Podcasts about democracies fdd

WMAL GUEST: 7:35 AM - INTERVIEW - JONATHAN SCHANZER - Executive Director of Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and former U.S. Treasury terror finance analyst on Iran talks SOCIAL MEDIA: https://x.com/JSchanzer Trump team holds 'constructive' face-to-face nuclear talks with Iran, will meet again next weekend Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Monday, April 14, 2025 / 7 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 7 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Julie Gunlock discussed: WMAL GUEST: 7:05 AM - INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia NO ROGUE RULINGS ACT: Mike Johnson says No Rogue Rulings Act will fix ‘real abuse’ in judicial system Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported, immigration judge rules AP: US still won’t say whether it will return mistakenly deported man, despite Supreme Court decisionTrump is ‘fully fit’ to serve as commander in chief, his doctor says after recent physical' WMAL GUEST: 7:35 AM - INTERVIEW - JONATHAN SCHANZER - Executive Director of Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and former U.S. Treasury terror finance analyst on Iran talks SOCIAL MEDIA: https://x.com/JSchanzerTrump team holds 'constructive' face-to-face nuclear talks with Iran, will meet again next weekend Suspect arrested after arson at Pennsylvania governor’s house forced Shapiro and family to evacuate Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Monday, April 14, 2025 / 7 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bulletin welcomes Mariam Wahba for a conversation with Mike Cosper about Coptic Christian martyrdom in the modern world. Find us on YouTube. Mike Cosper sits down with Mariam Wahba, research analyst and Coptic Christian, at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for a sobering, sacred conversation about the 21 Christians martyred on a beach in Libya in 2015 and how their memory can shape both global politics and our everyday lives. GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUEST:  Mariam Wahba is a research analyst at Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) focused on Egypt and minorities in the Middle East. Previously, she served with FDD's communications team, where she booked experts and helped establish FDD's Arabic X and Instagram accounts. Born and raised in Egypt, she is a Coptic Christian and an advocate for the persecuted church. Mariam is also the cofounder of American-ish, a digital platform aimed at highlighting ethnoreligious minorities of the Middle East and promoting American values.  ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today's editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The international war reporter John Lechner is a brave man. For his new book Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare, he spent time in both Russia and the Central African Republic researching the Russian mercenary Wagner Group founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin. In our conversation, he details Prigozhin's rise, his rebellion against Putin, and his eventual death. Lechner argues that mercenary groups like Wagner are generally no more or less bloodthirsty than the governments that employ them. We also talked about the broader global trend of outsourcing warfare, from Russian mercenaries to U.S. contractors like Blackwater, and how this approach reduces political costs for governments engaging in military interventions.Here are the 5 KEEN ON AMERICA takeaways from the Lechner interview:* Wagner Group represents a broader trend of privatized warfare, following in the footsteps of Western contractors like Blackwater but expanding into offensive operations.* Yevgeny Prigozhin's personal ambition and desire to overcome his status within Putin's inner circle drove Wagner's expansion globally.* Mercenary groups like Wagner typically mirror the human rights practices of the governments that hire them, often exacerbating existing abuses rather than introducing new ones.* Prigozhin's rebellion against Putin stemmed from his narcissism and fear of losing political leverage when the Ministry of Defense attempted to absorb Wagner's fighters.* The outsourcing of warfare (through mercenaries, proxies, or technology) allows governments to pursue interventionist policies with reduced political costs, as contractor deaths don't receive the same public scrutiny as military casualties.John Lechner graduated from the Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) Program at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. At Georgetown, John focused on security issues in Central Africa and the Sahel; Turkey; Russia, and the former Soviet Union. He is an expert on Russia's growing influence in Africa. He speaks fluent Russian; advanced French, Turkish, and Georgian; and conversational Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), Chechen, German, and Sango (the lingua franca of the Central African Republic). After working in finance for several years, John decided to leverage his language skills and significant experience living abroad—especially in Russia and Europe—for a career in international affairs. After arriving in Washington DC, he took an internship with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), analyzing and publishing articles on Turkish domestic politics, security, and foreign relations. While attending Georgetown he has continued to work as a freelance journalist, covering issues related to language, history, culture, and politics in eastern Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, the Sahel, and the Central African Republic. He is an expert on the history, languages, and politics of Central Africa, Turkey, and the former Soviet Union. You can find his articles published in Foreign Policy, War on the Rocks, Kyiv Post, The Diplomat, Africa is a Country, African Arguments, The National Interest, and Defense One, among others.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting the daily KEEN ON show, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy interview series. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

FIDF CEO Steven Weil is joined by Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President of Research for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) to discuss the current ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. Dr. Schanzer provides exclusive insight into the intents and aims of Israeli officials who helped formulate the deal. He elaborates on the broader regional geopolitical ramifications of continuing the deal or resuming the war with Hamas and the impact of the new American administration on the situation. Steve and Dr. Schanzer also talk about the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and what the future may hold with the current ceasefire ending. Finally, the two discuss Israel's potential future military engagements with Iran and the Houthis in Yemen.Donate NOW at FIDF.org for the fastest and most direct way to give IDF Soldiers what they need most. 100% of your contribution will go to meet their emergency humanitarian needs.

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/ Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor Yesterday, in a dramatic and unexpected press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump called for a U.S. takeover of Gaza, and to relocate its two million Palestinian residents to alternative countries. President Trump also issued a series of executive orders impacting Israel and the Middle East, including one imposing maximum pressure on Iran. To discuss these fast-moving developments, Rich Goldberg returns to the podcast. Rich is a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). From 2019-2020, he served as Director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction for the Trump White House National Security Council (NSC). He previously served as a national security staffer in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House and is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve with military experience on the Joint Staff and in Afghanistan. CREDITS:ILAN BENATAR - Producer & EditorMARTIN HUERGO - EditorREBECCA STROM - Director of OperationsSTAV SLAMA - ResearcherGABE SILVERSTEIN - Research InternYUVAL SEMO - Music Composer 

Very few people have worked closely with President-elect Donald Trump, gotten fired, and walked away with a pretty balanced view of him. But former national security adviser to Trump, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster is an exception. In his book At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, he gives an honest account of working in Trump's first administration: the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Last week, McMaster sat down with Michael Moynihan at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for an in-person Free Press Book Club event to discuss it all. They talk about his moments of tension with Trump, his understanding of Trump's foreign policy, and how Trump's rhetoric toward adversaries was actually good, despite being villainized by the press. And also, as McMaster puts it, Trump can be “so disruptive, he often interrupts his own agenda.” They also get into the president-elect's current cabinet picks—ones who McMaster sees as good, like Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz, but how good picks do not ensure a harmonious administration. They discuss Trump's options for handling Russia, Iran, and Hamas in his second term, and why McMaster is surprisingly and cautiously optimistic about Trump 2.0. If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute in Washington, D.C. FDD's experts conduct in-depth research, produce accurate and timely analyses, identify illicit activities, and provide policy options—all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by enemies of the United States and other free nations. Learn more at FDD.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Alex Pierson tackles some of the big issues plaguing Canadians today in the "Alex Pierson Podcast", which highlights some of the interviews done on the live show. On this episode, Alex starts off speaking with: Daniel Foch, a Toronto-based realtor about claims from Toronto Mayor Oliva Chow saying that her suggested property tax increase will NOT be pushed onto renters...but is that true? Next, Alex speaks with: Perrin Beatty, the former Foreign Affairs Minister and the previous CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce about these ongoing trade talks with the U.S., and how elder statesmen like Stephen Harper and Jean Chrétien are speaking out amidst our political insecurity in Canada. and finally, Alex is joined by: Richard Goldberg, a Sr. Advisor with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) about an impending ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and why this has to be completed before President-Elect Trump comes into office...or it could escalate the entire situation. You can always listen live Monday - Friday 12 pm - 3 pm on AM640 Toronto, the IHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts to interviews like these and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Alex Pierson speaks with Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) about a truce that could be coming to the conflict in Israel-Gaza, and why Trumps presidency could have inched this possibility into a reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this WPN Call #391, Dr. Jim Garlow is joined by Jonathan Schanzer, the senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he oversees the work of the organization's experts and scholars. He previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he followed and froze the funding of Hamas and Al-Qaeda. Jonathan discusses who is promoting and funding the outrageous acts of antisemitism on America's college campuses.     Website: https://www.fdd.org/       Dr. Jim Garlow has partnered with Pastor Mario Bramnick and Adam Schindler to bring you World Prayer Network (WPN), which seeks out Holy Spirit given strategies for how to be an effective and contagious Christ-follower in our present national situations. WPN hosts weekly prayer calls to seek out strategies for the transformation of nations, including our own. During these live calls, we share briefings from key leaders and then pray into what we see and hear from the Lord.     Follow us on social media:  facebook.com/wellversedworld twitter: @wellversedworld instagram: @wellversedworld www.wellversedworld.org

America has just elected a new president, or rather, a new-old president. Donald Trump will be the first American president since Grover Cleveland to be elected to non-consecutive terms. All transitions between presidential administrations have an awkward aspect, felt especially during the months between the election and when the incumbent takes office. This period, when the successor has already been named by the electorate but does not yet have any official power, is when a lame-duck session of Congress meets, and the president himself is called a lame-duck president. During this period, the president—while retaining all of his constitutional authority—nevertheless tends to diminish in the power hierarchy of Washington. Presidential power is based, to a very large degree, on the possibility of promising something in the future, and lame-duck presidents don't have a future in which they can fulfill any promises. It can also be a period when, unconstrained by the need to run for office again, a president can put executive orders and other kinds of policies in place without worrying about their political consequences. So it can be a period of troublemaking. Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), fears that a lame-duck Biden administration might decide to target Israel with executive action in very damaging ways. Dubowitz has spent decades working on financial warfare and sanctions in and out of government, and he is an expert on Iran's nuclear program. In order to follow this conversation, there are a couple of things it helps to know. First, in December 2016, during President Obama's lame-duck period, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which conveyed that all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem are illegal. The U.S. could have vetoed the resolution, but instead abstained. The second is Executive Order 14115, which President Biden signed back in February, which gives the State and Treasury Departments authorization to sanction individuals and entities who undermine peace and security in the very areas Security Council Resolution 2334 determined Israelis may not live in. Sanctions have already been levied against some Israelis—some of whom genuinely do undermine peace, and some of whom do not. Dubowitz joins Jonathan Silver to warn of the danger that the president will use the last weeks of his term to take accelerated action under these authorities. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.

David Volodzko speaks with terrorism expert Jonathan Schanzer about terrorism funding, the efficacy of sanctions, the Iranian regime and Hamas funding, the Israel-Hamas War, the Russo-Ukraine War, China's potential invasion of Taiwan, and more.Jonathan Schanzer (website, X) is senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and host of the FDD Morning Brief, where he covers the latest news from the Middle East.Schanzer is also a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he froze the funding of Hamas and Al-Qaeda, and has worked as a researcher at think tanks including the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum.Schanzer has written hundreds of articles on the Middle East and U.S. national security and several books including State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, and Al-Qaeda's Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror.His most recent book is Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theradicalist.com/subscribe

PREVIEW: Colleague Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) declares that Hamas has been destroyed as a fighting unit. More details on this to come later in the program. undated Jerusalem

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we look at the escalating conflict in Lebanon.In recent months Israeli airstrikes have ramped up, targeting Hezbollah's military stores, infrastructure, and its leadership. Additionally, Israeli troops have crossed the border and are confronting Hezbollah on the ground. Efforts are now ramping up to bring about a ceasefire, but nothing has been agreed yet, and it is still unclear what the terms of the deal would be. Also up for discussion is the state of Hezbollah as an armed group.How is Lebanon coping with the rising violence and the ever growing risks? Is this the end of Hezbollah? And can a deal be done so that Lebanon avoid the same fate that Israel has imposed on Gaza?Joining us, we speak with Yazan al-Saadi, The New Arab's International Editor, based in Beirut. Also, David Daoud (@DavidADaoud), senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (@FDD), focused on Lebanon and Hezbollah. And Charles Dunne (@CharlesWDunne), Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University (@ElliottSchoolGW) and non-resident fellow at the Arab Center Washington D.C. (@ArabCenterWDC). This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaign updates and China. Find us on Youtube. The presidential campaign has hit the swing states in full force. We welcome Mike Murphy, who spent many years as a campaign manager, to talk about what's happening on the road. Then, Jonathan Schanzer joins us to consider China's recent military posturing and its powerful axis of adversaries.    GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Email us with your favorite segment from today's show at podcasts@christianitytoday.com. Follow the show in your podcast app of choice. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. Leave a comment in Spotify with your feedback on the discussion—we may even respond! ABOUT THE GUESTS:  Mike Murphy is one of the Republican Party's most successful political media consultants, having handled strategy and advertising for more than 26 successful gubernatorial and senatorial campaigns. He served as a top campaign messaging and political strategist for Sen. John McCain's historic Straight Talk Express Presidential campaign in 2000, and also for successful gubernatorial candidates Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tommy Thompson, and John Engler. In 2020 he served as a key strategist for Republican Voters Against Trump. He currently cohosts the popular weekly politics podcast Hacks on Tap with David Axelrod, which boasts over 14 million downloads to date.  Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he oversees the work of the organization's experts and scholars. He is also on the leadership team of FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power. He previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the US Department of the Treasury, where he played an integral role in the designation of numerous terrorist financiers. Schanzer has written hundreds of articles, monographs, and chapters for edited volumes on the Middle East. His book, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, is still the only book on the market that analyzes the ongoing Palestinian civil war. Schanzer testifies often before Congress and publishes widely in the American and international media. He has appeared on Fox News, CNN, Al-Arabiya, and Al-Jazeera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PREVIEW: Colleague Cleo Paskal of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) will comment on what the people of Palau need from the U.S. to fend off aggressive influence-peddling efforts by the People's Republic of China (PRC). More details on this to come later in the program. 1900 Palau

PREVIEW: Colleague Cleo Paskal of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) will comment on what the people of Palau need from the U.S. to fend off aggressive influence-peddling efforts by the People's Republic of China (PRC). More details on this to come later in the program. 1900 Bombay

On the one-year anniversary of the horrific October 7 massacre, when Hamas terrorists slaughtered over 1,200 innocent Israelis, the landscape of the Middle East has changed. From the initial shock of Israel's intelligence failure to the unity seen among Israel and world Jewry to the way other countries have either supported or hindered Israel's response, the ramifications have been felt in the Middle East and throughout the world. On this special October 7 episode, Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with returning guest Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President for Research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, to discuss the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the escalating war with Hezbollah and Iran, and what Gaza's post-war future may hold.

Israel attacks Hezbollah, the soul of MAGA, and Olivia Nuzzi.  Find us on Youtube. This week, we are joined by Jonathan Schanzer (senior vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies) to talk about Israel's attacks in Lebanon. Then, Tim Alberta of The Atlantic joins to explore the soul of MAGA, and finally, Mike and Clarissa discuss shamelessness in the scandalous story of Olivia Nuzzi. “The Soul of MAGA” by Mike Cosper Boz Tchividjian discusses sexual abuse in episode 87 GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Follow the show in your podcast app of choice. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. Leave a comment in Spotify with your feedback on the discussion—we may even respond! Subscribe to Christianity Today Magazine TODAY'S GUESTS:  Jonathan Schanzer, PhD, is senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he oversees the work of the organization's experts and scholars. He is also on the leadership team of FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power. He previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the US Department of the Treasury. Schanzer has written hundreds of articles, monographs, and chapters for edited volumes on the Middle East. His book, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, analyzes the ongoing Palestinian civil war. Schanzer testifies often before Congress and publishes widely in American and international media. He has appeared on Fox News, CNN Al-Arabiya, and Al-Jazeera. Tim Alberta is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He was previously the chief political correspondent for Politico. He is also the author of American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a weekly (and sometimes more!) current events show from Christianity Today hosted and moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today's editor in chief) and Mike Cosper (director, CT Media). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A proposal is reportedly on the table that could potentially see the US gain control of Turkey's S-400s in return for Ankara re-joining the F-35 program. This has many asking why the Biden administration is in a rush to find a way to bring Turkey back into a program that it was ejected from as a result of Ankara's embrace of Russia and behavior that is antithetical to NATO. Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look into this developing story, and make the case that Turkey should prove it is ready to embrace NATO before Washington begins to open the door to any arms deals like the F-35s. Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Turkey should prove it is ready to embrace NATOGreek PM sees ‘window of opportunity' on demarcating maritime zones with TurkeyCyprus leader says he ready to resume peace talks ‘today'

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/vNHk5nBeEbM All our links: https://linktr.ee/centreforindependentstudies In this thought-provoking interview, Robert Forsyth sits down with Behnam Ben Taleblu, a renowned Iran expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), to discuss the evolving landscape of liberalism in Iran. Together, they explore the complexities of Iran's political culture, the rise of reformist and liberal movements, and the challenges posed by the ruling regime. What is the future of liberalism in Iran? Can the country embrace democratic values in the face of internal and external pressures? How do the people of Iran view their role in shaping the future? Robert and Behnam delve into these questions and more, offering unique insights on the current socio-political climate and potential pathways forward for Iran.

Host Alex Pierson is joined by LT. COL. (RET.) Jonathan Conricus, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a former IDF spokesperson about the increased hostilities between Israel and Lebanon amidst ongoing ceasefire talks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Dubowitz reports from Tel Aviv after over a month in Israel discussing Israel's emerging (and bolder) approach to Iran. Mark is the CEO of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). In his role, he has advised the Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden administrations and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and he has testified more than twenty times before the U.S. Congress and foreign legislatures. A former venture capitalist and technology executive, Mark holds a master's degree in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. To read Mark's recent piece in the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/israels-approach-to-iran-may-be-getting-bolder-f4c2c5f2?st=26ve823zvaeilzf&reflink=article_copyURL_share FDD's Iranian Protest Tracker Map: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/01/27/mapping-the-protests-in-iran-2/ Register for Call me Back Live at the Streicker Center in New York: https://streicker.nyc/events/tibon-senor

In an escalation of rhetoric that is raising the temperature in the broader region, the last few days have seen Turkey's President Erdogan threaten to intervene in Israel on behalf of the Palestinians, noting military interventions Turkey has made in the past in other countries. These statements came about a week after reports that Israel had foiled a major terrorist attack orchestrated from Hamas operatives in Turkey. Thanos Davelis spoke with Tyler Stapleton and Sinan Ciddi last week about this development - which once again puts Turkey's support for Hamas in the spotlight - and explored what steps Washington and NATO can take to address Ankara's enabling of Hamas.Tyler Stapleton is the Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action, and has served as a senior advisor on national security, foreign policy, defense, and intelligence for members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP).You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Israel Foils Hamas Terror Attack Directed by TurkeyTurkey's President Threatens Military Action Against IsraelTurkey threatens to ‘enter' Israel to protect PalestiniansTurkey delisting exposes financial watchdog's blind spotWindow opens for Parthenon Sculptures' returnGreece's Santorini bursts with tourists as locals call for a cap

With the US in the midst of an intense diplomatic push to prevent a war between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, Turkey has also waded into the mix. While it's still unclear what Turkey is looking to achieve should a conflict erupt, it looks like a policy is taking shape, especially after Ankara followed up on Hezbollah's threats to Cyprus with its own “warning”. Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look into this latest “warning” from Ankara to Cyprus, dig into the Turkey-Hezbollah connections, and look at what role Ankara will likely play in any potential conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Will Turkey Work With Hezbollah?Turkey Should Remain on FATF Grey ListNorth Macedonia's PM calls Prespa Agreement a ‘reality'Four MPs enter PASOK's leadership race in election countdownTwo to challenge Androulakis for PASOK leadership

As China enters into a quarrel with the Philippines in the South China Sea and holds military drills encircling Taiwan - the question is no longer if China will attack but when? Understanding the warfare strategy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is essential for U.S. national security and important for allies in the Indo-Pacific: India, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, the Pacific Islands, and more. For Episode 33 of the Border Wars Podcast, we sit down with two top Indo-Pacific experts to explain what happens when China attacks and how to respond. Col. (ret) Grant Newsham from the Center for Security Policy (CSP) and Cleo Paskal from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) join the podcast to discuss how China's war against the U.S. and the West has already begun. Grant Newsham is a retired U.S. Marine and American Diplomat that has served in the Indo-Pacific for decades and lived in Tokyo for more than twenty years and the author of the new book "When China Attacks: A Warning To America." Cleo Paskal is a former travel journalist and current special correspondent for the Sunday Guardian newspaper in India, focusing her work on the Indo-Pacific, including recent research on the U.S. Freely Associated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands.

Dr Ivana Stradner is a Research Fellow at The Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) a non-partisan institution focusing on national security and foreign policy. She is a Special Correspondent @KyivPost and expert on Russia's information security. Ivana has been published in many academic journals and the media, including The Washington Post, The National Interest, Real Clear World and Defence, Newsweek, National Review, and Foreign Policy. ---------- LINKS: https://www.fdd.org/team/ivana-stradner/ https://x.com/ivanastradner https://www.aei.org/profile/ivana-stradner/ https://www.belgradeforum.org/speaker/ivana-stradner/ https://foreignpolicy.com/author/ivana-stradner/ https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/245 ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND: kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyśl https://kharpp.com/ Save Ukraine https://www.saveukraineua.org/ Superhumans - Hospital for war traumas https://superhumans.com/en/ UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukraine https://unbroken.org.ua/ Come Back Alive https://savelife.in.ua/en/ Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine Ukrainian Freedom News https://www.ukrainianfreedomnews.com/donation/ UNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyy https://u24.gov.ua/ Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation https://prytulafoundation.org NGO “Herojam Slava” https://heroiamslava.org/ NOR DOG Animal Rescue https://www.nor-dog.org/home/ ---------- PLATFORMS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSilicon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siliconcurtain/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube's algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

With his unique background as an Iraqi- and Lebanese-raised former journalist who has since become an outspoken voice for democracy and liberty, Hussain Abdul-Hussain remains one of the world's foremost experts on Middle East relations in a time of growing unrest in Gulf State countries. Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Hussain to discuss the dangers and rewards of speaking out, the increase in ties between Arab nations and Israel, and what a post-war reconstruction plan might look like for Gaza.

This week kicked off with Turkish President Erdogan stating that 1000 Hamas members were being treated in Turkey, a comment that Turkish officials tried to walk back, saw The Times report that Hamas may have been planning to establish a base in Turkey, and culminated with the Turkish leader suggesting that Israel would “set its sights” on Turkey if it defeated Hamas in Gaza. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look into Erdogan's latest comments on Hamas, the recent report in The Times, and the questions this raises about the Erdogan-Hamas connection.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Secret Document Discovered in Gaza Reveals Hamas Plan to Establish Base in TurkeyErdogan defends Hamas, says members are being treated in Turkish hospitalsSecret papers reveal Hamas plan to set up base in TurkeyTurkey dials up Gaza diplomacy as cease-fire talks hit 'impasse'Gov't to table F-35 letter of acceptance in ParliamentEU ministers to strengthen migration policies

Concerns have arisen among geopolitical analysts over the escalating animosity between Israel and Iran. They have voiced the consensus that an open conflict between the two nations would not serve the interests of any country in the Middle East, warning that such hostilities would culminate in a full-fledged showdown. In this scenario, regional powers would likely remain as bystanders. Noted strategist and Institute for the Study of War senior fellow, Matt McInnis, emphasized that Arab nations would prefer to stay neutral. McInnis elucidated that nations within the region may find themselves inadvertently entangled in this potential conflict - a prospect causing anxiety in Iran. The tension has escalated following Iran's repeated threats of retaliation against Israel subsequent to an Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus. This assault resulted in the unfortunate loss of seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two of its generals. The immediate threat from Iran has caused a shift in U.S. CENTCOM Gen. Michael Kurilla's schedule, moving him to expedite his meeting with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. This urgent meeting's focus was to evaluate the military readiness of Israel, confirmed Pentagon Press Secretary and Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder during a Thursday press briefing. Jonathan Conricus, previously outspoke spokesman for the IDF and currently a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), downplayed the media's portrayal of tension around Iran's impending response to Israel. During the FDD's Morning Brief podcast, he even termed the escalating fear in Israel as a 'minor panic'. So as to assuage these fears, he assured listeners of the strategic thinking governing Iran's response to the crisis. Conricus praised Iran's tactical approach in these matters. He described Iranians as disciplined strategists who are well-versed in avoiding hasty actions based on emotional responses. He highlighted that despite the belligerent rhetoric currently prevalent, Iranians are known for their long-term vision and strategy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#LEBANON: Beirut is a refuge for fleeing Hamas. Tony Badran, News Editor and Levant Analyst at Tablet, was a Research Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of. Democracies (FDD) where he focused on Lebanon, Hezbollah, Syria, and the geopolitics of the levant.Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 https://www.ft.com/content/015ceea7-d324-46cf-8d72-8b1864885260 1950 Beirut

Dr. Jonathan Schanzer is a terrorism finance expert, a Senior Vice President for Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and serves on the FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power leadership team.  Along with hundreds of articles on terrorism and the Middle East, he is the author of books including Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War, State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, and Al-Qaeda's Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups & the Next Generation of Terror. Previously, Dr. Schanzer was a terrorism finance analyst in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He also held think tank research positions at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum.  You can follow him on X @JSchanzer and on Instagram @jonathan.schanzer  NOTE: This segment has been extracted from the full-length episode, which originally aired on November 10, 2023.  SPONSORS: Red Sky Mourning – The 7th novel in the James Reece Terminal List series. Pre-order today! http://jackcarr.co/rsm  Bravo Company Manufacturing: Visit us on the web at http://jackcarr.co/bcm and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSA.com  SIG: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the legendary SIG SAUER P226. Learn more here - https://jackcarr.co/SIG40thP226  Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here - https://jackcarr.co/gear

Turkey announced it was restricting exports on a wide range of products to Israel on Tuesday, in Ankara's first significant measure against Israel after six months of war. The decision comes after Turkish President Erdogan's party suffered a historic defeat in the municipal elections, a result which experts Sinan Ciddi and Steven Cook argued in Foreign Policy could provide a first glimpse into what a post-AKP Turkey might look like. Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look at why Erdogan is taking these measures against Israel now, and break down how it fits into the broader post-election narrative.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.Read Sinan Ciddi and Steven Cook's latest in Foreign Policy here: Post-Erdogan Turkey Is Finally HereYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Turkey imposes export restrictions on Israel until Gaza ceasefireGreece accuses Turkey of ‘politicizing' environment, affirms commitment to safeguarding sovereign rightsTurkey challenges Greek plans for new marine park in Aegean Sea, citing sovereignty disputeEU Red Sea navy mission commander hopes for more ships to repel Houthi attacks

Did Israel cave to American pressure to pull its troops out of Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza? Will the Biden administration's policy of conflict containment lead to peace or more war? How are Israel's enemies perceiving events on the ground?Caroline Glick is joined by Senior Adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) to discuss US pressure on Israel for a ceasefire and how it will lead to more war in the region.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-caroline-glick-show--5545596/support.

In the 6 AM Hour: Larry O'Connor and Julie Gunlock discussed: Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: vehicles fall into water after being hit by ship WMAL GUEST: 6:35 AM - INTERVIEW - RICHARD GOLDBERG - Senior Advisor, Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and is a former National Security Council official and senior US Senate aide U.N. Security Council Passes Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution, after U.S. Abstains from Vote Netanyahu CANCELS Israeli diplomatic trip to Washington after the US refuses to veto United Nations resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire over Ramadan Where to find more about WMAL's morning show:  Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor,  @Jgunlock,  @patricepinkfile and @heatherhunterdc.  Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 / 6 AM Hour  O'Connor and Company is proudly presented by Veritas AcademySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WMAL GUEST: 6:35 AM - INTERVIEW - RICHARD GOLDBERG - Senior Advisor, Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and is a former National Security Council official and senior US Senate aide U.N. Security Council Passes Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution, after U.S. Abstains from Vote Netanyahu CANCELS Israeli diplomatic trip to Washington after the US refuses to veto United Nations resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire over Ramadan Where to find more about WMAL's morning show:  Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor,  @Jgunlock,  @patricepinkfile and @heatherhunterdc.  Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 / 6 AM Hour  O'Connor and Company is proudly presented by Veritas AcademySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special guest Richard Goldberg, Middle East expert and Senior Advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).Support the show

We've just seen consecutive visits to the US by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, with both officials discussing a series of issues - from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine to trade and investments - with the White House, the State Department and Congress. This has many wondering if we are seeing a “new momentum” in US-Turkey ties in the wake of the Sweden NATO saga. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to discuss whether this is the case.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:New visits, full momentum: Can Turkey and US go beyond transactionalism?Joint Statement on the U.S.-Türkiye Strategic MechanismTurkey's Fidan to meet Blinken in Washington as US ties strengthenTurkey: A Sanctuary for Terrorist Entities & Illicit FinanceS-300 missiles could be sent to UkraineGreece-Turkey political dialogue: Commitment to build on existing positive atmosphere

A few weeks ago Turkey finally approved Sweden's NATO bid. In return, Ankara got a green light from the Biden administration for F-16s, something that's been on President Erdogan's wishlist. Now, despite Erdogan's antics over Sweden and his playing host to Iran and Russia's leaders, it looks like the Biden administration is employing a new approach of positive reinforcement with Ankara. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to explain why now is not the time for Washington to reward Turkey's Erdogan.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.Read Sinan Ciddi's latest here: Don't reward ErdoganYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:United States Welcomes Greece's Signing of the Artemis AccordsGov't mulls raising Golden Visa threshold to tackle housing crisis

This new year finds Washington in a bind over how to effectively engage with Turkey, a trend we've documented for at least half a decade. The tug of war over Sweden and F16s, and Ankara's stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict, are the latest examples of this. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to break down why a tough stance toward Ankara - setting clear parameters and enforcing them relentlessly - is the only way to defend US regional interests and stop Erdogan's mercurial and manipulative policies.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.Read Sinan Ciddi's latest here:The United States Needs to Play Hardball With TurkeyErdogan's electoral strategy for 2024: Vilify IsraelYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Iran, Russia decry Houthi strikes; Erdogan: US, UK want to turn Red Sea into bloodbathErdogan accuses U.S., Britain of trying to turn Red Sea into 'sea of blood'Greek PM faces fierce opposition over pledge to legalise gay marriageGreek prime minister says legislation allowing same-sex marriage will be presented soonSamaras rejects idea that ND MPs opposed to same-sex marriage abstain from vote

Is it time to reconsider Turkey's NATO membership? With the alliance having to constantly grapple with an uncooperative and at times even combative Turkish leader in President Erdogan, the question is as timely as ever. Expert Sinan Ciddi joins Thanos Davelis to look at why this discussion needs to take place and explore how NATO members can deal with a country that seems devoted to undermining the trans-Atlantic alliance.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.Read Sinan Ciddi's latest in Foreign Policy Magazine: It's Time to Reconsider Turkey's NATO MembershipYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:US ‘profoundly' worried over Turkey's financial links to HamasErdogan Does Not Care About the PalestiniansMembers of Congress press Britain to return the Parthenon SculpturesTell Prime Minister Sunak: Return the Parthenon Sculptures!Greek soccer matches postponed after clashes leave police officer in critical condition

Recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Les and John interviewed Matthew Pottinger. Pottinger is the current Chairman for the China Program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). Previously, Pottinger served in the White House for four years, in senior roles within the National Security Council, including serving as Deputy National Security Advisor from 2019-2021. Pottinger is credited with playing a key role in changing how the United States approaches China and raised awareness of the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to influence and interfere with U.S. institutions, including academia, the tech sector, and Wall Street. Are global repressors, including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, really an “axis” of rogue regimes? How far does their collaboration go? Does the U.S. and its allies have the capacity to deal with these rogue regimes as well as managing the hot spots around the globe? Can, and should, the U.S. decouple from China? If so, how far can this de-coupling go? Stay tuned for more of this Special Series at RNDF on Confronting the New Alliance of Global Repressors this week on Fault Lines! These are discussions you don't want to miss! Follow our experts on Twitter: @lestermunson @JohnCLipsey Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest: Dr. Georgianna "George" Shea, Chief Technologist, Defense of Democracies [@FDD], Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) and Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab (TCIL)On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgeorgesheaHost: Dr. Rebecca WynnOn ITSPmagazine  

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid on Thursday in a further setback to the Nordic country's hopes of joining the Western alliance after 18 months of delays that have left NATO allies frustrated. The move comes as Turkey's President Erdogan prepares to visit Germany, has openly aired his desire to be hosted by Biden in Washington, is looking to purchase US F-16s, and doubles down on his support for Hamas while slamming the US, Israel, and the West. Sinan Ciddi and Endy Zemenides join Thanos Davelis to break down how Turkey's holding up of Sweden's NATO bid, its continued support for Hamas, and its lambasting of the West is playing out in Washington.Endy Zemenides is the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council.Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). He is also an Associate Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College-Marine Corps University and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Turkish parliamentary committee delays decision on Sweden's NATO membership bidTurkey's parliament to debate Sweden's NATO bid as Erdogan eyes Biden inviteBerlin braces for Erdoğan's anti-Israel vitriolGermany's Scholz to Block Erdogan Plan to Buy Fighter JetsSenate unanimously adopts bill blocking US military aid to AzerbaijanUS Senate passes measure blocking US military aid to Azerbaijan

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, November 15th, 2023. Pub Membership Plug: Public Houses, or Pubs, are not just places to drink beer, wine, cider or even something a little stronger. It is also a unique social centre, very often the focus of community life in villages, towns and cities throughout the length and breadth of the world. We here at CrossPolitic hope to emulate that for you and yours. That’s why you should grab yourself a pub membership with CrossPolitic! We have a lot of big projects we’re working on behind the scenes here at CrossPoltiic. Projects like This America, our rowdy Christian Guides, our new and improved Fight Laugh Feast App, with more to come… and we need you on this ride with us. So pull up a chair, grab a pint, and join us on this ride at fightlaughfeast.com - that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/11/14/iran-expects-10-billion-sanctions-waiver-gift-biden/ Iran Expects $10 Billion Sanctions Waiver Gift from Biden The Iranian pro-regime propaganda site Tasnim News reported on Tuesday that the administration of President Joe Biden is likely to “agree with Iran’s getting access to $10 billion” currently frozen under sanctions, adding to tens of billions in relief the White House has already processed. “The Biden administration may approve a sanctions waiver on Tuesday that will allow Iran to access at least $10 billion in previously frozen funds held in Iraq,” the outlet declared. “According to reports, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Mohammad Reza Farzin held talks with his Omani counterpart last month on the acceleration of Iran’s access to its financial resources.” Tasnim News made the claim based on a report published on Monday by the Washington Free Beacon that described the $10 billion in question as already under a sanctions waiver, but one set to expire on Tuesday. The initial sanctions relief was reportedly issued in July, months before the unprecedented massacre of 1,200 civilians in Israel by the Iran proxy terrorist group Hamas on October 7. That mass killing – in which Hamas slaughtered children as young as infants, extensively tortured victims and desecrated corpses on camera, and took about 250 hostages – has increased pressure on the Biden administration to end sanctions relief programs that unfreeze money for Iran, allowing the government to use the unfrozen funds on legitimate needs and freeing up other funding to share with terrorist organizations such as Hamas. According to the original report, the money represents payments made by the government of Iraq to Iran in exchange for electricity services. “The Trump administration first allowed Iraq to import electricity and gas from Iran, but only on the condition that the payments were kept in an escrow account in Baghdad,” the Free Beacon explained. “The Biden administration continued to issue that waiver, and then broadened it in July so that Iraq could move more than $10 billion outside the country, enabling Tehran to draw on the funds for its budget and humanitarian needs.” The Iranian site Tasnim is sanctioned by the U.S. government for its close ties to the Iranian Islamist dictatorship. It was founded by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and a formal arm of the Iranian military, so it serves as an informal mouthpiece for the Iranian regime. The October 7 Hamas attack, which the terrorists branded the “al-Aqsa flood,” has renewed calls for the Biden administration to stop its policy of sanctions relief for Iran. Iran is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism and pours hundreds of millions of dollars a year into jihadist organizations threatening Israel. According to the U.S. State Department, Hamas itself receives about $100 million a year from the Iranian government. The Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon and vocally threatening attacks on Israel regularly, receives about $700 million a year from Iran. Despite the overwhelming evidence of coordination between Iran and groups such as Hamas, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), the Biden administration has granted Iran over $50 billion in sanctions relief. A month before the Israel attacks, Biden approved an agreement that gifted Iran $6 billion in sanctions relief in a single spell. In exchange for the $6 billion, which had been frozen in South Korean banks and which Washington allowed to be transferred to Iran-friendly Qatar, Iran freed five Americans it had been holding hostage in its political prisons. In October, shortly after the Hamas attack, the Biden administration “temporarily” lifted all oil and gas sanctions on socialist Venezuela, in response to dictator Nicolás Maduro’s short-lived promise to allow a free and fair presidential election. Iran and Venezuela are close allies; Iran refines a significant percentage of its own crude in Venezuela and has helped Venezuela refurbish its dilapidated oil facilities. The two countries recently signed an agreement with the Syrian dictatorship to jointly build a new refining facility. https://www.foxnews.com/world/nepal-bans-tiktok-disrupting-social-harmony Nepal bans TikTok for 'disrupting social harmony' Nepal’s government decided to ban the popular social media app TikTok on Monday, saying it was disrupting "social harmony" in the country. The announcement was made following a Cabinet meeting. Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud said the app would be banned immediately. "The government has decided to ban TikTok as it was necessary to regulate the use of the social media platform that was disrupting social harmony, goodwill and flow of indecent materials," Saud said. He said that to make social media platforms accountable, the government has asked the companies to register and open a liaison office in Nepal, pay taxes and abide by the country's laws and regulations. It wasn't clear what triggered the ban or if TikTok had refused to comply with Nepal's requests. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has faced scrutiny in a number of countries because of concerns that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests. Countries including the United States, Britain and New Zealand have banned the app on government phones despite TikTok repeatedly denying that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and would not do so if asked. Nepal has banned all pornographic sites in 2018. https://thepostmillennial.com/oregon-voters-want-to-walk-back-legalization-of-hard-drugs?utm_campaign=64487#google_vignette Oregon voters want to walk-back legalization of hard drugs In 2020, voters in Oregon passed Measure 110, which decriminalized the possession of certain drugs in small quantities for personal use and shuffled revenue from cannabis taxes to resources aimed at helping addicts. Since it went into effect the following year, crime and substance use has not gone down as intended, and as a result, residents are calling for a reintroduction of criminal penalties for users. A poll conducted by DHM Research earlier this year revealed that more than 60 percent of Oregonians want to see the decriminalization aspect of Measure 110 repealed, though support for the use of cannabis taxes to fund treatment programs has maintained popularity. According to the poll, 51 percent of those surveyed said they believed Measure 110 has been bad for Oregon. Of those, 33 percent deemed it "very bad." Over 60 percent said drug addiction, homelessness, and crime had become worse in the time since it was adopted. Rural voters who identified as Republicans were more likely than their Democratic urban neighbors to believe that the policy has had a negative impact on the state, though a sizable proportion of every demographic said as much. The poll, conducted via online survey among 500 Oregon voters between April 24 and 30, also found that drug addiction and mental health were viewed as more likely root causes of homelessness than access to affordable housing. As the Wall Street Journal reports, law enforcement officers across the state have found that contrary to what was expected, doing away with the threat of jail time has not resulted in more addicts seeking help. Since 2021, while 6,000 tickets have been issued for drug possession, only 92 people have gotten in touch with the helpline to complete an assessment that would connect them with the necessary assistance. Those who fail to call are supposed to receive a $100 fine, however that is hardly ever enforced. Overdoses have also continued to rise, jumping 23 percent between May 2021-2022 and May 2022-2023 to 1,500 statewide. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/sport/adam-johnson-police-arrest-spt-intl/index.html Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson, police say A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson last month, South Yorkshire Police said in a statement on Tuesday. Johnson died after sustaining a cut to the neck while playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers in England on October 28. A Sheffield coroner’s report found that the 29-year-old “sustained an incised wound to the neck caused by the skate of another player” and later died in hospital as a result of the injury. “Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive enquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” detective chief superintendent Becs Horsfall said in a police statement. “We have been speaking to highly specialised experts in their field to assist in our enquiries and continue to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation.” The police statement added that the man arrested remains in custody. Following Johnson’s death, which the Panthers described in a statement on October 29 as a “freak accident,” there has been increased focus on player safety in ice hockey, particularly on whether protective neck guards should be more widely worn. “Adam’s death has sent shockwaves through many communities, from our local residents here in Sheffield to ice hockey fans across the world,” Horsfall said. Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, Johnson started his professional career in the American Hockey League before progressing to the National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in 13 games over two years for the Pittsburgh Penguins and also played in Sweden and Germany before joining the Panthers for the 2023-24 season. In an online obituary, Johnson’s family remembered him as a “thoughtful, patient and genuinely authentic” person who “took pleasure in the small, everyday things.” Members of the ice hockey community across the world have paid tribute to the forward, including in the city of Nottingham, where fans have laid flowers outside the Motorpoint Arena. Police said on Tuesday that officers are supporting Johnson’s family while the investigation into his death remains ongoing.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, November 15th, 2023. Pub Membership Plug: Public Houses, or Pubs, are not just places to drink beer, wine, cider or even something a little stronger. It is also a unique social centre, very often the focus of community life in villages, towns and cities throughout the length and breadth of the world. We here at CrossPolitic hope to emulate that for you and yours. That’s why you should grab yourself a pub membership with CrossPolitic! We have a lot of big projects we’re working on behind the scenes here at CrossPoltiic. Projects like This America, our rowdy Christian Guides, our new and improved Fight Laugh Feast App, with more to come… and we need you on this ride with us. So pull up a chair, grab a pint, and join us on this ride at fightlaughfeast.com - that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/11/14/iran-expects-10-billion-sanctions-waiver-gift-biden/ Iran Expects $10 Billion Sanctions Waiver Gift from Biden The Iranian pro-regime propaganda site Tasnim News reported on Tuesday that the administration of President Joe Biden is likely to “agree with Iran’s getting access to $10 billion” currently frozen under sanctions, adding to tens of billions in relief the White House has already processed. “The Biden administration may approve a sanctions waiver on Tuesday that will allow Iran to access at least $10 billion in previously frozen funds held in Iraq,” the outlet declared. “According to reports, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Mohammad Reza Farzin held talks with his Omani counterpart last month on the acceleration of Iran’s access to its financial resources.” Tasnim News made the claim based on a report published on Monday by the Washington Free Beacon that described the $10 billion in question as already under a sanctions waiver, but one set to expire on Tuesday. The initial sanctions relief was reportedly issued in July, months before the unprecedented massacre of 1,200 civilians in Israel by the Iran proxy terrorist group Hamas on October 7. That mass killing – in which Hamas slaughtered children as young as infants, extensively tortured victims and desecrated corpses on camera, and took about 250 hostages – has increased pressure on the Biden administration to end sanctions relief programs that unfreeze money for Iran, allowing the government to use the unfrozen funds on legitimate needs and freeing up other funding to share with terrorist organizations such as Hamas. According to the original report, the money represents payments made by the government of Iraq to Iran in exchange for electricity services. “The Trump administration first allowed Iraq to import electricity and gas from Iran, but only on the condition that the payments were kept in an escrow account in Baghdad,” the Free Beacon explained. “The Biden administration continued to issue that waiver, and then broadened it in July so that Iraq could move more than $10 billion outside the country, enabling Tehran to draw on the funds for its budget and humanitarian needs.” The Iranian site Tasnim is sanctioned by the U.S. government for its close ties to the Iranian Islamist dictatorship. It was founded by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and a formal arm of the Iranian military, so it serves as an informal mouthpiece for the Iranian regime. The October 7 Hamas attack, which the terrorists branded the “al-Aqsa flood,” has renewed calls for the Biden administration to stop its policy of sanctions relief for Iran. Iran is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism and pours hundreds of millions of dollars a year into jihadist organizations threatening Israel. According to the U.S. State Department, Hamas itself receives about $100 million a year from the Iranian government. The Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon and vocally threatening attacks on Israel regularly, receives about $700 million a year from Iran. Despite the overwhelming evidence of coordination between Iran and groups such as Hamas, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), the Biden administration has granted Iran over $50 billion in sanctions relief. A month before the Israel attacks, Biden approved an agreement that gifted Iran $6 billion in sanctions relief in a single spell. In exchange for the $6 billion, which had been frozen in South Korean banks and which Washington allowed to be transferred to Iran-friendly Qatar, Iran freed five Americans it had been holding hostage in its political prisons. In October, shortly after the Hamas attack, the Biden administration “temporarily” lifted all oil and gas sanctions on socialist Venezuela, in response to dictator Nicolás Maduro’s short-lived promise to allow a free and fair presidential election. Iran and Venezuela are close allies; Iran refines a significant percentage of its own crude in Venezuela and has helped Venezuela refurbish its dilapidated oil facilities. The two countries recently signed an agreement with the Syrian dictatorship to jointly build a new refining facility. https://www.foxnews.com/world/nepal-bans-tiktok-disrupting-social-harmony Nepal bans TikTok for 'disrupting social harmony' Nepal’s government decided to ban the popular social media app TikTok on Monday, saying it was disrupting "social harmony" in the country. The announcement was made following a Cabinet meeting. Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud said the app would be banned immediately. "The government has decided to ban TikTok as it was necessary to regulate the use of the social media platform that was disrupting social harmony, goodwill and flow of indecent materials," Saud said. He said that to make social media platforms accountable, the government has asked the companies to register and open a liaison office in Nepal, pay taxes and abide by the country's laws and regulations. It wasn't clear what triggered the ban or if TikTok had refused to comply with Nepal's requests. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has faced scrutiny in a number of countries because of concerns that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests. Countries including the United States, Britain and New Zealand have banned the app on government phones despite TikTok repeatedly denying that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and would not do so if asked. Nepal has banned all pornographic sites in 2018. https://thepostmillennial.com/oregon-voters-want-to-walk-back-legalization-of-hard-drugs?utm_campaign=64487#google_vignette Oregon voters want to walk-back legalization of hard drugs In 2020, voters in Oregon passed Measure 110, which decriminalized the possession of certain drugs in small quantities for personal use and shuffled revenue from cannabis taxes to resources aimed at helping addicts. Since it went into effect the following year, crime and substance use has not gone down as intended, and as a result, residents are calling for a reintroduction of criminal penalties for users. A poll conducted by DHM Research earlier this year revealed that more than 60 percent of Oregonians want to see the decriminalization aspect of Measure 110 repealed, though support for the use of cannabis taxes to fund treatment programs has maintained popularity. According to the poll, 51 percent of those surveyed said they believed Measure 110 has been bad for Oregon. Of those, 33 percent deemed it "very bad." Over 60 percent said drug addiction, homelessness, and crime had become worse in the time since it was adopted. Rural voters who identified as Republicans were more likely than their Democratic urban neighbors to believe that the policy has had a negative impact on the state, though a sizable proportion of every demographic said as much. The poll, conducted via online survey among 500 Oregon voters between April 24 and 30, also found that drug addiction and mental health were viewed as more likely root causes of homelessness than access to affordable housing. As the Wall Street Journal reports, law enforcement officers across the state have found that contrary to what was expected, doing away with the threat of jail time has not resulted in more addicts seeking help. Since 2021, while 6,000 tickets have been issued for drug possession, only 92 people have gotten in touch with the helpline to complete an assessment that would connect them with the necessary assistance. Those who fail to call are supposed to receive a $100 fine, however that is hardly ever enforced. Overdoses have also continued to rise, jumping 23 percent between May 2021-2022 and May 2022-2023 to 1,500 statewide. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/sport/adam-johnson-police-arrest-spt-intl/index.html Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson, police say A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson last month, South Yorkshire Police said in a statement on Tuesday. Johnson died after sustaining a cut to the neck while playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers in England on October 28. A Sheffield coroner’s report found that the 29-year-old “sustained an incised wound to the neck caused by the skate of another player” and later died in hospital as a result of the injury. “Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive enquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” detective chief superintendent Becs Horsfall said in a police statement. “We have been speaking to highly specialised experts in their field to assist in our enquiries and continue to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation.” The police statement added that the man arrested remains in custody. Following Johnson’s death, which the Panthers described in a statement on October 29 as a “freak accident,” there has been increased focus on player safety in ice hockey, particularly on whether protective neck guards should be more widely worn. “Adam’s death has sent shockwaves through many communities, from our local residents here in Sheffield to ice hockey fans across the world,” Horsfall said. Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, Johnson started his professional career in the American Hockey League before progressing to the National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in 13 games over two years for the Pittsburgh Penguins and also played in Sweden and Germany before joining the Panthers for the 2023-24 season. In an online obituary, Johnson’s family remembered him as a “thoughtful, patient and genuinely authentic” person who “took pleasure in the small, everyday things.” Members of the ice hockey community across the world have paid tribute to the forward, including in the city of Nottingham, where fans have laid flowers outside the Motorpoint Arena. Police said on Tuesday that officers are supporting Johnson’s family while the investigation into his death remains ongoing.

Today's guest is terrorism finance expert Dr. Jonathan Schanzer. Dr. Schanzer is a Senior Vice President for Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and serves on the FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power leadership team.  Along with hundreds of articles on terrorism and the Middle East, he is the author of books including Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War, State of Failure: Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Unmaking of the Palestinian State, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine, and Al-Qaeda's Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror. Previously, Dr. Schanzer was a terrorism finance analyst in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He also held think tank research positions at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum.  You can follow him on X @JSchanzer and on Instagram @jonathan.schanzer  SPONSORS: Navy Federal Credit Union: Today's episode is presented by Navy Federal Credit Union. Learn more about them at navyfederal.org Danger Close is an IRONCLAD Original.

In-person event next month: https://skeptic.com/event  Shermer and Taleblu discuss: • Iran and Hamas • Hamas and Israel • Does Iran really want to wipe Israel off the map? • Islam, Islamism, Jihadism • Sharia Law • Hamas, Hezbollah, and terrorism in the Middle East • Would Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) work with Iran? • Do economic sanctions work against Iran? • Trump's strategies in the Middle East: what worked, what didn't and why • the Iran Deal, and why they support terrorists • U.S. support for Israel • Biden Administrations culpability in releasing $16 billion to Iran • how weaker nations can fight stronger nations • the state of democracies in the world • the state of U.S. democracy. Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research fellow and senior Iran analyst at FDD. Prior to his time at FDD, Behnam worked on non-proliferation issues at an arms control think-tank in Washington. Leveraging his subject-matter expertise and native Farsi skills, Behnam has closely tracked a wide range of Iran-related topics including: nuclear non-proliferation, ballistic missiles, sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the foreign and security policy of the Islamic Republic, and internal Iranian politics. Frequently called upon to brief journalists, congressional staff, and other Washington-audiences, Behnam has also testified before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament. His analysis has been quoted in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Fox News, Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. Additionally, he has contributed to or co-authored articles for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fox News, The Hill, War on the Rocks, The National Interest, and U.S. News & World Report. Behnam has appeared on a variety of broadcast programs, including BBC News, Fox News, CBS Interactive, C-SPAN, and Defense News. Behnam earned his MA in International Relations from The University of Chicago, and his BA in International Affairs and Middle East Studies from The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

In the wake of the unprecedented, unprovoked, and horrific attacks by Hamas from Gaza on civilian communities in Israel, Host Steven Shalowitz sits down with Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer, author of Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel, and Eleven Days of War, the history of Hamas and its conflict with other Palestinian factions, and the future of policymaking regarding Israel and Hamas. The two discuss Israel's intelligence failure, Iran's fingerprints and its Ring of Fire strategy to strangle Israel, the broader regional picture and what this may mean to the conversations with Saudi Arabia, and what to look for in the coming days and weeks, especially vis a vis the possibility of a multi-front conflict.

On this episode of Reaganism, Reagan Institute Director Roger Zakheim sits down with Richard Goldberg who serves as a senior advisor for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). They discuss Saudi Arabia-Israel relations, ongoing challenges posed by Iranian aggression in the Middle East, and the future of the Abraham Accords.