The DSR Network

It has been difficult to have a serious, balanced conversation about what the U.S. and this administration has done right in managing the exit from Afghanistan and what we have done wrong. That is a problem that has plagued the U.S. for the entire 20 year period we have conducted the war and, in fact, it may be one of the reasons the outcome to that conflict has been so unsatisfactory. Nonetheless...

The reason the crowds thronging the outskirts of the airport in Kabul were so large was in part due to a concerted effort--against the advice of many in his administration--by former President Trump and his aide Stephen Miller to block our Afghan allies (like allies in Iraq) from entering the United States. They shut down relevant visa programs. They created obstacle after obstacle. And they did s...

Top former CIA operations official William Murray talks with Jeanne Meserve about the loss of the agency's spy base in Kabul, while Africa expert Jacob Zenn assesses the impact of the Taliban-Al Qaeda triumph on militants across the continent, with Jeff Stein. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about yo...

An episode in which we bring to life the debate that even the best of friends can have over the conduct of recent events in Afghanistan, their likely origins, and their likely consequences. Why are so many people so wrong about this when host David Rothkopf is so right? Where does Rothkopf get his courage? And why do the producers let Rothkopf write these podcast summaries when either Ed Luce or R...

Counterterrorism expert and Georgetown University Professor, Bruce Hoffman explains the drastic implications of the Taliban triumph, and journalist Toby Harnden talks about his new book on the first CIA team to enter Afghanistan.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...

The celebrated former FBI special agent and counterterrorism specialist says the Taliban aspire to undermining the West’s “Roman Empire.” Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The heart-rending scenes from Kabul Airport are now seared into our collective consciousness. The 20 year war in Afghanistan has clearly come to a disastrous end. While that may have been inevitable, the current chaos has nonetheless come as a shock. What should the administration do now? How to help those they can and manage the situation going forward? And what lessons can we draw after a two-de...

We are at a watershed in our history. Some days it feels like justice and accountability are gaining ground and the outcome of this turning point may be a good one. On other days, the threats to our democracy grow and the very real possibility of a turn to authoritarianism in the US looms. There are echoes of this moment throughout our history. We turn to Boston College history professor and noted...

Jeanne Meserve talks with Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, about how the world learned of China’s startling new ICBM silos, and Jeff Stein talks with Asia expert Robert Manning about the challenges of spying on North Korea. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out...

The vast majority of gains in life expectancy during the past century have been due not to miracle cures but to public health measures like sanitation. The key to their success was empowering and trusting our public health officials. We live in a time when an organized minority is this country is seeking to discredit them and when much of our public health mission--like care for addiction or psych...

The UN has put out a climate report that is devastating in its conclusions. They call it a "code red for humanity." Inaction, greed and ignorance have already irreparably damaged the planet. What do we do now? Are our leaders even capable of coping with the problem? The same question can be asked regarding their ability to address next generation issues associated with new technologies--from cyber...

Slowly, thanks to Congressional information requests and court cases, hard evidence is emerging about the way the former president and those close to him worked to steal the last election. You would think that would lead to grand juries being empaneled, indictments and convictions. But so far, nothing of the kind seems imminent from the Department of Justice and while Congress has on-going investi...

An expert on Congressional probes tells Jeff Stein why investigators on the House Select Committee on Jan. 5 have to develop confidential sources deep inside DHS, DoD and the FBI. And retired Marine Corps Gen. Greg Newbold tells Jeanne Meserve that China's control of precious metals is a threat to US intelligence.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy...

Face it, since George Washington, for all the glamor and intrigue the rest of the world may hold, Americans would pretty much like to be left out of it. Over the course of our history, that impulse has been magnified by the fact that often when we do find ourselves forced to be involved, we delay until we tend to overreact. Right now, America's interest in the rest of the world seems to be at a mo...

On this special super-sized (hour-long) edition of Deep State Radio we review the auspicious launch of the January 6th Commission with former US Attorney Barb McQuade and NYU Law School's Ryan Goodman and then we have a discussion of what can be done about the stunning and disturbing resurgence of COVID across the US with Dr. Kavita Patel. What do the insurrection, the defense of domestic terroris...

The FBI is still coming up short on dealing with white violent extremists, former undercover special agent Mike German tells Jeff Stein. And Jeanne Meserve delves into a little known DIA medical intelligence unit. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the decision by the Biden Administration to pull the last troops out of Afghanistan and the last combat troops out of Iraq, it marks the end to two decades of U.S. foreign policy in which the War on Terrorism and instability in the Middle East dominated policymakers attentions. Biden seeks to turn the page to 21st Century priorities like China, competitiveness, fixing what is broken at home a...

The science shows that GOP-led resistance to the vaccine is fueling a resurgence of COVID in the US. Anger against the unvaccinated is understandably growing as their ignorance and politics are putting the country at risk again. Where will this lead? What will this new wave of COVID look and feel like? What should we do about it? How does our international response figure in? We discuss these esse...

A father & daughter have a monster TikTok hit talkIng about his intelligence career. Former CIA analyst Frank Snepp describes the heartbreak of Saigon and the agony of Kabul. And “Spooked” author Barry Meier addresses the NSO-Pegasus surveillance scandal. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad...

It is a paradox of international relations that U.S. neighbors in the Western Hemisphere have two primary complaints about U.S. relations with the region. The first is that the U.S. does not pay enough attention to our neighbors. The second, which is often the first, is that the U.S. pays too much attention to our neighbors. Once again, Latin America is reeling from a crisis, this one fueled by th...

Former CIA counterintelligence chief James Olson tells Jeff Stein the CIA and FBI need to “resuscitate” double agent ops to penetrate enemy spy services, and Jeanne Meserve talks with former senior U.S. cybercrime official Chris Painter about the rash of ransomware attacks by REvil and other Russia-based malefactors. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/privac...

It is said that an old actor on his deathbed once said, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard." Whether that actually happened or not, the foreign policy equivalent may be "Invading a country is easy. Turning it into a democracy is hard." The US discovers this on the regular...and each time it is as though it had never happened before. We discuss with regard to Afghanistan...and many other instances. And...

Congressman Eric Swalwell has been one of the leading voices in the US Congress demanding that the former president and those around him be held accountable for their violations of the Constitution and their oaths of office. Swalwell's book "Endgame: Inside the Impeachments of Donald J. Trump" was among the first insider looks at the impeachment process and the paperback edition, out now, has an e...

Estimates now say 900,000 Americans died as a consequence of the COVID pandemic. But estimates suggest 40-90 percent of those deaths could have been avoided if the Trump Administration acted more swiftly, more effectively or more in concert with the advice of scientists. A new book dives deep into what happened behind the scenes in the administration and on this episode, we talk with one of the au...

Former senior CIA officer Doug London talks with Jeff Stein about the present and future intelligence picture in chaotic Afghanistan. And Jeanne Meserve has a fascinating talk with former top DHS intel official and retired Brigadier General Francis X. Taylor about dealing with violent extremists in the military ranks.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/deepstateradio. See acast.com/priv...