Fault Lines
National Security Institute
Fault Lines, the National Security Institute’s flagship podcast, gets you quickly up to speed, three-times-a-week, on the national security and foreign policy debates shaking up America.
Our regular cast of foreign policy experts includes NSI Deputy Executive Director Martha Miller, NSI Senior Fellows Lester Munson and Morgan Viña, and Director of the NSI CTC - Howard University Cybersecurity Clinic Jessica Jones.
Tune in to learn more about the issues dominating headlines and the news stories you may have missed.
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Top 10 Fault Lines Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Fault Lines episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Fault Lines for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Fault Lines episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Episode 384: Trump’s NatSec Draft Picks
Fault Lines
11/13/24 • 11 min
Today, Les, Martha, Morgan, and Jess discuss president-elect Donald Trump’s picks for national security and foreign policy positions in the coming administration. The least surprising of which have been Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) being floated as a strong contender for Secretary of State, Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL-6) being announced as Trump’s National Security Advisor, and Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) being announced as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. However, in a surprise pick, Pete Hegseth, a Veteran and Fox News Weekend commentator has been announced as Secretary of Defense sending shockwaves throughout the beltway.
How will president-elect Trump’s cabinet picks impact his foreign policy? How do our adversaries and allies view these picks? Will these picks impact the War in Ukraine?
Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.
Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!
https://www.politico.com/interactives/2024/trump-cabinet-picks-2025-tracker/
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/12/trump-transition-personnel-announcements-takeaway-00188936
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-picks-so-far-heres-who-advising-new-president
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trumps-cabinet-whos-been-picked-whos-running-2024-11-12/
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4985802-trump-cabinet-nominees-second-term/
Follow our experts on Twitter:
@marthamillerdc
@morganlroach
@lestermunson
@NotTVJessJones
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Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!
We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/EBsxyK8orjs
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02/14/24 • 7 min
Today, Jamil, Jess, Morgan, and Les discuss last Thursday’s general election in Pakistan. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan won 93 of the 134 simple majority seats required to form a government. This led to rival parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PLM-N) party to form a coalition, returning former prime minister Shewaz Sharif to office.
What does this election mean for U.S. interests? How has the U.S. relationship with Pakistan changed following the withdrawal from Afghanistan? What role does China play in Pakistan? Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines!
Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68271462
https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/02/12/pakistans-voters-tell-the-generals-where-to-put-it
Follow our experts on Twitter:
@jamil_n_jaffer
@notTVJessJones
@lestermunson
@morganlroach
Like what we're doing here?
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!
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01/17/24 • 9 min
Today, Jess, Morgan, and Les discuss the escalating situation in the Red Sea where the U.S. and allied forces have continued their campaign of strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, while two U.S. Navy SEALs have gone missing while interdicting a ship in the Gulf of Aden meant to deliver weapons to the Houthis, and China and Russia voted for a UN Security Council resolution calling for the immediate end to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping.
What are we accomplishing with our current approach? Can the U.S. walk the fine line of responding without escalation? Should we change our approach with the Houthi Rebels and other Iranian-backed groups? Get the answer to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines!
Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-carries-new-airstrike-houthis-yemen/story?id=106414037
https://apnews.com/article/us-houthis-red-sea-jake-sullivan-yemen-ff507d06a7a44d6f3644f128e7766b3d
https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/military/us-seizes-iranian-weapons-houthis-yemen/
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/two-navy-seals-are-missing-after-mission-off-coast-of-somalia/
Follow our experts on Twitter:
@notTVJessJones
@lestermunson
@morganlroach
Like what we're doing here?
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!
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04/04/25 • 18 min
Today, Morgan, Les, Amy, and Jess unpack the dramatic firings at the National Security Council, following far-right influencer Laura Loomer’s unexpected meeting with President Trump. In just 24 hours, two rounds of senior NSC officials—including the Commander and Deputy of U.S. Cyber Command—were dismissed, with a third round reportedly imminent. What triggered the purge? A mix of internal power struggles, loyalty tests, and fallout from last week’s Signal Gate scandal.
Is the Trump administration sidelining expertise in favor of ideological alignment? With trust in National Security Advisor Mike Waltz shaken and figures like Pete Hegseth gaining influence, is a broader battle underway between traditional GOP Reaganites and those who are more skeptical of U.S. alliances. And who stands to benefit from this internal unraveling at the heart of U.S. foreign policy?
Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.
Check out the sources that helped shape our Fellows’ discussion:
https://jinsa.org/jinsa_report/path-to-snapback-april-2025/
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/02/trump-iran-talks-bomb-threats
Follow our experts on Twitter:
@NotTVJessJones
@morganlroach
@amykmitchell
@lestermunson
Like what we're doing here?
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!
We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/n8jDdjPvV64
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03/31/21 • 30 min
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09/06/23 • 23 min
In this episode, join Lester and Will Hurd, candidate for the Republican nomination for President, former U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd District, and former Board Member for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, to discuss what Congress has done in the wake of AI and what that means for Americans.
How have the private and public sectors reacted to AI? How do we control AI? How should the U.S. think about its competition with China with respect to AI?
Tune into Fault Lines all summer to hear from more AI experts as part of, Breaking Barriers: Understanding the AI Revolution!
Learn more about Mr. Will Hurd here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-hurd-63528625
Follow our experts on Twitter:
@lestermunson @WillHurd
Like what we're doing here?
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!
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11/11/20 • 40 min
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Episode 47: Bipartisanship in NatSec
Fault Lines
10/21/20 • 41 min
The most contentious election in history is less than two weeks away, but Fault Lines is stepping out of our normal partisan foxholes to talk about the importance of bipartisanship in national security and foreign policy. Les, Jamil, Dana, and returning guest Andrew Borene discuss the past, present, and potential future of working across the aisle to protect Americans and advance America's interests abroad. When did partisanship actually end at the water's edge? Can we find any areas of agreement anymore? What are the future prospects for agreement on the very real threats facing the United States? All these questions and more answered in this week’s Fault Lines.
In our under the radar segment this week, Les focuses on mounting protests in Thailand, Andrew discusses the recent release of the Irregular Warfare Annex by the Department of Defense, Dana highlights the Trump Administration's attempts to free Austin Tice, and Jamil talks about the increasingly fraught relationship between India and China.
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07/23/20 • 26 min
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Episode 323: Tehran Strikes Out
Fault Lines
04/15/24 • 11 min
Today, Jamil, Jess, Les, and Morgan discuss Iran’s massive drone and missile attack against Israel which occurred over the weekend. Israel, in a coordinated air defense operation with the U.S. and others, was able to intercept 99% of Iran’s missiles and drones. Israel’s war cabinet met yesterday to formulate a response, while the Biden Administration said the U.S. would not participate in a counter-strike.
Did Iran intend this attack merely as theatre or as the opening salvo of a larger escalation? How can Israel respond to this attack without escalating the conflict? How will the increasing cooperation of Israel and Arab partners impact the war in Gaza and the region long term?
Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.
Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!
https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-launches-drone-attack-at-israel-ff263fbb
https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-hamas-latest-04-15-2024-05ca1ac2780defa8a1a0345754708512
Follow our experts on Twitter:
@jamil_n_jaffer
@NotTVJessJones
@lestermunson
@morganlroach
Like what we're doing here?
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe.
And don't forget to follow @masonnatsec on Twitter!
We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/ofSkyc4olPk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Fault Lines have?
Fault Lines currently has 450 episodes available.
What topics does Fault Lines cover?
The podcast is about News, Congress, Podcasts, National Security, Foreign Policy, Politics and Government.
What is the most popular episode on Fault Lines?
The episode title 'Episode 49: Election Spectacular' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Fault Lines?
The average episode length on Fault Lines is 20 minutes.
How often are episodes of Fault Lines released?
Episodes of Fault Lines are typically released every 2 days, 23 hours.
When was the first episode of Fault Lines?
The first episode of Fault Lines was released on Oct 1, 2019.
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