Intelligence Matters

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with William Burns, career diplomat, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and current president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Burns shares concerns about a decades-long drift in American diplomacy, which he says began after the Cold War, intensified in the years following 9/11, and has been accelerated during the Trump administration. He tells Morell why American engagement abroad remains crucial and how it could make a meaningful difference in confronting geopolitical challenges from the likes of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Burns also shares anecdotes from his new book, The Back Channel, about engaging directly with Vladimir Putin during his time as U.S. Ambassador to Russia and about the backroom meetings that preceded the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with psychiatrist Dr. David Charney, who has spent decades personally evaluating intelligence professionals and has interviewed some of the most well-known spies in American history, including former FBI Agents Earl Pitts and Robert Hansenn. Charney explains the core psychology of espionage, including a theory of what leads people to spy and what kinds of traits and situations are most common among those who choose to do so. Charney also offers new ideas for preventing spying, and stopping it once it starts.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Laura Holgate, former U.S. Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency and Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction on President Obama's National Security Council. Holgate, now vice president for materials risk management at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, explains the threats posed by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and how the United States, along with international partners, works to contain them. Holgate and Morell assess the United States' approach to some of the most precarious proliferation challenges in the world, including from North Korea, Iran and, more recently, Saudi Arabia.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Center of Strategic and International Studies Senior Fellow and Korea Chair Sue Mi Terry about the state of the U.S.-North Korea relationship and the stakes facing both President Trump and leader Kim Jong Un ahead of their second summit in Vietnam. Terry offers an assessment of Pyongyang’s current capabilities, an overview of why Kim has come to the negotiating table, and outlines the questions that remain unanswered about Kim’s strategic intentions. Terry tells Morell what progress will have to be made in Hanoi for the U.S. to be able to declare it a success.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who ran the U.S. government’s third-largest department from 2013 to 2017 during the Obama administration. Johnson offers context on the security challenges at the U.S. southern border, addresses the government’s multi-agency handling of cyber threats, and evaluates the Obama administration’s response to Russia’s efforts to disrupt the 2016 presidential election. Johnson also reviews his career history as a top official at the Department of Defense.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former diplomat Vicki Huddleston, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mali and Madagascar and was the country's top diplomat in Havana during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. She details the rocky evolution of the U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relationship, including personal experiences dealing with former revolutionary and Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro. Huddleston and Morell evaluate the Obama administration's 2014 opening to Cuba and the possible trajectories for future of the relationship.

In a special bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Pedro Burelli, a former member of the Executive Board of Petróleos de Venezuela who now lives in exile in the United States and speaks regularly with democratic leader Juan Guaidó. Burelli weighs in on the state of affairs in Venezuela and explains why the Trump administration’s efforts to build a multilateral alliance in the region may lead to a peaceful solution. He offers views on Guaidó’s political evolution and rapid rise to power, and discusses why the country – with the international community’s help in ousting malign influence from abroad and rebuilding institutions from within – may soon be poised to undergo permanent change.

In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with retired Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, who until recently served as director of the National Security Agency, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Chief of the Central Security Service. They discuss Rogers’ three-decade military career, including how he went from serving as a Navy cryptologist to leading the country’s largest intelligence agency, how his dual-hatted role worked in practice, and whether changes to the agencies’ leadership structure are overdue. They also discuss current cyber threats, insider threats, and why global cyber norms remain elusive. Rogers also weighs in on the merits of public attribution for cyber attacks and the appropriateness of offensive cyber measures.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Cohen and Avril Haines, who both served as deputy directors of the CIA during the Obama administration. They discuss with Morell, who was also a deputy director, the demands of the role - including preparing for the Presidential Daily Brief and how it compared to their previous experiences in the U.S. government. They also assess the responsibility of CIA directors to appear and speak publicly, contrasting current director Gina Haspel's relatively low profile with former director John Brennan's choice to be outspoken.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chicago University professor and Director of the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism Robert Pape, who explains how ISIS and other militant groups adopt Western narratives to effectively recruit in the United States. Pape reviews what inspires people about ISIS propaganda and how the group's recruits differ from those of Al Qaeda. He also tells Morell how he works with the FBI and U.S. prison system to better understand the psychologies of those who have become radicalized.