The Burn Bag Podcast

In this episode, Ryan talks to Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat about her book, Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present,  and the contemporary history of authoritarianism.  Ruth begins by defining authoritarianism and the subset known as "strongman" rule. She then tracks the emergence of this phenomenon, beginning with Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini, noting the ways in which these leaders come to power. The conversation proceeds with the tools of strongman rule and how modern authoritarians, such as Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin, remain in power. The episode concludes with the ways in which authoritarians fall and Ruth's perspective on the future.To learn more,  check out Ruth's website and subscribe to her substack. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are those of the hosts. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any host’s employer.

We're back! The Burn Bag is kicking off its re-launch with What in the World?In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan are joined by the new team and discuss Burn Bag 2.0. It also wouldn't be a What in the World? without talking about  what in the world happened this week. Elon Musk has turned Twitter upside down and Russia  retreated from southern Ukraine. We also discuss the UK's latest Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's return, and what appears to be an end to the years-long civil war in Ethiopia. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are those of the hosts. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any host’s employer.

In this episode, A'ndre and Ryan are joined by University of Michigan Professor John Ciorciari to discuss the Cambodian Genocide and decades-long fight for justice. The conversation begins with how the Khmer Rouge rose to power and the ideological underpinnings of its movement. John also provides a background of the authoritarian leader, Pol Pot, and how he rose to power in relative obscurity. With Pol Pots rise also came horrific violence agains the Cambodian people, rising to what the International community has deems a genocide. John helps us dissect how and why the Khmer Rouge regime perpetrated this genocide and the how it finally concluded in the late 1970s. With the  recent conclusion of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, John details the fight for justice, highlighting both the positive and negative implications of the tribunal's work. The episode concludes with a discussion of Cambodia today and the legacy of Cambodian Genocide. To learn more about, please check out these resources recommended by Professor Ciorciari:The Killing Fields, The Diplomat, Hun Sen's Cambodia, and The Pol Pot Regime. 

In this episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, A'ndre talks with former CIA Paramilitary officer and Alpha Team Leader J.R. Seeger on the CIA's 2001 insertion into Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the early days of the Afghanistan War. Seeger, who's had a 27 year career in federal service, led Alpha Team, one of the first CIA paramilitary teams to be dropped behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, and provides us with an oral history of the pre-war intelligence operations and CIA's efforts to consolidate the Afghan Resistance's efforts against the Taliban. Seeger, who can't necessarily discuss some of the specifics of his role on the ground in Afghanistan, nevertheless guides us through the history of the operations, including a discussion on the uprising at Qala-i-Jangi compound near Mazar-i-Sharif that resulted in the death of his team mate Mike Spann -- America's first casualty in the twenty year Afghanistan War. Since retiring from federal service, J.R. Seeger has written a litany of thriller novels, which include the MIKE4 series, which focuses on a family of special operations officers spanning between World War II and the present day.J.R.'s story and that of Team Alpha is also covered in Toby Harnden's book First Casualty. We interviewed Toby several months ago on their story, which you can listen to here.

In this episode, Ryan talks to Dr. Dimitar Bechev about his recent book, "Turkey Under Erdogan: How a Country Turned from Democracy and the West". Dr. Bechev begins by contextualizing how Erdogan came to power, noting the liberalization of the 80s. He then discuses the political landscape in Turkey and critical power centers. The conversation then moves to how Turkey's democracy has been undermined by authoritarianism and whether there is reason for optimism in the upcoming election. The episode concludes with a discussion of Turkey's foreign policy, relationship with the West, and what the future may hold.  

In this special episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss the legacies of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Queen Elizabeth II. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, is admired in the West but was a political persona non-grata in his own country. We dissect Gorbachev’s leadership, his relationship with Ronald Reagan and their drive for nuclear disarmament, his controversial relations with the rest of Eastern Europe, and how perestroika and glasnost contributed to the Soviet Union’s collapse. They spend the second half of the episode discussing Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy, her symbolic and cultural power even though her official role was that of figurehead, and how public memory around Her Majesty’s rule has changed and evolved, both accommodating and leaving out certain legacies, controversial and otherwise. A’ndre’s and Ryan’s conversation attempt to put a more objective, grey lens on the two leaders, assessing the good and the bad in a more critical manner.

This week, Dr. Ken Dekleva, former State Department Psychiatrist, returns to The Burn Bag Podcast for the third time to discuss his brand new book, The Negotiator's Cross, a thrilling mystery novel following Father Ishmael, a Catholic Priest turned hostage negotiator, through a series of perilous situations. Dr. Dekleva pens Father Ishmael's journey across a series of locations that have figured into the author's own career, and Dr. Dekleva shares a bit about how his own experience in psychiatry and in leadership profiling informed his creation of the novel's set of intriguing characters. The novel itself tracks Father Ishmael's story after one of his parishioners had disappeared, believing the disappearance to be a cartel kidnapping, and Father Ishmael finds himself involved in  a tale of "diplomacy, espionage, kidnap, genocide, and murder." You can buy Dr. Dekleva's book on Amazon here.

In this episode, A'ndre and Ryan are joined by Kyle Bibby, Deputy Political Director for Common Defense and Marine Corps veteran. Kyle reflects on the  War in Afghanistan following the one-year anniversary of the U.S withdrawal. Having served in Afghanistan, Kyle discusses what it was like on the ground, noting the challenges of the U.S. mission in particular. He also highlights his personal experiences with Afghans to emphasize the strong relationship between U.S. troops and their Afghan counterparts, especially given the difficulty many Afghans have faced since the Taliban retook power. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Black Veterans Project.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and guest co-host Drisya Antose talk to Center for a New American Security's Martijn Rasser, Director of the Center's Technology and National Security program, about the recently signed CHIPS and Science ACT, dissecting what's in the bill and how it aims to bolster technological productivity in the United States. Martijn discusses the state of the semiconductor industry, and how U.S.-China tensions over Taiwan could threaten vital supply chains if semiconductor manufacturing is not significantly localized in the United States. We discuss broader technological supply chains and the R&D funding aspects of the CHIPS Act, in addition to how the legislation strengthens the tech ecosystem of Silicon Valley and beyond. We also take a peep at what our adversaries and allies are doing on this front as well.

In this episode, Ryan is joined by Kel McClanahan, Executive Director of National Security Counselors and Adjunct Professor at GW Law. Kel, who is national security law expert, helps breakdown the FBI's Mar-a-Lago search and the types of documents and records they were seeking to recover. He also outlines the various statutes the Mr. Trump may have violated. Kel highlights he important distinction between classified documents and national defense information, which is why is does not necessary matter if they were declassified, as well as why then-Present Trump cannot  issue a blanket declassification without proper procedures. The episode concludes with Kel's perspective on prosecution and why safeguarding national security information is so important.