The Burn Bag Podcast

In this episode, we talk with Professor Sean Roberts about the Uyghur people and their relations with China. Professor Roberts discusses the history of the Uyghurs, how China came to view them as a threat, and what the international community can do to stop this cultural genocide. Our conversation is based on Professor Roberts' new book, The War on the Uyghurs: China's Internal Campaign against a Muslim Minority.

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss the current nominees for the Biden Cabinet, provide an update on what’s occurring in Ethiopia, and assess the recent developments between Israel and the Gulf States, the recent death of a CIA employee in Somalia, and offer their predictions on the possibility of an Edward Snowden pardon. The episode caps off with a very special interview with Dave Levy, Federal VP of Amazon Web Services.

In this very special episode of The Burn Bag, hosts A’ndre Gonawela and Ryan Rosenthal talk to former CIA Director GEN (Ret.) David Petraeus about a range of topics. General Petraeus gives us his take on current and future U.S. defense policy in the Middle East, and provides an insight into his own time as CENTCOM Commander in the 2000s dealing with 'nation-building' in Iraq and Afghanistan. We also talk to General Petraeus about his strategy in dealing with counterinsurgency in Iraq -- drawing on the General's own acclaimed 'Field Manual'. General Petraeus also addresses the challenges posed by regional powers and great powers, such as Iran, Russia, and even China on U.S. interests in the Middle East, and how other countries such as Pakistan have interfered in past U.S. efforts to ensure domestic stability in Afghanistan. General Petraeus does indeed also touch on the recent Defense Department shuffle by President Trump, and provides his thoughts on the current transition period and the national security implications of the ongoing non-cooperation by the Trump Administration. 

In this week's episode, A'ndre and Ryan discuss the Pentagon's planned withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, and the political upheaval in Peru. We also cover Biden transition updates, the EU Budget veto, and Secretary Pompeo's Israel trip.

In this special episode of The Burn Bag, hosts A’ndre Gonawela and Ryan Rosenthal talk to Robert Cardillo, former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) on a variety of important topics pertaining to the state of the intelligence community. We discuss the relationship between the intelligence community and policymakers, NGA monitoring our adversaries, the future of intelligence in the Biden administration, and the importance of intelligence in a world that is increasingly becoming more connected. Robert provides us with key insights on how the NGA works together with the other intelligence agencies and the strides the intelligence community made in integrating the community, highlighting their cooperation during the Ghouta Chemical Attack in the Summer of 2013. We cap off the interview with Director Cardillo’s thoughts on returning to government and the ‘remarkable’ talent of the Biden team.

In this special installment of The Burn Bag, our executive producer Javed Ali (former NSC Senior Director of Counterterrorism) had the opportunity to have a conversation with sitting CENTCOM Commander General Frank McKenzie. GEN McKenzie and Javed talk about the biggest issues and challenges facing the US Central Command in its Area of Responsibility, which stretches from the Middle East to parts of Central and South Asia. The General candidly discusses Iran (and issues a warning for the Iranian Government), the current situation in Iraq, and his assessment of the challenges facing the ongoing negotiations for the Afghan Peace Process. The General also discusses Russia's presence in the region, and the ongoing fight against ISIS in Syria. 

In our inaugural "What in the World?" episode,  A'ndre and Ryan cover the week's top national security and foreign policy stories. They breakdown the shakeup at the Pentagon, the ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and President-elect Biden's potential cabinet picks. 

In this episode, A'ndre and Ryan talk to Dan Hubert, former LCDR in the US Navy and the founder of MODUS, about surveillance drones, drones in the private sector, his 'battlefield to the boardroom' story, and the broader defense industry in the private sector. Dan provides us with a keen insight on the history of surveillance drones in the US military, and how they have been employed -- drawing on his own personal experience as a Unit Officer-in-Charge of UAVs in Iraq. We talk about how drones have contributed to the collection of geospatial intelligence, and the nature of network-centric and information warfare. Dan then takes us into the defense industry in the private sector, where we discuss corporate espionage, the prevalence of geopolitics in commercial usage of drones, and how data privacy can portend to be a significant security risk to the average everyday citizen. If you're interested in hearing more about Dan's work with MODUS, you can visit their website here: https://www.modus-ai.com/about/ 

In this latest installment of The Burn Bag, hosts A'ndre Gonawela and Ryan Rosenthal have a lively discussion on US interests in Latin America with Juan Cruz, who served on the National Security Council between 2017 and 2019 as the Senior Director for Western Hemisphere affairs and as a Senior Assistant to the President. Juan has had a deep role in shaping the Trump Administration's approach to Latin America, and in this episode Juan discusses the political crisis in Venezuela, the ongoing terse relations between the United States and Cuba, and the current state of Colombia in the years following the peace agreement that was signed between the Government and FARC. Juan also provides some insights on broader US grand strategy for the region, in addition to where a potential Biden Administration or continued Trump Administration will take the United States policy-wise with regards to Latin America.

In this hard-hitting episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, we talk to Tom Warrick, the former DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy, on a variety of important and controversial topics that have pertained to the Department of Homeland Security since its founding in 2001. We dig deep into how successful DHS has been in the years since 9/11 in thwarting terrorist acts and whether the stringent safety measures that have been taken are actually necessary. Building on that, we ask Tom about allegations of 'racial profiling' and 'surveillance' of Muslims and other minorities in counterterrorism procedures, in addition to the 'intel mindset' of screening. We then also talk about the Trump Administration's border security policies, what real security threats actually exist at the US-Mexico border, and the controversies on issues such as child-separations, the 'Muslim Ban', and ICE. We cap off the interview with a brief conversation on election security, as we soon approach November 3rd and the presidential election. We hope you enjoy this wide-ranging and in-depth interview.