FDD's Foreign Podicy

The October 7 atrocities committed against Israel and by Hamas terrorists with support from the Islamic Republic of Iran has frozen the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as the clerical regime in Tehran doubtless anticipated. Now, the future of Saudi-Israeli relations may well depend on the outcome of Israel's war against Hamas. Host Cliff May is joined by top experts Bernard Haykel and Mark Dubowitz to discuss the status of Israeli-Saudi relations on October 6 versus now, including just how close the U.S. was to reaching a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia — and the likelihood of those talks resuming; why these normalization efforts motivated Tehran to unleash Hamas on October 7; and how those who correctly decried the Khashoggi murder remain silent on the October 7 butchering of Americans in Israel. They consider the future of Israel's war against Hamas, including day-after scenarios for when Israel cripples Hamas — will this war really be over after that? And what future role might the Saudis play in a post-war Gaza and West Bank?They also break down the ways in which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 expands beyond economics as a broader vision for the Middle East and Saudi Arabia's role in it; the importance of Vision 2030 building Saudi Arabia as a nation — and why this contradicts the Islamist vision of expansion held by the Islamic Republic of Iran.Bernard HaykelBernard is a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. His research focuses on the “political and social tensions that arise from questions about religious identity and authority” with a particular emphasis on Islam, history, and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. His books include “Saudi Arabia in Transition” and “Revival and Reform in Islam.”Mark DubowitzMark is FDD’s chief executive officer. He has conducted extensive research in Saudi Arabia and in Israel and on (not in!) the Islamic Republic of Iran. Indeed, he has been both sanctioned and threatened by Tehran’s rulers. He has also been sanctioned by Russia and blacklisted by Turkey.  

Nearly a month ago, Hamas invaded Israel and murdered over 1,400 men, women, and children. It was the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since World War II, which was also a war against the Jews that culminated in the Holocaust. The Israel Defense Forces are now in Gaza aiming to cripple Hamas’s military capabilities, and it’s a challenging mission. To discuss, host Cliff May is joined by three FDD experts: Bradley Bowman, Hussain Abdul-Hussain, and Retired Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel (former commander in chief of the Israeli Air Force).They talk about the status of Israel's ground operation inside Gaza, including why forces are current concentrated in the northern part of the Strip; how the IDF might deal with Hamas' extensive system of underground tunnels; what happened at Al Shifa Hospital and why Hamas is using ambulances; if there's a difference between a ceasefire and 'humanitarian pause' as well as Israel's conditions for agreeing to the former; how Israel's Arab neighbors are reacting to the war; Saudi Arabia's interception of missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen at Israel — and other related issues.

Two of the world's top experts on human rights join host Cliff May to discuss the October 7 massacre in Israel — the atrocity carried out by Hamas and backed by Iran’s jihadi rulers — and about all that has followed since, in the Middle East, the US, Canada, and elsewhere. They discuss inaction by the United Nations and other international bodies charged with championing human rights not just in the aftermath of 10/7 but throughout recent history, a refresher on why calling Israel an apartheid state is incorrect,  a review of modern genocidal affronts across the international community (made not least of all by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates), defining the indigeneity of the Jewish people, and more. Irwin CotlerIrwin is a near-legendary champion of human rights. He’s carried out that mission as an attorney specializing in international law, as Canada’s minister of justice, attorney general, a member of Parliament, a law professor, and International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, an organization he founded.He served as counsel to Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, anti-apartheid activist and former South African President Africa Nelson Mandela, the Tutsi people of Rwanda, and many others both famous and not so famous.Last week in Washington, he was awarded the Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize.Orde KittrieOrde is a senior fellow at FDD and a law professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He also wrote the book Lawfare: Law as a Weapon of War, published by Oxford University Press.

It is the opinion of your Foreign Podicy host, Cliff May, that Andrew Roberts is the world’s greatest living historian.In recent years, he has written groundbreaking biographies of Churchill, Napoleon, and King George. He’s a Bradley Prize winner, and Cliff is the one who nominated him. However, Cliff was outdone by His Majesty Charles the Third, as Andrew is now Lord Andrew Roberts — the sovereign has conferred upon him the title of Baron Roberts of Belgravia.Lord Andrew Roberts joins Cliff to discuss his most recent book, co-authored with retired General David Petraeus, "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.” This New York Times best-seller reached bookstores as the war between Hamas and Israel entered its second week. 

Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel has led to war. We have to think that’s what Hamas and its patrons in Tehran expected and very likely wanted.Is that because they believe they can win on the Gazan battlefields? Does Hezbollah, Tehran’s Lebanese foreign legion, plan to open a second front?Or do Israel’s many enemies in the Middle East, Europe, and here in America believe they can make Israel back off, agree to a ceasefire, and let Hamas live to kill Jews another day?What are Israel’s options? What are the tradeoffs?To discuss these and other questions — and attempt to penetrate the fog of war a little — host Cliff May is joined by FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg; Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power; and RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.

Israel's war with Hamas, supported by Iran, is discussed by experts. The severity of the conflict and recent surprise attacks are explored. The role of Iran in supporting terrorist organizations, including Hamas, is highlighted. The need to take action against those who support atrocities is emphasized. Complacency from Israel's side and the misconception of improving lives in Gaza for peace are analyzed. Potential fronts of unrest in the Middle East and the strong alliance between Israel and the United States are discussed. The diverse audience is encouraged to further engage and visit a website for more information.

Americans, our elected officials in Congress, and individuals aspiring to be the next U.S. president are debating whether the United States should continue to support Ukraine. Some Republican presidential candidates are arguing against aid for Ukraine, while several others warn that abandoning Ukraine would be a costly mistake. In Congress, Republican leaders of key committees continue to support aid for Ukraine, but a vocal minority faction of the Republican party in the House of Representatives that opposes aid for Ukraine seems to be growing.To complicate matters, Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces is going more slowly than many hoped, and the battlefield outcome remains uncertain.In short, Ukraine is in the balance and Americans have questions.To get answers, Brad Bowman (Senior Director of FDD’s Center for Military and Political Power, filling in for host Cliff May) is joined by Celeste Wallander. Celeste WallanderCeleste serves as the Biden Administration’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Pentagon. Previously, she served in the Obama administration’s National Security Council from 2013 to 2017 as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia. She’s a longtime Russia scholar, former professor at Harvard and Georgetown University, and the author of more than 80 publications.

“What’s past is prologue,” Shakespeare informed us. But what if the past is misunderstood? Or misrepresented? What if policy makers are making policies based on false historical narratives?In 1979, host Cliff May went to Iran to report on the revolution that was then underway. Cliff admits that he didn’t know much about the country. But neither did most of his colleagues, reporters from around the world who had parachuted in to cover this big story. He was working on a documentary for PBS which had arranged for him to partner with an Iranian producer.  So, at least the producer was knowledgeable, right? Well, yes and no.He was gung-ho for the revolution and an ardent admirer of its leader: the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In other words, he was not a truth-seeking journalist but an enthusiastic propagandist. So, this turned out to be a challenging assignment for Cliff.All these many years later, Ray Takeyh – the Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations – is trying to understand and reveal the truth about modern Iranian history.He’s well suited to the task: He holds a doctorate in modern history from Oxford University and has served as a senior advisor on Iran at the State Department. He joins Cliff for today's discussion. Also joining: Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, currently a resident scholar at FDD.

“Hostage diplomacy” is a term you’ll frequently see in the media, but it's a misleading term. What we’re really talking about: Dictators kidnapping and torturing innocent foreign civilians. In some cases, the leaders of free countries pay ransom to get them back. In some cases, the dictators also demand the release of convicted criminals who have been or can be of use to them. In some cases, both simultaneously.The Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism; in 1979, in violation of the most fundamental international laws, its agents seized the American embassy in Tehran and held 66 American citizens hostage — 52 of them for 444 days.The regime in Tehran threatens Israelis with genocide and is providing weapons to Vladimir Putin so he can continue slaughtering Ukrainians for refusing to submit to him; for the crime (in his eyes) of wanting to remain free and independent.The Biden administration has now reportedly approved the release to Tehran of several Iranian criminals along with $6 billion in frozen funds. In exchange, five U.S. citizens are to be released.And that’s almost certainly just part of a broader deal being kept secret from the American people and from Congress — in clear violation of American law.Billions of additional dollars appear to be involved in this deal which will not stop Tehran’s nuclear weapons development program or even seriously delay it.And because you get more of what you reward, expect the hostage-taking to continue.Joining host Cliff May to discuss these topics:Gazalle Sharmahd, whose father, Jamshid or (Jimmy) Sharmahd, a German citizen, was taken prisoner by Iranian agents in Dubai in 2020. She has been tirelessly campaigning for his release ever since and urging the US and Europe to take a tougher line with the Iran’s ruling mullahs.Xiyue Wang is a Chinese-born American scholar who was imprisoned in Iran from 2016 to 2019 after being falsely accused of espionage. Xiyue is a member of FDD’s National Security Network.And Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues.

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is illegal, immoral, brutal, and barbarian. And if you agree that there is no good alternative to American leadership of the world’s free nations and those that aspire to be, then it follows that it would be a terrible mistake — strategically and morally — for Americans to turn their backs on Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom, independence, homeland, and families.Whatever your think, you should be curious about the perspectives of America’s allies — particularly those closest to the conflict.With that in mind, host Cliff May is joined by the Hon. Radosław "Radek" Sikorski, a member of the European Parliament for Poland, who sits on committees for Foreign Affairs, Security and Defense. Also taking part in the conversation is Reuel Marc Gerecht, a resident scholar at FDD. In a former incarnation he was an officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations.The Hon. Radosław "Radek" SikorskiHe is currently a member of the European Parliament for Poland, where he sits on committees for Foreign Affairs, Security, and Defense. He’s also a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard and a Distinguished Statesman at CSIS in Washington. He was Poland’s Minister of Defense from 2005 to 2007, Foreign Minister from 2007 to 2014 and Speaker of the Parliament from 2014 to 2015.Other notable items on his very long resume: He served as a war reporter in Afghanistan and Angola. He was a Resident Scholar at AEI in Washington. Foreign Policy magazine named him one of 100 global policy intellectuals ‘for speaking the truth even when it’s not diplomatic.’