FDD's Foreign Podicy

FDD Podcasts
  • 4.7 (38)
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A national security and foreign policy podcast from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

  1. 6d ago

    Defending Taiwan

    Taiwan makes 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors — and China wants to take it without breaking it - using economic coercion if they can. If Beijing succeeds, the global tech economy becomes weaponized. FDD CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Stanford Hoover Institution Fellow Eyck Freymann break down the military, economic, and diplomatic strategies the U.S. and its allies must deploy right now to deter China — and what happens if they fail.

    53 min

  2. May 29

    UN Watch Report: Watching the UN Rot

    A new UN Watch investigation exposes ideological bias, foreign funding, and ethical misconduct among UN Special Rapporteurs — raising urgent questions about UN accountability and the urgent need for reform. The shocking new report, "From Watchdogs to Ideologues," reveals a long list of Special Rapporteurs who routinely exhibit extreme ideological bias, take payoffs from authoritarian states, and engage in conduct that in any other professional setting would end careers. Host Cliff May discusses the report with Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of the Geneva-based NGO UN Watch.

    35 min

  3. May 22

    ¿Cuba libre?

    America’s spy chief visits Havana, the U.S. Justice Department announces the indictment for murder of former Cuban dictator, Raul Castro, Cuba’s current rulers are reported to have received more than 300 military attack drones from Moscow and Tehran while ordinary Cubans suffer power outages, medicine shortages, and soaring food prices. Guests Carrie Filipetti of the Vandenberg Coalition and Connor Pfeiffer of FDD Action join host Cliff May to discuss how these developments add up and whether the liberation of the Cuban people from the zombie Castroite regime is finally possible.

    55 min

  4. May 15

    Immigration as a Weapon

    New York Times bestselling author Peter Schweizer joins host Cliff May to discuss his new book, "The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon." The two take a deep dive into the recent U.S.-China summit, comparisons between the Islamic Republic and the former Soviet Union, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Peter’s explosive discovery of a "Manchurian Candidate"-style weaponization of the U.S. immigration system.

    59 min

  5. May 8

    The Axis of Aggressors and Unraveling World Order

    The world is entering a more dangerous era. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly coordinating across every domain of power. Wars are expanding. Nuclear threats are rising. America’s alliances are under pressure. And President Trump is heading to Beijing. Former U.S. ambassador to Finland and Turkey Eric S. Edelman joins guest host Bradley Bowman to break down the new age of great-power competition — from China and NATO to Iran, deterrence, and the growing risk of global conflict.

    1h 14m

  6. May 1

    Stakes in the Straits and Chips on the Table

    The Strait of Hormuz isn't just about Iran. It's a stress test for American will, allied confidence, and the deterrence architecture holding the Indo-Pacific together.FDD's RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, fresh from a trip to Taiwan, and Craig Singleton, FDD China Program Senior Director, join Cliff May to connect the dots — from the naval blockade's economic pressure to the lessons Beijing and Taipei are both drawing, in real time, from the Iran war.

    52 min

  7. Apr 24

    The Fog of Ceasefire

    Negotiations between President Trump’s envoys and those of the Islamic Republic of Iran were postponed. Operation Epic Fury halts in an uneasy ceasefire as Operation Economic Fury begins cutting off Tehran’s revenue streams. The Strait of Hormuz is not yet a safe space. FDD Research Fellow Max Meizlish, a former Treasury official, and Adjunct Fellow Joseph Zacks, a former CIA official, join host Cliff May to take stock.

    59 min
  8. From Budapest to Beirut to Tehran: Perspectives from Across the Pond

    Apr 17

    From Budapest to Beirut to Tehran: Perspectives from Across the Pond

    Three shocks. Three fronts. One world shifting fast. In Hungary, Péter Magyar topples Viktor Orbán’s grip. In Washington, Lebanese–Israeli talks edge beyond ceasefire toward something more consequential—rattling players from Hezbollah to Emmanuel Macron. And after failed diplomacy in Islamabad, U.S. Vice President JD Vance now faces a new phase: an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, squeezing Tehran’s lifeline. Host Cliff May sits down with FDD experts Edmund Fitton-Brown and Simone Rodan-Benzaquen to make sense of a moment that may redraw the map.

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

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