In July 2020, I started The Burn Bag Podcast with my colleague Ryan Rosenthal, with some help from our mentor, former NSC official Javed Ali. Since we launched the podcast we’ve been very fortunate to have interviewed many distinguished policy experts and practitioners, who help us break down the most pressing national and international security issues either through the lens of their careers or through their distinct expertise. Ryan and myself coordinate, craft, and conduct the interviews. We manage the process from guest invitations to the actual conduction of the interviews to final publication and dissemination. Below, you will find a sampling of some of our exemplar episodes.
“In this special episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, we speak to former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (2011-2013) about a range of national security ‘flashpoints’ that stand to affect the United States and the Biden Administration in the coming years. Secretary Panetta, who oversaw the Bin Laden Raid as CIA Director, reacts to President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, while also discussing a potentially new Iran Nuclear Deal. The Secretary also discusses his view on the threats facing NATO and why President Biden needs to draw ‘clear lines’ when dealing with Putin’s Russia.
We revisit Secretary Panetta’s service in the Obama Administration in contextualizing the current state of Chinese assertion in the Indo-Pacific, and Secretary Panetta recounts his meeting with Xi Jinping almost a decade ago. Secretary Panetta uses that story to outline how the United States needs to engage multilaterally while also bolstering its military capabilities to meet the challenge of China. Secretary Panetta also discusses the emergent, if not current, threat posed by cyber-warfare, and how the U.S. military needs to adapt to meet the dangers posed by the newest domain of warfare. We close out the conversation with a brief discussion on the defense budget — a topic Secretary Panetta is intimately familiar with, not only because of his time as Secretary of Defense, but also due to his former position as Director of the OMB and as Chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Secretary Panetta co-founded the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, and is the author of Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace, his New York Times best-selling auto-biography.”
General (Ret.) David Petraeus, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
“In this very special episode of The Burn Bag, hosts A’ndre Gonawela and Ryan Rosenthal talk to former CIA Director GEN (Ret.) David Petraeus about a range of topics. General Petraeus gives us his take on current and future U.S. defense policy in the Middle East, and provides an insight into his own time as CENTCOM Commander in the 2000s dealing with ‘nation-building’ in Iraq and Afghanistan. We also talk to General Petraeus about his strategy in dealing with counterinsurgency in Iraq — drawing on the General’s own acclaimed ‘Field Manual’. General Petraeus also addresses the challenges posed by regional powers and great powers, such as Iran, Russia, and even China on U.S. interests in the Middle East, and how other countries such as Pakistan have interfered in past U.S. efforts to ensure domestic stability in Afghanistan. General Petraeus does indeed also touch on the recent Defense Department shuffle by President Trump, and provides his thoughts on the current transition period and the national security implications of the ongoing non-cooperation by the Trump Administration.”
Former NSC Senior Director Fiona Hill
“In this special conversation with Fiona Hill, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow and former senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council from 2017 to 2019, we dive into Russia and its modern day leader Vladimir Putin. Fiona, who served as deputy assistant to President Trump and was present at the notorious Helsinki Summit between Presidents Trump and Putin provides her reaction to President Biden’s meeting with President Putin in Geneva, and her observations on Putin’s relationships with past U.S. Presidents. The conversation then digs deep into Fiona’s views on Vladimir Putin and his leadership style, drawing comparisons and contrasts between Putin and the Tsars of Russia and the leaders of the Soviet Union. Fiona, who was a co-author of the seminal Putin biography Mr. Putin, does suggest that there are certainly weaknesses in Putin’s armor, and details why Putin may have reason to fear opposition figures like Alexei Navalny. We also dig into Russia’s foreign policy — especially regarding its position given its prominent neighbor to the south, China.”
Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer
“In this very special episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, A’ndre and Ryan speak with Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of the Eurasia Group, who is widely seen as bringing the trade of political risk to prominence as an academic discipline and to practical usage in financial markets, in addition to introducing a range of other concepts that are widely applied in geopolitical conversations today. Bremmer speaks with The Burn Bag about the Eurasia Group’s newest annual forecast of the top political risks that may affect the world in 2021. In this conversation, Ian digs into what he sees as Risk #1: #46, U.S. President Joe Biden, and how the trends leading to the recent assault on the U.S. Capitol Building may complicate Biden’s Presidency and the broader U.S. political situation. Ian also discusses the other major risks, including COVID, climate change, the U.S.-China relationship, technology, and the future of the European Union. You can find the link to the full “Top Risks 2021” report here.”
General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal
“In this week’s episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, co-hosts A’ndre and Ryan speak to retired Four Star General Stanley McChrystal about his views on leadership. We discuss the topic with the General by drawing on lessons in leadership from his own career, looking at how General McChrystal spearheaded the transformation of JSOC, or the Joint Special Operations Command, to effectively adjust to new battlefields and circumstances that insurgencies wrought. Under his leadership, JSOC went from conducting 4 raids a month to 300 raids a month, and captured Iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein and killed Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. General McChrystal gives us his take on the leadership qualities that made both of these men so lethal and deadly to American forces, and digs into how al-Zarqawi’s leadership in particular transcended his practical duties and made him in some ways more dangerous than Osama bin Laden — even after death. We then bring the conversation to contemporary issues, getting the General’s take on how COVID-19 and the fight against terrorism are similar, and how common failures have exacerbated the challenges associated with each. Lastly, General McChrystal outlines how the military needs to rethink what the ‘traditional’ soldier is in light of new challenges across a range of domains, that include cyberspace, and how his work now with the McChrystal Group is furthering the ‘battlefield to the boardroom’ mentality.”
Dr. Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations
“In this week’s episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, co-hosts A’ndre Gonawela and Ryan Rosenthal speak with Dr. Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). A’ndre and Ryan discuss Dr. Haass’ new book The World: A Brief Introduction, American policy towards Mainland China and Taiwan, COVID-19’s strengthening of European institutions, popular protests in Russia, defining challenges of the 21st century and multilateralism.”
“No Easy Answer”: Counterintelligence at Home and Abroad with former FBI Officials Bill Priestap and Holden Triplett
“On this week’s episode of The Burn Bag, we talk counterintelligence with Bill Priestap, former Head of Counterintelligence at the FBI, and Holden Triplett, former Director of Counterintelligence on the National Security Council. Priestap and Triplett give an overview on counterintelligence, highlighting how it has changed over the past 20 years, and what types of operations the FBI has worked to respond to. They discuss the FBI’s role in thwarting espionage along with outlining what coordination looks like between the FBI and other agencies, such as the CIA in addressing these foreign threats. Priestap and Triplett highlight how extensive efforts are by foreign adversaries to recruit Americans to spy on their own country, and what the general threat of this has and does look like. Both dive into some modern day challenges, giving us a look at corporate espionage, the controversy behind Confucius Institutes, and developments around cyber-espionage. We wrap the episode with a discussion how we can address domestic threats, as evident in the January 6th insurrection and similar threats.”
The National Security Democrat: Beyond Party Politics with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
“On this week’s episode, co-hosts A’ndre and Ryan speak about the events at the Capitol on January 6th with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. As the representative from Michigan’s 8th District, Congresswoman Slotkin discusses her role in working with the Biden administration to combat and deal with domestic terrorism and violence. During this episode, she addresses various topics such as Iran, the Department of Defense, and the 1st Amendment in relation to domestic threats. Congresswoman Slotkin then delves into the future of the Democratic Party’s foreign policy platform.”
The Future of Warfare: Naval Power, Cyber Force, and the Next World War with Admiral (Ret.) James Stavridis
“On this week’s episode of the Burn Bag, co-hosts A’ndre and Ryan speak with Admiral (ret.) James Stavridis about his new book 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. Admiral Stavridis, who served as former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and former Commander of U.S. Southern Command, discusses the importance of cyber warfare and why we must rethink the idea of the typical U.S. soldier. During the episode, he delves into the SolarWinds hack and cyber espionage, along with Naval Warfare—specifically the influence of maritime powers. Admiral Stavridis ends by discussing the U.S.’s position regarding the South China Sea and the mission of NATO.
To learn more about the Admiral and his work check out his website.”
A'ndre Gonawela 