

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

Mar 24, 2021 • 39min
Episode 72: Anchorage Summit and the Pandemic Year
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.

Mar 17, 2021 • 42min
Episode 71: Transforming Our World with Andrew Natsios and Andy Card
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.

Mar 10, 2021 • 42min
Episode 70: Supply Chains and Relationship Strains
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.

Mar 5, 2021 • 41min
Episode 69: Foreign Policy and the Middle Class with David Gordon
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.

Mar 2, 2021 • 32min
Episode 68: This is How They Tell Me The World Ends with Nicole Perlroth
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.

Feb 25, 2021 • 44min
Episode 67: JCPOA Redux and FacePlant in Australia
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.

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.


