Fault Lines

This week, Les, Carmen, Rob, and Megan continue their discussion on the ever developing situation on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Biden administration’s executive order on crypto. How is the war going for President Putin? Does the Russian people look favorable on President Putin? Does the executive order signify the importance of crypto? These questions and more are answered on the latest...

Crypto is having, as this week's guest puts it, a "moment of legitimacy". We're joined by Juan Zarate, Global Co-Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at K2 Integrity, Chair of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at FDD, and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Combating Terrorism for a deep dive on cryptocurrency. What role does crypto pla...

This week, Les, Martha, Sarah, and Matt continues to discuss the ever-developing Russian invasion of Ukraine. How have Ukrainians thwarted President’s Putin invasion? Should a no-fly zone be instituted? What are the implications of the ban on Russian oil imports? These questions and more are answered on the latest episode of Fault Lines!     Like this episode? Be sure to rate, revie...

Against the backdrop of the continued Russian invasion of Ukraine, Megan Stifel, NSI Visiting Fellow and Chief Strategy Officer at the Institute for Security and Technology, addresses the cyberattacks that have played a role in Russia’s efforts. How has Ukraine fended off the cyber attacks? Has collaboration between the U.S. and Ukraine been successful?  We then pivot to last week’s news that...

On this special episode of Fault Lines, host Lester Munson discusses Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine with guests Scott Cullinane, Executive Director of the US-Europe Alliance, Martha Miller, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, and Sarah Stewart, Executive Director of the Silverado Policy Accelerator. Our episode begins with an assessment of the situation in Ukraine, followed...

This week, Les, Mario, Carmen, and Rob discuss the ever developing Russia-Ukraine crisis and China’s rocket debris that will be hitting the moon. Is President Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine because of legitimate strategic concerns, toxic masculinity or something else? Is NATO unified in their response to Russia? Why is it important to be aware of the amount of debris in space? These questions and...

There’s no denying that China’s global standing has drastically changed - in their favor - in the past half century. How has Chinese diplomacy contributed to this change? Is the bullying that China attempts to use to achieve diplomatic goals effective in today’s world? Will China ever pivot away from their aggressive tactics and act with the degree of prestige expected of a global superpower?&nbsp...

This week, Les, Sarah, Scott, and Andy discuss the ongoing computer chip supply chain issues and North Korea’s launch of seven missiles last month. How are our European allies impacted by the ongoing computer chip crisis? Is Congress doing enough to alleviate the situation? What does it mean for North Korea to launch seven missiles in one month? How has the Biden administration handled the U.S. re...

This week, we’re joined by guest Anaise Kanimba, daughter of Paul Rusesabagina, the famed manager of a hotel in Rwanda where he protected hundreds of Rwandans – both Hutu and Tutsi – from the genocide that engulfed that country in 1994. How did Anaise’s father save lives in 1994? How has he dedicated his life to advocating for human rights? What is Anaise doing to now free her father from unfair i...

This week, Les, Rob, Carmen, and Jamil discuss the massive underwater volcano eruption near Tonga and Russia’s dismantling of the hacker group known as REvil. They will also cast their predictions on whether or not Russia will invade Ukraine. Is the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai a national security issue that Americans should care about? What does it mean for Russia to dismantle REvil? The...

NSI welcomes Morgan Viña and Lester Munson, two of NSI’s Fellows and co-authors on a recent NSI Paper, “ Will the US Compete with China in Africa? ”. What is China trying to accomplish in Africa? How do the Trump and Biden administration’s approaches to Africa differ, and what do they both have right – and wrong – in their Africa policy? Is there an opportunity for the U.S. to implement our foreig...

This week, Les, Sarah, Megan, and Jamil discuss the presence of Russian troops in Kazakhstan and the developing relationship with Russia and China to counter the U.S. Does the current situation in Kazakhstan matter to the U.S.? Will Russia and China be able to set aside their different interests to collaborate? These questions and more answered on the latest episode of Fault Lines! Like what we're...

NSI welcomes Fred Kagan, Senior Fellow and Director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, for a deep dive on the unfolding crisis on the Ukraine-Russia border as the potential of a Russian invasion increases. What makes the current buildup of Russian troops different than those of the past? What other actions is Putin likely to take in coming months? Are direct conv...

On this special episode of Fault Lines, Jamil N. Jaffer, NSI’s Founder and Executive Director, and Lauren Zabierek, NSI Visiting Fellow and Executive Director of the Cyber Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, take opposite sides in a debate on mandatory cyber-reporting. Is it needed? If put into place, will it be effective? How does this hot topic relate to the larger issue of cyber...

Tune into Fault Lines for a very special Festivus edition as some of Fault Line's favorite panelists return. Matthew F., Robert, Martha, Andrea, Jamil, Andy, Carmen, Matthew H., and Les will review the previous year and cast their predictions for 2022. What is the most important national security story of 2021? What is the biggest national security surprise of 2021? Theses questions and more answe...

This week Les, Sarah, Matthew, and Jamil will be discussing President Biden’s conversation with President Vladimir Putin’s regarding the build-up of Russian military on Ukraine’s border and the ongoing negotiations with Iran to revive the nuclear deal. Will the threat of tough sanctions deter President Putin from moving into Ukraine? Will the new nuclear deal be more favorable towards Iran? T...

NSI welcomes Captain Corey Ray, US Navy, Faculty and Former Chair of the Department of Strategy & Policy, National War College to discuss sports diplomacy. Will the Olympics diplomatic boycott be effective? What makes for an effective boycott? How are sports and politics directly intertwined? These questions and more are answered on the latest episode of Fault Lines! If you like what you hear,...

This week, Les, Carmen, Matthew, and Rob will be discussing President Vladimir Putin’s predatory behavior against Ukraine and the hypersonic missiles recently launched by China and Russia. Will there be a Russian invasion of Ukraine? Is this a vulnerable time for President Putin? What does it mean to the US now that both China and Russia have launched hypersonic missiles? These questions and...

On this special episode of Fault Lines, Jamil N. Jaffer, NSI’s Founder and Executive Director, and Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, debate on a very timely topic – whether to deter an invasion of Taiwan, the U.S. must defend Ukraine. Jamil argues the proposition that yes, the U.S. must defend Ukraine in order to deter an invasion of Taiwan whil...

NSI welcomes retired U.S. Army Colonel Chris Kolenda for an in-depth discussion on his recently published book, "Zero-Sum Victory: What We're Getting Wrong About War", and the larger issue of how the U.S. military measures success. What is a zero-sum victory? How do we define sustainability of an insurgency? What are the flaws with how the U.S. military currently measures success? Chris concludes...

This week Les, Sarah, Megan, and Jamil take a big risk in discussing the summit between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping before the summit actually began. What is going on inside of China as President Xi sets himself up for a third term in power? Should Biden adopt a no first use nuclear policy? How should we consider our relationship with China in regards to trade? These questions and...

Fault Lines welcomes Gina Bennett, senior adviser at the National Counterterrorism Center, member of the CIA’s Senior Analytics Service, and author of the National Security Mom book series. What was it like being the first in the intelligence community to warn of Osama bin Laden? What is the role of gender in national security? How do national security efforts parallel our home lives? These questi...

This week, Les, Jamil, Carmen, and Rob tackle last week’s coup in Sudan which saw the military put the civilian prime minister under house arrest and the Russian government’s latest hacking of American companies. What does the coup mean for U.S. interests? How about for Russia and China, which have their own interests in the country? When it comes to the Russians, is it time for us...

Fault Lines welcomes Michael Krepon, author of recently published “Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise, Demise, and Revival of Arms Control”, for a discussion on his book and nuclear arms control with guest host David Lasseter, NSI Visiting Fellow and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. How can the U.S. ensure nuclear peace is maintai...

This week, Les, Jamil, Sarah, and Matthew break down tensions brewing over Taiwan and the looming supply chain crisis. Will tensions over Taiwan ever go away? Would – and should – the United States come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of aggressions by China? What’s actually going on with the supply chain crisis the United States is seeing unfold? These questions and more are answered in this week’s...