Episodios

  • S8 Ep179: PREVIEW — Mary Kissel — Missing Clarity on the "Condominium of Adversaries" in National Security Strategy. Kissel criticizes the newly published national security strategy for insufficiently highlighting the existential threat posed by China and its expan
    Dec 9 2025
    PREVIEWMary Kissel — Missing Clarity on the "Condominium of Adversaries" in National Security Strategy. Kissel criticizes the newly published national security strategy for insufficiently highlighting the existential threat posed by China and its expanding strategic alliance with Russia, Iran, and North Korea, creating a coordinated axis of rival powers. Kissel argues that the strategic document fails to adequately address China's systematic domestic infiltration of American infrastructure networks, university campuses, research institutions, and scientific communities, unlike the more explicit and detailed threat characterizations contained in previous national security strategy iterations. Kisselemphasizes that the document's relative ambiguity regarding the "condominium of adversaries" undermines clarity regarding the multi-vector threat environment confronting American strategic planners and military commanders.
    TAIPEI
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    2 m
  • S8 Ep179: PREVIEW — Jonathan Schanzer — "Darkness Visible": The Dangerous Power Vacuum and Rivalries in Syria. Schanzer characterizes contemporary Syria as chaotic "ungoverned territory" systematically attracting dangerous transnational actors including Hamas milit
    Dec 9 2025
    PREVIEWJonathan Schanzer — "Darkness Visible": The Dangerous Power Vacuum and Rivalries in Syria. Schanzer characterizes contemporary Syria as chaotic "ungoverned territory" systematically attracting dangerous transnational actors including Hamas military operatives and Russian military and intelligence personnel establishing operational footprints. Schanzer documents that while the United States strategically lifts economic sanctions to encourage pragmatism and behavioral moderation from the new Syrian leadership, regional powers including Saudi Arabia and Turkey simultaneously compete for geopolitical influence over Damascus decision-making, creating overlapping and contradictory leverage efforts. Schanzer emphasizes that this fractured geopolitical landscape is further complicated by armed militia networks, Kurdish separatist forces, and foreign fighter contingents remaining throughout Syrian territory, resembling a "shattered chessboard" where multiple external powers attempt simultaneous influence operations while internal actors pursue autonomous agendas, creating a dangerously unpredictable and volatile strategic environment.
    DAMASCUS
    1920
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    3 m
  • S8 Ep178: PREVIEW — Gregory Copley — Australian Prime Minister Pivots Toward Washington Despite Chinese Ties. Copley analyzes Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's rapid diplomatic pivot from Beijing toward Washington to establish direct engagement with Pres
    Dec 9 2025
    PREVIEWGregory Copley — Australian Prime Minister Pivots Toward Washington Despite Chinese Ties. Copleyanalyzes Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's rapid diplomatic pivot from Beijing toward Washington to establish direct engagement with President Trump following his election victory. Copley documents that Albanese was previously celebrated and cultivated by the Chinese Communist Party as a favorable political interlocutor. Copleysuggests that Albanese strategically recognizes the United States represents the "winning side" in great power competition, despite persistent Chinese institutional influence deeply embedded within Australian political consciousness, business networks, and strategic thinking, requiring deliberate recalibration of bilateral relationships and geopolitical alignment.
    1914 AUSTRALIA TO THE FRONT

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    2 m
  • S8 Ep178: PREVIEW — Elizabeth Peek — Trump's Embrace of AI and Crypto Viewed as Essential Against China. Peek defends Donald Trump's strategic alignment with cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence technology sectors against partisan criticism characterizing thi
    Dec 9 2025
    PREVIEWElizabeth Peek — Trump's Embrace of AI and Crypto Viewed as Essential Against China. Peek defends Donald Trump's strategic alignment with cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence technology sectors against partisan criticism characterizing this relationship as favoring billionaire elites over working-class economic interests. Peek argues that American technological leadership in AI is strategically critical to national security and economic competitiveness; ceding dominance in artificial intelligence development to China would allow Beijing to establish global technological standards and dictate the future architectural framework governing digital civilization. Peek contends that Americaninnovation leadership in transformative technologies represents essential rather than ancillary to working-class prosperity.
    1870
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    2 m
  • S8 Ep178: PREVIEW — Joseph Sternberg — Contrasting U.S. Healthcare Innovation with European Availability Issues. Sternberg argues that while the American healthcare system suffers from significant financing inefficiencies and administrative complexity, the overall
    Dec 9 2025
    PREVIEWJoseph Sternberg — Contrasting U.S. Healthcare Innovation with European Availability Issues. Sternberg argues that while the American healthcare system suffers from significant financing inefficiencies and administrative complexity, the overall quality and availability of care remain "phenomenal" compared to Europeanhealthcare systems characterized by chronic access limitations and supply constraints. Sternberg documents that Europeconfronts a profound availability problem wherein healthcare resources are insufficient to meet aggregate patient demand, necessitating systematic rationing through extended wait times and treatment delays. Sternberg argues that Europeanpolicymakers must fundamentally reconsider resource allocation strategies to encourage innovation essential for generating superior economic and health outcomes supporting aging populations facing escalating chronic disease burdens.
    1863 CHANCELORSVILLE HOSPITAL
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    2 m
  • S8 Ep178: PREVIEW — Ken Vogel — High-Stakes Lobbying for Somalia During the Trump Administration. Vogel recounts the story of American lobbyist Robert Strick, hired by the Somali government at $100,000 monthly compensation to preserve U.S. military aid and prevent
    Dec 9 2025
    PREVIEWKen Vogel — High-Stakes Lobbying for Somalia During the Trump Administration. Vogel recounts the story of American lobbyist Robert Strick, hired by the Somali government at $100,000 monthly compensation to preserve U.S. military aid and prevent American military disengagement from Somalia during the incoming Trumpadministration. Vogel documents Strick's dangerous diplomatic mission to Mogadishu, which included exposure to gunfire near security checkpoints, illustrating the extraordinary personal risks professional lobbyists undertake on behalf of clients fearing American strategic abandonment and the geopolitical and security consequences of reduced U.S.engagement and resource commitment.
    1932
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    4 m
  • S8 Ep177: SHOW 12-8-2025 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT the federal reserve board of governors. FIRST HOUR 9-915 The DC Shooter, the Zero Units, and the Tragedy of the Afghan Withdrawal: Colleagues Husain Haqqani
    Dec 9 2025
    SHOW 12-8-2025 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR 1895 KHYBER PASS THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD OF GOVERNORS. FIRST HOUR 9-915 The DC Shooter, the Zero Units, and the Tragedy of the Afghan Withdrawal: Colleagues Husain Haqqani and Bill Roggio discuss recent violence in Washington, D.C. involving an Afghan immigrant that has drawn attention back to the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021; the shooter, Ramanula Lakanal, was a member of the elite "Zero Units" of the Afghan National Army, a force that demanded priority evacuation for their families in exchange for providing security at the Kabul airport during the U.S. retreat, and while these units were stalwart allies against enemies like al-Qaeda and ISIS, they fought a "dirty war" and were accused of human rights violations, highlighting the broader failure of the withdrawal which occurred because political will faded across multiple administrations. 915-930 The Vetting Failure and the Lack of an Exit Strategy in Afghanistan: Colleagues Husain Haqqani and Bill Roggioexplain that the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was exacerbated by the lack of a methodical exit strategy, unlike the British who organized their departure and evacuation lists well in advance; critics argue that the U.S. imported significant security risks by rushing the evacuation, bringing in over 100,000 Afghans without adequate vetting, and while there was a moral obligation to help those who served, experts suggest that wholesale importation of citizens from a war-torn country was not the only solution and that better vetting or resettlement in third countries should have been considered. 930-945 Martial Law in South Korea and the Shadow of the North: Colleagues Morse Tan and Gordon Chang discuss South Korea facing severe political turmoil following President Yoon's declaration of martial law, a move his supporters argue was a constitutional response to obstructionist anti-state forces; the opposition, led by figures previously sympathetic to North Korea, has been accused of attempting to paralyze the government, while accusations of "insurrection" against President Yoon are dismissed as nonsensical, with the political infighting fracturing the conservative party and leaving South Korea vulnerable to the North Korean regime in a way not seen since the Korean War. 945-1000 Japan Stands Up for Taiwan While Canada Demurs: Colleagues Charles Burton and Gordon Chang report that Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi recently declared that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be a "survival threatening situation" for Japan, authorizing the mobilization of self-defense forces; this statement has triggered a massive propaganda campaign from Beijing demanding a retraction, as a successful invasion of Taiwan would likely require violating Japanese sovereignty, while in contrast Canada remains reluctant to support Tokyo or criticize Beijing, hoping to secure trade benefits and diversify exports away from the U.S., leaving Japan isolated by its allies. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 The Survival of UNRWA and the Flow of Terror Finance: Colleagues Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotterreport that despite investigations revealing corruption and ties to terrorism, the UN has renewed the mandate for UNRWA for another three years; the organization's facilities have been used by Hamas and its schools have been implicated in radicalizing children, yet international efforts to replace it have stalled, while Hamas leadership refuses to disarm or accept international oversight, demanding a Palestinian state as a precondition for any change, with financial support for terror groups continuing to flow through networks in Europe and the Middle East. 1015-1030 Greece's "Achilles Shield" and Israel's Iron Beam Laser Defense: Colleagues Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter report that Greece is undertaking a historic modernization of its armed forces, unveiling a new national defense strategy focused on long-range missiles and a modernized air defense system dubbed "Achilles Shield," allowing Greece to project power more flexibly in the Eastern Mediterranean and counter threats from Turkey; in Israel, a major defensive breakthrough is imminent with the deployment of the "Iron Beam," a laser defense system capable of intercepting threats at approximately $50 per shot, expected to rewrite the rules of air defense by effectively countering drone swarms and missiles. 1030-1045 Hezbollah's Quiet Regeneration Under Naim Qassem: Colleagues David Daoud and Bill Roggio report that since the ceasefire began, Hezbollah has received at least $2 billion from Iran and is actively rearming and regenerating its forces in Lebanon; the terror group is focusing on acquiring drone swarms and other asymmetrical weapons that are cheap to produce and difficult for Israel to counter, while Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem is leveraging his "bookish" and...
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    7 m
  • S8 Ep176: FARA: From Fighting Nazi Propaganda to Modern Transparency: Colleague Kenneth P. Vogel explains that the Foreign Agents Registration Act was originally enacted in 1938 to counter Nazi propaganda in the United States before World War II; at the time, the T
    Dec 9 2025
    FARA: From Fighting Nazi Propaganda to Modern Transparency: Colleague Kenneth P. Vogel explains that the Foreign Agents Registration Act was originally enacted in 1938 to counter Nazi propaganda in the United States before World War II; at the time, the Third Reich was paying well-connected American consultants to whitewash Hitler's image and keep the U.S. out of the war, operating without public knowledge, and Congress passed FARA to create transparency, requiring those paid by foreign principals to influence the U.S. government or media to register their activities, with the law remaining today the primary vehicle for accountability in foreign lobbying
    1940 MAO

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    5 m