Target USA Podcast by WTOP

The latest U.S.-Iran fighting didn't erupt because diplomacy collapsed. According to geopolitical analyst Nick Redman, the negotiations may never have truly begun. In this episode of Target USA, Redman explains why Washington and Tehran interpreted the same agreement in completely different ways. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pri...

Ukrainian MP Halyna Yanchenko watched an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently. For the first time she saw a man that looked defeated. What Ukraine's military is doing and what Putin said confirmed it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary and former senior Pentagon official Robert Wilkie joins  Target USA  to argue that today's wars are not isolated conflicts—they are interconnected fronts in a global struggle led by Russia, Iran, and China. Wilkie explains why NATO remains indispensable, why Ukraine is America's best defense investment, why Iran's threat extends far beyond the Middle Eas...

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to stop fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but the toughest issues—including Iran's nuclear program and sanctions relief—have been pushed into future negotiations. The next 60 days could determine whether this is the start of peace or just a pause in the conflict. Former eSecreteary of Defense Leon Panetta joins us t explain the problems See Privacy Policy at h...

After four years covering the war in Ukraine, I've rarely encountered intelligence as insightful as that gathered by retired Swedish Ambassador Lars Freden. Instead of relying on reports and briefings, he rode a bicycle more than 1,000 miles along the front line—twice. In this episode, he shares what he saw, what he learned, and the human reality of a war that continues to reshape Europe. See Priv...

The military operation was a success. The strategy may have been a failure. In this episode, Gordon Gray is the Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, examines how the Trump administration may have underestimated Tehran, why negotiations continue to stall, and whether the White House is now lo...

In this explosive episode, Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna delivers a stark warning about Russia’s growing instability and the escalating battle over the Baltic Sea. He explains how Moscow accidentally exposed its direct ties to the shadow fleet used to evade sanctions, why Russia is reacting “painfully” to Ukrainian deep strikes, and why Putin may now be more vulnerable than at any poin...

Where does the US war with Iran stand? One day there's talk of peace; the next they are shooting at each other. Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former Ambassador to the US and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, says there is no clear winner, and that may never change. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

A rare insider look at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting. Former Secret Service Deputy Director A.T. Smith explains how the attack unfolded. He breaks down the security response, failures, and lessons learned. And he warns America is entering a far more dangerous political era. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pri...

Grant Rumley, Meisel Family Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, and Nick Redman, Director of Analysis at Oxford Analytica from Dow Jones explain why the negotiations appear to have slowed almost as much as the shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The U.S.–Iran crisis has entered a volatile new phase—and the stakes are rising fast. In this episode, Ambassador Gordon Gray, veteran diplomat and the Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, breaks down the reality behind the rhetoric: from President Donald Trump’s inflammatory messaging to th...

In one of the most volatile stretches of the Iran conflict, a warning came from President Donald Trump that “a whole civilization will die” if escalation continued, followed by a sudden stepdown into a cease-fire framework. In this episode, we sit down with Ambassador Gordon Gray, Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Affairs at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affai...

In this episode, Ambassador Gordon Gray, the Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, delivers a clear-eyed assessment of the rapidly evolving global security landscape. Drawing on deep experience inside the national security apparatus, Gray analyzes the convergence of geopolitical flashpoints, strategic...

The United States and Israel have devastated Iran’s military capabilities—crippling its air defenses, missile systems, and leadership ranks. But the bigger picture tells a different story. In this episode, Dana Stroul, Research Director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, explains how Iran is using asymmetric tactics to disrupt global energy flows, pressure the economy, and hold stra...

The Iran war has crossed a critical threshold. What began as a military campaign is now expanding across leadership structures, regional boundaries, domestic security systems, and global power competition. In this episode, we break down the most important developments from the war, including Israel’s targeting of Iran’s leadership, Iran’s widening retaliation, and the growing impact on global syst...

The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran is entering a dangerous phase. While the fighting is still concentrated in the Middle East, the ripple effects are already spreading across global energy markets, international security networks, and cyberspace. Dr. Nick Redman, director of analysis and editor-in-chief of Oxford Analytica from Dow Jones, joins us to put it into context See Privac...

Over the past 5 days, the war in Iran has been confusing. The air space in the region has been clogged with fighter jets, drones, and missiles. The objective has evolved. Joining us on this episode to put it into perspective are Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and Ret. General Ben Hodges, former Commander of US Army Europe, See Privacy Policy at h...

As discussions of ceasefires and negotiations circulate, Ukraine faces its deadliest year for civilians since the full-scale invasion began. With more than 2,500 killed and nightly shelling nearly constant, Ukrainian leaders outline how Ukraine’s rapidly evolving defense industry and battlefield innovations are reshaping modern warfare and NATO’s future security posture. Halyna Yanchenko, a member...

Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has driven more than ten million people from their homes and pushed parts of Darfur toward famine. Dan O’Malley, Red Cross chief in Sudan, joins us with a firsthand assessment of a crisis accelerating beyond control. At the same time, February 17–18 talks in Geneva between Ukraine, Russia, and U.S. representatives ended wit...

As Russian missile and drone strikes continue to hammer Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, hundreds of thousands are living in brutal winter conditions—minus 15 to minus 20 degrees at night—with no electricity, no heat, and sometimes no running water. Former Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman Yuriy Sak describes what daily life is like inside Kyiv and across the country. See Privacy P...

Germany has issued a formal travel warning for its citizens visiting the United States — a move that would have been almost unthinkable just a few years ago. The advisory cites escalating violence tied to protests and confrontations involving government authorities, raising alarms among European security officials about stability inside the world’s most powerful democracy. In this episode, Dr.&nbs...

The transatlantic alliance is facing its most serious test in decades. President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to assert control over Greenland—combined with mounting pressure tactics against U.S. allies—has accelerated a quiet but consequential shift in Europe’s strategic thinking. In this episode,  Ambassador Daniel Fried , Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former senior U...

After a blistering speech that lasted more than an hour, which centered around the US taking Greenland, President Donald announced that a deal had been made. Listen to an excerpt of his speech and hear Ambassador Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, explain what happened. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-...

Former Greenland finance minister Maliina Abelsen delivers a blunt warning about President Donald Trump’s renewed talk of “taking” Greenland. This episode examines how power politics, symbolism, and messaging are colliding with international law, alliance norms, and Arctic security—and why Greenlanders see the rhetoric as a threat, not protection. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an...

As U.S. military actions stretch from Venezuela to the North Atlantic, allies and adversaries are reassessing what American power now means. This episode, featuring retired General Ben Hodges and Ambassador Kurt Volker, examines the seizures, the rhetoric, and the growing concern in Europe that long-standing rules are giving way to something more dangerous—and more unpredictable. See Privacy Polic...