Covert Contact: The Blogs of War Podcast
94 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 6 years ago -Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Navigating Massive Technological Change | Episode 44
April 19, 2016 05:38 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBAndrew Trabulsi, entrepreneur, consultant, and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur, joins me to discuss how profound shifts in technology create risk and opportunities for governments. We look at how artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, and advancements in health care are poised to reshape our world […]
Lieutenant Commander Edward Lin: Identity, Espionage, and Counterintelligence | Episode 43
April 14, 2016 04:37 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBRegular Blogs of War and Covert Contact contributor William Tucker joins me to discuss the Lieutenant Commander Edward Lin espionage case. While little is known about the case, and Edward Lin has yet to be convicted, all signs point to a very damaging affair. Lin was born in Taiwan, left with his family at 14, […]
The Rise and Challenge of Transnational Crime | Episode 42
April 12, 2016 02:23 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBAndrew Trabulsi, entrepreneur, consultant, and co-editor of Warlords, Inc.: Black Markets, Broken States, and the Rise of the Warlord Entrepreneur, joins me to discuss the growing impact of transnational crime and how it intersects with destabilizing forces ranging from empowered individuals, to terrorist organizations, to rogue governments. The key question at the heart of this […]
What Did Russia Gain in Syria? | Episode 41
April 03, 2016 23:05 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBRegular Blogs of War and Covert Contact contributor William Tucker joins me after a long break to discuss Russia’s intervention in Syria. Why are they there, what were their true motives, what have they gained, and where does this action fit in the context of Russia’s long-standing adversarial position with NATO and the West? We […]
Are Ungoverned Spaces Inherently Dangerous? | Episode 40
February 17, 2016 01:56 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBIn this episode Phil Walter joins me to discuss some of the concepts laid out in his recent post on Blogs of War about ungoverned spaces and how they’re viewed from a national security perspective. His recent piece on Blogs of War challenges some of the lazy assumptions and imprecise thinking on the topic and […]
Russian Strengths – and Weaknesses | Episode 39
February 09, 2016 05:01 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBWe expend vast amounts of analytical energy studying Russia. And we have done so for decades. So why do we so often miss the mark when it comes to understanding their strengths and weaknesses? William Tucker joins me once again to look at the challenges facing Russia, their ability to act within constraints that would hobble other […]
Iran’s Quest for Regional Domination | Episode 38
January 26, 2016 02:44 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBThis episode was recorded just after Iran briefly detained and released 10 American sailors. Researcher Phillip Smyth joined me to discuss that event and the avalanche of terrible analysis that it triggered, Iran’s quest for regional domination, and its use of proxies to further those aims. We also look at Iran’s relationship with Russia and the similar strategies […]
LZ Grace: A Place for Warriors to Heal | Episode 37
January 12, 2016 16:15 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBThis week Lynnette Bukowski joins me to discuss LZ Grace Warriors Retreat. Lynnette, and many volunteers, have transformed a 38 acre farm in Virginia Beach into a place for members of the special operations community and first responders to decompress and recharge. Lynnette shares the story of her husband, a Navy SEAL, and we discuss […]
Saudi Arabia vs. Iran and The Burns Oregon Militia Standoff | Episode 36
January 05, 2016 04:32 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBWilliam Tucker joins me once again to review the escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the militia standoff in Burns, Oregon. Did Saudi Arabia go too far? How will Iran respond? Why is the federal government handling the armed militia members in Burns with kid gloves? We address those questions and others.
Closing Out 2015 and Looking Toward 2016 with William Tucker | Episode 35
January 02, 2016 04:23 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBRegular contributor William Tucker joined me for the final episode of 2015. We discussed holiday terror alerts, Poland’s unusual raid of a NATO-linked counterintelligence center that it operated with Slovakia, the U.S. Army Europe counterintelligence division’s release of a mobile app for soliciting tips, and more. We closed out this episode with thoughts about the […]
Art in Diplomacy and Conflict | Episode 34
December 27, 2015 01:58 - 37 minutes - 34 MBDr. Julia Tatiana Bailey is an art historian specializing in visual politics in the Cold War and art as propaganda, diplomacy and resistance. She recently completed a PhD focusing on official and unofficial Soviet-American cultural exchange and works as Assistant Curator of International Art at Tate Modern in London. Julia blogs on Cold War art […]
Understanding and Influencing Enemy Behavior | Episode 33
December 23, 2015 02:57 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MBPhil Walter joins me again to discuss behavior. Why do the actors we seek to influence, friend and foe alike, behave the way that they do? What advantage does a deep understanding of the underlying motivations for their behavior give us? It’s easy to be dismissive of an enemy’s needs, wants, and desires but in […]
Video Games, Virtual Reality, and Conflict with Robert Rath | Episode 32
December 19, 2015 05:15 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBIn episode 32 of Covert Contact freelance writer Robert Rath joins me to discuss video games and the very real violence that surrounds us. Gaming, especially in the first person shooter genre, reflects our view of combat but it can shape our views on the subject as well. Video game inspired technology is also increasingly […]
Understanding the Limits of Intelligence and Counterterrorism | Episode 31
December 15, 2015 03:34 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBIn episode 31 I’m joined by Patrick Skinner, Director of Special Projects for The Soufan Group. Patrick is a former CIA case officer who specializes in counter-terrorism issues. Patrick’s background in both law enforcement (US Air Marshals and the US Capitol Police) and intelligence has positioned him to understand the full array of challenges we […]
The San Bernardino Attack, Small Scale Terrorism, and ISIS | Episode 30
December 08, 2015 04:41 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MBRegular contributor on terrorism and counterintelligence topics, William Tucker, joins me again to review the horrific and unusual attacks in San Bernardino. We discuss the odd, possible hybrid, nature of the attack, the challenge these types of attacks pose to our homeland security efforts, and what can be done in the face of what are […]
Islamism and Democracy: Finding Models for the Middle East and Preserving Our Own | Episode 29
November 30, 2015 21:14 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBIn episode 29 Brookings Institution senior fellow and author of Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in a New Middle East joins me to discuss the difficult relationship Islamist movements have with democracy and power at the state level in general. Years of research, and deep contacts, led Shadi to some unexpected findings about […]
Thanksgiving | Episode 28
November 27, 2015 04:01 - 9 minutes - 8.25 MBNormally I’d spend this day surrounded by friends and family. I hope that’s what many of you are doing. But today I have some kind of bug. It’s nothing serious, just a minor cold, but I have relatives with compromised immune systems and I’m staying home so as not to put them at risk. I […]
Turkey Shot Down a Russian Jet – Where Do We Go From Here? | Episode 27
November 25, 2015 04:56 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBPutin called today’s downing of a Russian Su-24 by a Turkish F16 a “stab in the back” but it this was certainly not an unproved attack. In fact it follows countless warnings from Turkey that violations of its airspace (and aggression against its interests on its border) will not go unchecked. Terrorism analyst and counterintelligence […]
What You Are Getting Wrong About ISIS | Episode 26
November 23, 2015 12:40 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBNortheastern University professor and terrorism theorist Max Abrahms excels at poking holes in the conventional wisdom and he joins me again in episode 26 to do exactly that. I initially asked Max to discuss his recent piece in Harvard Business Review Why People Keep Saying, “That’s What the Terrorists Want” but we expanded the discussion […]
Catching Russian Spies with Former Double Agent Naveed Jamali | Episode 25
November 20, 2015 14:55 - 31 minutes - 29 MBIn episode 25 I’m talking to Naveed Jamali, former double agent, and co-author of How to Catch a Russian Spy: The True Story of an American Civilian Turned Double Agent. Naveed seemed like an unlikely candidate for this sort of intrigue but Russian intelligence used his parent’s company to order U.S. government publications. The FBI, […]
The Paris Attacks and Europe’s Security Challenges | Episode 24
November 17, 2015 02:48 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBWilliam J. Tucker joins me again for a high level look at the Paris attacks and the impact that instability, chiefly in Syria, will have on the region. Failing states and the mass migration of refugees will continue to put immense pressure on dozens of governments. There is no framework, or level of response, that will […]
War and the New Normal: Phil Walter on Life After War | Episode 23
November 13, 2015 12:04 - 41 minutes - 37.5 MBIn episode 23 Phil Walter joins me to talk about his transition from the the battlefield, to home, and eventually into a role where he has the opportunity to work on national security policy. I’m thankful to Phil for sharing his personal story because I think it might help others who are finding it difficult […]
Supporting Independent Art in Afghanistan: Francesca Recchia Updates from Kabul | Episode 22
November 09, 2015 00:34 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBRegular Covert Contact listeners will recognize Francesca from episodes 9 and 17. This episode follows the same general format. We discussed the mood in Kabul, the emergence of ISIS and AQIS, and I asked her about the perception of both Iran and Russia (which has been particularly vocal about Afghanistan lately). We then move on […]
The Damascus Cover and the Psychology of Spies with Howard Kaplan | Episode 21
November 03, 2015 04:35 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBHoward Kaplan wrote his debut espionage novel, The Damascus Cover, nearly forty years ago. He joins me to discuss the book, the recently completed the film adaptation staring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Sir John Hurt, his own experience serving as a courier for Israeli intelligence in the Soviet Union (where he was eventually detained for […]
Government Email Problems, Wikileaks, Russia, Drone Leaks, NASA Security and Other Counterintelligence Nightmares | Episode 20
October 27, 2015 05:46 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBCovert Contact kicks off again with an admittedly rambling, but hopefully entertaining, start as I review a number of high profile security issues with counterintelligence pro William Tucker. We look at the hack of DCIA John Brennan’s AOL account, Hillary Clinton’s email problems, and then ponder the broader risks associated with the personal accounts of key U.S. […]
Encryption as the New Norm: Discussing A Changing Internet with ProtonMail Co-Founder Andy Yen | Episode 19
March 28, 2015 03:18 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBOver the past couple of weeks I’ve been evaluating ProtonMail. This service is part of a new generation of tools (most inspired by Edward Snowden) developed with the aim of delivering robust encrypted communications and file sharing to the widest possible audience. Blogs of War readers know that I’m not an Edward Snowden fan, far […]
The Battle Between Encryption and Mass Surveillance with Former FBI Agent David Gomez | Episode 18
March 23, 2015 04:09 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBI emailed retired FBI agent David Gomez from my new ProtonMail account to propose a podcast about encryption and its effect on mass surveillance from a homeland security and law enforcement perspective. You’re reading this because he immediately accepted. Encrypted communication has been available to consumers for decades but new tools are arriving that are […]
Life, and Art, in Afghanistan with Francesca Recchia | Episode 17
March 18, 2015 13:49 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBIn this episode I catch up with Francesca Recchia to get an update on life in Kabul, Afghanistan where, mostly thanks to the weather, life has been even more difficult than usual. But the conversation also shifts quickly to the subject of art, and artists, in the country. Francesca is working hard to develop cultural […]
Why Terrorism Fails: A Discussion with Max Abrahms | Episode 16
March 16, 2015 13:50 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBWe know that terrorism succeeds at terrorizing its targets but does it help the groups behind it achieve their political goals? In this episode I’m joined by Northeastern University professor and terrorism theorist Max Abrahms who makes a persuasive case that terrorism does not succeed where other more selective uses of violence might. I made […]
Hillary Clinton’s Email Server: Dissecting the Risks with William Tucker | Episode 15
March 11, 2015 04:20 - 29 minutes - 27 MBWilliam J. Tucker joins me again to discuss Hillary Clinton’s decision to manage her own email services while Secretary of State. While this decision has angered political opponents and government transparency advocates (not to mention a few historians) we are bypassing the political and legal issues to zero in on the risks associated with her […]
Andy Priest on the Importance of Developing New International Crisis Policing Models | Episode 14
March 09, 2015 12:46 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBPolicing is on the agenda again in episode 14. In this episode I talk to Andy Priest about his international rapid intervention concept that focuses on providing advanced police support during critically destabilizing events. Andy stresses the importance of building this capability now so that participating nations can draw on a stabilizing resource in an […]
Scriven King on Balancing Security, Values, and Public Perception in Modern Policing | Episode 13
March 05, 2015 18:42 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBIn episode 13 I speak to security blogger/podcaster, and Blogs of War contributor, Scriven King about some of the challenges in modern policing. Security professionals, police included, are scrambling to understand rapidly evolving technologies and threats. Evolving to meet those threats, and leverage those technologies, without significantly changing what it means to be a police […]
Counterintelligence: William J. Tucker Breaks Down the Challenges | Episode 12
January 31, 2015 06:27 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBIn this episode I’m talking to William J. Tucker about counterintelligence. It is a complex discipline that is often misunderstood – even by intelligence professionals. But it presents as many opportunities as it does challenges and this conversation hints at that. Like all intelligence disciplines, it is faced with a rapidly changing environment and overwhelming […]
Counterterrorism Challenges – Pondering Seemingly Unsolvable Problems with Phillip Smyth | Episode 11
December 20, 2014 04:04 - 59 minutes - 81.9 MBThe first Covert Contact interview features University of Maryland Laboratory for Computational Cultural Dynamics researcher Phillip Smyth. Phillip is also well known for his Hizballah Cavalcade project on Jihadology. Phillip specializes in Shia militias, and we touch on that topic, but most of the interview is spent looking at the big challenges we face in […]
The Senate Torture Report | Episode 10
December 10, 2014 14:05 - 6 minutes - 8.7 MBIt is always disheartening when America does not live up to the standards many of us expect and in the adoption and execution of enhanced interrogation we have failed to do that on many levels. The primary failure is that our elected officials and the people who serve them strayed into territory where most of […]
Art in Afghanistan: Francesca Recchia Updates from Kabul | Episode 9
November 29, 2014 00:40 - 14 minutes - 20.2 MBEpisode nine focuses on the unusual work of Francesca Recchia. Francesca is an independent researcher and writer who has worked in many challenging places including Iraq, Pakistan, and Palestine. She is currently in Kabul and this episode features several daily updates that I asked her to record shortly after I started this project. Francesca’s work […]
The Navy SEAL Who Killed Osama bin Laden and the Heroes You’ll Never Know | Episode 8
November 14, 2014 22:38 - 8 minutes - 12.2 MBIn episode eight I look at the case of Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill and the culture that lures men and women like him out of the shadows and into a world of fame, ego gratification, and financial reward. I examine the role that military leadership and our culture at large plays in chipping away at […]
Why Daesh’s Social Media Campaign is a Massive Failure | Episode 7
November 05, 2014 04:09 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MBIn episode 7 I’m pushing back at the notion that Daesh’s social media visibility equals success. The group might have mastered trolling and they can shoot and edit passable HD video but are these activities going to help them achieve their goals or are they, in fact, undermining themselves with every tweet and every recorded […]
Robots and the Future of Warfare: The Advantage Might Not Lie with the Inventors | Episode 6
October 30, 2014 15:00 - 15 minutes - 21.9 MBIn episode 6 I look at the evolution of unmanned platforms and speculate about the impact that they could have on warfare. The technology is evolving faster than our appreciation for the complications it will bring so while there will be countless positive benefits there will also unquestionably be a dark side to it all. […]
Lone Wolf Terrorism and the Importance of Perspective | Episode 5
October 25, 2014 20:05 - 16 minutes - 22.1 MBIn episode 5 I take a look at the real impact of lone wolf terror attacks, why ISIS seems to have been more successful than al-Qaeda at motivating these individual actors, and how the average citizen can put these acts of violence in proper perspective. I also briefly touch on the unfortunate role that the media […]
What the Attack in Ottawa Teaches Us About Terrorists – And Ourselves | Episode 4
October 23, 2014 00:56 - 7 minutes - 10.4 MBAs promised earlier today I recorded brief thoughts about today’s attack. I had originally intended this to be a discussion about a particular type of attack and terrorist strategy but much is still unknown in this case. I decided to save those thoughts for another day. Instead, I look at the contrasts between those who […]
Crypto Wars: Winners, Losers, and the Case for Compromise | Episode 3
October 21, 2014 04:26 - 13 minutes - 18.2 MBThis week I’m focusing on a single critical topic – the struggle between privacy advocates and governments over cryptography. This is a sensitive topic and there are a lot of extreme positions on the matter. I attempt to take a balanced look at both sides of the issue, offer my thoughts about who might win […]
The State of Twitter, the Struggle to Understand, and The Perils of Technology for Terrorists | Episode 2
October 15, 2014 05:01 - 24 minutes - 33.4 MBThis week, I’m offering my take on the notion than Twitter is broken. David Auerbach did a fine job of arguing just that in Slate recently, and I agree with much of what he wrote, but my conclusion might surprise you. I’m also offering some thoughts on our struggle to deeply understand terrorism and the people […]
Intelligence Failures, Agent Storm, and eDiplomacy Trolling | Episode 1
October 06, 2014 22:30 - 16 minutes - 22.2 MBWelcome to the launch of Covert Contact: The Blogs of War Podcast. In episode 1 I am looking at the notion of intelligence failures and why they’re often more complicated than they seem – or not failures at all. I’m also taking a look at the new biography of Murad Storm, the towering red-haired Danish agent […]