FDD Podcasts

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Channel • 5 Shows

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News Commentary

Updated Biweekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated Weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated Weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated Weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated Monthly

5D AGO

What will it take to rebuild Gaza? | feat. Ghaith Al-Omari

HEADLINE 1: Even with talks this weekend, Iran continues to escalate in the Middle East. HEADLINE 2: Israel continues to even the score from October 7. HEADLINE 3: And I really don’t like this: Egypt and Turkey signed a military cooperation agreement in Cairo. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ghaith Al-Omari, senior fellow at The Washington Institute and former senior advisor to the Palestinian Authority. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Should Western Tech Giants Partner With Pro-Hamas Network Al Jazeera?" - Toby Dershowitz and Asher Boiskin, The Cipher Brief "Why Is the Trump Administration Wiring Venezuelan Oil Revenue to Qatar?" - Natalie Ecanow, The Dispatch "Sudanese Army Breaks Key Siege as U.S. Leads Humanitarian Aid Push" - Mariam Wahba, FDD Policy Brief

5d ago

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27 min
JAN 29 · BONUS

48 Hours in Iran (feat. Behnam Ben Taleblu)

One of the gravest human rights crises in recent history is happening right now in Iran. The Islamic Republic has carried out mass killings on a scale not seen in modern Iranian history, slaughtering an estimated 33,000, arresting tens of thousands, and subjecting countless Iranians to torture, disappearance, and sham trials. Internet blackouts have plunged entire cities into darkness in an effort to conceal the carnage. This is a regime ruling through terror because it has lost legitimacy and control. Behnam Ben Taleblu joins Mark to break down the scale of the atrocities, why this moment is historically unprecedented, and why Iran’s human rights crisis is inseparable from the regime’s broader threat to regional and global security.

Jan 29 · Bonus

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47 min
FEB 2

Is this the end of UNRWA? | feat. Asaf Romirowsky

IS THIS THE END OF UNRWA? HEADLINE 1: The Islamic Republic of Iran has designated every European military as a terrorist organization. HEADLINE 2: Looks like the EU Commission has fired a senior official after a scandal involving Qatari influence and lavish gifts. HEADLINE 3: Hamas claims that it has killed several members of Israel-backed paramilitary groups operating in Gaza. HEADLINE 4: The Israelis have opened up the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza after a year of keeping it closed. HEADLINE 5: The government of South Africa and Israel are engaged in a nasty diplomatic spat right now. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Asaf Romirowsky, executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA). Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Feb 2

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28 min
FEB 4

Gaza's societal reconstruction | feat. Adi Schwartz

HEADLINE 1: UNRWA is back in the news. And that’s generally not a good thing for the UN’s most corrupt agency. HEADLINE 2: Earlier this week, the IDF dropped some sort of non-toxic chemical substance near the Blue Line. The Israelis have been consistently clearing greenery to ensure unhindered lines of sight. UNIFIL was outraged. HEADLINE 3: Lebanon’s army chief headed to Florida this week for meetings with his American counterparts. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli journalist and "The War of Return" co-author Adi Schwartz. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "After Erdogan: Who Will Control Turkey?" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, FDD Memo "Reimagining Mediterranean Security with Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias" - FDD Event "Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: February" - FDD Experts

Feb 4

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26 min
5D AGO

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Houthis But Were Afraid to Ask

“God is great. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam.” The Houthi slogan isn’t just a chant — it’s a worldview. To understand who they are and what they want, Cliff is joined by former British ambassador to Yemen and FDD senior fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown, who gained firsthand experience dealing with senior Houthi leaders while serving as ambassador.

5d ago

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1h 10m
JAN 30

Al-Sharaa's Kurdish gambit | feat. Ahmad Sharawi

HEADLINE 1: Turkish authorities detained six people suspected of spying for Iran. HEADLINE 2: The Saudis are in town, led by the crown prince’s brother. HEADLINE 3: South Africa reportedly is moving ahead with investigations into naval drills that took place in early January. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Ahmad Sharawi. For all past episodes: https://bit.ly/3LENwPr -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Iran Protests Highlight South Africa’s Broken Moral Compass" - David May, The Algemeiner "Two Bad Apples Threaten to Spoil the Gaza Board of Peace" - Natalie Ecanow and Sinan Ciddi, National Review "In the Eye of the Storm" - Mark Dubowitz and Rich Goldberg, The Iran Breakdown

Jan 30

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27 min
2D AGO

Is Turkey Iran's successor? | feat. Reuel Marc Gerecht

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA Iranian-targets officer and current FDD resident scholar. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

2d ago

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28 min
JAN 28 · BONUS

In the Eye of the Storm (feat. Rich Goldberg)

The regime in Iran has slaughtered tens of thousands of Iranians and plunged the country into an internet blackout — and dared the world to look away. Still, President Trump warned that American support was coming as U.S. military vessels made their way to the region. And yet — the decisive moment hasn’t arrived. In this episode of The Iran Breakdown, host Mark Dubowitz is joined again by Rich Goldberg for a timely assessment of the waiting game: what military options are now on the table, why missiles — not nukes — may be the real center of gravity, whether negotiations are strategy or psychological warfare, and how delay reshapes deterrence, escalation, and the fate of the Iranian people. This isn’t a pause — it’s a countdown.

Jan 28 · Bonus

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57 min
JAN 14 · BONUS

Iran Protests, Day 18 | A Decisive Moment for Iran

While the United States is on the brink of military action in Iran, Iran itself may be on the brink of something far bigger. U.S. forces are repositioning. Allies are on alert. And in Tehran, a crippled regime already at war with its own people is threatening retaliation against the United States. In this urgent episode of The Iran Breakdown, Mark is joined again by Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh to break down what a U.S. strike would actually mean — militarily, strategically, and for the Iranian people themselves — and why American credibility is once again on the line. From Iran’s likely response to the durability of its repression, the conversation confronts the million-dollar question: Is this the moment the regime doubles down — or the moment Iranians begin to take their country back? Read nextRay and Reuel's Wall Street Journal piece from January 12: Don’t Repeat Obama’s Mistake in Iran Ray and Reuel's Wall Street Journal piece from January 8: Can Iran Hold the Line Against Its Protesters? Watch nextIf you're new to The Iran Breakdown, welcome. Mark's interview with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi should be your next watch. Iran protest resourcesWe're tracking the Iran protests at fdd.org/iranprotests. Follow FDD's Iran experts on X, like Mark, Behnam, Saeed, and Janatan

Jan 14 · Bonus

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31 min
JAN 30

The National Defense Strategy and the Threats That Matter Most

Washington just unveiled its new National Defense Strategy. But is it a serious blueprint for deterrence—or a dangerous exercise in wishful thinking? Host Cliff May is joined by Bradley Bowman and Mark Montgomery to examine whether America is underfunding its military on the brink of great-power conflict, why China’s cyber war is being soft-pedaled, and what the strategy gets right—and wrong—on Taiwan, Ukraine, Israel, and deterrence itself.

Jan 30

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1h 1m

The FDD Podcasts channel is home to FDD's Foreign Podicy with Cliff May, The Iran Breakdown with Mark Dubowitz, Generation Jihad with Bill Roggio, The FDD Morning Brief with Jonathan Schanzer, and The FDD Events Podcast.

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