Podcasts by Foreign Podicy

How Hamas Co-opts the Media from 2023-11-20T19:00

Although six weeks have passed since Iran-backed Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and butchered more than 1,200 innocent civilians while taking hostage another 240, this is just the beginning of ...

Israel’s War on Terrorism from 2023-11-17T19:30

For an update on Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, AKA Israel's War on Terrorism, host Cliff May is joined by FDD experts Jonathan Schanzer — FDD Senior Vice P...

Shattered Peace from 2023-11-10T17:38

The October 7 atrocities committed against Israel and by Hamas terrorists with support from the Islamic Republic of Iran has frozen the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as the cler...

Studying War Some More from 2023-10-27T23:38:16

It is the opinion of your Foreign Podicy host, Cliff May, that Andrew Roberts is the world’s greatest living historian.

In recent years, he has written groundbreaking biographies of...

Penetrating the Fog of Israel’s War from 2023-10-20T23:20:38

Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel has led to war. We have to think that’s what Hamas and its patrons in Tehran expected and very likely wanted.

Is that because they believe they can win on...

The 10/7 War from 2023-10-14T03:55:34

Israel is at war with Hamas — a real war, not another “mow the grass” conflict.

Hamas is one of the terrorist groups funded, armed, trained and instructed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.<...

Ukraine in the Balance: A Conversation with Assistant Secretary of Defense Celeste Wallander from 2023-09-30T00:53:16

Americans, our elected officials in Congress, and individuals aspiring to be the next U.S. president are debating whether the United States should continue to support Ukraine. Some Republican pr...

News Bulletin From Iran, 70 Years Late from 2023-09-23T02:32:12

“What’s past is prologue,” Shakespeare informed us. But what if the past is misunderstood? Or misrepresented?

 What if policy makers are making policies based on false historical narrative...

Guests of the Ayatollah from 2023-09-18T20:42:11

“Hostage diplomacy” is a term you’ll frequently see in the media, but it's a misleading term. What we’re really talking about: Dictators kidnapping and torturing innocent foreign civilians.

Mexico Is Going South from 2023-08-30T22:45:39

Host Cliff May lived in Mexico in the late 1970s. Back then, there were reasons to believe Mexico was moving in the right direction. That’s no longer the case. Mexico’s narco-cartels are not only g...

“No Freebies For Dictators” and other Abrams Doctrines from 2023-08-18T19:00

Elliott Abrams has been in the foreign policy business for a rather long time. Years ago, he served on the staffs of Democratic Senators Henry “Scoop” Jackson and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He late...

Ukraine: What comes next? from 2023-08-11T14:00

"It's not a sprint, it's a marathon."

That was the reported assessment of a Ukrainian battalion commander recently describing Kyiv's counteroffensive against invading Russian forces. To be...

Pacific Overtures from 2023-07-28T12:00

China’s rulers gaze across the Taiwan Strait and see an island where people are free, prosperous, and choose their leaders. They don’t like that. They insist that the people of Taiwan must be rule...

The Game of War: Part I from 2023-07-21T23:30

War games are not entertainments. They are simulations; a way to develop insights into what would happen in an armed conflict – who would prevail and at what cost, should push come to shove. War...

Samuel Ramani on Russia in Ukraine and Russia in Africa from 2023-07-14T12:00

Samuel Ramani teaches politics and international relations at Oxford. He’s the author of Russia in Africa and Putin’s War on Ukraine.

His articles appear in a range of top-ti...

Russia’s Lost Empire from 2023-07-10T12:00

Host Cliff May recently wrote a column for the Washington Times guessing what Vladimir Putin might do next if he should succeed in Ukraine.

He suggested Putin would take over Moldov...

Walter Russell Mead’s Global View from 2023-06-23T12:00

Walter Russell Mead is the Global View Columnist at the Wall Street Journal, the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College in New Yor...

The World According to McMaster from 2023-06-16T00:00

LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster wears many hats. Most important for us at FDD: He’s Chairman of the Board of Ad...

Bombers, Balloons, and Santa’s Sleigh: Defending the American Homeland from 2023-06-12T00:00

One of the most important missions of the United States military is defending our homeland against a range of threats. But that mission is only becoming more difficult as China, Russia, and Nort...

Who Needs Soft Power? from 2023-05-26T12:00

American political scientist Joseph Nye popularized the concept of soft power decades ago. As he wrote in his 2004 book by that name, “soft power – getting others to want the outcomes that you w...

The Skunks at Israel’s Birthday Party from 2023-05-19T19:00

Israelis are now celebrating 75 years of independence – 75 years of self-determination for the Jewish people in part of their ancient homeland which for centuries was ruled by foreign empires. The...

Under African Skies from 2023-05-12T12:00

Africa is the second largest continent in the world, both in land area and population. It has more than 1.2 billion people — most of them young and poor — living in 54 countries. If curre...

Israel’s Little Fires Everywhere from 2023-04-24T18:15

The Islamic Republic of Iran makes no effort to conceal its desire to wipe Israel off the map. Just this week, leaders called for the elimination of two major Israeli cities: Tel Aviv and Haifa....

Deterring Aggression in the Pacific: A Conversation with General Kenneth S. Wilsbach from 2023-04-14T05:18:30

Many in Washington speculate on the nature and urgency of the military threat from China and the readiness of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific to deter and defeat aggression by Beijing. B...

The U.S.-led Global Order and Its Discontents from 2023-03-31T23:47:10

When you hear or read about the American-led rules-based liberal international order do you think: “Yes! That’s important to me and my grandchildren and it needs to be sustained at all c...

Six Months of Protests in Iran from 2023-03-24T18:00

For more than six months now, the Iranian people have protested against the state by taking to the street, chanting "Woman! Life! Liberty!" and other anti-regime slogans. Iranians continue to sh...

The Dark Side of the Coin from 2023-03-17T15:00

With the implosion of FTX and the arrest of its founder, Washington finally woke up to the need for more effective regulation of cryptocurrency. Yet as government agencies and legislators take u...

Czar Vladimir’s War: One Year and Counting from 2023-02-24T23:46:12

Vladimir Putin expected to conquer Ukraine in three days. But the brutal and bloody war he launched against his neighbor has dragged on for one year.

The factors that gave rise to this wa...

Tools of Terror: Iran’s Growing Ballistic Missile Threat from 2023-02-17T17:00

The Islamic Republic of Iran possesses the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East, and Tehran is working hard to increase its size and quality by pursuing improvements in precision...

Warrior Diplomat on the Hill from 2023-02-10T16:00

Mike Waltz is a warrior and a diplomat. In 2014, he wrote a fascinating book called “Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan.” In 2015, he was a non-resident sen...

Guarding Contested Skies from 2023-01-27T19:30

China, Russia, Iran, North Korea — not to mention the persistent threat from terrorist organizations. The United States confronts an extraordinary array of threats, with many of our adversaries ...

Got Nukes? from 2023-01-20T20:54:45

During the Cold War, one of the few issues on which the United States and the Soviet Union agreed, was that other states should not have nuclear weapons. The likelihood that one of them would us...

From Malmo to Jerusalem from 2023-01-16T16:00

Jonathan Conricus was born in Jerusalem but grew up in Sweden. His family returned to Israel when he was 13 years old. A few years later he joined the Israeli Defense Forces, eventually rising t...

Why America Can’t Be Denmark from 2022-04-22T19:29:52

Can there be anyone not shocked and appalled by Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine – a war intended to extinguish Ukraine as an independent nation; a war in which it appears that war crimes are not...

Disinformation Wars from 2022-04-15T14:00

"A well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny." Thomas Jefferson said that or something close to it. But what happens when tyrants misinform us or — worse — disinform us?

“Pivoting” and Other Foreign Policy Delusions from 2022-04-08T14:00

There’s a dangerous — even reckless — new Iran nuclear accord that appears to be nearing the finish line in Vienna. Meanwhile, the Biden White House is struggling to wield t...

Why MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) Is No Longer Reassuring from 2022-04-01T20:54:13

Central to America's strategy in the Cold War was the principle of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). The idea was to make nuclear warfare a lose-lose proposition — a game you just can't win. W...

Mike Waltz: Warrior Diplomat and Congressman from 2022-03-25T17:13:36

Michael G. Waltz served as a Green Beret in the Middle East and Africa, and commanded a Special Forces company in the mountains of Afghanistan.

He ...

The Fog of War and Diplomacy from 2022-03-18T17:03:23

Russia’s brutal war continues, and President Zelensky is asking for more assistance as the people of Ukraine attempt to exercise their right to defend themselves from an imperialist aggressor se...

A War in Ukraine, A Battle in Vienna, and Israel on the Edge from 2022-03-11T18:07:59

As Vladimir Putin’s troops ravage Ukraine, his envoy in Vienna is steering the U.S. nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Listen

Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Three Perspectives on Putin’s War on Ukraine from 2022-03-04T17:31:04

Vladimir Putin is waging a war of aggression, a war of conquest, an imperialist war. This should not come as a surprise. It’s long been evident that he views himself as a modern czar, a Caesar (...

Vladimir the Terrible from 2022-02-25T21:08:56

As feared and anticipated, Vladimir Putin sent his troops over the border into Ukraine – an act of aggression and a blatant violation of international law. If Ukrainia...

Enemies and Allies, Villains and Heroes from 2022-02-18T12:35

Joel C. Rosenberg is a New York Times-bestselling author. He’s written 15 novels and four non-fiction books with five million copies in print. Among his readers and fans: George W. Bush, Mike Pe...

The Army and the Indo-Pacific from 2022-02-11T11:00

Beijing is conducting the most ambitious military modernization and expansion effort in the history of the People’s Republic of China. And the more powerful the People’s Liberation Army becomes,...

Russia and Ukraine: On the Brink of War from 2022-02-04T18:32:35

Vladimir Putin is threatening to erase the sovereignty, independence, and self-determination of Ukraine.

What caused this crisis?  What are the li...

The Worst of Times from 2022-01-28T15:50

The media have changed a lot in recent years – not for the better. The New York Times certainly isn’t the newspaper it used to be. 

Ashley Rindsberg has written a book making the case th...

The Unruly and Not-So-Orderly Rules-based International Order from 2022-01-21T18:05:42

John Bolton has had quite a few challenging jobs. Among them: presidential national security advisor, ambassador to the United Nations, and several senior positions in the State Department. He h...

Biden’s Moment of Truth in Iran from 2022-01-14T19:05:24

Negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have not gone well. President Biden may soon have to choose between two unappealing options: allowing the theocratic regim...

H.R. McMaster, the Warrior Ethos, and the Wars Against the West from 2022-01-07T18:30:16

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) H.R. McMaster is a soldier and a scholar and, these days, a commentator – one might even say a pundit.

His recent essay for Nation...

Chinese Communism 101: Beijing’s Campus Strategy from 2021-12-24T19:24:01

In recent years, it’s become apparent that the People’s Republic of China intends to eat America’s lunch. No one is more responsible for revealing that than Listen

Palestinians Head for the Polls – or Not from 2021-04-27T10:00

In the West Bank and Gaza, elections are not frequent occurrences. The last one was in 2006. Hamas, a terrorist organization opposed to a two-state solution and openly...

Beijing, the WHO, and the Pandemic from 2021-04-16T12:00

In January, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the World Health Organization to fully investigate the possibility that the COVID-19 vir...

Putin vs. the Press from 2021-04-09T17:30:49

In the Soviet Union, all media were controlled by the state, and foreign correspondents were severely restricted. Those who hoped — and perhaps believed — that freedom of speech and freedom of t...

The Thin Red Line: Joby Warrick on the U.S. Response to this Century’s Worst War Crimes from 2021-03-19T17:23:46

Joby Warrick is a distinguished journalist, a longtime Washington Post national security reporter, and a Pulitzer Prize-winner. His latest book is: “Red Line: The Unraveli...

The UN and the Illiberal International Order from 2021-02-26T18:41:26

With the defeat of the Axis Powers in 1945, the United States emerged as the strongest nation on earth. But rather than emulate hegemons of the past, American leaders envisioned a new and differ...

Iran’s Road from Monarchy to Islamist Theocracy and Empire from 2021-02-11T12:00

February 11, 2021 is the forty-second anniversary of the revolution that transformed Iran from a Western-aligned monarchy to an anti-Western Islamist theocracy.

Ray Takeyh is a senior fe...

Thinking Bigly at Foggy Bottom from 2021-01-29T12:00

Starting in 2019, and until the recent change of administration, Peter Berkowitz served as director of Policy Planning at the State Department. That’s the government i...

Arms Control and the Man from 2020-12-22T18:49:55

Marshall Billingslea has worked on a range of significant and difficult national security issues.

He served as Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the Treasury Department, pre...

The Powers that Should Be from 2020-12-02T00:00

Robert Gates served as secretary of defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He also has served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and he was a ...

The Rise of the Illiberal World Order from 2020-11-19T23:21:30

In theory, the United Nations and other international organizations express the will of something called “the international community,” while enforcing something called the “liberal internationa...

Sharansky’s Lives from 2020-11-06T00:00

Natan Sharansky grew up in the Soviet Union where he became an elite mathematician and chess whiz. But he also became a dissident, a human rights activist, and a suppo...

China’s German Connection from 2020-10-19T12:00

Chinese President Xi Jinping sees the United States as the primary adversary and rival of the People’s Republic of China. His intention is to end America’s tenure as global leader, and to begin ...

The U.S. Military’s Southern Exposure: Trouble in the Neighborhood from 2020-10-16T15:00

The U.S. Southern Command, SOUTHCOM, is one of six geographic combatant commands. It’s responsible for planning, operations and security cooperation in Central America, South America, and most o...

H.R. McMaster and the Fight to Defend the Free World from 2020-10-02T13:57:59

LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster is a soldier, scholar and strategist. A graduate of West Point, he served in the U.S. Army for 34 years, earning a doctorate in history along the way, and retiring as a ...

The Iraq-Iran War: An Unhappy 40th Anniversary from 2020-09-24T05:00

On September 22, 1980, Iraq and Iran went to war. The conflict dragged on for eight long years, taking an estimated half million lives. When it was over, both countries and the Middle East had b...

Our Man in Geneva: The UN is bigger – but not better – than you think. from 2020-09-17T15:34:54

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in New York is often a high-profile figure. Think of Nikki Haley, John Bolton, Jeane Kirkpatrick — or, going back further, Adlai Stevenson, Arthur Goldb...

Ron Dermer on Israel in a Changing Middle East from 2020-08-26T12:00

Ambassador Ron Dermer has been Israel’s ambassador to the United States since 2013 – not an uneventful period for Israel, America and the Middle East. Most...

The Kasparov Defense from 2020-08-14T12:00

Garry Kasparov is a former world chess champion, a former Russian dissident and democracy leader, and a current human rights activist. He’s founded a new o...

The Failing State of Lebanon from 2020-08-06T12:00

Lebanon is a small country that has long been facing enormous perils. This week, its capital, Beirut, exploded – literally.  An enormous, devastating and mysterious blast in the port killed a st...

Pivoting Toward China from 2020-06-30T12:00

In 1972, Nixon went to China, where he met with Communist leader Mao Zedong.

Thanks to that bold diplomatic initiative, the United States and the People’s Republic learned to peacefully ...

Israel’s Border Lands from 2020-06-03T12:00

Israelis are now pondering a hugely consequential decision: Should they change the status of some of the territories under their control, drawing borders that have for...

War and Peace and Other Options in Afghanistan from 2020-06-01T12:00

In recent weeks, the pandemic – the global spread of a deadly virus that originated in China – has dominated the news media, and therefore most of the publ...

National Security Council for Dummies ft. Richard Goldberg (part two) from 2020-04-27T12:00

Richard Goldberg just finished a year on the National Security Council (NSC) where he served as the Director f...

Predators in the Global Jungle from 2020-04-20T12:00

David Kilcullen is an Australian-American soldier and scholar who served as a top advisor to the U.S. military ...

Special Edition: The U.S. Army and National Security from 2020-04-06T12:00

To address an increasingly complex and challenging international security environment, the U.S. Army is undertaking a massive restructuring—the likes of which has not been seen for decades.

War and Peace, and Wars Between Wars from 2020-03-23T12:00

In the past — at least in the past as we like to remember it — wars began with declarations and ended with surrenders or negotiated “peace agreements.”

In the real world — most emphatica...

Sharpening the Iran File ft. Richard Goldberg (part one) from 2020-03-09T11:00

The deal President Obama cut with Iran's rulers provided them with billions of dollars and a "patient pathway" to the acquisition of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to targets anyw...

Where There’s a George Will, There’s a Way from 2020-02-24T12:00

For more than 40 years, George Will has been producing erudite political commentary on a wide range of issues. Currently a regular contributor to The Washington Post and various television news ...

China and the Future of Defense from 2020-02-10T12:00

The Chinese Communist Party represents a multi-faceted and increasingly formidable threat to the United States and its democratic allies. In this intense competition with Beijing, the U.S. must ...

Deal or No Deal from 2020-01-28T19:00

Following a lengthy period of incubation, President Trump has unveiled a plan intended to resolve the long-running Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Whether it can achieve that — whether suc...

Saeed Ghasseminejad’s Iranian-American Journey from 2020-01-13T12:00

Growing up in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saeed Ghasseminejad’s parents hoped he’d become a scientist or perhaps an engineer... anything but what he actually became: a dissident and a freedom ...

Nukes for the Ayatollah from 2019-12-30T12:00

The acquisition of nuclear weapons has long been a central goal of Iran’s revolutionary Islamist rulers.

President Obama concluded a deal to delay that eventuality. His claim that the Jo...

Special Edition: Defense Dialogue from 2019-12-16T12:00

The threats facing the United States and its allies are not static. They grow. They transform. America’s defense strategies and defense budgets need to respond with creativity and muscularity. Listen

Israel and the Fire Next Time from 2019-11-25T12:00

Israel is not always fighting a war but neither is it ever entirely at peace.

Most recently, a battle was fought in Gaza against Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group supported an...

Troubles Mount in Lebanon from 2019-11-04T13:00

For weeks, the people of Lebanon have been taking to the streets to demonstrate against the political class that rules them – or, rather, misrules them. They’re protes...

The Rise and Incomplete Fall of the Islamic State from 2019-10-14T12:00

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — five years ago proclaimed the caliph of the Islamic State — has been eliminated by American Special Operators in Syria, underscoring both the im...

Whose Side is Turkey On? from 2019-09-23T12:00

Turkey is a NATO ally that claims also to be on the same side as the United States in the international fight against terrorism.

Nev...

Zombie Socialism from 2019-08-26T12:00

In 2002, scholar Joshua Muravchik wrote a history of socialism which he thought would serve as the epitaph for an experiment that had failed over and over in country after country around the wor...

Syria‘s Sorrow and Pity from 2019-07-29T12:00

Over recent days, Syrian and Russian forces continued their bombing campaign against civilians in Syria's Idlib province — this time conducting airstrikes on a market, killing dozens.

Syria‘s Sorrow and Pity from 2019-07-29T12:00

Over recent days, Syrian and Russian forces continued their bombing campaign against civilians in Syria's Idlib province — this time conducting airstrikes on a market, killing dozens.

Ot...

Fraternal Islamists: Getting to Know the Muslim Brotherhood from 2019-07-01T12:00

For 1,300 years, there were caliphs — “successors” to the Prophet Muhammad. In 1924, however, the last caliph, Abdulmecid II was sent into exile by Mustafa Kemal — Ataturk, father of the secular...

Venezuela: A Riches to Rags Story from 2019-06-03T12:00

More than 50 nations now recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate interim president. But Cuba, Russia, Iran and China have formed an anti-American and authoritarian alliance to prop up Ni...

Israelis stay the course from 2019-04-29T12:00

In the Middle East, elections are few, far between and rarely free and fair – except in Israel. After a tight, tough race, Benjamin Netanyahu has again been chosen by Israelis, positioning him t...

International Orders and Disorders from 2019-04-15T12:00

Yoram Hazony is a political philosopher, president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem, and the author—most recently—of a book that’s been stirring controversy: “The Virtue of Nationalism.” He j...

Israel on the Brink, As Usual from 2019-04-01T12:00

Israeli elections are approaching, President Trump’s envoys are working on a new plan aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran continue ...

In the Line of Fire: Human Shields from 2019-03-18T12:00

War is always going to be hell, but the laws of war are intended to make armed conflicts a little less hellish.

With that in mind, Congress recently passed—and the president signed—criti...

Future Wars: a Conversation with H.R. McMaster from 2019-03-04T12:00

H.R. McMaster served as a U.S. Army officer for thirty-four years—including deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan—before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018. H...

Ireland’s surprise attack on Israel from 2019-02-25T12:00

Anti-Semitism is sometimes called the “the oldest hatred,” and one never knows where it will pop up next. That said, many people have been surprised—as well as disappointed—to see it crop up in ...

The Islamic State of Iran at 40 from 2019-02-11T12:00

Four decades ago, Iran was convulsed by one of the great revolutions of the 20th century. The leader of that revolution: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, would take the title: “supreme leader.” He w...

The Uses of Military Power from 2019-01-28T12:00

The United States has the most powerful military in world history. But after 17 years fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, an American victory is nowhere in sight.

With that and many oth...

Special Edition: Crime Without Punishment from 2019-01-14T12:00

On this special edition of Foreign Podicy, host Clifford D. May reads his latest column for The Washington Times co-authored by FDD senior vice president Toby Dershowitz about Alberto Nisman—the...

Tunnel Vision: America and Europe’s distorted view of the Middle East from 2018-12-31T12:00

Iran has a plan.

February will be 40 years since Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to Tehran to lead what he called an Islamic Revolution, and begin forming a government committed t...

In Afghanistan, the Substitute for Victory is Defeat from 2018-12-03T12:00

America’s conflict with the Taliban in Afghanistan, now well into its second decade, is not going well. The U.S. military has called it a “stalemate.” During his farewell speech in early Septemb...

Churchill and the Destiny of the West from 2018-11-05T13:00

Andrew Roberts is one of the world's greatest living historians and biographers. He has written or edited 19 books, which have been translated into 22 languages. His latest, Churchill: Walking With...

Preserving the Liberal World Order from 2018-10-22T12:00

Since the end of World War II, we have seen the emergence of a “liberal world order.” By any historical standard, it’s brought us extraordinary peace, prosperity and progress. Though imperfect, ...

President Carter’s Foreign Policy—Does a New Book Shed New Light? from 2018-10-08T12:00

Stuart Eizenstat has had a long and extraordinary career. Among the influential positions he’s held: President Jimmy Carter’s chief White House Domestic Policy Advisor, President Bill Clinton’s ...

Islamism and Jihadism: The view of one Muslim — and former CIA analyst from 2018-09-24T12:00

Yaya Fanusie is the director of analysis at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance (CSIF). He spent seven years as both an economic and counterterrori...

Extremism and Fragile States from 2018-09-11T12:00

If the attacks of September 11, 2001 were a second Pearl Harbor, where are we in the war that began on that day? Are we winning, losing or stalemated? Last year there were more than 10,000 terro...

A Conversation with Ambassador Nikki Haley from 2018-08-28T12:00

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick was one of the visionaries who helped create the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Six years ago, FDD inaugurated an award in ...

The Wars of the Jews from 2018-08-20T12:00

Israel is a tiny country: its land area about a fourth the size of the United Arab Emirates, its population less than that of Tehran—capital of the Islamic Republic of I...

The Iranian-Israeli Conflict Within the Syrian Civil War from 2018-08-06T12:00

For seven long years, Syria has been engulfed in civil war. The death toll now exceeds a half million. More than five million refugees have fled abroad, and millions more are internally displace...

Religion and Secularism in Central Asia from 2018-07-23T12:00

Kazakhstan is one of the ten largest countries in the world, yet most Americans couldn’t find it on a map. Today, the former Soviet Republic is an anti-Islamist, Muslim-majority nation, yet most...

Syria‘s World War from 2018-07-09T12:00

Syria has been at war for seven long years. More than a half million people have been killed. More than 11 million – close to half Syria’s pre-war population – have been...

Syria‘s World War from 2018-07-09T12:00

Syria has been at war for seven long years. More than a half million people have been killed. More than 11 million – close to half Syria’s pre-war population – have been...

Turkey’s Election, Erdogan’s Counterrevolution from 2018-06-25T12:00

Not so long ago, Turkey appeared to be the model: a Muslim-majority nation that was becoming free, democratic and prosperous; a NATO ally; a friend of America and Europe.

Today, all of t...

Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran’s March Across the Middle East from 2018-06-11T12:00

Lebanon and Iraq both recently held elections, which is good news – or is it? Hezbollah, Iran's terrorist foreign legion, is now more firmly in control of Lebanon than ever before. Meanwhile, Ir...

Nothing but Net: Cyber-Enabled Economic Warfare from 2018-05-28T12:00

A peril that may not be on your radar screen: Cyber-Enabled Economic Warfare (CEEW). Computers and the Internet have made our lives easier but they’ve also left us vulne...

Of Strikes and Strategy: U.S. Policy in Syria from 2018-05-21T12:00

War will always be hell – but the laws of war were meant to make wars at least a little less hellish. In Syria, however, the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad – backed by the Islamic Republic of ...

In the Shadow of the Pyramids: Egypt’s Past Glories and Future Perils from 2018-04-23T12:00

It’s been eight years since what was called—with more hope than accuracy—the “Arab Spring.” Last month, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi won reelection, surprising no-one since he had no ...

The Future of the Iran Deal from 2018-03-26T12:00

There are three views on the Iran nuclear weapons deal, more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The first is to insist that it’s the best deal that could have been...

Africa’s Jihadist Frontiers from 2018-03-12T11:00

Jihadists in Africa are not just spreading. They’re also learning and innovating.  Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have spawned such groups as Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab south of the Sahara, in th...

UNRWA’s Palestinian Refugees from 2018-02-26T12:00

The offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is responsible for all the world’s refugees with one exception: Palestinian refugees. They are served by the U.N. Relief and Works Ag...

Russia’s Disinformation Offensive from 2018-02-12T12:00

Using social media, tech platforms and cyber weapons, the Russian government is running a sophisticated campaign to undermine faith in America’s democratic institutions, assist extremists on bot...

A bombing, a cover-up, and a murder: Lessons from Alberto Nisman’s work to bring Iranian officials to justice for the AMIA terrorist attack in Argentina from 2018-01-29T12:00

Three years ago this month, Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found drugged, bludgeoned and shot to death in his Buenos Aires apartment. He was murdered only hours before he was to testify...

Busted! Iran, Turkey and the Largest Sanctions-Evasion Scheme in Modern History from 2018-01-15T12:00

It was likely the largest sanctions-evasion scheme in modern history, involving top state officials from both Ankara and Tehran. While the U.S. was attempting to use economic pressure in respons...

Upheaval in Iran: Causes and Consequences from 2018-01-01T12:00

Protests have been shaking the Islamic Republic of Iran. Foreign Podicy host Cliff May is joined by FDD senior fellow, Reuel Marc Gerecht, and FDD senior Iran analyst, Behnam Ben Taleblu, to dis...

The Latin American Narco-Terrorism Nexus from 2017-12-18T12:00

Iranian-backed Hezbollah has made common cause with Latin America’s drug cartels. Their growing network launders huge amounts of money, traffics weapons, and engages in a long list of other illi...

Countering Kim’s Nuclear North Korea from 2017-12-04T12:00

Cliff May is joined by FDD's North Korea expert, Anthony Ruggiero, to discuss whether North Korea's most recent missile test is a game-changer, whether a nuclear North Korea is a foregone conclu...

Osama bin Laden‘s Terrorist Treasure Trove from 2017-11-21T11:32:58

Cliff May is joined by Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn of FDD’s Long War Journal to discuss their exclusive look into the Osama bin Laden documents, and how their findings could impact the futur...

Osama bin Laden‘s Terrorist Treasure Trove from 2017-11-21T11:32:58

Cliff May is joined by Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn of FDD’s Long War Journal to discuss their exclusive look into the Osama bin Laden documents, and how their findings could impact the futur...

Welcome to FDD's Foreign Podicy from 2017-11-14T21:02:07

Host Cliff May welcomes listeners to FDD's new podcast project, Foreign Podicy. Episode one will air Nov. 21st. 

Welcome to FDD's Foreign Podicy from 2017-11-14T17:02:07

Host Cliff May welcomes listeners to FDD's new podcast project, Foreign Podicy. Episode one will air Nov. 21st.