Bill and co-host Will Selber are joined by Lynne O'Donnell, Australian journalist, author and analyst. Lynne is no stranger to reporting from conflict zones, including serving as the Afghanistan bureau chief for the Associated Press and for Agence France-Presse. Lynne recounts her final days in Afghanistan, including being detained by the Taliban.
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Amidst a new year and ahead of President Trump taking office in a matter of days, Bill is joined by co-hosts Joe Truzman and Behnam Ben Taleblu for a temperature check of some of the top security issues in the Middle East — including Israel's military operations in Syria, ongoing tensions with the Houthis, and the complexities surrounding a possible ceasefire with Hamas.
Jan 06, 2025•39 min
Bill is joined by LWJ and GJ OG Tom Joscelyn to discuss the New Year's attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas.
Jan 03, 2025•26 min
Bill and Behnam discuss the ongoing missile strikes from the Houthis in Yemen targeting Israel, including the effectiveness of Israeli interceptions and strategic responses, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s role in supporting the Houthis, and broader implications for regional security.
Dec 27, 2024•36 min
Bill and Will Selber talk to Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, about the ongoing struggle against the Taliban, the need for international recognition of resistance efforts, and the importance of a new generation of Afghan leaders.
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Bill, David Daoud, and Ahmad Sharawi discuss the evolving situation in Syria with new leader Abu Mohammed Al Jelani now at the helm and consequences of engaging with groups designated as terrorists, the latest kinetic interactions between Israel and the Houthis, and where the Islamic Republic of Iran fits into the evolving regional dynamics.
Dec 20, 2024•47 min
Bill and Will Selber discuss the flawed psychology of continued Western efforts to find and promote cooperation with “moderate” terrorists with a particular focus on Mohammed Al-Jolani, now at the helm in Syria, and on the Taliban at the helm in Afghanistan (which is going great).
Dec 18, 2024•44 min
Dec 16, 2024•35 min
Dec 13, 2024•53 min
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Bill, David, and Ahmad delve into the recent ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hezbollah: details of the deal, the role of the U.S. in the deal, and the implications of the deal — including the broader regional consequences of the ceasefire amid the wider, ongoing conflict with Tehran behind the curtain.
Nov 27, 2024•50 min
Nov 25, 2024•43 min
David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi delve into the complexities of Palestinian Islamic Jihad's religious identity, its relationship with Iran, how Iran uses segments within a society to infiltrate them, and the implications of this for Jordanian and other Sunni societies.
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Bill and Benham unpack the dynamic landscape of American foreign policy towards Iran, specifically how the region’s latest turmoil might challenge the incoming Trump administration. They also discuss the challenges of domestic politics muddying foreign policy decisions, the future of American military presence in Iraq and Syria, and the need for a coherent strategy to address Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Nov 08, 2024•41 min
Bill and Will unpack the implications of Trump’s win on the foreign and national security policies, particularly as they related to Ukraine, Israel, and Iran. They also analyze the second Trump administration’s potential strategies for addressing burden sharing amongst NATO members, the ongoing jihadist threat, and the challenges posed by China and North Korea.
Nov 07, 2024•54 min
Bill and Joe unpack the latest unfolding in the evolving conflict between Iran and Israel, particularly in light of recent retaliatory strikes by Israel and the anticipated Iranian response. They also discuss the current situation in the West Bank, Hezbollah's operational status, and implications of tomorrow's U.S. elections on regional stability and military strategies.
Nov 04, 2024•31 min
Last week, the New York Times ran an article(?) called “Is Afghanistan’s Most-Wanted Militant Now Its Best Hope for Change?” (SPOILER: NO!) and with the subtitle: “Sirajuddin Haqqani has tried to remake himself from blood-soaked jihadist to pragmatic Taliban statesman. Western diplomats are shocked — and enticed.” Yes, really. To unpack (/eviscerate) the piece, Bill and Will Selber are joined by — drumroll, please — Long War Journal- and Generation Jihad-OG, Tom Joscelyn. They read it so you don...
Oct 30, 2024•48 min
Bill, Joe, and Behnam unpack Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on military targets in Iran, including the implications of Israeli strikes; the complexities of the Islamic Republic’s military strategies and challenges of disrupting its proxy networks; the broader geopolitical dynamics blanketing the Middle East — particularly the complexities of any regional military operations amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions between the U.S., Israel, and Iran; and the potential for Iran to accelerate its nucl...
Oct 28, 2024•49 min
Bill and Joe discuss the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and its implications for Israeli strategy in the country’s ongoing defensive war in Gaza; for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ongoing, multi-front war on Israel; and for already-tense U.S.-Israeli relations.
Oct 21, 2024•40 min
Bill and Behnam discuss Israel’s targeted killing of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, including this week’s successful assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Oct 18, 2024•51 min
Bill and Will discuss plots to target Western assets both inside and outside of combat zones, from the foiled attack targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Europe to credible threats on President Trump's life made by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Oct 16, 2024•43 min
On the one-year anniversary of October 7, 2023 — the horrific, Iran-backed, Hamas-led attack against Israel — Bill and Edmund Fitton-Brown reflect on the last year of war that followed the carnage.
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Bill is joined by friend of the show Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss Edmund's recent report for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, Commentary: The Global Jihadi Terror Threat in September 2024 .
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Bill and show regular David Daoud are joined by their FDD colleague Ahmad Sharawi, making his overdue Generation Jihad debut amidst rumors that today's Israeli strike in Beirut may have killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. They share what they know so far and unpack the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns.
Sep 27, 2024•48 min
Bill and Joe are joined by their FDD colleague Dr. Jonathan Schanzer to discuss his recent article for Commentary, " Hamas On The Ropes: A Progress Report ."
Sep 23, 2024•57 min
Bill is joined by Joe and David to discuss yesterday and today's explosions of devices belonging to Hezbollah terrorists across Lebanon.
Sep 18, 2024•44 min
Bill and Joe unpack the latest concerning Iran-backed terrorist groups in the West Bank, Israel’s special ground operation in Syria last week, ceasefire negotiations, and whether Hamas is pulling a Taliban and playing Weekend at Bernie’s with its leadership.
Sep 16, 2024•43 min
Bill and his Wednesday co-host Will Selber are joined by their friend and colleague Beth Bailey of the Afghanistan Project podcast — she also previously served in the intelligence community — on the twenty-third anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. They reflect on where we were then and how we got to where we are now, twenty-three years later.
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 4 min