The gang ignores the State of the Union and speculates about how Ali Saleh Al-Marri got sprung from federal prison. Shane takes on FBI Director Jim Comey with a new encrypted phone and a defense of granting anonymity to AQAP sources. Tamara talks about why moderate Arab states are unreliable partners in a war on radical Islam and talks about the great exception to this rule, the United Arab Emirates. And Ben shows up with a virus and an Anonymous mask.  

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Shane, Tamara, and Ben talk condemnation of the Charlie Hebdo attack and how much outrage is enough, our fear over foreign fighters, and the expanding vocabulary of cyber "attacks." Plus, Ben investigates the Pakistani incursion into the NSA's gift shop, Tamara wonders whether Iran is like a Pandora's Box, and Shane shares a personal story about a long-sought stash of Army records. Bonus feature: The gang welcomes special guest (our first!) Jeremy Shapiro. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shane Harris introduces the show and introduces Benjamin and Tamara Wittes. The gang talks Egypt and Tunisia, torture and sanctions. Ben talks about the medal he got from NSA, which hasn't yet declassified his speech. And Shane pines after a strange cybersecurity machine. Welcome to Rational Security.