In the latest installment of The Burn Bag Podcast, A’ndre and Ryan sit down with former CIA Senior Clandestine Services Officer Daniel Hoffman for a wide-ranging discussion drawing upon his experience and expertise as an operations officer and a CIA Chief of Station. Hoffman digs into what it means to hire spies and covers why… Read More Sources and Methods: Recruiting Spies and Staying Left of Boom with Former CIA Operations Officer Daniel Hoffman

In this episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, A’ndre and Ryan interview former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon, about her long and distinguished career in the CIA and as a leader in the Intelligence Community, and her perspectives on a range of issues. As PDDNI, Gordon was essentially the second-highest official leading… Read More “Intelligence is Weird”: Strategic Innovation in the Community with former Principal Deputy DNI Sue Gordon

We spoke with Professor Allen Hicken, professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, about the protests in Thailand. Professor Hicken discusses the deep polarization of Thailand in part due to the ongoing protests for the past decade, the demands for reform of the Thai monarchy, and the dissolution of the Future Forward Party… Read More All Hail the King? Thai Protests and Police Action with Professor Allen Hicken

We spoke with Professor Terrence Lyons, a Professor of Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, about the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia. Professor Lyons discusses how the remnants of the Ethiopian Civil War led to the political reforms Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initiated in 2018 which created an opening for peace, but also an opportunity for… Read More Crisis in Ethiopia: The Conflict in Tigray with Professor Terrence Lyons

We talk with Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the Israel- Palestine conflict and broader geopolitics within the Middle East. Riedel draws on his experience as part of President Clinton’s peace process team, and specifically talks about what he saw at the 2000 Camp David Summit, and why he did not have… Read More Oslo to Abraham: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Middle East Geopolitics with Brookings Senior Fellow Bruce Riedel