Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil debate what the U.S. response should be to Russia threatening to suspend support for grain exports through the Black Sea.

Luckily, with the help of Turkey and the UN, Russia decided to restart its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative (which allows for exports of food and fertilizer through the Black Sea). However, this raises the question of what the U.S. should do if Russia pulls out of this agreement and institutes a naval blockade. Should we engage with our military assets? Should we rely on diplomacy? Should we do nothing? Tune in to find out what our experts think!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/world/europe/ukraine-russia-grain-black-sea.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/02/grain-deal-ukraine-turkey-russia/

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Fault Lines is back!! 

Join us for our second episode after our break with a regular cast of characters to get you quickly up to speed three-times-a-week on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.

Citizens have been protesting across Iran for nearly seven weeks, defying a deadly crackdown by security forces.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss these protests in light of the Iranian regime's increasingly strict crack down. Are these protests different than previous protests in Iran? Should the U.S. government be doing more? Are sanctions the answer? Should we be advocating for regime change in Iran? Tune in to find out!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-indicts-some-1000-people-tehran-over-unrest-tasnim-reports-2022-10-31/

To listen to President Obama’s full podcast as referenced go here: 

https://crooked.com/podcast/between-barack-and-a-hard-place/

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Fault Lines is back and revamped!

Join us for our first episode in our new format, which gets you quickly up to speed three-times-a-week on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil talk about the upcoming COP27 in Egypt. President Biden will be attending, and all eyes will be on Sharm El-Sheikh as this is the first major public interaction since President Xi Jinping’s power grab last week at the Chinese Communist Party's Congress. What is COP? Why is this something you should be tracking? Listen to find out!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-emissions-set-to-decline-but-global-pledges-fall-short-of-climate-goals-u-n-says-11666832112

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This week, we take a deep dive into the Islamic Republic of Iran. What are Iran’s regional and internal ambitions? What is the political history of Iran and how does this explain its actions and intentions? Do human rights exist in Iran? Should the U.S. resurrect the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)?

Richard Goldberg is a Senior Advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Rich joins to answer and reflect on these questions. Rich has extensive experience on Iran and the boarder Middle East region from his time working on Capitol Hill as well as at the White House National Security Council. 

This episode is the series finale of our summer series, “Breaking Chains: Fighting the New Global Repressors.” Thank you to those who joined us throughout the summer to dive into some of the most pressing human rights issues facing our world.

The Fault Lines team is taking a break in September but we look forward to more hard-hitting episodes - with a new look - in October! Until then!

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This week marks one year since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan following its two-decade commitment to fighting terrorism in the country. One year on, we have a country ruled by the Taliban, thousands of Americans and allies stranded within its borders, and a rapidly deteriorating economic, humanitarian and regional security situation on the ground. How many American people and allies are still left in Taliban-governed Afghanistan? What does the future of U.S. commitment look like in the country? How has our withdrawal impacted the U.S. role in the world and its order?

Today’s episode will feature France Hoang to help answer and reflect on these questions. France is the Chairman of the Board of Allied Airlift 21 and co-founder of the Afghanistan Departure Group (ADG). Both of these organizations were instrumental in assisting with the evacuation of Americans and our allies out of Afghanistan. 

Want to learn more about Allied Airlift 21 and how you can help? Please check out their website here!

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This week, we discuss what life is like in North Korea for the average citizen and how the authoritarian government keeps order and control over the lives of ordinary North Koreans. 

Do human rights even exist in North Korea? What motivates the North Korean government to perpetuate repression? What is the difference between operations and analysis at the Central Intelligence Agency, and what skills are they looking for in prospective intelligence analysts?

Yong Lee is the former CIA Deputy Assistant Director for the Korea Mission Center and former Chief of the Korea Department. Yong has extensive experience in Korean Peninsula affairs. We are thrilled he could join Fault Lines to shed light on the notoriously isolated country of North Korea. 

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This week, we discuss what organizations like the International Republican Institute are doing to help curb the malicious actions of states who repress their people. 

What are the roles of interests and values in the context of America's foreign policy? What can democratic countries do to counter authoritarian regimes? What is the role of the U.S. Congress in shaping foreign policy, and how this arrangement uniquely American? 

Dr. Daniel Twining is President of the International Republican Institute. Previously, Dr. Twining directed the German Marshall Fund’s Asia program, was a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and served as a foreign policy advisor to the late U.S. Senator John McCain. We are thrilled to have him join to answer these questions!

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This week, we take a deep dive into the “hot spots” in the world for religious persecution including Nigeria, Burma and Saudi Arabia.

Ambassador Samuel Brownback served as the Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom at the U.S. State Department under the Trump Administration. Prior to his service as Ambassador, he served as a Congressman, Senator and Governor of the great state of Kansas. He has a unique perspective of how religious freedom directly relates to our nation’s national security and we are thrilled to have him provide his insights on how religious persecution is often a key ingredient to global repression. 

He discusses how freedom of religion plays into U.S. foreign policy. What mechanisms does the U.S. government have at its disposal to curb religious persecution? What is the impact on U.S. bilateral relations with states who allow don’t allow freedom of religion within their borders? How does advocating for this fundamental human right impact our national security?

This episode contains descriptions of graphic violence that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. 

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This week, we discuss the tragic war crimes occurring against the Ukrainian people since Russia invaded the country. As we learn this week, this is a common trend when it comes to Russia, and this is not the first time they have repressed and abused their neighbors. How is this unprovoked war impacting the Ukrainian people on the ground? What is the international community doing to bring those who perpetrate these war crimes to justice? 

Michael Sawkiw, Executive Vice President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, has spent years advocating for Ukrainians and has worked tirelessly to support the Ukrainian community in the United States. He has a deep knowledge of the human rights violations and atrocities occurring on the ground in Ukraine since the Russian invasion and we are thrilled to have him join us to share his insights. 

This episode contains descriptions of graphic violence that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised. 

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Illicit finance poses one of the key national security challenges facing the crypto industry. How do U.S. regulators and policymakers work with stakeholders to implement solutions that may be at odds with crypto’s underlying ethos of decentralization? Is crypto the driving factor behind increased ransomware activity or just a symptom? What lessons can the United States take from other governments, like the EU and the UK, in upgrading our anti-money laundering framework?  

Ari Redbord, Head of Legal and Government Affairs at TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence company, joins Fault Lines for a special episode to help assess some of the national security challenges facing the crypto industry.

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