Fault Lines

Today, Jamil, Jess, Morgan, and Les discuss the developing situation in Guyana where on Tuesday, Venezuela’s dictator Nicholas Maduro ordered the creation of a new state dubbed “Guyana Esequiba” in the wake of the recent referendum in which Venezuelan voters overwhelmingly approved the annexation of the oil-rich land from its neighbor. How does this impact the stability of the region? What role, if any, does the United States have in this developing crisis? Or is this just a domestic political tactic to ensure the survival of the Maduro regime? Get the answer to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines!Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!https://apnews.com/article/guyana-us-military-aid-venezuela-essequibo-cdb2b1ac1e469c7324d1be8f18c507c6 https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-conduct-flight-operations-guyana-concerns-mount-over-border-spat-2023-12-07/https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/06/americas/venezuelas-president-orders-creation-of-new-state-and-map-including-land-from-guyana/index.htmlhttps://www.state.gov/secretary-blinkens-call-with-guyanese-president-ali/ https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-08/nicolas-maduro-stirs-up-guyana-conflict-in-an-attempt-to-corner-maria-corina-machado.htmlFollow our experts on Twitter: @notTVJessJones@jamil_n_jaffer @lestermunson@morganlroachLike what we're doing here?  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Jamil, Jess, Morgan, and Les assess the current situation in the Middle East. Recent U.S. strikes in Iraq, an ultimatum against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and attacks from Hezbollah against Israel amid its conflict in Gaza has caused increased worry over a widening conflict in the region.Is this worry of a widening conflict justified? What role does China play in these Middle Eastern developments how do they benefit? Is the Biden Administration getting in its own way when it comes to effective policy in the region?  Get the answer to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines!Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/hezbollah-drone-strike-hits-key-israeli-command-centre-safed https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/07/us/politics/iran-us-israel-conflict.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AM%20JAN%208%20Punchbowl%20News%20AM&utm_term=Punchbowl%20AM%20and%20Active%20Subscribers%20from%20Memberful%20Combined https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/04/war-gaza-widen-biden-getting-ready-00133949 Follow our experts on Twitter: @notTVJessJones@jamil_n_jaffer @lestermunson@morganlroachLike what we're doing here?  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Jamil, Jess, and Les discuss U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s recent hospitalization and the breakdown of communication that had President Biden, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Secretary Austin’s own Deputy Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation, out of the loop. Sec. Austin’s absence occurred as the U.S. and its allies gave an ultimatum to Houthi rebels, as well as conducted a successful airstrike on the headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad.Is the Secretary of Defense out of the Biden Administration’s decision-making loop? Why were key administration and Pentagon officials left in the dark over the Secretary’s hospitalization? Who ultimately should be held responsible for this breakdown?  Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/politics/austin-hospitalization-leaders-not-informed/index.html https://apnews.com/article/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-biden-859cc79631d6c96dbdff161faf8e4f96 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/top-military-officials-were-initially-unaware-austins-hospitalization-media-2024-01-07/ https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/06/pentagon-took-3-days-to-inform-white-houses-nsc-of-austins-hospitalization-00134176https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3633506/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-medical-care/ Follow our experts on Twitter: @lestermunson@jamil_n_jaffer@notTVJessJonesLike what we're doing here?  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Morgan, and Jamil discuss the recent U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq that killed commander Abu Taqwa of Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, an Iran backed militia group. This airstrike happened during a busy week for Middle East, with the continuation of the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza, Houthi forces’ attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, and the recent ISIS bombing in Iran that killed 80 people. U.S. strikes in Iraq are a rare. While the U.S. states that the airstrike was necessary and proportional in the wake of recent attacks against U.S. forces stated in the Middle East, the Iraqi government argues that the strike is a breech of trust and sovereignty. Is the U.S. airstrike a sign of a strengthened deterrence policy by the Biden Administration? Does the U.S. maintain credible deterrence in the region? What does the airstrike mean for the stability in the Middle East? How does this strike alter current U.S. policies and agreements with Iraq?Check out the sources that helped shaped our experts discussion!https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/04/us-strike-baghdad/https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-strike-kills-iran-backed-militia-leader-in-iraq-71256676https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/04/world/middleeast/us-drone-strike-baghdad-iraq.htmlhttps://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/three-iran-backed-militia-fighters-killed-baghdad-drone-strike-sources-2024-01-04/https://www.axios.com/2024/01/04/isis-iran-explosions-responsibility-kermanFollow our experts on Twitter: @lestermunson@jamil_n_jaffer@morganlroachLike what we're doing here?  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Morgan, Andy, and Bishop discuss the recent attacks against shipping vessels in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen by Houthi forces. The Red Sea plays a critical role in global trade and they discuss the implications of increasing attacks for the global economy and escalation of conflict in the Middle East. They also discuss potential U.S. responses to these attacks in light of Iran’s recent deployment of a warship to the region.How do these attacks effect global trade? Is this an attempt at escalating conflict throughout the globe? What is Iran’s role? How does Iran’s recent deployment of a warship change the calculus for U.S. forces?Check out the sources that helped shaped our experts discussion!https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/maersk-pauses-red-sea-sailings-after-houthi-attack-container-ship-2023-12-31/https://jinsa.org/to-deter-houthi-strikes-in-red-sea-us-must-turn-from-defense-to-offense/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-01/iran-dispatches-warship-to-red-sea-after-us-sinks-houthi-boatshttps://www.voanews.com/amp/no-sign-houthis-will-halt-red-sea-attacks-says-us/7418725.htmlFollow our experts on Twitter: @BishopGarrison@AndyKeiser@morganlroachLike what we're doing here?  Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.  And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Jamil and John interview Trae Stephens, Co-Founder and Chairman of Anduril Industries, a defense technology company focused on autonomous systems. Trae is also a Partner at Founders Fund, a venture capital firm that was the first institutional investor in SpaceX and Palantir Technologies, as well as an early investor in Facebook. What is the relationship between tech innovation and American national security?  How well does the Department of Defense integrate new technologies and companies into the defense industrial base?  Where does America stand today in tech innovation compared to rivals such as China?Join us after the holidays, on January 3rd, when the Fault Lines team returns to get you quickly up to speed three times a week on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America!Follow our experts on Twitter:@jamil_n_jaffer@JohnCLipseyLike what we're doing here?Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Les and Jess interview Shannon Clark, Senior Vice President, Federal, R+D, at Palantir Technologies, who also previously served as the Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council at the White House under President Obama and as an intelligence analyst in the Department of Defense.How has the adoption of AI and other emerging technologies impacted the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel? What challenges does the U.S. national security enterprise have when adopting these emerging technologies and scaling them? How does the U.S.-China tech competition impact public-private sector cooperation?Stay tuned for more of the Special Series at RNDF Understanding The Future of Tech Innovation and National Security! These are discussions you don’t want to miss!Follow our experts on Twitter:@notTVJessJones@JohnCLipseyLike what we're doing here?Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Les and Jess interview Mara Rudman, a Member of the 2022 National Defense Commission, who also currently serves as a James Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.Can the U.S. be a global leader handling all the world’s hotspots or should we only focus on China? How can we sell the benefits of global engagement to everyday Americans? How does the United States feed the mis/disinformation produced by global repressors?Stay tuned for more of the Special Series at RNDF Understanding The Future of Tech Innovation and National Security! These are discussions you don’t want to miss! Follow our experts on Twitter:@notTVJessJones@lestermunsonLike what we're doing here?Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Jess and Les interview Secretary Leon Panetta, who previously served as the 23rd Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Secretary Panetta is currently the Chairman of the Panetta Institute and an NSI Advisory Board member!How has American engagement with the world changed over the last decade? Does the U.S. defense and policy-making communities have an accurate assessment of China’s power? Should we be surprised by the increased collaboration of global repressors and what can we do about it?Stay tuned for more of the Special Series at RNDF on Confronting the New Alliance of Global Repressors this week on Fault Lines! These are discussions you don’t want to miss!Follow our experts on Twitter:@notTVJessJones@lestermunsonLike what we're doing here?Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Jess and John interview Ambassador Eric Edelman, who serves as Vice Chair of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy. Previously, Edelman served as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, and lastly, and most importantly, as Jess’ professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS.How do policymakers and defense experts feel about the current state of geopolitics? Should the U.S. have anticipated the growing relationships between global repressors? What may 2024 have in store for the U.S. and our allies?Stay tuned for more of the Special Series at RNDF on Confronting the New Alliance of Global Repressors this week on Fault Lines! These are discussions you don’t want to miss!Follow our experts on Twitter: @notTVJessJones@JohnCLipseyLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.