Natasha Hall, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies and an expert on Syria, joins the conversation. They delve into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s unexpected martial law declaration in South Korea, highlighting its implications for democracy and regional stability. The discussion shifts to the complexities of the Syrian civil war, analyzing the roles of various players like Turkey and Hezbollah, and the significant geopolitical shifts impacting U.S. foreign policy.
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Martial Law in South Korea
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, a first in 50 years.
The military briefly controlled the government, banned protests, and censored media.
insights INSIGHT
Yoon's Motivation
President Yoon's motive was likely frustration with political opponents controlling parliament.
They cut his budget, moved to impeach cabinet members, and exposed his wife's corruption.
insights INSIGHT
South Korean Politics
South Korean politics has a history of coups and imprisonment of presidents.
However, this martial law declaration was unprecedented since the democratic reforms of the 1980s.
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A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Ariel Font Prades
Patrick Radden Keefe
The book delves into the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath, focusing on the lives of key figures such as Dolours Price, Brendan Hughes, Gerry Adams, and Jean McConville's children. It explores the civil rights movement, the Provisional IRA's bombing campaign, the 1981 hunger strike, the peace process, and the post-conflict struggle to understand crimes like McConville's murder. The narrative also incorporates the Belfast Project, a secret oral history endeavor that collected stories from former IRA members. The book is a panoramic history that captures the complexities and tragic consequences of the Troubles[1][2][5].
A Different Way to Win
Jim Rooney
In this book, Jim Rooney shares stories from his father’s life, highlighting Dan Rooney’s achievements both on and off the football field. Dan Rooney was instrumental in transforming the Pittsburgh Steelers into a dynasty and was a key figure in promoting equity in the NFL’s hiring practices through the Rooney Rule. The book also touches on his efforts to bring peace to his ancestral homeland of Ireland and his core values of quiet strength, effectiveness, and consensus-building.
Tommy and Ben discuss President Yoon Suk Yeol’s sudden declaration of martial law in South Korea, how Trump and his team will approach the Syrian civil war, and why Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, is so dangerous. They also talk about Trump’s nepotism hires, more troubling news reports about Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, Trump’s threats to levy tariffs on BRICS countries, UNRWA closing a crucial aid route into Gaza due to looting, a former Israeli defense minister’s declaration that Israeli is engaging in ethnic cleansing, protests in Georgia, and elections in Romania and Ireland. Finally, Tommy speaks with Natasha Hall, Senior Fellow in the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, to unpack what’s happening in Syria, who all the players are, and how we got here.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
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