FDD Events Podcast

FDD Podcasts
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Listen in on FDD Events featuring discussions on today’s most pressing national security and foreign policy challenges and opportunities with top policymakers and leading experts. Webpage: https://www.fdd.org/events/

  1. The State of American Energy Dominance

    3 DAYS AGO

    The State of American Energy Dominance

    Convened around the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s establishment of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC), FDD’s Energy and National Security Program hosts a symposium examining current U.S. energy policy and its implications for national security and foreign policy. This symposium assess U.S. energy policy over the past year. It analyzes how energy policy intersects with U.S. strategic interests across regions, examines efforts to accelerate AI power infrastructure buildout and stabilize the grid, and explores the administration’s approach to countering China’s influence over critical resources. For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2026/02/04/the-state-of-american-energy-dominance/

    2h 6m
  2. Reimagining Mediterranean Security with Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias

    4 FEB

    Reimagining Mediterranean Security with Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias

    At the recent trilateral summit in Jerusalem, leaders from Greece, Cyprus, and Israel advanced a shared vision of regional stability, prosperity, and cooperation. These nations, alongside the United States, are deepening coordination through mechanisms such as the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC), the 3+1 framework, and the Achilles Shield program. As Greece emerges as a pivotal partner in U.S. energy strategy, these initiatives are cementing Athens’ role as the linchpin of Eastern Mediterranean security. To discuss Greece’s trilateral diplomacy with Israel and Turkey, the intersection of energy and security, and more, FDD is pleased to host Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias in conversation with FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer. For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2026/02/03/reimagining-mediterranean-security-with-greek-minister-for-national-defense-nikos-dendias/

    54 min
  3. Assessing the China-Russia Threat Nexus in Technology and Information Warfare

    22 JAN

    Assessing the China-Russia Threat Nexus in Technology and Information Warfare

    China and Russia continue to deploy sophisticated information operations and systematic technology theft to undermine U.S. national security, reshape global norms, and influence public opinion across the West. Both regimes have spent decades stealing American intellectual property, trade secrets, and advanced technology – and are now weaponizing artificial intelligence to accelerate their espionage and influence campaigns. As Beijing and Moscow’s influence campaigns expand and evolve, the U.S. and its allies must understand the methods employed by the authoritarian regimes and their real-world consequences. To discuss where these adversaries collaborate and how Beijing learns from Moscow’s tactics, FDD hosts David Shedd, former acting director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and author of the newly published book, The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets, and Ivana Stradner, research fellow with FDD’s Barish Center for Media Integrity. The discussion will be moderated by Craig Singleton, senior director of FDD’s China Program. For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2026/01/22/assessing-the-china-russia-threat-nexus-in-technology-and-information-warfare/

    1h 10m
  4. FinCEN Modernization and the Future of Financial Crime Enforcement

    18/12/2025

    FinCEN Modernization and the Future of Financial Crime Enforcement

    The U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) sits at the forefront of efforts to detect, disrupt, and deter illicit finance – yet growing challenges are testing the limits of existing regulatory frameworks. As Congress weighs updates to the Bank Secrecy Act and the U.S. and Western allies debate new global standards through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), debates over the Corporate Transparency Act, a steep rise transnational criminal networks, and the surge of ransomware attacks underscore the urgency of modernizing America's anti-money laundering infrastructure. As illicit financial crime evolves, how can FinCEN rise to meet the challenge? How do cryptocurrency and AI impact financial crime and enforcement? What tools are available to combat sophisticated threats from cartels and Chinese money-laundering organizations? To discuss the landscape of modern financial crime and the future of FinCEN, FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP) hosts former FinCEN directors Kenneth A. Blanco, Jennifer Shasky Calvery, and Himamauli Das. This conversation is moderated by Juan C. Zarate, chairman of FDD’s CEFP. For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/12/18/fincen-modernization-and-the-future-of-financial-crime-enforcement/

    1h 9m
  5. Advancing Energy Security with Greek Minister of Energy Stavros Papastavrou

    05/12/2025

    Advancing Energy Security with Greek Minister of Energy Stavros Papastavrou

    Recently, Greece hosted two important energy events: the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) and a historic 3+1 meeting of Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and the United States. As the U.S. seeks to implement its vision for energy dominance, Greece has responded by accelerating its own efforts to reshape the global energy system. From opening new LNG import terminals and signing long-term agreements with American LNG exporters, establishing the Vertical Corridor to supply American gas to Ukraine and other parts of Europe, partnering with Chevron to explore natural gas off Crete, and resuscitating the Great Sea Interconnector to link the grid from Europe to the Middle East, the pipeline to America’s global energy dominance increasingly runs through Athens. To discuss U.S. energy investment and infrastructure projects, Greece’s unique position at the crossroads of an emerging energy dominance corridor, and more, FDD's Energy and National Security Program is pleased to host a fireside discussion moderated by its director Richard Goldberg featuring Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou. For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/12/05/advancing-energy-security-with-greek-minister-of-energy-stavros-papastavrou/

    58 min
  6. Power Under Pressure: The Fight to Protect Taiwan's Energy Lifelines from Beijing’s Aggression

    17/11/2025

    Power Under Pressure: The Fight to Protect Taiwan's Energy Lifelines from Beijing’s Aggression

    Taiwan imports roughly 98 percent of its energy, making it one of the world's most energy-insecure economies. This vulnerability creates an opportunity for Beijing to pursue its campaign to force Taipei’s capitulation through gray-zone tactics, using economic, legal, and cyber-enabled economic warfare to throttle Taiwan's fuel supply without firing a shot. A successful Chinese campaign to disrupt Taiwan's LNG supply would force the island into difficult choices between powering civilian infrastructure or maintaining industrial production – including the semiconductor manufacturing that produces a super-majority of the world’s advanced chips. This summer, teams from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and the Taipei-based Centre for Innovative Democracy and Sustainability (CIDS) at National Chengchi University conducted a tabletop exercise examining how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might escalate military, diplomatic and economic pressure towards an unacknowledged quarantine, interrupting and potentially blocking Taiwan’s energy imports. The exercise revealed that while Taiwan must urgently address its energy vulnerabilities, coordinated actions by the United States, Japan, Australia, and European partners can significantly impact Beijing's strategic calculus. For a discussion on the findings from this tabletop exercise and actionable steps Taiwan and its partners can take to build resilience and strengthen deterrence, FDD hosts a panel of exercise participants including Kenan Arkan, managing director of commodities origination at J.P. Morgan; RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI); and Craig Singleton, senior director of FDD's China Program. This conversation is moderated by Politico China Correspondent Phelim Kine.  For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/11/17/power-under-pressure-the-fight-to-protect-taiwans-energy-lifelines-from-beijings-aggression/

    1h 15m
  7. Containment Redux: Persian Gulf War Lessons from Iraq for U.S. Strategy Toward Iran

    05/11/2025

    Containment Redux: Persian Gulf War Lessons from Iraq for U.S. Strategy Toward Iran

    Following the 12-Day War and the United States’ strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Trump administration has reiterated that U.S. policy remains unequivocal: Tehran will not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon. With the regime weakened, but not defeated, Washington appears to be embracing a broad containment strategy anchored in military deterrence, maximum-pressure sanctions, and diplomatic isolation following the UN snapback sanctions to constrain Iran and prevent its network of proxies from rebuilding. The return to containment raises an important question: What are the lessons to be learned from the last time Washington pursued this policy against an anti-American, oil-rich autocrat in the Middle East who repressed his own people, pursued weapons of mass destruction, and targeted Israel with ballistic missiles? To examine the parallels between Iran in 2025 and Iraq after the First Persian Gulf War, FDD hosts Reuel Marc Gerecht, FDD resident scholar and former CIA Iranian targets officer; and Kenneth M. Pollack, Middle East Institute vice president for policy and former NSC director for Persian Gulf affairs. Moderated by FDD’s Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu, the discussion will analyze how Washington’s mix of deterrence, sanctions, and diplomacy aims to recalibrate U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic while preventing a 2003-style Iraq War outcome with Iran. For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/11/05/containment-redux-persian-gulf-war-lessons-from-iraq-for-us-strategy-toward-iran/

    1h 13m
  8. Israel 2040: Benny Gantz’s Vision for Security and Cooperation

    03/11/2025

    Israel 2040: Benny Gantz’s Vision for Security and Cooperation

    In the wake of the attacks of October 7 and the successes of its multi-front campaigns against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, Israeli leaders are assessing how to turn battlefield successes into strategic gains amid rapidly shifting regional and global dynamics. Israel now faces a critical juncture in redefining its national security doctrine to address the emerging challenges and opportunities. What insights do recent events provide for Israel’s long-term strategy? How can Israel balance its goal to remain a global center of innovation with the demands of confronting a nuclear-ambitious regime in Iran, countering an emerging Turkish-Syrian axis, and pursuing regional normalization? Benny Gantz, chairman of Israel’s Blue and White – National Unity Party and former Oct. 7 War Cabinet Minister, will outline "Israel’s Security Vision 2040," his roadmap for national resilience, strategic cooperation, and sustained empowerment. The conversation will be moderated by FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz. For more, check out: https://www.fdd.org/events/2025/11/04/israel-2040-benny-gantzs-vision-for-security-and-cooperation/

    1h 7m
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Listen in on FDD Events featuring discussions on today’s most pressing national security and foreign policy challenges and opportunities with top policymakers and leading experts. Webpage: https://www.fdd.org/events/

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