CounterCheck Podcast

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People and issues at the heart of the headlines, or that ought to be. From industry leaders and subject matter experts to former guerrilla fighters, army generals and civil society advocates, we want to know what’s happening, why it matters, and whether it all really adds up. countercheckpod.substack.com

5 days ago

Counterterrorism Gone Wrong or Strategic Facelift?

Political volatility is deepening in the United States, domestic extremism is on the rise, and global terrorism threats are surging in regions like the African Sahel. After months of delays, the White House released the 2026 US Counterterrorism Strategy, championed by counterterrorism czar Sebastian Gorka. We spoke to Dr. Colin Clarke, one of the world’s leading terrorism experts, about what the strategy gets right and wrong, what the data shows about far right vs far left threats, and what happens when the U.S. treats violent cartels as terrorist organizations. Stick around to the end for what Antifa really is (and what it isn’t). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

26 min
20 May

Peace in Mindanao: Nine Years after the Marawi Siege

In May 2017, armed factions fighting under the Islamic State banner – or Dawlah Islamiyah - laid siege to Marawi City in Mindanao, southern Philippines. Hundreds were killed and over a million civilians displaced before the city was liberated 5 months later. We spoke to Professor Yasmira Moner of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology about the legacy of the Marawi Siege nine years later. We also covered the positive impact of the Bangsamoro peace process, and the transformative role of women working in local communities as frontline mediators and peacebuilders in pursuit of a better future. With the Bangsamoro’s inaugural parliamentary elections scheduled for September, Professor Moner addresses the latest political dynamics at the regional and national level, and what they mean for Southeast Asia’s newest democracy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

25 min
13 May

Mali + Russia vs. Al-Qaeda + Insurgents

The Sahel region in Africa is now the world’s epicenter of global jihadist activity. According to the Global Terrorism Index, four of the top ten countries most impacted by terrorism are from the Sahel which now accounts for over half of all global terrorism deaths. Within that mix, Mali has emerged as the most concerning. In recent weeks, a coalition of jihadist groups made sweeping military gains across the country prompting fears of an Al-Qaeda led Islamic State in Africa. We sat down with Dr. Craig Whiteside: US Army combat veteran, a leading expert on jihadist insurgencies, and co-author of Non-State Special Operations. Dr. Whiteside breaks down the latest developments in Mali, what they signal for global security, and why understanding non-state warfare has never been more important. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

26 min
8 May

Digital Battlefield

The cybersecurity landscape is evolving fast. What once required highly skilled human operators can now be accelerated (or even automated) by increasingly sophisticated AI systems. It seems like we are at another critical inflection point. The barriers to engage in cyberattacks are falling. The attacker pool is expanding. The result isn’t just more threats, but faster, more adaptive, and more scalable threats that traditional cybersecurity defenses will simply struggle to contain. We spoke to Dr. Soumya Awasthi, a fellow with the Centre for Security, Strategy, and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation. Dr. Awasthi presents a troubling picture of the cyber security challenges ahead but also opportunities to rethink how we design, defend and govern digital systems in the AI era. Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

24 min
30 Apr

China's Human Rights Abuses

China’s extraordinary economic transformation and rise to global economic superpower has too often obscured a troubling human rights record. We spoke to Yaqiu Wang, a Chinese human rights and democracy researcher and advocate. Yaqiu has worked for Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and held academic positions at the University of Chicago and, most recently, the University of Pennsylvania. What follows is one of the world’s most respected human rights advocates detailing the breadth of the Chinese government’s human rights violations at home and abroad, the mix of ideological and practical drivers of those actions, and how the global erosion of democratic norms has emboldened the Chinese Communist Party. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

21 min
24 Apr

China's Human Rights Abuses [Trailer]

Stay tuned for our forthcoming episode with human rights advocate and world-renowned scholar, Yaqiu Wang. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

1 min
18 Apr

Reporting Roses: Australian Statecraft and the Pressure to Conform

On this episode of Behind the Decisions, Gordon Peake lends us more insights into his time in the Solomon Islands and the legacy of Australian-led interventions. Gordon’s many years as a researcher, writer, public servant, and expert offer rich details for anyone interested in Australian statecraft in the Pacific. His candid reflections unpack the maze of Australian bureaucracy as well as the people who push that bureaucracy forward and outward across the region. If you enjoy, please be sure to like/restack and subscribe to CounterCheck and Gordon Peake as well! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

38 min
9 Apr

Battle for the Police

The Solomon Islands may not be the first location that you think of as a “theatre of strategic competition.” The tiny archipelagic nation, consisting of almost a thousand islands with a population of around 800,000 people, sits in the Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Papua New Guinea and about 2000km northeast of Australia. Yet the Solomon Islands has been a focal point of strategic competition between China and Australia as both countries seek to exert influence and win over the allegiance of this important foothold into the Pacific. Today we are talking to Gordon Peake who has spent most of his professional life working on-the-ground in the Pacific Islands. Gordon offers important insights into the challenges that the Solomon Islands have faced this century and the contrasting approaches of China and Australia in their efforts to build stronger bilateral ties with Honiara, and the complex and unforeseen legacies of well-intentioned interventions. Read Gordon’s latest analysis below and be sure to subscribe to his channel for more frontlines coverage from Antarctica, the Pacific Islands, and his many other journeys. Gordon’s Latest Work * ‘Hard to say who’s winning’: China and Australia battle for influence in Solomon Islands policing, The Guardian * Postcard from Solomon Islands: The legacy of RAMSI, The Interpreter * Our man in Honiara, DevPolicy Blog This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit countercheckpod.substack.com

24 min

People and issues at the heart of the headlines, or that ought to be. From industry leaders and subject matter experts to former guerrilla fighters, army generals and civil society advocates, we want to know what’s happening, why it matters, and whether it all really adds up. countercheckpod.substack.com

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Ideas: Tested.
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CounterCheck Podcast

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Politics

Updated weekly