The Burn Bag Podcast

In the sixth and final episode of our miniseries Sri Lanka: Debt, Development, and Democracy, A'ndre interviews outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz to get her perspective on the  state of U.S.-Sri Lanka relations in the midst of Sri Lanka's tightening relationship with China. Ambassador Teplitz, who is wrapping up her time in Sri Lanka after serving since 2018, speaks frankly on the 'issues' that both countries need to work through,  the 'ups' and 'downs' since the end of the Civil War in 2009, and relations with the Governments led by Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The Ambassador refutes certain claims about the Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement (MCC) that the incumbent Sri Lankan Government declined, stating that even the prior Rajapaksa Government had sought out grants associated with the MCC -- calling the failure of the most recent agreement "very disappointing". Ambassador Teplitz also discusses the difference between U.S. and Chinese aid, why U.S. aid isn't "conditions-based", and why some Chinese investments do give the U.S. Government pause over Sri Lanka's sovereignty. A'ndre closes out the conversation with questions on the U.S. promotion of accountability for controversies around Sri Lanka's Civil War, Sri Lanka's economy and potential IMF intervention, and COVID-aid.  

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss the migrant crisis at the southern border, the murder of British MP David Amess, and Saif Gaddafi's potential power play in Libya. They also break down the looming closure of Russia's mission to NATO and trouble at home for Jair Bolsonaro. 

In the latest episode of Sri Lanka: Debt, Development, and Democracy?  A'ndre speaks with Subhashini Abeysinghe, a prominent Sri Lankan economist who works on international trade issues with Verité Research, about the state of Sri Lanka's economy and the nature of its debt crisis. Subhashini has been working on a data-driven analysis of China's economic engagement in Sri Lanka, and in this episode provides a more objective and nuanced take on Sri Lanka-China relations in contrast to some of the more political voices we've heard over the course of this miniseries. Subhashini takes the time to distinguish between Chinese loans and Chinese investments, and talks about how each form of engagement has presented itself in Sri Lanka's economy. She takes us through some of the economic projects that have made the news recently, such as Hambantota Port and the Colombo Port City, and also credits the current debt crisis to mismanagement by successive governments in Sri Lanka. We also dig into U.S. economic engagement in Sri Lanka, and what that has looked like as well.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss global supply chain challenges and how its impacting vaccination distribution. They also cover the violence in Lebanon, parliamentary elections in Iraq, and U.S. military advisors in Taiwan. 

A'ndre and Ryan interview Mick Mulroy, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East (2017-2019), to get his take on U.S. Middle East policy in the aftermath of Afghanistan.  Mick, whose time as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense required that he oversee Middle Eastern policy for the Defense Department, discusses why he was in favor of maintaining a residual force in Afghanistan and elaborates on the consequences for U.S. security policy in the broader region and for counterterrorism purposes. Mick does outline why he is confident in the United States' ability to manage Middle Eastern policy in light of the 'Pivot to Asia', and digs into his views on the Yemen Civil War and Saudi involvement with it. We also dive a bit into Mick's service as a CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer and what that work in conflict zones entailed, and we highlight Mick's current work with the Lobo Institute and his advocacy on the issue of ending child soldiering.

In this week’s episode, A’ndre and Ryan do a deep dive on President Biden’s sinking approval rating, tying in several foreign policy crises that have contributed to the President’s diminished stature. They also talk about the massive backlog in shipments to the United States as hundreds of thousands of shipping containers wait weeks to enter the Port of Los Angeles resulting in high prices and retail shortages. Our hosts do discuss the Pandora Papers, speculate about why some American conservatives love democratic backsliders in Europe, and the recent news that the CIA is losing foreign agents.

In the second installment of The Opening of the American Mind, A'ndre and Ryan speak with George Will, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author, on what it means to practice a 'conservative' foreign policy. Dr. Will, who has published a twice-weekly column in The Washington Post since 1974, provides his definition of what it means to be conservative, discussing the intellectual conservative movement that prospered in the post-war era. He then goes into his views on what a conservative foreign policy actually means, why Reagan and Eisenhower were exemplars of it, and why Donald Trump was not, in his view, conservative. Distinguishing between conservatism and neoconservatism, Dr. Will discusses why he believes liberal internationalism is 'armed humanitarianism',  and the mistakes made in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the broader Middle East. Touching on recent events in the news, Dr. Will talks the U.S.-China rivalry, and his thoughts on the Intelligence Community and the equation of whether security trumps freedoms. We close out the conservation with a short conversation on Dr. Will's new book, American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent, 2008-2020, and why Dr. Will abhors denim. Yes, denim.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk about the Afghanistan hearing on Capitol Hill and Senator Blumenthal's deep interest in "finstas". They also discuss the outcome of Germany's parliamentary elections and the likely coalition to follow, as well as then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo's plot against Julian Assange.

A'ndre and Ryan speak with University of Chicago Professor Robert Pape on political violence and radicalization, in the first episode of a new special series, The Opening of the American Mind, where The Burn Bag will interview leading scholars and thinkers on the the deep-rooted trends underlying contemporary foreign policy and national security issues, in an accessible, intellectual conversation. Professor Pape discusses radicalization in the context of foreign terror groups, drawing on pioneering work that has centered around suicide terrorism. Professor Pape disputes the idea that religion is the prime motivator for suicide terrorism -- rather, these roots are in nationalism and a response to foreign 'occupation'. Professor Pape, who recently published significant findings with UChicago's CPOST on 'who' the January 6th insurrectionists are, discusses why many of those who participated in the Capitol Riots came from Biden counties, and why their motivation may be rooted in the 'great replacement' theory. Professor Pape's recent article in The Conversation can be found here.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan breakdown the major UN General Assembly speeches, assess the British PM's meeting with Biden, and foreshadow the Quad meeting in Washington, DC. They also discuss the outcome of the Canadian snap and Russian parliamentary elections, and give a final rundown before Germans head to polls to decide who will succeed Angela Merkel.