Overheard

Foreign Policy Research Instit
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Overheard is the Foreign Policy Research Institute's new podcast series exploring the national security implications of intelligence activities, irregular warfare, and political warfare. Join Philip Wasielewski, director of FPRI’s Center for the Study of Intelligence and Nontraditional Warfare, as he discusses the past, present, and future of these activities with intelligence, military, and political practitioners to discover what is new at the intersection between the craft of intelligence and the military and political arts. New episodes are available each month on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. To be the first to know about new episodes, please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Twitter @FPRI.

  1. 12/17/2025

    What is Irregular Warfare?

    What is Irregular Warfare and why in the Pentagon is it traditionally a subject of cyclical phases of either great enthusiasm or inattention over the decades? Phil Wasielewski talks with retired Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Mark Grdovic, author of the recent book Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance, as well as a just released FPRI article, Breaking the Glass Ceiling of Irregular Warfare. They will discuss the different definitions for Irregular Warfare that exist even within the Pentagon, the consequences of getting definitions wrong, and recommendations for a better understanding of what Irregular Warfare is, and possibly, what it is not.

    32 min

  2. 10/14/2025

    Al Qaeda and the Islamic State: Still Alive and Fighting in the Sahel

    Listen in to Overheard as Mike DeAngelo discusses with Phil Wasielewski how militant Islamic terrorist groups are waging parallel insurgencies across western Africa, the motivations fueling these conflicts, how  local African government responses sometimes just add more fuel to the fire, and why Americans should care about this little known but deadly irregular war.

    40 min

  3. 08/15/2025

    Hybrid Warfare: A Conversation with Dr. Frank Hoffman

    Almost two decades ago,  Frank Hoffman's writings and scholarship were instrumental in popularizing the term Hybrid Warfare. Join him in a conversation with Phil Wasielewski as the two discuss the origins of this term and concept and debate how valid both are today.

    35 min

  4. 06/24/2025

    Russian Political Warfare Operations in the Balkans

    The western Balkans, including Bosnia and Kosovo, were the scene of some of the bloodiest warfare and atrocities in Europe post-World War Two until Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Approximately twenty-five years after the last of the fighting in the region, tensions still simmer and some predict that the region could see a renewal of violence. Whereas the previous Balkan Wars were the result of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, a future Balkan war could be ignited by Serbian irredentism and spread by Russia. Will Russia's political warfare operations in the Balkans fuel the next war? Balkan scholar and Russian security expert Ivana Stradner joins host Phil Wasielewski to discuss this threat and her recent FPRI article on the subject, and analyzes the possible impact of Russian disinformation, subversion, and covert actions on peace and stability in the Balkans. Related Reading: https://www.fpri.org/article/2025/06/will-russian-political-warfare-operations-in-the-balkans-fuel-its-next-war/ - Ivana Stradner -FPRI

    37 min

  5. 04/03/2025

    Where and Why to Spy?

    How does the Intelligence Community focus its collection and analysis? Retired CIA officers Norman Roule and Yong Suk Lee discuss how intelligence collection among America's 18 separate intelligence agencies is planned and coordinated and how that collection is analyzed and presented to policymakers. Join in to learn how the intelligence collection process works and the role of policymakers from two former senior CIA officials with a combined half-century of experience in the intelligence field.

    45 min
  6. Local Forces and Counterinsurgency Campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq

    02/21/2025

    Local Forces and Counterinsurgency Campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq

    In this edition of Overheard, Phil Wasielewski talks to Dr. Arturo Munoz and Dr. Diane Zorri about the academic papers they presented at last year's FPRI-sponsored conference on Lessons Learned from post-9/11 Irregular Wars. The three will discuss how America used or improperly used local police and militia forces in counterinsurgency campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq and now to do better in the future.  Related reading:  Iraq’s Unfinished War: Security in the Post-Saddam Era by Diane Zorri The Rise and Fall of Afghanistan’s Local Defense Forces by Arturo Munoz

    42 min
  7. Russian Political Warfare and the Georgian and Moldovan Elections

    12/06/2024

    Russian Political Warfare and the Georgian and Moldovan Elections

    In this episode, Phil Wasielewski follows up on the recent Overheard podcast Russia's Other War in Europe to examine just how Russia worked to manipulate voting and voter sentiments this past October in the former Soviet Republics of Georgia and Moldova. Joining in are FPRI Senior Fellow Batu Kutelia and retired senior State Department official and Moldova expert William Hill who will examine Moscow's tactics from voter intimidation to vote buying and beyond.

    37 min
  8. The Espionage Act versus the First Amendment

    10/14/2024

    The Espionage Act versus the First Amendment

    Was the June 2024 conviction of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for violating the Espionage Act a victory for national security or a defeat for freedom of the press? What are the rights but also the responsibilities that journalists and media organizations have with regards to publishing classified information? CNN journalist Jill Dougherty, FPRI Senior Fellow George Croner, and national security legal expert Jim Petrila join Overheard to discuss this issue and the implications for national security and the First Amendment.

    51 min
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About

Overheard is the Foreign Policy Research Institute's new podcast series exploring the national security implications of intelligence activities, irregular warfare, and political warfare. Join Philip Wasielewski, director of FPRI’s Center for the Study of Intelligence and Nontraditional Warfare, as he discusses the past, present, and future of these activities with intelligence, military, and political practitioners to discover what is new at the intersection between the craft of intelligence and the military and political arts. New episodes are available each month on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. To be the first to know about new episodes, please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Twitter @FPRI.

Information

  • Creator
    Foreign Policy Research Instit
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Foreign Policy Research Instit
  • Show Website
    Overheard