Bombshell

Then One Foggy Christmas Eve Dec 15, 2020

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.

One for the Road Nov 17, 2020

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

Anticipation Is Making Me Late Nov 03, 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!

Final Countdown Oct 20, 2020

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!

Karma Puh-leeze Oct 07, 2020

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

When There are Nine Sep 22, 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.

I'm a Loser, Baby Sep 09, 2020

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.

It's Fun to Stay in the JCPOA Aug 25, 2020

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.

Tik Tok Ya Don’t Stop Aug 11, 2020

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

Simple Joys of Maidenhood Jul 28, 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

People Try to Put Us Down Jul 14, 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.

Revenge of Cartography Jun 16, 2020

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.

China, All the Way to New York Jun 02, 2020

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

I'm On A Boat May 19, 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.

Burning Out Our Fuse Up Here Alone May 05, 2020

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!

I Do My Hair Toss, Check My Emails Apr 21, 2020

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

The One Where We Talk About Our Feelings Apr 07, 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.

This is Fine Mar 24, 2020

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.

Don't Ask, Don't Get Mar 10, 2020

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

Let Us Be Elegant or Die Feb 11, 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

Man, I Feel Like a Woman Jan 28, 2020

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.

Tigers on a Gold Leash Jan 14, 2020

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

Nothing Changes on New Year’s Day Dec 31, 2019

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

Bombshell Live! From NatSec Girl Squad Dec 17, 2019

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

Thank You Mr. Narwhal Dec 03, 2019

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

With Your Shield or On It Nov 19, 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

It's (Barely) Daylight in America Nov 05, 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

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream Oct 22, 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

Context is All Oct 08, 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

Because We Can Can Can Sep 24, 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

Out of Order Sep 10, 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

Second Thoughts Aug 27, 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 Bluest Eye Aug 12, 2019

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

The One with Mara Jade Jul 30, 2019

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

Stranger Than Fiction Jul 16, 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

The Apprentice Jul 02, 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

Lie [Down] and Think of The Queen Jun 04, 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

A Song of Slights and Ire May 21, 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 is the Song That Never Ends May 07, 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

Comedy or Chocolate Apr 23, 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

Real or Fake? Apr 09, 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

Think Instead About Having a Great Life Mar 26, 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

Live at Duke University! Mar 12, 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.

Ain't It Hard Keeping It So Hardcore Feb 26, 2019

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

Shove It All Into OCO Feb 12, 2019

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

A Few Good Men Jan 29, 2019

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)

Makes We Wonder Why I Even Bring the Thunder Jan 15, 2019

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

Live at the National WWI Museum! Jan 01, 2019

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

An Emergency Bomblette Dec 21, 2018

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!

It Was a Very Good Year Dec 18, 2018

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

And the Money Kept Rolling In Dec 04, 2018

This week Erin, Loren, and Radha read the G20 tea leaves, opine on continued chaos in Afghanistan, and remind you about all the White House mayhem from Saudi politics to a Moscow Trump Tower. Radha gets way too excited about USMCA (pronounced U-Smack-Ah) and all things trade before the ladies round some pop culture.

Keeping Up Foreign Relations

Afghanistan

Rahim Faiez, "At Least 40 People Killed in Deadly 24 Hours Across Afghanistan," TIME
John Bacon, "3 American service members killed in Afghanistan roadside bombing," USA Today
Jessica Purkiss and Abigail Fielding-Smith, "Uptick in U.S. Air Strikes on Buildings in Afghanistan Raises Questions," Just Security

Ukraine

Andrew Higgins, "Ukraine, on a War Footing, Looks Westward for Help," New York Times
Andrew Osborn, "Citing Russia threat, Ukraine boosts security at ports, power plants," Reuters
Alex Ward, "Russia just openly attacked Ukraine. That could mean their war will get worse." Vox

It's Aghast G20

"US-China trade war: Deal agreed to suspend new trade tariffs," BBC
Krishanadev Calamur, "The G20 Communique Bookends the George H.W. Bush Era," Atlantic
"Perceptible improvement in India-China relations, say Modi and Xi on G20 sidelines," India Today

USMCA

Jen Kirby, "USMCA, the new trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico, explained," Vox

White House Mayhem Yemen

Jordan Tama, "Why is the Senate challenging Trump on Yemen? Here's what you need to know." Washington Post
Scott R. Anderson, "Taking Stock of the Yemen Resolution," Lawfare

New START Joe Gould, "US lawmakers tangle over nuclear arsenal, Russia treaties," Defense News L'Affaire Russe

John McLaughlin, Tweet
Emma Loop, "The House Intelligence Committee Will Investigate Trump's Company's Plan To Give Putin A $50 Million Penthouse," BuzzFeed News
Anthony Cormier and Jason Leopold, "The Definitive Story Of How Trump's Team Worked The Trump Moscow Deal During The Campaign," BuzzFeed News

Border

Emily Kopp, "Immigration Experts: Tear Gas Has Been Used at the Border for Years, But Never on Children," Roll Call
Government Shutdown
Niv Elis, "Border wall bickering raises odds of shutdown," Hill
Michael Collins, "Another government shutdown? Congress has a week to pass a spending bill to keep the lights on," USA Today

Pop Culture

Orli Matlow, "Woman's fake viral pic with Michael B. Jordan turned into reality. Anything is possible!" Someecards
Owen Gleiberman, "Film Review: 'The Favourite,'" Variety

Come What May Nov 20, 2018

Erin, Radha, and Loren invited Dr. Lindsay Cohn of the U.S. Naval War College to join their posse and explain America's history of employing the military for domestic purposes. In Keeping Up Foreign Relations, UK Prime Minister Theresa May is still negotiating the terms of her break up with the EU, and new revelations on the tragic killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi are giving us a collective heart attack. A new entrant to White House mayhem, First Lady Melania Trump, flexes her muscle to oust the fifth Deputy National Security Advisor of the Trump administration, and we assess the assessment of the National Defense Strategy commission. Finally, come what may, we commit to developing a holiday shopping list for you festive needs this season.

UPCOMING EVENT: The American Public and the War on Terror https://my.theworldwar.org/2307

(Tue, 4 Dec, Kansas City)

Border Deployment

Alice Hunt Friend, "5 reasons to be concerned about deploying U.S. troops along the southern border," Washington Post
Lindsey P. Cohn, "The Precarious State of Civil-Military Relations in the Age of Trump," War on the Rocks

Keeping up Foreign Relations

Alex Hunt and Brian Wheeler, "Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU," BBC
Frank Langfitt, "Here's What You Need To Know About Brexit After A Tumultuous Week In The U.K.," NPR
Jasmine Andersson, "What is the customs union, and how is it different to the single market," iNews
John Cassidy, "The Brexit Fantasy Goes Down in Tears," New Yorker

Saudi Arabia

Alex Ward, "Trump doesn't want to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi. His new sanctions prove it." Vox
Shane Harris, Greg Miller, and Josh Dawsey, "CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi's assassination," Washington Post

White House Mayhem

Abigail Tracy, "'I don't know how you recover from that': The cruel, unusual fate of Mira Ricardel," Vanity Fair
Aaron Mehta, "A 'crisis of national security': New report to Congress sounds alarm," Defense News
Eric Edelman, et al., "Providing for the Common Defense: The Assessment and Recommendations of the National Defense Strategy Commission," USIP
Lara Seligman, "How the Generals Are Routing the Policy Wonks at the Pentagon," Foreign Policy

Pop Culture

Roger Cormier, "15 Things You Might Not Know About Moulin Rouge!," Mental Floss
Alan Sepinwall, "'The Little Drummer Girl' Review: Ignore the Plot, Admire the Beauty of Le Carre Thriller," Rolling Stone
Katy Waldman, "HBO's 'My Brilliant Friend' Understands Its Source Material, But Its Diligence Feels Misspent," New Yorker
Ryan McPhee, "Moulin Rouge! Musical Sets Broadway Dates Theatre; Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo to Star," Playbill

A Post-Election Bomblette Nov 08, 2018

Loren, Erin, and Radha meet up in a special short episode to talk about the election aftermath. What will happen with the change in the house, who is on the Senate armed services committee, and what is oversight anyway?! Plus, a quick discussion on the defense budget and why data and statistics should be a year-round pastime!

Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman Oct 23, 2018

This week Tamara Cofman Wittes joins the Bombshell ladies to discuss the fallout of the Khashoggi assassination and the future of US-Saudi relations. We get further bogged down in Afghanistan and try to understand the migrant caravan moving north from Central America. Then Radha tries to cheer us up by explaining the intricacies of the Universal Postal Union. For icing on the cake, we dive deep into the INF treaty and wonder if the Defense Department really being asked to cut its budget.

Saudi

Emma Ashford, "The U.S.-Saudi alliance was in trouble long before Jamal Khashoggi's death," War on the Rocks

Keeping up Foreign Relations

Caravan

Delphine Schrank, "Thousands of caravan migrants take shelter in southern Mexico," Reuters

Afghanistan

Dan Lamothe, "U.S. general wounded in attack in Afghanistan," Washington Post
Thomas Ruttig, "The Killing of Razeq: Removing the Taleban's strongest foe in Kandahar, an indirect hit at elections," Afghanistan Analysts Network
Ashley Jackson, "The Taliban Just Won a Key Battle for Afghanistan's Future," Foreign Policy
Matthieu Aikins, "The Master of Spin Boldak," Harper's
Maija Liuhto, "Regional leaders are defying Afghanistan's president. The latest is a police chief who was once a close U.S. ally," LA Times

It's Aghast

Jen Kirby, "Here's why Trump threatened to pull out of a 144-year-old postal treaty," Vox
Daniel W. Drezner, "The Trump administration's brinkmanship with *checks notes* the Universal Postal Union," Washington Post

White House Mayhem

INF Treaty

Amy F. Woolf, "Russian Compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: Background and Issues for Congress," Congressional Research Service
Jacob Heim, "Missiles for Asia? The Need for Operational Analysis of U.S. Theater Ballistic Missiles in the Pacific," RAND
Julian Borger and Martin Pengelly, "Trump says US will withdraw from nuclear arms treaty with Russia," Guardian
Steven Pifer, "The Trump administration is preparing a major mistake on the INF Treaty," Brookings

Budget

Aaron Mehta, "Trump appears to call for defense spending cuts," Defense News

Pop-Culture

Caroline Hallemann, "Everything We Know About the New Masterpiece PBS Adaptation of Les Miserables," Town & Country
"Death Comes to Pemberley," PBS

Every Rosé has a Thorn Oct 09, 2018

This week, Loren, Radha, and Erin are reunited to discuss such cheery topics as political assassinations and sexual violence (albeit in the form of Nobel Prizes awarded to combat it). Radha dives deep on NAFTA 2.0, and we work our way through the crazy Chinese hacked hardware story. Rounding out White House Mayhem, John Bolton is back and joins the president and vice president in making blustery foreign policy speeches. And Erin demands answers on Banksy's newest prank.

New WOTR podcast: Melanie Marlowe, Bryan McGrath, and Christopher Preble, "Net Assessment," War on the Rocks

KUFR

Nobel prize

Emily Sullivan, "Nobel Peace Prize Goes To Denis Mukwege And Nadia Murad For Fighting Sexual Violence," NPR
Saudi-Turkey
"Jamal Khashoggi: Turkey says journalist was murdered in Saudi consulate," BBC
Karim Fahim, "Turkey concludes Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed by 'murder' team, sources say," Washington Post

Trade

Heather Long, "U.S., Canada and Mexico just reached a sweeping new NAFTA deal. Here's what's in it." Washington Post
Jacob M. Schlesinger and Josh Zumbrun, "Trump Aims to Model New Trade Deals on Revised Nafta," Wall Street Journal
Phil Levy, "Trump Faces A Car Conundrum On NAFTA Deal," Forbes
Jeff Daniels, "New NAFTA falls short of 'more ambitious goals' for agribusiness, says CoBank report," CNBC
Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley, "The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies," Bloomberg
James Cook, "Apple and Amazon deny report that Chinese 'spy' chips were used to infiltrate their networks," Telegraph
Ian Bogost, "The Chinese Motherboard Hack Is a Crisis, Even If It Didn't Really Happen," Atlantic

WH Mayhem

Jane Perlez, "Pence's China Speech Seen as Portent of 'New Cold War,'" New York Times
Van Jackson, "Competition with China Isn't a Strategy," War on the Rocks
David M. Herszenhorn, "Rebuking Trump, major powers reaffirm Iran nuclear deal," Politico
Lara Seligman, "Bolton Puts Mattis in a Tight Spot on Syria," Foreign Policy
Jarrett Blanc, "Here's Why World Leaders Are Laughing at Trump," Politico

Pop-Culture

Allison Quinn, "Banksy Painting Self-Destructs Seconds After Being Sold for $1.4 Million at Auction," Daily Beast

In Vino Veritas Sep 26, 2018

This week on bombshell Erin and Radha drink at Kori Schake's favorite bar in the world. Joined by Amelia Egghart, they discuss why climate change is still a thing and the (lack of) process in national security issues from Syria to Korea. They also remind us why you shouldn't start a land or trade war in Asia. And of course all the White House mayhem that's fit to print. Did we mention the guest was a chicken?

Live at the Army Navy Club! Sep 11, 2018

The Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC, hosted Loren and Radha this week for a live show. Lara Seligman of Foreign Policy and Valerie Insinna of Defense News joined the Bombshell crew to discuss defense journalism in the Trump administration, what it's like to cover a 17 year old war, and the most mayhem of mayhem weeks the White House has had in the last year. To listen to the audience Q&A for this episode, sign up for the War Hall at https://warontherocks.com/subscribe

Next Time Jack Write a Memo Sep 04, 2018

Erin, Radha, and Loren head back to school from summer break, with smiling and shining faces. This week they catch up on some extensive Kabul mayhem, covering recent Taliban forays into Afghan-government controlled cities, the state of possible negotiations among both parties, and how this fits into new changes on command at ISAF and CENTCOM. Revisiting a topic that's come up since the first episode of Bombshell, the ladies check in on U.S. support to the coalition campaign in Yemen and recent USG and Congressional frustrations with civilian casualties in the region - are we any closer to the end of our rope in enabling Saudi operations there or business as usual? And the enormous growth Chinese harassment of Uighurs in Xinjiang combined with the technological prowess of the Chinese surveillance state has a terrible alchemy that other autocratic states may find attractive. Radha continues her trade segment "It's Aghast" and talks through the current shenanigans with Mexico and Canada as well as a rapid rundown of our many trade tax tools! After some White House mayhem where it's clear that process is still our valentine we delight and quibble over the new Jack Ryan series.

Keeping up Foreign Relations

Afghanistan

Yemen

China

It's Aghast

China tariffs

NAFTA

White House Mayhem

Pop Culture

http://www.vulture.com/2018/08/jack-ryan-amazon-review.html

It’s Aghast Aug 07, 2018

While the ladies of Bombshell will talk with just about anyone, should the U.S. government? Bombshell dives into President Trump's proclivity for theatrical political summits with adversaries, following up on current efforts in Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iran. Radha introduces a new segment on trade: It's Aghast! And the National Defense Authorization Act is a 2500 page gold mine of wonky policy fun.

Keeping up Foreign Relations

North Korea

"North Korea continuing nuclear programme - UN report," BBC News
Ellen Nakashima and Joby Warrick, "U.S. spy agencies: North Korea is working on new missiles," Washington Post
Uri Friedman, "Two Ways to Read the Newest Intelligence on North Korea," Atlantic

Pakistan Elections

Colin Cookman, "A Tilted Playing Field: What Pakistan's Electoral Shifts Could Mean for Imran Khan's Government," War on the Rocks
Alyssa Ayres, "Election 2018: So Far, No Cause for Celebration," Council on Foreign Relations

Afghanistan Strategy

Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Helene Cooper, "Newest U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan Mirrors Past Plans for Retreat," New York Times
Spencer Ackerman, "Inside the Secret Taliban Talks to End America's Longest War," Daily Beast
Idrees Ali, "Exclusive: After discouraging year, U.S. officials expect review of Afghan Strategy," Reuters

It's Aghast

Jack Ewing, "Europe Feels the Squeeze of the Trump Trade Tariffs," New York Times
Shawn Donnan, "Trump's hopes for EU trade deal hampered by agriculture," Financial Times
Doug Palmer, "US sides with Russia in WTO national security case against Ukraine," Politico

White House Mayhem

NDAA

Mark Cancian, "What Really Matters In The Defense Authorization Act & What Didn't Get Done," Breaking Defense
Aaron Mehta and Joe Gould, "Senate moves to empower Pentagon's policy chief as enforcer," Defense News
Office of Management and Budget, "Follow-on to Statement of Administration Policy," Executive Office of the President
Leo Shane III and Tara Copp, "Pentagon braces for massive change to officer promotions," Military Times
Tom Vanden Brook, "Generals and admirals caught in sex scandals could lose clearances under defense funding bill," USA Today

Space Force

Marcus Weisgerber, "Exclusive: Pentagon To Start Creating Space Force -- Even Before Congress Approves It," Defense One
Paul Scharre, "The US Military Should Not Be Doubling Down on Space," Defense One

And Now For Something Quite Special Jul 24, 2018

Alina Polyakova of Brookings joins the Bombshell crew to dive into the fallout from the Helsinki Summit. Radha furthers our education on tariffs, er trade taxes, as the great trade war of 2018 slouches toward chaos. Meanwhile, Teresa May’s Brexit woes continue as she mucks around with Northern Ireland. And despite Secretary Pompeo’s personal attention, President Trump is catching on to the fact that Singapore did not set up the greatest of deals with North Korea. In White House mayhem Trump’s NSC is trying desperately to stay out of his line of sight as they manage crises he won’t like - like the reemergence of ISIS in Iraq. Plus, Supergirl and puppies, airplane movies, Bombshell books, early gray fudge, and rose all day.

Helsinki Fallout
Alina Polyakova and Benjamin Haddad, "Europe in the New Era of Great Power Competition," Foreign Affairs
Alina Polyakova, "Trump Has Trapped Himself Into Cracking Down on Russia," Atlantic
Alina Polyakova, "Putin didn't have to push the Kremlin's narrative. Trump did it for him." Washington Post
Julia Ioffe, "The surreal world," Washington Post
All the Tariffs
Louis Nelson, Victoria Guida, Adam Behsudi, "Trump threatens tariffs on all $500 billion worth of Chinese imports," Politico
"The world trading system is under attack," Economist
Hersh Shefrin, "Playing Trade War Chicken," Forbes
Ana Swanson, "Republicans Bow to White House on Chinese Telecom Firm ZTE," New York Times
Merrit Kennedy, "In Face Of Protectionism, EU And Japan Sign Huge Open-Trade Deal," NPR
Raymond Colitt, Patrick Gillespie, Carolynn Look, "World Economic Leaders Condemn President Trump's Twitter Trade Rants at G-20 Summit," Time/Bloomberg
Megan Cassella, "Trump's new midterm threat: A trade war smacking voters," Politico
John Bowden, "Mnuchin: US open to removing Russian aluminum producer from sanctions list," Hill
Brexit
"The Great British Venn Diagram," QNTM
Henry Farrell, "Theresa May's Brexit speech may break the Northern Ireland peace process," Washington Post
"Brexit: May calls for EU to 'evolve' position on 'unworkable' backstop," Irish Times
North Korea
John Hudson, Josh Dawsey, Carol D. Leonnig, "In private, Trump vents frustration over lack of progress on North Korea," Washington Post
Christopher Dickey, "Kim's Still Got His Nukes, and Hasn't Returned Our Heroes," Daily Beast
ISIS
Liz Sly and Mustafa Salim, "ISIS is making a comeback in Iraq just months after Baghdad declared victory," Washington Post
Weekend Edition Saturday, "The Current State of ISIS," NPR
Louisa Loveluck, "Syrian army raises flag above city considered as birthplace of uprising against Assad," Washington Post

No Muppet, No Muppet. You're the Muppet. Jul 11, 2018

This week we do our best impersonation of the Georgetown set recording from 1789 and lamenting the world gone to hell. We break down Pompeo's trip to North Korea, Theresa May's Brexit woes, and the NATO summit which has already been overrun by chaos Muppets. With so much White House mayhem, we focus on Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin, and Radha gets on her soapbox about MAVNI and suitability screenings. Need a pop-culture escape? We suggest Crazy Rich Asians and Sharp Objects.

Dahlia Lithwick, "Chaos Theory," Slate
Daniel Russel, "The Singapore Honeymoon Is Over," Foreign Policy
Jane Vaynman and Vipin Narang, "There are signs North Korea is still working on its nuclear program. Here's why 'denuclearization' is so problematic." Washington Post
Nick Wadhams, "Inside Pompeo's Fraught North Korea Trip," Bloomberg
Alex Hunt and Brian Wheeler, "Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU," BBC
Silvia Amaro, "There's now a real chance the UK won't get a Brexit deal—here's what that means for markets," CNBC
John Cassidy, "Boris Johnson's resignation can't disguise the harsh reality of Brexit," New Yorker
Robert Hutton, "U.K. Labour Open to Brexit Referendum If May's Deal Fails," Bloomberg
Mark Newton, Rachel Rizzo, Julianne Smith, and Jim Townsend, "More Than Burden Sharing," CNAS
Kathleen Hicks, "Press Briefing: Allied and Partner Contributions to NATO: Redefining Security Investment," CSIS
Heather Hurlburt, "Even the Best-Case Scenario for What Trump Does at the NATO Summit Is Pretty Grim," New York Magazine
Victoria Newland, "In Two Summits, a Moment of Truth for Trump," New York Times
Tara Copp, "Here's the bottom line on the future of MAVNI: Many foreign-born recruits may soon be out," Military Times
Jeff Schogol and Adam Linehan, "No, President Trump Is Not Purging The Military Of Immigrants," Task & Purpose
Beth J. Asch, Jennie W. Wegner, Troy D. Smith, "The Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) Program," RAND
Ben Mathis-Lilley, "The Pentagon Says It's Not Purging Immigrant Recruits, but Some Evidence Says Otherwise," Slate
Alex Ward, "Why Trump may not be to blame for immigrants being booted from the military," Vox
Alex Horton, "ICE is moving to deport a veteran after Mattis assured that would not happen," Washington Post

Mutually Assured Dysfunction Jun 26, 2018

Bombshell goes international! Loren warily crosses the border to visit Stefanie von Hlatky, Stephanie Carvin, and Elaine Bunn for a special Canadian episode at the Kingston Conference on International Security. The ladies give deterrence a playlist and it’s own film series, then dive deeper into what deterrence means to the public and How to Teach Your President About Deterrence. And since deterrence is above all a human interaction, we discuss that elephant in the room: what it means to be a woman in the field.

Practical, Tactical Brilliance Jun 21, 2018

In the most ambitious crossover event since that one time on TGIF, Bombshell joins Rational Security for a very special joint episode. Radha, Erin, Loren, Shane, and Susan take on our hellscape of a government’s evolving policy on family separation; Radha as a Real Life Economist schools us on the not-so-cleansing fire of the latest trade wars, and, of course we go full blast on Space Force. You knew it was coming. It’s real. And it’s spectacular.

The Goat Rodeos Jun 11, 2018

Radha, Loren, and Erin invite Alex Bell to preview the Singapore Trump-Kim summit, explaining that while there’s more than staring into one another’s eyes for arms control, chemistry is a good start. When we recorded, the G7 had wrapped but not yet crashed and burned into a playground taunt with Canada, so Radha gives a good lesson on tariffs instead of assessing border skirmishes along the Great Lakes. If you’ve been distracted you may have not noticed the absurd amount of Chinese espionage activity as the OPM hacks bear fruit. The show recommends everyone keep an eye on the Pompeo-Bolton tea leaves and how Pompeo’s embrace of State bureaucracy may be hamstrung. Erin kicks off a new segment, the Soapbox, on Google’s rejection of military AI work and what that means for future advances in military technologies. Conflicting Civilian casualty reporting, protests in Jordan, and SOF in Somalia are somehow the lesser included events in the crazy three ring goat rodeo of a week. Credit for this week’s title and general approach to life go to Jeffrey Lewis.

Alexandra Bell and James McKeon, Three strikes means Bolton should be out, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Once and Future Framework, The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
R Scott Kemp, North Korean disarmament: build technology and trust, Nature
John Lyons, "From ‘Punk Kid’ to 21st Century Tyrant: Kim Jong Un Seizes His Moment,” Wall Street Journal
Zainab Fattah, "Saudis to Host Jordan-Support Meeting After Tax Bill Protests,” Bloomberg
Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne, “US service member killed in Somalia,” CNN
U.S. Africa Command, “U.S. Statement on Situation in Somalia,” AFRICOM
Shawn Snow, “One US special operations member killed, several wounded in attack in Somalia,” Military Times
Aruna Viswanatha, "Ex-CIA Officer’s Case Highlights Fears About Reach of Chinese Spying,” Wall Street Journal
Adam Goldman, “Ex-C.I.A. Officer Is Convicted of Spying for China,” New York Times
Mike Ives, “U.S. Army Veteran Tried to Spy for China, Officials Say,” New York Times
Ellen Nakashima and Paul Sonne, "China hacked a Navy contractor and secured a trove of highly sensitive data on submarine warfare,” Washington Post
Ian Brown, "Imagining a Cyber Surprise: How Might China Use Stolen OPM Records to Target Trust?” War on the Rocks
Thomas Wright, “Trump Is Choosing Eastern Europe,” Atlantic
Susan B. Glasser, "Under Trump, “America First” Really Is Turning Out to Be America Alone,” New Yorker
Neil Irwin, “What Is the Trade Deficit?” New York Times
Kai Ryssdal, “How U.S. trade policy has changed over 30 years,” Marketplace
Heather Long, “There are ‘nuggets of truth’ to what Trump says about trade,” Washington Post
Robbie Gramer, Pompeo’s Pledge to Lift Hiring Freeze at State Department Hits Big Snag, Foreign Policy
Casualty Records, Department of Defense
"Syria: Raqqa in ruins and civilians devastated after US-led ‘war of annihilation,’” Amnesty International
Helene Cooper, “U.S. Strikes Killed Nearly 500 Civilians in 2017, Pentagon Says,” New York Times
Sundar Pichai, “AI at Google: our principles,” Google
Kate Conger, “Google Backtracks, Says Its AI Will Not Be Used for Weapons or Surveillance,” Gizmodo

The Hangover May 29, 2018

This week we ask Emma Ashford to reveal the mysteries of Trump's Middle East policy. Then Loren, Radha, and Erin dive into the recent trade dramas before pondering whether the summit with North Korea is best understood as a Rom-Com or Telenovela. Colombian elections, change of command in Afghanistan, and the toxic culture within ICE round out the conversation before we escape to the wonders of pop-culture.

Emma Ashford and John Glaser, “Unforced Error: The Risks of Confrontation with Iran,” CATO Institute
Emma Ashford, “Unbalanced Rethinking America’s Commitment to the Middle East,” Strategy Studies Quarterly
Trevor Thrall and Emma Ashford, “Power Problems,” CATO Institute
Runrig, Loch Lomond
“Colombians vote for new president with peace deal, economy at stake,” Reuters
Camila Zuluaga, “Colombia, trapped between extremes,” Washington Post
Ana Swanson, “Trump Administration Plans to Revive ZTE, Prompting Backlash,” New York Times
Shawn Donnan, “Trump car tariffs highlight threat of retaliatory trade war,” Financial Times
Jonathan Landay and Rupam Jain, “U.S. sanctions on Iran threaten vital Afghanistan trade project,” Reuters
Jeremy Diamond, “Peter Navarro and Steven Mnuchin feuded at Beijing trade talks,” CNN
Daniel W. Drezner, “Targeted Sanctions in a World of Global Finance,” Research on Economic Sanctions
Kanga Kong, “Budding Moon-Kim Bromance Poses Risk to Trump Pressure Campaign,” Bloomberg
Laura Rosenberger, “Kim Jong Un is better off now than he was before Trump agreed to a summit,” Washington Post
Ilan Goldenberg, “Trump Has No Idea How Diplomatic Deals Work,” Foreign Policy
Patrick M. Cronin and Abigail Grace, “Trump Leaves the Door Open for Another North Korea Summit,” CNAS
Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman, and David D. Kirkpatrick, “Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election,” New York Times
Dara Lind, “Trump’s DHS is using an extremely dubious statistic to justify splitting up families at the border,” Vox
Dara Lind, Tweet (25 May 2018)

Lizzie Plaugic, “Amazon is adapting William Gibson’s The Peripheral into a TV series,” Verge

The Only Way Out Is through May 15, 2018

This week the Bombshell crew does something different. After a crazy few days in the national security world, we break down the good, the bad, and the pop-culture remedies. From Spain to Iran, to Iraq and Lebanon, to Niger and back home to the Haspel hearings and aviation mishaps we ask ourselves: what are we doing here? Also, Arnie Hammer discovered Iran-Contra and we rank order our favorite Chrises.

Revolutions Podcast Fundraiser
"Spain's ETA Basque terrorists disband," Economist
Richard Nephew and Ilan Goldenberg, "Here's What to Expect Now That Trump Has Withdrawn From the Iran Nuclear Deal," Foreign Policy
Colin H. Kahl and Vipin Narang, "Trump thinks his North Korea strategy will work on Iran. He's wrong on both." Washington Post
Armie Hammer Tweet, May 7, 2018
Alice Hunt Friend, "The Accompany They Keep: What Niger Tells Us About Accompany Missions, Combat, and Operations Other Than War," War on the Rocks
Paul Szoldra, "Military Leaders Sent Them On A Hasty, Ill-Planned Mission—And Are Now Blaming Them," Task & Purpose
Mieke Eoyang, "The CIA Needs an Independent Thinker—Not a Gina Haspel," Atlantic
Sophie Gilbert, "Jack Melrose Is a Lacerating Tour de Force," Atlantic
Michael Barbaro, "Listen to 'The Daily': Gina Haspel and the Shadow of Torture," New York Times

All He Had to Do Was Turn Left May 02, 2018

This week on Bombshell, Rebecca Lissner of Penn's Perry World House guest hosts with Radha and Loren to discuss the handshake heard round the world at the DMZ. The Iran Deal is on the rocks yet again, despite the entreaties of a very affectionate President Macron of France and #squadgoals eye rolls of Chancellor Merkel. The White House has some personnel wins (Pompeo's confirmation), losses (Dr. Ronny Jackson's trash fire of a VA nomination) and draws (Gina Haspel's confirmation delay). And the ladies of Bombshell are steadfastly the only people on the planet talking Tina Brown and chick-lit vs. Infinity War.

Diana C. Mutz and Eunji Kim, "The Impact of In-Group Favoritism on Trade Preferences," International Organization
Jeremy Page, "North Korea's Nuclear Test Site Is Largely Unusable, Chinese Scientists Say," Wall Street Journal
Anna Fifield, "Talk of peace with North Korea has the South wondering: Will this time be different?" Washington Post
Richard Nephew, "Trump's Middle Ground on Iran Deal Sanctions Waivers Is a Myth," Foreign Policy
Carol Morello, "Pompeo says Kim Jong Un doesn't care if U.S. leaves Iran deal," Washington Post
Yasmeen Serhan, "Exit Macron, Enter Merkel," Atlantic
Editorial Board, "Macron and Merkel have handed Trump a road map," Washington Post
Atul Aneja, "China and India are both important foreign engines for global growth: Xi," Hindu
Amber Phillips, "The issues surrounding Ronny Jackson's nomination for VA, explained," Washington Post
Joe Gould, "Top 3 takeaways from Mattis on Capitol Hill," Defense News
Corey Dickstein, "Mattis defends new transgender policy, drawing senator's ire," Stars and Stripes

Only Mostly Dead Apr 18, 2018

This week on Bombshell, Radha, Erin, and Loren play natsec madlibs with Amanda Sloat, discussing every possible complexity of US-Syria policy during John Bolton's first week. The neverending potential for a trade war, protests in the run up to the US embassy in Israel's moving day, and Russian expulsions get a lightning round in Keeping Up Foreign Relations. And for White House mayhem they stick to the other side of the river, checking in on the disturbing trend of aviation mishaps, the anniversary of combat integration of women, and sending troops to the border. And you should all be watching Killing Eve.

Amanda Sloat, "Trump's Syria whiplash," Brookings
Amanda Sloat, "The West's Turkey conundrum," Brookings
BBC, "Syria: The story of the conflict," BBC
Morning Edition, "Analysis Of U.S.-Led Airstrikes On Syria After Suspected Chemical Attack," NPR
Nancy Marshall-Genzer, Jed Kim, Renata Sago, Marielle Segarra, Danielle Chiriguayo, Jana Kasperkevic, Aaron Schrank, "Your trade war questions, answered," Marketplace
Alex Capri, "Trump's 'Trade War' Irony: America Loses By Not Rejoining The TPP," Forbes
Zeeshan Aleem, "Trump wasted his chance to make the TPP stronger," Vox
Keith Bradsher, "Trump Weighs Return to Trans-Pacific Partnership. Not So Fast, Say Members." New York Times
Rushdi Abu Alouf and Noga Tarnopolsky, "Nearly 1,000 Palestinians injured in Gaza-Israel border protests," Los Angeles Times
Ilan Goldenberg, "How Trump can move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem," Politico
Greg Jaffe, John Hudson, and Philip Rucker, "Trump, a reluctant hawk, has battled his top aides on Russia and lost," Washington Post
Katie Rogers and Eileen Sullivan, "Trump and Western Allies Expel Scores of Russians in Sweeping Rebuke Over U.K. Poisoning," New York Times
Tara Copp, "Military Times Crash Database," Military Times
Tara Copp, "Navy's spike in aviation mishaps is the military's worst, up 82 percent," Military Times
Doug Mataconis, "Federal Judge Blocks New Version Of Trump's Transgender Military Ban," Outside the Beltway
Elliot Spagat and Luis Alonso Lugo, "US says California rejects proposed border duties for troops," AP
Lindsay P. Cohn, on Twitter
"Update on the Status of Women in Combat," CNAS
Jen Chaney, "BBC America's Killing Eve Is Instantly Addictive Television," Vulture

Long Legs and Brains Apr 02, 2018

Erin, Radha, and Loren make it back to the Show (where we never handle our own luggage), welcoming back all-star guest Kori Schake to talk NSC turnover, civil-military relations, and everything else that's radical in a tubular kind of way. We break down Kim Jong-Un's super-secret trip to Beijing and note that when the Saudi Crown Prince showed up for his two week tour of America, not all welcomes were warm. Meanwhile, VA Secretary Shulkin is out (sometimes you win), the president's personal doctor is in (sometimes you lose); and DoD tries to square the circle on the transgender ban (sometimes it rains). We substitute basketball for pop-culture, with predictable consequences. Oh, and when you speak of us, speak well.

Loren DeJonge Schulman, "John Bolton thinks he can be tough. Can he also be fair?" Washington Post
Matthew Waxman, "The John Bolton I Knew," Lawfare
Alex Ward, "Kim Jong Un's secret visit to China, explained by an expert," Vox
Evan Osnos, "Why Kim Jong Un went to China," New Yorker
Dan De Luce, Robbie Gramer, "Congress Sours on Saudi Arabia Over Yemen," Foreign Policy
Dana Stuster, "What's on Mohammed bin Salman's Agenda?" Lawfare
Ryan Hass, "What we know--and don't--about the meeting between Kim Jon-un and Xi Jinping," Brookings
"Doubt cast on Saudi claims of Houthi missile interception," Al Jazeera
Jeffrey Lewis, "Patriot Missiles Are Made in America and Fail Everywhere," Foreign Policy
Phillip Carter, "Chaos Awaits Ronny Jackson at the VA," Slate
Leo Shane III, "What we've learned from David Shulkin's post-firing media blitz," Military Times
Philip Rucker, "Trump's Ohio speech to promote infrastructure ranges widely, from North Korea to 'Roseanne,'" Washington Post

Not Bringing Rexy Back Mar 20, 2018

This week, the ladies of Bombshell welcome Lindsey Ford, from the ‎Asia Society Policy Institute, to chat about this spring's Appointment in Helsinki: the US-North Korea presidential summit. Then, they set an Iran Deal death watch and puzzle through what happens when Red Sparrow meets real life in the nerve-agent poisoning of a Russian double agent in the UK. White House mayhem continues to say "hold my beer" with the firing of Rex Tillerson and what it means for Trump administration Kremlinology. Finally, the pop culture world is looking up, with the return of Occupied, the digital release of Last Jedi, and much more.

Karoun Demirjian, "Corker prediction: Trump will pull out of Iran nuclear deal in May," Washington Post
Ankit Panda and Vipin Narang, "The Trump-Kim Summit and North Korean Denuclearization: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," War on the Rocks
Ellen Barry, "Britain Says It Has Proof Russia Stockpiled Lethal Nerve Agent," New York Times
Andrew Jeong, "North Korea to Meet for Talks With U.S., South Korean Delegations in Helsinki," Wall Street Journal
Heidi Blake, Tom Warren, Richard Holmes, Jason Leopold, Jane Bradley, Alex Campbell, "From Russia With Blood," BuzzFeed
Derek Chollet and Julie Smith, "The Clock Is Already Ticking On Mike Pompeo," Foreign Policy
Ilan Goldenberg, "A Requiem for Rex's Redesign," Foreign Policy
Ilan Goldenberg and Elizabeth Rosenberg, "How to Save the Iran Nuclear Deal," Foreign Affairs
Alex Ward, "Trump finally decided to get tough on Russia. But did he go far enough?" Vox
Ellen Barry, "Britain Hints at Tougher Blow Against Russia: Stripping Tycoon's Assets," New York Times
Asia Society Policy Institute event, "Drones, Bots, and Smart Weapons: Artificial Intelligence and Asian Security"

Been Caught Steelin' Mar 06, 2018

This week, the ladies of Bombshell welcome Sarah Margon, Washington Director of Human Rights Watch, to explore a side of the Syria conflict we discuss too little on this show: the human dimension. The ladies wade through three different political maelstroms in Italian elections, President Xi’s quest for immortality, and President Putin’s land of misfit nukes. Hairstyles, process, and wrongheaded beliefs about trade deficits explain the White House, and Radha plugs spoken word cookbooks (written by spies).

Economist, "Send in the clowns," Economist
Laura McGann, "When does Hope Hicks get to be a 'wunderkind' instead of a 'former model'?" Vox
Sarah Margon, "Giving Up the High Ground," Foreign Affairs
Marc Freeman, "'M*A*S*H' Finale, 35 Years Later: Untold Stories of One of TV's Most Important Shows," Hollywood Reporter
Evan Osnos, "Xi Jinping May Be President For Life. What Will Happen to China?" New Yorker
Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker, and Josh Dawsey, "'Pure madness': Dark days inside the White House as Trump shocks and rages," Washington Post
William J. Broad and Ainara Tiefenthaler, "Putin Flaunted Five Powerful Weapons. Are They a Threat?" New York Times

No Joy in Munchen Feb 21, 2018

This week, the Bombshell ladies welcome Lauren Fish of the Center for a New American Security to talk all things FY19 defense budget, including why this big funding increase may not be all that it seems. While finding future employment for Navy SEALs on the skeleton track, we talk North Korea’s charm offensive, how we and maybe everyone else have totally lost the plot in Syria, and why the Munich Security Conference was the party everyone wanted to bail on. We offer everything you wanted to know about security clearances and deployability (and then everything you didn’t know you wanted to know). And oh yeah, Erin’s seen Red Sparrow.

Center for New American Security, “The Bottom Line,” CNAS
David Wharton, "'Peace Village,' a fake city just outside the DMZ, serves as metaphor for North Korean athletes at the Olympics," LA Times
Motoko Rich and Choe Sang-Hun, "Kim Jong-un's Sister Turns On the Charm, Taking Pence's Spotlight," New York Times
Scott Neuman, "'Dozens' Of Russian Mercenaries Reportedly Killed In U.S. Airstrikes In Syria," NPR
Isabel Kershner, Anne Barnard, and Eric Schmitt, "Israel Strikes Iran in Syria and Loses a Jet," New York Times
J. Dana Stuster, "Israel Strikes Iranian Targets in Syria after Drone Incursion," Lawfare
Aaron Mehta, "Mattis: Unclear if Russia directed attack against U.S. allies in Syria," Military Times
Eliot A. Cohen, "Witnessing the Collapse of the Global Elite," The Atlantic
Henry Meyer and Patrick Donahue, "U.S.-Russia TEnsion Flares Over Nuclear Arms Control Now at Risk," Bloomberg
William J. Antholis, "Rob Porter Is a National Security Scandal, Too," Politico
Tara Copp, "It's official: DoD releases new 'deploy or get out' policy," Military Times
Dahlia Lithwick, "Rob Porter's History of Domestic Abuse Wasn't a Secret. It's Just That No One Cared." Slate

Cha Cha Bang Bang Feb 06, 2018

This week the ladies of Bombshell return to regularly scheduled programming, re-introducing ourselves with our new Bombshell questions including everyone's favorite bars and least favorite books. Next we turn to our old friends Afghanistan and North Korea (wondering if we'll ever get a public debate on either), before wonking out to the Nuclear Posture Review and State of the Union address. Also, if you PT three times per day but don't log it in Strava does it even count, bro? Finally, a dazzling potpourri of pop-culture - even Radha weighs in.

Don't forget to send all your process valentines! Bombshell Online Store

David D. Kirkpatrick, “Secret Alliance: Israel Carriers Out Airstrikes in Egypt, With Cairo’s O.K.,” New York Times

Max Fisher, “In Afghanistan’s Unwinnable War, What’s the Best Loss to Hope For?,” New York Times

Mia Bloom, January 27 Twitter status

Thomas Gibbons-Neff, “Training Quick and Staffing Unfinished, Army Units Brace for Surging Taliban,” New York Times

Steve Inskeep, “U.S. Military Auditor Suggests The Afghan War Is Still At A Stalemate,” NPR

Anna Fifield, “North Koreans have tasted freedom through the markets. Sanctions could put that at risk.,” Washington Post

Victor Cha, “Victor Cha: Giving North Korea a ‘bloody nose’ carries a huge risk to Americans,” Washington Post

David Nakamura, February 1 Twitter status

James Acton, “Command and Control in the Nuclear Posture Review: Right Problem, Wrong Solution,” War on the Rocks

Patrick Tucker, “No, the US Won’t Respond to A Cyber Attack with Nukes,” Defense One

Patrick Tucker, “Strava’s Just the Start: The US Military’s Losing War Against Data Leakage,” Defense One

It's Raining Men Jan 26, 2018

On our first anniversary we couldn’t help but wonder: What's it like to be a man in national security? Kai Ryssdal, Frank Gavin, and Benjamin Wittes join us to discuss.

Be Like Shawn Jan 12, 2018

Bombshell returns from a long winter's nap for its first 2018 episode and first test run of a brand new set of Bombshell questions! Christy Abizaid joins us to talk Pakistan and the joys of Austin, TX, and we talk protests in Iran and what happens when South Korea hears that hotline bling. Yet another White House shuffle could be in the works, and we eagerly anticipate the arrival of a new defense strategy. Finally, hyperspace ramming and Nazi uncles get the attention you'd expect from us in pop culture. Bonus: expect news about a Bombshell anniversary party soon! After we recorded, we learned that one of the first friends of the pod, Shawn Brimley, passed away. Shawn will be remembered as a brilliant scholar and great friend and colleague, but he was first and foremost a wonderful husband and dad. You can contribute to an education fund set up for his children. Episode Reading:

BBC News, “How will the US move to cut aid affect Pakistan?," BBC News
“Anna Mae Hays, Who Broke U.S. Military Barriers, Dies at 97,” NPR
Jared Keller, “Anna Mae Hays, The US Military’s First Female General, Dies At Age 97,” Task & Purpose
Susan B. Glasser, “Is Trump Stuck With an Iran Deal He Loathes?,” Politico
Stephen Tankel, “Art of the Possible: Restructuring the Defense Relationship with Pakistan,” CNAS
Uri Friedman, “The World According to H.R. McMaster,” Atlantic
Suzanne Maloney, “Trump can help Iran’s protesters by rejecting his own Iran policies,” Brookings
Samuel Ramani, “The Long History of the Pakistan-North Korea Nexus,” Diplomat
C. Christine Fair, “Pakistan Has All the Leverage Over Trump,” Foreign Policy
Jonah Shepp, “Pakistan Is a Problematic Ally, But Trump Cutting It Off Won’t Change That,” New York Magazine
Max Fisher and Amanda Taub, “Five Crucial Insights on Iran,” The New York Times

Special Episode: Live from Maxwell AFB! Dec 19, 2017

Loren, Radha, and Erin traveled to Maxwell AFB for a special live year in review episode at the Air Command and Staff College. Come for their thoughts on the biggest national security stories of the year and stay for an extended Q&A with ACSC students (starting around 39:00). Plus, bonus Star Wars commentary.

We Can Only Hope, Sir Dec 13, 2017

This week Susanna Blume joins to tell us how the sausage is made on Capitol Hill - the defense budget, continuing resolutions, and other congressional hijinks. And Radha returns from maternity leave! Then we wade through the president's Jerusalem announcement and recent Brexit breakthroughs, before dissecting the new National Security Strategy. And of course we discuss Season 2 of "The Crown" - and our new gift guide! Episode Reading:

Susanna V. Blume and Lauren Fish, “A Brief History of Defense Budget Instability,” CNAS
Susanna V. Blume and Lauren Fish, “Congress, cut the continuing resolutions so Defense can do its job,” CNAS
Max Fisher, “The Jerusalem Issue, Explained,” New York Times
Ishaan Tharoor, “The many casualties of Trump’s Jerusalem move,” Washington Post
Tony Connelly, “Brexit and the Irish Border: How the deal was salvaged,” RTE
BBC, “Theresa May says Brexit deal ‘good news’ for all voters,” BBC
Alex Hunt and Brian Wheeler, “Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU,” BBC
Kate Brannen, "Trump's National Security Strategy is Decidedly Non-Trumpian," The Atlantic
Salman Ahmed and Alexander Bick, “Trump’s National Security Strategy: A New Brand of Mercantilism?,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Ilan Goldenberg, “The Selfish Motive Behind Trump’s Jerusalem Decision,” Slate
Kori Schake, “The North Korea Debate Sounds Eerily Familiar,” Atlantic
Mira Rapp-Hooper, “America Is Not Going to Denuclearize North Korea,” Atlantic

Candlesticks Always Make a Nice Gift Nov 29, 2017

This week on Bombshell we talk with Mieke Eoyang about, well, basically everything. We take a rapid fire tour of political dramas in Zimbabwe, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. Stop for a bit to bask in the crazy sunshine of Turkish plots and then return to the United States just to ask: Exactly how many troops do we have overseas? Then just for kicks, we debate what a lawful order for a nuclear first strike would look like. We wrap up with Mieke's Twitter conversation with John Cusack and Erin's dream for a Master and Commander sequel.

Episode Reading

Ben Freeman and Mieke Eoyang, "Public Opinion and Narrowing the Security Gap in 2016," Third Way
Sisonke Msimang, "The Fall of Africa's Most Hated First Lady," New York Times
Von Marcus Gatzke and Marlies Uken, "Relax, Germany Is Not Facing a State Crisis," Zeit Online
Andreas Rinke and Madeline Chambers, "Merkel's CDU agrees to pursue grand coalition in Germany," Reuters
Marwa Eltagouri, "What we've learned about the North Korean soldier whose daring escape was caught on video," Washington Post
Erin Cunningham and Louisa Loveluck, "Hezbollah, on the rise in Lebanon, fends off Saudi Arabia," Washington Post
Thomas L. Friedman, "Saudi Arabia's Arab Spring, at Last," New York Times
Borzou Daragahi, "Saudi Arabia Has Shaken Up The Middle East - This Is How," BuzzFeed News
Reuters Staff, "Turkey has completed purchase of Russian missile defense: defense minister," Reuters
Alex Horton, "The Pentagon struggles to provide accurate numbers for deployed troops," Washington Post
Luis Martinez, "Thousands more US military service members in Iraq and Syria than believed," ABC News
Azmat Khan and Anand Gopal, "The Uncounted," New York Times Magazine
Michael Barbaro, "Targeting ISIS, and Killing Civilians," New York Times, 'The Daily'
Karoun Demirjian, "Trump's nuclear authority divides senators alarmed by his 'volatile' behavior," Washington Post
Stewart Baker, Jim Lewis, and Brian Egan, "Interview with Mieke Eoyang and Jamil Jaffer," Steptoe, The Cyberlaw Podcast
Chris Evangelista, "'Master and Commander' Sequel Still A Possibility, Says Russell Crowe," Slash Film
Disney-Pixar, "Incredibles 2 Official Teaser Trailer," Disney-Pixar

Burn Before Pleading Nov 15, 2017

This week on Bombshell, Quinta Jurecic of Lawfare (and Washington Post!) fame joins us to break down the Mueller investigation, AUMF debate, and whether Mike Flynn is really a character from a Coen Brothers' movie. We also discuss the president's trip to Asia and do our best to understand the drama in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, which is all happening without the benefit of a functioning State Department. Quinta confesses her love of James Comey's Twitter account, while Erin and Loren do their best cosplay courtesy of Rag and Bone.

Episode Reading:

Quinta Jurecic, "Robert Mueller can't save us," The Washington Post
Benjamin Wittes, "The Lawfare Podcast, Special Edition: A Person of Flynnterest," Lawfare
Julia Ioffe, "The Secret Correspondence Between Donald Trump Jr. and WikiLeaks," The Atlantic
James V. Grimaldi, Shane Harris, and Aruna Viswanatha, "Mueller Probes Flynn's Role in Alleged Plan to Deliver Cleric to Turkey," The Wall Street Journal
Daniel W. Drezner, "Why Donald Trump's foreign policy ambitions will always collapse," The Washington Post
Zeeshan Aleem, "8 photos that sum up Trump's rollicking Asia tour so far," Vox
Anne Barnard, "Where's Saad Hariri? Lebanon Wants to Know," The New York Times
Louisa Loveluck and Suzan Haidamous, "Lebanese prime minister whose resignation shook the region says he will return 'very soon,'" The Washington Post
The Economist, "Saudi Arabia's unprecedented shake-up," The Economist
Zack Beauchamp, "The purge in Saudi Arabia, explained," Vox
Amb. Barbara Stephenson, "Time to Ask Why," American Foreign Service Association
Charlie Savage, "Will Congress Ever Limit the Forever-Expanding 9/11 War?," The New York Times
Scott Anderson and Sabrina McCubbin, "Summary: Senate Foreign Relations Committee's AUMF Hearing," Lawfare
Rag & Bone, Star Wars Collection (December 1, 2017)

The Fallout's Gonna Kill You Nov 01, 2017

This week on Bombshell, Alice Hunt Friend joins us to talk all things Africa and civ-mil. We dive into U.S. operations in Niger and the Kenyan elections reboot. Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping get new mandates while preparing for the president’s big trip to Asia, along with the rest of us. And we all wait for the fallout from the Mueller indictments.

Episode Reading:

Alice Hunt Friend, "What Does Niger Have to Do with the AUMF?" Center for Strategic and International Studies
Alice Hunt Friend, "Trump wrongly ignores Africa," The Hill
Greg Jaffe and Karen DeYoung, "Amid Niger ambush chaos, the White House first thought several Americans were missing," Washington Post
Thomas E. Ricks, "An Old Colonel Looks at General Kelly," Foreign Policy
Loren DeJonge Schulman, "The Necessity of Questioning the Military," The Atlantic
David Dollar, "Reading the tea leaves of China's 19th Party Congress," Brookings Institution
Simon Denyer,"China's leader elevated to the level of Mao in Communist pantheon," Washington Post
Robert Burns, "Pentagon Chief Says North Korea Engages in 'Outlaw' Behavior," NBC News
Vikram Singh and Lindsey Ford, "China Is Looking Forward to Trump's Truancy at the East Asia Summit," Foreign Policy
Daniel Kliman and Zack Cooper, "Washington Has a Bad Case of China ADHD," Foreign Policy
Mike Duncan, The Storm Before the Storm Tour Dates
Erik Pedersen, "'The Alienist' Premiere Date & Trailer: Bruhl, Evans, Fanning & TNT Trek Back to 1890s New York," Deadline

Me too and the Gimme Gimmes Oct 18, 2017

This week on Bombshell, special guest Elizabeth Rosenberg explains the art of unmaking the Iran deal and the consequences of the Trump administration's Iran 'strategy.' Foreign relations are keeping us busy with a tinderbox in Kirkuk at the worst possible time, and a new lens on the Pentagon's under-scrutinized advise and assist efforts in Africa that resulted in four soldier's killed in an ambush this month. Mattis and the White House are sending mixed signals on transparency and democratic accountability on the Hill and in the press (what else is new?). Erin, Radha, and Loren are as usual looking out for budget deals, new and potentially harmful MAVNI guidelines, and Trump appointees. And yeah. Us too.

Episode Reading:

Radha Iyengar and Rebecca Friedman Lissner, “Iran, Terrorism, and Nonproliferation After the Nuclear Deal,” War on the Rocks
Angela Dewan, “Why Turkey-US tensions have come to a boil,” CNN
“Iraq conflict: Peshmerga 'deadline to leave Kirkuk' passes,” BBC
“Iraqi, Kurd forces in Kirkuk standoff as tensions rise,” Al Jazeera
Colin Cookman, “Pakistan-Afghanistan Update: Canadian-American Couple Freed After 5 Years Captivity; UN Release Civilian Casualty Update,” Colin Cookman
Sarah Polley, “The Men You Meet Making Movies,” New York Times
Ilan Goldenberg and Elizabeth Rosenberg, “If Trump Won't Certify the Iran Deal, He Should Do This Instead,” Foreign Policy
Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Eric Schmitt, “Niger Attack Lays Bare U.S. Troops Long Wait for Medical Help in Africa,” New York Times
Phillip Carter, “Questionable Calls," Slate

We Got This, Rexy Oct 04, 2017

This week, the Bombshell squad goes shoulder to shoulder into the fray of referenda for the Iraqi Kurds and the Catalans in Spain, alongside a recap of the German general election. Like many women have before us, we ask "Why Chad?" and explore the merits of the new Trump travel ban. We wonder if it was painful for Secretary Tillerson to get cut off at the knees over North Korea, and contemplate the interagency fun of the Puerto Rico relief efforts. Finally, we spend some quality time pondering the existential crises brought on by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's Vietnam documentary on PBS - and also our love of Ross Poldark.

Episode Reading:

Lauren Frayer, “Violence Breaks Out During Catalan Independence Referendum,” NPR
Lauren Theisen, “Barcelona Play In An Empty Stadium After Attempted Independence Vote,” Deadspin
Julie Smith, “Merkel Will Spend the Next Four Years Battle Forces at Home,” Foreign Policy
Kevin Sieff, “Why did the U.S. travel ban add counterterrorism partner Chad? No one seems quite sure,” Washington Post
Helene Cooper, Michael D. Shear and Dionne Searcey. “Chad’s Inclusion in Travel Ban Could Jeopardize American Interests, Officials Say,” New York Times
Charlie Savage and Eric Schmidt, “Trump poised to drop some limits on drone strikes and commando raids,” New York Times
Dana Milbank, “Donald Trump's Dog,” Washington Post
Malcolm Gladwell, "Saigon, 1965” (Episode 2), The Revisionist History Podcast
Alyssa Rosenberg, “Ken Burns’s American War,” Washington Post
Nicole Cliffe, ”Poldark Season-Premiere Recap: Sunrise, Sunset,” Vulture

How I Learned to Start Worrying... Sep 20, 2017

Erin, Radha, and Loren get the band back together and invite Laura Rosenberger to dish about the launch of the Alliance for Security Democracy (her new project aimed at countering Russian efforts to undermine democratic institutions), her love of the Steelers, and our open invitation to military listeners to help us land on a carrier. Then it's Groundhog Day in Keeping of Foreign Relations, with new antics and new histrionics around North Korea and Iran, and White House mayhem heads to New York for the U.N General Assembly. Finally, we look forward to the NDAA and the Red Sparrow movie.

Episode Reading:

"Decoupling is Back in Asia," Mira Rapp-Hooper, War on the Rocks
"Why Kim Jong Un wouldn’t be irrational to use a nuclear bomb first," Vipin Narang, The Washington PostT
"The ABCs of Deterring North Korea," Josh Rovner, War on the Rocks
"The Iran Deal is Keeping the Middle East From Going Nuclear," Richard Nephew and Ilan Goldenberg, Foreign Policy
"The Case Against the Iranian Nuclear Deal is One Big Lie," Stephen Walt, Foreign Policy
"How Congress can Save the State Department," Dan Benaim, Foreign Policy
"How Violence in Myanmar Radicalized a New Generation of Rohingya," Hannah Beech, The New York Times
"Walking the Line Between Covering a Rohingya Refugee Story and Changing It," Hannah Beech, The New York Times
Red Sparrow trailer
"Outlander Season Preimere Recap," Nicole Cliffe, Vulture

Lattes at the End of the World Sep 06, 2017

This week, Bombshell bids farewell to summer with our final distributed ops episode, closing out what has been a nice, quiet August (ha. ha). Afghanistan is, as usual, still a thing, but this time President Trump - or his teleprompter - actually gave us some thoughts on the matter. We lament waking up to a nuclear test in North Korea and the latest chapters in the Kenyan election and China-India border disputes, and drill down on how everything became about readiness and readiness became about everything: the Seventh Fleet, the Army, DACA, you name it. Finally, we give our take on John Kelly's efforts at discipline in the West Wing and the continuing parade of White House departures, as well as views on Back to School reading and "book dates" with your partner.

Readings:

"Why India did not Win the Standoff with China," M. Taylor Fravel, War on the Rocks
"Welcome to the H-Bomb Club, North Korea," Ankit Panda and Vipin Narang, War on the Rocks
"Xi says BRICS nations should stand up against protectionism," Lousie Watt, AP
"Deadly Navy accidents in the Pacific raise questions over a force stretched too thin," Alex Horton and Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Washington Post
"How the U.S. Navy's Fleet has been on a collision course for years," by David Larter, Defense News
"U.S. Army Unprepared to Deal with Russia in Europe," Wesley Morgan, Politico
"Analysis: Could Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Actually Become Policy?" Julie Moreau, NBC News

Back to School Reading:

A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII, by Sarah Helm
The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made, by Walter Isaacson
The Federalist Papers
The Undoing Project, Michael Lewis
A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
In Light of What we Know, Zia Haider Rahman
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic, Mike Duncan
The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher, Debby Applegate

The Alice Network, Kate Quinn

Livin' in a Powder Keg Aug 22, 2017

This week the Bombshell crew preps for the eclipse from opposite corners of the world to ask why we haven't all perished in the Fire and the Fury (alternate title for our next romance novel). Along with North Korea we talk India-China donnybrooks, military 'options' in Venezuela, and are somehow not overwhelmed by all the mayhem emanating from the White House. We go once more with feeling in Afghanistan, ask what Bannon's departure will mean for foreign policy, and debate the Chiefs subtweets on Charlottesville. Loren heads off to Porto, Radha chases the totality, and Erin enjoys the second order effects of good cocktails.

Reading:

Robert Windrem and Corky Siemaszko, ”North Korea Crisis: How Events Have Unfolded Under Trump,” NBC
Robert Kelly, “Attacking North Korea Would Be a War of Choice,” National Interest
Robert A. Manning and James Przystup, “Stop the South China Sea Charade,” Foreign Policy
Nicola Smith, “India-China border brawl: Superpowers throw stones at each other as tensions heighten,” The Telegraph
Ben Westcott, “Indian video mocks Xi Jinping after Chinese state media posts 'racist' clip,” CNN
Declan Walsh, Raphael Minder, Eric Schmitt and Rukmini Callimachi, “Spain, a Leader in Foiling Attacks, Falls Victim to One Anyway,” New York Times
Dan Deluce, “Inside Trumps' Tortured Search for a Winning Afghanistan Strategy,” Foreign Policy
Andrew Exum, “Why the Military Chiefs are Condemning White Supremacy,” The Atlantic
Terrence McCoy, “The road to hate: For six young men, Charlottesville is only the beginning,” The Washington Post
Alan Sepinwall, “‘Halt And Catch Fire’ Takes Another Leap In Its Final Season Premiere,” Uproxx

Day-Drinking Like a Queen Aug 08, 2017

This week on Bombshell, we each dial in from parts-unknown to compare our drinking habits to the Queen of England. We also discuss new North Korean sanctions, whether anyone sent flowers to the new Pakistani Prime Minister, and what on earth is happening in Venezuela. White House mayhem is dialed to eleven and we dissect leaks, tweets, and the new sheriff in town. Finally Loren and Radha confess their love of spoilers because they’re obviously insane control freaks.

Episode Reading:

"Divers work to recover U.S. military aircraft off Australia after crash that presumably killed 3 Marines," by Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Brian Murphy, The Washington Post.
"A Tweet is a Direct Order", by Phil Carter, Slate.
"Venezuela's Ousted Attorney General Retreats on a Motorbike," Nicholas Casey, The New York Times.
"Trump Says U.S. 'Losing' Afghan War in Tense Meeting with Generals," Carol Lee and Courtney Kube, NBC News.
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic, by Michael Duncan (PublicAffairs, 2017).

How to Lose a Clearance in 10 Days Jul 25, 2017

Susan Hennessey of Lawfare and Rational Security fame joins Radha and Erin to wade through recertifying the Iran deal, social media shenanigans in the Persian Gulf, and whither the new Russia sanctions. Also on tap: all the leaks! and how we forgot about our $1 billion in foreign loans. Radha swoons over a baby hippo and Erin begs Loren to return so we can talk about Jon and Sansa.

Reading:

Peter Baker, “Trump Recertifies Iran Nuclear Deal, But Only Reluctantly,” The New York Times.
Monika Nalepa, “The attack on Poland’s judicial independence goes deeper than you may think. Here are 5 things to know,” The Monkey Cage.
M. Taylor Fravel, “Danger at Dolam,” The Indian Express.
Barkha Dutt, “Could a war break out between India and China — again?” The Washington Post.
Mark Champion and Marek Strzelecki, “When Trump Goes Abroad, Radical Change Follows in His Footsteps,” Bloomberg.
Jana Winter, Robbie Gramer, and Dan De Luce, “Trump Assigns White House Team to Target Iran Nuclear Deal, Sidelining State Department,” Foreign Policy.
Robert Windrem and William Arkin, “Who Planted the Fake News at Center of Qatar Crisis?” NBC News.
Karen DeYoung and Ellen Nakashima, “UAE orchestrated hacking of Qatari government sites, sparking regional upheaval, according to U.S. intelligence officials,” The Washington Post.
“While Fighting the Odds, Fiona the Hippo Becomes a Social Media Star,” NPR.

In Space, No One Can Hear you Scream Jul 12, 2017

Special guest Amy Shafer joins us for the full show and highlights her fabulous research on the civil-military divide in America (and dishes on the Air Force Tops in Blue). Then we celebrate the liberation of Mosul, walk through the North Korean missile test, and wonder what exactly happened at the G20 meetings. Also on the table: Whither our Afghan strategy? And Erin gets giddy over space marines. Stick around for our “Game of Thrones” preview!*

*By which we mean fan-girl shouts of joy and anticipation.

Reading:

Generations of War, Amy Shafer, CNAS
“The ISIS Killers,” Mike Giglio, Buzzfeed
“Mosul: What the Decade's Largest Battle Says About the Future of War,” Defense One Staff, Defense One
“These Mindblowing Photos Reveal the Horror of the Islamic State War,” Liz Sly, The Washington Post
“ISIS: A catastrophe for Sunnis,” Liz Sly, The Washington Post
“Inside the Collapse of the Iraqi Army’s 2nd Division,” Yasir Abbas and Dan Trombly, War on the Rocks
“Scared About North Korea? You Aren't Scared Enough,” Toby Harshaw, Bloomberg
“North Korea’s ICBM: A New Missile and a New Era,” Ankit Panda and Vipin Narang, War on the Rocks
“Looking For Details On Syria Ceasefire? Don’t Ask US Military,” Nancy Youssef, Buzzfeed
“A proposed new military branch would send US troops to guard the galaxy,” CNN
“My Top Ten Favorite Space Marines,” A Space Blog Odyssey

Bombshell LIVE! Fake News Edition Jun 30, 2017

A special LIVE episode from the CNAS annual conference. We pour some French 75s and talk to Karen Attiah and Jia Lynn Yang from The Washington Post about national security in a time of distraction. Then we dive into the Modi visit, late night Syria shots, and Defense Department recruiting and personnel issues. We wrap up with questions from the audience and a blast from the past: how not to dress like an Army colonel.

Gutter? Catahr? Let's Call the Whole Thing Off Jun 21, 2017

How do you solve a problem like Qatar? This week over Pimms Cups, we talk with Mara Karlin about all the Middle East dramas (and why she loves the SAIS cult). We lament the State Dept budget and UK politics, pay tribute to the USS Fitzgerald, and wonder if we’ll ever have a strategy in Afghanistan or Syria. Finally, American Gods, the Manic Pixie Dream S2 of Band of Brothers, and Fidget Spinners.

Reading:

"Afghanistan Stabilization Program: A Summary of Research and Key Outcome Trends," by Radha Iyengar and Jake Shapiro, Empirical Studies of Conflict
"UK election result: What does it mean for Brexit?" by Katya Alder, BBC
"What is the Good Friday Agreement and why does it matter now?" by Adam Becket, Business Insider
"Trump's Cuba Policy Will Fail," by Ben Rhodes, The Atlantic
"How Could This Happen? The Fitzgerald, the U.S. Navy, and Collisions at Sea," by Bryan McGrath, War on the Rocks

Soon, and For the Rest of Your Life Jun 07, 2017

This week we go it alone to focus on your questions! We force Radha and Loren to actually define their true loves of process and staffing, all while drinking delicious white sangria. Plus, what’s a wonk? Then we dig into the president’s whirlwind trip, upcoming U.K. elections and Erin and Radha's obsession with measurement error, how to make decisions on major international agreements after a Frenchman shakes your hand too hard, and whether the world is really as zero-sum as reality TV.

Reading:

The Role and Purpose of the National Security Advisor, Steve Hadley, Texas A&M
What Did Trump Accomplish on His First Foreign Trip?, Eliot Cohen, The Atlantic
The U.K. Snap Election Is Riskier Than It Seems, Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight
Are the UK Polls Skewed, Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight
Trump abdicates US leadership on climate change, Ernie Moniz, The Boston Globe
Paris decision underscores the visceral expression of Trump’s worldview, Dan Balz, The Washington Post
Trump Hands the Chinese a Gift: The Chance for Global Leadership, David Sanger and Jane Perlez, The New York Times
America First Doesn’t Mean America Alone, HR McMaster & Gary Cohn, The Wall Street Journal
The most extraordinary op-ed of 2017, Dan Drezner, The Washington Post Trump administration moves to return Russian compounds in Maryland and New York, Karen DeYoung and Adam Entous, The Washington Post
Justin Trudeau Met Emmanuel Macron, Making Bromantic Dreams Come True, Jerry Portwood, Rolling Stone
I Took A Military Vet to Brad Pitt's Bad Anti-War Movie. He liked itGreg Jaffe, The Washington Post
Oh Thank God, ‘Wonder Woman’ Is Good, Rebecca Pahle, Pajiba

Drink to the Foam May 24, 2017

This week we trek out to the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis for a geek field trip of epic proportions (three words: Jack Ryan's couch). We drink some rum and Claude Berube's scotch, and ring up former Under Secretary of the Navy Janine Davidson to talk about service secretaries, readiness, and why there is no Santa Claus. Then we dive into the Iranian elections, Syrian proxy war(s), our many desires for special counsels and other investigations, good skin care, and the defense budget. Finally, a short tour of the best of Navy pop culture. Sink their bones to Davy Jones, hooray!

Episode Reading

U.S. Naval Academy Museum
Janine Davidson, Emerson Brooking, and Benjamin J. Fernandes, Mending the Unequal Dialogue, Council on Foreign Relations
Ben Hubbard and Thomas Erdbrink, “In Saudi Arabia, Trump Reaches Out to Sunni Nations at Iran’s Expense,” New York Times
Joshua Keating, “What’s at Stake in Friday’s Iranian Election,” Slate
Jane Chong, Quinta Jurecic, Susan Hennessey, Matthew Kahn, and Benjamin Wittes, “Initial Reactions on the Appointment of Robert Mueller As Special Counsel,” Lawfare
Ryan Lizza, “Why Sally Yates Stood Up to Trump,” The New Yorker
Todd Harrison, “What to Expect in the FY 2018 Defense Budget,” CSIS
Aaron Mehta and Joe Gould, “Trump budget to cut Foreign Military Financing, with loan option looming,” Military Times
Dorian Merina, “When Active-Duty Service Members Struggle To Feed Their Families,” National Public Radio

Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Bombshells May 10, 2017

This week on Bombshell, we say nothing about Jim Comey! We recorded Monday and who could have guessed we'd be here today? Instead, we discuss recent casualties in Afghanistan and Somalia, check in on Venezuela and the French elections, and talk about the many ways one does and does not talk to friendly dictators. We also do our part to keep Costco margaritas in business. And then, in honor of Mother’s Day, we talk to our moms. You should too (your moms, not ours).

Episode Reading:

"Elite troops are being worked too hard and spread too thin, military commander warns," Vera Bergengruen, The Miami Herald
"Navy SEAL Who Died in Somalia Was Alongside, Not Behind, Local Forces," Helene Cooper, The New York Times
Revolutions Podcast, by Mike Duncan
"Facebook purges thousands of fake profiles ahead of UK election," Nick Summers, Endgadget
"Trump’s praise for authoritarians vs. his platitudes for allies," Aaron Blake, The Washington Post
"Venezuela’s leader wants to replace the National Assembly with one beholden to him," Francisco Toro, WaPo
"Mérida Escalates," Francisco Toro, Caracas Chronicles
"Tillerson calls for balancing US security interests, values," by Josh Lederman and Matthew Lee, AP
"Tillerson Seeking 9% Cut to U.S. State Department Workforce, Sources Say," Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg
"The End of Hypocrisy," Henry Farrell and Martha Finnemore, Foreign Affairs
"This State Department Employee Survey Is Straight Out Of 'Office Space,'" John Hudson, Buzzfeed
"Sci-Fi Writer William Gibson Reimagines the World After the 2016 Election," Alexandra Alter, The New York Times

Events:

YPFP, Conquering the Foreign Policy Establishment (16 May)
CSIS, Command Climate: The State of U.S. Civil-Military Relations (23 May)
CNAS, Annual Conference (28 June)

Mother of all Bombshells Apr 26, 2017

This week on "Bombshell," we dissect Trump’s first 100 days: whither America First, Axis of Adults (or just the big kids table?), budget shenanigans, and delegating all the things. But first, Mira Rapp-Hooper joins us to walk through the state of play on the Korean Peninsula (and reveals where you can get literal bombshells made into knives). And then Loren and Erin confess why all we want in life is Mara Jade back in the Star Wars canon.

Want to meet the Bombshell crew in person? Click here!

“North Korea risk too high for military option,” Robert Litwak, USA Today
“Could Playing Chicken with North Korea Really Pay Off?,” Jon Wolfstahl, Foreign Policy
“Confusion, chaos after Taliban breach Afghan base in deadly attack,” Abdul Matin, Reuters
“Keeping Up Civ-Mil Relations,” Mara Karlin and Loren Schulman, War on the Rocks
“Persistence of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
“Trump Has Pivoted to Scoring Easy Wins,” Jonah Goldberg, National Review
“Trump Foreign Policy at 100 Days: The Downside of Unpredictability,” Olivier Knox, Yahoo News
“US Foreign Policy and the Trump Administration's Axis of Adults,” by Dan Drezner, The Washington Post
“The End of Foreign Aid As We Know It,” Bryant Harris, et al, Foreign Policy
“Mattis tells Hill Trump budget won't fully rebuild military,” Jeremy Herb, CNN

Red, Red Lines Apr 12, 2017

This week on Bombshell we take a long look at Syria with special guest Melissa Dalton: what happened, what questions to ask, what hot takes to avoid, and where to go from here. And then we drink a lot. Also on the table: Devin Nunes and the Great Unmasking, reading tea-leaves in the National Security Council staff and membership, Jared Kushner's Wes Anderson adventure, how one dresses to go to war, and a few of our favorite spy novels.

Readings:

Jane Perlez, After Xi Leaves, Chinese Media Assail Strike on Syria (NYT)
Declan Walsh, Attacks Shows ISIS’ New Plan: Divide Egypt by Killing Christians (NYT)
Ryan Lizza, on the House Russia investigation (New Yorker)
Michael Crowley, Susan Rice Becomes the Target of Conservative Attacks(Politico)
Susan Hennessey and April Doss, What Intelligence Officials Really Mean when the Talk About Unmasking(Lawfare)
Susan Hennessey and Ben Wittes, It's Time for a Select Committee On Russia (Also, We Told You So) (Lawfare)
Michael Hanna and Sam Heller, Journey into the Unknown (WOTR)
Carl Prine, Why didn’t Trump drop bombs (San Diego Union-Trib)
CSIS report, Deterring Iran After the Nuclear Deal
Adam Weinstein, Jared Goes to Iraq (Task and Purpose)

There Xi Goes Mar 29, 2017

This week on "Bombshell," Kelly Magsamen joins us to talk about Sec Tillerson’s Asia visit, the upcoming Trump-Xi soiree, and North Korean chicanery. We also discuss splitting the check with NATO, attacks on civil servants, whether the Defense Department deserves a bonus (and how to spend it), and why we love Christine Fox. We also answer questions from the audience and reveal our favorite bourbon bars in DC.

Readings

"Did Rex Tillerson Misspeak?" by Laura Rosenerger
"The Rebalance is Dead! Long Live the Rebalance!" by Mira Rapp-Hooper, Harry Kreja, and Hannah Suh
"Rex Tillerson's approach to North Korea," by Jeff Lewis
"Healthcare + Iran Deal," by Ilan Goldenberg
"What's a NATO Ally Worth?" by Richard Fontaine
"Is NATO Obsolete? Trump Not Only One Asking," by Molly O'Toole
"Federal Staffers Panicked by Conservative Media Attacks," by Nahal Toosi and Andrew Restuccia
"Trump's Bigger Military Won't Necessarily Make US Stronger, Safer," by Todd Harrison
White House docs on DoD supplemental budget

Note: Please excuse some minor, intermittent cell phone interference in this episode. That's on us and it won't happen again!

Iraq Chalk, Chickenhawk, DPRK Who? Mar 15, 2017

This week Radha, Loren, and Erin drink hot toddies and reluctantly dig into the newest Marine Corps scandal. They also explore growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and Europe with a brief "missiles: big, medium, and small" explainer; debate the wisdom of loosening counter-terrorism policies while gutting American soft power (aka, Is it always a good time to kill bad guys?); and exorcise the bogeyman of the deep state. Stick around for pop culture digestif.

Readings:

Marine Scandal as reported byTask and Purpose in 2014

Paul Szoldra on the Marine scandal in Business Insider

NYT on Chinese response to South Korea

Hayes Brown on Turkey and the Netherlands in Buzzfeed (see also Michael Crowley)

Loren Schulman on the Deep State in Politico (see also David Remnick)

Erin Simpson and Max Fisher on Trump’s use of force

On Get Out and Slavery

On How Buffy Transformed TV

Rage Against Alcibiades Mar 01, 2017

This week, Loren, Radha, and Erin discuss the North Korean assassination (beware the perfume lady) and take questions from listeners (what is inter-service rivalry anyway?). Kori Schake joins to dissect the defense budget, H.R. McMaster's challenges at the National Security Council, Thucydides, and why she hates Moneyball.

Process is My Valentine Feb 15, 2017

Join us for another round of "Keeping up Foreign Relations" and "White House mayhem." We tackle the Yemen raid, North Korea, Afghanistan, NatSec staffing, and the hiring freeze. Special guest Julie Smith weighs in on Russian intrigue and the future of NATO. Stick around for our latest pop-culture diversions.

Aint' No Party Like an America First Party Feb 01, 2017

This week on Bombshell, we walk through the first week of the Trump administration. Sit down and listen to Radha Iyengar Plumb, Loren Dejonge Schulman, and Erin Simpson discuss America First, cabinet confirmations, Chelsea Manning, Wall of Stars + Hall of Heroes, re-organization of the National Security Council, and the immigration order. Stick around for our favorite podcasts and thoughts on Sherlock.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected