Fault Lines

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the cache of leaked documents that revealed a range of highly classified information from the U.S. government, including that we spied extensively on our allies, including nations like South Korea and Israel.Are world leaders surprised by intel found in the latest leaks? Should we continue or refrain from ally surveillance? How do we prevent more intel leaks in the future?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://apnews.com/article/south-korea-us-leaked-documents-yoon-biden-5d88d7c6624865ca5d5b361ed8ce0d26 https://time.com/6269905/us-pentagon-leaked-documents-south-korea/ Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@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 French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Beijing last week and the interview he gave to reporters during his flight home. In the interview, Macron emphasized the concept of European “strategic autonomy" and punted on the topic of Taiwan.Does Macron speak for other European leaders? Did Macron just make Biden’s job of maintaining support to Ukraine harder? How happy did Macron's interview make the CCP?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/2023/04/11/macron-taiwan-china/ https://www.politico.eu/article/china-skeptic-mps-emmanuel-macron-speak-europe/ Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@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 the treasure trove of classified documents from the U.S. Government that was first posted on the computer gamer site, “Discord,” and which has now been shared on other platforms, including Twitter, that contains sensitive information about the war in Ukraine, the internal deliberations of the Israeli intelligence service, the activities of the Wagner Group in Africa, and more.Is there a pattern in these leaks of classified information? Was there a political motive in this case? What can the U.S. government do to reduce leaks?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/articles/u-s-pushes-to-assess-damage-from-leaked-classified-files-464e64a4?mod=hp_lead_pos2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/04/08/intelligence-leak-documents-ukraine-pentagon/ Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@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 the Chinese government’s recent announcement that it would conduct a “cybersecurity review” of Micron Technology, a leading U.S.-based memory chip maker, ostensibly to ensure that its computer infrastructure supply chain was protected against foreign threats.How is this going to affect trade between China and the U.S.? Does the Fault Lines crew think this is a move by China to prove they can play the trade restrictions game? How far are the U.S. and China going to go in targeting each other's key industries and companies?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/2023/04/04/business/micron-china-investigation.html https://www.wsj.com/articles/micron-gets-caught-in-u-s-china-crossfire-86f73a10 Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@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 Saudi Arabia’s continued push and look to the U.S. for help developing a nuclear energy program even as they resist U.S. conditions for support. However, while Saudi Arabia has been trying to renew talks with the U.S., Saudi officials are also exploring options to work with other countries, including China and Russia.What does the Fault Lines crew think of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions? Do we believe that they have nuclear weapons ambitions? Do we think that Saudi Arabia will really turn to China to fulfill its nuclear ambitions if the U.S. doesn’t support?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/2023/04/01/us/politics/saudi-arabia-nuclear-biden-administration.html https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/18/iran-has-an-obligation-to-give-up-its-nuclear-program-saudi-minister.html Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@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 the Senate’s recent vote to repeal two Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs). One, from 1991, authorized the original Persian Gulf War to push Iraq out of Kuwait. The second, from 2002, authorized the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq over weapons of mass destruction that were never found.Are either of the 1991 or 2002 AUMFs still necessary? Does this impact the President's ability to act?  Does the vote represent a Congressional willingness for U.S. pullback from the Middle East?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.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-war-aumf-senate-vote-repeal-authorization-for-use-of-military-force/ https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/29/politics/senate-vote-aumf/index.html Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@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 Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Russia would be placing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a neighboring country and ally of Russia.Is there anything the U.S. should do about the Russian deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus? Will Putin’s nuclear weapons storage facility even come to fruition? Or is this another stunt by Putin to attempt to divide allies? 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.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65077687 https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/25/world/russia-putin-nuclear-weapons-belarus-intl-hnk/index.html Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@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, on the 200th episode of Fault Lines, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss Vice President Kamala Harris’s week-long tour of Africa – visiting Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia. Harris is the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit Africa so far.What do we think African leaders make of VP Harris’s visit? Do African leaders think that they can remain neutral in the growing U.S.-China geopolitical divide? What can the U.S. do to strengthen ties on the continent?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.reuters.com/world/africa/us-vice-president-harris-announce-139-mln-aid-ghana-2024-2023-03-27/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65062976 Follow our experts on Twitter:@jamil_n_jaffer@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.

Today, Jess, Les, and special guest host Morgan Viña, NSI Fellow and former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Ambassador at the UN, discuss the self-detonating drone that struck a U.S. facility in northeast Syria and killed an American military contractor, as well as injured five U.S. troops and a second contractor. In retaliation, U.S. F-15 fighter jets from al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar struck locations near Deir el-Zour, targeting the Iran-backed militias believed responsible for the attack.Was the U.S. response to the attack by Iran-backed militias appropriate? Should the U.S. keep forces in Syria? How can the U.S. reach a higher level of deterrence to prevent these attacks?  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/2023/03/24/biden-iran-airstrikes-syria/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-contractor-killed-service-members-wounded-suicide-drone-syria-rcna76453  Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@morganlroach@lestermunson@jamil_n_jafferLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Jess, Jamil, and special guest host Morgan Viña, NSI Fellow and former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Ambassador at the UN, discuss Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The autocratic leaders met to reaffirm and expand upon the key tenets of their “no limits” partnership.What, if anything, can the U.S. do to break up this partnership? Should the Russia threat and China threat be viewed as one and the same? How will China’s and Russia’s increasing partnership impact the U.S. 2024 presidential election? 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.cnn.com/2023/03/22/europe/china-xi-russia-putin-talks-five-takeaways-intl-hnk-mic/index.html https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165066688/xi-jinping-putin-talks-china-russia-ukraine Follow our experts on Twitter:@NotTVJessJones@morganlroach@jamil_n_jaffer@lestermunsonLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.