The Burn Bag Podcast
News & Politics
About
We’re here to redefine how scholars and policymakers approach national security and foreign policy. Join us, as we make sense of a world in crisis.
Episodes
- Data Centers as Targets: What Happens if the Cloud and AI Infrastructure gets Hit? with Morgan Plummer
Morgan C. Plummer joins The Burn Bag podcast to discuss the strategic importance of AI infrastructure and data centers as potential wartime targets. The conversation covers the vulnerability of cloud computing, the economic impact of disru…
- Fuels, Ports, and Power: How South Asia's Smaller States are Navigating Crisis, with Nilanthi Samaranayake
This episode features Nilanthi Samaranayake discussing the challenges faced by smaller South Asian states, including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Nepal, as they navigate geopolitical tensions, energy shocks, and great-power com…
- Global (Dis)Order: America and the Future of the International System with Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper
Dr. Mira Rapp-Hooper joins The Burn Bag Podcast to discuss the transition of the international system, driven by shifts in global power, technology, and economics, alongside U.S.-China competition and evolving alliances.
- Iran After Khamenei: Vali Nasr on the New Supreme Leader and Tehran's War Strategy
Vali Nasr joins The Burn Bag Podcast to analyze the power structure in Iran following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the succession of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. The discussion covers the governing structure, the IRGC's role, Mojt…
- Fmr. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on the Iran War's First Week
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper joined A'ndre to discuss the first week of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict following February 28 strikes. Esper assessed the campaign's unfolding, strategic objectives, potential success, U.S.-Isra…
- War With Iran: The Ayatollah's Death, Trump's Gamble, and the Gulf Under Fire with fmr. NSC Senior Director Javed Ali
In this episode of The Burn Bag , A’ndre Gonawela sits down with former NSC Senior Director Javed Ali to unpack the rapidly escalating crisis between the United States, Israel, and Iran following the February 28 strikes that reportedly kil…
- The Iran Crisis: The Protests, the Ayatollah's Crackdown, and Trump's Decision with Alex Vatanka
Iran is at a critical juncture as it faces a wave of nationwide protests driven by economic strain, political frustration, and societal exhaustion. In this episode of The Burn Bag, A'ndre Gonawela is joined by Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow…
- Syria After Assad: The SDF Transition and Ahmed al-Sharaa's Strategy with Charles Lister
Syria is at a pivotal moment. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the country’s new leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa is working to reunify a fractured state — and the biggest test is unfolding in the northeast, where the U.S.-back…
- Russia’s Gambit: Moscow’s Middle East Strategy After Syria and Iran, with Dr. Iulia Joja
In this episode of The Burn Bag , A’ndre Gonawela is joined by Dr. Iulia Joja , Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, to examine Russia’s strategy in the Middle East in 2026 following major setbacks in Syria and Iran. The conversatio…
- Venezuela After Maduro: Democracy or Regime Management? with Tony Frangie Mawad
In Part Two of this conversation on Venezuela, The Burn Bag turns to the present — and the shockwaves following U.S. strikes and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. Host A’ndre Gonawela is joined again by Tony Frangie Mawad, a Venezuela-based jo…
- How Venezuela Got Here: Chávez, Maduro, and the Making of an Authoritarian State with Tony Frangie Mawad
In this episode of The Burn Bag , host A’ndre Gonawela is joined by Tony Frangie Mawad, a Venezuela-based journalist and political scientist, to unpack how Venezuela reached its current moment. Long before U.S. strikes and regime collapse,…
- The Nuclear Threshold: Diplomacy, Deterrence, and Disarmament featuring Alexandra Bell
In the final episode of The Nuclear Threshold , A’ndre speaks with Alexandra Bell , President & CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and one of the leading U.S. diplomats behind recent efforts to strengthen arms control and reduce…
- The Nuclear Threshold: Who Really Decides on Nuclear Launch? featuring Dr. Steve Fetter
In the second installment of The Nuclear Threshold mini-series, we turn from missile defense to the human side of nuclear risk — the people, protocols, and split-second judgments that determine whether nuclear weapons are ever used. While…
- The Nuclear Threshold: Will Missile Defense Systems Really Save Us? featuring Dr. Laura Grego
The Nuclear Threshold is a three-part Burn Bag mini-series exploring how deterrence, defense, and diplomacy shape nuclear risk in the 21st century. Across three conversations with leading experts, we examine why technological optimism ofte…
- The Gaza Ceasefire: Amb. Dennis Ross on Trump's Middle East Diplomacy, Israel, and Hamas
As the fragile Gaza ceasefire wavers amid renewed airstrikes and mutual accusations of violations, President Donald Trump insists that “nothing will jeopardize” the truce his administration brokered with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. Yet the v…
- Best of: Dr. Anthony Fauci on Pandemics, Public Health, and a Lifetime in Public Service
RE-RELEASE: This episode was originally released in February 2025. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins A'ndre for an in-depth conversation about his decades-long career in public health and his experiences leading the U.S. response to…
- The Pentagon Playbook: Steve Blank and Pete Newell on How Start-Ups can Crack Defense Innovation and Acquisition
The Pentagon is one of the hardest customers in the world to win over. For startups, the barriers are steep: complex rules, unfamiliar offices, and a culture that doesn’t work like Silicon Valley. But the stakes couldn’t be higher—cracking…
- Violent Populism: Robert Pape on Charlie Kirk's Assassination and the Rise of Political Violence
In this episode of The Burn Bag, political violence expert Dr. Robert Pape joins us to unpack the alarming rise of political violence in America following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Pape, director of the Chicago Project on Security…
- Fmr. Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin on Intelligence, Tradecraft, and Global Security in the Trump Era
In this episode, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with John McLaughlin , former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the CIA and now Professor of Practice at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Drawing on over three decades in intelligence leadership and his s…
- The Beijing Brief: Ambassador Nicholas Burns on Trump, Tariffs, and China's Playbook
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 retur…
- Civilian Power: Why "Spirit of America" is a Non-Profit with a DoD Partnership, feat. Jim Hake, Founder of Spirit of America
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 innov…
- The Trump-Putin Summit: Alexander Vindman on Ukraine After Alaska and Improvised Diplomacy
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 dangero…
- The Crimean Tatars: Ukraine, Russian Occupation, and Crimea's Indigenous Resistance with Professor Greta Uehling
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…
- Manhunt to Mindshift: Fmr. CIA Analyst Gina Bennett on Hunter-Gatherer National Security and Evolutionary Power
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 Ne…
- Veteran U.S. Diplomat Dr. Kurt Campbell on Tariffs, the China Challenge, and Allied Scale in Asia
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 d…
- The New Defense Prime: Breaking Innovation Theater, AI Adoption, and Data Fusion with Raft CEO Shubhi Mishra
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 th…
- U.S. Strikes on Iran: Israel’s War, Iran’s Nuclear Sites, and the Fragile Ceasefire with fmr. NSC Senior Director Javed Ali
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…
- Ret. General Stanley McChrystal on Character, Fear, Leadership, Polarization, and More
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 re…
- India and Pakistan on the Brink: Dr. Paul Staniland on Operation Sindoor, the Kashmir Terror Attack, and the Ceasefire’s Stability
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 re…
- Trump's Tariffs: Is Donald Trump Igniting a Trade War or Creating Leverage? with Mark Linscott, Fmr. Assistant U.S. Trade Representative
In this episode, A’ndre speaks with Mark Linscott, former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative and one of Washington’s most experienced trade negotiators, for an in-depth discussion on the logic and implications of President Trump’s "recipr…
- Free Speech for Free Palestine? Dr. Yousef Munayyer on Campus Protests, Deportations, and a Shrinking Space for Dissent
In this episode, A’ndre speaks with Dr. Yousef Munayyer, Senior Fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC, about recent U.S. policy developments affecting pro-Palestinian activism, including efforts by the Trump administration to deport fore…
- Amb. John Bolton on Trump, Tariffs, China, Russia, NATO, and... Greenland?
This week, A’ndre is joined by former National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton for a wide-ranging conversation on the return of Donald Trump to the White House — and how the second term is stacking up against the first. Drawing fro…
- Don't Plan a War in the Group Chat: National Security Lawyer Mark Zaid on Signalgate, Classified Information, and the Limits of Executive Power
This week on the podcast, A’ndre is joined by renowned national security attorney Mark Zaid to unpack the rapidly unfolding scandal now known as Signalgate — a controversy sparked when a The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally add…
- What is National Security (Really)? Historian Peter Roady on FDR and the Struggle to Define the Most Powerful Phrase in U.S. Politics
In this episode, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with historian and University of Utah professor Peter Roady to explore how the definition of national security has evolved over the 20th and 21st centuries. They examine how U.S. presidents have s…
- Biosecurity: Bird Flu, Bioweapons, Artificial Intelligence, and Other Bio-Risks with Dr. Jaime Yassif from the Nuclear Threat Initiative
In this episode, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with Dr. Jaime Yassif, Vice President of Global Biological Policy and Programs at NTI | bio, to explore the evolving landscape of biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. They discuss key lessons fr…
- The Trump-Zelensky Fallout: Fmr. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer Reacts to the White House Debacle
NOTE: This episode was recorded several hours before the announcement that President Trump was pausing all U.S. military aid to Ukraine. In this episode, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with Ambassador Steven Pifer, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukr…
- The World According to A'ndre: Trump’s Friday Night Massacre, the Art of the Mineral Deal, and Podcasters Take Over the FBI
This week, A’ndre examines former President Trump’s decision to fire General CQ Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, exploring the implications for U.S. military leadership, civil-military relations, and his potential replacemen…
- What in the World? South Korea: Martial Law, Impeachments, and a President Behind Bars feat. Alex Eid and Choong Hong
In this week’s edition of What in the World? , A’ndre discusses the recent political turmoil in South Korea with his colleagues Alex Eid and Choong Hong, both experts on Korean affairs. Alex and Choong break down President Yoon Suk Yeol’s…
- The World According to A'ndre: Putin trumps Zelensky, DOGE Cuts Go Nuclear, the Tariff Sheriff, and Who Wants to Poison Lula?
The Burn Bag is launching a new weekly series: "The World According to A'ndre." Every Friday, A'ndre will break down some of the biggest foreign policy stories he's been tracking, offering his insights and making them accessible to you, ou…
- Dr. Anthony Fauci on Pandemics, Public Health, and a Lifetime in Public Service
In this episode, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins A'ndre for an in-depth conversation about his decades-long career in public health and his experiences leading the U.S. response to some of the world’s most pressing infectious disease challenges. D…
- U.S.-India Under Trump: Previewing the Relationship as Modi Heads to Washington with Dr. Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution
In this episode, A’ndre chats with his old boss Dr. Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, to examine the evolving landscape of India’s foreign policy and its relationship with the United States under a second Trump adm…
- Is Russia Fascist? Putinism, the Russian Far-Right, and the Global Illiberal Trend with Professor Marlene Laruelle
In this episode, A’ndre welcomes Professor Marlene Laruelle , a leading expert on Russian politics and nationalism, for a deep dive into the evolution of far-right politics in Russia. The discussion begins with a foundational exploration o…
- What in the World? The Los Angeles Fires: Does California’s Wildfire Prevention and Resilience Require an Operation Warp Speed? feat. Tahra Jirari
On this week's What in the World, A’ndre chatted with Tahra Jirari, Director of Economic Analysis at the Chamber of Progress, on the devastating 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles and the urgent need for systemic reform. A'ndre and Tahra talked…
- Climate Migration: Why it's a National Security Issue and What We Can Do to Solve It with Erin Sikorsky, Director of The Center for Climate and Security
This episode is the second in a two-parter in collaboration with the Climate Migration Council, to highlight the Council's recent position statement on the linkages between security, climate change, and human migration. In December, A’ndre…
- Fmr. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the Los Angeles Fires, Climate Disasters, and Climate Migration
This episode is the first in a two-parter in collaboration with the Climate Migration Council, to highlight the Council's recent position statement on the linkages between security, climate change, and human migration. This week, A’ndre we…
- BEST OF: Is TikTok a Threat? Data Sovereignty, Algorithmic Influence, and the China Factor with Lindsay Gorman, Senior Fellow at GMF Tech
RE-RELEASE: This episode was originally released in April 2024. The TikTok ban took effect late Saturday night, but may be revoked by President-elect Trump. This week, A'ndre is joined by Lindsay Gorman, the Managing Director & Senior Fell…
- President Jimmy Carter: What was his Foreign Policy Legacy? Featuring Presidential Historian Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky
On Friday, A’ndre chatted with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library, to explore President Jimmy Carter’s presidential and post-presidential foreign policy leg…
- Fmr. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper: A Cold Peace and Hot Wars — Threat Forecasting 2025
On January 2nd, A'ndre sat down with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (2019-2020) to discuss key security challenges facing the United States in 2025 and the Department of Defense's preparedness in addressing them. They began th…
- Fmr. CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus on the Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine and Gaza
A'ndre sat down with former CIA Director General (Ret.) David Petraeus to discuss the evolution of warfare since 1945, covering conflicts from World War II to Vietnam and the current wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. General Petraeus ex…
- Sinwar is Dead: Israel Kills Hamas Leader and What it Means for the War in Gaza, with former Counterterrorism Official Javed Ali
On Thursday, Israel announced that it had killed Hamas' de facto leader Yahya Sinwar near Rafah, a significant development for the ongoing War in Gaza. A'ndre chatted with his old friend and mentor Javed Ali, former Senior Director for Cou…