Counterbalance

Prominent Israeli intellectual Gadi Taub joins hosts Mike Doran and Peter Rough for an update on Israel’s judicial reform, the uproar it has caused in Israel, and the attacks it is receiving from President Biden and his friends in the American press. The trio discuss whether those attacks are truly over the substance of the judicial reform or whether they are actually a stealthy means of pursuing their disagreement with Prime Minister Netanyahu over his Iran policy. 

This week, Peter Rough and Mike Doran welcome Yuri Sak, senior advisor to Ukraine’s minister of defense, to the podcast. Yuri is the brains behind the social media and messaging operation of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, and he tells Peter and Mike about the dynamics of communicating to friendly and hostile audiences alike during a time of war.

Counterbalance is back and welcomes new co-host Peter Rough, Director of Hudson Institute's Center on Europe and Eurasia. In this episode, Peter interviews returning co-host Mike Doran about his recent trip to Saudi Arabia. A longstanding pillar of American security architecture in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is increasingly demonstrating autonomy in foreign policy. Peter and Michael discuss the reasons for the kingdom's opening to China and its implications for regional security and Great Power competition.

Ahmed Obali, founder of Gunaz TV and human rights activist for the Iranian Azerbaijani people, joins Mike and Marshall to discuss the on-going protests in Iran. The death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini on September 16 provoked unprecedented protests and riots against the Islamic Republic. Obali offers his insights on the current demonstrations, on the ethnic divisions that might lead to the Islamic Republic’s demise, and the implications for the United States. Obali discusses the risks of easing the sanctions placed on the Islamic Republic at a time when the Biden administration lacks a comprehensive Iran strategy.

Australian Shadow Defense Minister and Member of Parliament, The Hon. Andrew Hastie, joins Mike to about the West’s strategy toward China as well as the importance of the US-Australia alliance. Chinese leader Xi Jinping clearly seeks to dethrone the United States as the leader of the international order, he does not hesitate to threaten Australia in pursuit of that goal. Hastie offers his views on China’s ambitions, its intimidation tactics, and how the West should respond.

Michael Roberts, an expert in maritime security and strategy, joins the discussion to reveal China's overwhelming dominance in the global shipping industry. He highlights the decline of the American maritime sector and its implications for national security. The conversation probes into the dangers posed by flags of convenience and abandoned vessels. It also critiques the legacy of free trade policies, weighing economic growth against national security, and advocates for urgent reforms to revitalize American maritime interests.

This week's episode features audio from a public event hosted at Hudson Institute where Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead and Senior Fellow Michael Doran discussed Mead’s new book on the history of U.S.-Israel relations, "The Arc of a Covenant." Mead and Doran discussed, among other things, the themes of the book, the current trajectory of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and the future of U.S. grand strategy globally.

On June 20, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced their intention to dissolve the Knesset, teeing up the fifth round of elections in four years and setting the state on a course for the formation of a new government. Until the elections, Yair Lapid will serve as Interim Prime Minister while parties attempt to cobble together another governing coalition, including, perhaps, one that sees former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reclaim his former post. Jonathan Schachter, a Senior Fellow with Hudson Institute’s Peace and Security in the Middle East and a former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu, joins Mike to discuss what to expect from the upcoming elections, how Israeli foreign policy, especially with respect to Iran, might change, and the significance of President Joe Biden’s impending trip to Saudi Arabia.

This week, Amos Hochstein, the Senior Advisor for Energy Security in President Biden's State Department, travelled to Lebanon where he attempted to broker an agreement between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime boundary. If successful, Hochstein's mediation will potentially allow Lebanon and Israel to exploit the offshore gas fields in currently disputed waters. Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and one of the most insightful Lebanon analysts in America, is a sharp critic of Hochstein's initiative, which he sees as the latest iteration of a bipartisan American strategic mistake. Tony joins Marshall and Mike to explain his thinking.