The Burn Bag Podcast

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.

In this special episode, we chatted with Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) about the Trump Administration's response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Senator's legislative work on cyber-security, and the debate around federal funding for law enforcement. Senator Hassan,  a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, also discusses her view on the recent actions by DHS and other federal agencies that sought to quell the civil unrest seen in Portland and other cities. We also dig deep into the Senator's work on addressing the opioid crisis, an issue that has rippled through her home state New Hampshire and the country overall. 

In this episode, we talk with former Indian Ambassador Arun Singh to dissect the current US-India relationship. We assess the relationship under the Trump Administration and the Modi Government, and what the relationship may look like if a Biden Administration is inaugurated in January. We also cover the deepening rift between India and China in the aftermath of the skirmishes at the border Sino-Indian border at Ladakh, how India may try to counter China's growing sphere of influence in South and Southeast Asia, and whether the rift means a closer US-India relationship. We also touch briefly on how Pakistan fits into the bilateral relationship, and whether any diplomatic complications may arise due to events in Kashmir.

In this episode, we talked with Frank Rose, Brookings Senior Fellow and co-director of the Security and Strategy team, about US space operations and the establishment of the Space Force. We dove into the thinking of space as a military domain, existing international frameworks regulating (or not regulating) the use of space and space weaponry, and how space will factor into great power competition between the United States, and Russia and China. We also dig into the commercial space race, and how public-private partnerships may be an avenue for future space operations as the US Government continues to advance its interests in space, parallel to the success of companies such as SpaceX. Before working at Brookings, Frank Rose previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, and prior to that was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Defense Policy.

In this episode, we talked with former US Ambassador Ian Kelly about the history and current status of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Ambassador Kelly, who also served as US Co-Chair of the Minsk Group, discusses the significance of the contested region to Armenia and Azerbaijan, how regional players such as Turkey, Russia, and Iran are involved, and what international actors should do to bring about a ceasefire. 

In this episode, we spoke with former NSC Senior Director Javed Ali about the security implications of COVID-19, domestic terror threats, and election security. We also discussed the politicization of intelligence and controversial actions by the Department of Homeland Security. 

In this episode, we interviewed former UK National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyall Grant about a range of topics seeking to understand Britain's position in the current geopolitical context, especially in the aftermath of Brexit. We dig deep into several issues affecting key regions, stretching from Europe into South and East Asia, including Britain's relationship with countries such as Russia and Pakistan, the Diego Garcia issue, and of course the special relationship between Britain and the United States, especially during the Trump Era. Moreover, we assess Sir Grant's take on the rise of China, having conversations on the recent unrest in Hong Kong, a growing Chinese presence in South Asia, and more. Lastly, we seek to understand the security implications of Brexit and the impact of COVID-19 on these issues.

In this episode, we talked with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Beyrle, about Russia's domestic politics, foreign interventions, and relations with the United States. We touch on the recent poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, developments in Belarus, Russian goals in the Middle East, and the implications of New START expiring and the broader arms control landscape. Additionally, Ambassador Beyrle shares a fascinating personal story about his father, that helped shape his tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2008 to 2012. 

In this special episode, we reflect on the tragic events of 9/11 with journalist and author Garrett Graff. We framed the conversation around Garrett's bestselling book, The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11, which brings together transcripts, declassified documents, and first-hand perspectives to provide a minute-by-minute account of the September 11 attacks.