FDD's Foreign Podicy

The world’s most endangered democracies—Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, and Ukraine—face relentless threats from the Axis of Aggressors: Beijing, Pyongyang, Tehran, and Moscow. With Ukraine locked in an existential war, host Cliff May welcomes British historian Mark Galeotti, host of In Moscow’s Shadows, for an unflinching look at Russia’s ambitions, Putin’s imperial drive, and what it all means for the future of the free world.

Not every U.S. strategic partner is a democracy, but those receiving American aid should not trample such basic freedoms as religious liberty. Years ago in Egypt, Coptic Patriarch Pope Tawadros II told host Cliff May that discrimination was diminishing under President Sissi. Today, USCIRF reports show the opposite: systemic repression of religious minorities.FDD’s Mariam Wahba, writing recently in The Free Press, calls out the “brazen attacks on Christianity” in Egypt and beyond. She joins Cliff to discuss what’s gone wrong — and why it matters — on Foreign Podicy.

America’s edge in artificial intelligence may rest on one decision now facing Washington: whether to keep our most advanced chips out of Beijing’s hands. President Trump has moved to lift the export ban on Nvidia’s H20 processors—a move some warn could supercharge China’s AI ambitions and military power—arming the Chinese Communist Party for dominance in the AI age. Cliff May and Matt Pottinger pull back the curtain on the high-stakes race, the players vying for advantage, and what’s really at risk if America loses its lead.

Adm. Mark Montgomery has been on the road again – along with Craig Singleton and Matt Pottinger. All three FDD scholars just returned from a visit to Japan and Taiwan, two American allies increasingly threatened by Xi Jinping, the very ambitious Chinese Communist ruler. Mark joins host Cliff May for a debrief.

In 2005, Vladimir Putin said the fall of the Soviet Union was the “greatest political catastrophe of the 20th century.” As Sen. Mitch McConnell pointed out, that should have told us everything we needed to know about this ex-KGB lieutenant colonel. He made the remark at an event in the U.S. Senate discussing a new report on Putin’s war in Ukraine. The report was prepared by a task force of 22 foreign policy experts. The coordinator of the task force is Daniel Twining, president of the International Republican Institute. He joins host Cliff May along with FDD’s Bradley Bowman — both also task force members — to unpack findings.

Once again, there is conflict and carnage in Syria. The media calls it “sectarian strife,” but that phrase may obscure more than it reveals. Islamists have been slaughtering those they deem infidels—with Syria’s Druze and Christian communities hardest hit. The U.N. and the “international community” have been useless as usual. Israel, which has a significant Druze minority of its own, has taken action to defend the Druze of Syria. Not surprisingly, Israel is being accused of “fueling the fires.” The ceasefire brokered last weekend by the Trump administration is shaky, and the crisis is far from resolved. Syria has a long way to go before it becomes a unifying—much less unified—nation. Host Cliff May is joined by FDD experts Hussain Abdul-Hussain and David Daoud for a hard look at what’s happening—and why it matters—on this episode of Foreign Podicy.

Asra Nomani, an investigative reporter and co-author of a revealing report on Georgetown University, joins Sam Westrop, an expert on nonviolent Islamist networks, and Brandy Shufutinsky, director focused on education and national security. They unveil how foreign funding, particularly from Gulf states, is reshaping ideologies in American campuses, promoting anti-American and extremist sentiments. The discussion also addresses the infiltration of educational institutions by radical ideologies and advocates for urgent policy reforms to protect academic integrity and national security.

Just as Putin launched the largest drone assault of the war, President Trump overruled an order from the Pentagon that had halted the delivery of munitions to Ukraine. And despite what pundits say, new polling says his base isn’t mad about it. Cliff May is joined by Carrie Filipetti of the Vandenberg Coalition to break down its polling data that shows most of Trump’s base back peace through strength, see Russia and Iran as serious threats, support sanctions, and trust Trump to act decisively when force is needed. As it turns out, so-called "America First" voters want America to lead.

Guest host Bradley Bowman is joined by U.S. Air Force pilots Lt. Col. Brian “Bud” Leitzke and Lt. Col. Kevin “Rowdy” Murphy for an exclusive firsthand account of April 13, 2024, when Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel. Bud and Rowdy's squadron scrambled into the night sky in one of the largest U.S. air combat missions in years. What followed was a high-stakes, real-time defense of Israeli and American interests.

NATO summits are usually dry and wonky affairs. This one was different.To unpack what was said, what wasn’t, and what actually matters, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Bradley Bowman to discuss alliance politics, military power projection, strategic signaling, and more.