FDD Morning Brief

4.9 (90)
News Commentary
Updated Weekly

The Middle East never stops moving. Neither does the FDD Morning Brief. Three mornings a week, FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer cuts through the noise with the experts who have spent their careers studying, shaping, and living the region’s most consequential moments. All before your morning coffee gets cold.

14h ago

Congress' MidEast mindset | feat. Laura Kelly

Headlines: U.S. forces fired on a Panama-flagged ship early Tuesday for running Washington's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, hitting its rudder after the crew ignored warnings.Last Thursday the leaders of India and Israel had a phone call. Some called it "out-of-the-blue." But the conversation between Modi and Netanyahu was decidedly not random.Former Hamas hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen took the stage to perform nine songs he wrote entirely in his head during 498 days in captivity.--- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Laura Kelly, foreign policy reporter for The Hill. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
2d ago

The impact of the Mecca pact | feat. Steven Cook

Headlines: The IDF and the Shin Bet have acknowledged that a special unit has been established to hunt down and kill every single Palestinian terrorist involved in the October 7 attacks.The Houthis are attacking south Yemen.Russian and Syrian officials met this weekend to iron out the fate of several Russian bases that were once bustling during the Bashar al-Assad era. The Weekend at Bernie’s shtick is still going, with Iran’s impotent president Masoud Pezeshkian claiming to have talked with absentee supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei. FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
5d ago

The deal with disarming Hamas | feat. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib

Headlines: Mossad chief Roman Gofman has removed two of the agency's top officials over their role in a failed plan to topple Iran's regime. Speaking of the regime: Iran's execution campaign against January's protesters isn't winding down — it's expanding. A seventh round of Israel-Lebanon talks wrapped up yesterday in Rome, and the two sides are still claiming that progress is being made. But it’s far from perfect. America's missile stockpile is a problem. But turns out, this munitions problem is now Israel's problem too.-- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, founder and director of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Aug 5

Israel between war and politics | feat. Nadav Eyal

Headlines: Syria reportedly agreed to decrease its Russian oil imports. The International Monetary Fund, or “IMF,” announced a new technical assistance program for the country after wrapping up a visit there late last month. A seventh round of talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off yesterday in Rome. An Indian-flagged ship was struck by a projectile off the coast of Yemen yesterday. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Nadav Eyal, columnist for the Israeli outlet Yedioth Ahronoth. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Aug 3

The rise of the Axis of Aggressors | feat. Bradley Bowman

Headlines: Two more Iranian nationals have been executed by the regime for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel.Reports are swirling in the region that the Saudis may need to go back to military operations against the Houthis in Yemen. If the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t open, the Brits could experience a serious recession in 2027.-- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jul 31

Iran's conflict calculus | feat. Norman Roule

Headlines: Last night President Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to give up its weapons and hand over power in Gaza to the newly established National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (or NCAG).U.S. officials say multiple U.N. relief agencies continue to stonewall a U.S. probe into their ties to Hamas, withholding key documents and other information that could reveal their employees as affiliates of the terror group.-- FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Norman Roule, former national intelligence manager for Iran at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and current non-resident senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jul 29

America's next strategic test | feat. LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster

Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with CMPP Chairman LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jul 27

Defusing Iran's nuclear ambitions | feat. Richard Goldberg

FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

See All (399)

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib

Guest
Nadav Eyal

Guest
Bradley Bowman

Guest
Norman Roule

Guest
Alexandria Paolozzi Moore

Guest
Behnam Ben Taleblu

Guest
Robin Simcox

Guest

4.9

out of 5

90 Ratings

Clarity

11/15/2025

Dr, L

FDD is by far the most important foreign policy think tank in DC. They are unapologetically honest and fair. Listening to one of their podcasts is like taking an hour long master class on the issues. None of the dog whistle antisemitism at the Heritage Foundation. None of the whitewashing of Qatari and Turkish meddling in American politics. Love this group.
Awesome interview

07/16/2025

wellgaveitatry

Great insight into UN disfunction across the world.
Audio

10/24/2025

Not Murphy!

Audio is terrible!
Great content, but…

10/22/2025

tipzipzee

You’ve gotta work on the sound quality. It sounds like you’re and your mother‘s basement. Sorry, but it’s really hard to listen to.

The Middle East never stops moving. Neither does the FDD Morning Brief. Three mornings a week, FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer cuts through the noise with the experts who have spent their careers studying, shaping, and living the region’s most consequential moments. All before your morning coffee gets cold.