Podcast appearances and mentions of Dexter Filkins

The U.S. military is the most powerful and lethal in the world. But several branches of the armed forces have failed to meet their recruiting goals in recent years. That has some experts concerned about whether the country would be prepared to defend itself in the event of war. In a recent piece for the New Yorker, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Dexter Filkins writes about the state of the military today. He spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about the roots of this recruitment crisis, how the current administration plans to address it, and what it could mean for American security in the future.

Last night, President Trump proposed a plan to displace all the Palestinians from Gaza, and get Jordan and Egypt to take them in, while the U.S. takes ownership of Gaza and rebuilds it into a Middle East Riviera. We'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins about the impact of this proposal. We'll also talk with him about the recruitment crisis in the U.S. military, which has led military leaders to ask: can our country defend itself if not enough people are willing or able to fight? It's the subject of his latest article in the New Yorker.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Last night, President Trump proposed a plan to displace all the Palestinians from Gaza, and get Jordan and Egypt to take them in, while the U.S. takes ownership of Gaza and rebuilds it into a Middle East Riviera. We'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins about the impact of this proposal. We'll also talk with him about the recruitment crisis in the U.S. military, which has led military leaders to ask: can our country defend itself if not enough people are willing or able to fight? It's the subject of his latest article in the New Yorker.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The New Yorker staff writers Dexter Filkins and Clare Malone join Tyler Foggatt to examine Donald Trump's appointments of former congressman Matt Gaetz and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to his Cabinet.Gaetz, who has been nominated for Attorney General, is one of Trump's most vociferous defenders and the former subject of a sex-trafficking investigation run by the Department of Justice. (Gaetz has denied all allegations.) Trump has chosen Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, giving one of the world's most prominent anti-vaccine activists broad powers over public health. How would these men reshape the legal and medical infrastructures of our federal government? And will they even be confirmed?This week's reading: “How Far Would Matt Gaetz Go?,” by Dexter Filkins “R.F.K., Jr.,'s Next Move,” by Clare Malone  “Why Is Elon Musk Really Embracing Donald Trump?,” By John Cassidy  “Trump's Cabinet of Wonders,” by David Remnick “The Most Extreme Cabinet Ever,” by Susan B. Glasser To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com.

On Tuesday, hundreds of encrypted pagers in Lebanon and Syria began exploding at the same time. Lebanon's health minister said Tuesday that at least nine people were killed and 2,800 were injured. The tiny country's hospitals were overwhelmed with patients suffering from burn wounds, blown-up hands, and groin injuries. The pagers belonged to members of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.  Then, just 24 hours later, a second wave of thousands more explosions again went off simultaneously in Lebanon: This time not only pagers, but also walkie-talkies all belonging to Hezbollah terrorists.  It was the stuff of spy movies—an incredibly sophisticated and precise operation unlike anything we've seen before. And while Israel has not officially taken responsibility, this kind of imaginative sabotage has Mossad written all over it. Hezbollah has vowed retaliation against Israel.  This comes after almost a year of Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel. Since October 7, the constant barrage of attacks has forced some 100,000 Israelis to flee their homes on Israel's northern border. Nearly a year later, they still cannot return.  All of this, of course, is part of a much larger, more dangerous game being played across the region—Israel's shadow war with Iran, its most formidable adversary. For years, Israel and Iran have avoided direct conflict, preferring to fight through Iran's regional surrogates—Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen. All of them fueled by Iranian money, weapons, and ideology. Will Israel's alleged tactical brilliance this week—jokingly dubbed as Operation Below the Belt on social media—deter Hezbollah from continuing to launch the missiles and rockets into Israel that make it impossible for Israeli citizens to return home? Or is military intervention—a ground invasion—inevitable? As Eli Lake wrote in The Free Press today, “Israel cannot defeat its enemies by waging war only in the shadows.”  Today, I sat down with journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dexter Filkins to talk about all of it. Dexter has been covering wars in the Middle East for decades for The New York Times and The New Yorker, and has been called “the premier combat journalist of his generation.”  In our conversation, we discussed the state of the war, political divisions within Lebanon, Iran's nuclear program, the viability of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, and the difficulties for the United States of disengaging from Middle East conflicts.  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. The New Yorker's Dexter Filkins talks about Israel's preemptive missile strike on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and what might follow. And, Google's new Pixel 9 comes with new artificial intelligence capabilities. Axios' Ina Fried joins us to talk about the ethical implications of AI photo editing. Then, political institutions aren't known for taking risks. But in his new book, election forecaster Nate Silver examines why the 2024 race is different.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, shares Hamas' goal of destroying the state of Israel. We'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins, about his reporting trip to both sides of the Lebanese/Israeli border. Israel and Hezbollah have escalated their shelling and bombing attacks on each other. Filkins says that's leading to fears of an all-out war that would devastate both sides, and could draw in Iran and the U.S.Justin Chang reviews Deadpool & Wolverine. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, shares Hamas' goal of destroying the state of Israel. We'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins, about his reporting trip to both sides of the Lebanese/Israeli border. Israel and Hezbollah have escalated their shelling and bombing attacks on each other. Filkins says that's leading to fears of an all-out war that would devastate both sides, and could draw in Iran and the U.S.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Matt Gaetz is both a force of nature and a force for chaos. Dexter FIlkins of The New Yorker profiled his upbringing and ongoing potency in national politics. Plus, Nancy Mace will not be shamed by George Stephanopoulos and Katie Britt can't believe you thought she meant what she very clearly wanted you to think she meant. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guests: Sabrina Siddiqui, McKay Coppins, Lucy Caldwell, Carlos Curbelo, Dexter Filkins, Heidi Przybyla, Tara Setmayer, Angelo CarusoneTonight: How the star witness for the Republican impeachment effort ended up back behind bars after claiming he got the Biden misinformation from Russian intelligence. Then, the two men who want to remake the Republican House—and their very different ideas of what that will look like. Plus, how Republicans are scrambling to reassure voters after Alabama endangers access to fertility treatment. And the Republican plan to win the next election with a can of gold spray paint and some sneakers.

Representative Matt Gaetz is one of the most outspoken critics of the status quo in Washington, which he demonstrated most recently by playing a key role in removing fellow-Republican Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. How was Gaetz able to pull off such a feat given his deep unpopularity in Congress, and the fact that he's under a House Ethics Committee investigation for the sex trafficking of a minor? The New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins, who recently profiled Gaetz in the magazine, joins Tyler Foggatt to explore the congressman's motivations, including how fractured party politics have played a role in his rise to fame. “The party has to decide what it is,” Filkins says. “It's not what it used to be, and it's rapidly becoming something else. . . . In the interregnum, we're seeing all these morbid symptoms as the party kind of convulses and tries to figure out its new identity.”

Dexter Filkins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and staff writer at the New Yorker. He joins Preet to discuss his reporting on the southern border, where a record number of migrants are crossing into the US seeking asylum. The surge has overwhelmed federal, state, and city officials, posing a significant challenge for the Biden Administration.  Plus, what to make of judges consuming news relevant to their cases and the concerns over Judge Cannon delaying the trial in the Trump classified documents case.  Don't miss the Insider Bonus, where Preet asks Dexter a complicated moral question about American immigration policy. To listen, become a member of CAFE Insider for $1 for the first month. Head to cafe.com/insider.   For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/biden-and-the-border-with-dexter-filkins/  Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on Threads, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 669-247-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dexter Filkins has reported on conflict situations around the world, and recently spent months reporting on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. In a piece published earlier this year, Filkins tries to untangle how conditions around the globe, an abrupt change in executive direction from Trump to Biden, and an antiquated immigration system have created a chaotic situation. “It's difficult to appreciate the scale and the magnitude of what's happening there unless you see it,” Filkins tells David Remnick. Last year, during a surge at the border, local jurisdictions struggled to provide humanitarian support for thousands of migrants, leading Democratic politicians to openly criticize the Administration. While hard-liners dream of a wall across the two-thousand-mile border, “they can't build a border wall in the middle of a river,” Filkins notes. “So if you can get across the river, and you can get your foot on American soil, that's all you need to do.” Migrants surrendering to Border Patrol and requesting asylum then enter a yearslong limbo as their claims work through an overburdened system. The last major overhaul of the immigration system took place in 1986, Filkins explains, and with Republicans and Democrats perpetually at loggerheads, there is no will to fix a system that both sides acknowledge as broken. This segment originally aired June 16, 2023.

Dexter Filkins has reported on conflict situations around the world, and recently spent months reporting on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. In a piece published earlier this year, Filkins tries to untangle how conditions around the globe, an abrupt change in executive direction from Trump to Biden, and an antiquated immigration system have created a chaotic situation. “It's difficult to appreciate the scale and the magnitude of what's happening there unless you see it,” Filkins tells David Remnick. Last year, during a surge at the border, local jurisdictions struggled to provide humanitarian support for thousands of migrants, leading Democratic politicians to openly criticize the Administration. While hard-liners dream of a wall across the two-thousand-mile border, “they can't build a border wall in the middle of a river,” Filkins notes. “So if you can get across the river, and you can get your foot on American soil, that's all you need to do.” Migrants surrendering to Border Patrol and requesting asylum then enter a yearslong limbo as their claims work through an overburdened system. The last major overhaul of the immigration system took place in 1986, Filkins explains, and with Republicans and Democrats perpetually at loggerheads, there is no will to fix a system that both sides acknowledge as broken. This segment originally aired June 16, 2023.

Dexter Filkins has reported on conflict situations around the world, and recently spent months reporting on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. In a recent piece, Filkins tries to untangle how conditions around the globe, an abrupt change in executive direction from Trump to Biden, and an antiquated immigration system have created a chaotic situation. “It's difficult to appreciate the scale and the magnitude of what's happening there unless you see it,” Filkins tells David Remnick. Last year, during a surge at the border, local jurisdictions struggled to provide humanitarian support for thousands of migrants, leading Democratic politicians to openly criticize the Administration. While hardliners dream of a wall across the two-thousand-mile border, “they can't build a border wall in the middle of a river,” Filkins notes. “So if you can get across the river, and you can get your foot on American soil, that's all you need to do.” Migrants surrendering to Border Patrol and requesting asylum then enter a yearslong limbo as their claims work through an overburdened system. The last major overhaul of the immigration system took place in 1986, Filkins explains, and with Republicans and Democrats perpetually at loggerheads, there is no will to fix a system that both sides acknowledge as broken.

Dexter Filkins has reported on conflict situations around the world, and recently spent months reporting on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. In a recent piece, Filkins tries to untangle how conditions around the globe, an abrupt change in executive direction from Trump to Biden, and an antiquated immigration system have created a chaotic situation. “It's difficult to appreciate the scale and the magnitude of what's happening there unless you see it,” Filkins tells David Remnick. Last year, during a surge at the border, local jurisdictions struggled to provide humanitarian support for thousands of migrants, leading Democratic politicians to openly criticize the Administration. While hardliners dream of a wall across the two-thousand-mile border, “they can't build a border wall in the middle of a river,” Filkins notes. “So if you can get across the river, and you can get your foot on American soil, that's all you need to do.” Migrants surrendering to Border Patrol and requesting asylum then enter a yearslong limbo as their claims work through an overburdened system. The last major overhaul of the immigration system took place in 1986, Filkins explains, and with Republicans and Democrats perpetually at loggerheads, there is no will to fix a system that both sides acknowledge as broken. 

Earlier this month, E Jean Carroll won an unprecedented legal victory: in a civil suit, Donald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse against her in the mid-nineteen-nineties, and for defamation in later accusing her of a hoax. But no sooner was that decision announced than Trump reiterated his defamatory insults against her in a controversial CNN interview. Carroll has now filed an amended complaint, in a separate suit, based on Trump's continued barrage. But can anything make him stop? “The one thing he understands is money,” Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, tells David Remnick. “At some point he'll understand that every time he does it, it's going to cost him  a few million dollars. And that may make a difference.” Carroll acknowledges that Trump will keep attacking her to get a laugh—“a lot of people don't like women,” she says simply—but she is undaunted, telling Remnick, “I hate to be all positive about this, but I think we've made a difference, I really do.”  Plus, the staff writer Dexter Filkins on Ron DeSantis, who finally announced his Presidential candidacy this week. In 2022, Filkins profiled the Florida governor as his national ambitions were becoming clear. “He's very good at staking out a position and pounding the table,” Filkins notes, “saying, ‘I'm not giving in to the liberals in the Northeast.' ”

Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, won reëlection by a stunning nineteen-point margin. With that kind of popularity—in a state with twenty-nine electoral votes—he seems well positioned to run for President. To do so, he must win supporters away from Donald Trump, who has already announced a 2024 run, in a speech delivered from Mar-a-Lago. DeSantis has questioned the “huge underperformance” of Trump-endorsed Republicans in the midterms, while touting his own brand of politics. Could he be the next leader of the G.O.P.? Dexter Filkins, who profiled the Governor earlier this year, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how Florida became ground zero of the new Republican Party.

Fareed sits down with Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass and CNN Presidential Historian Timothy Naftali to discuss Russia's strategy in Ukraine, why the west needs to remain united against Putin and the state of US-China relations after the Biden-Xi meeting. Then, the New Yorker's Dexter Filkins was recently in Taiwan and shares his reporting on how top officials and ordinary citizens are feeling about China and the threat of an invasion. Plus, The Atlantic Council's Holly Dagres on why Iran's GenZ is leading the protests against theocracy in their country. Guests: Richard Haass (@RichardHaass), Timothy Naftali (@TimNaftali), Dexter Filkins, Holly Dagres (@hdagres) Air date: 20/11/22To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins says war games staged by U.S. commanders suggest a conflict over Taiwan could lead to U.S. attacks on China's mainland — and Chinese attacks on Alaska and Hawaii.

New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins says war games staged by U.S. commanders suggest a conflict over Taiwan could lead to U.S. attacks on China's mainland — and Chinese attacks on Alaska and Hawaii.

Mickey and Dr. Oz enjoy crudités—Bob and Fetterman, not so much ... The state of the Oz versus Fetterman race ... Will Liz Cheney run for president – and for which party? ... Was the FBI raid on Trump really worth it? ... Mickey sees Jay Leno at supermarket, plays it cool ... Inflation slowing and Democrats' fortunes rising? ... The sense in which the Salman Rushdie stabbing isn't about religion ... Ukraine war update ... Parrot Room preview: Mickey's friend's empathy epiphany, ridiculous piece on Peter Thiel, America's government-media complex, Huffington Post versus Buzzfeed, Bob on the Beatles documentary, Dexter Filkins on Ron DeSantis, Bob's beef with new Washington Post piece, Muhammad and the Satanic verses, Mickey's dark horse presidential candidate, anti-Soros news, Larry Summers talks to Bari Weiss ...

Mickey and Dr. Oz enjoy crudités—Bob and Fetterman, not so much ... The state of the Oz versus Fetterman race ... Will Liz Cheney run for president – and for which party? ... Was the FBI raid on Trump really worth it? ... Mickey sees Jay Leno at supermarket, plays it cool ... Inflation slowing and Democrats' fortunes rising? ... The sense in which the Salman Rushdie stabbing isn't about religion ... Ukraine war update ... Parrot Room preview: Mickey's friend's empathy epiphany, ridiculous piece on Peter Thiel, America's government-media complex, Huffington Post versus Buzzfeed, Bob on the Beatles documentary, Dexter Filkins on Ron DeSantis, Bob's beef with new Washington Post piece, Muhammad and the Satanic verses, Mickey's dark horse presidential candidate, anti-Soros news, Larry Summers talks to Bari Weiss ...

How to think about DeSantis? We decided to ask Dexter Filkins, who recently wrote this super-smart profile of the man for The New Yorker, which the Dish discussed here. Dexter is an award-winning journalist best known for covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the New York Times. His book, The Forever War, won the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award. He’s the best in the business, a native of Florida, and a longtime friend of the Dish. Get full access to The Weekly Dish at andrewsullivan.substack.com/subscribe

More than 20-years after 9/11, the hunt for Bin Laden's number two is over as the U.S. kills Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri in a precise drone missile strike on the balcony of a Kabul safe house. Former Government Counter Terrorism Adviser Richard Clarke and the New Yorker's Dexter Filkins join to discuss the significance of removing this top terrorist leader who was being hidden in plain sight, the reasons why it took so long to achieve and the diplomatic situation America now finds itself in with the Taliban.Plus, how the Zawahiri killing could impact Biden Politically, NBA legend Bill Russell and trailblazing “Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols are remembered as American heroes, and Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for slapping him at the Oscars in an emotional YouTube video.Hosted by Laura Coates.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

More than 20-years after 9/11, the hunt for Bin Laden's number two is over as the U.S. kills Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a precise drone missile strike on the balcony of a Kabul safe house. Former Government Counter Terrorism Adviser Richard Clarke and the New Yorker's Dexter Filkins join to discuss the significance of removing this top terrorist leader who was being hidden in plain sight, the reasons why it took so long to achieve and the diplomatic situation America now finds itself in with the Taliban.Plus, how the al-Zawahiri killing could impact Biden Politically, NBA legend Bill Russell and trailblazing “Star Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols are remembered as American heroes, and Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for slapping him at the Oscars in an emotional YouTube video.Hosted by Laura Coates.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Former president Donald Trump is trying to bury the January 6th committee's findings, but his old allies aren't helping. Meanwhile, we take a look at the governor of Florida's polarizing press strategy, and why reporters think presidential hopefuls are no longer returning their calls.  David Folkenflik [@davidfolkenflik], media correspondent for NPR, on the resurgence of Trump-related news. Listen.  David Freedlander [@freedlander], freelance political journalist, on why he thinks Republicans are no longer speaking to the press. Listen.  Dexter Filkins, staff writer at The New Yorker, on Ron DeSantis' press strategy and where politicians' relationship with the press went wrong. Listen.  Kate Kelly [@Kate_Kelly_Esq], human rights attorney, on the importance of the the Equal Rights Amendment and how it can protect abortion rights. Listen.   

The Supreme Court has overturned 50 years of abortion rights in America. CNN Supreme Court reporter Arian de Vogue joins the show with the latest on today's decision. Also weighing in on the historic SCOTUS decision is attorney Kathryn Kolbert, who argued America's last landmark abortion case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, at the Supreme Court in 1992.  Also on today's show: New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins and Humanity Auxilium Medical Chair Dr. Mohsina Chaklader. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has shown himself uniquely skilled at attracting attention beyond the borders of his home state. Just this month, DeSantis blocked state funds for the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium after players voiced support for gun control in the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. He's also continuing a fight to punish the Disney corporation for criticizing Florida's so-called “Don't Say Gay” law. An Ivy League-educated anti-élitist firebrand, he is willing to pick a fight with anyone—reporters, health officials, teachers, Mickey Mouse—to grab a headline. DeSantis “practically radiates ambition,” the staff writer Dexter Filkins tells David Remnick. “He sounds like Trump, except that he speaks in complete sentences. . . . He's very good at staking out a position and pounding the table and saying, I'm not giving in to the liberals in the Northeast.” Yet, despite having been anointed by Donald Trump in his primary election, DeSantis has refused to “kiss the ring,” and many see DeSantis as a possible opponent to Trump in a 2024 Republican primary.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has shown himself uniquely skilled at attracting attention beyond the borders of his home state.  Just this month, DeSantis blocked state funds for the Tampa Bay Rays stadium after players voiced support for gun control in the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.  He's also continuing a fight to punish the Disney Corporation for criticizing Florida's so-called Don't Say Gay law.  An Ivy League-educated anti-élitist firebrand, he is willing to pick a fight with anyone—reporters, health officials, teachers, Mickey Mouse—to grab a headline. DeSantis “practically radiates ambition,” the staff writer Dexter Filkins tells David Remnick. “He sounds like Trump, except that he speaks in complete sentences. … He's very good at staking out a position and pounding the table and saying, I'm not giving in to the liberals in the Northeast.” Yet despite having been anointed by Donald Trump in his primary election, DeSantis has refused to “kiss the ring,” and many see DeSantis as a possible opponent to Trump in a 2024 Republican primary.

Today's episode focuses on a very important topic, mental health. Tyler talks with Dr. Mark Russell, a Marine Corp and Navy veteran,  clinical psychologist, educator, and founder/director of the Institute of War Stress, Injury, Recovery, and Social Justice at Antioch University in Seattle, about the need for a Behavioral Health Corps within the military. "The military has an opportunity to become a leader in the field of mental health and really eliminate the stigma in the disparity between mental and physical health. And if the military chooses to do that, I think we could see some advances in mental health that we can't imagine. So I'm hopeful that as the military goes, so goes society. I hope that that ends up being the truth there." ~ Dr. Mark Russell The MissionThe mission of the Institute is two-fold: (1) investigate, identify, and eliminate root causes for repetitive crises in military mental healthcare, and (2) end the cycle of crises by transforming mental healthcare policy and practice. Although special emphasis is given to the estimated 24 million members of the warrior class including their family members, and healers-the activities of the Institute will equally benefit non-military populations through the advancement of knowledge and understanding of traumatic stress-related injuries.Stranger at Home Film STRANGER AT HOME reveals WHY a harmful, 100 year-old policy perpetuates catastrophic PTS and suicide rates amongst our country's military community. The film offers an in-depth look at eradicating stigma and creating a National Behavioral (Mental) Health Corps as achievable and critical steps to end an unnecessary mental health crisis.STRANGER AT HOME contrasts the intimate stories of three Veterans — Mark Russell, Charles Figley and Steven Elliott — with their unified message, which is: mental healthcare reform is the most essential human rights frontier ahead of us, and that it's time for the American Military to take the lead role in this profoundly important movement.Thank You For Your Service DocumentaryAn investigation into the failed mental health policies within the US military and the deadly consequences to America's troops. Thank You For Your Service takes aim at our understanding of war trauma through the interwoven stories of four struggling Iraq War veterans and candid interviews with top military and civilian leaders. The film posits that from the moment someone enters the armed services, their mental health is as important as their physical well-being and that by the creation of a Behavioral Health Corps (BHC), services and treatment can be effectively streamlined and create long term accountability.  Featuring interviews with General David Petraeus, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, General Loree Sutton, Dexter Filkins, Senator Patty Murray, Gary Sinise, and Nicholas Kristof. Support the show

Colin Powell was a Vietnam War veteran, a four-star general, and—among other high-level positions in the U.S. government—the Secretary of State under George W. Bush. Powell was well known for his conviction that the United States should go to war only when the likelihood of victory was overwhelming. But then the Bush Administration used his popularity to persuade the public to support the Iraq War, which became one of the greatest military calamities in U.S. history. Dexter Filkins joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss Powell's long record of public service, and how he shaped post-Cold War foreign policy.

Dexter Filkins covered the American invasion of Afghanistan when he was a reporter for the New York Times, and has continued to report on conflicts in the region for The New Yorker. Filkins's best-seller from 2008 carried the resonant title “The Forever War.” Thirteen years after the book's publication, the forever war is over, but its end has been the chaotic worst-case scenario that many feared. Filkins talks with David Remnick about whether it had to go this way, and whether twenty years of war changed America more than it did Afghanistan.

Dexter Filkins covered the American invasion of Afghanistan when he was a reporter for the New York Times, and has continued to report on conflicts in the region for The New Yorker. Filkins's best-seller from 2008 carried the resonant title “The Forever War.” Thirteen years after the book's publication, the forever war is over, but its end has been the chaotic worst-case scenario that many feared. Filkins talks with David Remnick about whether it had to go this way, and whether twenty years of war changed America more than it did Afghanistan. 

America's 19-year war in Afghanistan may soon be coming to an end. The Trump administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban, in which the U.S. agreed to withdraw all its troops by May 1. But the Afghan government was not included in those talks. Now President Biden has to decide whether to honor the Trump deal and risk that the Taliban will try to take over the country again. We speak with 'New Yorker' reporter Dexter Filkins about what he saw in Afghanistan while he was there in January.

American troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly twenty years. Every President since George W. Bush has promised an imminent end to the fighting and a U.S. withdrawal, but none has succeeded. The Trump Administration brokered a deal with the Taliban which planned to end the American military presence in the country this May, and peace talks are under way in Doha, Qatar. But, in recent months, hundreds of Afghans have been killed in a series of assassinations apparently orchestrated by the Taliban—and some, perhaps, by the government in Kabul. Dexter Filkins joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss the difficulties faced by the Biden Administration.

America's 19-year war in Afghanistan may soon be coming to an end. The Trump administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban, in which the U.S. agreed to withdraw all its troops by May 1. But the Afghan government was not included in those talks. Now President Biden has to decide whether to honor the Trump deal and risk that the Taliban will try to take over the country again. We speak with 'New Yorker' reporter Dexter Filkins about what he saw in Afghanistan while he was there in January.

At the 2020 New Yorker Festival, earlier this month, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Elizabeth Warren joined Andrew Marantz to talk about the Presidential race, and how Joe Biden should lead if he wins the election. Plus, Dexter Filkins on the fierce electoral battle taking place in Florida, the largest of the swing states. With a large elderly-voter population and many distinct Latino communities, the state is demographically unique. Filkins spoke with the former sSenator Bill Nelson and others, including The New Yorker’s Stephania Taladrid, who has been reporting on the Latino vote in different states. 

Florida, with twenty-nine electoral votes, is one of the most sought-after states in any election. It went for Bush in 2000 and 2004, Obama in 2008 and 2012, and Trump in 2016. Dexter Filkins joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss continuing efforts by the G.O.P. to suppress the Democratic vote, the pivotal role the state will play in the election this fall, and how the aftermath of 2020 could be more chaotic than the contested election of 2000.

E4: A Decade of Peace? Wars in the 90sE4.1: Killing in the NameE4.2 Acts of GenocideE4.3 Problems from HellThe end of the Cold War did not mean global peace. In this episode, Emma and Chloe talk about the US’ foreign policy, and how its interventions in foreign wars in the 1990s continue to shape the US’ global outlook today. They discuss the origins of the ideas of humanitarian warfare and liberal interventionism, and the US’ long history of foreign interventions; disasters in Somalia, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia; and the US ongoing debates about how, if it all, it can promote democracy outside its own borders.ALSO – keep an eye out for a bonus episode, released Friday, where Chloe speaks to Dr Charlie Hunt from RMIT University about the UN’s role in peace and war in the 90s.LinksSamantha Power, A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, Basic Books, 2002https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/samantha-power/a-problem-from-hell/9780465050895/Daniel Bessner, “The Fog of Intervention,” The New Republic, September 4, 2019https://newrepublic.com/article/154612/education-idealist-samantha-power-book-reviewJeffrey Goldberg, “The Obama Doctrine,” The Atlantic, April 2016https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/Dexter Filkins, “The Moral Logic of Humanitarian Intervention,” The New Yorker, September 2019.https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/16/the-moral-logic-of-humanitarian-intervention

The end of the Cold War did not mean global peace. In this episode, Emma and Chloe talk about the US’ foreign policy, and how its interventions in foreign wars in the 1990s continue to shape the US’ global outlook today. They discuss the origins of the ideas of humanitarian warfare and liberal interventionism, and the US’ long history of foreign interventions; disasters in Somalia, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia; and the US ongoing debates about how, if it all, it can promote democracy outside its own borders.ALSO – keep an eye out for a bonus episode, released Friday, where Chloe speaks to Dr Charlie Hunt from RMIT University about the UN’s role in peace and war in the 90s.LinksSamantha Power, A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, Basic Books, 2002https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/samantha-power/a-problem-from-hell/9780465050895/Daniel Bessner, “The Fog of Intervention,” The New Republic, September 4, 2019https://newrepublic.com/article/154612/education-idealist-samantha-power-book-reviewJeffrey Goldberg, “The Obama Doctrine,” The Atlantic, April 2016https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/Dexter Filkins, “The Moral Logic of Humanitarian Intervention,” The New Yorker, September 2019.https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/16/the-moral-logic-of-humanitarian-intervention

E4: A Decade of Peace? Wars in the 90sE4.1: Killing in the NameE4.2 Acts of GenocideE4.3 Problems from HellThe end of the Cold War did not mean global peace. In this episode, Emma and Chloe talk about the US’ foreign policy, and how its interventions in foreign wars in the 1990s continue to shape the US’ global outlook today. They discuss the origins of the ideas of humanitarian warfare and liberal interventionism, and the US’ long history of foreign interventions; disasters in Somalia, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia; and the US ongoing debates about how, if it all, it can promote democracy outside its own borders.ALSO – keep an eye out for a bonus episode, released Friday, where Chloe speaks to Dr Charlie Hunt from RMIT University about the UN’s role in peace and war in the 90s.LinksSamantha Power, A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, Basic Books, 2002https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/samantha-power/a-problem-from-hell/9780465050895/Daniel Bessner, “The Fog of Intervention,” The New Republic, September 4, 2019https://newrepublic.com/article/154612/education-idealist-samantha-power-book-reviewJeffrey Goldberg, “The Obama Doctrine,” The Atlantic, April 2016https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/Dexter Filkins, “The Moral Logic of Humanitarian Intervention,” The New Yorker, September 2019.https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/09/16/the-moral-logic-of-humanitarian-intervention

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamanei, has failed to cover up the extent of damage posed to the country by the coronavirus crisis. Dexter Filkins travelled to Iran in February, just as the outbreak was metastasizing. He joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss what Iranian doctors and young dissidents told him, and why people think this could be a breaking point for the generation of aging revolutionaries.

In this episode, journalists Rohini Mohan and Praveen Donthi talk to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about the recent widespread protests in India over the Modi government's Citizenship Amendment Act and why many see the act as a threat to India's secular nature and constitution. Donthi talks about his time reporting in Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, and the abrupt change in its autonomous status, announced in August; Mohan speaks about covering Assam, a state in India's northeast where the debates over who belongs have a longer history.  To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Guests: Rohini Mohan Praveen Donthi Selected readings for the episode: Rohini Mohan Inside India's Sham Trials That Could Strip Millions of Citizenship, Vice, July 29, 2019  India's Immigration Crackdown Could Make Millions Stateless, Time, August 14, 2018 Prove your grandfather is Indian: People who lack flawless paperwork cannot just be jailed as illegal migrants, August 2, 2019  Prove your Grandfather is Indian: Ground Reportage on NRC / Bangalore International Centre video interview Seasons of Trouble: Life Amid the Ruins of Sri Lanka's Civil War (Verso) Praveen Donthi (all pieces from The Caravan) Modiʼs war: Dispatches from a seething Kashmir September 22, 2019 “One Solution, Gun Solution”: Ground report: Kashmir in shock and anger, August 16, 2019 The liberals who loved Modi May 16, 2019 Others Books Basharat Peer Curfewed Night Mirza Waheed (multiple novels) Under Siege: Mirza Waheed on Kashmir (LitHub, September 10, 2019) Karan Mahajan The Association of Small Bombs: A Novel Madhuri Vijay, The Far Field: a novel Articles Ground report: On a cold night in the new year, JNU attacked by a masked mob; Delhi Police watched, The Caravan, January 5, 2020 India's first-time protesters: Mothers and grandmothers stage weeks-long sit-in against citizenship law, By Niha Masih, The Washington Post, Jan. 13, 2020 Reading the Signs: The protest poster is where art meets agitation, poetry meets politics. In India, it was born during the freedom struggle, and grew up through post-Independence struggles against inequality. With the anti-CAA protests, it embraces a new digital life. by Benita Fernando, The Indian Express, January 5, 2020 Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi's India, by Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, Dec. 9, 2019 ‘Hum Dekhenge': Singer and writer Ali Sethi explains how to read (and interpret) Faiz's poem, Scroll, Jan. 9, 2020 Why the National Population Register is more dangerous than the Assam NRC, by Harsh Mander & Mohsin Alam Bhat, Scroll, Jan 12, 2020 Pankaj Mishra and Mirza Waheed on the Death of India's Liberal Self-Image, Scroll, Jan. 5, 2020 Behind Campus Attack in India, Some See a Far-Right Agenda, By Kai Schultz and Suhasini Raj, The New York Times, Jan. 10, 2020 Earlier attacks on students: Attack on art, by Anupama Katakam, Frontline Magazine, May-June 2007 Earlier, Rohini Mohan on Kashmir in The Wire: In Kashmir, Doctors Bear Witness, Sept. 5, 2016 Earlier, Praveen Donthi on Assam in The Caravan: How Assam's Supreme Court-mandated NRC project is targeting and detaining Bengali Muslims, breaking families, July 1, 2018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2013, Dexter Filkins wrote the definitive profile of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran's “Axis of Resistance,” whom the US assassinated last week. On this week's Kicker, Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of CJR, speaks with Filkins about the nuances of Iranian public opinion that the Western press has missed, and why Iran's response may be far from over.

Qassem Suleimani was Iran’s most powerful military and intelligence leader, and his killing, in a U.S. air strike in Baghdad on Thursday night, will likely be taken as an act of war by Tehran. Dexter Filkins, who wrote the definitive profile of Suleimani, in 2013, spoke with David Remnick about the commander’s central role within the Iranian regime. Reprisals against the U.S., he says, might be carried out anywhere in the world, either by Iran’s Quds Force or by affiliates such as Hezbollah. The Trump Administration experiences tension between a desire for regime change and the President’s desire to avoid foreign wars; Filkins notes that embattled Presidents, like Bill Clinton during his impeachment, often have itchy trigger fingers.

On Monday, the Washington Post published “The Afghanistan Papers,” a trove of more than two thousand pages of interviews with U.S. and foreign officials about the war in Afghanistan. The document reveals the extent to which politicians and military leaders lied to the public about the conflict. Dexter Filkins, who has covered the war since its inception, joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss the report, his experiences as a reporter in Afghanistan, and the current status of America’s longest war.

Former New York mayor and now democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg joins Christiane Amanpour in Madrid at the COP 25 climate summit. Political analyst and former chief speechwriter to Rudi Giuliani, John Avlon discusses the US presidential race. Dexter Filkins, staff writer at the New Yorker, and Rana Ayyub, global opinions writer at the Washington Post, tell Christiane about their recent collaboration investigating violence against the Muslim minority in India. And our Hari Sreenivasan talks to Christine Quinn, president & CEO of WIN, and Daniel Russo, principal of Bronx school PS 294, about the rise in child homelessness in America.

In August, India suspended the autonomy of the state of Kashmir, putting soldiers in its streets and banning foreign journalists from entering. Dexter Filkins, who was working on a story about Narendra Modi, would not be deterred from going. To evade the ban, he sought the help of an Indian journalist, Rana Ayyub. Ayyub had once gone undercover to reveal the ruling party’s ties to sectarian and extrajudicial violence against the Muslim minority. In a conversation recorded last week, Filkins and Ayyub tell the story of how they got into Kashmir and describe the repression and signs of torture that they observed there. Ayyub’s book “Gujarat Files,” about a massacre of Muslims in Gujarat, has made her a target of Hindu nationalists; one of the book’s translators was killed not long ago. She spoke frankly with Filkins about the emotional toll of living in fear of assassination.

In August, India suspended the autonomy of the state of Kashmir, putting soldiers in its streets and banning foreign journalists from entering. Dexter Filkins, who was working on a story about Narendra Modi, would not be deterred from going. To evade the ban, he sought the help of an Indian journalist, Rana Ayyub. Ayyub had once gone undercover to reveal the ruling party’s ties to sectarian and extrajudicial violence against the Muslim minority. In a conversation recorded last week, Filkins and Ayyub tell the story of how they got into Kashmir and describe the repression and signs of torture that they observed there. Ayyub’s book “Gujarat Files,” about a massacre of Muslims in Gujarat, has made her a target of Hindu nationalists; one of the book’s translators was killed not long ago. She spoke frankly with Filkins about the emotional toll of living in fear of assassination.

Last Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan informed President Trump of his intention to launch a military offensive in northeastern Syria, in an effort to eradicate the Kurdish militias there. Trump agreed to draw down American troops to clear the way for the Turkish army. Though Erdoğan regards those militias as terrorist groups, the Kurds have been close American allies in the battle against ISIS. Trump’s decision was met with harsh criticism by high-ranking Republicans, U.S. military officials, and others. Dexter Filkins joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss how the incursion into Syria is affecting one of the most volatile regions in the world, and what it could mean for Trump’s Presidency.

On Sunday, the Indian government of Narendra Modi revoked the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir, the Muslim-majority region on the border between India and Pakistan, and brought it under control of the Indian government. Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, condemned the move as another policy decision designed to promote Hindu supremacy in India. Outrage among Muslims in the region may also affect the ongoing peace talks between the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan, where the capital, Kabul, was the target of a terrorist attack on Wednesday. Dexter Filkins joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss the situation in Kashmir and its ramifications around the world.

After a U.S. drone was allegedly shot down by Iran last week, relations between Tehran and Washington are again approaching a low point; on Thursday, President Trump ordered and then called off an air strike. The situation has been deteriorating since the beginning of the Trump era, with the Administration actively supporting Saudi Arabia as a regional competitor to Iran, and the President withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins says that Iran’s initial strategy was to wait the Trump Presidency out. That calculus has changed as more hawkish advisors, like Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, who are intent on imposing harsh sanctions on Iran, have joined the Administration. The result has been a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between the two countries, which could ultimately lead to a larger conflict. “If things got out of control in that region, that would be, Iraq, to Iran, to Afghanistan,” Filkins said. “I can't imagine where that would end, or how it would end." Kelefa Sanneh shares three music picks with David Remnick: artists who deliver all the emotional joys of pop music, but aren’t extremely popular.

Erin speaks with Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, an ardent anti-war activist and whistleblower who is best known for releasing the Pentagon Papers in 1971. Dan and Erin discuss the importance of seeking truth, holding our governments accountable, and how to preserve democracy in the present day. As Dan offers us nothing less than a masterclass in political analysis and civic duty, we invite you to consider how you can speak out against injustice at any level and keep our elected officials accountable for their actions. Show Notes Daniel Ellsberg: http://www.ellsberg.net/ Books by Daniel Ellsberg: https://amzn.to/2YGw5zZ Pentagon Papers: https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/pentagon-papers New Yorker article, "On the Warpath" by Dexter Filkins: https://tinyurl.com/y2wogd3n Economist article, "Collision Course - The Brewing Conflict Between America and Iran:" https://tinyurl.com/y3kg7ba6

For decades, John Bolton, now the Trump Administration’s national-security adviser, has been warning about the threat that Iran poses to the United States. Last week, the White House announced a series of deployments to the Middle East that suggest the Administration may be following Bolton’s lead into a confrontation with Iran. But, on Thursday, Trump told his acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, that he does not want a war with Iran. Dexter Filkins joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss Bolton and where his views on foreign policy clash with Trump’s.

The Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur-winning photojournalist and New York Times bestselling author Lynsey Addario has captured audiences with her highly compelling and beautifully harrowing photographs from war zones across the globe. With her uncanny ability to emotionally connect with her subjects and to personalize even the most remote corners and unimaginable circumstances, Addario offers a stunning new selection of work from the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa that documents life in Afghanistan under the Taliban, the stark truth of sub-Saharan Africa, and the daily reality of women in the Middle East. Of Love and War weaves Addario’s dramatic photographs with revelatory essays from fellow journalists such as Dexter Filkins, Suzy Hansen, and Lydia Polgreen, as well as her own letters, emails, and journal entries to illuminate the conflict facing people around the world today. Discussing this new book with an interlocutor, Addario will share images that capture a profound sense of humanity on the battlefield—and her own quest as a photojournalist to document injustice.  

Host Mary Harris talks to Dexter Filkins of the New Yorker on the fraught relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Plus, Slate’s Jim Newell explains why you should care about the final debate tonight between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke.  This is the debut episode of What Next, Slate’s new daily news show. We’ll be piloting What Next in public for the next several weeks. Tell us what you think: whatnext@slate.com.  Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/whatnextpus. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show, our weekend reading lists, and our occasional posts about pita chips.   Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Mary Harris talks to Dexter Filkins of the New Yorker on the fraught relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Plus, Slate’s Jim Newell explains why you should care about the final debate tonight between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke.  This is the debut episode of What Next, Slate’s new daily news show. We’ll be piloting What Next in public for the next several weeks. Tell us what you think: whatnext@slate.com.  Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/whatnextpus. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show, our weekend reading lists, and our occasional posts about pita chips.   Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is happening in the Middle East? Chris Hayes sorts through the bewildering number of individual conflicts and key players to get to the heart of what’s unfolding in the Middle East. And, at the heart of it, is one big potentially world-war-starting kind of fight that helps explains them all. To understand the details of that fight, Chris turns to one of the best foreign reporters writing today – Dexter Filkins. He has covered the area extensively, knows the Middle East inside and out, and can tell us why we could be standing on the precipice of something era-defining. Read more at NBCNews.com/whyisthishappening

Mark Leonard speaks with ECFR's Ellie Geranmayeh, Ilan Goldberg, head of the MENA programme at the Centre for New American Security, and Nasser Haiden, Professor of Political Science at Teheran University, about the JCPOA and whether Trump will pull out of the deal. Bookshelf: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sympathizer Snow by Orhan Pamuk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_(Pamuk_novel) A Saudi Prince’s Quest to Remake the Middle East by Dexter Filkins https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/09/a-saudi-princes-quest-to-remake-the-middle-east Picture: Tea Party Patriots Stop the Iran Nuclear Deal IMG 4650 by Elvert Barnes https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tea_Party_Patriots_Stop_the_Iran_Nuclear_Deal_IMG_4650_(21277938456).jpg [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Jacob Weisberg talks to Dexter Filkins of The New Yorker about the young 30-somethings trying to reform the Middle East – Jared Kushner and Mohammed bin Salman. How did they forge this relationship? What does Saudi Arabia want in the region and how is the White House emboldening them? Did you like today's show? If so, show your support by voting for us for a Webby! And don't forget to catch Slate's Slow Burn Live in NYC on April 19th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jacob Weisberg talks to Dexter Filkins of The New Yorker about the young 30-somethings trying to reform the Middle East – Jared Kushner and Mohammed bin Salman. How did they forge this relationship? What does Saudi Arabia want in the region and how is the White House emboldening them? Did you like today's show? If so, show your support by voting for us for a Webby! And don't forget to catch Slate's Slow Burn Live in NYC on April 19th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DescriptionProduct DescriptionThe author of the explosive Atlantic cover story “What ISIS Really Wants” has written the definitive, electrifying account of the strategy, psychology, and theology driving the Islamic State. Tens of thousands of men and women have left comfortable, privileged lives to join the Islamic State and kill for it. To them, its violence is beautiful and holy, and the caliphate a fulfillment of prophecy and the only place on earth where they can live and die as Muslims. The Way of the Strangers is an intimate journey into the minds of the Islamic State's true believers. From the streets of Cairo to the mosques of London, Graeme Wood interviews supporters, recruiters, and sympathizers of the group. We meet an Egyptian tailor who once made bespoke suits for Paul Newman and now wants to live, finally, under Shariah; a Japanese convert who believes that the eradication of borders—one of the Islamic State's proudest achievements—is a religious imperative; and a charming, garrulous Australian preacher who translates the group's sermons and threats into English and is accused of recruiting for the organization. We also learn about a prodigy of Islamic rhetoric, now stripped of the citizenship of the nation of his birth and determined to see it drenched in blood. Wood speaks with non–Islamic State Muslim scholars and jihadists, and explores the group's idiosyncratic, coherent approach to Islam. The Islamic State is bent on murder and apocalypse, but its followers find meaning and fellowship in its utopian dream. Its first caliph, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, has declared that he is the sole legitimate authority for Muslims worldwide. The theology, law, and emotional appeal of the Islamic State are key to understanding it—and predicting what its followers will do next. Through character study and analysis, Wood provides a clear-eyed look at a movement that has inspired so many people to abandon or uproot their families. Many seek death—and they will be the terror threat of the next decade, as they strike back against the countries fighting their caliphate. Just as Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower informed our understanding of Al Qaida, Graeme Wood's The Way of the Strangers will shape how we see a new generation of terrorists. Praise for The Way of the Strangers “Readers are taken on a global journey to meet the frothing fans of ISIS. . . . Wood wants to know these people, to get in their skin, to understand how they see the world. Unlike most journalists writing about Islam today, there is no partisan axe to grind here, no hidden agenda to subtly advance.” —New Republic “The best way to defeat the Islamic State is to understand it. And to do that, the best place to start is [ The Way of the Strangers]. . . . A series of gripping, fascinating portraits. . . . Wood has the talented journalist's skill for interview and observation. He's an astute psychologist and a good writer to boot. . . . It's a great read. But more importantly, Wood's book reveals truths about ISIS that are hiding in plain sight—but that our leaders make themselves willfully ignorant of. They ought to read his book, too.” —The Week “[Graeme Wood] shows, convincingly, that the stifling and abhorrent practices of the Islamic State are rooted in Islam itself—not mainstream Islam, but in scriptures and practices that have persisted for centuries. . . . The Islamic State, such as it is, is a dangerous place, and Wood's book amounts to a tour around its far edges.” —Dexter Filkins, The New York Times Book Review ReviewPraise for The Way of the Strangers “Readers are taken on a global journey to meet the frothing fans of ISIS. . . . [Graeme] Wood wants to know these people, to get in their skin, to understand how they see the world. Unlike most journalists writing about Islam today, there is no partisan axe to grind here, no hidden agenda to subtly advance. . . . To these troubled men, Islam is not an opiate of the masses; it is a euphoric, reality-bending, and ultimately self-annihilating psychedelic.” —New Republic “[Graeme Wood] shows, convincingly, that the stifling and abhorrent practices of the Islamic State are rooted in Islam itself—not mainstream Islam, but in scriptures and practices that have persisted for centuries. . . . The Islamic State, such as it is, is a dangerous place, and Wood's book amounts to a tour around its far edges.” —Dexter Filkins, The New York Times Book Review “Worthy of Joseph Conrad . . . In a field where there has admittedly been little competition, [Wood's] book ranks as the funniest yet written on Islamic State. As in many a British sitcom, the comedy mostly emerges from the disequilibrium between the scale of his characters' pretensions and ambitions and the banality of their day-to-day lives. . . . Gripping, sobering and revelatory.” —New Statesman (UK) “The best way to defeat the Islamic State is to understand it. And to do that, the best place to start is [ The Way of the Strangers]. . . . A series of gripping, fascinating portraits. . . . Wood has the talented journalist's skill for interview and observation. He's an astute psychologist and a good writer to boot. . . . It's a great read. But more importantly, Wood's book reveals truths about ISIS that are hiding in plain sight—but that our leaders make themselves willfully ignorant of. They ought to read his book, too.” —The Week “Indispensable and gripping . . . From Mosul to Melbourne, from Cairo to Tokyo, from London to Oslo, from Connecticut to California, Graeme Wood's quest to understand the Islamic State is a round-the-world journey to the end of the night. As individuals, the men he encounters are misfits, even losers. But their millenarian Islamist ideology makes them the most dangerous people on the planet.” —Niall Ferguson, senior fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, author of The War of the World “Over the course of its short life, the Islamic State has inspired millions, thousands of whom have rallied to its cause in search of a glorious death. But why? Are its devotees nothing more than sadists and two-bit mafiosi for whom religion is a fig leaf and who will fade away in the face of military defeat? In this essential book, Graeme Wood draws on more than a decade of reporting to demolish these and other comforting deceptions. The Islamic State's devotees are true believers indeed, and their nightmarish vision will haunt our world for decades to come, regardless of what happens on the battlefield.” —Reihan Salam, executive editor, National Review “Graeme Wood is America's foremost interpreter of ISIS as a world-historical phenomenon. In The Way of the Strangers, he has given us the definitive work to date on the origins, plans, and meaning of the world's most dangerous terrorist organization. Wood is a fearless, relentlessly curious, and magnetically interesting writer who takes us on an intellectual and theological journey to the darkest places on the planet, yet he manages to do this without despairing for our collective future. This book is a triumph of journalism.” —Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief, The Atlantic Praise for Graeme Wood's “What ISIS Really Wants” “An intelligent and detailed account of the ideology that animates the Islamic State.” —Fareed Zakaria, CNN, author of The Post-American World “One of the most important essays this year.” —David Brooks, The New York Times, author of The Road to Character “Fascinating, terrifying, occasionally blackly humorous.” —Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature “Mr. Wood's piece is bracing because it is fearless. . . . It is going to change the debate.” —Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal, author of What I Saw at the Revolution “A rare, genuine must-read . . . I felt challenged, even provoked, through it all.” —Shadi Hamid, the Brookings Institution, author of Islamic ExceptionalismAbout the AuthorGraeme Wood is a national correspondent for The Atlantic. He has written for The New Republic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, The American Scholar, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many other publications. He was the 2014–2015 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and he teaches in the political science department at Yale University.

Hugh Hewitt looks at Hillary Clinton's address to the Brookings Institution. Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo talks about how to stop Obama's Iran nuke deal. Mike Gallagher turns to Pete Wehner of the Ethics and Public Policy Center to discuss the county clerk thrown in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author Dexter Filkins argues that the West could be doing more to stop the sea of refugees flooding into Europe. Crime is up. Manhattan Institute scholar Heather MacDonald tells Bill Bennett why. Michael Medved reports that more college students are smoking pot than cigarettes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hugh Hewitt and Ryan Crocker (former Ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon), on Middle East. Michael Medved and Bobby Jindal on whether terrorism will strike again on U.S. soil. Dennis Prager unsettles the "settled science" of so-called climate change. Medved on the thousands of self-proclaimed protectors of the planet protesting climate change in NYC. Mike Gallagher spoke with Trey Gowdy, chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi. Dexter Filkins shares with Hugh Hewitt on the Kurds and ISIS. Prager on the media's absolute SILENCE on Gov. Chris Christie's being cleared from the Justice Dept. regarding the bridge scandal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dexter Filkins of The New Yorker says the US decision to leave Iraq came too soon; the country wasn't ready.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the recent capture of a Chinese ISIS soldier (in September of 2014) triggering speculation about the involvement of Chinese citizens in the Iraqi civil war, Kaiser Kuo and Jeremy Goldkorn are joined in our studio by Edward Wong from The New York Times and Prashant Rao of AFP, both of whom have spent considerable time reporting from Iraq. Their discussion starts off with an exposé on the nature and identity of the Islamic State before moving on to China, talking about the ways in which the rise of the militant Islamic movement has affected Iraqi perceptions of China. Finally, they take a look into how these events relate to the broader crisis in the Middle East and U.S.-China relations. Recommendations: The Five Eyes Show: http://thefiveeyesshow.com The Islamic State (full length movie): https://news.vice.com/video/the-islamic-state-full-length Endgame in Iraq: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/endgameiniraq The Forever War, by Dexter Filkins: http://www.amazon.com/The-Forever-War-Dexter-Filkins/dp/0307279448 Patrimony, by Philip Roth: http://www.amazon.com/Patrimony-True-Story-Philip-Roth/dp/0679752935 American Pastoral, by Philip Roth: http://www.amazon.com/American-Pastoral-Philip-Roth/dp/0375701427  

Jennifer Percy is the guest. Her new book, Demon Camp, is available from Scribner.  It is the official January selection of The TNB Book Club. Dexter Filkins, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, calls it “...a tale so extraordinary that at times it seems conjured from a dream; as it unfolds it’s not just Caleb Daniels that comes into focus, but America, too. Jennifer Percy has orchestrated a great narrative about redemption, loss and hope.” And Esquire magazine calls it “A powerful debut and a haunting portrait of PTSD, and the effects of war on the psyches of the soldiers who fight and the extreme lengths they'll go to to find relief and heal."  Monologue topics: war, peace, humanity, pacifism, confusion.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dexter Filkins is one of the most respected combat journalists of his generation. His 2008 book, The Forever War, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best Nonfiction Book and was named a best book of the year by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time and the Boston Globe. As part of a team of New York Times reporters, Filkins won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for dispatches from Pakistan and Afghanistan. In this lecture, he retraces the seven years he spent covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, using vivid images by some of the best photojournalists working today. Filkins’ intimate knowledge of many of the main actors – American, Iraqi and Afghan – in two of the most polarizing wars in American history gives him a unique perspective on these contemporary conflicts. Series: "Voices" [Public Affairs] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 24901]

Dexter Filkins is one of the most respected combat journalists of his generation. His 2008 book, The Forever War, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best Nonfiction Book and was named a best book of the year by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time and the Boston Globe. As part of a team of New York Times reporters, Filkins won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for dispatches from Pakistan and Afghanistan. In this lecture, he retraces the seven years he spent covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, using vivid images by some of the best photojournalists working today. Filkins’ intimate knowledge of many of the main actors – American, Iraqi and Afghan – in two of the most polarizing wars in American history gives him a unique perspective on these contemporary conflicts. Series: "Voices" [Public Affairs] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 24901]

Weekly JourneywithJesus.net postings, read by Daniel B. Clendenin. Essay: *The Subversive Song of the Mother of God: Mary's Magnificat* for Sunday, 14 December 2008; book review: *The Forever War* by Dexter Filkins (2008); film review: *The Savages* (2007); poem review: *BC:AD* by U.A. Fanthorpe.

An interview with Dexter Filkins the author of The Forever War. Through the eyes of Filkins, the prizewinning New York Times correspondent whose work was hailed by David Halberstam as "reporting of the highest quality imaginable," we witness the remarkable chain of events that began with the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, continued with the attacks of 9/11, and moved on to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Filkins's narrative moves across a vast and various landscape of amazing characters and astonishing scenes: deserts, mountains, and streets of carnage; a public amputation performed by Taliban; children frolicking in minefields; skies streaked white by the contrails of B-52s; a night's sleep in the rubble of Ground Zero. We embark on a foot patrol through the shadowy streets of Ramadi, venture into a torture chamber run by Saddam Hussein. We go into the homes of suicide bombers and into street-to-street fighting with a battalion of marines. We meet Iraqi insurgents, an American captain who loses a quarter of his men in eight days, and a young soldier from Georgia on a rooftop at midnight reminiscing about his girlfriend back home. A car bomb explodes, bullets fly, and a mother cradles her blinded son. Filkins, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, has covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. Before that, he worked for the Los Angeles Times, where he was chief of the paper's New Delhi bureau, and for The Miami Herald. He has been a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and a winner of a George Polk Award and two Overseas Press Club awards. Most recently, he was a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.

Dexter Filkins, Baghdad correspondent for The New York Times, Anne Garrels, author of "Naked in Baghdad", George Packer, author of "The Assassin's Gete: America in Iraq", and Larry Diamond discuss the issues of the war in Iraq.

Back from the awesome AVIT 05 and doing a midnight live vj set together with todd synesthete for the san francisco glitch-hop artist kraddy, during the UK's largest not for profit political clubbing event, Drop Beats Not Bombs, on the closing night of AVIT, it's time to get back to posting here at artificialeye. According to the web page commondreams, last November, a security consultant told David Corn that a six-mile cab ride from Central Baghdad to Baghdad International Airport cost $6000. Now it's up to $35,000. Read what New York Times Iraq correspondent Dexter Filkins recently told NBC Meet the Press host Tim Russert here about the Road Of Death, the six miles of highway between baghdad and the airport, whose text inspired this post. Music taken from a remix of POTUS singing "Imagine" and "Take a Walk on the Wildside" from WFMU's post about dubya remixes, via the always wonderful boingboing. After u enjoy this post created completely in the latest version of GridPro have some more remixed POTUS fun at DIYmedia