FDD's Foreign Podicy

Епизоде

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  Inside the White House on 9/11 11.09.2026 1ч 2мин

  Sept. 11, 2001 began as a beautiful late summer day in New York City and Washington, DC. Then, out of what was literally a clear blue sky, two hijacked passenger jets slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, another into the Pentagon just outside Washington. A fourth plane, thanks to the courage of the passengers aboard, did not reach its target but insteadcrashed in Pennsylvania.Lewis “Scooter” Libby was in the White House. He tells host Cliff May what took place over the days – and years – that followed. Relevant Link:  https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/8/cruel-awakening-911/
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  The U.S. Retreat from Afghanistan: 5 Years On 04.09.2026 50мин

  On August 26, an ISIS-K suicide bomber killed 13 American service members and roughly 170 Afghans at Abbey Gate, one of the entrances to Kabul airport.Four days after that, the last U.S. service member left Afghanistan. Then, on Sept. 7, 2021, the Taliban declared the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. These anniversaries have not sparked much media interest. One notable exception: A new documentary film from Wall Street Journal Opinion: “The Path to Zero: The Withdrawal FromAfghanistan,” looks at President Biden's April 14, 2021 order to draw American troop levels down to zero, and traces what followed. The film's producer and director, Michael Pack, talks with host Cliff May about what happened back then and the lessons we should have learned by now. Documentary Links:https://www.wsj.com/video/series/opinion-docs/wsj-opinion-the-path-to-zero/2EB4BA30-CF99-462F-BB52-222870D4F002https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wwzv_B9x-k
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  25 Years of UN/NGO Racism 28.08.2026 52мин

  In late Summer of 2001, the UN hosted what it called the “World Conference on Racism” in Durban, South Africa.Instead of combating racism, the conference incited it, becoming the worst international manifestation of Jew-hatred since World War II and the Nazi Holocaust.Cuban dictator Fidel Castro accused Israel of “genocide.” Yes, way back then.Gerald Steinberg, the founder and president of NGO Monitor, a think tank focused, as its name suggests, on non-governmental organizations, talks to host Cliff May about how and why those poisonous seeds were planted, and what they’ve grown into more than two decades later.
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  World's First Super-Terrorist 21.08.2026 50мин

  Joby Warrick, a fine storyteller and longtime national security correspondent for the Washington Post, has written a biography of the most infamous terrorist of the second half of the 20th century.“The Jackal: The Rise and Fall of Carlos, the World’s First Super-Terrorist,” relates the life story of Ilich Ramírez Sánchez – the Venezuelan-born Communist who enjoyed tailored suits, fine wine, beautiful women, and murdering in support of anti-capitalism, anti-Zionism, and other sundry causes for which he was well-paid.The seizure of the OPEC ministers in Vienna. Two French intelligence officers shot dead in a Paris apartment. The capture in Khartoum that finally ended his run.Since 1994, Carlos has been behind bars. In 2003, from his cell, he wrote a manifesto, L'Islam révolutionnaire, praising Osama bin Laden’s 9/11 attack, and urging revolutionaries of every stripe — leftists, atheists, all of them — to accept Islamist leadership.Today, Carlos sits in Poissy, a prison housed in a former monastery, where Joby interviewed him. In this episode of “Foreign Podicy,” Joby tells host Cliff May that the Jackal is no longer the wild animal he once was.
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  Where in the World Is Monty? (Cliff May feat. Mark Montgomery) 14.08.2026 54мин

  FDD’s RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery is a travelin’ man. He’s just back from Taiwan and Ukraine.He joins host Cliff May to debrief what he saw and heard abroad—and offer his analyses. They also discuss North Korea’s role in Russia’s war, cyberattacks—almost certainly by Iran’s rulers—on water utilities in Minnesota and Michigan, the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis and the Bab el-Mandeb, and cognitive warfare.
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  A Rumor of War 07.08.2026 1ч 6мин

  A week ago, President Trump seemed to have decided to hit the Islamic Republic of Iran hard – to destroy what’s left of its missile arsenals, its military-industrial base, its command-and-control headquarters and perhaps the commanders themselves. Then the President heard that Iran’s rulers were finally ready to make a deal. Soon after, Iran’s rulers announced they were not. President Trump called that “unbelievably duplicitous.” FDD’s Reuel Marc Gerecht and Behnam Ben Taleblu join host Cliff May to discuss where the conflict stands and what would be the best way forward.
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  Axis of Aggressors: China, Russia, Iran & North Korea 31.07.2026 1ч 6мин

  The United States faces the most complex geostrategic threat since 1945: an Axis of Aggressors — China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea — increasingly aligned across economic, cyber, technology, and military domains to diminish American power. Their most alarming tactic may be to trigger simultaneous major wars to stretch U.S. resources past the breaking point.Bradley Bowman, Elaine Dezenski, and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery — senior leaders at FDD's Centers on AmericanPower — join Cliff May on Foreign Podicy to discuss their new book: "Axis of Aggressors: Countering the Cooperation of China, Russia, Iran & North Korea" — the result of two years of research, examining the threat and laying out a grand strategy to strengthen America, bolster its allies, and weaken this emerging axis.Learn more about Axis of Aggressors: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/axis-of-aggressors/Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/Axis-Aggressors-Countering-Cooperation-Russia/dp/1968919554/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
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  Britain’s New PM and Yemen’s Old Houthis 24.07.2026 1ч 4мин

  Two places we need to watch carefully right now: the United Kingdom, which has just installed its seventh prime minister in a decade, and Yemen, where the Houthi rebels have declared anaval blockade of Saudi Arabia and resumed strikes on tankers transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.  Edmund Fitton-Brown, FDD senior fellow and former British ambassador to Yemen, joins Cliff May on FDD’s Foreign Podicy to discuss the new government in Blighty and what’s driving theHouthis on the Arabian Peninsula.
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  Iran, AI, and the Death of Traditional Warfare 17.07.2026 46мин

  Forget nukes and stealth jets — the next war may just be won with algorithms, drone swarms, and who spends smarter, not bigger.FDD Research Analyst and Foreign Podicy guest host, Mariam Wahba sits down with Aaron MacLean, host of the School of War podcast, to unpack how AI and rapid decision cycles are rewriting the rules of modern warfare — with Iran and Ukraine as live case studies. From strategic miscalculation and munitionsshortages to the death of old "theories of victory," they discuss why America's tech edge alone won't be enough to win the next war.
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  The Third World Wants You – Not in a Good Way 10.07.2026 50мин

  This week, Iran's rulers fired on commercial vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz -- an egregious violation of the Memorandum of Understanding which now appears to be a dead MOU. That doesn't surprise Zineb Riboua who has always been skeptical of attempts to forge "peace deals" with the Islamist revolutionaries in Tehran. Ms. Riboua, research fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East and founder of the China in MENA Project, sitsdown with host Cliff May to discuss Iran, Morocco (where she was born), France (where she was went to school), Russia, China, Latin America and the rising ideology -- including in the U.S. -- of Third Worldism.
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  NATO Summit: Alliances under Strain 02.07.2026 57мин

  As NATO members head to Ankara, the Alliance is under strain — clashing over defense spending levels, the Russo-Ukrainian and US-Iran wars, and the shrinking U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump comes to the table with real leverage, but both Europe and America have real grievances, and the outcome may hinge on which one drives his approach.On this episode of Foreign Podicy, guest host RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD's Center on Cyber and Innovation Technology, is joined by John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia Program; Peter Doran, FDD senior adjunct fellow; and Cameron McMillan, senior research analyst at FDDs Center on Military and Political Power. Together, they assess what's at stake in Ankara and whether Trump can secure strong wins from allies or risks mismanaging the moment.
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  Of Presidents and Persians 26.06.2026 50мин

  A century of failed diplomacy, hostage crises, secret arms deals, war and even murder. Dr. Tevi Troy, an American presidential historian and senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, joins host Cliff May to unpack his WashingtonExaminer article, "The Presidents and Iran: A History." From the Persian shahs to the Islamic Republic, Troy and May trace 100 years of U.S.-Iran conflict and ask the uncomfortable question: why does each new commander in chief refuse to learn from his predecessor's mistakes?
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  War and Peace and Other Possibilities 18.06.2026 51мин

  A memorandum of understanding with Iran isn't peace – it's a fragile ceasefire with a regime whose ideology traces back to 1,400 years of jihad. While Tehran projects strength and defiance, U.S. negotiators face an impossible choice: lock in a deal that leaves the most dangerous issues unresolved or hold the line and risk escalation.On this episode of Foreign Podicy, FDD military experts RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Bradley Bowman join host Cliff May to break down why the 60-day negotiation window with Iran isn't just a diplomatic deadline; it's a crux in the global conflict between free nations and their sworn enemies.
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  Elise Stefanik and the “Poisoned Ivies” 12.06.2026 57мин

  In this episode of Foreign Podicy, host Cliff May sits down with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik — once the youngest woman ever elected to the House and its highest-ranking female member — to discuss her new book, Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America's Elite Universities. Stefanik gained national attention after her landmark December 2023 congressional hearing, where she pressed the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT on whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated their campus policies —and none would give a clear answer.Joining the conversation is Brandy Shufutinsky, director of FDD's Program on Education and National Security, who brings her expertise in international and multicultural education to examine the deeper implications of ideological bias and double standards at America's most prestigious institutions. Tune in for a frank discussion on antisemitism, academic freedom, and the urgent need to reform elite higher education.
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  Defending Taiwan 05.06.2026 53мин

  Taiwan makes 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors — and China wants to take it without breaking it - using economic coercion if they can. If Beijing succeeds, the global tech economy becomes weaponized.FDD CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Stanford Hoover Institution Fellow Eyck Freymann break down the military, economic, and diplomatic strategies the U.S. and its allies must deploy right now to deter China — and what happens if they fail.
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  UN Watch Report: Watching the UN Rot 29.05.2026 35мин

  A new UN Watch investigation exposes ideological bias, foreign funding, and ethical misconduct among UN Special Rapporteurs — raising urgent questions about UN accountability and the urgent need for reform. The shocking new report, "From Watchdogs to Ideologues," reveals a long list of Special Rapporteurs who routinely exhibit extreme ideological bias, take payoffs from authoritarian states, and engage in conduct that in any other professional setting would end careers. Host Cliff May discusses the report with Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of the Geneva-based NGO UN Watch.
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  ¿Cuba libre? 22.05.2026 55мин

  America’s spy chief visits Havana, the U.S. Justice Department announces the indictment for murder of former Cuban dictator, Raul Castro, Cuba’s current rulers are reported to have received more than 300 military attack drones from Moscow and Tehran while ordinary Cubans suffer power outages, medicine shortages, and soaring food prices. Guests Carrie Filipetti of the Vandenberg Coalition and Connor Pfeiffer of FDD Action join host Cliff May to discuss how these developments add up and whether the liberation of the Cuban people from the zombie Castroite regime is finally possible.
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  Immigration as a Weapon 15.05.2026 58мин

  New York Times bestselling author Peter Schweizer joins host Cliff May to discuss his new book, "The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon." The two take a deep dive into the recent U.S.-China summit, comparisons between the Islamic Republic and the former Soviet Union, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Peter’s explosive discovery of a "Manchurian Candidate"-style weaponization of the U.S. immigration system.
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  The Axis of Aggressors and Unraveling World Order 08.05.2026 1ч 13мин

  The world is entering a more dangerous era.China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly coordinating across every domain of power. Wars are expanding. Nuclear threats are rising. America’s alliances are under pressure. And President Trump is heading to Beijing.Former U.S. ambassador to Finland and Turkey Eric S. Edelman joins guest host Bradley Bowman to break down the new age of great-power competition — from China and NATO to Iran, deterrence, and the growing risk of global conflict.
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  Stakes in the Straits and Chips on the Table 01.05.2026 51мин

  The Strait of Hormuz isn't just about Iran. It's a stress test for American will, allied confidence, and the deterrence architecture holding the Indo-Pacific together.FDD's RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, fresh from a trip to Taiwan, and Craig Singleton, FDD China Program Senior Director, join Cliff May to connect the dots — from the naval blockade's economic pressure to the lessons Beijing and Taipei are both drawing, in real time, from the Iran war.