217 episodes

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

Foreign Podicy FDD

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

    Out of South Africa

    Out of South Africa

    South Africa has been in the news lately. Most recently, it had elections. There’s also this: The government of South Africa has filed a lawsuit under the Genocide Convention to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
     
    The indictment is not against Hamas whose terrorists invaded Israel and massacred more than a thousand men, women, and children last October, and which vows to repeat such massacres. Nor is it against Hamas’ patrons in Tehran who openly vow to exterminate Israel and Israelis, and are using multiple proxies in pursuit of that goal.
     
    No, the South African lawsuit is against Israel, the world’s one and only Jewish-majority state.
     
    To understand the motivations behind this blood libel, host Cliff May is joined by Dr. Frans Cronje, former CEO of the South African Institute of Race Relations, and current chair of the Social Research Foundation, who described the South African lawsuit as a significant contribution to the “ideas war” being waged by Iran’s jihadist rulers. Also joining the conversation is Connor Pfeiffer, Director of Congressional Relations at FDD Action. 
     
    They also discuss how South Africa has evolved since the end of apartheid and its possible future trajectory.

    • 1 hr 7 min
    Turkey and the Neo-Sultan

    Turkey and the Neo-Sultan

    Turkey is a NATO ally, but not a reliable one. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has developed close relations with authoritarian powers like Russia and China. Like his neo-imperialist friends, Erdogan longs for the resurrection of the Ottoman Empire which ruled much of the Middle East for centuries. But is that what the Turkish people want? And despite its regular illicit activity ranging from smuggling, sanctions evasion, and being a terrorist safe haven to unprecedented efforts to normalize Hamas on the global stage, Turkey maintains cozy military-to-military relations with the U.S. — and a NATO membership.
    To discuss what Turkey under Erdogan has become, where it may be going, and what Turkey’s role in the world ought to be, host Cliff May is joined by Sinan Ciddi, a non-resident senior fellow at FDD, Jonathan Schanzer, FDD’s Senior Vice President for Research, and Tyler Stapleton, director of congressional relations at FDD Action.

    • 45 min
    What America Misunderstands About the Islamic Republic of Iran

    What America Misunderstands About the Islamic Republic of Iran

    Filling in for host Cliff May this week is Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of FDD, and he’s joined by Karim Sadjadpour. They cover the full gamut of U.S. foreign policy on Iran, from looking back at President Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic and President Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA to looking ahead and arguing for policies of maximum pressure on the regime and maximum support for the Iranian people.

    Karim is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He’s also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Karim regularly advises senior U.S. officials and has testified numerous times before Congress. His analysis is widely published, and he frequents major media outlets including PBS NewsHour, NPR, and CNN.

    • 1 hr 21 min
    Talk Like an Egyptian

    Talk Like an Egyptian

    The first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state was Egypt. Following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, came the Camp David Accords of 1978 which provided both countries with tangible benefits. While the peace has never been warm, it has held.

    But since October 7, Egypt’s behavior has been distressing. What’s more, there’s now evidence that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been deceiving Israel for years – allowing weapons and ammunition to flow freely to Hamas through an elaborate network of tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gaza.

    Helping host Cliff May understand the now-tense relationship between Cairo and Jerusalem are his FDD colleagues Haisam Hassanein and Jonathan Schanzer.

    • 55 min
    News from 1,000 BCE

    News from 1,000 BCE

    Hamas called its October 7 terrorist attack “Operation al Aqsa Flood,” suggesting a religious – rather than nationalistic – motive.

    The al Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in Islam, sits atop the ruins of both the ancient temples of the Jews. The first was built by King Solomon and was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The second was built in the sixth century BCE and stood for nearly 600 years before it was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE.

    But before there were mosques or temples in Judea there was something else: The City of David which, over recent years, archaeologists have been unearthing.

    To discuss what this dig is revealing about the past, and the impact these revelations might have on modern foreign policy, host Cliff May is joined by Ze’ev Orenstein, Director of International Affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem.

    • 58 min
    Reviving the Arsenal of Democracy

    Reviving the Arsenal of Democracy

    Americans and our allies confront an extraordinary array of threats from an emerging “axis of aggressors,” consisting of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. That’s the bad news. The good news? Americans have an unmatched network of allies and partners with whom we can work to defend our common interests and counter growing threats. Among our partners in that network are three beleaguered democracies: Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. The primary way we can help is by sending weapons. But is the U.S. defense industrial base up to the task? Can America once again serve as the “Arsenal of Democracy?” Can we arm ourselves while simultaneously providing Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel with the means of self-defense? And what's up with the Biden administration and the provision of weapons to Israel?

    Senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power and guest host Bradley Bowman asks Mira Resnick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Regional Security in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. She oversees the Bureau’s Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, managing over $40 billion annually in government-to-government defense equipment transfers. She's also responsible for the Bureau’s Office of Security Assistance.

    • 1 hr 5 min

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