The Burn Bag Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Beijing Brief: Ambassador Nicholas Burns on Trump, Tariffs, and China's Playbook Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

Former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns joins The Burn Bag to unpack the fragile U.S.–China tariff truce, the state of ongoing trade negotiations, and how Beijing is recalibrating its diplomacy in response to President Trump’s return. Drawing on his tenure as America’s top envoy in Beijing from 2022-25, Ambassador Burns explains why he believes Trump is right to pressure China on tariffs—while offering a sharp critique of India’s retaliatory 50% duties and the broader reciprocal tariff regime.

Burns weighs in on the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, including the strategic implications of the Modi–Xi–Putin meeting, and assesses how Xi Jinping’s centralized leadership style has hardened China’s power. He and A’ndre also discuss how Chinese officials view Trump’s return to power and the broader risks and opportunities for U.S. diplomacy in Asia. The former ambassador offers a candid, perspective rooted in his recent on-the-ground experience of China’s evolving strategy and the path forward for American policymakers.

Civilian Power: Why "Spirit of America" is a Non-Profit with a DoD Partnership, feat. Jim Hake, Founder of Spirit of America Sep 04, 2025

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Jim Hake, founder of Spirit of America, joins The Burn Bag to discuss why civilians matter in modern national security—and how his organization is filling gaps government can’t. A Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned national security innovator, Jim founded Spirit of America after 9/11 to bring a whole-of-society approach to U.S. missions overseas.

In this conversation, Jim breaks down why he believes the U.S. has been “fighting with one hand tied behind its back,” what it means to be not neutral in global competition, and how Spirit of America became the only nonprofit with a formal partnership with the Department of Defense. We explore how his team works alongside U.S. troops and diplomats in places like Ukraine and Taiwan, strengthening trust, building resilience, and shaping outcomes in the gray zone.

Jim and A’ndre reflect on where civilian support fits in a new era of strategic competition—and what it says about America’s ability to lead without uniformed force.

The Trump-Putin Summit: Alexander Vindman on Ukraine After Alaska and Improvised Diplomacy Aug 20, 2025

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Former NSC official Lt. Col. (Ret.) Alexander Vindman joins The Burn Bag to break down the fallout from the Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, the Monday meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and European leaders at the White House, and the dangerous trajectory of U.S. diplomacy on Ukraine. A former NSC Director for European Affairs and key Trump impeachment witness, Lt. Col. Vindman argues that Trump’s ad hoc engagement with Putin diminished U.S. credibility, granted Putin international legitimacy, and undermined Ukraine’s sovereignty.

He discusses Putin’s proposed land-for-peace deal, Zelenskyy’s constrained agency, and the risk that Washington’s approach trades away strategic leverage for short-term optics. Lt. Col. Vindman and A'ndre discuss discuss whether Monday's White House Summit of Trump, Zelenskyy, and European allies actually showcased unity, in addition to the current state of the war. The former NSC official offers a candid assessment of what’s at stake—for Ukraine, for Europe, and for American credibility on the global stage.

Read Lt. Col. Vindman's new book, The Folly of Realism, here.

The Crimean Tatars: Ukraine, Russian Occupation, and Crimea's Indigenous Resistance with Professor Greta Uehling Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

The war in Ukraine didn’t start in 2022—it started in Crimea in 2014. In this episode, we sit down with University of Michigan professor and anthropologist Dr. Greta Uehling to explore the story of the Crimean Tatars, Ukraine’s Indigenous people and one of the first communities to resist Russian occupation in 2014. Drawing on years of fieldwork and personal testimony, Greta shares how Crimean Tatars have faced erasure, exile, and repression—yet continue to preserve identity, community, and resistance under impossible conditions.

We dive into the historical roots of the Crimean Tatar struggle, their role in shaping Ukraine’s civic identity, and why Crimea remains central to understanding the war today. From silent protests to grassroots organizing, this conversation spotlights the people and stories often left out of the headlines—but at the heart of Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty.

Greta's new book, Decolonizing Ukraine: How the Indigenous People of Crimea Remade Themselves after Russian Occupation, is available now.

Manhunt to Mindshift: Fmr. CIA Analyst Gina Bennett on Hunter-Gatherer National Security and Evolutionary Power Jul 31, 2025

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In this episode of The Burn Bag, A’ndre sits down with retired CIA analyst Gina Bennett, who famously authored the first classified warning about Osama bin Laden in 1993. A key voice in the fight against al-Qaeda — and featured in the Netflix documentary Manhunt — Gina reflects on her decades in intelligence and how the U.S. national security system has long understood the nature of threats.

Now, she’s pushing for a paradigm shift with her Hunter-Gatherer National Security theory — a bold framework that challenges the traditional, militarized view of power and argues that skills like emotional intelligence, civic engagement, and social cohesion are just as vital to national security as military might. Together, A’ndre and Gina explore the deep historical biases embedded in how we define “security,” the concept of evolutionary power, the dangers of neglecting civic education in a democracy, and what a more holistic, evolved security strategy could look like.

Veteran U.S. Diplomat Dr. Kurt Campbell on Tariffs, the China Challenge, and Allied Scale in Asia Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

Dr. Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of State and an architect of the U.S. “Pivot to Asia,” joins the Burn Bag to unpack the strategic crossroads the United States faces in the Indo-Pacific. In a wide-ranging conversation, Campbell discusses the Trump administration’s ongoing tariff negotiations with key allies and partners, the shifting contours of U.S.-China competition, and why he believes the United States is underestimating Beijing’s long-term scale and capacity. Drawing from his recent Foreign Affairs essay with Rush Doshi, we explore his call for a new strategy of “allied scale” that fuses defense, trade, and technology cooperation. Campbell shares sharp insights on the future of AUKUS, the role of partners such as India, Japan, and Korea, and how the U.S. must adapt its strategy to stay competitive in a region that’s central to the 21st century.
Read Kurt's Foreign Affairs op-ed (co-authored with Rush Doshi) here.

The New Defense Prime: Breaking Innovation Theater, AI Adoption, and Data Fusion with Raft CEO Shubhi Mishra Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we’re joined by Shubhi Mishra, founder and CEO of Raft, to talk about what it takes to become a new defense prime. Shubhi challenges the dominance of legacy primes and makes the case for smaller, faster-moving companies that can deliver what the warfighter actually needs. Through her work at Raft — a defense technology company building agile, AI-driven solutions for data fusion and rapid decision-making — she’s tackling one of the most urgent problems in defense: integrating siloed, vendor-locked systems. Shubhi shares her perspective on breaking free from “innovation theater,” reforming acquisition processes, and building real, interoperable solutions at the speed of relevance.

Read more about Shubhi here.

U.S. Strikes on Iran: Israel’s War, Iran’s Nuclear Sites, and the Fragile Ceasefire with fmr. NSC Senior Director Javed Ali Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of The Burn Bag, we unpack the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites—marking a sharp escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict and raising fears of a wider regional war. National security expert Javed Ali joins us to trace the timeline from the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel to the Israeli strikes deep inside Iran and the decision that brought U.S. forces directly into the fight. We discuss the key turning points that drove the escalation, the role of Iran’s nuclear program in the conflict, and the potential for asymmetric retaliation from Iran’s extensive proxy network. Javed also offers insight into the precarious ceasefire announced by President Trump, what it might take to hold it, and the critical signals to watch in the weeks ahead.

Ret. General Stanley McChrystal on Character, Fear, Leadership, Polarization, and More Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, A’ndre speaks with retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of Joint Special Operations Command and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Widely recognized for revolutionizing modern counterinsurgency strategy and interagency counterterrorism operations, McChrystal reflects on a lifetime of leadership, failure, resilience, and personal growth through the lens of his new book, On Character: Choices That Define a Life.

The conversation begins with McChrystal’s reflections on the defining moment of his resignation from the military and how it reshaped his understanding of identity, accountability, and integrity. He speaks candidly about navigating fear and how it presents itself in warfare and political polarization. General McChrystal also discusses leadership and accountability, drawing on the examples of prior military leaders such as General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Topics covered include:

The personal reckoning after his resignation and how it redefined his understanding of character
Leading through fear, uncertainty, and moral complexity
How belief systems and perception shape conflict, politics, and leadership
Bridging division in a polarized society and restoring trust through integrity

You can purchase On Character here.

India and Pakistan on the Brink: Dr. Paul Staniland on Operation Sindoor, the Kashmir Terror Attack, and the Ceasefire’s Stability May 16, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, A’ndre speaks with his old boss Dr. Paul Staniland, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and a leading authority on political violence and South Asian security, for an in-depth conversation on the recent confrontation between India and Pakistan.

Dr. Staniland analyzes the strategic logic behind India’s Operation Sindoor, launched in response to a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed 26 civilians. The conversation explores the evolving nature of India and Pakistan's disputes over Kashmir, the role of militant networks, and the risks of escalation in a nuclear-armed region shaped by domestic politics and great power rivalry.

Topics covered include:

The political and strategic rationale behind India’s cross-border strikes
Pakistan’s relationship with armed groups and its role in crisis escalation
Lessons from past India-Pakistan confrontations — and what may be different now
The role of the U.S., China, and backchannel diplomacy in managing the ceasefire
How domestic politics contributed to the confrontation

Dr. Staniland offers a uniquely grounded perspective on how South Asia’s most volatile rivalry is evolving — and what to watch for as both countries recalibrate their strategies under rising regional and global pressure.

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