The Burn Bag Podcast

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 

This week, A’ndre and Andrea speak with former SOF-CENTCOM commander LTG Michael Nagata and former senior State Department official Laurel Miller on a recent USIP report on counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  LTG Nagata and Laurel discuss how the counterterrorism landscape has changed since 2021, outlining the different terror groups in the region, from al Qaeda and ISIS-K to anti-Pakistan and anti-India groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group. The two guests share their thoughts on the Afghanistan withdrawal, and the faulty intertwining of counterterrorism and counter-insurgency, and also share thoughts on the growth of these terror groups amidst ongoing tensions in the broader Middle East and South Asia regions. LTG Nagata and Laurel also discuss U.S. cooperation with Pakistan and India on counterterrorism, and whether or not the U.S. should work with or pressure the Taliban in Afghanistan. A'ndre and Andrea close out the conversation with LTG Nagata and Laurel through a conversation on how counterterrorism can be tied to strategic competition priorities.For more information, and to read the report, click on the link below:https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/05/senior-study-group-counterterrorism-afghanistan-and-pakistan-final-report (https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/05/senior-study-group-counterterrorism-afghanistan-and-pakistan-final-report)

Eric and Greg Levesque, co-founders of Strider Technologies, delve into the transformative landscape of open-source intelligence. They discuss the surge in data capabilities since the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of AI in enhancing strategic insights for national security. The conversation highlights Russia's burgeoning cooperation with China in the Arctic, emphasizing its implications for global power dynamics. They also explore the future of Arctic security and what 2030 might hold for this critical geopolitical theater.

Last week, co-hosts Andrea Ochoa and Christina Oh attended the 2024 NATO Youth Summit, which was a collaborative event hosted by NATO, The Aspen Institute, Aspen Institute Romania, the Swedish Defence University and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. The event focused on global security issues and enhancing youth understanding of the transatlantic alliance, including how the alliance can address current and future security challenges. As part of the event, Burn Bag sat down with some of the following panelists and speakers: • Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, U.S. Department of State• Vice Admiral Guy Robinson, Chief of Staff, NATO Allied Command  Transformation (ACT) • Colonel Florian Lemoine, Scientific Advisor, NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT)• Lauren Walsh, Professor and Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Initiative, NYUTopics included INDOPACOM U.S./NATO priorities, NATO multi-strategic operations, NATO emerging technologies and defense innovation, and more. The 2024 NATO Youth Summit also featured the work and idea exchange of some of the Summit’s Youth Challenge Winners, who proposed a variety of ideas to help shape a more secure tomorrow. These challenge winners will be featured in our next episode as part of our 2-part series covering this event.

This week, A'ndre and Andrew interview Dr. Gregory Stanton, founder of Genocide Watch on the process of genocide, genocide in modern warfare, and efforts towards reconciliation. Dr. Stanton has been a key figure in the genocide prevention movement for several decades, and walks the audience through his '10 Stages of Genocide' framework. Dr. Stanton outlines why he believes total war / 'carpet bombing' is an act of genocide, citing the firebombing of Dresden and Tokyo, in addition to the atomic bombings, as examples of this. Dr. Stanton provides his thoughts on why he believes a 'double genocide' has been attempted by both the Israeli Government and Hamas, and also provides his thoughts on accusations of genocide during the Sri Lankan Civil War. The hosts and Dr. Stanton talk about the practicalities of transitional justice and reconciliation, discussing examples in Rwanda. Dr. Stanton also provides his perspectives on discussing genocide during the reconciliation process, since it is the 'ultimate accusation'.