Episode 15: How Was Afghanistan Lost to the Taliban – Again? Ep. 1

By: Peter L. Bergen
Narrated by: Peter L. Bergen
Aug 1 2023
Length: 40 mins
Podcast

Summary

After a 20-year war that cost the United States two trillion dollars and led to nearly 200,000 deaths, the Taliban are back in power – and offering safe haven to Al Qaeda once again. General David H. Petraeus, Trump advisor Lisa Curtis, Afghan ambassador to the US Roya Rahmani and others, bring us “in the room” to explain how this debacle came to pass, and warn us of the consequences.

Episode 14: What Would a Second Trump Presidency Mean for the World?

When he first ran for president, Donald Trump didn’t have any record on foreign policy. Now he does, and that offers more than a hint of how he might lead if he were to win the White House again in 2024. Peter dissects the Trump record with one of the ex-president’s best-known former foreign policy advisors – and critics – John Bolton, who doesn’t mince words in assessing Trump’s handling of Russia and China, Ukraine and Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea. Bolton takes us around the world and on the roller coaster ride that was the West Wing of the Trump White House.

Episode 13: What Makes a Great Authentic Spy Novel?

Double agents, dead drops, and deadly missions enliven some of the most popular and well-known spy novels. But do you need to have been an ACTUAL spy in an intelligence agency like the CIA to write like one? And how do real spies rate the fictional ones?

Episode 12: Can the Fentanyl Epidemic Be Stopped?

In the past five years, overdose death rates have skyrocketed in the United States, with fentanyl – a synthetic, cheaply produced opioid – now a leading cause of death for 18-45 year-olds. How do the chemicals used to make fentanyl get from China to Mexico to the United States? Why would drug dealers sell a substance that’s killing off so many of their customers? What is the Biden administration doing to stop these deaths? And what can ordinary Americans do to keep their communities safe?

Episode 11: Michael Flynn’s New War

How “America’s General” joined a movement that’s fired up about COVID, conspiracies, and Christ – might just be headed to a town near you.

What on Earth Happened to Lieutenant General Michael Flynn?

A storied Army general, a key intelligence figure in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a registered Democrat—and now, a full-blown right-wing conspiracy theorist. How did this all-American war hero disappear down the Q-Anon rabbit hole? We’ll retrace the unraveling of Michael Flynn’s legendary career and explain how a once-trusted general ended up lying to the FBI, denying the 2020 election results, and instigating one of the most bonkers meetings ever held at the White House. He is also now positioning himself as a leader of the Christian nationalist right as we head into the 2024 presidential elections.

Episode 9: Does Anything Scare War Correspondent Clarissa Ward?

CNN’s chief international correspondent has seen the worst of humanity. But she’s also experienced amazing acts of kindness under some of the most difficult circumstances. And she’s learned a lot about what drives countries into war in the first place.

Decoding the Trump Indictment

Why is it so important to keep the country’s secrets secret? And what does the alphabet soup of national security-related acronyms in the indictment against the former president actually mean? Three intelligence professionals with more than 80 years of combined experience explain what’s involved in collecting and protecting the people, methods and information in classified documents – and the potential consequences of their exposure.

Episode 7: Who Is Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — and What Does He Want?

Known as MBS, the 37-year-old de facto Saudi ruler has ambitious plans to modernize society. But he has also been accused of brutal human rights violations, including ordering the operation that led to the medieval-style death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Should America still be his friend? And with the US now much less dependent on Saudi oil, does it really need to?

Episode 6: Stop Keeping Your Password on a Sticky Underneath Your Keyboard

Cybercriminals and states like China and Russia are targeting the computer networks of everything from America’s hospitals to the water coming out of the kitchen tap. Jen Easterly, the director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), breaks down the biggest cyber threats and what the government, companies, and the rest of us need to do about them.