Stories from the Backchannel

From serving as a counterterrorism analyst for the Pentagon in Afghanistan to working on security issues at Facebook, Kara Frederick has spent her entire career confronting America's most dangerous national security challenges. Now a Fellow with the CNAS Technology and National Security Program, Frederick joins Ilan Goldenberg to discuss how terrorists and bad actors have used digital technology​, how governments and private companies have responded, and what digital security challenges lie ahead.

How have China's global ambitions sharpened under President Xi Jinping, and how should the United States respond? Dr. Kurt M. Campbell served in the Obama administration as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he helped lead the administration's "Pivot to Asia." Now Chairman and CEO of The Asia Group, Campbell joins Ilan Goldenberg to discuss his front row seat to President Xi's rise to power, the future of U.S.-China relations, and more.

As a woman serving on the front lines in Iraq, Kayla Williams faced not only the perils of combat, but the ordeals of sexism and harassment. Some of her greatest challenges, however, lay at home—learning to care for a spouse with a traumatic brain injury, overcoming PTSD, and fighting for VA reform. Kayla, now Director of the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program, joins Ilan Goldenberg to discuss her time serving as an Arabic linguist in the U.S. Army and the human costs of armed conflict.

When American diplomats travel abroad and meet with foreign leaders, who works behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly? What negotiations go into preparing for a state dinner with Kim Jong-il, and how is the pageantry of a diplomatic visit used to further U.S. policy objectives? Price Floyd, a veteran State Department public affairs official and former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, speaks with Ilan Goldenberg about his most remarkable—and bizarre—experiences abroad on diplomatic advance teams.

What do the Pentagon's decisions about military spending say about our priorities as a nation? What goes into the DoD's $700 billion budget each year? Former Pentagon official Susanna V. Blume, now Director of the CNAS Defense Program, joins Ilan Goldenberg to discuss what the composition and size of the defense budget reveals about America’s national security priorities.

Richard Fontaine spent years advising leading figures in American foreign policy, but working for the late Sen. John McCain was unlike anything he had experienced before. Now Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security, Fontaine sits down with Ilan Goldenberg to discuss Senator McCain's legacy, detail stories from his time working on Capitol Hill and the 2008 McCain presidential campaign, and recount lessons learned from a storied American statesman.

Now more than ever, Americans are interested in the people working behind the scenes on consequential national security decisions. In Season Two of Stories from the Backchannel, host Ilan Goldenberg sits down with experts from across the U.S. foreign policy landscape to discuss their experiences and roles on the front row of history. From working on major presidential campaigns to crafting the world's largest budget, this season's guests will shed light on the places where key national security decisions happen.

Ambassador Wendy Sherman discusses her unlikely career, which began as an advocate for women's issues. Then, she went into politics, and eventually wound up at the State Department, where she was the lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal. In her new book, “Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence,” Sherman writes about long hours of work and having to persevere through tough negotiations with the North Koreans and later the Iranians. In this final episode of the first season of Stories from the Backchannel, Sherman speaks with host Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for A New American Security. She talks about what it was like to be sitting next to the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the challenges of negotiating with Iran. Sherman's story is a candid portrayal of what it's like to be a diplomat and how challenges can sometimes be turned into opportunities.

What happens when a Predator drone has as much autonomy as a Google car? Or when a weapon that can hunt its own targets is hacked? Although it sounds like science fiction, the technology already exists to create weapons that can attack targets without human input. One person who has taken a deep look into autonomous weapons is Paul Scharre, Director of the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS and former Army Ranger. In this episode, Scharre talks with host Ilan Goldenberg about how far weapons have evolved and how the world reconcile with the moral implications of these advancements. Scharre is also author of the book Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War.

When Bill Clinton took over as President in 1992, his then Middle East advisor Martin Indyk told him he has a chance to partner with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to secure peace treaties with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the Palestinians. In this episode of Stories From The Backchannel, Indyk talks with host Ilan Goldenberg, Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for A New American Security, about Indyk's journey from Australia to becoming the US Ambassador to Israel, and his quest to bring peace between Israel and its neighbors. Indyk recounts triumphs such as bringing PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat and Rabin to the White House for a historic summit. He also recalls heartbreaking setbacks such what it was like to being in the hospital with Rabin's family on the night the Prime Minister was assassinated. During the Obama administration Goldenberg and Indyk would wind up working together under Secretary of State John Kerry as the United States made another attempt to broker peace. Through the lens of Indyk's decades long career trying to bring peace, listeners will be able to gain a broad sense of the challenges facing all sides and what the prospects are for the future.

In this episode, CNAS CEO Amb. Victoria Nuland offers a riveting account of her time as one of America's leading diplomats on Russia as the world witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.