Podcast series covering various topics in security and technology
Episodes
Tuesday Apr 26, 2016
Vanguard of the Imam
Tuesday Apr 26, 2016
Tuesday Apr 26, 2016
A discussion with Afshon Ostovar on his new book Vanguard of the Imam: Religion, Politics, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Wednesday Aug 05, 2015
The Virtual 'Caliphate': A Look at ISIS's propaganda strategy with Charlie Winter
Wednesday Aug 05, 2015
Wednesday Aug 05, 2015
Charlie Winter of the Quilliam Foundation discusses his paper The Virtual 'Caliphate': Understanding Islamic State's Propaganda Strategy
You can read more about Charlie and some of his publications here.
You can also view the #NotAnotherBrother video that Charlie refers to in our discussion, here.
Monday Apr 20, 2015
A Look at the Current Situation in Yemen
Monday Apr 20, 2015
Monday Apr 20, 2015
Abubakr Al-Shamahi discusses the current situation in Yemen by looking at both the past and the present.
Thursday Mar 19, 2015
Shiite Foreign Fighters and the Shiite Jihad
Thursday Mar 19, 2015
Thursday Mar 19, 2015
Phillip Smyth discusses Shiite foreign fighters and the Shiite jihad.
You can read his in-depth paper on this topic via the link below:
The Shiite Jihad in Syria and Its Regional Effects
Further reading and research can be found at:
Hizballah Cavalcade
Thursday Jun 19, 2014
Sunni politics and the current situation in Iraq
Thursday Jun 19, 2014
Thursday Jun 19, 2014
Uticensis Risk's Kirk Sowell discusses Sunni politics and the June crisis in Iraq.
You can find Uticensis Risk's biweekly publication covering the latest developments in Iraq at Inside Iraqi Politics. They've provided our listeners with a complimentary copy of April's publication which can be accessed here.
Sunday Sep 29, 2013
Episode 87- Update on the insurgency in Syria and a profile of the shabiha
Sunday Sep 29, 2013
Sunday Sep 29, 2013
Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi (@ajaltamimi) and Phillip Smyth (@phillipsmyth) discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria and profile the shabiha, pro Assad militias.
Check out the two updates from Syria Comment which formed the basis of this conversation: "Islamist Groups Declare Opposition to National Coalition and US Strategy" and "A Case Study of "The Syrian Resistance," a Pro-Assad Militia Force"
Friday Sep 20, 2013
Friday Sep 20, 2013
Charles Lister (@charles_lister) and Aaron Zelin (@azelin) discuss the Syrian insurgency. Below I've listed an outline of the conversation and the questions we covered.
First, update us on the war. What is the state of the insurgency post chemical weapon use? At this point in the war how can we relate FSA to other parts of the insurgency (jihadis, Islamist, etc)[ infighting ]. Where do we factor in sectarianism? Where do we factor in the level of violence?
How much of the insurgency can be considered "secular" vs "Islamist" vs "jihadi"? How would you define each category, and more importantly has there been shift from one category to another?
In the US there has been a heated debate about the "good" and "bad" guys: Broadly, is it possible to define and separate the "good" from the "bad" in a complex insurgency? How has funding and arming affected the aforementioned categorization?
Whenever experts and or intelligence services can offer foreign policy decision-makers nuance and in depth view of a complex event, that analysis meets (a) entrenched policies and party pressures, (b) the impressive force of lobbyists and interested campaign contributors, and (c) uninformed or misinformed popular public opinion, which will likely turn into votes next time around.
What has been your experience in dealing with the pressures
in producing a genuinely in depth and nuanced product vs the political forces
and domestic politicization of the conflict in Syria particularly in dealing
with the call for intervention?
Thursday Aug 08, 2013
Thursday Aug 08, 2013
Dr. Fanar Haddad (@fanarhaddad) talks to me (@rejectionking) about his book "Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of Unity". We discuss sectarianism within the context of Iraq from the periods of 90s to 2003, from 2003 to 2010, and then 2010 on. At the end we discuss Syria and its effect on Iraq's political and sectarian dynamics.