The Truth of the Matter

CSIS’s James Andrew “Jim” Lewis joins the podcast to discuss the fallout from the spy balloon and how China’s spying efforts toward the U.S. are waged—plus, a discussion of U.S. countermeasures.

CSIS’s Max Bergmann joins the podcast to discuss the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine war, the shape the conflict has taken and the security and economic outcomes in Europe and in Russia because of it. 

CSIS’s Dr. Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine and how Israel and the United States have increasing concerns about Iran’s military and nuclear weapons program.

Wall Street Journal Middle East Correspondent Dion Nissenbaum joins the podcast to discuss his reporting from aboard the U.S. George H.W. Bush in the Mediterranean Sea while the United States and Israel conducted their largest-ever military exercises, and Israel’s drone strike inside Iran just days later.  

In this special episode, award-winning best-selling author Steve Silberman (“Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity”) joins the podcast to talk about the passing of his close friend, singer-songwriter David Crosby last week at 81. Over the past several years, Silberman hosted a podcast with Crosby called “Freak Flag Flying” which explored the musician’s life and career. In this episode, Silberman describes how Crosby was singular as a musician, a unique American, and discusses the incredible life Crosby led.

CSIS’s Joseph Majkut and Leslie Palti-Guzman join the podcast to discuss U.S. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) production and exports, and what it all means for the world.

CSIS’s Seth Jones joins the podcast to discuss his new report, “Empty Bins in a Wartime Environment: The Challenge to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base” which underscores that the U.S. defense industrial base is not adequately prepared for the international security environment that now exists. In a major regional conflict—such as a war with China in the Taiwan Strait—the U.S. use of munitions would likely exceed the current stockpiles of the U.S. Department of Defense.

CSIS’s J. Stephen Morrison joins the podcast to talk about the Center for Disease Control’s decline in public trust and confidence, and how the organization can return to the prestige it once had. Dr. Morrison describes this moment in CDC history as comparable to FEMA after Hurricane Katrina or NASA post-Challenger.

CSIS’s Mark Cancian joins the podcast to discuss the wargame exercise he created for a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan. Cancian ran the game 24 times and in most scenarios, the United States/Taiwan/Japan defeated a conventional amphibious invasion by China and maintained an autonomous Taiwan. However, this defense came at a high cost. The United States and its allies lost dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of service members. Taiwan saw its economy devastated. Further, the high losses damaged the U.S. global position for many years. China also lost heavily, and failure to occupy Taiwan might destabilize Chinese Communist Party rule. 

CSIS’s Ryan Berg joins the podcast to discuss the events of January 8th in Brazil when supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brasilia and the aftermath.