Bombshell

In the tradition of British dramas, Erin, Loren, and Radha reunite for a special holiday episode. The ladies flip the script, answering a range of questions from the first ever Manniversary guest Kai Ryssdal. They then return to some of their greatest hits including transition process, civ-mil issues, and personnel policy replete with process details and holiday movie analogies. Stay through the end to hear pop culture recommendations and special appearances from many former guests with answers to their favorite Bombshell questions.

For their 100th episode, Erin, Loren and Radha discuss new issues, like the escalating conflict at the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, old issues, like HVT targeting of al-Qaeda leadership, and, of course, continuing trade issues with China. They then turn to a discussion of all the White House mayhem (Ok, not all! No one has that kind of time), including lack of legal authority for Department of Homeland Security leadership to make decisions about DACA, the Defense Department ?purge,? and the complicated, not-quite-yet-started transition of the Biden administration. The team ties a bow on this episode with a discussion of holiday movies and other pop culture ? and that's a wrap!

 

Links

Cara Anna, ?Ethiopia?s Tigray Leader Confirms Firing Missiles at Eritrea,? AP News, November 15, 2020 ?Ethiopia Tigray Crisis: Rockets Hit Outskirts of Eritrea Capital,? BBC News, November 15, 2020 ?Peter Mwai, ?Ethiopia?s Tigray Conflict Sparks Spread of Misinformation,? BBC News, November 11, 2020 David Porter, ?Judge: DHS Head Didn?t Have Authority to Suspend DACA,? AP News, November 14, 2020

Loren, Erin, and Radha are joined by their most frequent guest (Kori Schake) and a new guest (Katrina Mulligan) to discuss foreign policy issues we'll need to worry about regardless of the election outcome! After a lively discussion, the ladies go over foreign policy issues that have been over-discussed, under-discussed, and the processes that will always be their valentines. They wrap up with pop culture, self-care, and indulgences to help get you through election day and beyond!

Loren, Radha, and Erin reconvene to explore many of Bombshell's greatest hits - Brexit, troop levels in Afghanistan, and arms control. With a dash of ethnic conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh thrown in for flavor. The ladies then drop a Bombshell of their own: this fair podcast will be wrapping up in 2020. It's the final countdown! 

Erin, Radha and Loren use COVID-19 as a frame to ask what this crazy time has brought to our attention, what it?s distracted is from, what it?s possibly helped, and how it?s shaped our own skills and interests.  And shopping.

 

Links

?Covid-19 and No-Deal Brexit Could Cost UK $174 Billion a Year,? Reuters, October 01, 2020 ?No-Deal Brexit Risks Violence in Norhtern Ireland, MPs Warn MI5,? The Guardian, October 05, 2020 Todd Lopez, ?Covid-19 Response Sparks Efforts to Strengthen Supply Chain,? US Department of Defense, September 29, 2020

 

 

This week, Mira Rapp-Hooper and Rebecca Lissner return to the show to discuss American grand strategy, female partnerships, and their fabulous new book, An Open World: How America Can Win the Contest for Twenty-First Century Order. The ladies then revisit the administration?s foreign policy in the Middle East - with notes on the UAE-Israel accord and Iran sanctions drama. Also, Tiktok! Soothing pop-culture ties a bow on it.

Loren, Radha, and Erin invite Camille Stewart, non-resident fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, to discuss all the cyber threats and how individual behavior uniquely connects with our ability to mitigate or respond to them. In keeping up foreign relations, we provide short updates on Alexei Navalny, Belarus, and Brexit alongside a brief farewell to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. We'd like to remind you all that Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq are still a thing, and after all the takes have been shared on Trump's views on service members, we talk about the role of the press in this story.

Radha, Erin, and Loren host Nina Jancowicz, disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center and author of How to Lose the Information War, to talk about the ongoing protests in Belarus and what we should read into the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In keeping up foreign relations, the ladies explore the latest U.S. attempt to use the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or ?Iran nuclear deal?) ? an agreement the United States ghosted on ? to reinstate sanctions on Iran, and in White House mayhem they assess how the recent Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on the 2016 election. Plus, process is our Valentine, but process can be used for evil ends, as we learned about the 2018 process to pursue family separation as an official U.S. policy. Unsurprisingly, we need a lot of pop culture to handle all this news.

This week Erin and Radha regroup while Loren takes a much-deserved vacation. They do a quick review on COVID-19 with the good (100 days no new cases in New Zealand), the bad (cases in Brazil, India, and the United States continue to grow), and the ugly (long-term economic consequences in the United States, India, and Brazil). They also dig into the recent explosion and protests in Lebanon and then go deep on the recent executive order impacting TikTok and WeChat. After reminding us that Afghanistan is still a thing, they talk about the lack of accurate and comprehensive briefings for POTUS and the mayhem that ensues, including quotes (and misquotes) by Robert O'brien (yes, he's the national security advisor!). To calm us all down, they then talk about pop culture from baseball movies (The Rookie, Bull Durham) to Arthurian legend-ish TV shows (Cursed).

 

Links

Abbie Cheeseman, ?Protesters in Beirut, Still Reeling from Massive Explosion, Cash with Police,? NBC News, August 09, 2020 Elian Peltier, ?How to Help Lebanon After Beirut Explosion,? New York Times, August 05, 2020 Dennis Wagner and George Petras, ?Massive Explosion Rocks Beirut: Before and After Images Show Extensive Damage,? USA Today, August 06, 2020 Nick Perry, ?New Zealand Marks 100th Day with No New Reported Cases of Coronavirus,? ABC7NY, August 09, 2020 Derek Hawkins, Marisa Iati, and Jacqueline Dupree, ?US Coronavirus Infections Surpass 5 Million,? Washington Post, August 09, 2020 ?Coronavirus: Brazil Passes 100,000 Deaths as Outbreak Shows No Sign of Easing,? BBC, August 09, 2020 ?Record 64,399 New Covid-19 Cases; 861 Deaths in India,? Times of India, August 09, 2020 Elaine Chen, ?Drugmakers Race to Build Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Chains,? Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2020 Michael Crescione, ?Europe Sees Rise in Covid-19 After Reopening,? Healthline, August 06, 2020 Swati Bhat, ?India to Halt 101 Military Imports in Push for Defense Self-Reliance: Minister,? Reuters, August 09, 2020 Ryan Browne and Jamie Crawford, ?Esper Says US Troop Levels in Afghanistan to Go Below 5,000 by End of November,? CNN, August 09, 2020 Brad Heath, ?Esper: US Will Cut Troop Levels in Afghanistan to Less Than 5,000,? Reuters, August 08, 2020 Jim Sciutto, ?Trump Advisers Hesitated to Give Military Options and Warned Adversaries Over Fears He Might Start a War,? CNN, August 06, 2020 Justine Coleman, ?Trump Advisers Were Wary of Talking Military Options Over Fears He?d Accidentally Start War,? The Hill, August 06, 2020 Philip Bump, ?Trump Actually Doesn?t Appear to Understand How Bad the Pandemic Is,? Washington Post, August 04, 2020 Geoffrey Gertz, ?Why is the Trump Administration Banning TikTok and WeChat?? Brookings, August 07, 2020 Robert Chesney, ?Banning TikTok and WeChat: Another Primer,? Lawfare, August 07, 2020 Chaim Gartenberg, ?Apple?s Chinese Business Could be Devastated by Trump?s WeChat Ban,? The Verge, August 08, 2020 ?Trump Targets WeChat and TikTok, in Sharp Escalation with China,? New York Times, August 06, 2020

This week the band is back together with Loren, Radha, and Erin once again all in the same time zone. They dive into Mike Pompeo's China speech, global COVID trends, and the world-famous Missile Technology Control Regime. Also, Congress approved the NDAA, and they have lots of thoughts on DHS "troops" engaging protesters in Portland. Stick around for pop-culture dissection of the Guinevere Deception!

 

Links

?Communist China and the Free World?s Future,? US Department of State, July 23, 2020 Thomas Wright, ?Pompeo?s Surreal Speech on China,? Atlantic, July 25, 2020 Richard Haass, ?What Mike Pompeo Doesn?t Understand about China, Richard Nixon and U.S. Foreign Policy,? Washington Post, July 25, 2020 ?The Missile Technology Control Regime at a Glance,? Arms Control Association, July 2017 Aaron Mehta and Valerie Insinna, ?Trump Admin Officially Makes It Easier to Export Military Drones,? Defense One, July 25, 2020 Amanda Macias, ?Trump Allows Defense Contractors to Sell More Armed Droned to Foreign Militaries,? CNBC, July 24, 2020 Rachel S. Cohen, ?House, Senate Approve Defense Authorization Bills,? Air Force Magazine, July 23, 2020 Connor O?Brien, ?Senate Clears Bill Removing Confederate Names from Military Bases, Setting Up Clash with Trump,? Politico, July 23, 2020 Jacob Nagel and Mark Dubowitz, ?With a Potential Iran-China Deal, Time for Israel to Reassess its Policy,? Newsweek, July 26, 2020 Philip H. Gordon, ?Has Trump Driven China and Iran Together?? War on the Rocks, July 21, 2020 Pablo Gutierrez and Sean Clarke, ?Coronavirus World Map: Which Countries Have the Most Covid-19 Cases and Deaths?? Guardian, July 28, 2020 Pablo Gutierrez and Ashley Kirk, ?Revealed: Data Shows 10 Countries Risking Coronavirus Second Wave as Lockdown Relaxed,? Guardian, June 25, 2020 ?Global Coronavirus Cases Surge, Stinging Even Places That Seemed to Have Control,? New York Times, July 23, 2020

With Radha and Erin on the road, Loren invites Ashely Feng of the Center for a New American Security, Kaleigh Thomas of CNAS, Kara Frederick of CNAS, Hijab Shah of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Meghan McGee of Georgetown University for a Bombshell takeover to discuss foreign policy issues with big generational shifts.

In this episode of Bombshell, the ladies  welcome Madelyn Creedon, former deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, to discuss the state of arms control today. The crew also discusses other foreign relations goings on: North Korea won?t call South Korea on their cell phone, late at night, or otherwise; India-China drama continues; and there?s much ado in Venezuela. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan before November and you may have noticed something?s up in civil-military relations.

In this week?s episode, while Loren cleans out her office, Radha and Erin dig into an array of China-related topics: Huawei! India! Hong Kong! And last, but certainly not least, the World Health Organization. The ladies then turn to White House/American mayhem and try to be analytical while lamenting ongoing violence against black Americans and the potential deployment of U.S. troops in American cities. And finally, an awkward transition to a discussion of pop-culture yields some gems.

 

Links

Huawei

Scott Bade, ?Huawei?s Terrible Week,? Tech Crunch, May 30, 2020 Emily Feng, ?The Latest US Blow to China?s Huawei Could Knock Out Its Global 5G Plans,? NPR, May 28, 2020

India Border

Jeffrey Gettleman and Steven Lee Myers, ?China and India at 14,000 Feet Along the Border,? New York Times, May 30, 2020

Hong Kong

Sergei Klebnikov, ?Trump Announces New Sanctions On Chinese Officials, But Won?t Scrap Phase One Trade Deal,? Forbes, May 29, 2020 ?Trump Targets China Over Hong Kong Security Law,? BBC News, May 30, 2020 Kenneth Rapoza, ?Imaging Hong Kong Without Its US Special Status Deal,? Forbes, May 29, 2020 Jack Caporal, ?The US-China Mini Deal (That Never Was?)? CSIS, October 17, 2019

WHO

Brianna Ehley and Alice Miranda Ollstein, ?Trump Announces US Withdrawal from the World Health Organization,? Politico, May 29, 2020 ?Coronavirus: Backlash After Trump Signals US Exit from WHO,? BBC News, May 30, 2020

Protests in US

Dan Lamothe, ?Trump Administration Offers Active-Duty Military Forces and Intelligence to Help Quell Minnesota Unrest,? Washington Post, May 30, 2020 Samuel Sinyangwe, Tweet, October 5, 2019 Jennifer Doleac, Tweet, May 31, 2020 Megan Ming Francis, Tweet, May 30, 2020 Audrey McNamara, ? Paul Mayor Says Earlier Comments About Arrested Protesters Being Out of State Were Not Correct,? CBS News, May 30, 2020 ?Pentagon Puts Military Police on Alert to Go to Minneapolis,? CNBC, May 30, 2020

George Floyd

Kate Shellnutt, ?George Floy Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston,? Chrsitanity Today, May 28, 2020

This week Erin, Loren, and Radha regroup for a "what did I miss" session to discuss the events of the last few weeks. Starting with the bizarre coup that wasn't in Venezuela, the ladies go on to talk about the Iran not-so-snap-back sanctions ? including the Babysitter's Club analogy that you?ll need in order to understand why everyone is so annoyed ? and the potentially pending restart of the China trade war. They then turn to the dwindling number of inspector generals and remind everyone why process is their valentine. They close out this episode with a discussion of books that will help you to learn if you feel like, cope when you need help, and escape when you want to.

Jung Pak, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, joins Bombshell to discuss her fascinating and timely new book: Becoming Kim Jong Un. Radha, Erin, and Loren remind listeners that Afghanistan is still a thing even if the U.S. government would prefer it not to be. Also, did you know it?s possible to restart a trade war amid the pandemic? Or that the United States is a participant in the JCPOA? Neither did we. Plus, pop culture!

This week the ladies are back with a normal-ish episode, complete with special guest Nora Bensahel! She helps them dive deep on COVID-19 impacts on the defense budget. From there, they explore possible changes to the ?global order,? Loren offers a tutorial on Hungary and Israel, and Radha schools us on trade issues. The ladies wrap up with a discussion of the most pressing issue of the day - haircuts. And issue a heartfelt socially distant hug to the Iyengar family.

 

Links

?Coronavirus: Iran and the US Trade Blame Over Sanctions,? BBC, April 17, 2020 Jessie Yeung, ?The US is Halting funding to the WHO. What Does This Actually Mean?? CNN, April 16, 2020 Thomas Y. Choi, Dale Rogers, Bindiya Vakil, ?Coronavirus is a Wake-Up Call for Supply Chain Management,? Harvard Business Review, March 27, 2020 David Barno and Nora Bensahel, ?After the Pandemic: America and National Security in a Changed World,? War on the Rocks, March 31, 2020 Thomas Wright, ?Stretching the International Order to Its Breaking Point,? Atlantic, April 04, 2020 Daniel W. Drezner, ?The Most Counterintuitive Prediction About World Politics and the Coronavirus,?Washington Post, March 30, 2020 Thomas Wright and Kurt M. Campbell, ?If Biden Wins, He?ll Have to Put the World Back Together,? Atlantic, April 13, 2020

This week Loren and Erin talk their way through all the coronavirus feelings: fear, hope, gratitude, some minor policy questions, and the pop culture that's giving us life. Stay home, be safe, wash your hands.

Kathleen Hicks, director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and all-around superhero, joins Loren, Radha, and Erin for an all-COVID-19 episode, starting with potential contributions by the Department of Defense to addressing this crisis. The ladies explore different angles of the global pandemic, including how it's impacting other ongoing international events, the economy, and domestic politics. Thanks be they also spend a lot of time on pop culture to soothe the soul.

This week Erin, Loren, and Radha reunite after a midwinter break to talk pandemics. They then turn to the Afghanistan ?peace? deal, Israeli elections (third time?s the charm?), and recent developments in Syria. As always, there?s plenty of White House mayhem with a new chief of staff, and vacancies as far as the eye can see in Pentagon civilian leadership. Thankfully, Hilary Mantel books and Love is Blind provide a pop culture escape to soothe (or at least distract) the soul.

 

Links

Coronavirus

Matthew Herper, ?Susan Desmond-Hellmann: The Coronavirus is Alarming. Here?s Why You Should Not Panic,? Stat, March 6, 2020 ?Covid-19 is Now In 50 Countries, and Things Will Get Worse,? The Economist, February 2020

Afghanistan

Diaa Hadid and Scott Neuman, ?US, Afghanistan and Taliban Announce 7-Day Reduction in Violence,? NPR Morning Edition, February 21, 2020 Shereen Qazi, ?Will the Ghani-Abdullah Rivalry Undermine Afghan Peace Process?? Aljazeera, March 9, 2020 Kathy Gilsinan, ?The US Once Wanted Peace in Afghanistan,? Atlantic, February 29, 2020 David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt, and Thomas Gibbons-Neff, ?A Secret Accord With the Taliban: When and How the US Would Leave Afghanistan,? New York Times, March 8, 2020 Susannah George, ?Thrown Under the Bus: Some Afghans View US-Taliban Peace Deal with Mix of Disbelief and Anger,? Washington Post, March 7, 2020 Courtney Kube, Ken Dilanian, and Dan De Luce, ?US Has Persuasive Intel Taliban Do Not Intend to Abide by Terms of Peal Deal, Officials Say,? NBC New, March 6, 2020 Elizabeth Threlkeld, ?Reading Between the Lines of Afghan Agreement,? Lawfare, March 8, 2020

Pop Culture

Randy Shilts, And the Band Played On, (St. Martin?s Griffin, 2007) Wolf Hall, PBS

Syria

Jen Kirby, ?Turkey and Russia Reached a Ceasefire in Syria. Will it Hold?? Vox, March 6, 2020 ?Water Cannon and Tear Gas at Turkish-Greek Border,? BBC, March 7, 2020

OSD

Lara Seligman and Daniel Lippman, ?Civilian Vacancies at Trump?s Pentagon Hit New High,? Politico, March 6, 2020

This week the ladies return to regular programming and try to catch up after one of the more crazy weeks in recent political memory. They start off with the Coronavirus crisis before returning to an old-standby, Brexit. They also provide some color commentary on the recent Irish elections. And how could they forget the new Middle East Peace Plan! That?s before they get to impeachment, NSC firings, and White House Mayhem. Stick around and hear them gush about Little Women.

 

Links

Coronavirus

?Deaths in China Surpass Toll From SARS,? New York Times, February 9, 2020 Colleen Shalby, ?Why Did the Government Mandate a Coronavirus Quarantine?? Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2020

Brexit

Dharshini David, ?Brexit Divorce: Five Key Things the UK Must Navigate,? BBC, February 9, 2020 ?Brexit: All You Need to Know About the UK Leaving the EU,? BBC, January 27, 2020

Irish Elections

Rory Carroll, ?Ireland General Election: Sinn Féin Surges to 22% in Exit Poll,? Guardian, February 8, 2020

Middle East Peace

Peter Beaumont, ?Trump?s Middle East Peace Plan: Key Points at a Glance,? Guardian, January 28, 2020

Irish Election

Riley Beggin, ?Irish Election Yields a Three-Way Near Tie and a Sinn Féin Surge,? Vox, February 9, 2020 ?Sinn Féin is the Most Popular Party Among All Age Groups up to 65,? Journal, February 09, 2020

Travel Ban

?Trump Travel Ban, Part II,? Wall Street Journal, February 07, 2020 ?Trump Administration Adds Six Countries to Travel Ban,? New York Times, January 31, 2020

Pop Culture

Marlon and Jake Read Dead People, Podcast

Erin, Radha and Loren welcome three special guests for their annual "manniversary" episode: Hayes Brown from Buzzfeed, Tommy Vietor of Pod Save the World, and Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe join them to talk about communicating national security in this crazy world.

This week Bombshell welcomes Suzanne Maloney of Brookings to chat all things Iran. And because we love our listeners so much, we extended the discussion for the whole show to consider legality, effectiveness, process, and what happens next. Also, Megxit. Duh.

 

Links

Jonathan Marcus, ?Qasem Soleimani: Why Kill Him Now and What Happens Next?? BBC, January 3, 2020 Agnes Callamard, ?The Targeted Killing of General Soleimani: Its Lawfulness and Why It Matters,? Just Security, January 8, 2020 Loveday Morris, ?US Leaders Rally Behind Tattered Iran Deal, Ignoring Trump?s Call to Ditch It,? Washington Post, January 10, 2020 Brian Naylor, ?Trump Administration Announces More Economic Sanctions Against Iran,? NPR, January 10, 2020 Rick Noack, Armand Emamdjomeh, and Joe Fox, ?How U.S. Sanctions Are Paralyzing the Iranian Economy,? Washington Post, January 10, 2020 Ian Talley and Isabel Coles, ?US Warns Iraq It Risks Losing Access to Key Bank Account if. Troops Told to Leave,? Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2020 Robert Jervis, ?On the Current Confrontation with Iran,? War on the Rocks, January 9, 2020 Suzanne Maloney, ?The Lull in Hostilities Between Iran and the U.S. Is Just Escalation in Disguise,? Politico, January 11, 2020

Erin, Radha, and Loren mull over 2019, muse about 2020, and debate Rise of the Skywalker. We will be with you again.

This week Radha and Erin lead a special live episode from the NatSec Girl Squad Conference. They are joined by Dana Stroul, Kim Kagan, and Mara Karlin who all recently participated in the Congressionally mandated Syria Study Group. Listen in as the ladies discuss Syria policy, study group process, and answer audience questions!

 

Links

"Syria Study Group Final Report," USIP, September 24, 2019 Nat Sec Girl Squad

This week Radha, Erin, and Loren reunite to drink eggnog (or not!) and talk about events in London, from interrupting violent attacks with narwhal tusks to interrupting NATO ministerials with middle school-esque drama. The ladies then turn to protests in the Middle East, predictions on China trade deals, and Hong Kong legislation. Rounding it out is a lively discussion of all the mayhem that ensued when Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer (not that Richard Spencer) resigned. After that, the ladies have a much-needed pop culture discussion on all the holiday movies they're looking forward to watching.

 

Links

London Terrorist Attack

Catherine Kim, "London Bridge Stabbing Attack: What We Know," Vox, December 1, 2019 Peter Bergen, "London Terrorist Attack Brings Home a Chilling Reality," CNN, November 30, 2019

Iran

Hannah Brown, "Why Economic Hardships Finally Sparked Iranian Protests," Vox, December 2, 2019 Farnaz Fassihi and Rick Gladstone, "Iran Strengthens Response to Protests," New York Times, November 26, 2019

China/Hong Kong

Yen Nee Lee, "US Law Backing Hong Kong Protests Could End Up Hurting Everyone: the US, China, and Hong Kong," CNBC, November 28, 2019 Gina Heeb, "In Latest Sign of Trade-War Pain, the Trump Administration Announces Tariff Relief for Dozens of Chinese Products," Markets Insider, November 29, 2019 Michael Bociurkiw, "Trump's Risky Move on Hong Kong," CNN, November 29, 2019 Keith Bradsher, Javier C. Hernandez, and Alexandra Stevenson, "China Condemns US Over Hong Kong: That Won't Stop Trade Talks," New York Times, November 28, 2019

NATO

"Funding NATO," North Atlantic Treaty Organization, June 27, 2018 Steven Erlanger, "NATO Offers a Budget Bonbon as Summit Nears," New York Times, November 28, 2019

This week Loren, Erin, and Radha are joined by the peerless Mira Rapp-Hooper. Taking a break from stalking her perfect oat milk, Mira walks the ladies through alliances and shifting demands with Japan and Korea. The ladies do a whirlwind review of Hong Kong, Bolivia, auto tariffs, and pardons. After 5 words (plus margin of error) on impeachment stories of note, Erin and Radha (yup Radha) discuss the new Star Wars series where to Loren's dismay Radha declares her love of Star Wars puppets (especially those teddy bears).

 

Links

Mira Rapp-Hooper, Shields of the Republic: The Triumph and Peril of America's Alliances, (Harvard University Press, 2020)

Asia

Simon Denyer and Min Joo Kim, "In South Korea, Military Cost Dispute and Trump's Moves in Syria Fuel Doubts Over US Commitment," Washington Post, November 4, 2019 Phil Stewart and Joyce Lee, "Pentagon's Esper Says it is Crucial South Korea Pays More for US Troops," Reuters, November 15, 209=19 Maggie Shum, "Hong Kong's District Council Elections Take Place on Nov. 24 Or Not," Washington Post, November 14, 2019 Anna Kam, Casey Quackenbush, and Ryan Ho Kilpatrick, "Day of Rage Plunges Hong Kong Into Turmoil After Police Shoot Protester," Washington Post, November 11, 2019

Bolivia 

"Bolivia Crisis: What's Next After Evo Morales' Resignation?" BBC, November 13, 2019 Natasha Bennett, "Bolivian Protesters Unseated a President. So Why Are They Still in the Streets?" Washington Post, November 15, 2019 Santiago Anria and Jennifer Cyr, "Is Bolivia's Democracy in Danger? Here's What's Behind the Disputed Presidential Election," Washington Post, October 30, 2019

Trade

Ben White and Doug Palmer, "Trump Expected to Delay Auto Tariff Decision for 6 More Months," Politico, November 11, 2019 David Shepardson, "Automakers Around World Await Trump Tariff Decision," Reuters, November 15, 2019 Camila Domonoske and Avie Schneider, "Trump Delays Auto Tariffs for 6 Months," NPR, May 17, 2019 Reuters, "Trump Expected to Delay European Auto Tariff Decision: EU Officials," New York Times, November 11, 2019

Pardons

Dave Philipps, "Trump's Pardons for Servicemen Raise Fears That Law of War Are History," New York Times, November 16, 2019

 

This week the ladies of Bombshell go deep on the Syria raid and the ?value? of high-value targeting, before turning their attention to popular protests in Iraq and Lebanon. Of course, no episode would be complete without a Brexit update! Radha regales us with CFIUS tales and we all lament the attacks on LTC Vindman. Also, will the NDAA ever pass?

 

Links

Tamara Qiblawi, "Protests Toppled Two Governments in Three Days, But the Fight is Only Beginning," CNN, November 2, 2019 Sara Khairat, "What Triggered Iraq's Mammoth Protests?" Aljazeera, November 1, 2019 Alissa Rubin, "Iraq Demonstrations Grow, and Government Scrambles to Respond," New York Times, November 1, 2019 Jen Kirby, "The Future of Brexit Will Be Decided in December 12 Election," Vox, October 29, 2019 Mark Landler and Stephen Castle, "Boris Johnson Has Big Lead in UK Election. That Might Not Mean Much," New York Times, November 2, 2019 Leo Shane III and Joe Gould, "What's in the Emergency Defense Policy Bill?" Defense News, October 30, 2019 John M. Donnelly, "Skinny Defense Bill Omits Key Element: Military Construction," Roll Call, November 1, 2019 Joe Gould, "Congress Mulls Spring Continuing Resolution to Avoid Government Shutdown," Defense News, October 25, 2019 Greg Roumeliotis, Yingzhi Yang, Echo Wang, and Alexandra Alper, "Exclusive: US Opens National Security Investigation Into TikTok," Reuters, November 1, 2019

Melissa Dalton from CSIS joins Loren, Radha, and Erin to offer a thorough, if morose, update on the U.S. military withdrawal from northern Syria and where that leaves Syrian Kurds. Bombshell returns to the topic of the United Kingdom which....might have a Brexit deal? The ladies also dive into the implications of recent NBA/China drama and what's going on with the impeachment inquiry, and amazingly have a disagreement about political speech by uniformed and retired military.

 

Links

Cameron Abadi, "Why Is Turkey Fighting Syria's Kurds?" Foreign Policy, October 17, 2019 Benjamin Mueller and Matina Stevis-Gridneff, "What Is in the New Brexit Deal?" New York Times, October 17, 2019 Adam Taylor, "What Is Happening with Brexit Now? Boris Johnson's Plans for the Irish Border and the E.U. Explained," Washington Post, October 17, 2019

Bombshell takes a step back to offer some context to the whirlwind of Ukraine and related investigations: what?s with Ukraine?s political trajectory, why is it a magnet for crises involving external actors these days, and how is it being impacted by today?s scandals?  In Trump?s trade negotiations with China, how have elections become intertwined with those discussions? Turning to the White House, President Trump has had multiple crises emerge from calls with foreign leaders - how does his process shape those results. The NSC staff is wrapped up with today?s whistleblower investigation - who are they, and how can their role be politicized? In reacting to these events, President Trump?s language has taken an authoritarian tinge?what does political science tell us about his actions? And lastly, the president has suggested violence may erupt if he?s pushed out of office - how should we think about the military?s role in such scenarios?

 

Links

Ukraine

Philip Bump and Aaron Blake, "The Full Trump-Ukraine Timeline," Washington Post, October 4, 2019 Bryan Bender and Wesley Morgan, "How US Military Aid Became a Lifeline for Ukraine," Politico, September 30, 2019 "Ukraine Profile ? Timeline," BBC, September 10, 2019 Alex Ward, "The Last 24 Hours in the Ukraine Drama Were the Worst for Trump Yet. Here's What Happened," Vox, October 4, 2019

Impeachment legal Counsel Advice

Radha Iyengar, Tweet, October 2, 2019

Trump Leader Calls

Carol D. Leonnig, Shane Harris, and Josh Dawsey, "Trump's Calls with Foreign Leaders Have Long Worried Aides, Leaving Some Genuinely Horrified," Washington Post, October 4, 2019

Authoritarianism

Barbara Geddes, Joseph Wright, and Erica Frantz, Autocratic Breakdown and Regime Transitions: A New Data Set, (American Political Science Association, June 2014) Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, "This is How Democracies Die," Guardian, January 21, 2018 Ari Berman, "How Endangered Is American Democracy?" New York Times, April 13, 2018 Jennifer Mercieca, "Mueller Report Illustrates Trump's Authoritarian Rhetorical Tactics," Just Security, May 1, 2019

This week Bombshell is blessed by the return of Tamara Cofman Wittes to help everyone understand Iran?s possible motives in the strike on an Aramco facility and what Saudi Arabia might do next. And as a bonus she sticks around to dive into Israeli elections. Then Erin, Radha, and Loren take a deep, nerve-calming breath to dive into the current White House Mayhem: the ouster of John Bolton, the arrival of Robert O?Brien, and the whistleblower-Ukraine monstrosity.  Also, Erin saw Moulin Rouge and you should too, if you can can can.

 

Links

Aramco Attacks

Stephen Kalin, "Saudi Arabia to Wait for Investigation Before Responding to Attacks: Minister," Reuters, September 21, 2019 Lara Seligman and Elias Groll, "In Muted Response to Iran Strikes, US to Send Reinforcements to Saudi Arabia," Foreign Policy, September 20, 2019 Suzanne Maloney, "Why Iran's Leadership Thinks Escalation Can Pay Off," Washington Post, September 18, 2019 Eric Schmitt, Julian E. Barnes, and David D. Kirkpatrick, "To Find Clues in Saudi Oil Attacks, US Examines Missile and Drone Parts," New York Times, September 17, 2019

Israeli Elections

Jeremy Sharon, "Liberman Declines to Recommend Gantz or Netanyahu to Form Government," Jerusalem Post, September 23, 2019 Oren Libermann, "Why No One is Israel Seems Able to Win an Election," CNN, September 22, 2019 Aaron Heller, "Arab Lawmakers in Israel Endorse Gantz for Prime Minister," ABC News, September 22, 2019

New National Security Advisor

John Hudson and John Wagner, "Trump Realigns National Security Team with a Low-Profile Adviser," Washington Post, September 18, 2019 John Gans, "The Dangers of a Weak National Security Adviser," Politico, September 19, 2019

This week Erin, Loren, and Radha are joined by War on the Rock's new editor-in-chief Becky Zimmerman to talk about the talks that never were with the Taliban and catch up on the situation in Afghanistan more generally. The ladies then turn to the chaos in the UK, ongoing protests in Hong Kong, the release of classified information by the President (again!), MILCON spending for the border wall, and the Mattis book. Whew! After all that, the dive into pop culture with book and podcast rec's for all.

 

Links

Afghanistan

Erin Banco and Asawin Suebsaeng, "Trump and His Team Send Clashing Messages on US Troops in Afghanistan," Daily Beast, August 30, 2019 Mujib Mashal, "US Deal with Taliban Meets Afghan Resistance as Violence Intensifies," New York Times, September 5, 2019 Jennifer Jacobs, Nick Wadhams, and Eltaf Najafizada, "Trump Says He Canceled Secret Camp David Talks with the Taliban," Bloomberg, September 7, 2019 Mujib Mashal, "Taliban Talks Hit a Wall Over Deeper Disagreements, Officials Say," New Yorkt Times, September 8, 2019 "President Ghani's Visit to Washington Postponed: Sources," TOLO News, September 6, 2019

Brexit

"How Bad is Boris Johnson? We Can't Even Find the Words," Globe and Mail, September 5, 2019 Amanda Sloat, "Brexit Endgame: Boris Jonson Loses Control," Lawfare, September 6, 2019 "Brexit Extension: PM to 'Test Law to Limit' to Avoid Delay," BBC News, September 8, 2019

Yemen

"The Latest on the Situation in Yemen," NPR, September 4, 2019

Hong Kong

Mike Ives, Tiffany May, and Elaine Yu, "Hong Kong Protesters Return to Streets After Leader Announces Concessions," New York Times, September 7, 2019

Saudi/UAE

Aziz El Yaakoubi, David Evans, Ros Russell, and Tuqa Khalid, "Saudi Arabia, UAE Urge Yemen Government and Separatists to Halt Fighting," Reuters, September 8, 2019

Iran

Eric Adams, "Everything We Know About America's Secret KH-11 Recon Satellites," Popular Mechanics, September 6, 2019

MILCON

Chantal Da Silva, "Here's Every Military Construction Project in the US Being Pushed Back to Fund Trump's Border Wall," Newsweek, September 5, 2019

Tori Whiting of the Heritage Foundation joins Radha in geeking out over trade chaos and the potential for a recession -Bombshell's very first guest economist. Erin, Radha, and Loren catch up on the impact of over a century of South Korea-Japan tensions and offer a small ray of light in the latest political agreement news out of post-Bashir Sudan before turning to the G7, that meeting of world leaders. And to Loren and Erin's infinite delight, we devote all of pop culture to the military career of Logan Echolls and the new Disney-Star Wars releases.

 

Links

Korea-Japan

Grace Shao, "South Korea is Scrapping a Security Deal with Japan: Here's Why it Matters," CNBC, August 23, 2019 David Brown, "Pentagon Worried Over South Korea-Japan Rift," Politico, August 23, 2019 Choe Sang-Hun, "South Korea Signals End to 'Final' Deal with Japan Over Wartime Sex Slaves," New York Times, November 21, 2018 Isabel Reynolds and Jihye Lee, "South Korea to Withdraw from Japan Intel Pact to US Chagrin," Bloomberg, August 22, 2019

Climate

"Amazon Fires: Why the Rainforest Helps Fight Climate Change," BBC, August 24, 2019 Naomi Oreskes, Michael Oppenheimer, and Dale Jamieson, "Scientists Have Been Underestimating the Pace of Climate Change," Scientific American, August 19, 2019 Dan Vergano, "We're Living Through a Climate Emergency Right Now - We Just Aren't Paying Attention," Buzz Feed News, August 22, 2019 Andrew Freedman and Jason Samenow, "The Greenland Ice Sheet Poured 197 Billion Tons of Water into the North Atlantic in July Alone," Washington Post, August 3, 2019

G7

"Boris Johnson to Ask Trump Not to Escalate Trade War," CNN, August 25, 2019 Andrew Freedman, "Climate Change Could Cost the US up to 10.5 percent of its GDP by 2100, Study Finds," Washington Post, August 19, 2019 Amanda Macias, "Trump Hints at a Very Big Trade Deal with Britain Post Brexit," CNBC, August 25, 2019 Michael Collins and John Fritze, "Iranian Official Javad Zarif Arrives Unexpectedly at G7 Amid Tensions. Trump's Response? No Comment," USA Today, August 25, 2019

Sudan

Jen Kirby, "Sudan Signs Power-Sharing Deale as its Former Dictator Goes to Trial," Vox, August 19, 2019 "New Sudan: Thousands Celebrate as Protesters, Army Sign Deal," Aljazeera, August 18, 2019 Jamal Mahjoub, "A Season of Hope in Sudan," New York Times, August 22, 2019

Pompeo

Nick Wadhams and Jennifer Jacobs, "Republican Donors Told to Wait as Pompeo Considers Kansas Senate Run," Bloomberg, August 13, 2019 Maggie Haberman and Lara Jakes, "Pompeo Fuels Further Talk of Senate Race," New York Times, August 21, 2019

Pop Culture

Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Margaret Wilson, and Christina Tucker, "Veronica Mars Returns with Melodrama and a New Mystery, NPR, August 9, 2019 Fandom, Tweets, August 23, 2019 Jennifer Ouellette, "Ewan McGregor Confirms He Will Return as Obi-Wan for New Star Wars Series," ARS Technica, August 24, 2019 James Hibberd, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Reveals Poster, Epic New Footage at D23 Expo," Entertainment Weekly, August 24, 2019 "Who is Rey?" Adam Serwer, December 24, 2015

The great Meg Guliford joins Erin and Radha for this week's episode of Bombshell, while Loren enjoys a much deserved vacay. The ladies take a tour of world hotspots with a discussion of North Korean missile tests, the Kashmir crack down, and ongoing protests in Hong Kong. Radha schools us all on currency manipulation before we turn to Director of National Intelligence drama. The show wouldn't be complete without an exploration of domestic terrorism and white supremacist violence ? alongside a heartfelt celebration of Toni Morrison

 

Links

Meg Guliford

North Korea

Dagyum Ji, "Kim Jong Un Guided Test-Fire of New "Superior Tactical" Weapon on Saturday: KCNA," NK News, August 11, 2019 Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, "US Still Hopes for Talk After Latest North Korean Missile Tests," Reuters, August 12, 2019

Kashmir

Sameer Yasir, Susasini Raj, and Jeffrey Gettleman,"Inside Sashmir, Cut Off from the World: A Living Hell of Anger and Fear," New York Times, August 10, 2019 Atul Singh and Manu Sharma, "What Lies Behind India's Bold Bet on Kashmir?" Fair Observer, August 10, 2019 Ashan I. Butt, "India Just Pulled Jammu and Kashmir's Autonomy. Here's Why That is a Big Deal for This Contested Region," Washington Post, August 7, 2019

Hong Kong

Alice Fung and Yanan Wang, "Tear Gas Fired in Hong Kong With No End In Sight to Protests," AP News, August 11, 2019 Michael C. Davis and Victoria Tin-bor Hui, "In Hong Kong, What Happens Now That Beijing Has Called the Protests a 'Color Revolution?" Washington Post, August 10, 2019 "Hong Kong Protests: Key Dates as Peaceful Rallies Against Extradition Bill Turn to Violent Clashes," Channel News Asia, August 8, 2019 Andrew Thomas, "What's the Economic Cost of Hong Kong Protests?" Aljazeera, August 7, 2019  Ho-Fung Hung, Thomas Kellogg, Antony Dapiran, and Victoria Tin-Bor Hui, "Will Hong Kong Unravel?" China File, August 7, 2019

DNI

Zachary Cohen, "Top Intel Official Interrupted Meeting to Urge His Deputy to Resign," CNN, August 9, 2019 Alison Durkee, " John Ratcliffe Is Already Out As Trump's DNI Pick," Vanity Fair, August 2, 2019 Amy Zegart, "The Next Director of National Intelligence: A Thankless Job is Getting Even Harder," Foreign Affairs, August 9, 2019

Terrorism

Brian Pascus, "What is "Domestic Terrorism" and What Can the Law Do About It," CBS News, August 10, 2019 Charlie Savage, "What Could a Domestic Terrorism Law Do?" New York Times, August 7, 2019

Trade

Scott Lanman and Enda Curran, "Why the US Labeled China a Currency Manipulator," Washington Post, August 7, 2019 Doug Palmer, "New IMF Report Doesn't Back Trump's Currency Manipulation Charge Against China," Politico, August 9, 2019 Paul Krugman, "China Tries to Teach Trump Economics," New York Times, August 9, 2019 Shawn Donnan and Jenny Leonard, "Trump Still Has Plenty of Ways to Escalate His China Trade War," Bloomberg, August 9, 2019

Pop Culture

Yohana Desta, "Yes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is Really Writing for the New Veronica Mars," Vanity Fair, September 26, 2018

This week on Bombshell Loren and Erin hold down the fort and ask the brilliant Elsa Kania to explain the new Chinese defense white paper. Britain has a new PM, Pakistan?s visited the US, and there are ongoing protests in Moscow and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, we might have a budget deal? And the president keeps trying to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia. Erin finally saw Capt. Marvel and we collectively wish cast a real Mara Jade adventure.

 

Links

China

Mike Yeo, "China: US in Pursuit of Absolute Military Superiority," Defense New, July27, 2019 Anthony H. Cordesman, "China's New 2019 Defense White Paper," CSIS, July 24, 2019 Elsa B. Kania, "Innovation in the New Era of Chinese Military Power," CNAS, July 25, 2019 Elsa B. Kania, "China's Army Can intervene in Hong Kong, Says Beijing," CNAS, July 24, 2019

Imran Khan

Asad Hashim, "Q&A: Was Pakistan PM Imran Khan's Visit to the U.S. a Success?" Aljazeera, July 25, 2019 Michael Kugelman, "Despite Khan's Visit, U.S.-Pakistan Ties Aren't Ready for a Reset," World Politics Review, July 26, 2019

Russia Protests

"Russia Protests: Thousand Arrests at Moscow Rally," BBC, July 27, 2019

Hong Kong protests

"Hong Kong: Thousands Mobilize for Anti-Triad Rally," DW, July 27, 2019

Budget Deal

Burgess Everett and Melanie Zanona, "Trump Fumes Over Border Wall as Budget Deal Advances," Politico, July 28, 2019

Hyten Confirmation

Helene Cooper, "I have a Moral Responsibility to Come Forward: Colonel Accuses Top Military Nominee of Assault," New York Times, July 26, 2019

Erin, Radha and Loren reunite with author and general badass Nada Bakos to talk about her new book, The Targeter. Foreign relations are pretty lit these days: possible Russian funding of far-right politics in Italy, tiny steps of progress in Afghan govt-Taliban negotiations, and an unexpected political agreement in post-coup Sudan.  The music hasn?t stopped in the latest round of DOD musical chairs and the UK ambassador to the US was defenestrated by tweet. All in all stranger than fiction - so do read more fiction!

Links

Sudan

Nadine Awadalla, Eltayeb Siddig, and Khalid Abdelaziz, "Thousands Demonstrate in Sudan to Mark 40 Days Since Deadly Crackdown," Reuters, July 13, 2019 Richmond Danso, "After Another Attempted Coup, What's Next for Sudan?" Washington Post, July 13, 2019

Italy/Russia

Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, "Italian Prosecutors Investigate Report That League South Russian Funding," Politico, July 11, 2019

Iran Tanker

David D. Kirkpatrick, "U.K Offers to Return Seized Iranian Oil Tanker," New York Times, July 13, 2019 Erin Cunningham, "Britain to 'Facilitate' Release of Seized Iranian Tanker ? As Long As it Doesn't Go to Syria," Washington Post, July 14, 2019

Afghanistan

David Zucchino and Farooq Jan Mangal, "Seeking Revenge Taliban Target Afghan Soldiers' Family," New York Times, July 9, 2019

 

Erin, Radha and Loren return after some technical difficulties to rehash the G20, a newsy leader summit full of the president reversing the well-honed positions of his staff. Radha explains how China and the US are talking trade again, with a re-opening of US exports to Huawei and a gentle ask that China remake itself utterly.  White House mayhem reminds us all that we almost went to war with Iran and we have no leaders anywhere at the Department of Defense. And do you have summer reading material to distract yourself from the world? Bombshell can help with its summer reading list.  

 

Links

Bombshell's Summer 2019 Reading List

G20

Megan Henney, "At G20 Summit in Japan, These Were the Biggest Moments You Missed," Fox Business, June 29, 2019 Spencer Kimball, "It's a Temporary Timeout: Trump and Xi Agree to Negotiations, But Offer No Clear Path to End US-China Trade War," CNBC, June 29, 2019

Iran

Conor Finnegan, "Iran May Stand Down on Nuclear Threat After Europe, China Work to Bypass US Sanctions," ABC News, June 28, 2019

Trade

Keith Bradsher, "A China-US Trade Truce Could Enshrine a Global Economic Shift," New York Times, June 29, 2019 Michael Martina and Jonathan Landay, "Experts Think Trump Policy on China Counterproductive: Draft Letter," Reuters, June 29, 2019

 

Bombshell welcomes back Amanda Sloat to dish on all the drama across the pond - Brexit, the selection of the new Tory leader, and Trump?s visit, which was surely not (short)waisted [sic]. Foreign relations are a-twitter with elections in the European Union and Israel (yes, again). And Kim Jong Un thumbed his nose at the world to show that he of course does not murder his failed negotiators ? he just imprisons them. The Trump administration has launched another salvo in a trade war with Mexico the same week it noticed USMC-A to Congress, proving that we do indeed contain multitudes. And did you happen to hear about what?s going on with the USS John S. McCain? Also, Radha watched Good Omens and you should too. 

Links

Trade ? Mexico

Andrew Van Dam, "As Mexico Becomes America's Top Source of Imported Goods, Here are the Products That Could Be Most Hit By Trump's Tariffs," Washington Post, May 31, 2019 Edward Alden, "Why Congress Cannot Allow the Trump Tariffs on Mexico to Stand," Council on Foreign Relations," May 31, 2019 Tom Hals and Brendan Pierson, "Trump's Mexican Tariffs Test Limits of U.S. Emergency Powers: Legal Experts," Reuters, May 31, 2019

Trade - China

"China Threatens Sweeping Blacklist of Firms After Huawei Ban," Bloomberg, May 31, 2019

EU Election

Jon Henley, "EU Elections Turnout Rises As Political Landscape Fragments," Guardian, May 26, 2019

NK Executions

Laura Bicker, "North Korea Execution Reports ? Why We Should Be Cautious," BBC, MAY 31, 2019

Brexit

Amanda Sloat, "Brexit Endgame: A Withdrawal Agreement for Theresa May, But No Clarity on Brexit," Brookings, May 30, 2019 Thomas Wright, "How Trump Undermined Theresa May," Atlantic, May 31, 2019 The Role of Parliament in Today's Britain, Brookings, May 28, 2019

Israeli Elections

Bernard Avishai, "A Climax to the Saga of Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman," New Yorker, June 1, 2019 Yaakov Katz, "Why is Israel Really Going to New Elections?" Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2019

USS McCain

Barbara Starr and Devan Cole, "Shanahan: USS John McCain Request Made Directly to Seventh Fleet," CNN, June 2, 2019

 

This week the ladies dive into the recent Iran drama with Ariane Tabatabai. Next, they revisit some recent election results before turning to whirlwind trade developments, as talks with China fall apart and new restrictions are levied against Huawei. White House Mayhem never disappoints, and the ladies sound off on the moral and strategic bankruptcy of pardoning war criminals. Pop-culture brings us home.

 

Links

Elections

Damien Cave, "Australia Elections Results: Prime Minister Scott Morrison Seizes a Stunning Win," New York Times, May 18, 2019 Hywel Griffith and Jay Savage, "Scott Morrison: How Australia's PM Built a 'Miracle' Election Win," BBC, May 19, 2019 Douglas Schorzman and Kai Schultz, "Polls Are Closed in India's Election: What Happens Next?" New York Times, May 19, 2019

Trade

Brendan Murray, "Tariff Man Trump Just Had Himself a Week. Here's a Recap," Bloomberg, May 19, 2019

China

Chris Buckley and Keith Bradsher, "How Xi's Last-Minute Switch on U.S.-China Trade Deal Upended It," New York Times, May 16, 2019 Eamon Barrett, "China is Running Out of U.S. Good to Tariff, Has Other Trade War Weapons to Unleash," Fortune, May 18, 2019 Michael Schuman, "To China, Alls' Fair in. Love and Trade Wars," Atlantic, May 18, 2019 Julia Horowitz, " Huawei Takes the U.S.-China Trade War to a Dangerous New Level," CNN, May 16, 2019

Mexico ? Canada

Kayla Tausche and Jacob Pramuk, "US Reaches Deal to Lift Steel and Aluminum Tariffs on Canada and Mexico," CNBC, May 17, 2019

Iran

"Iran Nuclear Deal: Tehran May Increase Uranium Enrichment," BBC, May 08, 2019 Becca Wasser and Ariane Tabatabai, Washington Post, "Irans Network of Fighters in the Middle East Aren't Always Loyal to Iran," May 21, 2019 Eric Brewer, Elisa Catalano Ewers, Ilan Goldenberg, Peter Harrell, Nicholas Heras, Elisabeth Rosenberg, and Ariane Tabatabai, "A Realistic Path for Progress on Iran," CNAS, January 29, 2019 Ariane Tabatabai, "Can Anyone Save the Iran Nuclear Deal?" New York Times, May 10, 2019

Huawei

Frank Bajak and Tali Arbel, "Huawei Hit by US Export Controls, Potential Important Ban," AP News, May 16, 2019 Emily Feng, "S. Move to Isolate Huawei Sends Ripples Through Global Supply Chain," NPR, May 16, 2019 Emily Stewart, "The US Government's Ongoing Battle With Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei, Explained," Vox, May 21, 2019

War Crimes

Dave Philipps, "Trump May Be Preparing Pardons for Servicemen Accused of War Crimes," New York Times, May 18, 2019

 

 

This week Erin and Radha hold down the fort and return to some of Bombshell's greatest hits topics, starting with North Korean missile tests and a double feature from ISIS (a new video from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka), and spinning some militias in Libya and new Iran sanctions for good measure.  With the continuing mayhem in Washington, they turn to the chaos in Venezuela, lack of data from Afghanistan, and of course the ?clash of civilizations? on the horizon with China.  With Loren out, Erin has to skip Game of Thrones coverage and talk princess TV and tiaras with Radha.

 

Links

Libya

Mieczyslaw Boduszynski and Christopher Lamont, "Trump Changed US Policy Toward Libya. This is Why it Matters," Washington Post, May 03, 2019

Al Baghdadi/Sri Lanka

Frank Gardner, "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Why is it So Difficult to Track Down IS Leader?" BBC, May 01, 2019 Souad Mekhennet "In ISIS Leaders Video Appearance, Messages to Followers, Rivals, and the West," Washington Post, May 02, 2019

Iran Sanctions

"Six Charts That Show How Hard US Sanctions Have Hit Iran," BBC, May 02, 2019 Osama Bin Javaid, "Iran Sanctions Explained," Aljazeera, May 04, 2019 Matthew Lee, "US Renews Iran Sanctions Waivers for Civilian Nuclear Work," AP, May 03, 2019

"Clash of Civilization"

Daniel Drezner, "Let's Grade the State Department's Director of Policy Planning on Her Grand Strategy Musings," Washington Post, May 01, 2019 Paul Musgrave, "The Slip That Revealed the Real Trump Doctrine," Foreign Policy, May 02, 2019 "A Better Reading of History Must Bring Home the Truth That the Basic Factor in Human Affairs is Not Politics, But Race," Lawyers Guns Money Blog, May 03, 2019 Jessica Chen Weiss, "No China and the US Aren't Locked in an Ideological Battle. Not Even Close," Washington Post, May 04, 2019

Afghanistan

"US Military Stops Releasing Information Tracking Progress in Afghanistan," CBS, May 01, 2019

Sri Lanka

James Griffiths, "A Weeks After the Easter Sunday Attacks, Sri Lanka is No Closer to Understanding or Healing," CNN, April 28, 2019

Venezuela

Karen DeYoung, "US Officials Weigh Options for Venezuela as Trump Describes Positive Call with Putin," Washington Post, May 03, 2019 Anthony Faiola, "Guaido Says Opposition Overestimated Military Support Before Failed Uprising," Washington Post, May 04, 2019

 

 

This week, Loren, Radha, and Erin explore the world's many recent elections - in Israel, India, Indonesia, and Ukraine. They then return to Northern Ireland, not to talk about Brexit, but to unpack resurgent sectarian violence. The recent coup in Sudan rounds out a very sporty Keeping up Foreign Relations. Radha notes we're still waiting on a big trade summit with China before we dive headfirst into the Mueller report and speculate wildly on the ongoing counter-intelligence investigation(s). DoD remains opaque as ever, while DHS gets purged. Finally, a lively Pop Culture round-up to take our minds off all this mayhem.

 

Links

Trade

Enda Curran "How the US-China Trade War Reached A Turning Point," Washington Post, April 18, 2019 Jeff Cox, "US Trade Deficit Falls in February As Shortfall with China Decreases 28%," CNBC, April 17, 2019

DHS: 

Ronald Brownstein, "Trump's Immigration Policies Unify White Republicans," Atlantic, April 11, 2019

Sudan

Nandita Balakrishnan, "Sudan's Upheaval is the Latest Examples of a Gray Zone Coup," Washington Post, April 17, 2019 Mai Hassan and Ahmed Kodouda, "Sudan Ousted Two Autocrats in Three Days. Here's What's Next," Washington Post, April 15, 2019

Protests

"Protests in Sudan Are Escalating. Here's What You Need to Know," Washington Post, April 10, 2019 "Generals Overthrew Sudan's President Bashir, But They Can't Agree On What Comes Next," Washington Post, April 16, 2019

Election

"FP's Guide to the Indian Elections," Foreign Policy, April 18, 2019 Arys Aditya, "After Record One-Day Indonesia Election, Result Still Weeks Away," Bloomberg, April 20, 2019 Ilan Goldenberg, "The Future of the Two-State Solution is at Stake," April 08, 2019

Northern Ireland

"Lyra McKee Murder: Journalist Shot Dead During Derry Rioting," BBC, April 19, 2019 "Petrol Bombs Thrown at Police in Derry As Journalist Kill," Guardian, April 19, 2019 Ed O'Loughlin and Richard Perez-Pena, "Lyra McKee, Northern Ireland Journalist, Is Killed in 'Terrorist Incident,' Police Say," New York Times, April 19, 2019 Bonnie Weir, "Brexit and a Border Town: Troubles Ahead in Northern Ireland?" New York Review of Books, April 11, 2019

Mueller

Benjamin Wittes, "Notes on the Mueller Report: A Reading Diary," Lawfare, April 19, 2019 Joshua Geltzer and Ryan Goodman "Mueller Hints at a National-Security Nightmare," New York Times, April 19, 2019

Pop Culture

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Teaser Spencer Kornhaber, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Might Spark and Old Fight," April 12, 2019 Andrew Dyce, "Star Wars Already Made Rey a True Skywalker (You Just Missed It)," Screen Rant, April 20, 2019

 

 

The ladies of Bombshell take on proteins and Afghanistan policy all in one segment with special guest Frances Brown. Across the pond, Brexit is going nowhere fast and NATO is celebrating a grand birthday while the American president is questioning whether he wants to keep paying dues.  In It?s Aghast, 5G is fast, the future, and not so much fun for American competitiveness. And in White House mayhem, the Congress mustered up some war powers energy to get the US out of the military operations in Yemen that the administration claims we aren?t in, while the president visited the border just defenestrating his Homeland Security Secretary.

 

Links

Huawei/5G

Ahiza Garcia, "Verizon Launches First 5G Phone You Can Use on a 5G Network in US," CNN, April 3, 2019 Milo Medin and Gilman Louie, "The 5G Ecosystem: Risks and Opportunities for DOD," Defense Innovation Board, April 2019 Zak Doffman, "Huawei May Have Claimed 5G Victory Over the US But Is Now In A Street Fight," Forbes, April 5, 2019 Keith Johnson and Elias Groll, "The Improbable Rise of Huawei," Foreign Policy, April 3, 2019

Saudi Human Rights

Vivian Yee and David Kirkpatrick, "Saudis Escalate Crackdown on Dissent, Arresting Nine and Risking US Ire," New York Times, April 5, 2019 Alex Ward, "Saudi Arabia Is Detaining American Activists 6 Months After Khashoggi's Murder," Vox, April 5, 2019 ALQST, Tweets, April 4, 2019 Joyce Lee and Dalton Bennett, "The Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi," Washington Post, April 1, 2019

Brexit

Heather Stewart and Daniel Boffey, "Hopes of Brexit Progress Fade as Labour Says May Has Failed to Compromise," Guardian, April 5, 2019

Afghanistan

Fahim Abed, "Taliban Attack Kills Dozens in Afghanistan Despite U.S. Efforts in Peace Talks," New York Times, April 4, 2019 Barbara Walter, "Hoping That Peace Comes to Afghanistan? Dream On," Washington Post, January 30, 2019

Mexico Border

Molly O'Toole, Noah Bierman, and Eli Stokols, "As Trump Threatens to Close Border, Experts Warn of Billions in Economic Damage," Los Angeles Times, April 1, 2019 Maegan Vazquez, "Trump Heads to US-Mexico Border After a Week of Confusing Threats," CNN, April 6, 2019

NATO

Karen Donfried, "3 Ways Europe Is Looking At A Fray NATO," Defense One, April 2, 2019 Rachel Rizzo and Carrie Cordero, "Bolstering Congressional Support for NATO," CNAS, March 20, 2019

Yemen

Elisa Catalano Ewers and Nicholas Heras, "Congressional Action on Yemen Isn't Only About Yemen," CNAS, February 27, 2019

 

 

Join Bombshell for a rousing discussion of the fathomless train wreck that is Brexit and the increasing lack of predictability of the upcoming Israeli elections. Believe it or not, China trade talks are not going as well as they might, as we discuss in "It's Aghast." In White House mayhem, President Trump issued a tremendous press release on the fourth or fifth defeat of ISIL with some bombast and a little general life advice, while recognizing the generally illegal Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights, crapping on his own North Korea policy, and putting out a DOA defense budget. We're all fine here, how are you?

 

Links

Ana Swanson, "Trump Administration Strikes Tougher Stance Ahead of China Talk," New York Times, March 22, 2019 Ian Austen, "What's Going on Between Canada and China? Our Experts Share Their Thoughts," New York Times, March 22, 2019 Yen Nee Lee, "A Trade Deal Could Come in Weeks, But it Won't Remove 'Contentious' Issues, Says Former US Diplomat," CNBC, March 24, 2019 Audit of the Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund's Financial Statements for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2017 Kathy Gilsinan, "The 'Caliphate' Is Dead, but Americans Might Not Be Any Safer," Atlantic, March 23, 2019 Tamara Cofman Wittes and Ilan Goldenberg, "Trump's Golan Fiasco: Recognizing the Disputed Territory Won't Help Israel. But It Will Reverberate All Over the World," Politico, March 22, 2019

 

Erin, Radha, and Loren made the trip to Duke University to join the Carlucci National Security Symposium at the Sanford School of Public Policy.  On the agenda for this special live show: topics we want presidential candidates to debate, big ideas we want to stop hearing about in foreign policy and what big issues that bridge the public and private sectors should we be worrying more about. It is unclear whether Erin has performed enough penance for visiting Duke in basketball season. 

 

 

This week Dr. Tanvi Madan joins the ladies to explain the brewing crisis between India and Pakistan in Kashmir. Then Radha breaks down last week?s trade negotiations with China (what really is an MOU anyway and what happened to our leverage?). We revisit Venezuela as the Vice President prepares for a trip to the region and then discuss the humanitarian and policy implications of the ?ISIS wives.? White House Mayhem lives up to its name with uncoordinated Syria policies, rogue nuclear reactor deals, and sad faces in Munich. We?re all enjoying the many escapes offered by Pop Culture.

 

Links

 

Kashmir

Emily Lalwani and Emily Tallo, "Driver, Decision, Deilemmas: Understanding the Kashmir Crisis and Its Implications," War on the Rocks Sumit Ganguly, "Narendra Modi Should Calm Tensions in Kashmir Rather Than Inflame Them," Foreign Policy

It's Aghast

Bob Davis, "Officials Play Down Apperance of Rift Between Trump and Lighthizer on Trade," Wall Street Journal "US and China Are Sketching the Outlines of a Deal to End the Trade War," CNBC

KUFR

Venezuela 

Dennis Romero, "Venezuela's Maduro Cuts Ties with Colombia Amid Border Conflict," NBC News

ISIS women

Meghna Chakrabarti, "Return from ISIS: American Women Want Out of Extremism," WBUR "The Difficult Diplomacy Involved in Returning Former ISIS Fighter and Their Families," Washington Post Vira Mironova "Is the Future of ISIS Female?" New York Times Jayne Huckerby, "When Women Become Terrorists," New York Times

White House Mayhem

Syria

"White House Will Keep About 400 Troops in Syria, Reversing Previous Decision," NPR

Saudi Nuclear tech

"Multiple Whistleblowers Raise Grave Concerns with White House Efforts to Transfer Sensitive U.S. Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia," Oversight Alex Ward, "House Dems Reveal. New Info on a Shady White House Plan to Sell Nuclear Tech to Saudi Arabia," Vox "The Hostility Toward Foreign Policy Community, Explained," Washington Post

Munich

Thomas Wright, "The Moment the Transatlantic Charade Ended," Atlantic Daniel Estrin, "Munich Security Conference Reveals A Growing Rift Between U.S. and Its Allies," NPR

 

This week Paula Garcia Tufro joins the Radha, Loren, and Erin to discuss the brewing crisis in Venezuela. Then the ladies fashion an update on Brexit, explore uncharted waters in Iraq, and ask what is the point of a second North Korea summit when nothing has happened since the first! Radha unpacks recent trade negotiations with China before the group asks the unanswerable question: just how much money can you shove into OCO? Finally, Erin and Loren profess their undying love for Matthew Goode.

 

Links

Venezuela 

Ethan Bronner, "Venezuela's Maduro Is Doomed? They Said That About Syria's Assad," Bloomberg

Keeping up Foreign Relations

Brexit

William James, "May to Promise New BExit Debate in Push for More Negotiating Time," Reuters Jon Henley, Jennifer Rankin, and Richard Partington, "Countdown to Brexit: The Key Dates as UK's EU Exit Approaches," Guardian Peter Flanagan, "Why Ireland's Border Commands Its Own Brexit Backstop," Bloomberg

Iraq

Simona Foltyn, "Will Iraq's Old Divisions Undermine Its New Prime Minister?" Foreign Policy Jennifer Hansler, "Trump's Iraq Comment Prompts Confusion and Condemnation," CNN

North Korea

Bruce W. Jentleson, "Trump, Kim, and the Three P's of Summit Diplomacy," War on the Rocks Robert E. Kelly, "The Second Trump-Kim Summit: Getting Beyond the Photo Op," War on the Rocks Uri Friedman, "South Korea Becomes a Testing Ground for Trump's Grievances with Allies," Atlantic Russell Goldman, "A Guide to Trump and Kim Jong-un's Next Summit Meeting," New York Times

It's Aghast

China Trade      

Jeff Mason, "S.-China Trade Talks Resume Next Week, Focus on Intellectual Property," Reuters Patti Domm, "Trade War Headlines Could Get Much Worse Before They Get Betters As the US Looks to Europe," CNBC

White House Mayhem

Defense Budget

Tony Bertuca, "Pentagon Planning a Mammoth FY-20 War Budget to Avoid Spending Cap," Inside Defense

Fitzgerald

Bryan McGrath, "The Fitzgerald Collision: In Search of the Onus," War on the Rocks

It's our 2nd annual Manniversary episode! We dug deep to find the most smoldering hot takes from the men in the national security arena. Join us for a far-ranging discussion with Stan McChrystal, Jeffrey Lewis, and Clint Watts!

 

Links

Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, Jay Mangone, Leaders: Myth and Reality, (Portfolio 2018) Jeffrey Lewis, The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States: A Speculative Novel, (Mariner Books, 2018) Clint Watts, Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake New, (Harper, 2018)

 

Bombshell returns in 2019 with a new set of Bombshell questions and a guest, Dana Stroul, to give our best shot at explaining US-Syria policy. Secretary Pompeo has finished a whirlwind tour (while his staff are unpaid) trying to do the same, and at least one of the parties to potential US-North Korea summit seems to be doing its homework (guess which). The team digs deep into the longest government shutdown in history and considers just what kind of emergency it would be if Trump used national emergency powers to build a wall. Plus, lots of pop culture for the new year.

Syria Policy

Robbie Gramer, "Mike Pompeo Is Flying Solo in the Middle East," Foreign Policy

Keeping up Foreign Relations

North Korea

Jon Herskovitz and Youkyung Lee, "North Korea's Nuclear Program Quietly Advances, Pressuring Trump," Bloomberg

It's Aghast

Brexit

"Theresa May Facing Crunch Vote on Her Brexit Deal," BBC

China

Marilyn Haigh, "US Trade Representative's Office Will Have Only About 30% of Its Staff Due to the Shutdown As China Talks Approach March Deadline," CNBC "China's Annual Trade Surplus With U.S. Hits Record Despite Trump's Tariff Offensive," Wall Street Journal

White House Mayhem

Shutdown

Javier Zarracina and Li Zhou, "The Astonishing Effects of the Shutdown, In 8 Charts," Vox "Everything You Need to Know About the Government Shutdown," Washington Post

National Emergency

Elizabeth Goitein, "What the President Could Do If He Declares a State of Emergency," Atlantic Quinta Jurecic, "Everyone Calm Down About That Declaration of National Emergency," Lawfare

 

Loren and Erin travel to Kansas City for a special live recording at the National World War I Museum. Joined by John Ismay and Steve Leonard, they dig into the many aspects of the Forever Wars including some Civ-Mil 101, opportunities for oversight and accountability, and everyone's favorite GWOT film.

Links

Amy Schafer, "Generations of War," CNAS Conflicting Partisan Priorities for U.S. Foreign Policy, Pew Research Center Nikki Wentling, ?Tom Hanks Thinks Hollywood Isn't Best Suited to Tell Stories of Iraq, Afghanistan Wars," Stars and Stripes

This ONE TIME we huddled for an emergency podcast. Because the Secretary of Defense resigned in protest. That doesn?t happen everyday. At least we hope not. Enjoy!

 

 

This week Radha, Loren, and Erin sit down to try and figure out just what the hell happened in 2018. Storm clouds gather as the ladies discuss what NatSec stories we missed - and what we?ll still be talking about in 10 years. But Radha brings the sunshine as we discuss the most important events for the military services in 2018 (which sadly has not resulted in any Space Marines). We wrap up with a review of the Administration?s secret villains and heroes and put a bow on it with movie plot lines that best capture 2018. 

Links

"Jaw-Jaw," War on the Rocks Keith Bradsher and Ailin Tang, "China's Economy Slows Sharply, in Challenge for Xi Jinping," War on the Rocks Sophie Richardson, "China disappeared Interpol's chief. The world can't pretend it's business as usual." Washington Post Heidi Blake, Tom Warren, Richard Holmes, Jason Leopold, Jane Bradley, Alex Campbell, "From Russia With Blood," BuzzFeed News Alex Horton, "The Army kicked out dozens of immigrant recruits. Now it's allowing them back amid a legal battle." Washington Post Gina Harkins, "The Military's Officer Promotion System May See Major Shake Up," Military.com Lara Seligman, "Strong Economy Poses Recruitment Challenge for the U.S. Army," Foreign Policy Paul Scharre, "A Million Mistakes a Second," Foreign Policy Michael C. Horowitz, "The Algorithms of August," Foreign Policy Zach Dorfman, "Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents," Foreign Policy David E. Sanger, Nicole Perlroth, Glenn Thrush, Alan Rappeport, "Marriott Data Breach Is Traced to Chinese Hackers as U.S. Readies Crackdown on Beijing," New York Times Emma Ashford and Trevor Thrall, "The Battle Inside the Political Parties for the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy," War on the Rocks Katie Mettler, Callum Borchers, Nick Kirkpatrick, "'You're fired': A timeline of Team Trump departures," Washington Post Walt Hickey and Gus Wezerek, "The Definitive Analysis Of 'Love Actually,' The Greatest Christmas Movie Of Our Time," FiveThirtyEight