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

Today, Chris is joined by Aki J. Peritz, a former CIA officer and author. They dive into the gripping story of the liquid bomb plot and the monumental counterterrorism investigation launched to thwart it. Aki's captivating book, "Disruption," provides an insider's perspective on the plot and sheds light on how it was successfully foiled. Join them as they uncover the secrets behind this...

On this episode of Espresso Martini Chris and Matt take a look at Bakhmut means for Putin and Russia, the UK Government Blacklisting chemical weapons export Dan Kaszeta for being critical of the government on Twitter. They also take another look at the Turkish Presidential elections and accusations of Russian interference. Also the new Patreon exclusive show “Extra Shot” launches. You can access i...

We are launching an extra show that will be a Patreon exclusive and it will follow immediately after each Espresso Martini. The new show is called “Extra Shot” and it will give us an opportunity to talk about stories we didn’t cover but we really wanted to. Also, we may talk about any stories or bits of history that are on our mind at the moment and in time we plan to get on the odd guest and hope...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris, Matt and Oliver the cat discuss a little more Jack Teixeira the man arrested over Pentagon files leak. Then we will look at a former FBI Special Agent arrested for his role in the January 6th attack. Then we look at an interesting spy story involving a retired Iranian government member accused of being a spy for MI6. In the last section of the show, we d...

On this episode of Espresso Martini we discuss the recent Pentagon leaks, a Russian pro-war blogger who is not actually Russian, business men taking money from Chinese spies and Spy Ships off the coast of Scotland. Links to articles discussed: Who is Jack Teixeira, the man arrested over Pentagon files leak? By Peter Beaumont reporting for The Guardian Newspaper https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...

On todays podcast Chris is joined by Eldad Ben Aharon who is a researcher of Israeli intelligence and geopolitical history. We discuss the challenges of researching intelligence history in Israel and the importance of first person interviews with intelligence community members. You can connect with Eldad on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/EldadBenAharon You can read the following papers by Eldad...

On this episode, Matt sits down with his friend and fellow indie spy writer Stephen England. They talk about Stephen's decade-long career as a novelist, the history and development of his 'Shadow Warriors' series, their inspirations, and the ethics of writing in the spy genre For more information about Stephen and his books, check out his Amazon page: shorturl.at/elFI0 For more information about t...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt take a look at President Xi’s trip to China, Chinese espionage against the west and the revelations of a recent Russian defector who paints a less than flattering picture of President Putin and his mental state. Links to articles discussed on this episode “China portrays Xi’s Russia trip as bid for leadership of non-Western world” – by Lily Kuo...

Hi everyone, we just wanted to share a quick update about the podcast. We will now be producing two Espresso Martinis a month. Chris & Matt will also be splitting interviews between them. So exciting times ahead for the show! We will have an "Ask us anything" section on the next Espresso Martini. Email or Tweet at us your questions before 6th April.  You can email us here: secretsand...

We are joined by Matthew Orr, a Eurasian analyst at RANE, Risk Assistance Network & Exchange in this episode. We discuss the first anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine and what to expect over the next few months. You can find out more about RANE here: https://www.ranenetwork.com/ Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundclo...

Matt Fulton interviews Shane Harris from the Washington Post on today's podcast. Shane has written about intelligence, security and foreign policy for over two decades. He is a staff writer with The Washington Post, covering U.S. intelligence agencies and national security. Shane takes us through his research on the Nord Stream attack and how it is not as straightforward as previously believed. Th...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt look at President Joe Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine, leaked documents showing how Russia plans to take over Belarus, and CIA director William Burns's secret trip to Libya and more! Links to articles discussed in this episode “Biden’s Surreal and Secretive Journey Into a War Zone” By Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear for the New York Times htt...

On today's podcast, I am joined by journalist John Sweeney, the author of “Killer in the Kremlin”. John joins me from Kyiv, and we reflect on the first anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine. You can get a copy of “Killer in the Kremlin” and find out more about John and his work here: https://www.johnsweeney.co.uk/ You can support his freelance work in Ukraine here: https://www.patreon.com/Jo...

On today podcast I am joined by Dr Taras Kuzio and we reflect on the first anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine and we discuss what to expect in the months ahead.  You can also visit Dr Kuzio’s website here: http://www.betweeneuropeandrussia.com/ You can connect with Dr. Kuzio on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TarasKuzio For more information about the podcast, check out our website: http...

On todays Super Bowl Special, we are joined by author Kevin Bryant to discuss his book “Spies on the sidelines” which looks at espionage within the NFL.  Kevin’s book “Spies on the Sidelines” is available here: https://www.spiesonthesidelines.com/   Connect with Kevin via social media: Facebook: @kevinbryant.author  Instagram: @kevinbryant.author  Twitter: @kevbryantauthor  Linkedin: @kevinbryanta...

On today's episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt take a look at the Chinese “weather balloon” (Spy Balloon), Israel's drone strike on an Iranian missile facility and a Russian spy in the ranks of the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service Topics covered Chinese Spy Balloon & Chinese electronic espionage in the west https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/chinas-spy-balloon-over-mont...

On today's podcast, I am joined by former CIA analyst Yaya J Fanusie. Yaya was my third guest on the podcast back in 2016, and he returns today to tell us about his exciting new podcast called “The Jabbari Lincoln Files”. “The Jabarri Lincoln Files” is a CIA-based espionage thriller that partly takes a look at the world of Financial intelligence. Yaya and I talk about the real-world inspiration fo...

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know this month's Espresso Martini has been delayed by a week. It will return on Saturday 11th Feb. See you then. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Malcolm Nance joins us on our first special podcast looking at Ukraine as we get close to the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. Malcolm visited Ukraine before the war, joined the Ukrainian army and fought on the front line against Russian forces. Malcolm is an American author and media commentator on terrorism, intelligence, insurgency, and torture. He is a former United States Navy se...

On today's podcast, I am joined by Sam Lichtenstein.  Sam is a Director of Analysis at RANE, which stands for Risk Assistance Network and Exchange.  In this episode, we will look at world events for the year ahead with RANE’s annual Global forecast for 2023. 2023 looks to be another challenging year, and I think you will want to check it out. It’s a deep episode, so pour yourself your favourite dr...

On today's podcast, I am joined by Bernd von Koska, who is the curator of the Allied Museum in Berlin and co-author of the excellent book Capital of Spies. In this episode, we discuss Capital of Spies which takes a look at the history of Cold War Berlin.  You can get a copy of Capital of Spies here: https://www.casematepublishing.co.uk/capital-of-spies.html And you can find out more about the Alli...

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to Espresso Martini episode Four, which is our first podcast of 2023. On todays episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt take a look at a coup plot in Germany that was discovered by the German authorities and they also take a look at the rising Covid numbers in China and the official denials coming from the ruling Communist Party. Related articles to the di...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris and Matt take a look at the key stories from November in the world of espionage, geopolitics and intrigue.  They discuss the Crimean Bridge Attack, infighting among Putin’s allies, a Russian GRU officer who defected to Estonia, a spy trial at the Old Bailey and the hit Star Wars espionage series Andor. Links to articles discussed are below How Ukraine ble...

On this podcast episode, we are joined by author and journalist Dave Troy. Dave is an Investigative journalist addressing threats to democracy, and we discuss the possible ideological motivations behind Elon Musk’s recent purchase of Twitter, and it’s national security implications. Read Dave’s fantastic article: “No, Elon and Jack are not competitors. They’re collaborating” https://davetroy.mediu...

On the second episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt do their best to cover events from the jam pact month of October. Topics discussed Elon Musk takes over Twitter Russian espionage foiled in the US and Europe Mysterious Chinese "Police stations" have been discovered in UK, USA & Europe Spy Entertainment Links The Dry Cleaner is screening at the Horsham Film Festival on 30th November Ticke...