The Loopcast

The Loopcast

By Sina Kashefipour and Chelsea DaymonHistory
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The Loopcast episodes

  • Episode 88 - Politics, political participation, and information security
    Josh Corman (@joshcorman) talks to the Loopcast about the intersection of politics, the political process and information security.

    Below are links that will add context and formed the back ground to the discussion:

    "Building a better Anonymous" Series

    "World War 3.0"

    "DEFCON 19 Panel: Whoever Fights Monsters..."

    "DEFCON 20 Talk: World War 3.0: Chaos, Control, & The Battle for the Net"

    "The Cavalry isn't Coming: Starting the Revolution to Fsck it All!"

    I am The Cavalry and @iamthecavalry
    1 hr 1 min
  • Episode 87- Update on the insurgency in Syria and a profile of the shabiha
    Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi (@ajaltamimi) and Phillip Smyth (@phillipsmyth) discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria and profile the shabiha, pro Assad militias. 

    Check out the two updates from Syria Comment which formed the basis of this conversation: "Islamist Groups Declare Opposition to National Coalition and US Strategy" and "A Case Study of "The Syrian Resistance," a Pro-Assad Militia Force"    
    1 hr 23 min
  • Episode 86 - Counter Terrorism in the Horn of Africa: The region and al Shabaab
    Clinton Watts (@selectedwisdom) talks to the Loopcast about the West Gate Mall attack, shifts in al Shabaab's strategy, the larger issue of the Horn of Africa in US counter terrorism policy, and ending with Omar Hammani's legacy. 

    Check out Clint's blog and his latest: "The Siege in Nairobi"

    Make sure to check the Loopcast's Tumblr later this week for more articles related to this episode.
    1 hr 6 min
  • Episode 84- Understanding the Syrian Insurgency with Charles Lister and Aaron Zelin
    Charles Lister (@charles_lister) and Aaron Zelin (@azelin) discuss the Syrian insurgency. Below I've listed an outline of the conversation and the questions we covered.



    First, update us on the war. What is the state of the


    insurgency post chemical weapon use? At this point in the war how can we relate

    FSA to other parts of the insurgency (jihadis, Islamist, etc)[ infighting ].

    Where do we factor in sectarianism? Where do we factor in the level of

    violence?



     How much of the insurgency can be considered


    "secular" vs "Islamist" vs "jihadi"? How would

    you define each category, and more importantly has there been shift from one

    category to another?


    In the US there has been a heated debate about the


    "good" and "bad" guys: Broadly, is it possible to define

    and separate the "good" from the "bad" in a complex

    insurgency? How has funding and arming affected the aforementioned categorization?


    Whenever experts and or intelligence services can offer


    foreign policy decision-makers nuance and in depth view of a complex event,

    that analysis meets (a) entrenched policies and party pressures, (b) the

    impressive force of lobbyists and interested campaign contributors, and (c) uninformed

    or misinformed popular public opinion, which will likely turn into votes next

    time around.


    What has been your experience in dealing with the pressures


    in producing a genuinely in depth and nuanced product vs the political forces

    and domestic politicization of the conflict in Syria particularly in dealing

    with the call for intervention?



    1 hr 2 min

About The Loopcast

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Podcast series covering topics in extremism, history, and the law.