FDD's Foreign Podicy

FDD Podcasts
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A national security and foreign policy podcast from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Allies, Adversaries, and the Axis

    📺 | Watch this episode on YouTube here. America confronts a daunting geo-strategic landscape: The Axis of Aggressors — China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea — are cooperating across multiple domains in unprecedented ways.  Putin continues his brutal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. In return for North Korean troops and artillery shells for this war, Russian security assistance is flowing in increasing quantities to Pyongyang. The Chinese Communist Party is sprinting to field a military that it hopes can defeat the United States in the Pacific. And the Islamic Republic of Iran still supports terrorism and marches towards the bomb while implementing the deadliest crackdown in its history against the Iranian people.  And now, a new U.S. National Security Strategy signals a major shift in how Washington plans to respond to these threats.  To assess the stakes — and whether America has the will to prevail — LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster joins guest host Bradley Bowman. General McMaster is the former U.S. National Security Advisor and now serves as Chairman of the Center on Military and Political Power at FDD, which Brad leads.

    47 min

  2. 6 FEB

    Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Houthis But Were Afraid to Ask

    “God is great. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam.” The Houthi slogan isn’t just a chant — it’s a worldview. To understand who they are and what they want, Cliff is joined by former British ambassador to Yemen and FDD senior fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown, who gained firsthand experience dealing with senior Houthi leaders while serving as ambassador.

    1h 10m

  3. 30 JAN

    The National Defense Strategy and the Threats That Matter Most

    Washington just unveiled its new National Defense Strategy. But is it a serious blueprint for deterrence—or a dangerous exercise in wishful thinking? Host Cliff May is joined by Bradley Bowman and Mark Montgomery to examine whether America is underfunding its military on the brink of great-power conflict, why China’s cyber war is being soft-pedaled, and what the strategy gets right—and wrong—on Taiwan, Ukraine, Israel, and deterrence itself.

    1h 1m

  4. 24 JAN

    Wikipedia Wars

    📺: Watch this episode on YouTube here. In addition to slaughtering Iranian citizens by the thousands, Iran’s Islamist rulers are waging a cognitive war. To conceal their brutal crackdown, the regime has shut down the internet inside Iran. Beyond Iran’s borders, one corner of the digital world remains fully operational — shaping much of the world’s perceptions of what’s happening inside the Islamic Republic. That corner is Wikipedia, now an integral node in a nefarious network that propagates Islamist disinformation while whitewashing Tehran’s human rights atrocities. Investigative journalist Ashley Rindsberg joins Cliff to unpack Wikipedia’s role in modern information warfare.

    52 min

  5. 17 JAN

    Persian Puzzles

    📺: Watch this episode on YouTube here.  Iran is once again convulsed by nationwide protests — but this time, the regime has pulled the plug. With the internet shut down and security forces unleashed, the Islamic Republic is violently crushing dissent in virtual darkness, silencing both protesters and the outside world.  As the Iranian people continue risking everything for freedom, will America finally put its money where its mouth is? When? How?  Reuel Marc Gerecht and Behnam Ben Taleblu join host Cliff May to discuss.

    1h 6m

  6. 9 JAN

    Southern Exposure: Trump’s Arrest of Maduro Brings Opportunities and Dangers

    📺: Watch this episode on YouTube here.  The arrest of Nicolás Maduro was a complex operation that exposed the weakness of a narco-dictatorship and sent a clear signal to America’s adversaries. In short: it was a tactical success. But taking out a dictator is not the same as dismantling a regime — and Venezuela’s regime remains largely intact.  Host Cliff May is joined by Carrie Filipetti to assess what the operation changed, what it didn’t, and what comes next — from who still holds power in Caracas and the fate of political prisoners, to what Venezuela’s uncertain future means for U.S. strategy in the Western Hemisphere and beyond.

    49 min

  7. 3 JAN

    Recognizing Somaliland

    For more than three decades, Somaliland has functioned as a free, independent, Muslim, pro-peace, anti-Islamist republic on the Horn of Africa. Now, Israel has formally recognized it as a sovereign state. Somaliland’s bad neighbor, Somalia, and other Islamist regimes are furious. Britain also insists the people of Somaliland have no right to decide their future. Meanwhile, Somaliland is looking toward America — and is eager to join the Trump-brokered Abraham Accords. Host Cliff May is joined by Bashir Goth, Somaliland’s representative to the United States, and Middle East analyst Michael Rubin to discuss why Israel’s recognition of reality matters, why Islamists hate and fear a free and democratic Somaliland, and why too many in the West pretend this nation doesn’t exist.

    50 min

  8. 27/12/2025

    The War Against Christians (With Chinese Characteristics)

    This Christmas week, we're left to confront a hard truth: Christians are under attack in many corners of the world. On October 10, the Chinese Communist Party arrested Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of Beijing’s Zion Church — along with 28 other leaders — in the largest crackdown on a Christian church in China in decades. Pastor Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, joins host Cliff May to scrutinize Beijing’s campaign against Christians and Christianity.

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
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About

A national security and foreign policy podcast from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

Information

  • Channel
    FDD Podcasts
  • Creator
    FDD, Cliff May
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    302
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    FDD's Foreign Podicy

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