Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs

Епизоди

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  Political Violence on the Rise and Israel's Plot to Install Ahmadinejad | Espresso Martini 25.07.2026 1ч 16мин

  Mossad spent years grooming a former Iranian president to topple the regime from within — until he lost his nerve. Chris and Matt on the Ahmadinejad plot, the nuclear bunker even America's biggest bomb can't reach, Japan's Russian spy problem, and the violence fraying Western politics.
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  Putin’s Survival Machine | Sean Wiswesser 18.07.2026 51мин

  Every few months, a rumor or prediction suggests Vladimir Putin is finally cornered — a purge, a battlefield setback, a grim Victory Day parade. Former senior CIA officer Sean Wiswesser, author of Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks, says the West keeps mistaking Russia's elite infighting for weakness.
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  Germany Rewrites the Rules for its Spies | Florian Flade 11.07.2026 57мин

  For most of its history, Germany's foreign intelligence service was built to watch, not to act — a constraint rooted in the country's experience of the Gestapo and the Stasi. A sweeping draft law would change that, letting the BND conduct sabotage, covert interference, and offensive cyber operations for the first time. Chris speaks with German investigative journalist Florian Flade, among the first to report on the draft, about what's driving the overhaul.
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  Britain's Next PM, AI's Counterintelligence Problem, and Ukraine's Warrior-Witches | Espresso Martini 04.07.2026 1ч 7мин

  Chris and Matt examine the political fallout from Keir Starmer's departure as Prime Minister, the prospect of Andy Burnham taking over, and what it means for Britain's defence and national security. They also explore AI as a new counterintelligence threat through Anthropic's Claude experiment before looking at Ukraine's remarkable "warrior-witches", where traditional spycraft and modern drone warfare collide.
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  The Guru, the Loyalist, and the DNI After Gabbard | Shane Harris 27.06.2026 51мин

  A Washington Post investigation into Tulsi Gabbard and questions surrounding her successor, Bill Pulte, expose a deeper crisis inside US intelligence. Shane Harris joins Matt to examine how the Office of the Director of National Intelligence became vulnerable to political influence, why many intelligence veterans now believe it should be reformed or abolished, and what that means for the future of America's spy agencies.
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  Iran Survived. Now What? | Espresso Martini 20.06.2026 1ч 6мин

  On the latest episode of Secrets & Spies, Chris and Matt analyse the U.S.-Iran memorandum signed by President Trump in Versailles, examining sanctions relief, frozen Iranian assets, the Strait of Hormuz, the future of the Iran nuclear deal, and why claims of a diplomatic breakthrough may be premature. They also explore how the conflict may have strengthened the Islamic Republic under the emerging influence of Mojtaba Khamenei, before unpacking reports that the Pentagon has designated Israel a critical counterintelligence threat amid renewed concerns over espionage between allies.
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  Full Stack Spies: Cyber Espionage in the Age of US China Competition | Ahana Datta Fasel 13.06.2026 1ч

  Ahana Datta Fasel joins Chris to explore how cyber espionage reflects the psychology, culture, and strategic priorities of the states that conduct it. Drawing on her experience as a former British government ethical hacker and author of Full Stack Spies, she examines China's cyber ecosystem, the human motivations behind hacking operations, and why the line between peace and conflict in the digital age has become increasingly blurred.
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  Iran, China, and the New Middle East | Ahmed Aboudouh from Chatham House 11.06.2026 48мин

  Ahmed Aboudouh from Chatham House joins Chris to assess the shifting power dynamics of the Middle East, arguing that China has no coherent regional strategy and that Arab states want a normalised Iran rather than a weakened one. With the Abraham Accords effectively dead, he warns that the US faces a paradox of its own making — deeper military entanglement and eroding strategic credibility — while the war looks set to intensify multi-alignment rather than force a binary choice between Washington and Beijing.
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  Think Like a Spy: What Intelligence Work Really Teaches About People | Julian Fisher 06.06.2026 1ч 9мин

  Julian Fisher spent his career as a British intelligence operative before distilling what he learned into the Think Like a Spy: Strategic Relations Workshop—and his central argument is counterintuitive: the most transferable lessons from intelligence work aren't classified techniques, they're interpersonal skills. In conversation with Chris, Fisher argues that human intelligence, at its core, is the disciplined practice of building trust, reading people accurately, and cultivating long-term strategic relationships—competencies with direct applications in leadership, negotiation, and professional life. The conversation covers his distinction between influence and manipulation (one operates in a subject's interests; the other subverts them), the role of self-awareness and genuine curiosity in effective leadership, and the trained capacity to step off the emotional battlefield and respond deliberately rather than react. Drawing on methods developed in intelligence, military, and law-enforcement contexts, Fisher's framework treats networking not as contact collection but as the construction of durable, mutually beneficial bonds—the kind that take years to build and, when they matter, make all the difference.Join Julian's course that starts on 23rd June here: https://theintelligencemaven.comConnect with Julian here: https://julesfisher.com/Support Secrets and SpiesBecome a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpiesBuy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secretsandspiesSubscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dgFor more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.comConnect with us on social mediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspiesFacebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspiesSpoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpiesFollow Chris and Matt on Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.netSecrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD: https://filmsandpodcasts.co.uk/Music by Andrew R. BirdPhoto by CanvaSecrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.
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  A Rich Harvest of Bitter Fruit: CIA, MI6, and Covert Action in Cold War Albania | Stephen Long 04.06.2026 54мин

  In the late 1940s and early 1950s, CIA and MI6 launched an audacious series of clandestine operations to infiltrate and destabilize Communist Albania — and lost nearly every agent they sent in. Historian Stephen Long, Assistant Professor in International Relations at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and author of A Rich Harvest of Bitter Fruit, reconstructs how the Albanian Sigurimi, one of Eastern Europe's most formidable counterintelligence services, turned the West's covert action program into a catastrophe — aided, from the inside, by British Russian spy Kim Philby. Long examines the fractured exile networks that became the human raw material for these missions, the diverging British and American strategic objectives, and the 1952 Apple mission's disastrous double cross. He traces how Albania's failures quietly shaped the covert interventions to come — in Iran, in Guatemala — and what the human cost demands of the institutions that ordered it.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Order A Rich Harvest of Bitter Fruit: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/A-Rich-Harvest-of-Bitter-Fruit-by-Stephen-Long/9781837732241Connect with Stephen: https://scholar.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/persons/SteveLong/Support Secrets and SpiesBecome a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpiesBuy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secretsandspiesSubscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dgFor more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.comConnect with us on social mediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspiesFacebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspiesSpoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpiesFollow Chris and Matt on Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.netSecrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD: https://filmsandpodcasts.co.uk/Music by Andrew R. BirdPhoto by AFP, CanvaSecrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.
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  Gabbard Resigns, Trump Meets Xi, and China's Capitol Hill Spy Pitch | Espresso Martini 31.05.2026 1ч 17мин
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  America’s War Powers Crisis | Brian Finucane 23.05.2026 58мин
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  A Spy at War | Charles Beaumont 16.05.2026 1ч 12мин
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  No show on Saturday 9th May. We will return on 16th May. Chris has some episode recommendations from our back catalogue 08.05.2026 1мин

  There will be no show on Saturday 9th May as we are on a production break. We will return on Saturday 16th MayChris has some recommendations from our back catalogue.Chris's Episode recommendationsFrom CIA to CEO with Rupal PatelAudio: https://pod.fo/e/371b55YouTube: https://youtu.be/94-vBjgdNzAFormer CIA analyst Rupal Patel joins Chris to explore reinvention, resilience and life after intelligence, from tactical ignorance and time management to building a life that truly fits.The Fourth Intelligence revolution with Anthony VinciAudio: https://pod.fo/e/365baeYouTube: https://youtu.be/D4ZagwI5Z3oFormer chief technology officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Dr. Anthony Vinci explains how AI, China and disinformation are driving a new intelligence revolution, where citizens, companies and trust itself have become targetsSupport Secrets and SpiesBecome a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpiesBuy merchandise from our Redbubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secretsandspiesSubscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dgFor more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.comConnect with us on social mediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.socialInstagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspiesFacebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspiesSpoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpiesFollow Chris and Matt on Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.netSecrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD: https://filmsandpodcasts.co.uk/Music by Andrew R. BirdSecrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.
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  Iran Stalemate, the End of Orbán, and the CIA in Mexico | Espresso Martini 02.05.2026 1ч 16мин
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  A Spy’s Guide to Cold War Berlin | James Stejskal 29.04.2026 1ч 5мин
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  Able Archer: The Nuclear War Game That Almost Ended the World | Brian J. Morra 26.04.2026 1ч 1мин
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  What Hollywood Gets Wrong About the CIA | John Sipher & Jerry O’Shea 18.04.2026 1ч 18мин
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  Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks | Sean Wiswesser 11.04.2026 1ч 1мин
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  Inside the New Apostolic Reformation: Faith, Power, and American Politics | Pastor Louis Florio 04.04.2026 1ч 40мин

  Pastor Louis Florio—Lutheran pastor, former military intelligence officer, and police chaplain in Virginia—joins Chris to explain the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR): what it actually is, where it came from, and why it matters beyond the pews.