- Ep. 90 — Israel and her enemies
To unpack and assess the latest terror threats faced by Israel, Bill had to call in the experts: Dr. Jonathan Schanzer and Joe Truzman. If you'd like to dig deeper on the topics discussed in this episode, check out Joe's project that maps terrorism in the West Bank and Jon's book "Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War," which, according to LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster "If you want to understand the hell in a very small place that is Gaza, read this book."
58m | Mar 27, 2023 - Ep. 89 — Update on the War Between the Wars
Host Bill Roggio is joined by FDD Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu to disuss Behnam's major new FDD Monograph — Arsenal: Assessing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program — including through the lens of Iran's shadow war against Israel, AKA "the war between wars."
1h 0m | Mar 8, 2023 - Ep. 88 — al Qaeda and Islamic State findings in new UN report
Host Bill Roggio and (now official) co-host Caleb Weiss are joined by former coordinator of the UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring team Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss findings in the latest UN report on the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
1h 4m | Feb 21, 2023 - Ep. 87 — Jihadis in the Sahel
Host Bill Roggio is joined again by (semi-official?) co-host Caleb Weiss to discuss Jihadi control in West Africa. In the last several years, Jihadists have moved toward central and southern Mali and are now threatening Bamako, the capital of Mali. In Burkina Faso, Jihadis control around 40% of the country. Bill and Caleb walk through past and present Jihadi attacks, offenses, and operations.
45m | Jan 27, 2023 - Ep. 86 — An update on Russia's war in Ukraine
Host Bill Roggio is joined again by John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia Program, to discuss the latest developments from Russia's war in Ukraine, including Russia's recent change in command of its forces.
31m | Jan 23, 2023 - Ep. 85 — The Islamic insurgency in Mozambique
Hosts Bill and Caleb are joined by Ryan O'Farrell, a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation (where Caleb is also a senior analyst) to discuss one of the more obscure Islamic insurgencies in the world: the conflict in Mozambique.
1h 8m | Nov 29, 2022 - Ep. 84 — Russia's withdrawal from Kherson
Bill is joined again by John Hardie — Deputy Director of FDD's Russia Program — for an update on Russia's war in Ukraine, particularly to unpack Russia's Kherson retreat. Where does Putin go from here?
47m | Nov 18, 2022 - Ep. 83 — Al Qaeda and Abu Huzaifah al Sudani
Bill is joined again by Caleb Weiss to dive into the various military leaders of Al Qaeda and the dangers of their leadership and legacy — particularly, they dive into the history and background of Abu Huzaifah al Sudani and his role in Al Qaeda.
56m | Nov 4, 2022 - Ep. 82 — Zawahiri's successor and a Shabaab update
Bill is joined again by Caleb Weiss, long-time contributor to Long War Journal and friend of the show. They discuss why al Qaeda hasn't (at least not publicly) named a successor to Zawahiri, as well as several updates on Shabaab.
1h 0m | Oct 12, 2022 - Ep. 81 — An update on Russia's war in Ukraine
Host Bill Roggio is again joined by John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia Program, to discuss the latest from Russia's war in Ukraine, including Putin's announcements on mobilization and additional annexations as well as other developments from the battlefield.
41m | Oct 6, 2022 - Ep. 80 — Where do things stand in Ukraine?
In the first iteration of Long War Journal's expanding coverage, Bill is joined by John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia Program, to examine the current state of Russia's war in Ukraine. They unpack and analyze the latest information, from tactical and theater-level to strategic.
49m | Sep 15, 2022 - Ep. 79 — An update on the Islamic State
Bill is joined again by Edmund Fitton-Brown and Caleb Weiss to take a look at the current global footprint of the Islamic State.
1h 24m | Sep 13, 2022 - Ep. 78 — The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Turns One
Friend of the show LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster joins Bill once again to discuss America's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary — including an ongoing close relationship with al Qaeda, the United States designated the Taliban as "partners in peace" and handed the terrorist group keys to a state apparatus. Afghanistan fell and became the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. But it didn't have to.
53m | Aug 30, 2022 - Ep. 77 — Catching up with John Batchelor
In this episode, Bill interviews John Batchelor, host of CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor. Bill has been a regular on John's radio show for more than a decade and considers him a mentor and friend. They discuss the Long War and how September 11, 2001 shaped both of their careers.
1h 16m | Aug 20, 2022 - Ep. 76 — What just happened in Gaza?
Bill is joined again by Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at FDD, and by Joe Truzman, research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal, to discuss the latest round of violence that emanated from the Gaza Strip this weekend which eventually resulted in an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire. They also unpack details about the terrorist group behind the escalation, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) — including where they get their weapons, training, and funding (spoiler alert: it's Iran).
Mentioned in the episode:
Jon's book: Gaza Conflict 2021: Hamas, Israel and Eleven Days of War
Want to know more? Here's what to read:
Ceasefire in Effect Following More Than Two Days of Fighting in Gaza
Operation “Breaking Dawn” in Gaza Enters its Second Day
IDF Targeted Operation Eliminates Palestinian Islamic Jihad Commander
Assessing Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Military Capabilities After the August 2022 Conflict
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is an Iran-Supported Terror Organization
Disrupting Palestinian Islamic Jihad a smart play by Israel
47m | Aug 8, 2022 - Ep. 75 — Zawahiri is dead. Al Qaeda is not.
Edmund Fitton-Brown — outgoing coordinator of the UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring team and longtime friend of the show — joins Bill to discuss the killing of Al Qaeda emir Ayman Zawahiri, who died in a U.S. drone strike last Sunday.
That the leader of Al Qaeda was killed in Kabul "comprehensively disproves" Taliban claims that Al Qaeda has no presence inside of Afghanistan. On the contrary, it proves that the group's top leadership uses the country as a safe haven.
They talk about what's next for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and for its affiliates around the world as well as Zawahiri's possible successor.
1h 19m | Aug 5, 2022 - Ep. 74 — Zawahiri in Afghanistan
In this episode, Bill flies solo and expands upon his recent article in FDD's Long War Journal, "Ayman al Zawahiri is alive; Taliban and Al Qaeda 'remain close,' UN reports," noting that reports today (August 1, 2022) of Zawahiri's death inside of Afghanistan underscores the country's role as a safe haven for Al Qaeda.
25m | Aug 1, 2022 - Ep. 73 — Prison Break (Jihadi Edition)
You guessed it. Our guest is, indeed, Caleb Weiss. This time, he and Bill discuss how (and which) prison breaks fit into the larger strategy of various Jihadi groups — and why some don't bother.
49m | Jul 21, 2022 - Ep. 72 — Somalia's controversial ex-NISA chief
Caleb Weiss is back to unpack with Bill the controversy surrounding the former head of Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). They discuss his background and build a context for better understanding the recent headlines concerning the ex-chief.
58m | Jun 28, 2022 - Ep. 71 — Al Qaeda under Zawahiri
Al Qaeda's central leadership remains organized with its branches actively carrying out orders passed down from Ayman al Zawahiri who sits at the helm and remains an influential figure in Jihad. Host Bill Roggio is joined by Long War Journal contributor Caleb Weiss to discuss the state of Al Qaeda under Zawahiri's leadership.
1h 12m | May 24, 2022
