The Burn Bag Podcast

The Burn Bag is collaborating with the Climate Migration Council to conduct several episodes on the security risks surrounding climate change, amidst severe heat and climate-related crises that are gripping the country and the world.This week, A'ndre spoke with Iván Duque, who served as President of Colombia from 2018 to 2022, on a range of topics related to climate change, the Latin American Migration Crisis, and the War on Drugs -- and how all three issues intersect with each other. President Duque outlines the key challenges he faced during his tenure and the specific actions his government took on environmental policy, energy consumption, and deforestation. The former President also provides his view on the environmental impacts of drug trafficking, highlighting the ecological cost of cocaine production, while also responding to claims that his government didn't do enough to stop the killings of land defenders and environmental activists. A'ndre and President Duque then open up a lengthy conversation on the Latin American Migration Crisis -- specifically discussing migration from Venezuela, and President Duque's actions to take in 2.5 million refugees from the country into Colombia. The President provides his view on whether the United States and Colombia should engage with Venezuelan President Maduro, and whether the world is doing their 'fair share' on engaging with the Latin American Migration Crisis. We close out the conversation with President Duque's takes on why migrants are traveling to the Southern Border of the United States via the Darien Gap, and his prognosis on the severity of climate-driven migration in the coming years and decades.

The Burn Bag is collaborating with the Climate Migration Council to conduct several episodes on the security risks surrounding climate change, amidst severe heat and climate-related crises that are gripping the country and the world.This week, A'ndre chatted with Sharon Burke, President of Ecospherics and a former senior Defense official who specialized in energy security issues, on a range of topics relevant to ecosphere security -- and how it can impact climate migration and other security risks. Sharon shared her insights on how DoD viewed climate change, and what her role as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy entailed. We then outline what exactly ecosphere security is, and how factors like energy insecurity, water stress, biodiversity loss, and mineral exploitation can contribute to exacerbated food and human insecurity. We discussed her views on climate migration, highlighting the necessity to work towards solutions inside many of the countries who are the source of migrants fleeing climate-related crises. We close out the conversation by talking about how the U.S. Government can prioritize innovation around climate solutions.

The Burn Bag is collaborating with the Climate Migration Council to conduct several episodes on the security risks surrounding climate change, amidst severe heat and climate-related crises that are gripping the country and the world.This week, A'ndre spoke with former PACFLT Commander Admiral Scott Swift, USN (Ret.) on how we can view climate change and climate-driven migration through an operational defense lens. Admiral Swift provides his takes on why climate change is a national security issue, but explains why he doesn't believe it's not simply a defense issue. We discuss the Admiral's experience as PACFLT Commander and how climate issues intersected with his own military service, and open up a conversation on whether climate change impacts force posture and defense readiness. Admiral Swift talks about how we can apply a war-footing mentality to the fight against climate change, and why some governments have not yet taken effective action. We talk about the importance of climate-driven migration and the Admiral shares why he thinks the displacement of populations can de-stabilize countries around the world, and why the Admiral fears a 'Pearl Harbor' moment may be what forces ultimate action on this issue.

The Burn Bag is collaborating with the Climate Migration Council to conduct several episodes on the security risks surrounding climate change, amidst severe heat that is gripping the country.This week, A'ndre spoke with former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff on climate-driven migration and the national security threats spawned by climate change. The Secretary provides his perspectives on how marginalized communities are most at risk from the effects of climate change, and how climate change has driven recent migration crises around the world. The Secretary highlights how climate change has contributed to political turmoil in Latin America and Africa, and the conversation even touches on how extremism and public health risks can be driven by the impacts of climate change. A'ndre and Secretary Chertoff also discuss how we navigate the partisan nature of climate change conversations, and why U.S. action on the issue is imperative in the context of great power competition from adversarial nations such as China and Russia. Secretary Chertoff also highlights some of the work that the Climate Migration Council is doing, and why the private sector needs to engage with these challenges.

This week, A'ndre spoke with former CIA Director John Brennan on a range of topics pertaining to some of the recent controversies that relate to the intersection of politics and the Intelligence Community. Director Brennan discusses controversies behind President Trump's handling of classified documents, and provides an overview of how Presidents typically receive classified information while in office. A'ndre and the former CIA Director also discuss concerns on whether more partisan members of the U.S. Congress may use classified information for political gain, and the Director's thoughts on the recent 'top secret' leaks by a member of the Air National Guard. We round out the conversation with Director Brennan's takes on the future of the Intelligence Community, including his thoughts on how artificial intelligence may impact espionage operations, and how his definition of the term national security has changed since his entry into the CIA in 1980.

This week, The Burn Bag's new co-host Christina Oh interviews Andrii Bondarenko, Chief of Staff for Oleksiy Goncharenko in the Ukrainian Parliament. Andrii discusses his unique views on Prigozhin’s short-lived uprising as a covert success and his maintained influence and popularity in Russian social media channels. We also discuss President Zelenskyy’s continued aspirations to join NATO’s ranks, and the stark reality of these ambitions following the conclusion of the war. Andrii provides further insight into the Ukrainian populace’s rising negative sentiments regarding China and Iran, and the nation’s increasing regard for democratic values globally.

This week, A'ndre chats with retired Air Force Brigadier General David Stilwell, who most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs during the Trump Administration, to get his views on the current state of U.S.-China diplomacy. General Stilwell has extensive experience on East Asian affairs (having also served as Asia Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of the China Strategic Focus Group at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command), and provides his perspective on why the United States needs to come at the relationship with China from a "position of strength". The retired General and diplomat provides some interesting commentary on how the U.S. Government can leverage better messaging and information tactics to gain the upper hand, emphasizing a more psychological approach to the relationship. We also discuss the state of China's military, and why General Stilwell believes a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is NOT imminent.

This week, A'ndre hosts former CIA Director and retired General David Petraeus for a conversation on the 20th Anniversary of the Iraq War, the War in Ukraine, and the U.S. Defense Department's preparedness for the next great power conflict. General Petraeus reflects on the run-up to the Invasion of Iraq, and outlines where he believes mistakes were made in the war's onset. The General also discusses the strategy, planning, and execution of 'The Surge' in 2007 which he commanded — controversial at the time, but since described as a success. We then chat about the General's recent visit to Ukraine — what he did there and what he learned. General Petraeus shares his initial reactions to Ukraine's counteroffensive, and discusses why the current conflict is not necessarily indicative of the future of warfare, as others have asserted. We close out the conversation with the General's thoughts on DoD preparedness, particularly with his views on the greatest threats in the logistics space, in a day and age with a multitude of new threats, and a looming munitions crisis.General Petraeus is co-authoring a book with Andrew Roberts, entitled Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, which you can preorder here.

This week, David and Andrea chat with Professor Mark Lawrence Schrad. A Professor of Political Science and the Director of Russian area studies at Villanova University, along with authoring several books and being a regular contributor to Foreign Policy, Mark brings a wealth of experience in international law and Russian politics. Specifically, David and Andrea chat with Mark on the history of international law, its weight in global politics, its successes and failures, and, most relevant to today, how the International Criminal Court’s recent ruling against President Putin should be interpreted. In this discussion, Mark advocates for a less cynical view on international law, and stipulates that despite some of its shortcomings, we can look to it as a model of success and cooperation.

This week, A'ndre spoke with Basant Sanghera, Principal at The Asia Group and former NSC Director for India and the Indian Ocean, on the state of U.S.-India relations in advance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official state visit this month. We dissect how bilateral relations between the United States and India have evolved since the latter's independence in 1947, and assess whether India's foreign policy truly follows a stance of 'non-alignment'. Basant shares his views on India's tense relationship with China, three years removed from the Ladakh skirmish (a tense situation in which both Indian and Chinese troops were killed), and whether India portends to figure prominently into the U.S. strategy on China. We also chat briefly about India's perceived positive relationship with Russia, particularly in the context of the Russo-Ukraine War, in addition to how India plays 'big brother' to some of its smaller neighbors in the Indian Ocean region. Finally, we discuss what economic relations look like between the United States and India, paying particular focus to India's fast growth in the tech sector, while also touching a bit on issues pertaining to human rights.