Intelligence Matters

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell offers personal reflections in Part One of a two-part essay on the CIA's strategic warnings before 9/11, the terror plots it helped foil in its aftermath, and developments in Afghanistan today. Morell explains why he believes the CIA provided "the loudest and most persistent warning in the history of the agency on any issue" about al Qaeda to both the Clinton and Bush administrations, and outlines the missteps that may have led to the attacks. He also reveals new details about the level of frustration among CIA leadership with inaction by the White House. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the fifth and final installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Gina Bennett, one of the longest-serving intelligence analysts on al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Bennett and Morell discuss how the CIA first became aware of the work of Osama bin Laden, and how the earliest warnings of al Qaeda's ambitions went largely unheeded. Bennett shares recollections from the day of the 9/11 attacks, including how she and CIA colleagues refused to evacuate headquarters despite being told Langley was a credible target.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the fourth installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, Michael Morell speaks with Adm. James "Sandy" Winnefeld, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander of the USS Enterprise on September 11, 2001. Winnefeld and Morell discuss the moment the crew became aware of the attacks and how the decision was made to turn the massive aircraft carrier around to position it within striking distance of Afghanistan. Winnefeld also describes his message to the crew ahead of their engagement in the first strikes of the war. Morell and Winnefeld exchange views on recent developments related to the U.S. military drawdown in Afghanistan. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the third installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Winston Wiley, the CIA's most senior analyst on 9/11, about his experience on that day. Wiley and Morell discuss the CIA's pre-9/11 focus on al Qaeda how the agency immediately surged resources to counterterrorism efforts after the attacks occurred. They also discuss recent developments in Afghanistan, including the Taliban's takeover of Kabul.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the second installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Andy Card, who served Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush on the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Card and Morell walk through the moments that senior officials traveling with the president learned of the planes striking the towers, and the president's reaction upon being informed the country was under attack. They also discuss the tense moments aboard Air Force One in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, as the U.S. government rushed to identify additional threats and to plot a course forward. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the first installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Stephen Hadley, who served as deputy national security advisor to President George W. Bush on the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Hadley and Morell walk through the reactions and responses of White House officials who scrambled to understand the scope and origin of the attacks in real time. They also discuss President Bush's early instructions to government agencies and his messages to the shocked and grieving nation.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 Jonathan Levin, a thought leader on cryptocurrencies and the Chief Strategy Officer at Chainalysis, a leading anti-money laundering firm. Morell and Levin discuss the growing, global threat from ransomware and how criminal gangs’ tactics have evolved to target a variety of vulnerable sectors. Levin also explains how cryptocurrencies and blockchain work, and how both can help investigators trace the origins of illicit financial activity.  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 Max Boot, a best-selling author, foreign policy analyst, and columnist for the Washington Post about the Biden administration's foreign policy approach and its likely top challenges. Boot explains why he believes much of the administration's success will depend on repairing domestic partisan divisions, and why winning the respect of the U.S.'s enemies may as important as maintaining the respect of its friends. Boot and Morell also discuss the strategic threat posed by China, Russia and others, as well as the near-term consequences of the administration's decision to complete a military drawdown in Afghanistan. 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 Frank Verrastro, senior advisor on energy issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Verrastro offers insights into how shifts in energy supplies and consumption affect national security, and how the trend toward decarbonization may affect dynamics and diplomacy among key global powers. Verrastro and Morell discuss ongoing deliberations with Iran and involving the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as well as the Biden administration’s push to modernize American energy infrastructure. 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 Matt Turpin, former U.S. Army officer and an expert on China economic statecraft and technology innovation at the Hoover Institution, about Beijing’s long-term political and economic objectives. Morell and Turpin discuss the changes that accompanied Xi Jinping’s rise to power, as well as the gradual shift in U.S. policy towards Beijing. Turpin offers insights into the priorities and operations of the Chinese Communist Party and explains why he is optimistic about the United States’ ability to compete with China’s vision for the world.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 Sigal Mandelker, Former Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department, on the intersection between financial technology and national security. Mandelker explains how incentivizing investment in financial technology is imperative for economic security in the global competition against China. Mandelker discusses her time overseeing the Treasury Department’s sanctions against North Korea and offers thoughts on how the Biden administration can protect the U.S. from ransomware.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 John Culver, a career CIA analyst, former National Intelligence Officer for East Asia, and leading expert on the Chinese military. Culver and Morell discuss the decades-long modernization of the People’s Liberation Army and the prowess China has attained across multiple war-fighting arenas. Culver offers insights into Xi Jinping’s rise to and continued hold on power, and describes the many challenges of engaging Beijing in a multi-polar, interconnected global system.  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 Ambassador Dennis Ross, a leading expert on the Middle East, former senior U.S. diplomat and currently counselor and distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Ross and Morell discuss recent political changes in Israel, including the outlook for the governing coalition and the background of newly elected prime minister Naftali Bennett. Ross, a former senior adviser on the Middle East to multiple U.S. presidents and secretaries of state, offers observations on Benjamin Netanyahu's future and background on recent tensions in Gaza. Morell and Ross also discuss the prospects for engagement with Iran. 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, and ahead of the summit between U.S. President Biden and Russian President Putin in Geneva, host Michael Morell revisits three conversations focused on U.S.-Russia relations and Putin's personal trajectory. The episode features insights on U.S. foreign policy priorities vis a vis Moscow from Antony Blinken, now Secretary of State; an analysis of Putin's mindset from Angela Stent, Director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University; and findings from writer Franklin Foer, who studied Russia's election interference tactics. Morell also offers personal reflections on the presidential summit and ongoing security threats from Russia. 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 Syd Seiler, National Intelligence Officer for North Korea at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Seiler and Morell discuss the political priorities, preferences and fears of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and evaluate the prospects for diplomatic engagement during the Biden administration. Seiler, who has spent over four decades studying the country and its leadership, also shares insights from his travels to Pyongyang and his experience negotiating with North Korean counterparts. 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 CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward, who shares anecdotes and personal reflections related to her memoir, "On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist." Ward explains how the attacks on September 11, 2001, prompted her to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, and how she rose through the ranks to become an on-air correspondent. She details her experiences reporting from conflict zones in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, and what drove her to tell the stories of people living in war-torn areas. Ward also tells Morell about her friendship with American journalist Austin Tice, as well as her efforts to search for Tice after his abduction in Syria in 2012.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 DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, former career CIA analyst and non-proliferation expert Maja Lehnus tells the story of one of the intelligence community’s most important discoveries of the last decade – a covert nuclear reactor in the Syrian desert, likely built with support from North Korea. Lehnus tells Morell how U.S. intelligence agencies first acquired intelligence indicating cooperation between North Korean nuclear entities and high-level Syrian officials, and ultimately presented intelligence to the President that the reactor was part of a Syrian nuclear weapons program. Lehnus explains the confidence levels attached to each of the IC’s judgments, as well as why the CIA took the rare step of sharing its findings with the public. Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED is a series dedicated to featuring first-hand accounts from former intelligence officer

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Wes Morgan, military affairs reporter and author of The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley joins Michael Morell to discuss his time as an embedded reporter with U.S. troops in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley. Morgan describes the Pech as a microcosm representing the overall war in Afghanistan, and explains why a lack of information-sharing led to repeated mistakes. Morgan details the tensions between the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency missions as well as the challenges posed by the Afghan terrain. 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 Mike Orlando, the acting director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, about the range of foreign espionage threats facing the United States from adversaries and challengers like Russia and China. Orlando and Morell discuss how "non-traditional collectors" within the academic and business sectors are increasingly tasked by foreign governments to steal intellectual property and other secrets. Orlando, a career FBI agent who has specialized in counterintelligence, explains how NCSC has sought to warn U.S. private sector entities against espionage threats that have evolved in range and sophistication.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 interviews Cliff Chanin, Executive Vice President and Deputy Director for Museum Programs at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City about the exhibition, 'Revealed: The Hunt for bin Laden.' Chanin and Morell take an audio tour of the exhibition, reviewing key artifacts and the stories behind them. Chanin explains how the museum worked with U.S. intelligence agencies and the military to tell the story of the years-long hunt for the world's most wanted terrorist. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.