Fault Lines

Today, Jess, Les, and Morgan, debate the Biden Administration’s decision to rejoin UNESCO. There have been concerns for a decade over mismanagement. This prompted the U.S. to leave under the Trump Administration. The Biden Administration recently announced that the U.S. will return to UNESCO as well as pay $600 million in back dues. Is the $600 million of taxpayer dollars in back dues worth the benefits we receive from the organization? Is membership to UNESCO like a participation trophy and should everyone get one? Does China’s expanding influence in UNESCO warrant this action? Tune in to find out what our experts think!Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/china-concerns-prompt-us-move-to-rejoin-unescohttps://thehill.com/opinion/international/3978238-to-compete-with-china-the-us-must-embrace-multilateral-diplomacy/Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@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, for a Fault Lines first, there are four incredible hosts! Les, Jess, Jamil, and Morgan discuss the Biden Administration’s handling of the Chinese spy base in Cuba. While the Administration initially denied the reports from the Wall Street Journal it has now come full circle to acknowledge the existence of Chinese spy bases around the world.What letter grade should the Biden Administration received in its handling of this situation? What message does this flip flopping send domestically and internationally? Should Secretary of State Antony Blinken proceed with his trip to China? Bonus question, which Fault Lines host is celebrating their birthday, today? Tune in to find out!Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://nypost.com/2023/06/11/biden-admin-confirms-china-has-had-a-spy-base-in-cuba-since-at-least-2019/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/10/us/politics/china-spy-base-cuba.html?searchResultPosition=1Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@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, Jess, Les, and special guest host and NSI Senior Fellow, Morgan Vina, discuss the shocking merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which is backed by a Saudi wealth fund. The PGA tour has recently faced backlash, including a possible DOJ antitrust investigation, following this deal. Some argue this merger is a key step in Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2023 plan to create a “vibrant society.”What does the Fault Lines crew think of this merger? Is it sportswashing or part of Saudi’s Vision 2030? Why is the U.S. turning towards Saudi and rebuilding relations? And most importantly, is golf a real sport?Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.wsj.com/sports/golf/liv-golf-pga-tour-saudi-arabia-merger-a383b00?mod=hp_lead_pos9https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/08/09/liv-tour-saudi-golf-china-soft-power-battle-for-soul-of-golf/Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@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, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss Air Force veteran and former member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, David Grusch’s claims of the US government secretly recovering alien spacecraft accompanied by “pilot” remains for decades as part of a top-secret UFO retrieval program.What does the Fault Lines crew think of the possibility of UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena)? How credible are David Grusch’s claims? Are there alien life forms surveilling Earth?Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/06/ex-intel-official-government-hiding-alien-tech.html https://thedebrief.org/intelligence-officials-say-u-s-has-retrieved-non-human-craft/ Follow our experts on Twitter:@lestermunson@NotTVJessJones@jamil_n_jafferLike 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, Jess, and Jamil discuss rising tensions between the U.S. and China due to recent encounters between Chinese and US aircraft over the SCS, and in the Taiwan Strait between a US destroyer and a Canadian ship that were intercepted by a Chinese destroyer. Furthermore, at the Shangri-La dialogue over the weekend in Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shook hands with Chinese Defense Minister, Li Shangfu, but they did not have a meeting.What does the Fault Lines crew think of the “new” tension between Washington and Beijing? Is there hypocrisy in China’s surveillance criticisms? Should we redefine China as an adversary as opposed to a competitor?Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/05/china-ship-us-destroyer-taiwan-strait/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-30/us-accuses-china-of-aggressive-encounter-over-south-china-sea Follow our experts on Twitter:@lestermunson@NotTVJessJones@jamil_n_jafferLike 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 NSI Senior Fellow Andy Keiser discuss the dangers and benefits of AI in a national security context and questions whether government regulation is needed. This conversation was prompted after a joint statement where AI experts concluded that “artificial intelligence may lead to human extinction and reducing the risks associated with the technology should be a global priority.”Should (and will) the U.S. government take action to limit the proliferation of U.S.- or allied-developed algorithms? Could early and overly prescriptive regulation limit the massive potential benefits that the rapid development of AI capabilities could provide?Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/25/technology/microsoft-ai-rules-regulation.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/05/31/ai-poses-human-extinction-risk-sam-altman-and-other-tech-leaders-warn.html Follow our experts on Twitter:@andykeiser@NotTVJessJones@jamil_n_jafferLike 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, Jess, and Jamil discuss Uganda’s passage of one of the world's toughest anti-gay laws that calls for life imprisonment for anyone convicted of homosexuality. The legislation received widespread condemnation from many Western governments and human rights activists.How should the international community push back? Should the US cut off aid to Uganda? If not, what can be done to influence Uganda’s - and potentially other countries' similar - laws?Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.npr.org/2023/05/29/1178718092/uganda-anti-gay-law https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ugandas-museveni-approves-anti-gay-law-parliament-speaker-says-2023-05-29/ Follow our experts on Twitter:@lestermunson@NotTVJessJones@jamil_n_jafferLike 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, Jess, and Jamil discuss this week’s announcement by Microsoft and the U.S. government that they detected a Chinese cyber hack by hacking group, Volt Typhoon, directed at critical infrastructure systems, including telecommunications gear, located in Guam and elsewhere in the United States. Is China hacking Guam a prelude to a Taiwan invasion? Should the U.S. ramp up its response against China? Is the U.S. prepared to deter enemy action in the cyber domain? Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/politics/china-guam-malware-cyber-microsoft.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/24/china-hack-guam-taiwan/ Follow our experts on Twitter:@lestermunson@NotTVJessJones@jamil_n_jafferLike 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.

Episode 224: Let’s Make A Deal: Saudi EditionToday, Les, Jess, and special guest host and NSI Senior Fellow, Morgan Vina, discuss NSA Jake Sullivan’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince MBS last week to discuss, among many things, about the possibility of Saudi-Israeli normalization. MBS does not want to take any more incremental steps toward warming relations with Israel, but instead, wants to work towards US deliverables like advanced weapons systems and US-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement.What does the Fault Lines crew think of Saudi’s requests? Would US cooperation on a nuclear program be a good development for the region? Are MBS’s requests worth the normalization of relations from a U.S. perspective?Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.axios.com/2023/05/08/saudi-arabia-israel-normalization-netanyahu-sullivan-biden https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/us/politics/biden-saudi-arabia-oil-production-cut.html Follow our experts on Twitter:@lestermunson@NotTVJessJones@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, Les, Jess, and special guest host and NSI Senior Fellow, Morgan Vina, discuss the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan last week. During the meeting, the Biden Administration agreed to not oppose the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine and to help train Ukrainian pilots. President Biden also called for “de-risking” the US-China economic relationship rather than “de-coupling” the world’s two biggest economies.What does the Fault Lines crew think of Biden’s timing and stance on F-16s for Ukraine? Is the semantics surrounding “de-risking” vs. “de-coupling” significant? How productive was the G7 Summit? Hear our experts debate these issues and more in less than 10 minutes on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out these articles that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/21/russia-ukraine-war-news/ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/20/world/decoupling-china-de-risking.html  Follow our experts on Twitter:@lestermunson@NotTVJessJones@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.