

Fault Lines
National Security Institute
Fault Lines, the National Security Institute’s flagship podcast, gets you quickly up to speed, three-times-a-week, on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.Our regular cast of foreign policy experts includes NSI Deputy Executive Director Martha Miller, NSI Senior Fellows Lester Munson and Morgan Viña, and Director of the NSI CTC - Howard University Cybersecurity Clinic Jessica Jones. Tune in to learn more about the issues dominating headlines and the news stories you may have missed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 3, 2024 • 8min
Episode 282: Turbulent Tides: The Houthi Threat in the Red Sea
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.

Dec 15, 2023 • 23min
RNDF Special Series: Trae Stephens – Understanding The Future of Tech Innovation and National Security
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.

Dec 13, 2023 • 16min
RNDF Special Series: Shannon Clark – Understanding The Future of Tech Innovation and National Security
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.

Dec 11, 2023 • 17min
RNDF Special Series: Mara Rudman – Confronting the New Alliance of Global Repressors
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.

Dec 8, 2023 • 17min
RNDF Special Series: Secretary Leon Panetta - Confronting the New Alliance of Global Repressors
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.

Dec 6, 2023 • 22min
RNDF Special Series: Ambassador Eric Edelman – Confronting the New Alliance of Global Repressors
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.

Dec 4, 2023 • 19min
RNDF Special Series: Matthew Pottinger: Confronting the New Alliance of Global Repressors
Recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Les and John interviewed Matthew Pottinger. Pottinger is the current Chairman for the China Program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). Previously, Pottinger served in the White House for four years, in senior roles within the National Security Council, including serving as Deputy National Security Advisor from 2019-2021. Pottinger is credited with playing a key role in changing how the United States approaches China and raised awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to influence and interfere with U.S. institutions, including academia, the tech sector, and Wall Street. Are global repressors, including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, really an “axis” of rogue regimes? How far does their collaboration go? Does the U.S. and its allies have the capacity to deal with these rogue regimes as well as managing the hot spots around the globe? Can, and should, the U.S. decouple from China? If so, how far can this de-coupling go? Stay tuned for more of this 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: @lestermunson @JohnCLipsey Like 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.

Dec 1, 2023 • 8min
Episode 281: Announcing Fault Lines: RNDF Global Repressors Series
Today, Jamil, Jess, Les, and Morgan discuss the upcoming Reagan National Defense Forum (RNDF). This forum brings together the top U.S. defense and national security leaders from across the country to discuss and debate how the U.S. can lead the world in an era of increasingly complex challenges and opportunities. During RNDF, NSI and the Fault Lines crew will be recording live, conducting a series of interviews with bipartisan national security and technology leaders to discuss the growing collaboration between global repressor states such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, as well as the critical importance of emerging technology and innovation to American national security.Stay tuned for Fault Lines: RNDF Global Repressors Series going live next week! These are discussions you don’t want to miss!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.

Nov 29, 2023 • 8min
Episode 280: West Africa's Democratic Woes: Sierra Leone's Failed Coup
Today, Jamil, Jess, Les, and Morgan discuss the failed coup that took place in Sierra Leone on Sunday, November 26. The coup attempt comes after a contentious election in June in which President Julius Maada Bio was reelected for a second term and on the heels of increased tensions in the West African region, highlighted by the eight military takeovers since 2020, including most recently in Niger and Gabon.Should the U.S. be worried about the high number of coups? How must and should the Biden Administration readjust foreign assistance in the region in light of these developments? Are there larger forces in play and are outside actors like Russia’s Wagner Group or China fostering regional instability?https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/world/africa/sierra-leone-arrests-attempted-coup.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67541285 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/26/sierra-leone-curfew-army-barracks-attack https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sierra-leone-information-minister-says-weekend-attack-was-failed-coup-2023-11-28/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/28/sierra-leone-attacks-were-a-failed-coup-attempt-officials-sayhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/11/27/africa/sierra-leone-military-barracks-foiled-attack-ignites-fears-over-coup-attempt/index.htmlhttps://www.africanews.com/2023/11/28/coup-attempt-in-sierra-leone-authorities/ 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.

Nov 27, 2023 • 9min
Episode 279: Javier “Mad Man” Milei - What’s Next for Argentina?
Today, Jes, Les, and Jamil discuss the Argentinian presidential elections where the self-styled “anarcho-capitalist” candidate Javier Milei rode a wave of voter anger – including over skyrocketing inflation and national poverty rate of 40% - to claim victory. Milei has proposed dollarizing the economy, ditching the central bank, shrinking the federal government, and downgrading ties with Brazil and China. Can President-Elect Milei achieve his promises without strong allies across government? What does the election of Milei mean for democratic norms in Latin America? Can Argentina distance truly themselves from China?https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67509691https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/21/argentina-milei-election-latin-america/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-11-25/milei-s-softer-tone-shows-how-much-argentina-needs-chinahttps://apnews.com/article/milei-argentina-president-privatization-1a87d02035511982ab620104b9feb255https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/trump-tells-argentinas-president-elect-javier-milei-he-plans-to-visit-buenos-aireshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/25/argentina-milei-libertarian-agenda-history/ Follow our experts on Twitter: @notTVJessJones@jamil_n_jaffer @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.


