The Burn Bag Podcast

Welcome to the second installment of The Burn Bag Podcast's special collaboration with The Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Security and Strategy,  where we highlight contributions to the Scowcroft Center's "100 Ideas for the First 100 Days" project. The second episode in the series delves into three big ideas with Dr. Harlan Ullman, Evan Cooper, and Markus Garlauskas. First, Dr. Ullman speaks on why we need to upgrade American alliances, in order to address the unexpected and large scale security threats facing the U.S., that include pandemics, climate change, cyber-issues, and more. The second idea, by Evan Cooper, goes into why expanding and strengthening the State Department is crucial to addressing the country's biggest foreign policy and security challenges, at this moment. The third and last idea digs into how the Biden Administration can pro-actively delay, prevent, or limit North Korean missile testing -- Markus Garlauskas details how exactly this can happen. 

On this week’s episode of the Burn Bag, co-hosts A’ndre and Ryan speak with Admiral (ret.) James Stavridis about his new book 2034: A Novel of the Next World War.  Admiral Stavridis, who served as former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and former Commander of U.S. Southern Command,  discusses the importance of cyber warfare and why we must rethink the idea of the typical U.S. soldier. During the episode, he delves into the SolarWinds hack and cyber espionage, along with Naval Warfare—specifically the influence of maritime powers. Admiral Stavridis ends by discussing the U.S.’s position regarding the South China Sea and the mission of NATO.To learn more about the Admiral and his work check out his website. 

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk about the alleged coup attempt in Armenia, political instability in Georgia, and U.S. report on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. They also discuss Australia's new media law and the likely prosecution of Sri Lanka's former president. 

The Burn Bag Podcast is excited to launch a special collaboration with The Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Security and Strategy, where we highlight the contributions to the Scowcroft Center's "100 Ideas for the First 100 Days" project. This inaugural episode in this new mini-series features an introductory conversation with the Center's Director Barry Pavel, where we discuss the Center's mission and the inspiration for this project. We then dive into the first two contributions in the mini-series, as we hear thinking on some of the biggest challenges facing the Biden Administration from General David Petraeus and Ambassador Daniel Fried. General Petraeus discusses his idea, "Scope US Forces’ Involvement in ‘Endless’ Mideast Wars" while Ambassador Fried talks about why the U.S. needs to "Push Back On Putin’s Aggression; Cooperate If We Can". You can read more about the project here: "100 Ideas for the First Hundred Days of the Biden Administration"

In this week’s episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, co-hosts A’ndre and Ryan speak to Michael Barr, Dean of the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions. A’ndre, Ryan and Dean Barr discuss the challenges of rebuilding the global economy post-COVID-19, attracting foreign direct investment to the United States, the Robinhood debacle and securities regulation, repeating mistakes from the 2007/08 financial crisis, the risks of cryptocurrency, and economic sanctions as part of U.S. foreign policy.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss the aftermath of impeachment, the latest on the Navalny case in Russia, India’s domestic and foreign difficulties, the latest developments in Myanmar, and the Biden Administration’s outlook for the Middle East, among other topics.

On this special Presidents’ Day episode, A’ndre and Ryan talk with Zeke Miller, AP White House Reporter and White House Correspondents’ Assoc. President, about presidential reporting. They discuss the history of White House correspondents and the relationship between the President and the press. Zeke also discusses sourcing and the role of leaks. He shares his views on the public’s relationship with the press and how social media has impacted his job, in addition to providing some insights on how Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden have interacted with the press.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss the Senate trial of former President Donald Trump and the threat of far right domestic terrorism. They also talk about the easing of India/China tensions, Big Tech, and President Biden's phone call with China's Xi Jinping.

In this episode, A’ndre and Ryan talk with Tracy Walder, a former CIA  staff operations officer and FBI special agent, about her life navigating both of these agencies. They discuss why Tracy joined the CIA, and how she, as a 22 year old, was at the forefront of intelligence analysis in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, interacting with officials at the highest levels of government, including President Bush and CIA Director George Tenet. Tracy lifts the veil on the impact that working in the CIA and FBI has on daily life,  which includes a candid discussion on how she overcame varying personal challenges throughout her career. Tracy talks about some of her field experiences, ranging from interviewing terrorists with the CIA's Counterterrorism Center to working with the FBI on Chinese counterintelligence in Los Angeles. The conversation ends with Tracy’s perspective on diversity in the IC and how more women can pursue such careers. This episode was based on Tracy’s fascinating and captivating book, “The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists“.

In this week’s episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, co-hosts A’ndre Gonawela and Ryan Rosenthal speak with Dr. Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). A’ndre and Ryan discuss Dr. Haass’ new book The World: A Brief Introduction, American policy towards Mainland China and Taiwan, COVID-19’s strengthening of European institutions, popular protests in Russia, defining challenges of the 21st century and multilateralism.