Fault Lines

Fault Lines welcomes David Dollar, Senior Fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution. How should we think about the trade deficit with China? Is decoupling possible? How should we think about the Belt and Road Initiative? 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.

You wouldn’t know it from the news networks’ obsessive coverage of the American election, but the rest of the world keeps spinning, and there are a lot of developments to keep track of. This week, Dana, Jamil, Jodi, and Less discuss the fallout from the poisoning of Alexei Navalny in Russia and the ongoing democratic transition in Sudan. What should the Trump administration’s response be to the poisoning of Navalny? How will Congress react?  How did Sudan become a source of good news in the world?  All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we have a feed takeover by our friends at the Iron Butterfly. We hope you enjoy their first episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Jamie Fly, former President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Senior Fellow and Senior Advisor to the President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Why did Jamie’s time at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty come to an abrupt end? Why should Americans continue to support the work of RFERL and its sister stations? How is Chinese and Russian influence impacting Europe? Jamie 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 UAE and Israel normalize relations, Belarusians are in the streets protesting a stolen election, and Mali is rocked by its second coup in less than a decade. Dana, Jamil, Les, and Loren discuss how these situations impact American politics and America’s standing in the world. Will Saudi Arabia be the next to strike a deal with Israel? Can the United States credibly stand up for Democratic activists abroad? How has Africa policy been impacted by the American public’s disinterest? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.In our under the radar segment, Les highlights insurgent attacks in Mozambique, Dana decries the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, Jamil discusses the possibility of snap back sanctions on Iran, and Loren shares her concerns about the postal service and an asteroid headed towards earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Dr. Joseph Nye, University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus and former Dean of the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and author of the recent book Do Morals Matter?: Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump. What makes a moral foreign policy? What lessons can be learned from the failures of previous Presidents? Can blue jeans and rock and roll actually change the world? Dr. Nye and host Les 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 UAE builds the first civilian nuclear reactor in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia moves down the path to building a nuclear weapon. Dana, Jamil, Jodi, and Les discuss the geopolitical ramifications of a nuclear powered Middle East. Are 123 agreements useful anymore? Will the United States be able to prevent nuclear proliferation? How does china play into all of this? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.In our under the radar segment, Jamil highlights the changing tide of U.S.-China relations, Dana discusses the explosion that rocked Beirut, Jodi examines the election in Belarus, and Les laments the lack of foreign aid on the table for the next round of coronavirus legislation currently under debate on Capitol Hill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fault Lines welcomes Jeremy Bash, former Chief of Staff at the CIA and Department of Defense. What are the biggest challenges facing the intelligence community? How has the icy relationship between the President and the Intelligence Community impacted national security? Are trendy dances a national security threat? Jeremy 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.

Nord Stream 2 is exacerbating the split between the United States and its European Allies. Across the Mediterranean Laurent Gbagbo is acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Les Munson, Jamil Jaffer, Loren Dealy Mahler, and Andrew Borene discuss how the U.S. should push back against the Russians in Europe and how Americans should think about the ICC. In our under the radar segment, Les highlights the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam raising tensions along the Nile, Loren explores the legislative twists and turns of this year’s NDAA, Jamil discusses the tit-for-tat consulate closures in Chengdu and Houston, and Andrew discusses how rebalancing special operations forces and potentially elevating the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict to full Under Secretary will impact great power competition. Can the United States stop Nord Stream 2 at this point? Is the ICC an international institution worth protecting? Will the long-view of foreign policy return in a post-Trump America? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our second "Better Know a State Department Bureau" series, Fault Lines welcomes Dr. Chris Ford, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation. How should America respond to Russian non-compliance? How can the US work with China to control nuclear proliferation? How does ancient Greek and Roman philosophy play into all of this? Dr. Ford 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.