Forward Observers: Recent Episodes
The Ricochet Audio Network
The Podcast on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs brings you a rotating cast of journalists, policy makers, deep thinkers, and reports from people in far-away places.
This week The Forward Observers challenge some of the conventional wisdom coming out of Washington. Dr. Daveed Gartensein-Ross, from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy joins the program to discuss how Al Qaeda is far stronger and a greater threat in the longterm than what President Obama and his administration are asserting. And at the same time, even though ISIS is becoming more barbaric...
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This week the Forward Observers discuss a must-read article, “ ISIS Has a Message. Do We?” The author, Daily Beast’s Jamie Dettmer, joins the show to discuss this troubling point: “Denouncing murder and enslavement should be an easy task, but for Western governments determined to counter the narrative of the militants of the self-styled Islamic State, it is proving much trickier than they thought.”...
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The Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), released a summary of its report on the CIA’s post-September 11 interrogation and detention techniques. And is North Korea really capable of hacking into Sony? A Block: Blockbuster Hacks and Bigger Threats Was North Korea really behind the hacking of Sony? A week before the FBI or the media figured it out...
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Putin Plays a Game of Thrones And What We Don’t Know About Islam May Kill Us On this week’s episode of Forward Observers, Clifford D. May, the president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the conversation with AEI’s Rebecca Burgess to talk about recent terror plots that British intelligence uncovered and the threats that we still face. Do our enemies understand us better then we...
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Yet another Secretary of Defense gets the boot and a dagger in his back. Sec. Hagel is the third Defense Secretary to leave his post in such a manner. So who would be insane enough to take the job next? In the B Block, the Vienna talks fell apart, but Iran assures everyone that they’re still living up to their commitments. Meanwhile they’ll also be eligible for $700 million a month in “frozen...
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It sounds like an X Files episode: An American working with classified military technology is found dead in his apartment in a foreign country. Even though the evidence points to murder, the governments of China, Singapore, and the United States all agree it was a suicide. In Episode 8 of Forward Observers, Rebecca introduces the Ricochet audience to Christina Villegas, co-author of Hard Drive: A...
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The Berlin Wall may have fallen 25 years ago, but are East-West relations better today? The Heritage Foundation’s Michaela Dodge brings the perspective of both a national security analyst and an Eastern European. We’ll also tell you about the DC think tank working to establish a nuclear Iran. What’s the worst thing that could happen? NOTE: The show formerly known as Ricochet’s Foreign Affairs...
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With significant changes taking place abroad, how is American foreign policy impacting the midterm elections? The Ricochet foreign affairs team discusses elections around the world and at home. How is our foreign policy shaping races and how will the midterms impact the future of our foreign policy? There are also a significant number of veterans running for office and if Joni Ernst defeats Bruce...
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A Block: Doomed To Repeat The Rewritten Past? The New York Times told readers that Henry Kissenger’s World Order is “a book that every member of Congress should be locked in a room with — and forced to read before taking the oath of office.” But is our 56th Secretary of State trying to rewrite history? David Adesnik, AEI’s visiting fellow at the Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies...
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In Politics They Say Demographics Is Destiny. Does the Same Apply to Foreign Affairs? A BLOCK: Ebola at Our Border The government begins checking people who travel to the Unites States from Western Africa. But is it enough? Some are calling for us to close our borders. Is that political posturing? Or sign of “respect for the medical steps needed to contain Ebola,” as Ben Carson suggests. B BLOCK...
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With yet another beheading today, the menace of the Islamic State appears to be here to stay. Our coalition is growing, but are we winning on every front? A BLOCK: Winning the Wrong Battle Against The Islamic State President Obama may be winning the war of public opinion. But the war against the Islamic State is being waged in the air, on the ground, and online as well. And the West may be losing...
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President Obama went to the United Nations this week with three items on his agenda: The Islamic State, global warming, and Ebola. In Episode 1 of Foreign Affairs we had a comprehensive conversation about Ebola. This week our conversation focuses on the growing war against the Islamic State, anti-terror strategies being developed in the West, and the global climate change agenda is on the front...
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Making Sense of A Seemingly Senseless World Ebola got you down? Are you reluctant to welcome our Chinese over lords? Did you really want to wake up this morning and yell, “Freeeeeeeeeee-dom!” Wow, you kinda had a rotten Friday … which is why we’re here to help. The latest addition to Ricochet’s podcast line up is a salon on global affairs. Each week we’ll bring you a rotating cast of journalists...
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