The Burn Bag Podcast

Oct 30 2024 312 ep. 45 mins 56

The Burn Bag Podcast artwork

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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Fmr. CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus on the Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine and Gaza

Oct 30 2024 60 mins

A'ndre sat down with former CIA Director General (Ret.) David Petraeus to discuss the evolution of warfare since 1945, covering conflicts from World War II to Vietnam and the current wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. General Petraeus examines how warfare considerations shifted after World War II and explores the "wars of decolonization" that followed. Drawing on his experience c

Sinwar is Dead: Israel Kills Hamas Leader and What it Means for the War in Gaza, with former Counterterrorism Official Javed Ali

Oct 17 2024 22 mins

On Thursday, Israel announced that it had killed Hamas' de facto leader Yahya Sinwar near Rafah, a significant development for the ongoing War in Gaza. A'ndre chatted with his old friend and mentor Javed Ali, former Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the U.S. National Security Council, about his reactions to the development and what it could mean for the broader crisis in the

Best Of: George Will on What a Conservative Foreign Policy Means (Original Release: 10/4/2021)

Oct 16 2024 65 mins

In this re-release of our popular episode from October 2021 (excuse the old theme music!), A'ndre and Ryan speak with George Will, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author, on what it means to practice a 'conservative' foreign policy. Dr. Will, who has published a twice-weekly column in The Washington Post since 1974, provides his definition of what it means to be conservative,

The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on Religion and Politics, Gaza, LGBTQ+ Rights, and Christian Nationalism

Oct 09 2024 23 mins

This week, A'ndre welcomes a unique guest: The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Some of our audience may recall Bishop Curry's captivating sermon during the 2018 Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He has been an outspoken advocate on various social and political issues, discussing the Episcopal Church's role in policy advocacy amid ri

Hezbollah: Understanding the Lebanese Militant Group after Nasrallah's Death with Dr. Matthew Levitt

Oct 02 2024 49 mins

Following Israel's targeted killing of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, the pager explosions, and the ongoing escalation in Southern Lebanon, A'ndre sat down with Dr. Matthew Levitt from the Washington Institute to discuss anything and everything relating to Hezbollah. Dr. Levitt, who wrote Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God, provides a brief history of the

Why Israel Failed: Did a Security Lifestyle Lead to October 7th? Has Hamas Won the War in Gaza? with Professor Uri Bar-Joseph

Sep 25 2024 61 mins

The Burn Bag will be covering the Israel-Gaza War over the course of several episodes, sourcing multiple perspectives on the conflict. The Burn Bag does not officially endorse any views expressed by our guests, but rather brings those perspectives to you, the audience, and will continue to provide a diverse array of voices on the program. In this episode, A’ndre introduces Uri Ba

What in the World? The Quad: The Indo-Pacific Partnership Between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia featuring Aman Thakker

Sep 19 2024 46 mins

On Saturday, President Joe Biden will host the leaders of India, Japan, and Australia in Wilmington, Delaware, for his final Quad summit. What is the Quad? To explore this four-way partnership and preview the summit, A'ndre is joined by Aman Thakker, an Adjunct Fellow with the Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at CSIS.They discuss the Quad's history, including its inception in 200

Foreign Agents: The U.S. Lawmakers, Experts, and Insiders Lobbying for Foreign Governments with Casey Michel, Author of "Foreign Agents"

Sep 11 2024 53 mins

A powerful U.S. Senator. A leading aide to the New York Governor. A leading Korea expert. All prominent figures in the last several months who have been accused of being foreign agents, working on behalf of foreign governments to influence U.S. policy. To make sense of this all, A'ndre chatted with Casey Michel, author of Foreign Agents and the Director of the Combating Kleptocracy

We Are Bellingcat: Uncovering War Crimes, Investigating Autocrats, and Citizen Journalism's Future with Eliot Higgins, Founder of Bellingcat

Sep 04 2024 60 mins

This week, A'ndre chatted with Eliot Higgins, an award-winning journalist who founded the citizen journalism outlet Bellingcat, a fact-checking platform utilizing open-source intelligence focusing on international affairs. Eliot talks about his initial work studying the Syrian Civil War and the conflict in Libya, and how he was able to identify key war crimes from analyzing open-so

Punishing Putin: Assessing the Unprecedented Economic War on Russia with Bloomberg Reporter Stephanie Baker

Aug 26 2024 46 mins

Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Within hours, the U.S. and allies coordinated a shadow-war – using the tools of economic statecraft – to bring the heat down on Moscow. That shadow-war is the subject of this week's conversation featuring Stephanie Baker, veteran Bloomberg journalist and Russia expert, as she talks about this economic war, ho