Fault Lines

Today, Les, Jess, and special guest host Morgan Viña, NSI Senior Fellow and JINSA’s Vice President of Government Affairs, discuss Turkish President Erdogan’s recent statement that Sweden should not expect Turkey’s support for its NATO membership following tensions over anti-Islam protests in Stockholm over the weekend. What does the Fault Lines team think of Finland and Sweden joining NATO? How sh...

Today, Les, Jess, and special guest host Morgan Viña, NSI Senior Fellow and JINSA’s Vice President of Government Affairs, discuss the political turmoil and public health crises happening in Haiti. Haiti has zero elected representatives running the Haitian government, armed gangs are wreaking havoc on the population, and cholera is reemerging as a severe public health threat.  What are the rea...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent announcement that Britain would send Ukraine one dozen Challenger 2 main battle tanks. The move may pressure other allies, like the United States and Germany which have—at least thus far—refused to provide such high powered weaponry. Should the U.S. ramp up its delivery of more substantive military capabilities? Has the U.S...

Today, Les, Jess, and special guest host NSI Senior Fellow and Senior Principal at Navigators Global Andy Keiser discuss the recent announcement that China’s population declined for the first time since 1961, when the country was wracked by famine as a direct result of horrendous economic planning. China also announced that its economy grew at only 3% last year, the lowest growth rate in history....

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the recent storming and occupation of Brazilian government buildings in the capital of Brasilia by thousands of supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The Brazilian insurrection immediately drew comparisons to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol two years ago.  Is there a connection between the violence in Brazil and what happened in the U.S. tw...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the China’s new Foreign Minister’s first international trip: a weeklong tour of countries across the African continent. The new foreign minister is following in the footsteps of his predecessors, who have for more than three decades started each year with a trip to Africa. This is big news as the U.S. is currently battling China for influence in Africa – among m...

Today, Les, Jamil, and special guest host Morgan Viña, NSI Fellow and JINSA’s Vice President of Government Affairs, discuss the Biden administration’s recent pivot away from retaliating against Saudi Arabia for oil-production cuts to focusing on increased regional security cooperation with Riyadh.  Does the Biden administration’s pivot put the U.S. in a better position with the Saudis? How do...

Episode 166: 11 Degrees of Kevin McCarthy Today, Les, Jamil, and special guest host Morgan Viña, NSI Fellow and JINSA’s Vice President of Government Affairs, discuss the current deadlock in the House of Representatives that is preventing Rep. Kevin McCarthy from becoming Speaker. This is the first time in 164 years such a battle for leadership has played out in Congress.  How does this curren...

Fault Lines is back! Happy New Year! Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss a recent headline you may of missed during the Winter break. Following the Taliban’s ban of female students from attending universities, the ruling force in Afghanistan recently issued a ban on women working at NGOs in the country. With aid programs supporting more than 28 million people in Afghanistan, this extreme measure h...

Tune in for Fault Lines’ special annual holiday episode, where some of our favorite panelists return to reflect on the most pressing national security issues of 2022, and what they expected will unfold in 2023. Join Jessica Jones, Jamil Jaffer, Morgan Viña, Martha Miller, Matthew Ferraro, Andy Keiser, and Matthew Heiman as they highlight their Hits and Misses of 2022, as well as take their Fault L...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the recent headline that the United States is nearing a decision to send PATRIOT air defense missile systems to Ukraine to help counter the barrage of Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones that have been hitting civilian targets and critical infrastructure in Ukraine for months.  How aggressive should the U.S. be in supplying both offensive and defensive...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian prison and return to America. Griner was traded for the release of notorious arms merchant Victor Bout. The freedom of Griner has been contrasted by some to former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan’s continued detention in Russia. Did Vladimir Putin intentionally give the Biden Administration a difficult choice...

Today, in our next "live from RNDF" series, NSI Deputy Executive Director Jessica Jones talks with former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky. How does Amb. Dobriansky see the growing Russia-Chinese partnership impacting geopolitics in the future?  How does she view current levels of U.S. support for Ukraine? What does she see being the biggest national...

Today, in the third installment of our special interview series recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, NSI Deputy Executive Director Jessica Jones talks with former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S), Ellen Lord! How does her former role as Secretary of Defense for A&S inform her view of national security and foreign policy challenges? What techno...

Today, in the second installment of our special interview series recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum, NSI Deputy Executive Director Jessica Jones talks with former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy, Dr. Nadia Schadlow! What is involved in creating a National Security Strategy (NSS)? How does the Biden Administration’s NSS compare and address the threats facing the U.S.?...

Today, in the first installment of our special interview series recorded on the ground at the Reagan National Defense Forum, NSI Deputy Executive Director Jessica Jones talks with Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08). In what areas does Rep. Slotkin foresee China ramping up its competition with the U.S.? How does she see Russia’s invasion of Ukraine playing out? What does she think the U.S. government is g...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the European Union, the United States, and the G7 negotiations surrounding modifications to the EU sanctions on Russian oil set to go in place early this month. The sanction modifications would set a price cap to limit the revenue Russia can make from its oil exports while also averting a global oil shortage. How can the EU, U.S., and G7 put economic pressure on...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the recent UN vote to condemn the U.S. embargo of Cuba for the 30th year in a row – only the U.S. and Israel voted against the resolution. There has been much debate about lifting of the embargo, which has arguably caused much hardship on the Cuban population – with anti-government protests sweeping the region over food and medicine shortages and the government’...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the implications of Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s return to power, making him the longest tenured prime minister in Israeli history. However, some of his incoming government's coalition partners are of stated concern to the Biden Administration, as they include ultra nationalist parties. How will Netanyahu’s reappearance on the world scene impact Americ...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Haiti. Violent gangs are sweeping the country of 11.54 million people and there are calls for a potential U.S. lead peacekeeping efforts. Why does Haiti matter to U.S. national security? Should the U.S. let Canada take the lead in directing a multinational force to support the Haitian government? Can we expect different resul...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss the harrowing reports of the use of heavy weaponry by the Iranian government against protesters in the Iranian Kurdish city of Mahabad and the threats to other Kurdish areas in Iran. What does this targeting of Kurdish populations mean and should it change how the U.S. is responding? Is it time for the U.S. to actively encourage regime change in Iran? Hear our e...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss tensions on the Korean peninsula. In the last few weeks, we’ve seen a continuous increase in the rate of North Korean missile drills and rhetoric. What should the U.S. do in response? Should the U.S. continue to press for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula? How does China play into U.S. policy vis-a-vis North Korea? Hear our experts provide their analysis on o...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss a moment that many may have missed at COP27 summit, and which has caused an uproar: photos of U.S. Climate Envoy and former Secretary of State John Kerry shaking hands with the disputed president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. Does this interaction at COP indicate a change in U.S. policy towards Venezuela? Why does the contested Venezuelan presidential election f...

Today, Les, Jess, and Jamil discuss what may come out of the highly anticipated meeting occurring today between President Biden and General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Chinese Community Party at the G20 summit. Given Xi Jinping’s recent consolidation of power, how should President Biden approach the relationship with China? Is the Biden Administration missing any opportunities to change Chine...

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 anythi...