The Burn Bag Podcast

This week, A'ndre welcomes a unique guest: The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Some of our audience may recall Bishop Curry's captivating sermon during the 2018 Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He has been an outspoken advocate on various social and political issues, discussing the Episcopal Church's role in policy advocacy amid rising toxicity in discussions about religion and politics.Bishop Curry addresses the church's unique stance on LGBTQ+ rights and reflects on the divisions within the global Anglican communion, particularly regarding Uganda's severe penalties for LGBTQ+ individuals. He also shares his perspective on the ongoing conflict in Gaza and how he approaches conversations about it, given the region's significance to the three major Abrahamic religions.A'ndre and the Bishop conclude the episode with a discussion on Christian Nationalism, where Bishop Curry offers strong critiques of the concept.

Dr. Matthew Levitt, an expert on Hezbollah and former Wexler Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, explores the militant group's complex identity following the death of Hassan Nasrallah. He discusses Hezbollah's dual role as a political force and militant organization, the historical events that shaped its emergence, and its ties to Iran. Levitt highlights the challenges faced by Hezbollah's new leadership, the implications of recent conflicts with Israel, and the group's evolving relationship with Hamas, shedding light on its influence within the broader Middle Eastern landscape.

The Burn Bag will be covering the Israel-Gaza War over the course of several episodes, sourcing multiple perspectives on the conflict. The Burn Bag does not officially endorse any views expressed by our guests, but rather brings those perspectives to you, the audience, and will continue to provide a diverse array of voices on the program. In this episode, A’ndre introduces Uri Bar-Joseph, professor emeritus at Haifa University and author of the new book Beyond the Iron Wall. Together, they delve into the security failures that led to the October 7th attacks, considering why Israel’s security apparatus was caught off guard and what lessons can be drawn from historical events like the Yom Kippur War. Uri argues that Israel does not have an overarching  strategy in its War in Gaza nor with its actions in Lebanon. Uri discusses the complexities of Israel's "security lifestyle," his reactions to the recent pager attacks targeting Hezbollah, the Israeli government's perceptions of Hamas, and the broader political landscape. Uri also talks about why he believes the Israeli government is averse to political resolutions and the challenges posed by settlements in the West Bank, in addition to his criticisms of Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war and the broader Israeli-Palestinian relationship. This insightful conversation aims to unpack the reasons behind recent events and ponder the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.NOTE: This episode was recorded on September 19, several days before the escalation in Southern Lebanon.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden will host the leaders of India, Japan, and Australia in Wilmington, Delaware, for his final Quad summit. What is the Quad? To explore this four-way partnership and preview the summit, A'ndre is joined by Aman Thakker, an Adjunct Fellow with the Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at CSIS.They discuss the Quad's history, including its inception in 2004 after the Indian Ocean tsunami, its revitalization in 2017, and why it shouldn't be seen as an "Asian NATO." Aman contrasts the views of the Trump and Biden administrations on the Quad and provides insights into India's engagement in the partnership, highlighting its policy of "multi-alignment."A'ndre and Aman conclude by previewing this Saturday's summit and discussing potential outcomes and announcements from the four leaders that they expect.CORRECTION: A’ndre refers to the Quad as a security dialogue in his introduction. While some have referred to the group in this lens, none of the four member-states refer to the Quad as that, and it’s more accurate to refer to the partnership as a diplomatic grouping.

A powerful U.S. Senator. A leading aide to the New York Governor. A leading Korea expert. All prominent figures in the last several months who have been accused of being foreign agents, working on behalf of foreign governments to influence U.S. policy. To make sense of this all, A'ndre chatted with Casey Michel, author of Foreign Agents and the Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation, to understand the history of foreign lobbying in the United States and to talk through some of the more high profile cases. Casey profiles Ivy Lee, the father of the modern PR industry, and how he helped fascist dictators like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in the 1930s sell their ideologies to the broader public. The discussion also covered Paul Manafort, a convicted felon and former GOP strategist known for his work on the Donald Trump and Bob Dole presidential campaigns. A'ndre and Casey reviewed recent notable cases, including:Senator Bob Menendez's recent conviction that he accepted gold bars to promote policy favored by the Egyptian government; Former NSC official and think tank expert Sue Mi Terry's alleged advocacy of South Korean interests on behalf of her Korean government handlers;New York Governor Kathy Hochul's aide Linda Sun's alleged engagement in political activities in China's interest within the governor's office;and former Senator Bob Dole's advocacy on behalf of a Russian oligarch.You can purchase Casey's new book, Foreign Agents, here.

This week, A'ndre chatted with Eliot Higgins, an award-winning journalist who founded the citizen journalism outlet Bellingcat, a fact-checking platform utilizing open-source intelligence focusing on international affairs. Eliot talks about his initial work studying the Syrian Civil War and the conflict in Libya, and how he was able to identify key war crimes from analyzing open-source and publicly available data. He describes the thought process that led him to found Bellingcat and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the platform's initial investigation into the shoot-down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 by Russian-backed militias. A'ndre and Eliot discuss how Bellingcat and citizen journalism at large have operated in the context of the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, in addition to talking about the challenges of disinformation in its work. Eliot gives his take on AI-generated images and videos and if he's worried about the proliferation of such content, and whether governments have pursued him as a result of his investigative work.

In a riveting discussion, Stephanie Baker, a veteran Bloomberg journalist and Russia expert, dives deep into the economic warfare unleashed against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. She unpacks the intricate mechanisms behind sanctions and their geopolitical implications. The conversation covers the challenges of enforcement, the power of the U.S. dollar, and the unintended humanitarian impacts of sanctions. Baker also shares insights on the current state of the Russian economy and the potential shifts in U.S. policy depending on future elections.

This week, A'ndre chatted with Sara Wahedi, an award-winning Afghan technologist and humanitarian who created Ehtesab, a crisis notification app that has provided Kabul residents in Afghanistan with real-time emergency alerts. A'ndre and Sara chatted on the three year anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of the country, with Sara sharing her reflections on the plight of women since 2021. Sara shares the story of how she developed Ehtesab after surviving a suicide bombing in Kabul, and discusses some of the difficulties in navigating a range of socio-economic and political circumstances during the app's creation and operation. Reflecting on her Afghan identity, Sara discusses the resilience she's seen among the women of Afghanistan, and how so many were hopeful before 2021. A'ndre and Sara talk about the international community's engagement with Afghanistan and some of Sara's reactions to ongoing negotiations with the Taliban.You can follow Sara and her incredible work on Twitter: @SaraWahedi

The Burn Bag returns after a brief hiatus, and we're bringing back "What in the World?" A series where A'ndre talks about ongoing current events with other youthful foreign policy professionals, experts, and geeks.This week, A'ndre chats with his old UChicago classmate Gabriela Saade about the ongoing political crisis unfolding after Venezuela's recent elections. While incumbent President Nicolas Maduro has claimed victory, the opposition and multiple international organizations have argued that the election was rigged; protests have broken out, with multiple arrests taking place. Gabriela, who grew up in Venezuela, used to do research for National Assembly opposition politicians in the mid-2010s,and co-founded a non-profit In the country that aimed to provide humanitarian assistance to disaffected areas. During the conversation, Gabriela provides a rundown of the Venezuelan political landscape over the last decade under Maduro, outlining the key controversies surrounding the election, explaining the opposition's claims and purported evidence. A'ndre and Gabriela also discuss the crackdown on political expression in Venezuela and the ongoing economic crisis, with Gabriela sharing some of her on-the-ground experience from years past.

This week, A'ndre welcomed back to The Burn Bag Brian Morra, a retired Air Force Intelligence Officer and the author of The Righteous Arrows, a fictionalized account of U.S. proxy efforts during the Soviet-Afghan War. A'ndre and Brian discuss heightened tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the mid-1980s, outlining the motivations behind why the U.S. Government decided to arm the mujahideen 'resistance' against the Soviet military. Brian outlines why the U.S. Government's failure to ponder the 'day after' a Soviet defeat is an example of the law of unintended consequences -- given the rise of extremist Islamic militant groups in Afghanistan such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban. The two also chat about the lessons that the Soviet-Afghan War provide for the current day, especially with the ongoing War in Ukraine and crises in the Middle East.You can listen to our first interview with Brian, on the 1983 Nuclear War Scare here:  https://bit.ly/3JhunxK.You can purchase Brian's new book The Righteous Arrows, which has already won several literature awards, here: https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Arrows-Brian-J-Morra-ebook/dp/B0CW28XN1X