Intelligence Matters

In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Ret. Navy Admiral Sandy Winnefeld speaks with Derek Maltz, former Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration for an important conversation about the national security implications of the opioid crisis gripping communities across the United States. Maltz explains the connectivity between drug traffickers and terrorist networks, China’s growing export of fentanyl and precursor chemicals, and how the DEA partners with the CIA and other intelligence and law enforcement agencies in international counter-narcotics efforts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Cohen, former Deputy Director of the CIA and Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence about whether, when, and how targeted financial sanctions work. Cohen explains why the U.S. sanctions snapping back on Iran's oil industry may not have the same bite they did years ago, and why the Trump's administration's once-effective North Korea sanctions may have been weakened by the Singapore summit. Cohen describes how secondary sanctions expand the reach and enhance the power of U.S. financial sanctions, and how intelligence helps determine whether a given sanctions regime is effective. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host retired Navy Admiral Sandy Winnefeld interviews Norman Roule, who spent decades at the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence managing significant programs related to the Middle East. Roule, who recently returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia, explains how developments in the Khashoggi matter are being received by Saudi citizens and what senior officials in the Kingdom may do in response to widespread calls for transparency and accountability. Roule also details the many other challenges facing the Kingdom - including its domestic modernization push, the Yemen and Syria conflicts on its borders, and its efforts to build a post-oil economy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with top Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about the state of Iran's economy, its domestic politics, and its diplomatic posture vis a vis the West. Sadjadpour offers insight into the evolving dynamics within Tehran's leadership structure and growing discontent in Iranian society, including whether unrest or revolution may be on the horizon. He also assesses the impact of the U.S.'s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, and explains why Iran's medium-term strategy may be to "wait out" the Trump administration. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with the former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers about the case of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared in early October after walking into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Amid reports that Turkish officials have audio and video tapes showing Saudi agents are responsible for the murder of Khasshoggi -- a U.S. resident who had written critically of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- Morell and Vickers discuss the current knowns and unknowns of the case, the implications of Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement, and the necessary course of action for U.S. policymakers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Senator James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, who serves on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Morell and Lankford discuss the state of the nation's election security, the gamut of ongoing foreign misinformation efforts, and whether social media platforms need regulating. Lankford discusses the need for auditable ballots and his work to move a recently-stalled bipartisan election security bill through the Senate. He also provides an update on the committee's ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Christopher Johnson, Senior Adviser and Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about the current status of and the future possibilities for the U.S.-China relationship. They discuss the implications of a newly competitive economic relationship, the compatibility of domestic, regional and global objectives, and whether compromise is possible - or conflict is inevitable. Johnson explains why he believes America's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership may be "the biggest strategic mistake the United States has ever made." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the national security threats posed by global pandemic, epidemics, superbugs, man-made pathogens and bioterrorism. Fauci provides his assessment of the United States' and the world's level of preparedness for all of them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, Stephen Hadley. They discuss the need for continued American engagement on the global scene and the merits of a rules-based international system based on democracy, respect for human rights, and free markets. Hadley and Morell also review the major obstacles impeding a functional US-Russia relationship, as well as opportunities to interface strategically with Iran, North Korea and China. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell has a wide-ranging conversation with Jake Sullivan, former senior policy adviser on Secretary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden. They discuss key lessons learned from Russia's 2016 election interference, the Obama administration's response, and how future political leaders should be thinking about the presidency. Sullivan, who was deeply involved in brokering the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, discusses the Trump administration's opportunities for dialogue with Tehran, and shares his views on North Korea, Russia and other foreign policy challenges facing the United States. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with William Evanina, Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, about the top counterintelligence threats facing the United States. Evanina shares his experience tracking the operational activities of Russian agents in the so-called "illegals" network that culminated in a U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange in 2010. He explains how Russia's ongoing tactical efforts today target critical infrastructure and elections systems, and details the risks posed by non-traditional collection efforts by China. He also tells Morell what other countries are on his "worry list" of increasingly sophisticated espionage challenges. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia), vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, speaks with host Michael Morell about top national security issues facing the intelligence community, the policymakers who oversee it, and the administration within which it operates. Warner shares his views on the responsibilities of currently-serving intelligence officials and the importance of adhering to the rule of law, and explains why the Senate Intelligence Committee’s ongoing investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election might be among the most important efforts of his public life. He tells Morell why his concerns about the strategic threat posed China have multiplied in recent years, and what he believes Silicon Valley – and the U.S. government – need to do to protect themselves against foreign influence campaigns from Russia, China, Iran and others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Barbara Leaf speaks with host Michael Morell about the importance of diplomacy, the state of governance in the Middle East, and the path forward for Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Palestine. Leaf, who spent over three decades at the Department of State overseeing some of the most challenging diplomatic missions in the Middle East, explains why the United States has a "binding interest" in the region and why successful partnerships are critical to national security. She also tells Morell why she believes former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's tenure marked a period of "extraordinary destructiveness" at the State Department, and what she hopes his successor, Mike Pompeo, will do to help it recover. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Stacey Dixon, newly named director of Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the so-called "DARPA-for-spies." Dixon explains how IARPA's work helps the intelligence community forecast global events like cyberattacks, civil unrest and bio-threats, and advance capabilities that use artificial intelligence and machine learning. She also addresses China's outsize investments in high-tech industries, which she warns risks luring away U.S. and other talent. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks to Juan Carlos Pinzon Bueno, Colombia's former minister of defense and its ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2017. They discuss the status of the historic peace deal with FARC rebels, the growing political turbulence in Venezuela, and why trust remains at the crux of democracy. Pinzon and Morell also discuss the potential for a resurgence in drug trafficking, its implications for the United States, and other evolving security concerns in the region. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Laura Rosenberger and Jamie Fly of the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy. The bipartisan duo discuss their latest project on disinformation campaigns being conducted worldwide, explain how European nations served as a training ground for operations in the United States and describe how other authoritarian regimes are taking examples from Russia's toolkit. They also detail how Russia's effort to sow social and political discord have reached beyond social media platforms and lasted long beyond the 2016 election. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell addresses the Trump administration’s threat to revoke the security clearances of number of former senior government officials. Morell speaks personally about the value that former officials can offer to current administrations, whether and how clearances can be monetized, and how continuity among agency leaders can help serve the public interest. The episode features previous commentary from DNI James Clapper, NSA and CIA Director Michael Hayden, and CIA director John Brennan. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Pakistan's former Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, who takes stock of Pakistan's prevailing domestic ideologies, its fraught regional relationships, and explains how it deals with Washington today. Just ahead of the elections in Pakistan, Haqqani describes the entrenched challenges facing the country and explains what political leaders can do to confront them. He also shares themes from his latest book, Reimagining Pakistan: Transforming a Dysfunctional Nuclear State. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the evolving military threats facing the United States and how potential adversaries are developing non-military means to counter U.S. capabilities. They also discuss the fracturing of the liberal world order and whether threats to it are coming from internal sources - like the United States itself. Winnefeld tells Morell how the U.S. military needs to change its approach in order to maintain its position in the current security environment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell leads a rare interview with CIA's Chief of Talent Acquisition, Sheronda Dorsey, who describes how the agency finds, trains and retains its global network of employees. Dorsey, an agency veteran of nearly three decades, describes her own experience climbing the CIA's ranks as a young black female, and tells Morell how the CIA is working to boost diversity within its ranks and leadership today. She also shares the top qualifying and disqualifying factors for candidates who apply. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.