Fault Lines
345 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 37 ratingsFault Lines, the National Security Institute’s flagship podcast, gets you quickly up to speed, three-times-a-week, on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.
Our regular cast of foreign policy experts includes NSI Executive Director Jamil Jaffer, NSI Senior Fellow Lester Munson, and NSI Deputy Executive Director Jessica Jones.
Tune in to learn more about the issues dominating headlines and the news stories you may have missed.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
Episode 44: Becoming Kim Jong Un with Dr. Jung Pak
September 30, 2020 17:31 - 35 minutes - 16.1 MBFault Lines welcomes Dr. Jung Pak, senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies at Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies and author of "Becoming Kim Jong Un: A Former CIA Officer’s Insights into North Korea’s Enigmatic Young Dictator." What do we know about what is happening within the hermit kingdom? Is Kim Yo-jong likely to take the lead if Kim Jong Un suddenly passes away? What can America do to push the DPRK to denuclearize? Dr. Pak and host J...
Episode 43: The Eastern Mediterranean and North Korea
September 23, 2020 18:47 - 37 minutes - 17.4 MBTurkey and Greece are jostling over natural gas in the Mediterranean and Bob Woodward’s book Rage reignites the conversation about America’s stance towards North Korea. Les, Dana, and Jamil discuss America’s role in settling diplomatic disputes and how to judge the North Korean nuclear question. How should the U.S. project power into the Mediterranean? Can America help hold NATO together? Is America in a worse position with North Korea two years after the Singapore Summit? All these questio...
Episode 42: China and Trade with David Dollar
September 16, 2020 13:50 - 39 minutes - 18.3 MBFault Lines welcomes David Dollar, Senior Fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution. How should we think about the trade deficit with China? Is decoupling possible? How should we think about the Belt and Road Initiative? David and host Lester Munson, answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 41 - Good News From Sudan; Bad News From Russia
September 09, 2020 21:03 - 33 minutes - 15.1 MBYou wouldn’t know it from the news networks’ obsessive coverage of the American election, but the rest of the world keeps spinning, and there are a lot of developments to keep track of. This week, Dana, Jamil, Jodi, and Less discuss the fallout from the poisoning of Alexei Navalny in Russia and the ongoing democratic transition in Sudan. What should the Trump administration’s response be to the poisoning of Navalny? How will Congress react? How did Sudan become a source of good news in the ...
Introducing Iron Butterfly
September 08, 2020 21:05 - 25 minutes - 16.7 MBToday, we have a feed takeover by our friends at the Iron Butterfly. We hope you enjoy their first episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 40: Podcast Free Europe
September 02, 2020 14:36 - 37 minutes - 17.4 MBFault Lines welcomes Jamie Fly, former President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Senior Fellow and Senior Advisor to the President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Why did Jamie’s time at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty come to an abrupt end? Why should Americans continue to support the work of RFERL and its sister stations? How is Chinese and Russian influence impacting Europe? Jamie and host Lester Munson, answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode o...
Episode 39: Diplomatic Ties, Belarusian Lies, and a Coup
August 26, 2020 12:52 - 39 minutes - 18.3 MBThe UAE and Israel normalize relations, Belarusians are in the streets protesting a stolen election, and Mali is rocked by its second coup in less than a decade. Dana, Jamil, Les, and Loren discuss how these situations impact American politics and America’s standing in the world. Will Saudi Arabia be the next to strike a deal with Israel? Can the United States credibly stand up for Democratic activists abroad? How has Africa policy been impacted by the American public’s disinterest? All thes...
Episode 38: Do Morals Matter with Dr. Joseph Nye
August 20, 2020 16:46 - 26 minutes - 12.1 MBFault Lines welcomes Dr. Joseph Nye, University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus and former Dean of the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and author of the recent book Do Morals Matter?: Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump. What makes a moral foreign policy? What lessons can be learned from the failures of previous Presidents? Can blue jeans and rock and roll actually change the world? Dr. Nye and host Les Munson, answer these questions and many more on this week’s ...
Episode 37: The Middle East Goes Nuclear
August 13, 2020 17:31 - 39 minutes - 18.1 MBThe UAE builds the first civilian nuclear reactor in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia moves down the path to building a nuclear weapon. Dana, Jamil, Jodi, and Les discuss the geopolitical ramifications of a nuclear powered Middle East. Are 123 agreements useful anymore? Will the United States be able to prevent nuclear proliferation? How does china play into all of this? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. In our under the radar segment, Jamil highlights the ch...
Episode 36: The Intelligence Community in Exile
August 06, 2020 16:06 - 24 minutes - 11.1 MBFault Lines welcomes Jeremy Bash, former Chief of Staff at the CIA and Department of Defense. What are the biggest challenges facing the intelligence community? How has the icy relationship between the President and the Intelligence Community impacted national security? Are trendy dances a national security threat? Jeremy and host Lester Munson, answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 35: Pipelines, the Arctic and Crimes Against Humanity - Global Leadership Dilemmas!
July 30, 2020 14:09 - 34 minutes - 15.9 MBNord Stream 2 is exacerbating the split between the United States and its European Allies. Across the Mediterranean Laurent Gbagbo is acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Les Munson, Jamil Jaffer, Loren Dealy Mahler, and Andrew Borene discuss how the U.S. should push back against the Russians in Europe and how Americans should think about the ICC. In our under the radar segment, Les highlights the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam raising tensions...
Episode 34: Aristotle and Hypersonic Weapons - The Future of Arms Control
July 23, 2020 14:42 - 26 minutes - 12.1 MBIn our second "Better Know a State Department Bureau" series, Fault Lines welcomes Dr. Chris Ford, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation. How should America respond to Russian non-compliance? How can the US work with China to control nuclear proliferation? How does ancient Greek and Roman philosophy play into all of this? Dr. Ford and host Lester Munson answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See aca...
Episode 33: Beijing and America's Broken Immigration System
July 16, 2020 16:31 - 36 minutes - 16.9 MBHong Kong’s National Security Law went into effect and information continues to flow out about the genocide in Xinjiang. At home, American Universities tangle with ICE while the U.S. Agency for Global Media is letting visa for foreign journalists working for Voice of America expire. How can America push back against Beijing’s continued consolidation of power? Should Hongkongers be granted asylum in the United States? How does this play into the larger immigration issues bubbling up during the...
Episode 32: U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger and the View from Congress
July 09, 2020 18:21 - 30 minutes - 13.9 MBFault Lines welcomes Representative Adam Kinzinger (IL-16). Representative Kinzinger has served in Congress since 2011 and currently serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Prior to joining Congress, Kinzinger served in the Air Force in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. How should Congress respond to the Russia bounty scandal? How can the U.S. push back against China online? What is the biggest national security threat facing A...
Episode 31: Bounties and Berlin - Turmoil with Russia
July 02, 2020 17:40 - 39 minutes - 26.3 MBThis weekend, news broke that Russia was offering bounties to Taliban-linked militias for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan. Dana, Jamil, Les, and first time guest Loren Dealy Mahler, NSI Visiting Fellow and former director of legislative affairs at the National Security Council, discuss how America should respond to these revelations and the recent announcement that the America’s military presence in Germany will be significantly reduced. What does this mean for US-Russia relations? How sho...
Episode 30: Systemic Racism and National Security
June 25, 2020 13:51 - 30 minutes - 14.1 MBFault Lines welcomes Bishop Garrison, Director of National Security Outreach at Human Rights First and co-Founder and President of the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy. Where do the diversity problems in national security come from? Why are some military bases named after confederate officers? How can individuals and organizations promote a more diverse and inclusive national security community? Bishop and Fault Lines Guest Host Jamil Jaffer, answer these questions and many more! ...
Episode 29: A House Divided
June 18, 2020 14:55 - 47 minutes - 21.9 MBThe murder of George Floyd on May 25th has led to waves of protests across America and around the world for racial justice. Dana, Jamil, Les, and first time guest Harry Wingo discuss the protests and how racism and discrimination has impacted the national security community. What is the role of national security leaders in the first for justice? How have foreign governments been using this opportunity to push their agendas? Can America seize this opportunity to make real changes which can set...
Episode 28: Syria and Libya - Clone Wars?
June 11, 2020 17:09 - 34 minutes - 15.7 MBFault Lines welcomes Jennifer Cafarella, NSI Visiting Fellow and National Security Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War. Jenny recently testified before the House Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism alongside Fault Lines regular Dana Stroul on the Crisis in Idlib. How has the situation in Syria evolved since March? What role do Russia and Turkey play in the region? Are the same dynamics at play in Libya and across the Middle East broadly? Jenny ...
Episode 27: TREATIES - What are they good for?
June 05, 2020 01:26 - 38 minutes - 17.6 MBThe President recently announced his intention to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty and is considering restarting nuclear testing. Dana, Jamil, Jodi, and Les discuss the state of arms control and how the US should approach international agreements. Is it better for the United States to model behavior by staying in bad treaties or leave them? Can the US prioritize non-proliferation and modernization of the nuclear triad? How should we deal with our allies who are stuck in the middle? All th...
Episode 26: INL - Better Know a State Department Bureau
May 28, 2020 20:41 - 30 minutes - 13.8 MBFault Lines welcomes the Honorable Kirsten Madison, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). What role does the INL Bureau have in combating corruption abroad? What is the current state of the global war on drugs? How has punk music impacted how Assistant Secretary Madison views her job? Assistant Secretary Madison and host Les Munson answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...
Episode 25: Attempted Coups and Virus Crackdowns in Latin America
May 21, 2020 14:48 - 35 minutes - 21.5 MBNicholás Maduro and Jair Bolsonaro have had a very tumultuous month. Dana, Jamil, Les, and returning guest Andrew Borene discuss the failed coup attempt failed in Venezuela, and Brazil’s new status as a COVID-19 hotspot. How should America treat friends and foes in South America? Should America place sanctions on a democratic country? Can our hosts find a way to link all of this back to Iran? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...
Episode 24: The Solarium and the Private Sector with Ron Gula and Megan Brown
May 14, 2020 17:46 - 39 minutes - 17.9 MBFault Lines welcomes Ron Gula, NSI Advisory Board member and President of Gula Tech Adventures, and Megan Brown, NSI Senior Fellow and Partner at Wiley Rein LLP to discuss the recent Cyberspace Solarium Report. How will the Cyberspace Solarium Report impact the private sector? Why did the report punt on the encryption debate? Does any of this actually get implemented? Ron, Megan, and Fault Lines Host Les Munson answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Host...
Episode 23: Is the Middle East Getting Messier?
May 07, 2020 16:02 - 39 minutes - 18.1 MBWhile the pandemic continues to take its toll around the world, the issues in the Middle East continue unabated. Les, Jodi, Jamil, and Dana put the Middle East under the microscope this week and discuss the protests in Lebanon, the war in Yemen, and the dysfunctional government in Iraq. Why are the Lebanese back in the streets? Is it possible for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen to get worse? How much can America actually influence outcomes in the Middle East? All these questions and more ans...
Episode 22: The Cyber Solarium with Dr. Samantha Ravich
April 30, 2020 13:35 - 38 minutes - 17.8 MBFault Lines welcomes Dr. Samantha Ravich, former Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Cheney and Commissioner of the Cyber Solarium Commission which recently released their report. What is layered deterrence? Is it possible to create a continuity of economy plan? What is a solarium anyway? Dr. Ravich and host Lester Munson, answer these questions and many more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 21: WHO to blame?
April 23, 2020 18:21 - 42 minutes - 19.5 MBLast week President Trump announced a 90 day freeze on funding to the World Health Organization. Dana, Jamil, Les, and first-time guest Andrew Borene, NSI Senior Fellow and former Associate Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Defense, discuss this move and how our understanding of the origins of the virus are changing. Is President Trump crippling a vital international organization? Is the WHO acting as a mouthpiece for dictators? Could this pandemic have been stopped through better ...
Episode 20: The Race to 5G with Andy Keiser
April 16, 2020 15:15 - 38 minutes - 17.4 MBFault Lines welcomes Andy Keiser, NSI Fellow, former Senior Advisor to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and recent author of The Race to 5G: Securing the Win. What is 5G? How does it impact the national security of America and its allies? Why are some Brits attacking 5G towers? Andy and host Lester Munson, answer these questions and many more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 19: Aid in the time of CoVid
April 09, 2020 13:15 - 49 minutes - 22.9 MBCoVid-19 continues to impact the state of play at home and internationally. Dana, Jamil, Jodi, and Les discuss the international aid provided in the most recent coronavirus relief bill. What do we owe others when we are in a crisis? Should America relieve sanctions on Iran? How are our hosts fairing during quarantine with their children? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 18: Combating Extremism with Farah Pandith
April 02, 2020 19:30 - 39 minutes - 17.9 MBFault Lines welcomes Farah Pandith, first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities and recent author of How We Win: How Cutting-Edge Entrepreneurs, Political Visionaries, Enlightened Business Leaders and Social Media Mavens Can Defeat the Extremist Threat. What role do young people have to play in countering extremism? Where do we stand in the war on terror? Has America invested enough in soft power? What does Harry Potter have to do with it? Farah and Fault Lines Host Les Munson, an...
Episode 17: Foreign Policy Quarantined
March 26, 2020 19:00 - 41 minutes - 19.1 MBCoVid-19 is spreading across the globe and is impacting every aspect of American life. Dana, Jamil, Les, and returning guest Katrina Mulligan, discuss the implications of the virus on American foreign policy, our adversaries, and our allies. What role should the United States play internationally during this crisis? How is our response different from China’s? Was “America First” right all along? Answers to these questions and more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See ...
Episode 16: Maximum Pressure
March 19, 2020 21:49 - 33 minutes - 15.4 MBFault Lines welcomes Rich Goldberg, former Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction for the White House National Security Council, to discuss U.S.-Iranian Policy. Rich laid out the policy of the current administration in a recent op-ed in the New York Times. What should Americans know about this "maximum pressure" campaign? If not regime change, what should the goal of U.S.-Iranian policy be? What should a new deal look like? Rich and guest host, Dana Stroul, answer th...
Episode 15: Peace in Our Time?
March 12, 2020 19:00 - 32 minutes - 14.9 MBOn February 29th, Zalmay Khalilzad, America’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation at the State Department, and Abdul Ghani Baradar, a representative of the Taliban, signed the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan. This agreement comes of the heels of a temporary cease fire and purports to be a stepping stone to intra-Afghan negotiations. Andy, Dana, Jamil, and first time guest Katrina Mulligan, Managing Director for National Security and International Policy at the Ce...
Episode 14: Can the U.S. Solve Foreign Crises Before They Start?
March 05, 2020 19:47 - 35 minutes - 16.2 MBFault Lines welcomes George Ingram, Senior Fellow in Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution, to discuss US assistance in fragile states. George recently served as an advisor to a congressionally-mandated task force looking at this issue. Can American foreign aid programs address the root causes of war and violent extremism? How are Congress and the Trump administration using the foreign policy toolbox to address crises before they start? How are our foreign aid programs f...
Episode 13: China's Big Bet In Africa
February 27, 2020 21:52 - 38 minutes - 17.7 MBChina is spending $20 billion or more each year in Africa and inundating the continent with infrastructure projects, cheap phones, television programming, and communications networks. Why is China making this bet and is it working? How are the Trump administration and Congress responding and what is at stake for American interests? Guest NSI Fellow Andy Keiser sits in again with Jodi, Dana and Lester to discuss these questions and many more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...
Episode 12: Hot Topics in the Arctic
February 20, 2020 21:44 - 40 minutes - 18.5 MBWhat do Russia, China and Canada all have in common? All disagree - in one manner or another - with American policy goals in the Arctic, where climate change is driving opportunities and challenges for US policy-makers. In this episode, former senior intelligence official Jim Danoy discusses his paper, “The Arctic: Securing the High Ground,” with host Lester Munson. They discuss the fascinating policy dilemmas posed by the unique geography of the North Pole and how the United States can ex...
Episode 11: Gobsmackingly Apparent
February 13, 2020 21:35 - 41 minutes - 18.8 MBOur favorite foreign policy nerds - with the addition of NSI Visiting Fellow Andy Keiser - discuss the geopolitics of the Coronavirus that has massively impacted China and its economy. Listen in as Jodi, Dana, Lester, and Andy discuss what the Coronavirus pandemic may mean for China's place in the world, China's internal politics, and the ins-and-outs of the U.S. response. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 10: War and Peace, or: How Do You Solve a Problem Named Putin?
January 30, 2020 16:07 - 41 minutes - 19 MBJodi, Dana, Jamil and Lester discuss constitutional changes in Moscow, the future of Vladimir Putin, how the United States should handle Russian aggression and whether Republicans and Democrats have any common ground on the matter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 9: Soleimani Fallout
January 15, 2020 18:57 - 37 minutes - 17.3 MBJamil, Dana, Jodi and Lester discuss the current state of affairs between Iran and the United States, for better and for worse. A vigorous and pointed analysis of congressional war powers is not to be missed. The first Fault Lines Podcast of 2020 is a humdinger! And that's no malarkey! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 8: The Empire Strikes Out?
December 19, 2019 17:09 - 42 minutes - 19.6 MBIn our last episode of 2019, Dana, Jamil and Lester welcome special guest Elisa Catalano, former Director for the Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council and former Senior Policy Advisor at the State Department, to the podcast. The group takes on the Washington Post’s 6-part series on the war in Afghanistan and the foreign policy aspects of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 6: Return of the Founder
December 12, 2019 12:00 - 47 minutes - 21.9 MBThe original Rum Bunch is back and talking about protests in Hong Kong and oppression in Xinjiang. In this China-focused episode, our band of former Hill staffers discuss what makes these two very important challenges to American values distinct, why the president and Congress treat them very differently, and how the U.S. Republican and Democratic parties see the democracy protests in Hong Kong and China's repression of its own people in Xinjiang Province in basically the same way. Hosted o...
Episode 5: Groundhog Day All Over Again?
November 25, 2019 16:35 - 46 minutes - 21.4 MBWhat better way to begin Thanksgiving week than to listen to our motley bunch discuss Turkey… and Iran? Jodi, Dana, Lester and guest Matthew Heiman review protests in Iran, Turkish incursions into Syria, and how Washington is responding. Is it “Groundhog Day” in Iran? (What would Bill Murray do?) Also included: a serious discussion of changing power dynamics in the Middle East and how that affects American interests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 5: Fault Lines: Groundhog Day All Over Again?
November 25, 2019 16:35 - 46 minutes - 21.4 MBWhat better way to begin Thanksgiving week than to listen to our motley bunch discuss Turkey… and Iran? Jodi, Dana, Lester and guest Matthew Heiman review protests in Iran, Turkish incursions into Syria, and how Washington is responding. Is it “Groundhog Day” in Iran? (What would Bill Murray do?) Also included: a serious discussion of changing power dynamics in the Middle East and how that affects American interests.
Episode 4
November 14, 2019 15:08 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MBIn an interview format this week, Fault Lines spends some quality time with Norman Roule, former National Intelligence Manager for Iran. Lester and Norm discuss the past forty years of difficult US-Iran relations, the nature of the Tehran regime, and possible paths forward for the Iranian people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 3
October 31, 2019 14:27 - 41 minutes - 19 MBThis week, Dana, Jodi, Lester and guest commentator Matthew Heiman take on the seeming wave of popular protests seen around the world in places like Lebanon, Chile, Iraq, France, Algeria and Sudan. They also discussed the dilemma for U.S. policymakers when a democratic friend of the United States, like India or Brazil, makes policy decisions that may not be in accord with U.S. interests and lastly, the group briefly talked about the recent killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. Hosted...
Episode 2
October 17, 2019 13:22 - 37 minutes - 17.2 MBThis week, Dana, Jamil and Lester delve into two hot spots. First, in Syria, they explored the implications of President Trump's abrupt pullout of American troops for the region and American politics. Second, they'll take a look at the dustup between the NBA and China, and what it might mean for the politics of US national security - and they'll also decide who is the greatest basketball player of all-time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episode 1
October 01, 2019 13:27 - 42 minutes - 19.5 MBThis week, Fault Line experts delve into two hot spots. First, in the Middle East, where Iran attacked Saudi oil facilities, they examine possible reactions from President Trump, who is now without former National Security Advisor John Bolton, as well as the American public's limit regarding Iranian aggression. They also argued over whether China, with an ongoing trade dispute with the US, upcoming elections in Taiwan, and continued global attention on China's crackdown on Uighurs, tempers it...