Waitt, What? The Podcast

Gabriel Noronha is the Executive Director of POLARIS National Security, a Washington, DC–based organization that advocates for a strong, conservative, and pro-Israel foreign policy. In this very timely episode, Gabriel brings shares his expertise on one of America's most persistent adversaries: the Islamic Republic of Iran. His work has been instrumental in exposing and disrupting Iran's attempts to circumvent U.S. economic sanctions—measures that have significantly impacted the Iranian economy.

What do Iran's shadow proxy networks, China's ideological & cyber warfare, and NATO's expanding footprint in Europe all have in common? They're shaping the future of U.S. foreign policy, whether we like it or not. This season, host Sam Waitt examines some of our 21st Century Adversaries: Iran, China, Russia, and ourselves—and how their ambitions are colliding with American interests. From behind-the-scenes diplomacy to cyber threats and military alliances, we'll unpack how power really works in the modern world, and what it means for all of our futures. Follow Season 2 of Waitt, What? wherever you get your favorite audio content, and together, let's try to make sense of the global chaos, because there is a lot of it!

Join me as I bring season one of Waitt, What? The Podcast to an end. What an opportunity! I am so thankful for my guests Jason, Marcin, Sergey, Peter, and Mark for giving me their time and sharing their knowledge with my listeners. They all continue to do wonderful work and I hope to have them back on the show in a future season. Thank you to all my supporters!

For those of you who have never heard of the Post-Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, let me explain. Somewhere west of China, south of Russia, and north of Afghanistan lies the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, now a proud independent country. Not only has Uzbekistan embarked on an uneven and often brutal nation-building process, but since 2017, this cotton-growing nation of more than 30 million people has begun a top-to-bottom cultural revolution that should excite Americans. In this region where more than a century of Russian rule has left an indelible legacy, Uzbekistan is trying to position itself as a country of the future. Our guest, Mark Reese, has 30 years of experience there and may have a few tales from his travels and work in Uzbekistan.

Over the last two years I am sure you have heard the soundbites: "America has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine when we could fix our domestic challenges". However, you probably don't know to where our so called money to Ukraine is truly being appropriated: somewhere much closer to home. This episode's guest, like me, hails from the Hawkeye State of Iowa. His name is Peter Rough, the Senior Fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC. Peter is certainly not your typical elite Washington think tanker. He understands not only Europe, but also Middle America, and why security in Ukraine and Eastern Europe is vital to both.

Ever since the Ukrainian people overthrew the corrupt regime of Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity, Russian disinformation and propaganda has been working overtime to crudely insult and discredit not only Ukraine's post Yanukovych's governments, but also the Ukrainian people and their desire for self-determination. One of those lies has been the claim that Ukraine has taken hostile steps against Christianity. In reality, all Ukraine has done is ban the Moscow branch of the Orthodox Church, whose patriarch has denied Ukraine's very existence. Our guest Sergey Rakhuba, whose organization supports churches in the former Soviet Union will explain that not only teaching the gospel occur in Ukraine, but it in fact thrives. Even in the darkness of Russia's war of elimination.

Unlike Western Europe, where the memories of the American-led liberation from the Nazis have faded, many Poles still remember what life was like under Soviet-Dominated Communism. Since the end of Polish Communism in the 1980s, most Poles credit the United States as their savior from Russian domination, cementing Poland's status as Europe's most pro-American nation. Marcin Kusmierczyk is a Polish Geopolitical Analyst and expert with a deep knowledge of the history and affairs of the region. He can explain with brilliant detail not only why Russia is interested in Poland and would like to undo Poland's success story but also why the United States needs Poland in the greater Eurasian strategic space. As a self-described Polonophile, this episode was a joy for me to record.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Westerners had little knowledge about the Space between Germany and Russia, an area labeled by most scholars as Central and Eastern Europe. Before visiting the region in 2015, this host was one of them. Without this episode's guest, there would be no Waitt, What? The Podcast nor would I have ever seriously considered my deep dives into the history and geopolitics of Central and Eastern Europe. He is Jason Hanson, a professor of European History at Furman University. He and I have both developed a keen interest particularly in Eastern Europe. This inaugural episode is to cover the Western Balkans, Jason's specialty region, in the context of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine. Like everything in Central and Eastern Europe, the geopolitical situation in the Western Balkans is far from black-and-white.