Sirens: A Bombshell production

Erin, Radha, and Loren mull over 2019, muse about 2020, and debate Rise of the Skywalker. We will be with you again.

This week Radha and Erin lead a special live episode from the NatSec Girl Squad Conference. They are joined by Dana Stroul, Kim Kagan, and Mara Karlin who all recently participated in the Congressionally mandated Syria Study Group. Listen in as the ladies discuss Syria policy, study group process, and answer audience questions! Links "Syria Study Group Final Report," USIP, September 24, 2019 Nat Sec Girl Squad

This week Radha, Erin, and Loren reunite to drink eggnog (or not!) and talk about events in London, from interrupting violent attacks with narwhal tusks to interrupting NATO ministerials with middle school-esque drama. The ladies then turn to protests in the Middle East, predictions on China trade deals, and Hong Kong legislation. Rounding it out is a lively discussion of all the mayhem that ensued when Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer (not that Richard Spencer) resigned. After that, the ladies have a much-needed pop culture discussion on all the holiday movies they're looking forward to watching. Links London Terrorist Attack Catherine Kim, "London Bridge Stabbing Attack: What We Know," Vox, December 1, 2019 Peter Bergen, "London Terrorist Attack Brings Home a Chilling Reality," CNN, November 30, 2019 Iran Hannah Brown, "Why Economic Hardships Finally Sparked Iranian Protests," Vox, December 2, 2019 Farnaz Fassihi and Rick Gladstone, "Iran Strengthens Response to Protests," New York Times, November 26, 2019 China/Hong Kong Yen Nee Lee, "US Law Backing Hong Kong Protests Could End Up Hurting Everyone: the US, China, and Hong Kong," CNBC, November 28, 2019 Gina Heeb, "In Latest Sign of Trade-War Pain, the Trump Administration Announces Tariff Relief for Dozens of Chinese Products," Markets Insider, November 29, 2019 Michael Bociurkiw, "Trump's Risky Move on Hong Kong," CNN, November 29, 2019 Keith Bradsher, Javier C. Hernandez, and Alexandra Stevenson, "China Condemns US Over Hong Kong: That Won't Stop Trade Talks," New York Times, November 28, 2019 NATO "Funding NATO," North Atlantic Treaty Organization, June 27, 2018 Steven Erlanger, "NATO Offers a Budget Bonbon as Summit Nears," New York Times, November 28, 2019

This week Loren, Erin, and Radha are joined by the peerless Mira Rapp-Hooper. Taking a break from stalking her perfect oat milk, Mira walks the ladies through alliances and shifting demands with Japan and Korea. The ladies do a whirlwind review of Hong Kong, Bolivia, auto tariffs, and pardons. After 5 words (plus margin of error) on impeachment stories of note, Erin and Radha (yup Radha) discuss the new Star Wars series where to Loren's dismay Radha declares her love of Star Wars puppets (especially those teddy bears). Links Mira Rapp-Hooper, Shields of the Republic: The Triumph and Peril of America's Alliances, (Harvard University Press, 2020) Asia Simon Denyer and Min Joo Kim, "In South Korea, Military Cost Dispute and Trump's Moves in Syria Fuel Doubts Over US Commitment," Washington Post, November 4, 2019 Phil Stewart and Joyce Lee, "Pentagon's Esper Says it is Crucial South Korea Pays More for US Troops," Reuters, November 15, 209=19 Maggie Shum, "Hong Kong's District Council Elections Take Place on Nov. 24 Or Not," Washington Post, November 14, 2019 Anna Kam, Casey Quackenbush, and Ryan Ho Kilpatrick, "Day of Rage Plunges Hong Kong Into Turmoil After Police Shoot Protester," Washington Post, November 11, 2019 Bolivia "Bolivia Crisis: What's Next After Evo Morales' Resignation?" BBC, November 13, 2019 Natasha Bennett, "Bolivian Protesters Unseated a President. So Why Are They Still in the Streets?" Washington Post, November 15, 2019 Santiago Anria and Jennifer Cyr, "Is Bolivia's Democracy in Danger? Here's What's Behind the Disputed Presidential Election," Washington Post, October 30, 2019 Trade Ben White and Doug Palmer, "Trump Expected to Delay Auto Tariff Decision for 6 More Months," Politico, November 11, 2019 David Shepardson, "Automakers Around World Await Trump Tariff Decision," Reuters, November 15, 2019 Camila Domonoske and Avie Schneider, "Trump Delays Auto Tariffs for 6 Months," NPR, May 17, 2019 Reuters, "Trump Expected to Delay European Auto Tariff Decision: EU Officials," New York Times, November 11, 2019 Pardons Dave Philipps, "Trump's Pardons for Servicemen Raise Fears That Law of War Are History," New York Times, November 16, 2019

This week the ladies of Bombshell go deep on the Syria raid and the "value" of high-value targeting, before turning their attention to popular protests in Iraq and Lebanon. Of course, no episode would be complete without a Brexit update! Radha regales us with CFIUS tales and we all lament the attacks on LTC Vindman. Also, will the NDAA ever pass? Links Tamara Qiblawi, "Protests Toppled Two Governments in Three Days, But the Fight is Only Beginning," CNN, November 2, 2019 Sara Khairat, "What Triggered Iraq's Mammoth Protests?" Aljazeera, November 1, 2019 Alissa Rubin, "Iraq Demonstrations Grow, and Government Scrambles to Respond," New York Times, November 1, 2019 Jen Kirby, "The Future of Brexit Will Be Decided in December 12 Election," Vox, October 29, 2019 Mark Landler and Stephen Castle, "Boris Johnson Has Big Lead in UK Election. That Might Not Mean Much," New York Times, November 2, 2019 Leo Shane III and Joe Gould, "What's in the Emergency Defense Policy Bill?" Defense News, October 30, 2019 John M. Donnelly, "Skinny Defense Bill Omits Key Element: Military Construction," Roll Call, November 1, 2019 Joe Gould, "Congress Mulls Spring Continuing Resolution to Avoid Government Shutdown," Defense News, October 25, 2019 Greg Roumeliotis, Yingzhi Yang, Echo Wang, and Alexandra Alper, "Exclusive: US Opens National Security Investigation Into TikTok," Reuters, November 1, 2019

Melissa Dalton from CSIS joins Loren, Radha, and Erin to offer a thorough, if morose, update on the U.S. military withdrawal from northern Syria and where that leaves Syrian Kurds. Bombshell returns to the topic of the United Kingdom which....might have a Brexit deal? The ladies also dive into the implications of recent NBA/China drama and what's going on with the impeachment inquiry, and amazingly have a disagreement about political speech by uniformed and retired military. Links Cameron Abadi, "Why Is Turkey Fighting Syria's Kurds?" Foreign Policy, October 17, 2019 Benjamin Mueller and Matina Stevis-Gridneff, "What Is in the New Brexit Deal?" New York Times, October 17, 2019 Adam Taylor, "What Is Happening with Brexit Now? Boris Johnson's Plans for the Irish Border and the E.U. Explained," Washington Post, October 17, 2019

Bombshell takes a step back to offer some context to the whirlwind of Ukraine and related investigations: what's with Ukraine's political trajectory, why is it a magnet for crises involving external actors these days, and how is it being impacted by today's scandals? In Trump's trade negotiations with China, how have elections become intertwined with those discussions? Turning to the White House, President Trump has had multiple crises emerge from calls with foreign leaders - how does his process shape those results. The NSC staff is wrapped up with today's whistleblower investigation - who are they, and how can their role be politicized? In reacting to these events, President Trump's language has taken an authoritarian tinge—what does political science tell us about his actions? And lastly, the president has suggested violence may erupt if he's pushed out of office - how should we think about the military's role in such scenarios? Links Ukraine Philip Bump and Aaron Blake, "The Full Trump-Ukraine Timeline," Washington Post, October 4, 2019 Bryan Bender and Wesley Morgan, "How US Military Aid Became a Lifeline for Ukraine," Politico, September 30, 2019 "Ukraine Profile – Timeline," BBC, September 10, 2019 Alex Ward, "The Last 24 Hours in the Ukraine Drama Were the Worst for Trump Yet. Here's What Happened," Vox, October 4, 2019 Impeachment legal Counsel Advice Radha Iyengar, Tweet, October 2, 2019 Trump Leader Calls Carol D. Leonnig, Shane Harris, and Josh Dawsey, "Trump's Calls with Foreign Leaders Have Long Worried Aides, Leaving Some Genuinely Horrified," Washington Post, October 4, 2019 Authoritarianism Barbara Geddes, Joseph Wright, and Erica Frantz, Autocratic Breakdown and Regime Transitions: A New Data Set, (American Political Science Association, June 2014) Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, "This is How Democracies Die," Guardian, January 21, 2018 Ari Berman, "How Endangered Is American Democracy?" New York Times, April 13, 2018 Jennifer Mercieca, "Mueller Report Illustrates Trump's Authoritarian Rhetorical Tactics," Just Security, May 1, 2019

This week Bombshell is blessed by the return of Tamara Cofman Wittes to help everyone understand Iran's possible motives in the strike on an Aramco facility and what Saudi Arabia might do next. And as a bonus she sticks around to dive into Israeli elections. Then Erin, Radha, and Loren take a deep, nerve-calming breath to dive into the current White House Mayhem: the ouster of John Bolton, the arrival of Robert O'Brien, and the whistleblower-Ukraine monstrosity. Also, Erin saw Moulin Rouge and you should too, if you can can can. Links Aramco Attacks Stephen Kalin, "Saudi Arabia to Wait for Investigation Before Responding to Attacks: Minister," Reuters, September 21, 2019 Lara Seligman and Elias Groll, "In Muted Response to Iran Strikes, US to Send Reinforcements to Saudi Arabia," Foreign Policy, September 20, 2019 Suzanne Maloney, "Why Iran's Leadership Thinks Escalation Can Pay Off," Washington Post, September 18, 2019 Eric Schmitt, Julian E. Barnes, and David D. Kirkpatrick, "To Find Clues in Saudi Oil Attacks, US Examines Missile and Drone Parts," New York Times, September 17, 2019 Israeli Elections Jeremy Sharon, "Liberman Declines to Recommend Gantz or Netanyahu to Form Government," Jerusalem Post, September 23, 2019 Oren Libermann, "Why No One is Israel Seems Able to Win an Election," CNN, September 22, 2019 Aaron Heller, "Arab Lawmakers in Israel Endorse Gantz for Prime Minister," ABC News, September 22, 2019 New National Security Advisor John Hudson and John Wagner, "Trump Realigns National Security Team with a Low-Profile Adviser," Washington Post, September 18, 2019 John Gans, "The Dangers of a Weak National Security Adviser," Politico, September 19, 2019

This week Erin, Loren, and Radha are joined by War on the Rock's new editor-in-chief Becky Zimmerman to talk about the talks that never were with the Taliban and catch up on the situation in Afghanistan more generally. The ladies then turn to the chaos in the UK, ongoing protests in Hong Kong, the release of classified information by the President (again!), MILCON spending for the border wall, and the Mattis book. Whew! After all that, the dive into pop culture with book and podcast rec's for all. Links Afghanistan Erin Banco and Asawin Suebsaeng, "Trump and His Team Send Clashing Messages on US Troops in Afghanistan," Daily Beast, August 30, 2019 Mujib Mashal, "US Deal with Taliban Meets Afghan Resistance as Violence Intensifies," New York Times, September 5, 2019 Jennifer Jacobs, Nick Wadhams, and Eltaf Najafizada, "Trump Says He Canceled Secret Camp David Talks with the Taliban," Bloomberg, September 7, 2019 Mujib Mashal, "Taliban Talks Hit a Wall Over Deeper Disagreements, Officials Say," New Yorkt Times, September 8, 2019 "President Ghani's Visit to Washington Postponed: Sources," TOLO News, September 6, 2019 Brexit "How Bad is Boris Johnson? We Can't Even Find the Words," Globe and Mail, September 5, 2019 Amanda Sloat, "Brexit Endgame: Boris Jonson Loses Control," Lawfare, September 6, 2019 "Brexit Extension: PM to 'Test Law to Limit' to Avoid Delay," BBC News, September 8, 2019 Yemen "The Latest on the Situation in Yemen," NPR, September 4, 2019 Hong Kong Mike Ives, Tiffany May, and Elaine Yu, "Hong Kong Protesters Return to Streets After Leader Announces Concessions," New York Times, September 7, 2019 Saudi/UAE Aziz El Yaakoubi, David Evans, Ros Russell, and Tuqa Khalid, "Saudi Arabia, UAE Urge Yemen Government and Separatists to Halt Fighting," Reuters, September 8, 2019 Iran Eric Adams, "Everything We Know About America's Secret KH-11 Recon Satellites," Popular Mechanics, September 6, 2019 MILCON Chantal Da Silva, "Here's Every Military Construction Project in the US Being Pushed Back to Fund Trump's Border Wall," Newsweek, September 5, 2019

Tori Whiting of the Heritage Foundation joins Radha in geeking out over trade chaos and the potential for a recession -Bombshell's very first guest economist. Erin, Radha, and Loren catch up on the impact of over a century of South Korea-Japan tensions and offer a small ray of light in the latest political agreement news out of post-Bashir Sudan before turning to the G7, that meeting of world leaders. And to Loren and Erin's infinite delight, we devote all of pop culture to the military career of Logan Echolls and the new Disney-Star Wars releases. Links Korea-Japan Grace Shao, "South Korea is Scrapping a Security Deal with Japan: Here's Why it Matters," CNBC, August 23, 2019 David Brown, "Pentagon Worried Over South Korea-Japan Rift," Politico, August 23, 2019 Choe Sang-Hun, "South Korea Signals End to 'Final' Deal with Japan Over Wartime Sex Slaves," New York Times, November 21, 2018 Isabel Reynolds and Jihye Lee, "South Korea to Withdraw from Japan Intel Pact to US Chagrin," Bloomberg, August 22, 2019 Climate "Amazon Fires: Why the Rainforest Helps Fight Climate Change," BBC, August 24, 2019 Naomi Oreskes, Michael Oppenheimer, and Dale Jamieson, "Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Pace of Climate Change," Scientific American, August 19, 2019 Dan Vergano, "We're Living Through a Climate Emergency Right Now - We Just Aren't Paying Attention," Buzz Feed News, August 22, 2019 Andrew Freedman and Jason Samenow, "The Greenland Ice Sheet Poured 197 Billion Tons of Water into the North Atlantic in July Alone," Washington Post, August 3, 2019 G7 "Boris Johnson to Ask Trump Not to Escalate Trade War," CNN, August 25, 2019 Andrew Freedman, "Climate Change Could Cost the US up to 10.5 percent of its GDP by 2100, Study Finds," Washington Post, August 19, 2019 Amanda Macias, "Trump Hints at a Very Big Trade Deal with Britain Post Brexit," CNBC, August 25, 2019 Michael Collins and John Fritze, "Iranian Official Javad Zarif Arrives Unexpectedly at G7 Amid Tensions. Trump's Response? No Comment," USA Today, August 25, 2019 Sudan Jen Kirby, "Sudan Signs Power-Sharing Deale as its Former Dictator Goes to Trial," Vox, August 19, 2019 "New Sudan: Thousands Celebrate as Protesters, Army Sign Deal," Aljazeera, August 18, 2019 Jamal Mahjoub, "A Season of Hope in Sudan," New York Times, August 22, 2019 Pompeo Nick Wadhams and Jennifer Jacobs, "Republican Donors Told to Wait as Pompeo Considers Kansas Senate Run," Bloomberg, August 13, 2019 Maggie Haberman and Lara Jakes, "Pompeo Fuels Further Talk of Senate Race," New York Times, August 21, 2019 Pop Culture Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Margaret Wilson, and Christina Tucker, "Veronica Mars Returns with Melodrama and a New Mystery, NPR, August 9, 2019 Fandom, Tweets, August 23, 2019 Jennifer Ouellette, "Ewan McGregor Confirms He Will Return as Obi-Wan for New Star Wars Series," ARS Technica, August 24, 2019 James Hibberd, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Reveals Poster, Epic New Footage at D23 Expo," Entertainment Weekly, August 24, 2019 "Who is Rey?" Adam Serwer, December 24, 2015