The Burn Bag Podcast

Burn Bag Media

We’re here to redefine how scholars and policymakers approach national security and foreign policy. Join us, as we make sense of a world in crisis.

  1. Global (Dis)Order: America and the Future of the International System with Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper

    31 MAR

    Global (Dis)Order: America and the Future of the International System with Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper

    In this episode of the Burn Bag Podcast, A'ndre Gonawela is joined by Mira Rapp-Hooper, a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at National Security Council, to break down the structural forces reshaping the global order. Rapp-Hooper explains how the international system is undergoing a fundamental transition driven not just by political leaders like Donald Trump, but by deeper shifts in global power, technology, and economics. These changes are unfolding as the United States and China compete for influence, while allies and emerging powers chart more independent paths. In this conversation, Rapp-Hooper explains: What the “international order” actually is—and why it’s so hard to defineWhy 2025 may mark the end of the post–Cold War global systemHow China’s rise and the diffusion of power are reshaping geopoliticsWhy U.S.–China competition is structural, but not a new Cold WarWhy there’s no going back to the pre-2016 or pre-2024 foreign policy status quoHow alliances are evolving beyond military cooperation into tech and supply chainsWhat burden sharing actually means—and why it’s often misunderstoodAs global tensions rise and the rules of the international system are rewritten in real time, this episode provides a clear framework for understanding where the world is headed—and how the United States fits into it.

    51 min
  2. Iran After Khamenei: Vali Nasr on the New Supreme Leader and Tehran's War Strategy

    13 MAR

    Iran After Khamenei: Vali Nasr on the New Supreme Leader and Tehran's War Strategy

    Who is Mojtaba Khamenei — Iran's new Supreme Leader? Who was the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? In this episode of the Burn Bag Podcast, A’ndre Gonawela is joined by Vali Nasr, the Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at Johns Hopkins SAIS and one of the leading scholars of Iranian politics and Shia leadership structures. Nasr breaks down the power structure of the Islamic Republic following the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the rise of his son Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader. The leadership transition comes as the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues to escalate, with Tehran threatening to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and expand attacks across the region. In this conversation, Nasr explains: Who Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was and how he shaped modern IranHow the Supreme Leader actually governs inside the Islamic RepublicThe role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran’s power structureWhat Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership means for the regime and the warWho is making wartime decisions inside Iran right nowWhether the conflict represents an existential fight for the Islamic RepublicAs the war intensifies and global energy markets react to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, this episode provides a clear guide to how Iran’s leadership thinks — and what it means for the future of the conflict.

    43 min
  3. Syria After Assad: The SDF Transition and Ahmed al-Sharaa's Strategy with Charles Lister

    17 FEB

    Syria After Assad: The SDF Transition and Ahmed al-Sharaa's Strategy with Charles Lister

    Syria is at a pivotal moment. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the country’s new leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa is working to reunify a fractured state — and the biggest test is unfolding in the northeast, where the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have operated autonomously for nearly a decade. In recent weeks, a fragile ceasefire and phased integration agreement has put Syrian Interior Ministry forces back into major cities like Hasakeh and Qamishli. On paper, the deal could mark the beginning of Syria’s re-centralization. However, that fragility was exposed in early 2026, when fighting broke out between the SDF and Syrian government forces, raising fresh doubts about whether integration can hold. In this episode of The Burn Bag, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with Charles Lister, Senior Fellow and Director of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute, to provide a clear, ground-level primer on what’s actually happening — and what could come next. Together, they unpack how Syria’s political map shifted after Assad’s fall and why the Syrian Democratic Forces remain central to the country’s trajectory. The discussion breaks down what the March 2025 integration framework actually required, why talks stalled ahead of the January escalation, and what Interior Ministry deployments into Hasakeh and Qamishli signal about Damascus’ return to the northeast. They also examine how Arab tribal defections reshaped eastern Syria, whether ISIS is quietly adapting, how the U.S. posture may evolve, and the most likely paths ahead — consolidation, hybrid control, or renewed conflict. Follow Charles on X @Charles_Lister and check out his other work here.

    1 h 1 min

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We’re here to redefine how scholars and policymakers approach national security and foreign policy. Join us, as we make sense of a world in crisis.

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