FDD Podcasts

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Channel • 5 Shows

News Commentary

News Commentary

Every two weeks
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Monthly

4 DAYS AGO

Gaza's societal reconstruction | feat. Adi Schwartz

HEADLINE 1: UNRWA is back in the news. And that’s generally not a good thing for the UN’s most corrupt agency. HEADLINE 2: Earlier this week, the IDF dropped some sort of non-toxic chemical substance near the Blue Line. The Israelis have been consistently clearing greenery to ensure unhindered lines of sight. UNIFIL was outraged. HEADLINE 3: Lebanon’s army chief headed to Florida this week for meetings with his American counterparts. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli journalist and "The War of Return" co-author Adi Schwartz. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "After Erdogan: Who Will Control Turkey?" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, FDD Memo "Reimagining Mediterranean Security with Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias" - FDD Event "Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: February" - FDD Experts

4 days ago

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26 min
29 JAN · BONUS

48 Hours in Iran (feat. Behnam Ben Taleblu)

One of the gravest human rights crises in recent history is happening right now in Iran. The Islamic Republic has carried out mass killings on a scale not seen in modern Iranian history, slaughtering an estimated 33,000, arresting tens of thousands, and subjecting countless Iranians to torture, disappearance, and sham trials. Internet blackouts have plunged entire cities into darkness in an effort to conceal the carnage. This is a regime ruling through terror because it has lost legitimacy and control. Behnam Ben Taleblu joins Mark to break down the scale of the atrocities, why this moment is historically unprecedented, and why Iran’s human rights crisis is inseparable from the regime’s broader threat to regional and global security.

29 Jan · Bonus

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47 min
2 DAYS AGO

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.

2 days ago

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1h 10m
28 JAN · BONUS

In the Eye of the Storm (feat. Rich Goldberg)

The regime in Iran has slaughtered tens of thousands of Iranians and plunged the country into an internet blackout — and dared the world to look away. Still, President Trump warned that American support was coming as U.S. military vessels made their way to the region. And yet — the decisive moment hasn’t arrived. In this episode of The Iran Breakdown, host Mark Dubowitz is joined again by Rich Goldberg for a timely assessment of the waiting game: what military options are now on the table, why missiles — not nukes — may be the real center of gravity, whether negotiations are strategy or psychological warfare, and how delay reshapes deterrence, escalation, and the fate of the Iranian people. This isn’t a pause — it’s a countdown.

28 Jan · Bonus

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57 min
2 DAYS AGO

What will it take to rebuild Gaza? | feat. Ghaith Al-Omari

HEADLINE 1: Even with talks this weekend, Iran continues to escalate in the Middle East. HEADLINE 2: Israel continues to even the score from October 7. HEADLINE 3: And I really don’t like this: Egypt and Turkey signed a military cooperation agreement in Cairo. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ghaith Al-Omari, senior fellow at The Washington Institute and former senior advisor to the Palestinian Authority. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Should Western Tech Giants Partner With Pro-Hamas Network Al Jazeera?" - Toby Dershowitz and Asher Boiskin, The Cipher Brief "Why Is the Trump Administration Wiring Venezuelan Oil Revenue to Qatar?" - Natalie Ecanow, The Dispatch "Sudanese Army Breaks Key Siege as U.S. Leads Humanitarian Aid Push" - Mariam Wahba, FDD Policy Brief

2 days ago

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27 min
9 JAN · BONUS

Day 12 of the Iran Protests (January 8 update)

The strong-as-ever Iranian people are back on the streets, protesting against the weak-as-ever regime in the shadow of the 12-Day War. Recorded live on X Spaces on Thursday, January 8, 2026 as events unfolded, this episode of The Iran Breakdown brings you a real-time conversation with Mark Dubowitz, Behnam Ben Taleblu, and Janatan Sayeh as they assess what’s different about this protest wave, why fear inside Iran may be breaking, and how years of political repression, economic collapse, and environmental failure are converging into a single moment of reckoning. Iran protest resources—We're tracking the Iran protests at fdd.org/iranprotests. —If you're new to The Iran Breakdown, welcome. Mark's inaugural interview with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi should be your next listen. —Our Iran experts are on X, including Mark, Behnam, Saeed, Janatan, and others.

9 Jan · Bonus

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36 min
14 JAN · BONUS

Iran Protests, Day 18 | A Decisive Moment for Iran

While the United States is on the brink of military action in Iran, Iran itself may be on the brink of something far bigger. U.S. forces are repositioning. Allies are on alert. And in Tehran, a crippled regime already at war with its own people is threatening retaliation against the United States. In this urgent episode of The Iran Breakdown, Mark is joined again by Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh to break down what a U.S. strike would actually mean — militarily, strategically, and for the Iranian people themselves — and why American credibility is once again on the line. From Iran’s likely response to the durability of its repression, the conversation confronts the million-dollar question: Is this the moment the regime doubles down — or the moment Iranians begin to take their country back? Read nextRay and Reuel's Wall Street Journal piece from January 12: Don’t Repeat Obama’s Mistake in Iran Ray and Reuel's Wall Street Journal piece from January 8: Can Iran Hold the Line Against Its Protesters? Watch nextIf you're new to The Iran Breakdown, welcome. Mark's interview with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi should be your next watch. Iran protest resourcesWe're tracking the Iran protests at fdd.org/iranprotests. Follow FDD's Iran experts on X, like Mark, Behnam, Saeed, and Janatan

14 Jan · Bonus

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31 min
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.

30 Jan

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1h 1m
6 DAYS AGO

Is this the end of UNRWA? | feat. Asaf Romirowsky

IS THIS THE END OF UNRWA? HEADLINE 1: The Islamic Republic of Iran has designated every European military as a terrorist organization. HEADLINE 2: Looks like the EU Commission has fired a senior official after a scandal involving Qatari influence and lavish gifts. HEADLINE 3: Hamas claims that it has killed several members of Israel-backed paramilitary groups operating in Gaza. HEADLINE 4: The Israelis have opened up the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza after a year of keeping it closed. HEADLINE 5: The government of South Africa and Israel are engaged in a nasty diplomatic spat right now. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Asaf Romirowsky, executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA). Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

6 days ago

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28 min
12 JAN · BONUS

Iran Protests: Day 16 | Mark's Generation Jihad interview

Iran Breakdown-ers, we're pleased to introduce you to Generation Jihad, a podcast from FDD's Long War Journal hosted by Bill Roggio. It's January 12, 2026, day 16 of the Iran protests. Bill hosts Mark on Generation Jihad to discuss whether this is the moment. Iran protest resourcesWe're tracking the Iran protests at fdd.org/iranprotests. If you're new to The Iran Breakdown, welcome. Mark's interview with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi should be your next watch. Follow FDD's Iran experts on X, like Mark, Behnam, Saeed, and Janatan ... The following content is cross-posted Mark Dubowitz: The regime clings to its ninth life After military defeat abroad and at home where the economy also has collapsed, the Islamic Republic is weaker than ever, and the Iranian people know it. The regime is facing a nationwide uprising unlike anything seen in decades with Iranians across class, age, and ideology back in the streets, and they’re no longer asking for reform. They’re demanding an end to the Islamic Republic itself. Meanwhile, President Trump warned that U.S. military action is on the table if the regime slaughters protesters. As we record, a brutal crackdown is underway with reports of hundreds of Iranians killed and tens of thousands arrested. Is this the moment? Bill asks FDD CEO and host Mark Dubowitz.

12 Jan · Bonus

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38 min

The FDD Podcasts channel is home to FDD's Foreign Podicy with Cliff May, The Iran Breakdown with Mark Dubowitz, Generation Jihad with Bill Roggio, The FDD Morning Brief with Jonathan Schanzer, and The FDD Events Podcast.

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