Bombshell
In the tradition of British dramas, Erin, Loren, and Radha reunite for a special holiday episode. The ladies flip the script, answering a range of questions from the first ever Manniversary guest Kai Ryssdal. They then return to some of their greatest hits including transition process, civ-mil issues, and personnel policy replete with process details and holiday movie analogies. Stay through the end to hear pop culture recommendations and special appearances from many former guests with answers to their favorite Bombshell questions.
info_outline One for the RoadBombshell
For their 100th episode, Erin, Loren and Radha discuss new issues, like the escalating conflict at the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, old issues, like HVT targeting of al-Qaeda leadership, and, of course, continuing trade issues with China. They then turn to a discussion of all the White House mayhem (Ok, not all! No one has that kind of time), including lack of legal authority for Department of Homeland Security leadership to make decisions about DACA, the Defense Department “purge,” and the complicated, not-quite-yet-started transition of the Biden administration. The team ties a bow on this...
info_outline Anticipation Is Making Me LateBombshell
Loren, Erin, and Radha are joined by their most frequent guest (Kori Schake) and a new guest (Katrina Mulligan) to discuss foreign policy issues we'll need to worry about regardless of the election outcome! After a lively discussion, the ladies go over foreign policy issues that have been over-discussed, under-discussed, and the processes that will always be their valentines. They wrap up with pop culture, self-care, and indulgences to help get you through election day and beyond!
info_outline Final CountdownBombshell
Loren, Radha, and Erin reconvene to explore many of Bombshell's greatest hits - Brexit, troop levels in Afghanistan, and arms control. With a dash of ethnic conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh thrown in for flavor. The ladies then drop a Bombshell of their own: this fair podcast will be wrapping up in 2020. It's the final countdown!
info_outline Karma Puh-leezeBombshell
Erin, Radha and Loren use COVID-19 as a frame to ask what this crazy time has brought to our attention, what it’s distracted is from, what it’s possibly helped, and how it’s shaped our own skills and interests. And shopping. Links “,” Reuters, October 01, 2020 “,” The Guardian, October 05, 2020 Todd Lopez, “,” US Department of Defense, September 29, 2020
info_outline When There are NineBombshell
This week, Mira Rapp-Hooper and Rebecca Lissner return to the show to discuss American grand strategy, female partnerships, and their fabulous new book, . The ladies then revisit the administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East - with notes on the UAE-Israel accord and Iran sanctions drama. Also, Tiktok! Soothing pop-culture ties a bow on it.
info_outline I'm a Loser, BabyBombshell
Loren, Radha, and Erin invite Camille Stewart, non-resident fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, to discuss all the cyber threats and how individual behavior uniquely connects with our ability to mitigate or respond to them. In keeping up foreign relations, we provide short updates on Alexei Navalny, Belarus, and Brexit alongside a brief farewell to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. We'd like to remind you all that Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq are still a thing, and after all the takes have been shared on Trump's views on service members, we talk about the role of the press in this story.
info_outline It's Fun to Stay in the JCPOABombshell
Radha, Erin, and Loren host Nina Jancowicz, disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center and author of , to talk about the ongoing protests in Belarus and what we should read into the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In keeping up foreign relations, the ladies explore the latest U.S. attempt to use the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or “Iran nuclear deal”) — an agreement the United States ghosted on — to reinstate sanctions on Iran, and in White House mayhem they assess how the recent Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on the 2016...
info_outline Tik Tok Ya Don’t StopBombshell
This week Erin and Radha regroup while Loren takes a much-deserved vacation. They do a quick review on COVID-19 with the good (100 days no new cases in New Zealand), the bad (cases in Brazil, India, and the United States continue to grow), and the ugly (long-term economic consequences in the United States, India, and Brazil). They also dig into the recent explosion and protests in Lebanon and then go deep on the recent executive order impacting TikTok and WeChat. After reminding us that Afghanistan is still a thing, they talk about the lack of accurate and comprehensive briefings for...
info_outline Simple Joys of MaidenhoodBombshell
This week the band is back together with Loren, Radha, and Erin once again all in the same time zone. They dive into Mike Pompeo's China speech, global COVID trends, and the world-famous Missile Technology Control Regime. Also, Congress approved the NDAA, and they have lots of thoughts on DHS "troops" engaging protesters in Portland. Stick around for pop-culture dissection of the Guinevere Deception! Links “,” US Department of State, July 23, 2020 Thomas Wright, “,” Atlantic, July 25, 2020 Richard Haass, “,” Washington Post, July 25, 2020 “,” Arms Control...
info_outlineIn this week’s episode, while Loren cleans out her office, Radha and Erin dig into an array of China-related topics: Huawei! India! Hong Kong! And last, but certainly not least, the World Health Organization. The ladies then turn to White House/American mayhem and try to be analytical while lamenting ongoing violence against black Americans and the potential deployment of U.S. troops in American cities. And finally, an awkward transition to a discussion of pop-culture yields some gems.
Links
Huawei
- Scott Bade, “Huawei’s Terrible Week,” Tech Crunch, May 30, 2020
- Emily Feng, “The Latest US Blow to China’s Huawei Could Knock Out Its Global 5G Plans,” NPR, May 28, 2020
India Border
- Jeffrey Gettleman and Steven Lee Myers, “China and India at 14,000 Feet Along the Border,” New York Times, May 30, 2020
Hong Kong
- Sergei Klebnikov, “Trump Announces New Sanctions On Chinese Officials, But Won’t Scrap Phase One Trade Deal,” Forbes, May 29, 2020
- “Trump Targets China Over Hong Kong Security Law,” BBC News, May 30, 2020
- Kenneth Rapoza, “Imaging Hong Kong Without Its US Special Status Deal,” Forbes, May 29, 2020
- Jack Caporal, “The US-China Mini Deal (That Never Was?)” CSIS, October 17, 2019
WHO
- Brianna Ehley and Alice Miranda Ollstein, “Trump Announces US Withdrawal from the World Health Organization,” Politico, May 29, 2020
- “Coronavirus: Backlash After Trump Signals US Exit from WHO,” BBC News, May 30, 2020
Protests in US
- Dan Lamothe, “Trump Administration Offers Active-Duty Military Forces and Intelligence to Help Quell Minnesota Unrest,” Washington Post, May 30, 2020
- Samuel Sinyangwe, Tweet, October 5, 2019
- Jennifer Doleac, Tweet, May 31, 2020
- Megan Ming Francis, Tweet, May 30, 2020
- Audrey McNamara, “ Paul Mayor Says Earlier Comments About Arrested Protesters Being Out of State Were Not Correct,” CBS News, May 30, 2020
- “Pentagon Puts Military Police on Alert to Go to Minneapolis,” CNBC, May 30, 2020
George Floyd
- Kate Shellnutt, “George Floy Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston,” Chrsitanity Today, May 28, 2020