Center for a New American Security
Senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and Project Director of its 20YY Warfare Initiative; former Army Ranger, having participated in special operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (2001-2008), he worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (2008-2013)
Will Libya Be America's Next Quagmire in the Middle East? President Obama says chaos in Libya is one of his major foreign-policy failures — with three rival governments all beset by the forces of ISIS. But the President's not giving up on trying to establish some kind of order, and US Special Op Forces could be sent there “ any day .” Critics say it's a strategy that hasn't succeeded before, and warn about making things worse — with American lives on the line. We hear about possible options and what it's like on the ground.
Drone Warfare President Obama laid out his strategy for defeating ISIS this week. And it included talk of airstrikes. In November, one of those strikes killed the ISIS spokesman known as Jihadi John, a British man who beheaded American captives on camera. That airstrike was actually carried out by an unmanned drone. Drones are increasingly the tool of choice for many countries involved in armed conflict, and countries looking to spy on one another. But there is no single set of international rules that govern the use of drones by nations. How has the lack of rules affected things on the ground? MQ-9 Reaper, a hunter-killer surveillance UAV Photo: US Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson /USAF Photographic Archives
The F-35 Striker Jet and Pork Barrel Politics More than 15 years in the making, the F-35 striker jet still has trouble landing on wet runways. The most expensive weapons system in history was grounded again this week, missing several airshows in England. They were much-needed marketing opportunities to help sell the F-35 fighter-bomber to foreign countries, amortizing increasing costs. We’ll hear about continued Congressional support despite a history of failure.
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.