An election – of sorts – was held in the Islamic Republic of Iran last week. The victor: Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline theocrat who has been sanctioned by the US for his involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners.
Voter turnout was reportedly low.
To discuss these developments, and how the Biden administration – among others – may respond, host Cliff May is joined by Ray Takeyh, formerly a senior advisor on Iran at the Department of State, currently a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Reuel Marc Gerecht, formerly a Middle Eastern specialist at the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, currently a senior fellow at FDD; and Benham Ben Taleblu, also a senior fellow at FDD where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues.

Raisi Rising

A national security and foreign policy podcast from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

History

Society & Culture

News

Government

News Commentary

The first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state was Egypt. Following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, came the Camp David Accords of 1978 which provided both countries with tangible benefits. While the peace has never been warm, it has held.
 
But since October 7, Egypt’s behavior has been distressing. What’s more, there’s now evidence that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been deceiving Israel for years – allowing weapons and ammunition to flow freely to Hamas through an elaborate network of tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gaza.
 
Helping host Cliff May understand the now-tense relationship between Cairo and Jerusalem are his FDD colleagues Haisam Hassanein and Jonathan Schanzer.

Talk Like an Egyptian

Hamas called its October 7 terrorist attack “Operation al Aqsa Flood,” suggesting a religious – rather than nationalistic – motive.
 
The al Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in Islam, sits atop the ruins of both the ancient temples of the Jews. The first was built by King Solomon and was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The second was built in the sixth century BCE and stood for nearly 600 years before it was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE.
 
But before there were mosques or temples in Judea there was something else: The City of David which, over recent years, archaeologists have been unearthing.
 
To discuss what this dig is revealing about the past, and the impact these revelations might have on modern foreign policy, host Cliff May is joined by Ze’ev Orenstein, Director of International Affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem.

News from 1,000 BCE

Americans and our allies confront an extraordinary array of threats from an emerging “axis of aggressors,” consisting of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. That’s the bad news. The good news? Americans have an unmatched network of allies and partners with whom we can work to defend our common interests and counter growing threats. Among our partners in that network are three beleaguered democracies: Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. The primary way we can help is by sending weapons. But is the U.S. defense industrial base up to the task? Can America once again serve as the “Arsenal of Democracy?” Can we arm ourselves while simultaneously providing Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel with the means of self-defense? And what's up with the Biden administration and the provision of weapons to Israel?

Senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power and guest host Bradley Bowman asks Mira Resnick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Regional Security in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. She oversees the Bureau’s Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, managing over $40 billion annually in government-to-government defense equipment transfers. She's also responsible for the Bureau’s Office of Security Assistance.

Reviving the Arsenal of Democracy

A war is being waged against Israel by Iran’s rulers and their proxies, and they don’t hide their goal — they boast of it: annihilation. Extermination. Genocide.

Now seven months into Israel’s defensive war in Gaza following the heinous terrorist attacks of October 7, Hamas is down but not out. And they are literally down: its leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, are believed to be ensconced in an elaborate labyrinth of tunnels underneath Rafah in Gaza, wherein the last remaining Hamas battalions remain.
 
Meanwhile, Israel also faces rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon and, recently, from Iran itself.
 
President Biden’s response to all of this? Halting the delivery of weapons and ammunition to Israel.

To discuss what President Biden wants to accomplish, what America’s enemies and allies are gleaning from this episode, what options are open to Congressional supporters of Israel, and what Israel’s options are now, host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Bradley Bowman, and Richard Goldberg.

Saving Private Sinwar

In the aftermath of World War II, the establishment of the United Nations seemed like a promising idea: global unity in resolving conflicts peacefully while promoting human rights. Surely everyone in the new international community will support such efforts, right? Wrong.

U.N. corruption is obvious to anyone willing to look, but most Americans and Europeans in positions of authority don’t look.

And the problem has reached alarming new lows since the October 7 invasion of and attack on Israel by Hamas.

Luckily, some experts are paying attention. A report fittingly titled, “The Urgent Need for U.N. Reform,” was published last month by Alan Goldsmith of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and the Counter Extremism Project. The report’s foreword was written by former Representative Iliana Ros-Lehtinen and FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg.

Alan and Rich join host Cliff May to discuss the U.N.'s dangerous fall from grace as well as if — and how — the failed organization might be rehabilitated.

Raisi Rising

Download our free app to listen on your phone