Fault Lines

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss tensions on the Korean peninsula. In the last few weeks, we’ve seen a continuous increase in the rate of North Korean missile drills and rhetoric.What should the U.S. do in response? Should the U.S. continue to press for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula? How does China play into U.S. policy vis-a-vis North Korea?Hear our experts provide their analysis on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/asia/north-korea-ballistic-missile-intl-hnk/index.htmlhttps://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/north-korea-nuclear-weapons-missile-tests-military-capabilitiesLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss a moment that many may have missed at COP27 summit, and which has caused an uproar: photos of U.S. Climate Envoy and former Secretary of State John Kerry shaking hands with the disputed president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.Does this interaction at COP indicate a change in U.S. policy towards Venezuela? Why does the contested Venezuelan presidential election from 3 years ago matter? Is Congress doing enough to steer U.S. relations with Venezuela vis-a-vis Maduro? Hear our experts provide their analysis on our latest episode of Fault Lines!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-plans-to-ease-venezuela-sanctions-enabling-chevron-to-pump-oil-11665005719https://www.npr.org/2022/11/03/1133615222/us-venezuela-diplomacy-oil-sanctions-negotiationsLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss what may come out of the highly anticipated meeting occurring today between President Biden and General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Chinese Community Party at the G20 summit. Given Xi Jinping’s recent consolidation of power, how should President Biden approach the relationship with China? Is the Biden Administration missing any opportunities to change Chinese behavior? Hear our experts debate a path forward for one of the most important bilateral relationships we have. Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-10/biden-to-meet-china-s-xi-nov-14-in-bid-to-buoy-strained-tieshttps://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/11/11/brittney-griner-russia-sentence-penal-colony-00066419Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Jess and Jamil discuss the news that Brittney Griner has been transferred to a Russian penal colony, where she will serve the rest of nine-and-a-half-year sentence for processing less than a gram of cannabis oil in a vape cartridge. Should the U.S. government do whatever it takes to bring her home? What role does the official U.S. hostage envoy have to play? If we don’t do anything, what message does this send to other U.S. citizens overseas currently being held against their will? Tune in to hear our experts discuss this multifaceted issue.Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.cbsnews.com/video/russia-moves-brittney-griner-to-penal-colony/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/11/11/brittney-griner-russia-sentence-penal-colony-00066419Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday was Election Day in America. In this episode Les, Jess, and Jamil debate foreign interference in American elections. Earlier this week, powerful Russian businessman and close Putin ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, admitted that Russia interfered in previous U.S. elections and that it will interfere in American elections going forward.How concerned should Americans be about foreign interference in our elections? What should the U.S. reaction be to threats of election interference by foreign actors? Should we be doing more to secure our elections? Listen to hear our experts discuss!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.reuters.com/world/us/russias-prigozhin-admits-interfering-us-elections-2022-11-07/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-in-us-electionsLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s badly timed visit to Beijing. While it is no secret that Germany’s economy is heavily dependent on China, Chancellor Scholz has been the only G7 leader to make the trip to China since COVID-19. Critics argue that Chancellor Scholz’s visit ignores President Xi Jinping’s increasingly authoritarian tactics.Is this visit indicative of a boarder German foreign policy shift towards China? How should the U.S. react when friends and allies “play footsies” with the Chinese? Is decoupling a viable option for Germany? Tune in to find out what our experts think!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/germanys-scholz-in-china-amid-trade-ukraine-rights-issues/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/03/olaf-scholz-china-trip-germanyLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil debate what the U.S. response should be to Russia threatening to suspend support for grain exports through the Black Sea.Luckily, with the help of Turkey and the UN, Russia decided to restart its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative (which allows for exports of food and fertilizer through the Black Sea). However, this raises the question of what the U.S. should do if Russia pulls out of this agreement and institutes a naval blockade. Should we engage with our military assets? Should we rely on diplomacy? Should we do nothing? Tune in to find out what our experts think!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/world/europe/ukraine-russia-grain-black-sea.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/02/grain-deal-ukraine-turkey-russia/Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines is back!! Join us for our second episode after our break with a regular cast of characters to get you quickly up to speed three-times-a-week on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.Citizens have been protesting across Iran for nearly seven weeks, defying a deadly crackdown by security forces.Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss these protests in light of the Iranian regime's increasingly strict crack down. Are these protests different than previous protests in Iran? Should the U.S. government be doing more? Are sanctions the answer? Should we be advocating for regime change in Iran? Tune in to find out!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-indicts-some-1000-people-tehran-over-unrest-tasnim-reports-2022-10-31/To listen to President Obama’s full podcast as referenced go here: https://crooked.com/podcast/between-barack-and-a-hard-place/Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines is back and revamped!Join us for our first episode in our new format, which gets you quickly up to speed three-times-a-week on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil talk about the upcoming COP27 in Egypt. President Biden will be attending, and all eyes will be on Sharm El-Sheikh as this is the first major public interaction since President Xi Jinping’s power grab last week at the Chinese Communist Party's Congress. What is COP? Why is this something you should be tracking? Listen to find out!Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-emissions-set-to-decline-but-global-pledges-fall-short-of-climate-goals-u-n-says-11666832112Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we take a deep dive into the Islamic Republic of Iran. What are Iran’s regional and internal ambitions? What is the political history of Iran and how does this explain its actions and intentions? Do human rights exist in Iran? Should the U.S. resurrect the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)? Richard Goldberg is a Senior Advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Rich joins to answer and reflect on these questions. Rich has extensive experience on Iran and the boarder Middle East region from his time working on Capitol Hill as well as at the White House National Security Council.  This episode is the series finale of our summer series, “Breaking Chains: Fighting the New Global Repressors.” Thank you to those who joined us throughout the summer to dive into some of the most pressing human rights issues facing our world.  The Fault Lines team is taking a break in September but we look forward to more hard-hitting episodes - with a new look - in October! Until then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.