The Burn Bag Podcast
We’re here to redefine how scholars and policymakers approach national security and foreign policy. Join us, as we make sense of a world in crisis.
Episodes
326 episodes
Biosecurity: Bird Flu, Bioweapons, Artificial Intelligence, and Other Bio-Risks with Dr. Jaime Yassif from the Nuclear Threat Initiative
In this episode, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with Dr. Jaime Yassif, Vice President of Global Biological Policy and Programs at NTI | bio, to explore the evolving landscape of biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. They discuss key lessons from CO...
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51:19
The Trump-Zelensky Fallout: Fmr. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer Reacts to the White House Debacle
NOTE: This episode was recorded several hours before the announcement that President Trump was pausing all U.S. military aid to Ukraine.In this episode, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with Ambassador Steven Pifer, former U.S. Ambassa...
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58:57
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The World According to A'ndre: Trump’s Friday Night Massacre, the Art of the Mineral Deal, and Podcasters Take Over the FBI
This week, A’ndre examines former President Trump’s decision to fire General CQ Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, exploring the implications for U.S. military leadership, civil-military relations, and his potential replacement, LT...
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30:08
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What in the World? South Korea: Martial Law, Impeachments, and a President Behind Bars feat. Alex Eid and Choong Hong
In this week’s edition of What in the World?, A’ndre discusses the recent political turmoil in South Korea with his colleagues Alex Eid and Choong Hong, both experts on Korean affairs. Alex and Choong break down President Yoon Suk Yeol...
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1:05:13
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The World According to A'ndre: Putin trumps Zelensky, DOGE Cuts Go Nuclear, the Tariff Sheriff, and Who Wants to Poison Lula?
The Burn Bag is launching a new weekly series: "The World According to A'ndre." Every Friday, A'ndre will break down some of the biggest foreign policy stories he's been tracking, offering his insights and making them accessible...
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33:06
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Dr. Anthony Fauci on Pandemics, Public Health, and a Lifetime in Public Service
In this episode, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins A'ndre for an in-depth conversation about his decades-long career in public health and his experiences leading the U.S. response to some of the world’s most pressing infectious disease chal...
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59:46
U.S.-India Under Trump: Previewing the Relationship as Modi Heads to Washington with Dr. Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution
In this episode, A’ndre chat with his old boss Dr. Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, to examine the evolving landscape of India’s foreign policy and its relationship with the United States under a second Trump administr...
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58:43
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Is Russia Fascist? Putinism, the Russian Far-Right, and the Global Illiberal Trend with Professor Marlene Laruelle
In this episode, A’ndre welcomes Professor Marlene Laruelle, a leading expert on Russian politics and nationalism, for a deep dive into the evolution of far-right politics in Russia. The discussion be...
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49:00
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What in the World? The Los Angeles Fires: Does California’s Wildfire Prevention and Resilience Require an Operation Warp Speed? feat. Tahra Jirari
On this week's What in the World, A’ndre chatted with Tahra Jirari, Director of Economic Analysis at the Chamber of Progress, on the devastating 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles and the urgent need for systemic reform. A'ndre and Tahra ta...
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49:28
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Climate Migration: Why it's a National Security Issue and What We Can Do to Solve It with Erin Sikorsky, Director of The Center for Climate and Security
This episode is the second in a two-parter in collaboration with the Climate Migration Council, to highlight the Council's recent
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32:30
Fmr. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the Los Angeles Fires, Climate Disasters, and Climate Migration
This episode is the first in a two-parter in collaboration with the Climate Migration Council, to highlight the Council's recent
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53:13
BEST OF: Is TikTok a Threat? Data Sovereignty, Algorithmic Influence, and the China Factor with Lindsay Gorman, Senior Fellow at GMF Tech
RE-RELEASE: This episode was originally released in April 2024. The TikTok ban took effect late Saturday night, but may be revoked by President-elect Trump.This week, A'ndre is joined by Lindsay Gorman, the Managing Director &a...
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54:04
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President Jimmy Carter: What was his Foreign Policy Legacy? Featuring Presidential Historian Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky
On Friday, A’ndre chatted with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library, to explore President Jimmy Carter’s presidential and post-presidential foreign policy legacy f...
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52:20
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Fmr. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper: A Cold Peace and Hot Wars — Threat Forecasting 2025
On January 2nd, A'ndre sat down with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (2019-2020) to discuss key security challenges facing the United States in 2025 and the Department of Defense's preparedness in addressing them. They began their c...
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1:00:36
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Fmr. CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus on the Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine and Gaza
A'ndre sat down with former CIA Director General (Ret.) David Petraeus to discuss the evolution of warfare since 1945, covering conflicts from World War II to Vietnam and the current wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. General Petraeus examine...
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1:00:09
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Sinwar is Dead: Israel Kills Hamas Leader and What it Means for the War in Gaza, with former Counterterrorism Official Javed Ali
On Thursday, Israel announced that it had killed Hamas' de facto leader Yahya Sinwar near Rafah, a significant development for the ongoing War in Gaza. A'ndre chatted with his old friend and mentor Javed Ali, former Senior Director for Countert...
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22:17
Best Of: George Will on What a Conservative Foreign Policy Means (Original Release: 10/4/2021)
In this re-release of our popular episode from October 2021 (excuse the old theme music!), A'ndre and Ryan speak with George Will, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnis...
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1:05:41
The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on Religion and Politics, Gaza, LGBTQ+ Rights, and Christian Nationalism
This week, A'ndre welcomes a unique guest: The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Some of our audience may recall Bishop Curry's captivating sermon during the 2018 Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle....
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23:43
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Hezbollah: Understanding the Lebanese Militant Group after Nasrallah's Death with Dr. Matthew Levitt
Following Israel's targeted killing of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, the pager explosions, and the ongoing escalation in Southern Lebanon, A'ndre sat down with Dr. Matthew Levitt from the Washington Institute to discuss anything and everyth...
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49:42
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Why Israel Failed: Did a Security Lifestyle Lead to October 7th? Has Hamas Won the War in Gaza? with Professor Uri Bar-Joseph
The Burn Bag will be covering the Israel-Gaza War over the course of several episodes, sourcing multiple perspectives on the conflict. The Burn Bag does not officially endorse any views expressed by our guests, but rather brings those persp...
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1:01:44
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What in the World? The Quad: The Indo-Pacific Partnership Between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia featuring Aman Thakker
On Saturday, President Joe Biden will host the leaders of India, Japan, and Australia in Wilmington, Delaware, for his final Quad summit. What is the Quad? To explore this four-way partnership and preview the summit, A'ndre is j...
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46:20
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Foreign Agents: The U.S. Lawmakers, Experts, and Insiders Lobbying for Foreign Governments with Casey Michel, Author of "Foreign Agents"
A powerful U.S. Senator. A leading aide to the New York Governor. A leading Korea expert. All prominent figures in the last several months who have been accused of being foreign agents, working on behalf of foreign governments to influence ...
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53:46
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We Are Bellingcat: Uncovering War Crimes, Investigating Autocrats, and Citizen Journalism's Future with Eliot Higgins, Founder of Bellingcat
This week, A'ndre chatted with Eliot Higgins, an award-winning journalist who founded the citizen journalism outlet Bellingcat, a fact-checking platform utilizing open-source intelligence focusing on international affairs. Eliot talks ...
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1:00:44
Punishing Putin: Assessing the Unprecedented Economic War on Russia with Bloomberg Reporter Stephanie Baker
Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Within hours, the U.S. and allies coordinated a shadow-war – using the tools of economic statecraft – to bring the heat down on Moscow. That shadow-war is the subject of this...
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46:27
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Afghan Technologist Sara Wahedi: How her App Saved Lives and Reflections on Women's Rights since the Taliban Takeover
This week, A'ndre chatted with Sara Wahedi, an award-winning Afghan technologist and humanitarian who created Ehtesab, a crisis notification app that has provided Kabul residents in Afghanistan with real-time emergency alerts. A'ndre and Sara c...
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