Foreign Podicy

What does regime change in Syria change? The overthrow of longtime, mass-murdering dictator Bashar al-Assad is a good thing. But those who did the overthrowing? Not good. The most important rebel group involved in this revolution is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, better known as HTS. It has roots in both al Qaeda and the Islamic State (also known as ISIS). Its leader’s nom de guerre is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. He and HTS have been officially designated as terrorists by the U.S. government. The fall of Assad weakens Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both had backed Assad, and both had derived benefits from Assad in exchange. And the fall of Assad strengthens Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. To discuss all of this and more, host Cliff May is joined by Jonathan Schanzer, Reuel Marc Gerecht, and Michael Doran. NOTE: We hope you enjoy the soothing sounds of Reuel's Ring Doorbell chimes.

It seems a favorite pastime of leaders in Washington is telling us — Americans — what we believe and what we want. Such assertions by politicians are sometimes true, but they inevitably reflect the policy the politician is attempting to promulgate. So what do Americans actually believe when it comes to key defense and foreign policy issues? We don’t have to guess, thanks to the Reagan National Defense Survey. The Washington Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, Roger Zakheim, joins guest host Bradley Bowman to share the latest survey’s findings.

Another day, another blood libel against the Jewish state. What’s new but certainly not surprising is that Amnesty International, a lavishly well-funded organization – one that has long been viciously anti-Israel  – has published a report accusing Israelis of genocide in Gaza. What evidence do they have? They don’t need evidence. Why bother when they knew from the get-go what their verdict would be. To discuss the Amnesty report, host Cliff May is joined by FDD’s David Adesnik — he’s also a Syria expert and offers his take on the fascinating and really complicated developments unfolding there.

Last week, President Biden finally (belatedly) allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia. This made Vladimir Putin very angry. Some argue that we should be careful not to anger or provoke Putin and that if he issues threats, then we had better back down. But such weakness only emboldens Putin and his axis of aggressors in Tehran, Beijing, and Pyongyang who are helping him wage his illegal war in Ukraine. In exchange for Russian weapons that can be used to target commercial shipping and U.S. Navy vessels, Tehran-backed Houthi rebels helped Putin recruit hundreds of Yemenis to fight in Ukraine; North Korea has provided Putin some 10,000 soldiers; and China’s communist rulers in Beijing are also supporting Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. Despite a bleak reality, FDD’s Mark Montgomery says in a new essay for a report published by the Vandenberg Coalition and the McCain Institute that “there is much the incoming administration can do to improve U.S. military capabilities to deter and, if necessary, defeat potential threats.” He joins host Cliff May to discuss.

The two most recent attacks on Israel did not take place in the Middle East. The first was in Turtle Bay at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The second was in The Hague where the International Criminal Court is located — and about 40 miles from Amsterdam where Israeli soccer fans were violently assaulted earlier this month. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The action comes as Israel continues to fight a war on seven other fronts against Tehran-backed enemies. Host Cliff May discusses with his FDD colleagues Orde Kittrie and Rich Goldberg.

President Trump – now also President-elect Trump – has named the team he wants to advise him on foreign policy and national security. How will they fare in facing challenges like the Islamic Republic of Iran's war on Israel (and America), Russia's war against Ukraine, and the threat from China’s Communist rulers? Host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleague Richard Goldberg to discuss.

45 years ago this month, followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini seized the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage. Last weekend, regime supporters in Tehran celebrated that blatant violation of the most basic international law by rallying outside what used to be the embassy building. Over the decades since, the threats posed by the regime that came to power, the misleadingly named Islamic Republic of Iran, have not diminished. What should be America’s policy toward Iran? Host Cliff May asks Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council and author of a new “special report” entitled: Navigating the Iranian Opposition: A National Security Briefing for the United States.

FDD’s RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery just returned from Ukraine where he was on a mission to support and train the Ukrainian general staff in planning and executing integrated joint operations and, secondarily, to get a prioritized assessment of what the Ukrainians need to retain their independence, to prevent being re-colonized by Russia, to defend their homes and families. He joins host Cliff May to share what he learned about the terrible and illegal war that Putin is waging against the Ukrainian people — including Russia’s addition of North Korean soldiers to the battlefield.

On Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel and carried out the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust, Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon began firing missiles at Israel, and the attacks have continued ever since.   Last month, Israelis defended themselves against Hezbollah in new ways, including by exploding thousands of pagers worn on the belts of Hezbollah members and eliminating longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.   Soon after, Israeli troops began operating in southern Lebanon and uncovered a Hezbollah plot to invade Israel — all right under the noses of UN employees who claim to be peacekeepers and are bankrolled by U.S. tax dollars.   To discuss Lebanon’s colonization by Tehran, its war with Israel, its storied past, its troubled present, and its uncertain future – host Cliff May is joined by his FDD colleagues Hussain Abdul-Hussain and David Daoud.

Yahya Sinwar is dead. He was the leader of Hamas, the architect of the October 7 attack on Israel — the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has the blood of many Americans on his hands, too, and was designated as a terrorist by the U.S.
 For Israel, this is a significant battle won in a long and multi-front war. What’s next? Host Cliff May discusses with his FDD colleagues Mark Dubowitz, Jonathan Schanzer, and Hussain Abdul-Hussain.