FDD Morning Brief

FDD

The FDD Morning Brief provides timely situational updates on contemporary events. Start your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 8:30am (ET) with digestible analysis and the headlines our experts are watching. The FDD Morning Brief can be streamed on YouTube, X, and is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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395 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes395

Newest first

March 13 · 33 min
The Iran war's dire straits | feat. Jonathan Hessen and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special FDD Morning Brief SITREP featuring FDD experts RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Jonathan Hessen. They examine the tactical picture in Iran, the threat to the Strait of Hormuz, and what states could become key players in the conflict. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
March 11 · 33 min
Will Epic Fury finish the regime? | feat. Einat Wilf
FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Einat Wilf, chair of the Knesset's Oz Party. They assess public sentiment in Israel, the danger of leaving the Islamic Republic weakened but intact, and why the fight against the regime’s ideology could define the region’s future. Learn more: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
March 9 · 29 min
FDD Morning Brief SITREP | The Iran war is testing the Gulf
THE WAR IN IRAN IS TESTING THE GULF --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP episode of the FDD Morning Brief featuring Ebtesam AlKetbi of the Emirates Policy Center and FDD Senior International Fellow Eyal Hulata. They examine how Operation Epic Fury is impacting Gulf countries. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
March 6 · 32 min
FDD Morning Brief SITREP | The military partnership fueling Epic Fury
THE MILITARY PARTNERSHIPS FUELING EPIC FURY --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring FDD experts Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus and Bradley Bowman. They examine the U.S.-Israel military synchronization powering Operation Epic Fury as it unfolds. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
March 4 · 25 min
FDD Morning Brief SITREP | A wounded regime and the U.S.-Israel alliance
FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer hosts a special SITREP featuring FDD experts Janatan Sayeh and Cameron McMillan. They provide timely situational updates and analysis on the evolving war with Iran and the military dimensions of Operation Epic Fury. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
March 2 · 29 min
A post-Khamenei Iran | feat. Nadav Eyal
FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
February 27 · 26 min
Erdogan's neo-Ottoman ambitions | feat. Sinan Ciddi
ERDOGAN'S NEO-OTTOMAN AMBITIONS HEADLINE 1: The Palestinian Authority is still paying money to terrorists. HEADLINE 2: The Trump administration continues to heap financial pressure on Iran. HEADLINE 3: A construction project in Gaza seems to be in the works. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Turkey Program Senior Director Sinan Ciddi. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief --- Featured FDD Pieces: "Georgia is becoming Iran’s sanctions evasion hub" - Keti Korkiya, The Hill "The US should stop indulging Hungary and Slovakia" - Ivana Stradner and Dalibor Rohac, Washington Examiner "Saving the European-American marriage" - Clifford D. May, The Washington Times
February 25 · 25 min
Has Australia lost its way? | feat. Erin Molan
HEADLINE 1: Iran wants to buy anti-ship missiles from China. HEADLINE 2: India's prime minister touched down in Israel today. HEADLINE 3: In case you missed it, Syria recently transferred thousands of ISIS prisoners to Iraq. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Erin Molan, former television presenter for Sky News Australia and host of The Erin Molan Show. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "What if the Iranian Regime Is Stronger Than Trump Thinks?" - Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, The New York Times "How Did the United States End Up on the Same Side as the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen?" - Bridget Toomey, FDD Insight "The Islamic Republic’s Weaponization of Global Terror" - Mark Dubowitz and Edmund Fitton-Brown, The Iran Breakdown
February 23 · 26 min
The goal isn't a better deal — it's a free Iran | feat. Mark Dubowitz
FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
February 20 · 29 min
An ancient city's modern divide | feat. Yishai Fleisher
AN ANCIENT CITY'S MODERN DIVIDE HEADLINE 1: Iran and Russia held joint naval exercises in and around the Gulf of Oman. HEADLINE 2: The European Union officially designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. HEADLINE 3: Israel carried out a large counterterrorism operation in the town of Hebron this week. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Yishai Fleisher, who serves as the international spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief --- Featured FDD Pieces: "Europe Looks to Israeli Tech to Defend Tanks" - Brad Bowman and Justin Leopold-Cohen, Real Clear Defense "Free Jimmy Lai!" - Cliff May, The Washington Times "Ukraine, four years in" - LinkedIn Newsletter: This Week at FDD
February 18 · 28 min
Is Washington too sold on Syria's new strongman? | feat. Andrew Tabler
HEADLINE 1: More countries are planning to contribute troops to the International Stabilization Force in Gaza. HEADLINE 2: The Lebanese government provided an update on disarming Hezbollah. HEADLINE 3: Qatar is taking some heat right now from an unlikely place: the Israeli left. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Andrew Tabler of The Washington Institute. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Allies, Adversaries, and the Axis" - Bradley Bowman and LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster, Foreign Podicy "Did Iran Use Chemical Weapons on Protesters?" - Andrea Stricker (writing with Gregory D. Koblentz), The National Interest "Trump could be missing the opportunity to rebuild the Navy efficiently and quickly" - RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, New York Post
February 16 · 27 min
"Peace through strength" or posture without strategy? | feat. Steve Hayes
FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steve Hayes, CEO and editor of The Dispatch. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
February 13 · 25 min
Will war return to Gaza? | feat. Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib
HEADLINE 1: The United States smuggled thousands of Starlink internet terminals into Iran. HEADLINE 2: Remember the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation? A security firm based in North Carolina called UG Solutions helped secure the group’s aid distribution sites. Well, UG Solutions might be coming back. HEADLINE 3: Israel successfully completed new tests with its David’s Sling missile defense system. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Gaza native who serves as the founder and director of the Realign for Palestine project at the Atlantic Council. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Egypt Tests Trump’s Pledge to Defend Persecuted Christians" - Mariam Wahba, Newsweek "A few words of advice on Iran and Gaza" - Cliff May, The Washington Times "Al Jazeera Centre for Studies: Academic Veneer Normalizing Terrorism" - Toby Dershowitz and Qatar expert Eitan Fischberger, FDD Insight
February 11 · 23 min
Trump drew a red line. Tehran crossed it. Now what? | feat. Rich Goldberg
HEADLINE 1: Turkish forces aren’t leaving Syria anytime soon. HEADLINE 2: Israel indicted two more individuals for allegedly spying on behalf of Iran. HEADLINE 3: Indonesia is planning to participate in the International Stabilization Force in Gaza. -- FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer provides timely updates and in-depth analysis of the latest Middle East headlines, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Advisor Richard Goldberg. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Whither the Hamas solidarity movement?" - Ben Cohen, JNS "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Houthis But Were Afraid to Ask" - Cliff May and Edmund Fitton-Brown, Foreign Podicy "Weaponized Mass Migration" - RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe
February 9 · 27 min
Is Turkey Iran's successor? | feat. Reuel Marc Gerecht
FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA Iranian-targets officer and current FDD resident scholar. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
February 6 · 27 min
What will it take to rebuild Gaza? | feat. Ghaith Al-Omari
HEADLINE 1: Even with talks this weekend, Iran continues to escalate in the Middle East. HEADLINE 2: Israel continues to even the score from October 7. HEADLINE 3: And I really don’t like this: Egypt and Turkey signed a military cooperation agreement in Cairo. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ghaith Al-Omari, senior fellow at The Washington Institute and former senior advisor to the Palestinian Authority. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Should Western Tech Giants Partner With Pro-Hamas Network Al Jazeera?" - Toby Dershowitz and Asher Boiskin, The Cipher Brief "Why Is the Trump Administration Wiring Venezuelan Oil Revenue to Qatar?" - Natalie Ecanow, The Dispatch "Sudanese Army Breaks Key Siege as U.S. Leads Humanitarian Aid Push" - Mariam Wahba, FDD Policy Brief
February 4 · 26 min
Gaza's societal reconstruction | feat. Adi Schwartz
HEADLINE 1: UNRWA is back in the news. And that’s generally not a good thing for the UN’s most corrupt agency. HEADLINE 2: Earlier this week, the IDF dropped some sort of non-toxic chemical substance near the Blue Line. The Israelis have been consistently clearing greenery to ensure unhindered lines of sight. UNIFIL was outraged. HEADLINE 3: Lebanon’s army chief headed to Florida this week for meetings with his American counterparts. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli journalist and "The War of Return" co-author Adi Schwartz. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "After Erdogan: Who Will Control Turkey?" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, FDD Memo "Reimagining Mediterranean Security with Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias" - FDD Event "Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: February" - FDD Experts
February 2 · 27 min
Is this the end of UNRWA? | feat. Asaf Romirowsky
IS THIS THE END OF UNRWA? HEADLINE 1: The Islamic Republic of Iran has designated every European military as a terrorist organization. HEADLINE 2: Looks like the EU Commission has fired a senior official after a scandal involving Qatari influence and lavish gifts. HEADLINE 3: Hamas claims that it has killed several members of Israel-backed paramilitary groups operating in Gaza. HEADLINE 4: The Israelis have opened up the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza after a year of keeping it closed. HEADLINE 5: The government of South Africa and Israel are engaged in a nasty diplomatic spat right now. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Asaf Romirowsky, executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA). Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
January 30 · 26 min
Al-Sharaa's Kurdish gambit | feat. Ahmad Sharawi
HEADLINE 1: Turkish authorities detained six people suspected of spying for Iran. HEADLINE 2: The Saudis are in town, led by the crown prince’s brother. HEADLINE 3: South Africa reportedly is moving ahead with investigations into naval drills that took place in early January. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Research Analyst Ahmad Sharawi. For all past episodes: https://bit.ly/3LENwPr -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Iran Protests Highlight South Africa’s Broken Moral Compass" - David May, The Algemeiner "Two Bad Apples Threaten to Spoil the Gaza Board of Peace" - Natalie Ecanow and Sinan Ciddi, National Review "In the Eye of the Storm" - Mark Dubowitz and Rich Goldberg, The Iran Breakdown
January 28 · 25 min
Could the Maduro playbook work on Khamenei? | feat. Elliott Abrams
HEADLINE 1: A delegation of Hamas officials arrived on Monday in…wait for it…Turkey. HEADLINE 2: This is not a parody: Hamas wants to be part of Gaza’s new government. HEADLINE 3: The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Middle Eastern waters yesterday. AND BONUS HEADLINE 4: The IDF is still hammering Hezbollah in Lebanon. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Elliott Abrams, who formerly served as U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela. For all past episodes: https://bit.ly/3LENwPr -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Israel’s hostage agony finally ends — but its Gaza mission is far from over" - Mark Dubowitz, New York Post "Iranian Influence Operation Floods X With Anti-Protest Messaging" - Max Lesser and Maria Riofrio, FDD Policy Brief "Why Is Saudi Arabia Abandoning Peace?" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, The National Interest