Vandenberg Flash Focus

We are joined by Vandenberg's Ana Quintana & former U.S. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Amb. J. Peter Pham, to discuss the collapse of governance in Haiti and why Kenya has taken the lead of the UN-sanctioned multinational security force being sent to the island country.

00:01:25 Situation in Haiti and why the UN approved an outside intervention

00:05:08 Why is Kenya the lead country of the multinational security force? Kenya's history with peacekeeping missions

00:10:45 Haiti's collapse, the migration crisis, and what this operation means for the Caribbean

00:15:30 The China angle & geopolitical implications

00:19:19 Why does this matter for the United States? What should U.S. policymakers be paying attention to?

We sit down with the Hudson Institute's Luke Coffey to discuss the current state of the war in Ukraine, the fight brewing in Congress over additional U.S. military aid, and the course of the war as it enters its second year.

Mentioned in the Episode:

The Fourteen Facts About U.S. Aid to Ukraine

The Decisive Moment for Ukraine: A Conversation with Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Vandenberg Coalition Website

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Vandenberg's own Carrie Filipetti joins Flash Focus to unpack this week's opposition presidential primary in Venezuela, how the Maduro regime maintains its grip on power, and how political change in Venezuela would affect U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere.

We sit down with Richard Goldberg—a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies & Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member—to discuss President Biden's trip to Israel yesterday, the IDF's ongoing campaign against Hamas, and the still-unfolding ramifications of Hamas' brutal terrorist attack on Israel almost two weeks ago.

This episode was recorded on Thursday, October 19th.

We sit down with Joe Truzman from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies to discuss the ongoing Hamas attack on Israel, Israel's likely responses, and implications for the United States.

Early on the morning of Saturday, October 7th, Hamas launched a massive attack from Gaza into Israel on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. Fighting is ongoing, but this attack is unprecedented in both scale and in the scope of the strategic surprise Hamas achieved over Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is “at war”. The Israel Defense Forces are counterattacking against Hamas forces and mobilizing reservists across the country. 

Additional Resources:

Iran and its Network of 19 Terrorist Organizations on Israel's Borders | Joe Truzman

The Hamas Attack Changes Everything | Elliott Abrams