Fault Lines

Latest Episodes:

Episode 149: Brittney Griner Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

Today, Les, Jess and Jamil discuss the news that Brittney Griner has been transferred to a Russian penal colony, where she will serve the rest of nine-and-a-half-year sentence for processing less than a gram of cannabis oil in a vape cartridge.

Should the U.S. government do whatever it takes to bring her home? What role does the official U.S. hostage envoy have to play? If we don’t do anything, what message does this send to other U.S. citizens overseas currently being held against their will? Tune in to hear our experts discuss this multifaceted issue.

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/russia-moves-brittney-griner-to-penal-colony/

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/11/11/brittney-griner-russia-sentence-penal-colony-00066419

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Episode 148: Foreign Interference in America Elections – How Worried Should We Be? Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

Yesterday was Election Day in America. In this episode Les, Jess, and Jamil debate foreign interference in American elections. Earlier this week, powerful Russian businessman and close Putin ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, admitted that Russia interfered in previous U.S. elections and that it will interfere in American elections going forward.

How concerned should Americans be about foreign interference in our elections? What should the U.S. reaction be to threats of election interference by foreign actors? Should we be doing more to secure our elections? Listen to hear our experts discuss!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/russias-prigozhin-admits-interfering-us-elections-2022-11-07/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/07/putin-ally-yevgeny-prigozhin-admits-interfering-in-us-elections

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Episode 147: Olaf Scholz Goes to China Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s badly timed visit to Beijing. While it is no secret that Germany’s economy is heavily dependent on China, Chancellor Scholz has been the only G7 leader to make the trip to China since COVID-19. Critics argue that Chancellor Scholz’s visit ignores President Xi Jinping’s increasingly authoritarian tactics.

Is this visit indicative of a boarder German foreign policy shift towards China? How should the U.S. react when friends and allies “play footsies” with the Chinese? Is decoupling a viable option for Germany? Tune in to find out what our experts think!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/germanys-scholz-in-china-amid-trade-ukraine-rights-issues/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/03/olaf-scholz-china-trip-germany

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Episode 146: Grain Wars or Grain Wins? Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil debate what the U.S. response should be to Russia threatening to suspend support for grain exports through the Black Sea.

Luckily, with the help of Turkey and the UN, Russia decided to restart its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative (which allows for exports of food and fertilizer through the Black Sea). However, this raises the question of what the U.S. should do if Russia pulls out of this agreement and institutes a naval blockade. Should we engage with our military assets? Should we rely on diplomacy? Should we do nothing? Tune in to find out what our experts think!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/world/europe/ukraine-russia-grain-black-sea.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/02/grain-deal-ukraine-turkey-russia/

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Episode 145: Iranian Protests Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

Fault Lines is back!!

Join us for our second episode after our break with a regular cast of characters to get you quickly up to speed three-times-a-week on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.

Citizens have been protesting across Iran for nearly seven weeks, defying a deadly crackdown by security forces.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss these protests in light of the Iranian regime's increasingly strict crack down. Are these protests different than previous protests in Iran? Should the U.S. government be doing more? Are sanctions the answer? Should we be advocating for regime change in Iran? Tune in to find out!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-indicts-some-1000-people-tehran-over-unrest-tasnim-reports-2022-10-31/

To listen to President Obama’s full podcast as referenced go here:

https://crooked.com/podcast/between-barack-and-a-hard-place/

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Episode 144: COP27 Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

Fault Lines is back and revamped!

Join us for our first episode in our new format, which gets you quickly up to speed three-times-a-week on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil talk about the upcoming COP27 in Egypt. President Biden will be attending, and all eyes will be on Sharm El-Sheikh as this is the first major public interaction since President Xi Jinping’s power grab last week at the Chinese Communist Party's Congress. What is COP? Why is this something you should be tracking? Listen to find out!

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out this article that our experts used to frame our discussion:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-emissions-set-to-decline-but-global-pledges-fall-short-of-climate-goals-u-n-says-11666832112

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Breaking Chains: Series Finale - The Islamic Republic of Iran Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

This week, we take a deep dive into the Islamic Republic of Iran. What are Iran’s regional and internal ambitions? What is the political history of Iran and how does this explain its actions and intentions? Do human rights exist in Iran? Should the U.S. resurrect the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)?

Richard Goldberg is a Senior Advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Rich joins to answer and reflect on these questions. Rich has extensive experience on Iran and the boarder Middle East region from his time working on Capitol Hill as well as at the White House National Security Council.

This episode is the series finale of our summer series, “Breaking Chains: Fighting the New Global Repressors.” Thank you to those who joined us throughout the summer to dive into some of the most pressing human rights issues facing our world.

The Fault Lines team is taking a break in September but we look forward to more hard-hitting episodes - with a new look - in October! Until then!

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Special Episode: Afghanistan - One Year On Aug 31, 2022

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This week marks one year since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan following its two-decade commitment to fighting terrorism in the country. One year on, we have a country ruled by the Taliban, thousands of Americans and allies stranded within its borders, and a rapidly deteriorating economic, humanitarian and regional security situation on the ground. How many American people and allies are still left in Taliban-governed Afghanistan? What does the future of U.S. commitment look like in the country? How has our withdrawal impacted the U.S. role in the world and its order?

Today’s episode will feature France Hoang to help answer and reflect on these questions. France is the Chairman of the Board of Allied Airlift 21 and co-founder of the Afghanistan Departure Group (ADG). Both of these organizations were instrumental in assisting with the evacuation of Americans and our allies out of Afghanistan.

Want to learn more about Allied Airlift 21 and how you can help? Please check out their website here!

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Breaking Chains: North Korea – It’s All About Survival Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

This week, we discuss what life is like in North Korea for the average citizen and how the authoritarian government keeps order and control over the lives of ordinary North Koreans.

Do human rights even exist in North Korea? What motivates the North Korean government to perpetuate repression? What is the difference between operations and analysis at the Central Intelligence Agency, and what skills are they looking for in prospective intelligence analysts?

Yong Lee is the former CIA Deputy Assistant Director for the Korea Mission Center and former Chief of the Korea Department. Yong has extensive experience in Korean Peninsula affairs. We are thrilled he could join Fault Lines to shed light on the notoriously isolated country of North Korea.

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Breaking Chains: Democracy’s Role in Countering Authoritarianism Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

This week, we discuss what organizations like the International Republican Institute are doing to help curb the malicious actions of states who repress their people.

What are the roles of interests and values in the context of America's foreign policy? What can democratic countries do to counter authoritarian regimes? What is the role of the U.S. Congress in shaping foreign policy, and how this arrangement uniquely American?

Dr. Daniel Twining is President of the International Republican Institute. Previously, Dr. Twining directed the German Marshall Fund’s Asia program, was a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and served as a foreign policy advisor to the late U.S. Senator John McCain. We are thrilled to have him join to answer these questions!

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