thousand men, women, and children last October, and which vows to repeat such massacres. Nor is it against Hamas’ patrons in Tehran who openly vow to exterminate Israel and Israelis, and are using multiple proxies in pursuit of that goal. No, the South African lawsuit is against Israel, the world’s one and only Jewish-majority state. To understand the motivations behind this blood libel, host Cliff May is joined by Dr. Frans Cronje, former CEO of the South African Institute of Race Relations, and current chair of the Social Research Foundation, who described the South African lawsuit as a significant contribution to the “ideas war” being waged by Iran’s jihadist rulers. Also joining the conversation is Connor Pfeiffer, Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action. They also discuss how South Africa has evolved since the end of apartheid and its possible future trajectory.…
Turkey is a NATO ally, but not a reliable one. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has developed close relations with authoritarian powers like Russia and China. Like his neo-imperialist friends, Erdogan longs for the resurrection of the Ottoman Empire which ruled much of the Middle East for centuries. But is that what the Turkish people want? And despite its regular illicit activity ranging from smuggling, sanctions evasion, and being a terrorist safe haven to unprecedented efforts to normalize Hamas on the global stage, Turkey maintains cozy military-to-military relations with the U.S. — and a NATO membership. To discuss what Turkey under Erdogan has become, where it may be going, and what Turkey’s role in the world ought to be, host Cliff May is joined by Sinan Ciddi , a non-resident senior fellow at FDD, Jonathan Schanzer , FDD’s Senior Vice President for Research, and Tyler Stapleton , director of congressional relations at FDD Action.…
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1 What America Misunderstands About the Islamic Republic of Iran 1:21:41
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Filling in for host Cliff May this week is Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of FDD, and he’s joined by Karim Sadjadpour. They cover the full gamut of U.S. foreign policy on Iran, from looking back at President Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic and President Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA to looking ahead and arguing for policies of maximum pressure on the regime and maximum support for the Iranian people. Karim is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He’s also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Karim regularly advises senior U.S. officials and has testified numerous times before Congress. His analysis is widely published, and he frequents major media outlets including PBS NewsHour, NPR, and CNN.…
The first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state was Egypt. Following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, came the Camp David Accords of 1978 which provided both countries with tangible benefits. While the peace has never been warm, it has held. But since October 7, Egypt’s behavior has been distressing. What’s more, there’s now evidence that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been deceiving Israel for years – allowing weapons and ammunition to flow freely to Hamas through an elaborate network of tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gaza. Helping host Cliff May understand the now-tense relationship between Cairo and Jerusalem are his FDD colleagues Haisam Hassanein and Jonathan Schanzer.…
Hamas called its October 7 terrorist attack “Operation al Aqsa Flood,” suggesting a religious – rather than nationalistic – motive. The al Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in Islam, sits atop the ruins of both the ancient temples of the Jews. The first was built by King Solomon and was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The second was built in the sixth century BCE and stood for nearly 600 years before it was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE. But before there were mosques or temples in Judea there was something else: The City of David which, over recent years, archaeologists have been unearthing. To discuss what this dig is revealing about the past, and the impact these revelations might have on modern foreign policy, host Cliff May is joined by Ze’ev Orenstein, Director of International Affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem.…
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1 Reviving the Arsenal of Democracy 1:05:26
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Americans and our allies confront an extraordinary array of threats from an emerging “axis of aggressors,” consisting of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. That’s the bad news.The good news? Americans have an unmatched network of allies and partners with whom we can work to defend our common interests and counter growing threats.Among our partners in that network are three beleaguered democracies: Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. The primary way we can help is by sending weapons. But is the U.S. defense industrial base up to the task? Can America once again serve as the “Arsenal of Democracy?” Can we arm ourselves while simultaneously providing Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel with the means of self-defense? And what's up with the Biden administration and the provision of weapons to Israel? Senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power and guest host Bradley Bowman asks Mira Resnick , Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Regional Security in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. She oversees the Bureau’s Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, managing over $40 billion annually in government-to-government defense equipment transfers. She's also responsible for the Bureau’s Office of Security Assistance.…
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1 Saving Private Sinwar 1:07:53
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A war is being waged against Israel by Iran’s rulers and their proxies, and they don’t hide their goal — they boast of it: annihilation. Extermination. Genocide. Now seven months into Israel’s defensive war in Gaza following the heinous terrorist attacks of October 7, Hamas is down but not out. And they are literally down: its leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, are believed to be ensconced in an elaborate labyrinth of tunnels underneath Rafah in Gaza, wherein the last remaining Hamas battalions remain. Meanwhile, Israel also faces rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon and, recently, from Iran itself. President Biden’s response to all of this? Halting the delivery of weapons and ammunition to Israel. To discuss what President Biden wants to accomplish, what America’s enemies and allies are gleaning from this episode, what options are open to Congressional supporters of Israel, and what Israel’s options are now, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Bradley Bowman, and Richard Goldberg.…
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1 Turtle Baywatch 1:03:59
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ที่ถูกใจแล้ว1:03:59
In the aftermath of World War II, the establishment of the United Nations seemed like a promising idea: global unity in resolving conflicts peacefully while promoting human rights. Surely everyone in the new international community will support such efforts, right? Wrong. U.N. corruption is obvious to anyone willing to look, but most Americans and Europeans in positions of authority don’t look. And the problem has reached alarming new lows since the October 7 invasion of and attack on Israel by Hamas. Luckily, some experts are paying attention. A report fittingly titled, “The Urgent Need for U.N. Reform,” was published last month by Alan Goldsmith of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and the Counter Extremism Project. The report’s foreword was written by former Representative Iliana Ros-Lehtinen and FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg . Alan and Rich join host Cliff May to discuss the U.N.'s dangerous fall from grace as well as if — and how — the failed organization might be rehabilitated.…
Ali Khamenei, Iran’s longtime ruler, saw the possibility of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia as a threat to his hegemonic ambitions. On Oct. 7, Hamas, one of Tehran’s proxies, invaded Israel and committed multiple acts of barbarism. That sparked a war and froze prospects for a new Saudi-Israeli relationship. However, The Wall Street Journal reports that Washington is pushing for a “long-shot diplomatic deal” – one in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would “accept a new commitment to Palestinian statehood” in exchange for diplomatic recognition of Israel by Saudi Arabia. What else would have to be in such a deal? Can it happen while the war in Gaza is ongoing? Do the Saudis secretly want Israel to enter Rafah and finish off Hamas? To discuss the current state of diplomatic and kinetic play, host Cliff May is joined by Mark Dubowitz , FDD's Chief Executive; and Bernard Haykel , Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and a leading expert on Saudi Arabia.…
Last weekend, Iran’s rulers launched a massive missile and drone assault on Israel. Though the attack was thwarted, it should be obvious that the Islamic Republic is willing to pursue its goal of “Death to Israel!” — not just by utilizing Arab proxies and pawns, but now also directly from within its own territory. We must assume that Iran’s rulers are also now adjusting their strategies for the jihad they are waging and the genocide they vow to carry out. A reminder: If Iran’s rulers acquire nuclear weapons and missiles capable of delivering them to targets anywhere in the world that would be a game-changer. Israel’s leaders must now think harder than ever about how to fight this long war. To explore such questions, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow; Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power; and retired Admiral Mark Montgomery, Senior Director of FDD's Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. Editor's note: We are releasing this episode ahead of schedule. We recorded it late afternoon (ET) on Thursday, April 18. Hours later the same evening, explosions have been reported in Isfahan, Iran, and Iranian airspace has been closed. Although Israel has yet to claim any involvement in or responsibility for these explosions, we are releasing this episode early due to the discussion's timeliness and relevance to these unfolding events.…
Six months after Iranian-backed terrorists perpetrated the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, Israel’s ground war against Hamas in Gaza, its conflict with Lebanon-based Hezbollah in Israel’s north, and Tehran’s multi-front shadow war against the Jewish state continue. For a status update, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power, and Brigadier General (Res.) Jacob Nagel, a visiting fellow at FDD and former Israeli national security advisor under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They discuss Israel’s withdrawal of most troops from Gaza; the necessity of closing the tunnels from Egypt through which Hamas has received huge quantities of arms and ammunition; the difficulties of providing aid to Gazans while Hamas holds hostages and kills Israelis whenever possible; where Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif are likely hiding; and the strategic imperative of defeating the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah. They also discuss President Biden’s wavering support for Israel; Israel’s April 1 assassination of an IRGC-QF commander in Damascus; and Tehran’s threat to take revenge.…
The Israeli airstrike next to Iran’s embassy in Damascus on April 1 targeted several high-ranking members of Iran’s Quds Force — an elite division of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, which is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. Among those killed: top IRGC-QF commander in Syria and Lebanon, Mohammad Reza Zahedi. The regime in Tehran has vowed revenge, and Israel is on high-alert for escalation by Iran’s proxies on seven possible fronts. To discuss the strategic thinking behind Israel’s strike and possible Iranian responses, host Cliff May is joined by FDD experts Behnam Ben Taleblu and Hussain Abdul Hussain . They explain why diplomatic immunity was not in play in Damascus, and revisit Iran’s history of not respecting such diplomatic niceties and protocols; analyze reactions from the Biden administration and “international community” — including at the United Nations where the Russian Federation protects and defends Tehran, where Security Council resolutions beneficial to Israel are not enforced, and where“international law” seems to only apply to Israel and the U.S.…
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1 Ronald Meets the Donald 1:06:48
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President Reagan knew a detent with the Soviet Union wouldn’t win the Cold War. If we take off the gloves and force Soviet communism to compete with American democracy, he thought, the U.S. will prevail. In a phrase: “We win, they lose.” He was right. The U.S. won. The Soviet Union collapsed. But in the decades since as America’s role in the world diminished and the rules-based order decayed, Russia relapsed. And as he puts back the pieces of a shattered Soviet Union one illegal land-grab at a time, Putin is hardly the only despot hellbent on resurrecting an imperial renaissance in the shadows of American retrenchment. Also jonesing for a rise from the ash heap of history are the Islamist regime in Tehran and Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. Together with Moscow, they’ve formed a neo-imperialist axis to take on the West in a New Cold War. With the U.S. facing multiple nuclear-powered adversaries in a conflict for the first time ever , the second Cold War is shaping up to be far more dangerous than the first. With such high stakes, CWII’s outcome will no doubt be a decisive chapter in modern history. The task of navigating the free world through this crisis falls on one desk (you know the one). And while he who will sit behind it remains uncertain, the possibilities can be narrowed down to two. Both have sat there before. So far, only one has a tailored roadmap for winning Cold War II, and it’s based entirely on Reagan’s playbook. The experts behind the strategy (AKA their new book: We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War ) are Matthew Kroenig and Dan Negrea. They join host Cliff May who has some questions for them.…
After World War II, the United States attempted to construct something new: a liberal, American-led, rules-based international order that would promote human rights, Enlightenment values, and democracy. Today, the dictatorial rulers of China, Russia, and Iran are attempting to establish something different: a world order that is radically illiberal with rules made in Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran, and hostility regarding human rights, Enlightenment values, and democracy. This is one of the topics on the mind of former National Security Advisor and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton. He joins host Cliff May for an in-depth discussion.…
In Gaza, Israelis are fighting a ground war – and an underground war – against Hamas, a proxy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israelis also are responding to missile attacks from Hezbollah, Tehran’s Lebanon-based foreign legion. These are serious conflicts. But they are not separate conflicts. And they could be something else – something worse. Mark Dubowitz , FDD’s chief executive, worries that they could be what he calls “weapons of mass distraction” — a way to divert the attention of Israel’s military, intelligence, and political establishments, along with those of the Biden administration, from a more threatening development: the advance of Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. Mark and Eyal Hulata , former Israeli National Security Advisor and now the first foreign visiting fellow at FDD, join host Cliff May to discuss what Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wants to achieve while he’s alive and the legacy he wants to leave behind.…
Next month marks 30 years since the onset of the world’s worst mass slaughter since the Holocaust: the Rwandan genocide. Among the forces that ushered in an end to the conflict was a military officer who would ultimately become Rwanda’s president: Paul Kagame. FDD’s RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery recently met with President Kagame and other senior officials in Kigali. In addition to a debrief on his trip, Adm. Montgomery joins host Cliff May to discuss Russian and Chinese neo-imperialism in Africa; the environmental harm being caused by the exploitative extraction of cobalt and other minerals necessary for an “energy transition”; the wars in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Libya, what BRICS is building; the spread of Islamism and jihadist violence in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and other African countries.…
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1 View of the World from Boston 1:03:41
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Joining Cliff for this episode is Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby, whose first column appeared 30 years ago this week. Jeff’s career as a journalist has included interviews with Elie Wiesel and Mikhail Gorbachev, and on-the-ground reporting from such exotic locales as Cuba, the Korean DMZ, and Gaza. Cliff asks Jeff how he came to his world view; what he saw in Gaza during visits from the 1970s to early 2000s; why a “Hitlerian” variant of antisemitism has reemerged; and what lessons might be learned from Israel’s experiments and experiences.…
Given the mandate of the United Nations, you might think a genocide perpetrated by a terrorist organization against a democracy in the Middle East would be an opportunity for the UN to exercise its moral authority — perhaps even an obligation, considering the U.S. tax dollars that bankroll it. But you’d be wrong. The UN doesn’t recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Moreover, when the UN uses the word “genocide,” it’s not talking about the aims of Hamas per its charter nor what Hamas did on October 7 and pledges to do again. When the UN uses the word “genocide,” they are referring to Israeli self-defense. Why is the UN not standing up for the principles upon which it was founded? Is reform even possible at this point? Host Cliff May is joined by FDD experts Bonnie Glick and Richard Goldberg to discuss. Bonnie Glick Bonnie Glick is an adjunct senior fellow at FDD. She served as the deputy administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from January 2019 to November 2020. She was nominated for the post by President Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent. Her prior experience also includes 12 years as a U.S. foreign service officer in the Department of State with overseas tours in Ethiopia and Nicaragua and domestic tours at the State Department, National Security Council, and U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Read Bonnie's full bio here. Richard Goldberg Richard Goldberg is a senior advisor at FDD. From 2019-2020, he served as the Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction for the White House National Security Council. He previously served as chief of staff for Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and deputy chief of staff and senior foreign policy adviser to former U.S. Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois in both the U.S. House and Senate. Read Rich's full bio here.…
As Israel's defensive war in Gaza enters its fifth month, host Cliff May is joined by FDD experts retired Major General Amir Eshel and retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery to talk about the current state of the war including how many Hamas terrorists are thought to remain active on the battlefield in Gaza; the whereabouts of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif; and IDF efforts to reduce civilian casualties during what’s expected to be a major battle in Rafah. They also discuss the threat from Hezbollah across Israel’s northern border in Lebanon; the impact of Ramadan which begins on March 10; whether weapons from Iran’s rulers could still be flowing into Gaza through tunnels under its Egyptian border; what Egypt is and should be doing; what the U.S. stands to learn from Israel’s hard lessons on and after October 7; and President Biden’s changing rhetoric on the Hamas-Israeli war.…
The U.S. is in a decisive moment. Harried by turmoil and challenges at home, many Americans look overseas and see a world on fire. Ukrainians are fighting for their lives against Putin, wondering whether the west will abandon them; Beijing is undertaking an unprecedented military expansion in preparation for potential aggression in the Taiwan Strait; Iran-backed terrorists are attacking U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, while waging the worst campaign against international shipping in decades; and Israel is trying to finish the job against Hamas in Gaza while eyeing Hezbollah, the Iranian nuclear program, and concerning political pronouncements in Washington. Guest host Bradley Bowman is joined by fellow FDD expert RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery to discuss the essential state of play in Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel; why the outcome of their struggles matters to Americans; and what role the U.S. should play in helping them.…
Jeffrey Herf has a new and timely volume on the current moment. It’s title: “Three Faces of Antisemitism: Right, Left and Islamist.” He joins host Cliff May to discuss the multiple manifestations of Jew-hatred – a growth industry since the terrible pogrom of October 7, 2023.
Colonel Richard Kemp has spent three decades fighting terrorists and insurgents around the world, including as commander of British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has been present during each conflict between Israel and Hamas since 2008 and has been in Israel since the beginning of the current Gaza war. Col. Kemp joins Cliff to discuss why Israel is not guilty of genocide and why Hamas, Hezbollah, and their patrons in Tehran are ; the measures taken by Israel to reduce civilian harm — including their unparalleled ratio of civilians to combatants killed — in what the Col. calls the “single most challenging battlefield”; how South Africa and other members of the so-called ‘international community’ reinforce Hamas’ use of human shields; and the Colonel’s thoughts on the recent U.S.- and UK-led defensive strikes targeting Houthi assets in Yemen. Col. Kemp also shares a battlefield assessment from his time spent in Ukraine and explains to Cliff why he fears the war is likely to end in defeat for Kyiv.…
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MI) are the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Armed Services Committee. On January 11, they issued a noteworthy joint statement after receiving a briefing from Admiral John Aquilino, the commander of all U.S. military forces in the Indo-Pacific. The briefing’s topic? The threat from China and how we should respond. The two senators called Admiral Aquilino’s briefing “sobering” and said “Failure to maintain deterrence against China… would be catastrophic for American national and economic security.” They said tackling the challenges must be a top priority for the committee and called for a number of urgent steps. While many of us have been focused on the aftermath of the deplorable October 7 terror attack on Israel and growing instability and war in the Middle East, things have still been happening in the Indo-Pacific. So, what has China been up to? What has the U.S. military been doing to bolster deterrence? What additional steps must be taken? Guest host Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, asks these and related questions to Admiral Aquilino. Also joining the conversation: retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery. Admiral John Aquilino Admiral Aquilino is the 26th Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. That’s the Pentagon oldest and largest combatant command covering 36 nations, 14 time zones, and more than 50 percent of the world’s population. He oversees 380,000 service members and DOD civilians and is responsible for all U.S. military activities in the Indo-Pacific. That means he spends a lot of time thinking about the People’s Republic of China. Prior to his current assignment, he's commanded a carrier strike group, led all U.S. naval forces in the Middle East, and was the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, among many other assignments. In addition to being a leader, he’s also a pilot and warrior. He’s accumulated more than 5,000 flight hours. He’s been an F-14 and F-18 pilot and has 1,500 carrier landings. He’s also a graduate of the famous TOPGUN school. Admiral Aquilino has deployed many times, including in support of Operations Deny Flight, Deliberate Force, Southern Watch, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Rear Admiral (retired) Mark Montgomery RADM Montgomery is the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD where he is also a senior fellow. Mark spent 32 years in the U.S. Navy, commanded a carrier strike group, and worked as the director of operations at U.S. Pacific Command.…
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1 Everything You Wanted to Know About Qatar But Were Afraid to Ask 1:08:33
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Host Cliff May is joined by FDD experts Jonathan Schanzer and Richard Goldberg to discuss Qatar donning the facade of ‘mediator’ and ‘peacemaker.’ The reality is rather different. They unpack Doha's bad behavior, including how a plethora of bad actors — e.g., Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban, al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Islamic Republic of Iran (or, as Jon calls it, “the cantina scene from Star Wars”) — are aided and abetted by Qatar; the historical context of Qatar’s rise to a “permissive jurisdiction” for jihadis; and the tough reckoning that awaits Washington as a result of President Biden designating Qatar “a major non-NATO ally.” Astonishingly and distressingly, a key U.S. military base in Qatar has been renewed for ten years, and the U.S. ambassador to Qatar has called 2023 “the greatest year ever in U.S.-Qatari relations,” despite the high probability that Doha has the blood of at least 34 Americans on its hands. Correction: It is the Attorney General Alliance (AGA), not the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), that receives funds from Qatar. More here . Music credit: Title: Star Wars - Cantina Band http://www.flv2mp3.org @nocopyrightelectroswing7954…
The October 7 attack against Israel was carried out by Hamas with support from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Other Tehran proxies include Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Yemen-based Ansar Allah, better known as the Houthi rebels. Although President Trump designated them as a foreign terrorist organization, President Biden removed them from that blacklist. Since November, the Houthis have used Tehran-supplied weapons to attack more than 20 commercial vessels traveling through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, gateway to the Red Sea and Suez Canal and therefore one of the most economically and strategically important waterways in the world. In response to these aggressions, the Pentagon has organized a U.S.-led naval coalition: Operation Prosperity Guardian. Does the U.S. now have this threat to freedom of the seas under control? If not, what should be the plan? Host Cliff May asks FDD experts RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Bradley Bowman . They discuss coalition’s defense approach, and why it doesn’t appear to be working; why some of the world’s biggest commercial fleets are acquiescing to the Houthi’s stranglehold on the strait; whether the U.S. is more concerned with provoking Iran’s rulers than with enforcing freedom of the seas; why “deterring by denial” rather than “deterring by punishment” encourages escalation; why the Houthis pose a direct threat to core American interests; and why the recent Houthi attacks have little if anything to do with Israel’s war against Hamas and are instead “an attack on the international system.”…
Dr. Nadia Schadlow previously served as the U.S. national security advisor for strategy, and she led the drafting and publication of the 2017 National Security Strategy (and in record time). She shares what it was like to formulate such a strategy while in the Trump White House and while her predecessors rejected much of it, she shares one Strategy “core which is very, very important” reiterated by the Biden administration. She expands on her sentiment in the Wall Street Journal that the uptick in global chaos is a direct consequence of U.S. failure to deter Russia, Iran, and China; why advancing some of Biden’s “aggressive domestic agenda” actually harms U.S. interests abroad; how America’s inability to defend its territorial integrity at its southern border has direct international security implications, including emboldening the likes of the Chinese Communist Party and the Houthis; and why it is not inconsistent to care about both the sovereignty of Ukraine and that of the U.S. southern border. Dr. Schadlow explains how Americans have benefitted from the world order they helped build and lead and the vitality of maintaining such order; the harm in continuing to empower fundamentally corrupt international organizations like the Red Cross and UN Human Rights Council; and why a 20-year investigation of an “existential threat” is an oxymoron and we should demand better outcomes for our tax-dollars. She and Cliff also discuss whether there’s value in the “Cold War 2.0” analogy — and why Dr. Schadlow says there’s one major and critical difference when it comes to China; why U.S. posture with the Houthis appears to be only defensive and not offensive; the Obama doctrine of mollifying Iran’s rulers and thinking they’d “share the neighborhood” — a strategic doctrine that Cliff points out is “less Clausewitz and more Mr. Rogers,” and more. DR. NADIA SCHADLOW Nadia Schadlow was the U.S. national security advisor for strategy in the Trump administration. In that capacity, she led the drafting and publication of the 2017 National Security Strategy of the United States. She has also served in the Defense Department and with the Smith Richardson Foundation, identifying strategic issues that warranted further attention from the American policy community. She is currently a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and a co-chair of the Hamilton Commission on Securing America’s National Security Innovation Base, and she conducts research and analysis on a range of issues at the intersection of strategy, national security, and technology. She is the author of War and the Art of Governance: Consolidating Combat Success into Political Victory .…
General David Petraeus joins the show to discuss his new book (co-authored by Andrew Roberts, our recent episode with him here ), Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine . Primarily through the lenses of Ukraine and Israel, Cliff and the General examine what has evolved into modern-day warfare. They discuss the status of Ukraine's defensive war against Russia, including criticism that the U.S. provides only enough assistance to prevent Kyiv from losing the war but not enough to win it. The General shares his concerns related to Israel's defensive war in Gaza, his thoughts on "the day after" — from the role of the UN to preventing Hamas from reconstituting, and his advice for Israel's War Cabinet based on his experience in Iraq. Cliff also asks him how Israel should handle Hezbollah, and — speaking of — does he think the U.S. has adopted a policy of appeasement towards Iran? What was his reaction to the U.S.-led Red Sea coalition announced earlier this week? General David Petraeus Gen. Petraeus served in the U.S. Army for 37 years with six consecutive commands as a general officer — five of which were in combat, including command of the “Surge” in Iraq, U.S. Central Command, and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. In addition to later serving as director of the CIA, he has held academic appointments at six universities and is a senior fellow and lecturer at Yale. Also worth noting: he was sanctioned by Russia in 2022.…
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1 Dan Senor Calls Me Back 1:00:30
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Podcast host and author Dan Senor joins Cliff to discuss his new book, The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World , and Israel's defensive war in Gaza. Among the complexities they ponder: How does Hamas continue to rain rocket fire across Israel — do they have that many weapons stockpiled, or are they being resupplied? Is Israel achieving its militarily objectives? And how is it performing on the communications battlefield? Will Palestinians see this war differently than previous wars and attribute their suffering to Hamas? Despite the sea of calls for Israel to cease its defensive fire, why are there no calls for Hamas to stop terrorizing Israelis? And where are calls for neighboring Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan to even temporarily take in and shelter Palestinians? Does the Biden administration understand the role played by the Islamic Republic of Iran? Dan Senor Dan hosts the popular “Call Me Back” podcast. He has been a senior advisor to U.S. presidential campaigns and a Pentagon official based in Baghdad and Qatar. He’s the co-author of Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle which has been translated into more than 30 languages. And he now has a new book: The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World .…
Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO) represents Colorado’s Sixth Congressional District, encompassing Aurora and adjacent areas. He's a former Army Ranger and Bronze Star recipient who deployed to combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Now in Congress, he serves on the important House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Foreign Affairs Committee. He's also co-chair of the For Country Caucus, a bipartisan group of veterans in Congress fighting polarization and working together to get things done. Filling in for host Cliff May, CMPP Senior Director Brad Bowman talks Rep. Crow about a range of national security issues, from the American experience in Afghanistan (and its consequences), Ukraine, and Taiwan, to whether Americans are in danger of a "space Pearl Harbor."…
During its October 7 invasion, Hamas terrorists slaughtered more than one thousand civilians in Israel. Its horrific acts of terrorism on that day also included mass rape, pillaging, the desecration of corpses, hostage-taking, and other unspeakable atrocities. Hamas has openly stated that it aims to repeat these atrocities and war crimes again and again and again until Israel is annihilated and Israelis exterminated. In a word: genocide. As for a two-state solution, Hamas has consistently rejected such an idea. And if you think that’s just a bargaining ploy, you’re dead wrong. Because Hamas has an ideology or, more accurately, a theology. Edmund Husain is an expert on this as it pertains to Hamas. He joins host Cliff May to discuss what Islamic theology and history tell us about both Hamas and the future of Israel. Edmund Husain Ed is a British writer and political advisor who has worked with leaders and governments around the world. He was a senior advisor to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and he undertook his doctoral studies on Western philosophy and Islam under the direction of the English philosopher Sir Roger Scruton. He has held senior fellowships at think tanks in London and New York. He’s currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Among the books he has authored: The Islamist , The House of Islam: A Global History , and Among the Mosques . A regular contributor to the Spectator magazine, he has appeared on the BBC and CNN and has written for the Telegraph , The Times of London , the New York Times , The Guardian, and other publications.…
Though the fighting is paused, Israel’s defensive war against Hamas continues. FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz and former Israeli National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata — now a senior international fellow at FDD — just returned from Israel. Host Cliff May asks them what they saw, heard, and learned about Israel's ongoing war against Hamas, about Hamas’s allies – in particular Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah – and of course about the wizard behind the curtain: Iran’s rulers. They discuss known details of the ceasefire agreement and hostage exchange — including why calling it a "hostage exchange" is inaccurate, given the imbalance between the innocent civilians being held hostage in Gaza and those imprisoned in Israel for acts of terror; how the delivery of fuel into Gaza during the pause in fighting will likely be exploited by and used to the benefit of Hamas; whether other Iran-backed terrorist groups inside Gaza like Islamic Jihad will also put their weapons down; Qatar's role of both arsonist and firefighter; the sturdiness of President Biden's support for Israel amidst increasing pressure from some inside his camp; and why anticipated IDF operations in southern Gaza will be more difficult and complex than what we've seen in the north.…
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1 How Hamas Co-opts the Media 1:00:40
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Although six weeks have passed since Iran-backed Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and butchered more than 1,200 innocent civilians while taking hostage another 240, this is just the beginning of Israel’s multi-front defensive war. One key battlefield: the information space. Historically, the odds of winning in this arena have not been in Israel’s favor. They don’t seem to be now, either. To understand why, host Cliff May and Israeli journalist and author Matti Friedman dissect both past and present media coverage of Gaza. They explain how almost all the foreign press’ current work inside Gaza is being conducted by local “fixers” who either support or dare not cross Hamas. In either case, Hamas controls the narrative. Despite an ethical imperative, most news organizations are not transparent about these restrictions that ultimately shape their coverage. And while this helps explain the “almost eagerness” of the press to accept without question and package as news Hamas talking points, Matti tells Cliff that a “deeper psychology” is also in play.…
For an update on Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, AKA Israel's War on Terrorism, host Cliff May is joined by FDD experts Jonathan Schanzer — FDD Senior Vice President for Research and author of Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War — and FDD Senior Fellow Jacob Nagel , who previously served as Israel's National Security Advisor under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They unpack IDF findings from inside (and underneath) the Shifa hospital complex in Gaza. They discuss the broader challenge that Israel faces with Hamas' expansive network of underground tunnels lurking beneath even more hospitals and other civilian infrastructure all over Gaza — how deep are they? Can Israel actually destroy every single one of them? Is it where Hamas is hiding hostages? They explain why Qatar has yet to broker a "deal" between Israel and Hamas to free hostages and why relying on Qatar for that in the first place was "ridiculous" — one of our experts even shares what he thinks is Israel's most promising course of action to secure hostages. (...and more.)…
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1 Shattered Peace 1:05:20
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The October 7 atrocities committed against Israel and by Hamas terrorists with support from the Islamic Republic of Iran has frozen the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as the clerical regime in Tehran doubtless anticipated. Now, the future of Saudi-Israeli relations may well depend on the outcome of Israel's war against Hamas. Host Cliff May is joined by top experts Bernard Haykel and Mark Dubowitz to discuss the status of Israeli-Saudi relations on October 6 versus now, including just how close the U.S. was to reaching a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia — and the likelihood of those talks resuming; why these normalization efforts motivated Tehran to unleash Hamas on October 7; and how those who correctly decried the Khashoggi murder remain silent on the October 7 butchering of Americans in Israel. They consider the future of Israel's war against Hamas, including day-after scenarios for when Israel cripples Hamas — will this war really be over after that? And what future role might the Saudis play in a post-war Gaza and West Bank? They also break down the ways in which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 expands beyond economics as a broader vision for the Middle East and Saudi Arabia's role in it; the importance of Vision 2030 building Saudi Arabia as a nation — and why this contradicts the Islamist vision of expansion held by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Bernard Haykel Bernard is a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. His research focuses on the “political and social tensions that arise from questions about religious identity and authority” with a particular emphasis on Islam, history, and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. His books include “Saudi Arabia in Transition” and “Revival and Reform in Islam.” Mark Dubowitz Mark is FDD’s chief executive officer. He has conducted extensive research in Saudi Arabia and in Israel and on (not in!) the Islamic Republic of Iran. Indeed, he has been both sanctioned and threatened by Tehran’s rulers. He has also been sanctioned by Russia and blacklisted by Turkey.…
Nearly a month ago, Hamas invaded Israel and murdered over 1,400 men, women, and children. It was the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since World War II, which was also a war against the Jews that culminated in the Holocaust. The Israel Defense Forces are now in Gaza aiming to cripple Hamas’s military capabilities, and it’s a challenging mission. To discuss, host Cliff May is joined by three FDD experts: Bradley Bowman , Hussain Abdul-Hussain , and Retired Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel (former commander in chief of the Israeli Air Force). They talk about the status of Israel's ground operation inside Gaza, including why forces are current concentrated in the northern part of the Strip; how the IDF might deal with Hamas' extensive system of underground tunnels; what happened at Al Shifa Hospital and why Hamas is using ambulances; if there's a difference between a ceasefire and 'humanitarian pause' as well as Israel's conditions for agreeing to the former; how Israel's Arab neighbors are reacting to the war; Saudi Arabia's interception of missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen at Israel — and other related issues.…
Two of the world's top experts on human rights join host Cliff May to discuss the October 7 massacre in Israel — the atrocity carried out by Hamas and backed by Iran’s jihadi rulers — and about all that has followed since, in the Middle East, the US, Canada, and elsewhere. They discuss inaction by the United Nations and other international bodies charged with championing human rights not just in the aftermath of 10/7 but throughout recent history, a refresher on why calling Israel an apartheid state is incorrect, a review of modern genocidal affronts across the international community (made not least of all by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates), defining the indigeneity of the Jewish people, and more. Irwin Cotler Irwin is a near-legendary champion of human rights. He’s carried out that mission as an attorney specializing in international law, as Canada’s minister of justice, attorney general, a member of Parliament, a law professor, and International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, an organization he founded. He served as counsel to Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, anti-apartheid activist and former South African President Africa Nelson Mandela, the Tutsi people of Rwanda, and many others both famous and not so famous. Last week in Washington, he was awarded the Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize. Orde Kittrie Orde is a senior fellow at FDD and a law professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He also wrote the book Lawfare: Law as a Weapon of War , published by Oxford University Press.…
It is the opinion of your Foreign Podicy host, Cliff May, that Andrew Roberts is the world’s greatest living historian. In recent years, he has written groundbreaking biographies of Churchill, Napoleon, and King George. He’s a Bradley Prize winner, and Cliff is the one who nominated him. However, Cliff was outdone by His Majesty Charles the Third, as Andrew is now Lord Andrew Roberts — the sovereign has conferred upon him the title of Baron Roberts of Belgravia . Lord Andrew Roberts joins Cliff to discuss his most recent book, co-authored with retired General David Petraeus, "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.” This New York Times best-seller reached bookstores as the war between Hamas and Israel entered its second week.…
Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel has led to war. We have to think that’s what Hamas and its patrons in Tehran expected and very likely wanted. Is that because they believe they can win on the Gazan battlefields? Does Hezbollah, Tehran’s Lebanese foreign legion, plan to open a second front? Or do Israel’s many enemies in the Middle East, Europe, and here in America believe they can make Israel back off, agree to a ceasefire, and let Hamas live to kill Jews another day? What are Israel’s options? What are the tradeoffs? To discuss these and other questions — and attempt to penetrate the fog of war a little — host Cliff May is joined by FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg ; Bradley Bowman , Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power; and RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery , Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.…
Israel is at war with Hamas — a real war, not another “mow the grass” conflict. Hamas is one of the terrorist groups funded, armed, trained and instructed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. This war began on Saturday, October 7 when Israel was invaded by Hamas barbarians who mass-murdered young people attending a peaceful music festival, raped women, slaughtered babies, and took hostages, dragging them back to dungeons in Gaza. The list of Hamas atrocities and war crimes goes on and on. Over the days since, Hezbollah, Tehran’s Lebanon-based foreign legion, has been probing Israel’s northern defenses. Another front could open. To discuss, host Cliff May is joined by FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz , FDD Senior Vice President for Research Jonathan Schanzer , and FDD Senior International Fellow Eyal Hulata , a former Israeli national security advisor and former head of Israel’s National Security Council.…
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1 Ukraine in the Balance: A Conversation with Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander 1:01:24
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Americans, our elected officials in Congress, and individuals aspiring to be the next U.S. president are debating whether the United States should continue to support Ukraine. Some Republican presidential candidates are arguing against aid for Ukraine, while several others warn that abandoning Ukraine would be a costly mistake. In Congress, Republican leaders of key committees continue to support aid for Ukraine, but a vocal minority faction of the Republican party in the House of Representatives that opposes aid for Ukraine seems to be growing. To complicate matters, Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces is going more slowly than many hoped, and the battlefield outcome remains uncertain. In short, Ukraine is in the balance and Americans have questions. To get answers, Brad Bowman (Senior Director of FDD’s Center for Military and Political Power, filling in for host Cliff May) is joined by Celeste Wallander. Celeste Wallander Celeste serves as the Biden Administration’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Pentagon. Previously, she served in the Obama administration’s National Security Council from 2013 to 2017 as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia. She’s a longtime Russia scholar, former professor at Harvard and Georgetown University, and the author of more than 80 publications.…
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1 News Bulletin From Iran, 70 Years Late 1:00:34
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“What’s past is prologue,” Shakespeare informed us. But what if the past is misunderstood? Or misrepresented? What if policy makers are making policies based on false historical narratives? In 1979, host Cliff May went to Iran to report on the revolution that was then underway. Cliff admits that he didn’t know much about the country. But neither did most of his colleagues, reporters from around the world who had parachuted in to cover this big story. He was working on a documentary for PBS which had arranged for him to partner with an Iranian producer. So, at least the producer was knowledgeable, right? Well, yes and no. He was gung-ho for the revolution and an ardent admirer of its leader: the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In other words, he was not a truth-seeking journalist but an enthusiastic propagandist. So, this turned out to be a challenging assignment for Cliff. All these many years later, Ray Takeyh – the Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations – is trying to understand and reveal the truth about modern Iranian history. He’s well suited to the task: He holds a doctorate in modern history from Oxford University and has served as a senior advisor on Iran at the State Department. He joins Cliff for today's discussion. Also joining: Reuel Marc Gerecht , a former Iranian-targets officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, currently a resident scholar at FDD.…
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1 Guests of the Ayatollah 1:23:13
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“Hostage diplomacy” is a term you’ll frequently see in the media, but it's a misleading term. What we’re really talking about: Dictators kidnapping and torturing innocent foreign civilians. In some cases, the leaders of free countries pay ransom to get them back. In some cases, the dictators also demand the release of convicted criminals who have been or can be of use to them. In some cases, both simultaneously. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism; in 1979, in violation of the most fundamental international laws, its agents seized the American embassy in Tehran and held 66 American citizens hostage — 52 of them for 444 days. The regime in Tehran threatens Israelis with genocide and is providing weapons to Vladimir Putin so he can continue slaughtering Ukrainians for refusing to submit to him; for the crime (in his eyes) of wanting to remain free and independent. The Biden administration has now reportedly approved the release to Tehran of several Iranian criminals along with $6 billion in frozen funds. In exchange, five U.S. citizens are to be released. And that’s almost certainly just part of a broader deal being kept secret from the American people and from Congress — in clear violation of American law. Billions of additional dollars appear to be involved in this deal which will not stop Tehran’s nuclear weapons development program or even seriously delay it. And because you get more of what you reward, expect the hostage-taking to continue. Joining host Cliff May to discuss these topics: Gazalle Sharmahd, whose father, Jamshid or (Jimmy) Sharmahd, a German citizen, was taken prisoner by Iranian agents in Dubai in 2020. She has been tirelessly campaigning for his release ever since and urging the US and Europe to take a tougher line with the Iran’s ruling mullahs. Xiyue Wang is a Chinese-born American scholar who was imprisoned in Iran from 2016 to 2019 after being falsely accused of espionage. Xiyue is a member of FDD’s National Security Network. And Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues.…
Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is illegal, immoral, brutal, and barbarian. And if you agree that there is no good alternative to American leadership of the world’s free nations and those that aspire to be, then it follows that it would be a terrible mistake — strategically and morally — for Americans to turn their backs on Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom, independence, homeland, and families. Whatever your think, you should be curious about the perspectives of America’s allies — particularly those closest to the conflict. With that in mind, host Cliff May is joined by the Hon. Radosław "Radek" Sikorski , a member of the European Parliament for Poland, who sits on committees for Foreign Affairs, Security and Defense. Also taking part in the conversation is Reuel Marc Gerecht , a resident scholar at FDD. In a former incarnation he was an officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations. The Hon. Radosław "Radek" Sikorski He is currently a member of the European Parliament for Poland, where he sits on committees for Foreign Affairs, Security, and Defense. He’s also a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard and a Distinguished Statesman at CSIS in Washington. He was Poland’s Minister of Defense from 2005 to 2007, Foreign Minister from 2007 to 2014 and Speaker of the Parliament from 2014 to 2015. Other notable items on his very long resume: He served as a war reporter in Afghanistan and Angola. He was a Resident Scholar at AEI in Washington. Foreign Policy magazine named him one of 100 global policy intellectuals ‘for speaking the truth even when it’s not diplomatic.’…
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1 Mexico Is Going South 1:04:12
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Host Cliff May lived in Mexico in the late 1970s. Back then, there were reasons to believe Mexico was moving in the right direction. That’s no longer the case. Mexico’s narco-cartels are not only growing in power but also making common cause with Chinese Communists. One result: fentanyl-laced drugs are streaming north where they are killing tens of thousands of young Americans annually. Is Beijing’s goal to destabilize Mexico? Does the Biden administration have a Mexico policy? If not, what should that policy be?…
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1 “No Freebies For Dictators” and other Abrams Doctrines 1:01:59
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Elliott Abrams has been in the foreign policy business for a rather long time. Years ago, he served on the staffs of Democratic Senators Henry “Scoop” Jackson and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He later served in the administrations of Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. During the Trump administration he served as the State Department’s Special Representative for Venezuela and later, in addition, took on the position of Special Representative for Iran. He left the State Department in January 2021. He’s the author of five books. He’s currently senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has a blog called Pressure Points which focuses on U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East, democracy, and human rights. He joins host Cliff May to discuss a number of pressing national security and foreign policy issues.…
"It's not a sprint, it's a marathon." That was the reported assessment of a Ukrainian battalion commander recently describing Kyiv's counteroffensive against invading Russian forces. To be sure, the progress of the Ukrainian forces has been slow and the human cost incredibly high. Meanwhile, more than 40 countries — not including Russia — met in Riyadh last weekend to discuss the war. At this point in the war, what are the strategies of the two combatants? Is time on Kyiv's — or Moscow's — side? What U.S. interests are at stake on the battlefield in Ukraine? What happened at the NATO Summit in Vilnius last month? Guest host Bradley Bowman , senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, poses these and related questions to two leading experts: Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges and Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery .…
In Part II of the Game of War, host Cliff May is again joined by Dr. Ben Jensen and RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery to continue their discussion on wargaming. They discuss its application in both Taiwan and Ukraine.
China’s rulers gaze across the Taiwan Strait and see an island where people are free, prosperous, and choose their leaders. They don’t like that. They insist that the people of Taiwan must be ruled by the Communist Party of China. They vow that this is the future and that they will make it happen through the use of military force if other approaches fail. But that’s not all Beijing wants in the vast region known as the Indo-Pacific. Not for the first time on this podcast, we suggest that you reference a map because we’re going to travel to some far-off and remote lands. Guiding us will be Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at FDD who studies and writes about this region and has been sounding an alarm in Congress and elsewhere about Beijing’s plans to undermine America's alliances in the Indo-Pacific — particularly with the small island nations of the region. Joining us for the tour is Jon Schanzer, FDD’s senior vice president for research, who recently returned from a trip to Taiwan and Palau, one of the island countries in the western Pacific that we’ll discuss.…
War games are not entertainments. They are simulations; a way to develop insights into what would happen in an armed conflict – who would prevail and at what cost, should push come to shove. War games test strategies and capabilities. They are a tool for both research and training. Recently, Dr. Ben Jensen and FDD’s RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery conducted for Congress a war game simulating a conflict between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China over Taiwan. They join host Cliff May for a special two-part episode to first discuss the concept, utility, and history of war gaming followed by its application in planning for a possible contingency over Taiwan.…
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1 Samuel Ramani on Russia in Ukraine and Russia in Africa 1:01:51
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Samuel Ramani teaches politics and international relations at Oxford. He’s the author of Russia in Africa and Putin’s War on Ukraine . His articles appear in a range of top-tier publications. He’s often on the BBC and other international broadcast media. His Twitter feed is granular and prolific. He joins host Cliff May to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine and its footprint in Africa.…
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1 Russia’s Lost Empire 1:03:31
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Host Cliff May recently wrote a column for the Washington Times guessing what Vladimir Putin might do next if he should succeed in Ukraine. He suggested Putin would take over Moldova, formalize his control over Belarus, and then turn his hungry eyes toward the Baltic states — with the primary goal of establishing a land bridge to Kaliningrad, a Russian territory 400 miles west of the Russian mainland. Parenthetically: Kaliningrad was called Königsberg before the Soviet army captured it from the Germans in 1945. It’s where the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet is now headquartered. In response, Cliff received a note from a brilliant scholar, S. Frederick Starr , among whose many books is Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane . It’s a fascinating book that Cliff says changed his understanding of Central Asia and the Islamic world. In his note to Cliff, Fred asked why he didn’t think about Putin sending his tanks in another direction: Central Asia and the Caucuses. That seemed like a good question. So, Fred — the founding chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program — sat down with Cliff to answer it.…
Major General Paul J. Rock Jr. commands United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command, or MARCENT. That makes him the top U.S. Marine in the Middle East. MajGen Rock is a Marine aviator with combat deployments to Iraq, and he was the commanding general of the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade before his current position. He believes the biggest threat to U.S. interests in the Middle East is Iran and its proxies. Why? What are Tehran and its terror proxies up to in the region? What are China and Russia doing there? How is MARCENT helping to build a regional security architecture? And how can U.S. Congress help? Guest host Bradley Bowman — Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power – asks MajGen Rock these and related questions.…
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1 Walter Russell Mead’s Global View 1:02:08
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Walter Russell Mead is the Global View Columnist at the Wall Street Journal , the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College in New York, the Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship at the Hudson Institute, and he’s a member of Aspen Institute Italy. He’s the author of five books. His latest: The Arc of A Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Future of the Jewish People. He has recently returned from Kyiv, capital of a nation that’s fighting for its life. He joins Cliff to discuss his visit, his book, and more.…
LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster wears many hats. Most important for us at FDD: He’s Chairman of the Board of Advisors for our Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) . He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 34 years, he holds a doctorate in military history, and he was the 26th assistant to the president of the United States for National Security Affairs. Ways to keep up with him: Reading what he writes as well as listening to both his Battlegrounds podcast and the Good Fellows podcast he does along with historian Niall Ferguson and economist John Cochran from their base at the Hoover Institution. But when he’s in Washington — or as Cliff calls it: "Baghdad on the Potomac" — we like to sit him down at FDD and pummel him with questions. Bradley Bowman , senior director of FDD’s CMPP, joins the episode to help do just that.…
One of the most important missions of the United States military is defending our homeland against a range of threats. But that mission is only becoming more difficult as China, Russia, and North Korea strengthen their means to threaten Americans here at home. What is the current military threat to the American homeland? How is that threat evolving? What does the Department of Defense need now and in the future to defend our homeland more effectively? Bradley Bowman — senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) , filling in for host Cliff May — asks these and other questions to two U.S. Air Force officers who have served our country in uniform for decades and accumulated thousands of flight hours. Lieutenant General David S. Nahom Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom is the Commander of Alaskan Command within United States Northern Command. He’s also Commander of the Eleventh Air Force within Pacific Air Forces and Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command Region. In other words, he’s focused on the current threat. Brigadier General Joseph D. Kunkel Brig. Gen. Joseph D. Kunkel is the Director of Plans, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs in the U.S. Air Force headquarters. That means he focuses on the future threat and what we need to be doing now to prepare.…
On May 28, 2023, after 21 years in power, Recep Tayyip Erdogan won another five-year-term as president of Turkey — or Türkiye — as he prefers. To discuss what this means for Türkiye, the U.S., the Middle East, Europe, and NATO, host Cliff May is joined by Sinan Ciddi, non-resident senior fellow at FDD and associate professor of national security studies at Marine Corps University, and Jonathan Schanzer, FDD’s senior vice president and former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.…
American political scientist Joseph Nye popularized the concept of soft power decades ago. As he wrote in his 2004 book by that name, “soft power – getting others to want the outcomes that you want – co-opts people rather than coerces them.” Such soft power cooption can be less costly than hard power coercion. But we see daily reminders that soft power is insufficient and hard power often remains decisive, at least initially. Consider: Putin’s unprovoked large-scale invasion of Ukraine; Beijing’s saber rattling in the Taiwan Strait; and Tehran’s continued employment of terrorist proxies and steps toward a nuclear weapon capability. ...These remind us that soft power has its limits. But it would be a mistake to dismiss the role of soft power. It’s a necessary but not sufficient complement to hard power that can help the U.S. secure its interests. America needs both hard and softer power tools and needs to employ and integrate them more effectively. That’s one of the big ideas animating FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) . What are the tools of soft power? How do they relate to hard power? How is China using soft power tools against the United States and its allies? How can we wield our soft power tools such as international development more effectively? To discuss these topics and more, Bradley Bowman — senior director of FDD’s CMPP, filling in for Cliff May as host — is joined by Daniel Runde and Elaine Dezenski . Daniel Runde Dan is a senior vice president and director of the Project on Prosperity and Development (PPD) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he holds the William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis. Dan has held leadership roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank Group and has significant experience in the private sector.He has written a new book: The American Imperative, Reclaiming Global Leadership Through Soft Power. Elaine Dezenski Elaine is senior director of FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power . Elaine has more than two decades of leadership in public, private, and international organizations and is a recognized expert on geopolitical risk, supply chain security, anti-corruption, and national security.…
Israelis are now celebrating 75 years of independence – 75 years of self-determination for the Jewish people in part of their ancient homeland which for centuries was ruled by foreign empires. There are not many nations that, as the late Charles Krauthammer used to point out, are “living in the same land, worshipping the same God, and speaking the same language as did their ancestors 3,000 years ago.” But not everyone is celebrating. Islamic Jihad — a terrorist organization funded, armed, and instructed by the Islamic Republic of Iran — recently fired hundreds of missiles at Israel from Gaza, a territory from which Israelis withdrew in 2005. Israelis retaliated with precision strikes targeting Islamic Jihad leaders. For the moment, a ceasefire is in effect. On May 15, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a “Nakba Day” speech at the U.N. General Assembly. Nakba is Arabic for “catastrophe” which is how he and other enemies of Israel regard Israel’s birth. Abbas said that the U.S. and Britain are to be “blamed” for creating Israel in order to get rid of their Jews, and he claimed that despite Israel’s efforts to excavate under the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is also the site of what Jews call the Temple Mount, no historical or archeological evidence has been found proving that Jews were present in Jerusalem in the past. In Washington, Rep. Rashida Tlaib staged her own “Nakba” event with help from Sen. Bernie Sanders. And Foreign Affairs, a prestigious American journal, published a long article that also made no attempt to suggest how peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians might be achieved. The four authors suggest instead that the root of the conflict is, as Islamic Jihad, Mr. Abbas, and Ms. Tlaib would have it: Israel’s existence. The solution – implied rather than stated – is to rip out that root. The consequences of such a policy – not least for the more than 9 million Israelis – were not explored. Elliott Abrams read the article and responded in Pressure Points, his blog. He joins host Cliff May to discuss. Elliott has served at high levels in several administrations. He is currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, which happens to be the publisher of Foreign Affairs.…
Africa is the second largest continent in the world, both in land area and population. It has more than 1.2 billion people — most of them young and poor — living in 54 countries. If current demographic trends continue, Africa will account for a quarter of humanity by the middle of this century. In Africa, conflicts are more often within countries rather than between them. Sudan and Ethiopia are current examples. Today, al Qaeda and the Islamic State are active across Africa. So is the Wagner Group, a lawless private army loyal to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. And China’s ruling Communist Party has become a neo-imperialist power on the continent, exploiting African peoples and resources. Joining host Cliff May to talk about Africa is Joshua Meservey . He’s currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where he focuses on African geopolitics, counterterrorism, and great power competition in Africa. He was previously a research fellow for Africa at the Heritage Foundation. He’s also worked at the US Army Special Operations Command, for Church World Service based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia. And he’s a member of FDD’s National Security Network.…
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1 Special Edition: Ukraine’s War of Independence 1:04:13
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Ukrainians are defending their homeland from the unprovoked, blatantly illegal, and imperialist war being waged by invading Russian troops under Vladimir Putin’s command. They are also on the front line of a global struggle, fighting in defense of the free world. To discuss, host Cliff May is joined by Ambassador Oksana Markarova, who has served as Ukraine’s envoy to the United States since April 2021. They talk about war and peace, nationhood, independence, freedom, democracy, Ukraine’s enemies, and allies. This special edition episode was recorded in front of a live a studio audience at FDD.…
For decades, American policymakers have come to view the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as an indispensable ally in the Middle East, committing billions of taxpayer dollars to support Jordan's budget, economy, and military. Indeed, Jordan's Peace Treaty with Israel; its strategic position between Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia; and its pro-American military and intelligence services remain critical to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. And yet, challenges inside this relationship are reaching alarming levels. From harboring one of the FBI's most wanted terrorists and inciting violence against Israel, to a member of its parliament facing charges for trafficking guns and gold into Israel, Jordan's recent behavior has U.S. policymakers considering their options. Filling in for host Cliff May is Rich Goldberg , senior advisor at FDD. To discuss U.S.-Jordan relations, he's joined by FDD Senior Vice President for Research Jonathan Schanzer and Joe Truzman , research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal .…
The Islamic Republic of Iran makes no effort to conceal its desire to wipe Israel off the map. Just this week, leaders called for the elimination of two major Israeli cities: Tel Aviv and Haifa. The regime in Tehran deploys a wide range of tools and proxies to achieve this end. The result was a series of low-level conflagrations over the course of the last several weeks, with Iranian proxies routinely attacking Israel both inside and just beyond its borders: In Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah fired more than forty rockets at Israel. In Syria, the Iranian regime has deployed Shiite militias and military installations that Israel strikes with regularity. In the West Bank, longstanding terror groups (and, now, some new ones) continue to attack Israel. The Palestinian Authority has essentially lost control, making the West Bank even more lawless and dangerous. Iran seeks to exploit this chaos. In Gaza, the Hamas terrorist group routinely fires salvos of rockets into Israel — including about three dozen very recently. All of this has been happening during the holy month of Ramadan, a period in which every year Iran has worked to stoke tensions and incite violence. This year has been no exception, with rioters at the Temple Mount throwing rocks and shooting fireworks at police. Little fires everywhere. That’s what the Israeli Defense Forces saw this month. And from all appearances, the IDF has snuffed all of them out. But there are no permanent victories in the Middle East — only permanent battles. To discuss, FDD Senior Vice President for Research Jonathan Schanzer (filling in for host Cliff May) is joined by Brigadier General Jacob Nagel . He’s the former acting Israeli National Security Advisor under Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. He’s also a Senior Fellow at FDD.…
Many in Washington speculate on the nature and urgency of the military threat from China and the readiness of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific to deter and defeat aggression by Beijing. But rather than speculating from afar, it's important to hear candid, informed insights of the American military leaders and warfighters closest to the threat. They know best what’s actually going on. U.S. Air Force General Kenneth S. Wilsbach is the top U.S. Air Force officer in the Indo-Pacific, where he has served as Commander of Pacific Air Forces, Air Component Commander, and Executive Director of Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff since July 2020. That means he spends a good portion of his time focusing on the threat from the People’s Liberation Army and ensuring the more than 46,000 U.S. Airmen serving in the region have what they need to accomplish the missions they are given. In addition to these leadership positions, he’s also accumulated more than 5,000 hours in the cockpit. In other words, he’s someone leaders in Washington might want to listen to as they make important decisions related to China and the U.S. military. Why should Americans care about the Indo-Pacific and the situation in Taiwan — what’s going on there? What lessons might Beijing be learning from the war in Ukraine? How capable is China’s military? What aircraft, munitions, and capabilities do our forces most need in the Indo-Pacific? How should U.S. forces be arrayed in the region? As the military threat from China grows and Congress considers the Biden Administration’s fiscal year 2024 defense budget proposal, General Wilsbach discusses these and related issues with Bradley Bowman — senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP).…
When you hear or read about the American-led rules-based liberal international order do you think: “Yes! That’s important to me and my grandchildren and it needs to be sustained at all costs!” Or do you agree with a recent front-page article in the Wall Street Journal that reported, with no hint of disapproval, that “China and its allies are no longer obliged to conform to a U.S.-led global order”? Or do you think: "What global order? I don’t see any global order!" These are just a few of the questions that host Cliff May asks our guest for this episode, Ambassador Kurt Volker. He served as the U.S. ambassador to NATO and is a leading expert in foreign and national security policy with over 35 years of experience in a variety of government, academic, and private sector capacities. Also joining the conversation is Reuel Marc Gerecht , resident scholar at FDD, whose previous career was in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations.…
For more than six months now, the Iranian people have protested against the state by taking to the street, chanting "Woman! Life! Liberty!" and other anti-regime slogans. Iranians continue to show the world that they seek a government that represents their interests and values. The Iranian people are demanding freedom. To discuss, FDD Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu is joined by Darya Safai. Darya is an Iranian-Belgian author, human rights activist, and politician currently serving as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.…
With the implosion of FTX and the arrest of its founder, Washington finally woke up to the need for more effective regulation of cryptocurrency. Yet as government agencies and legislators take up the challenge of crypto regulation, the associated national security challenges need to be front and center, too. Relative anonymity or pseudonymity make crypto currency naturally attractive to those seeking to avoid government oversight and intervention — like criminals, terrorists, and the states that sponsor them. From cybercrime, terror finance, and sanctions busting to domestic extremism and drug and human trafficking, Washington needs a plan to tackle the unique challenges posed by crypto. To unpack everything, guest host and FDD Senior Advisor Rich Goldberg is joined by economic and national security experts Alex Levitov and Elaine Dezenski. Alex Levitov Alex is an associate managing director at K2 Integrity where he works with financial institutions, technology firms, and jurisdictional authorities to identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with money laundering, terrorist financing, bribery and corruption, sanctions evasion, and other forms of illicit financial activity. He recently co-authored with Rich an FDD report on the risks of digital assets: The Underside of the Coin . Elaine Dezenski Elaine is the senior director and head of FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power . She’s a powerhouse and leading thinker on geopolitical risk, supply chain security, anti-corruption, and national security. Richard Goldberg Rich is the former Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction at the White House National Security Council. Prior to that, he focused on U.S. foreign assistance, including foreign military financing, international security assistance, development, and economic support funds as a staffer on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations. He also worked in the U.S. Senate, where he emerged a leading architect of the toughest sanctions on Iran. He was also the lead Republican negotiator for three rounds of sanctions targeting the Central Bank of Iran, the SWIFT financial messaging service, and entire sectors of the Iranian economy.…
General James C. McConville is the 40th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, filling a critical position for our nation once occupied by individuals such as General John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, and Omar Bradley. A West Point graduate, soldier, leader, and aviator, General McConville has commanded the famous 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and led in combat including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, as Army Chief of Staff, his job is to ensure our soldiers have the training and equipment they need to accomplish their missions and return home safely. In this position, he’s also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, helping to advise some of our nation’s senior civilian leaders on vital national security decisions. General McConville sat down with Bradley Bowman — senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) , filling in for host Cliff May — just days after the one-year anniversary of Putin’s unprovoked large-scale invasion of Ukraine and amidst reports of Beijing considering the provision of lethal aid to Moscow for use against Ukrainians. Bradley and General McConville discuss the war in Ukraine and what's at stake for Americans, how to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base, the nature of the threat from China, and what the Army is doing to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Bradley also asks him for an update on the Army’s ongoing modernization efforts — the most significant the service has conducted in four decades and one that will determine whether Americans can prevail on future battlefields.…
Vladimir Putin expected to conquer Ukraine in three days. But the brutal and bloody war he launched against his neighbor has dragged on for one year. The factors that gave rise to this war are still widely misunderstood. How or when it will end remains unclear, too. To unpack everything, Foreign Podicy host Cliff May — FDD's Founder and President and Chairman of its Russia Program — is joined by three FDD experts. RADM (ret) Mark Montgomery Mark Montgomery serves as senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation , countering cyber threats that seek to diminish America’s national security. Mark also directs CSC 2.0 , an FDD initiative that works to implement the recommendations of the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission, where he was executive director. Mark previously served as policy director for the Senate Armed Services Committee under the leadership of Senator John McCain, coordinating policy efforts on national security strategy, capabilities and requirements, and cyber policy. Before that, Mark served for 32 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a rear admiral in 2017. Bradley Bowman Bradley Bowman is senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power , focusing on U.S. defense strategy and policy. Brad spent nearly nine years as a national security and defense advisor in the U.S. Senate. Prior to that, he served more than 15 years on active duty in the U.S. Army, including as a company commander, helicopter pilot, congressional affairs officer in the Pentagon, and staff officer in Afghanistan. He also was an assistant professor at West Point, teaching foreign policy and grand strategy. John Hardie John Hardie serves as deputy director of FDD’s Russia Program , focusing on Russian foreign and security policy, U.S. policy toward Russia and the post-Soviet space, and transatlantic relations. John holds an M.A. in security studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.…
The Islamic Republic of Iran possesses the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East, and Tehran is working hard to increase its size and quality by pursuing improvements in precision, range, mobility, warhead design, and survivability. That’s one of the conclusions drawn by FDD Senior Fellow and Iran expert Behnam Ben Taleblu in his major new FDD Monograph, " Arsenal: Assessing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program ." Leveraging an impressive array of English and Persian-language sources, Behnam has produced one of the most comprehensive publicly available assessments to date of Iranian ballistic missile program. In it, he warns that we should expect more missile attacks and transfers from Iran in the future. In his foreword for the monograph, Vice Admiral (Ret.) James D. Syring, Former Director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, writes that Behnam’s “findings and recommendations will stimulate a productive policy discussion regarding the steps Washington must take to counter the rising Iranian ballistic missile threat.” So, what are the origins of Tehran’s ballistic missile program? How has it evolved? What are its current capabilities? How does the Islamic Republic view and use its missile arsenal? And what should the U.S. and its allies and partners do about it? To discuss these questions and more, Behnam and Lieutenant General (retired) H.R. McMaster — soldier, former White House National Security Advisor, and Chairman of the Board of Advisors at FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power — join CMPP Senior Director and guest host Bradley Bowman .…
Mike Waltz is a warrior and a diplomat. In 2014, he wrote a fascinating book called “Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan.” In 2015, he was a non-resident senior fellow at FDD. In 2018, he became the first Green Beret elected to Congress, taking the seat that had belonged to the now-Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. In the current session of Congress, Rep. Waltz serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Relations Committee, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. These assignments suggest that he’s thinking harder than ever about national security and foreign policy at a critical and dangerous moment. He joins host Cliff May along with Bradley Bowman , senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power, to discuss. MORE: https://www.fdd.org/podcasts/2023/02/10/warrior-diplomat-on-the-hill/…
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