FDD's Foreign Podicy

Eric S. Edelman, former U.S. ambassador and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, brings decades of grand strategy and deterrence experience. He outlines coordination among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. He discusses strain on alliances, nuclear risk from multipolar deterrence, defense spending and procurement challenges, and why forward forces and industrial resilience matter.

The Strait of Hormuz isn't just about Iran. It's a stress test for American will, allied confidence, and the deterrence architecture holding the Indo-Pacific together.FDD's RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, fresh from a trip to Taiwan, and Craig Singleton, FDD China Program Senior Director, join Cliff May to connect the dots — from the naval blockade's economic pressure to the lessons Beijing and Taipei are both drawing, in real time, from the Iran war.

Max Meizlish, former Treasury OFAC official and sanctions expert. Joseph Zacks, former CIA operations officer with counterterrorism and IRGC experience. They discuss Iran stalling talks, the shift to aggressive financial pressure, threats in the Strait of Hormuz, drone and small-boat tactics, Gulf defense adaptations, and how targeting kleptocratic networks and enablers could shape Tehran’s choices.

Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, experienced European diplomat and Middle East policy specialist, and Edmund Fitton-Brown, former British ambassador to Yemen and Middle East expert, discuss three geopolitical shocks. They cover Hungary’s surprising political shift, emerging US-led talks reshaping Lebanon-Israel dynamics, and intense pressure on Iran via naval measures in the Strait of Hormuz.

Jonathan Schanzer, FDD executive director and longtime Turkey watcher, and Sinan Ciddi, FDD senior fellow and Turkey program director, discuss Turkey’s transformation under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They trace the rise of sultanistic rule, Islamist and neo‑Ottoman influences, shifts in foreign policy, NATO tensions, regional military reach, and Turkey’s posture in the Iran‑Israel war.

John Moolenaar, U.S. Representative and chairman focused on the Chinese Communist Party, gives a sharp, policy-driven perspective. He discusses China’s ties with Russia, Iran, and North Korea. He highlights fentanyl precursor flows, semiconductor smuggling, and supply-chain vulnerabilities. He also raises concerns about AI competition, Taiwan’s defense, and laws that bind Chinese companies to the party.

Mark Montgomery, retired Rear Admiral offering frontline military reporting from Ukraine, Lithuania, and Bulgaria. Daniel Vaynshteyn, congressional relations expert with personal ties to Ukraine. They discuss Russian hybrid warfare tactics, the current battlefront and Ukrainian resilience, weapons and funding needs, drone warfare lessons, Russia's internal dissent, and shifting international partnerships.

Mark Dubowitz, a longtime Iran and national security analyst, explains Iran’s ideology, military strategy, and regional networks. He discusses U.S.-Israel operational ties, multi-front pressures on Israel, Iran’s 2024 missile and drone actions, and options to degrade Iran’s war-making and nuclear capacity. Short, sharp insights into coalition dynamics, strategic targets, and what counts as success.

Hussain Abdul‑Hussain, research fellow and author of The Arab Case for Israel, explains his journey from skepticism to arguing Arab support for normalization. He covers Iran’s regional role, why some Gulf states moved toward Israel, Palestinian identity origins, refugee practicalities, and how economic ties could reshape Middle East politics.

For nearly half a century, Iran’s rulers have promised “Death to America.” It wasn’t just a chant — it was a policy. From the 1979 hostage crisis to terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of Americans, the Islamic Republic has spent decades waging a shadow war against the United States. Now Washington is confronting Iran’s jihadist regime more directly — raising a larger question: what role might Xi Jinping’s China play in the conflict? Cliff May sits down with former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency David Shedd to examine the long war against Tehran’s jihadist rulers — and why Beijing may have more at stake than many realize.