Fault Lines

President Biden announced increased sanctions on Russia for their involvement in the SolarWinds hack and a withdrawal date for American troops in Afghanistan. Les, Loren, Jamil, and returning guest Rob Walker discuss whether the Biden administration is pushing back hard enough against Russia and leaving Afghanistan too soon. Will sanctions change Putin’s calculus? Does President Biden owe former President Trump an apology? Is Afghanistan going to become a haven for terrorists after America leaves? 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 Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the book Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World.  What are the driving factors of American Isolationism throughout history? What lessons should President Biden learn from previous presidents? What is American Exceptionalism? Dr. Kupchan and host Les, answer these questions and many more on this week’s episode of Fault Lines! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden administration is participating in indirect talks with Iran about the JCPOA and there are conversations swirling on the Hill about revising the 2001 AUMF.  Les, Jodi, Jamil, and Mike discuss how to get to a better deal with Iran and whether all the talk about the AUMF is for naught. Is it possible to get a good deal with Iran? What did "maximum pressure" achieve? Is there any chance that the 2001 AUMF actually gets replaced?  All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.In our under the radar segment, Les honors the life of Charles Hill, Grant continues to track the failed GERD talks, Jamil highlights the potential coup in Jordan, Mike discusses the corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, and Jodi suggests that the US should really consider boycotting the Olympics in China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Admiral James Stavridis, author of the book 2034: A Novel of the Next World War and contributing author of a white paper with the American Edge Project on National Security Policy. Should we expect a war with China? How do fiction and foreign policy work together? Where do emerging technologies play a role in all of this? Admiral Stavridis 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.

Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan recently held a meeting with their Chinese Counterparts in Alaska and the pandemic has been ravaging the globe for more than a year. Les, Loren, Jamil, and first time guest Rob Walker discuss what can we expect coming out of the Anchorage Summit and how the world looks different post-pandemic. How is the Biden administration trying to approach the relationship with China? What can we expect to see after the shouting match that kicked off the talks? What did the pandemic teach us about foreign policy? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.This week in our under the radar segment, Loren discusses the potential repeal of the 2002 AUMF, Les highlights the opportunity Tanzania has to move forward following the death of President Magufuli, Rob focuses on the situation at the border, Jamil mentions the potential end of the war in Yemen, and Grant waves goodbye to the Russian Ambassador to the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Andrew Natsios and Andy Card co-editors of Transforming Our World: President George H.W. Bush and American Foreign Policy.  What made President George H.W. Bush uniquely able to take on the challenges of the end of the Cold War?  Was there an underlying ideology driving President Bush’s foreign policy?  Can President Biden learn any lessons from the challenges President Bush faced? Andy, Andrew, 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.

President Biden issued an executive order focused on enhancing the security of America’s supply chains and India purchased anti-aircraft weapons from Russia which may cause issues at the upcoming meeting of the Quad. Les, Jodi, Jamil, and Loren discuss how much the government should insert itself in the private sector in the name of national security and the status of the relationship between America and India. Should the government be directly investing in the American tech sector? How close are India and Russia? How worried should we be about conflict between China and India? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. In the below the radar segment, Les is following two new outbreaks of Ebola, Jodi honors Women of Courage, Grant highlights the disproportionate impact of COVID on women, Loren talks about the trial of Derek Chauvin, and Jamil focuses on two high profile cases of rape in Senegal and Mexico. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes David Gordon, former Director of policy planning at the US State Department and co-author of Making U.S. Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class.  How different is "putting Americans first" to "America First"? Is American participation in the TPP impossible? Is domestic-foreign policy fusion advisable given polarization?  David 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.

Fault Lines welcomes Nicole Perlroth, Cybersecurity report for the New York Times and author of This is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race.  How has the market for 0-days impacted our national security? How do you communicate the technological threat to a non-technical audience? Why isn't the US deterring cyberattacks effectively?  Nicole 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.

The Biden Administration is open to reentering the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Jamil, Les, Loren, and Mike discuss what is necessary to actually prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons and then pivot to Australia’s law which caused a standoff with Facebook. Should America ease sanctions to negotiate a new deal with Iran? Is Iran already too far down the nuclear path? Is Australia standing up for the little guy or caving to corporate lobbyists? All these questions and more answered on this week’s Fault Lines. In our below the radar segment, Grant focuses on new sanctions from the European Union, Les continues to track the Ethiopian Civil War, Loren sets her eyes on the stars, Mike highlights the issues around U.S. sanctions and Venezuela, and Jamil discusses the arrest of El Chapo’s wife. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.