The Burn Bag Podcast

In this week's episode, we speak with Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer about 2022's top political risks, in a conversation based off the Eurasia Group's latest annual report. Ian starts off with why he believes fatal flaws in China's 'Zero-COVID' policy are the #1 risk, as Xi Jinping will find it next to impossible to reverse course and global economic disruptions and subsequent political turmoil will ensue. We also discuss risks oriented around the lack of global leadership both in the digital space and in physical conflict zones throughout the world, as neither the United States nor China appear to be willing to engage. Ian spends some time discussing why he believes the U.S. Midterm Elections present themselves as the third biggest risk, while also covering why the often under-appreciated political situation in Erdogan's Turkey can lead to regional instability. Ian also expresses optimism on the global push to combat climate change, and does talk about the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk about the political implications of two crises in the UK. Boris Johnson is in hot water for throwing a party amidst strict public health orders and Prince Andrew has been stripped of his Royal titles as the sex abuse case against him continues in the US. They also discuss recent developments (or lack thereof) in US-Russia talks over Ukraine and the situation in Kazakhstan following the Russia-led stability operation.

In this episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk to Javed Ali about the counterterrorism landscape for 2022. Javed, who spent his career in a variety of US government agencies working on counterterrorism, outlines the differences between domestic and international terrorism, and the difficulty of legislating the former. Javed served as Senior Director of Counterterrorism on the National Security Council between 2017 and 2018, discusses the U.S. Government's approach towards the issue and how even as we focus on domestic terrorism, we shouldn't lose sight of the threats of international terrorism and jihadist movements.You find more of Javed's work here: https://fordschool.umich.edu/faculty/javed-ali 

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss the January 6 insurrection on the one-year anniversary. They also talk about the Kazakh government calling in foreign military assistance, China's COVID lockdown, and Australian restrictions that are impacting the Australian Open. 

What a year 2021 has been both for the world and the Burn Bag Podcast! We're re-upping one of our favorite episodes to usher in 2022.  Check out A'ndre and Ryan's conversation with former SECDEF Leon Panetta from June. "In this special episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, we speak to former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (2011-2013) about a range of national security 'flashpoints' that stand to affect the United States and the Biden Administration in the coming years. Secretary Panetta, who oversaw the Bin Laden Raid as CIA Director, reacts to President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, while also discussing a potentially new Iran Nuclear Deal. The Secretary also discusses his view on the threats facing NATO and why President Biden needs to draw 'clear lines' when dealing with Putin's Russia. We revisit Secretary Panetta's service in the Obama Administration in contextualizing the current state of Chinese assertion in the Indo-Pacific, and Secretary Panetta recounts his meeting with Xi Jinping almost a decade ago. Secretary Panetta uses that story to outline how the United States needs to engage multilaterally while also bolstering its military capabilities to meet the challenge of China. Secretary Panetta also discusses the emergent, if not current, threat posed by cyber-warfare, and how the U.S. military needs to adapt to meet the dangers posed by the newest domain of warfare. We close out the conversation with a brief discussion on the defense budget -- a topic Secretary Panetta is intimately familiar with, not only because of his time as Secretary of Defense, but also due to his former position as Director of the OMB and as Chairman of the House Budget Committee.Secretary Panetta co-founded the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, and is the author of Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace, his New York Times best-selling auto-biography."

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk to Steven Pifer, former US Amb. to Ukraine and a career foreign service officer. Steve begins by contextualizing the current Russian esclaation, providing a brief history of Ukraine. He highlights the centrality of Kyiv to Russia's identity and what the Ukraine-Russia relationship has looked like over time. The conversation then turns to Russia's foreign policy and why Putin is particularly fixated on Ukraine. Steve provides his assessment of whether a Russian invasion is imminent and outlines a variety of tools the US and its allies can use to deter the Kremlin. To learn more about Ukraine and Amb. Pifer's experiences, check out his book, The Eagle and the Trident: U.S.-Ukraine Relations in Turbulent Times.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk about Russian demands for security guarantees and Putin's politicization of Orthodoxy. They also discuss Chinese arms cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Israel-US talks about Iran, and Trump's Bibi betrayal. 

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan speak with John Sipher, who served in the CIA's Clandestine Service for over 28 years (retiring in 2014) and did multiple overseas tours as Chief of Station and Deputy Chief of Station. John discusses the myth and realities of what the Chief of Station role is actually like, and why it's not as secretive as one would anticipate. We spend a bulk of the interview focusing in on the Russia-Ukraine situation, getting John's views on whether a Russia invasion is likely and what Vladimir Putin's end goals actually are. John highlights why Ukraine's security is vital to the United States, and provides some ideas on what the United States can do to ward off Russia from Ukraine. John, who is the co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment, also talks about translating stories of espionage onto the silver screen, and shares some information on upcoming projects.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk about Russian demands for NATO security assurances and Boris Johnson's political challenges. They also discuss issues such as the Democrat Party's communications failures and unpaid internships in DC. 

In this episode,  A'ndre and Ryan are joined by former CIA Senior Operations Officer Douglas London. Doug, who spent much of his career recruiting  assets abroad, discusses the nature of the job and its difficulties. He then describes the CIA's transition from a primarily foreign intelligence-gathering service to counterterrorism operations after 9/11, in addition to the politicization of intelligence. Doug shares his criticisms of this shift but also commends recent actions by the CIA to manage the threats of China, technology, and climate change. Doug also offers his view on the importance of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and how the CIA has prioritized this in recent years. Today's conversation was based on Doug's recent book, The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence.