

Fault Lines
National Security Institute
Fault Lines, the National Security Institute’s flagship podcast, gets you quickly up to speed, three-times-a-week, on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.Our regular cast of foreign policy experts includes NSI Deputy Executive Director Martha Miller, NSI Senior Fellows Lester Munson and Morgan Viña, and Director of the NSI CTC - Howard University Cybersecurity Clinic Jessica Jones. Tune in to learn more about the issues dominating headlines and the news stories you may have missed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 17, 2021 • 27min
Episode 66: The Africa Challenge with Morgan Vina
Fault Lines welcomes Morgan Vina, former Chief of Staff to Ambassador Nikki Haley in her role as Permanent Representative to the United Nations. What can the Biden administration learn from President Trump’s failures and successes in Africa? How should we view the worsening violence in Ethiopia? Is Sudan a success story or is it too early to tell? Morgan 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.

Feb 11, 2021 • 45min
Episode 65: Now It Matters
President Biden may be new to the job but the foreign policy challenges haven’t slowed down. Les, Jamil, Jodi, and Michael discuss President Biden’s first foreign policy speech and how the ideals he laid out in it will be applied to the coup in Myanmar and protests in Russia. Is Biden really laying out a new foreign policy vision? Will his team be decisive or dithering? How should America promote democracy abroad? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.In our under the radar segment, Grant pushes the Biden administration on refugee status for Hong Kongers, Michael mentions Israeli Prime Minister's ongoing corruption trial, Jodi discusses America rejoining the UN Human Rights Council, Jamil focuses on the Pope's trip to Iraq, and Les highlights a statement from USAID's Acting Administrator Gloria Steele. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 3, 2021 • 48min
Episode 64: Deepfakes and China at the UN
Fault Lines welcomes multiple NSI authors for conversations about their recent publications. First, Les talks with NSI Visiting Fellow Matthew Ferraro about his backgrounder entitled Decoding Deepfakes. After that, NSI has a conversation with NSI Visiting Fellow Vince Vitkowsky and Rachida Mecheri on their Law and Policy Paper entitled Responding to China at the United Nations. Should we be worried about more fake media? How is China pushing its agenda at the United Nations? How can the United States and its allies take on these twin challenges? Les explores these questions and more on this week’s Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 1, 2021 • 38min
Episode 63: Interview with Bob Corker
Fault Lines welcomes former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Bob Corker. What should a post-Trump GOP look like? Should the Senate vote to convict former President Trump? How should the Biden Administration think about Iran? All these questions and more on this very special episode of Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 27, 2021 • 44min
Episode 62: The Intellectual Underpinnings of Biden's Foreign Policy
The Biden Administration is in full swing but what does that mean for foreign policy? Les, Jamil, Loren, and first time guest Amira Valliani talk about Making U.S. Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class and Biden’s first hundred days. Is a foreign policy focused on the middle class only about economics? Why isn’t Congress leading on foreign policy issues? What do the first 100 days of the Biden administration reveal about President Biden’s priorities? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.In this week’s under the radar segment Les highlights Biden’s promise of $4 billion in Aid for Central America, Jamil focuses on the protests in Russia, Loren is tracking impeachment, Amira is watching for national security issues in space, and Grant talks about democracy promotion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 20, 2021 • 52min
Episode 61: From Trump to Biden with David Adesnik and John Hannah
Fault Lines welcomes David Adesnik, Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and John Hannah, Senior Counselor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to discuss From Trump to Biden a report which details the successes and failures of the Trump Administration and guidance for over 25 different areas of national security and foreign policy. Where did America First fail? Can Biden negotiate a better JCPOA? Is it possible to put Putin in his place? David, John 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.

Jan 13, 2021 • 48min
Episode 60: Are We Bangui? - Continued Crisis on Capitol Hill
This week, Congress contemplates how to respond to the attack on January 6th. Les, Loren, Jamil, and Jodi discuss how the legislative branch should move forward and news out of China that you may have missed. How should Congress deal with members who supported the riots? With time winding down on the Trump Administration, is impeachment moving fast enough? How is China capitalizing on this moment? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.In our under the radar segment Jamil talks about the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group, Les compares the current situation in the US with that in the Central African Republic, Grant dives back into the politics of water, Jodi discusses the elections in Uganda, and Loren won’t be distracted from this moment in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 8, 2021 • 44min
Episode 59: Insurrection Aftermath
A mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the electoral college vote. Les, Jamil, Loren, and returning guest Michael Gottlieb pick through the rubble and discuss the implications. How can America rebuild after this crisis? How does it impact our standing in the world? How will our adversaries use this against us? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 6, 2021 • 25min
Episode 58: Pandemics, Warning, and the IC with Jim Danoy
Fault Lines welcomes back Jim Danoy, former Defense Intelligence Executive, NSI Visiting Fellow, and author of a recent NSI Law and Policy Paper entitled Stopping the Spread: Pandemics, Warning, and the IC. What role should the IC have in warning about the next pandemic? Is the Department of Health and Human Services part of the IC? Can we afford to expand the mission of the intelligence community? Jim 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.

Dec 30, 2020 • 34min
Episode 57: The NDAA, the Industrial Base, and the Future of Acquisitions
All eyes are on the NDAA because of President Trump’s veto but is the discussion focused on the right issues? Fault Lines welcomes Alex Gallo, Lindsay Rodman, and Moshe Schwartz, contributors to the recent NSI and Duco report The U.S. Defense Industrial Base: Can it Compete in the Next Century? Does China’s economic threat change the approach to its military threat? Can the DoD encourage competition in the defense industrial base? How can America be falling behind while spending so much on defense? These questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.