In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Global Energy Expert Daniel Yergin about energy security in the context of deep power rivalries as he provides his analysis of Putin's energy miscalculations. Yergin details the Biden administration's efforts to promote more oil production while committing to its long-term climate agenda. He warns against the large impact that any global disturbance can have to tight energy markets. To learn more about listener data and our...
Aug 31, 2022•41 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Terrorism Analyst and Long War Journal Editor Bill Roggio on the state of the counterterrorism fight in Afghanistan a year after the full U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban regaining control of the country. Roggio says that al Qaida has a stronger global position today than it had prior to 9/11. He notes that while the Islamic State is a more immediate threat, al Qaida is the greater threat long-term. Roggio details the lead u...
Aug 24, 2022•47 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Former Senior CIA analysts Chris Johnson, President and CEO of China Strategies Group, and John Culver, former national intelligence officer for East Asia, about Chinese and Taiwan relations after Speaker Pelosi's trip to Taipei. Culver describes China's military response as both "unprecedented" and showing "constraints", never escalating to a point where Taiwan had to make a use of force decision. Culver discusses how a re...
Aug 17, 2022•46 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and author of the new book, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China, about China's economic, political and demographic trajectory and the percolating risk of conflict with Beijing in the coming years. Brands explains why he believes China, rather than being on the rise, is pea...
Aug 10, 2022•43 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Eric Edelman, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Finland and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and likely lessons being drawn about the West's response and the nature of the battle by the People's Republic of China. Edelman and Morell discuss a range of possible future scenarios for the war in Ukraine, exploring its military, economic and diplomatic dimensions for both Kyiv and M...
Aug 03, 2022•47 min
In this "Best Of" episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Amy Zegart, the Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University about her new book, "Spies, Lies and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence." Morell and Zegart discuss the impact of emerging technologies on intelligence collection and analysis, both of which, Zegart says, have been fundamentally changed by develo...
Jul 27, 2022•40 min
In this "Best Of" episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Kenneth Dekleva, a psychiatrist, former U.S. Department of State Regional Medical Officer, and Senior Fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, about how experts compile psychological profiles of world leaders. Morell and Dekleva discuss the formative experiences and core characteristics of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and ...
Jul 20, 2022•43 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Alex Finley, a former CIA officer in the Directorate of Operations and an author of three satirical books depicting life and work at the agency. Finley describes how CIA officers often use humor in unique ways to cope with high-stress assignments, and she and Morell discuss the ways in which satire can illuminate little-known realities about serious subjects. Finley also describes her newfound role as an amateur 'yacht-watc...
Jul 13, 2022•41 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, about Russia's use of "strategic conservatism" to exploit divisions with and within the West. Conley explains how Russian President Vladimir Putin has leveraged the support of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church to portray himself as a global defender of conservative values. Conley and Morell also discuss how the Russian Orthodox Church ha...
Jul 06, 2022•41 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Peter Wittig, Germany's former ambassador to the United States, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Cyprus and the United Nations, about foreign perceptions of the United States at pivotal historical moments. Wittig and Morell trace the evolution of America's standing in the eyes of the world from the end of the World Wars to the end of the Cold War, through the period following 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to today. Wittig...
Jun 29, 2022•43 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Pedro Burelli, a Venezuelan citizen, a former senior Venezuelan oil official, and an astute observer of Latin America and the world. Burelli and Morell exchange observations about Latin America's political and economic trajectory, including key influences and inflection points in Cuba, Chile, Mexico and other countries. They discuss shifts in political leadership, the degradation of democratic norms, and the opportunistic e...
Jun 22, 2022•45 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA China analyst Chris Johnson, now President and CEO of the China Strategies Group, about the state of play in the U.S.-China relationship and how China's approach to Russia, its COVID lockdowns and economic policies are affecting the bilateral and global dynamic. Johnson and Morell discuss President Xi Jinping's political objectives ahead of the 20th Party Congress this fall, including whether there exists ...
Jun 15, 2022•44 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Klon Kitchen, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Jamil Jaffer, founder and Executive Director of the National Security Institute at George Mason University, about a range of current national security topics, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Iran's pursuit of nuclear capabilities, and the national security implications of regulating Big Tech companies. Kitchen and Jaffer offer their views on why p...
Jun 08, 2022•43 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with journalist and author Elizabeth Williamson, who traced the rise and proliferation of conspiracy theories surrounding the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in a new book, Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy in the Battle for Truth. Williamson and Morell discuss how the conspiracy theories began, to whom they tend to appeal, and how social media companies have been integral to their spread. Williamson also explains how the U.S. may...
Jun 01, 2022•46 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with award-winning CBS News senior foreign correspondent Holly Williams about her on-the-ground reporting in Ukraine since the days of the 2014 Maidan revolution. Williams and Morell discuss the scenes at the front lines of the conflict today, including the brutality of Russia's tactics, the morale of Ukraine's forces, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy's unlikely rise to the presidency. Williams also offers insights into the kinds of prep...
May 25, 2022•44 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA operations officer and Moscow station chief Rolf Mowatt-Larssen about the likely trajectory of the war in Ukraine, including the possibility of a negotiated peace -- or dangerous escalation. Mowatt-Larssen offers insights on Putin's options, potential rifts among his intelligence agencies, and persistent rumors about the Russian leader's health. Morell and Mowatt-Larssen also discuss Western involvement in...
May 18, 2022•46 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Christine "Christy" Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Abizaid explains how the center's mission has evolved in the two decades following 9/11 and where its current areas of focus are. She details the existing external attack capabilities of terror networks including ISIS, al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab and explains how their ideologies have spread ...
May 11, 2022•45 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Zohar Palti, former senior Mossad officer and head of the Israeli Defense Forces' Political-Military Bureau, about his career, Israel's approach to the Iran nuclear issue and Tehran's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Palti shares his views on the value of intelligence to key decision points in Israel's historic national security choices and the bond between the Mossad and CIA. He also discusses the current top thre...
May 04, 2022•41 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Will Hurd, a former CIA officer and Republican Congressman from Texas who served on the House Intelligence Committee. Morell and Hurd, who is the author of the new book, "American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done," discuss a range of domestic challenges - including immigration, political division, and adapting to advanced technologies - that may pose broader national security threats. They also discuss...
Apr 27, 2022•43 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA deputy director John McLaughlin about the global implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - including within Russia itself, across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. McLaughlin offers analysis on Russian president Vladimir Putin's personal position, the nature of a potential Ukrainian insurgency, and the rebuilding that will have to follow the end of the war. Morell and McLaughlin also discuss the future of We...
Apr 20, 2022•44 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Brett Holmgren, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR) at the U.S. Department of State, about the unique history of his agency, its future, and how its analysts work to equip diplomats with key intelligence today. Holmgren and Morell discuss the Biden administration's unprecedented strategy of publicly releasing declassified intelligence about Russia's military plans in Ukraine, the risks it entail...
Apr 13, 2022•40 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Mark Finley, fellow in energy and global oil at Rice University's Baker Institute, former senior economist for British Petroleum, and former analyst and manager at CIA. Finley explains the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on global oil and gas markets and why current Western sanctions may not immediately meaningfully curtail Moscow's energy revenues. Morell and Finley also discuss how the rest of the world may experi...
Apr 06, 2022•42 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA operations officer and senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center Rolf Mowatt-Larssen about Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the prospect of Russia using weapons of mass destruction, and the likelihood of a near-term political solution to the crisis. Mowatt-Larssen, who spent a significant part of his career in Moscow and dealt with WMD terror threats after 9/11, outlines some of Puti...
Mar 30, 2022•46 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Brian Morra, former Air Force intelligence officer and author of "The Able Archers," a novel based on the true story of a narrowly avoided nuclear confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1983. Morra details the key players and events that brought the two global superpowers to the brink of conflict - and what high-risk interventions were required to avert cataclysm. Morra explains how his book - and experience...
Mar 23, 2022•46 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chris Johnson, Senior Fellow at CSIS, about the Chinese perspective on the Russia-Ukraine War. Morell and Johnson discuss how the crisis in Ukraine affects China's view on Taiwan and how China would like the conflict to end. Johnson discusses how chemical weapons "would probably be a dividing line for the Chinese, although it wasn't in Syria." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.au...
Mar 16, 2022•46 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Kenneth Dekleva, a psychiatrist, former U.S. Department of State Regional Medical Officer, and Senior Fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, about how experts compile psychological profiles of world leaders. Morell and Dekleva discuss the formative experiences and core characteristics of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Supreme Le...
Mar 09, 2022•43 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Mike Vickers, former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Special Forces officer and CIA operations officer. Vickers and Morell discuss whether and how Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine may have been a gross strategic miscalculation, how and when the West might have deterred his moves, and what future scenarios for the conflict exist. They discuss Putin's options and decision-making and how his p...
Mar 02, 2022•45 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, about the history of Taiwan, current political perceptions of it within China and the Communist Party, and whether Chinese president Xi Jinping has a timeline for achieving reunification. Morell and Glaser also discuss Xi’s likely perceptions of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and of the effect of the United States’ longstanding policy o...
Feb 23, 2022•44 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell moderates a conversation among a panel of experts including former Deputy Secretary General of NATO Rose Gottemoeller, former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia Andrea Kendall-Taylor, and former senior CIA operations officer John Sipher about the state of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and whether diplomatic options remain viable. The panel evaluates Russian President Vladimir Putin's immediate and long-term objecti...
Feb 16, 2022•51 min
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Sue Mi Terry, former senior CIA analyst and current Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center, about North Korea's record-breaking spate of missile tests in 2022 and its overall approach to the Biden administration. Terry and Morell discuss the stances struck by Russia and China to Pyongyang's newly aggressive behavior, as well as the prospects for change...
Feb 09, 2022•42 min
