Fault Lines

Fault Lines welcomes Ryan Browne, former CNN correspondent at the Pentagon, to continue NSI’s discussion on Afghanistan. What does the future hold for individuals on the ground in Afghanistan following the withdrawal? Will we continue to see efforts from “Digital Dunkirk”-style groups? What kind of internal struggles may the Taliban experience as they begin attempting to function as a government? These questions and more are covered in this week’s episode of Fault Lines. If you like what we're doing, be sure to like, rate, and subscribe to Fault Lines. If you have ideas for future episodes, be sure to email us at nsi@gmu.edu or tweet us at @MasonNatSec.Note: This episode was recorded at 1:00pm ET on August 30th, 2021. The National Security Institute acknowledges that the situation is rapidly changing and that some of the conversation held may no longer be accurate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All eyes are on Afghanistan, and Les, Jamil, Mike, and special guest Ryan Browne discuss the events that have unfolded in the last week on the ground. Has enough been done to get Americans and our allies out of a war zone? Should we extend our presence past August 31st? How well did the Biden administration handle the withdrawal? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.If you like what we're doing, be sure to like, rate, and subscribe to Fault Lines. If you have ideas for future episodes, be sure to email us at nsi@gmu.edu or tweet us at @MasonNatSec.Note: This episode was recorded at 1:00pm ET on August 23rd, 2021. The National Security Institute acknowledges that the situation is rapidly changing and that some of the conversation held may no longer be accurate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Caleb McCarry, former Cuba Transition Coordinator during the Bush administration, a senior official at the Development Finance Corporation in the Trump administration, and a Senior Adviser to both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. What does it mean for U.S. interests when there is such turmoil in Haiti? What, if anything, should the U.S. be doing differently as a neighbor to Haiti? How has the Biden administration responded to the ongoing protests in Cuba? Host Lester Munson and Caleb McCarry answer questions and more are answered on the latest episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this special episode of Fault Lines, host Jamil N. Jaffer discusses the national security implications of the fall of Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban with Jennifer Cafarella, NSI Visiting Fellow and Research Director at the Institute for the Study of War; Matthew Heiman, NSI Senior Fellow and Director of Strategy and Chairman, Cyber & Privacy Working Group at the Regulatory Transparency Project; and Mike Nelson, NSI Visiting Fellow and Professor of Military Science at George Mason University, and former Deputy Director of the Commander’s Action Group at United States Central Command for General Joseph Votel.Our episode begins with a brief summary of the situation in Afghanistan, followed by analysis of the Biden administration's actions thus far, the counterterrorism perspective, and what Taliban rule may mean for U.S. national security. If you like what we're doing, be sure to like, rate, and subscribe to Fault Lines. If you have ideas for future episodes, be sure to email us at nsi@gmu.edu or tweet us at @MasonNatSec.Note: This episode was recorded at 3:30pm ET on August 17th, 2021. The National Security Institute acknowledges that the situation is rapidly changing and that some of the conversation held may no longer be accurate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Olympics came to a close this past week, and all eyes are on Beijing in 2022. Loren, Jamil, Rob, and Les discuss the political highlights of the Tokyo games and what it would take for the U.S. to take a stand in 2022. What lessons have we learned in Tokyo? Should we be linking international sporting events like the Olympics to global politics? Has Russia skirted their ban by being able to have their athletes participate under the name “Russian Olympic Committee”? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.If you like what we're doing, be sure to like, rate, and subscribe to Fault Lines. If you have ideas for future episodes, be sure to email us at nsi@gmu.edu or tweet us at @MasonNatSec. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Dr. Christopher Ford, NSI Advisory Board member and Former Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation. Dr. Ford recently wrote a paper for NSI titled Principled Conservatism in America’s Foreign Affairs and National Security Policy. What are the core tenets of principled conservatism in national security and foreign policy? What does a principled conservative approach to China look like? Dr. Ford and host Jamil Jaffer answer these questions and more on the latest episode of Fault Lines! Dr. Ford’s full paper can be found here.If you like what we're doing, be sure to like, rate, and subscribe to Fault Lines. If you have ideas for future episodes, be sure to email us at nsi@gmu.edu or tweet us at @MasonNatSec. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cuba is currently experiencing its largest anti-government demonstrations since 1994, fueled by disdain for the authoritarian government, widespread poverty, and mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Les, Mike, Grant, and first time guests Fred Turner, former Chief of Staff to Bob Menendez, and Carrie Filipetti, Executive Director of the Vandenberg Coalition, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cuba and Venezuela, and the Deputy Special Representative for Venezuela at the U.S. State Department, discuss protests and unrest in Cuba and the most recent string of cyberattacks. Is the Biden Administration doing enough to show support for Cuba? How can social media be used creatively against authoritarian regimes? What impact could the Microsoft Exchange hack have on U.S.-China relations? These questions and more are answered on the latest episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Dmitri Alperovitch, NSI Advisory Board member, Executive Chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, and Co-Founder of CrowdStrike.  How should America respond to Chinese aggression in cyberspace? Does cyber insurance exacerbate cyber ransomware attacks? What should we be worried about next?  Dmitri and host Lester Munson, answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Haiti is thrown into chaos after an assassination, John Kerry is in Russia talking about the Climate, and the Afghanistan withdrawal is going more rapidly than anyone anticipated. Les, Rob, Jamil, Grant and returning guest Amira Valliani discuss how the United States should approach each these precarious situations. How should America think about stabilization efforts in Haiti? Is Climate Change national security? Has the train and equip mission in Afghanistan failed? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Dan Currell, NSI Visiting Fellow and former Deputy Under Secretary and Senior Advisor at the Department of Education. Dan recently wrote a backgrounder for NSI titled China’s Influence in U.S. Higher Education as well as a number of opinion pieces for NSI’s blog The SCIF. How is China censoring speech in the United States? How big is China's influence in U.S. Higher Education? What even is a Confucius Institute?   Dan and host Lester Munson, answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.