Fmr. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on the Iran War's First Week
As the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran escalates following the February 28 strikes, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper joined A'ndre for a quick chat to assess how the conflic...
7 Mar 31min
War With Iran: The Ayatollah's Death, Trump's Gamble, and the Gulf Under Fire with fmr. NSC Senior Director Javed Ali
In this episode of The Burn Bag, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with former NSC Senior Director Javed Ali to unpack the rapidly escalating crisis between the United States, Israel, and Iran following the F...
1 Mar 24min
The Iran Crisis: The Protests, the Ayatollah's Crackdown, and Trump's Decision with Alex Vatanka
Iran is at a critical juncture as it faces a wave of nationwide protests driven by economic strain, political frustration, and societal exhaustion. In this episode of The Burn Bag, A'ndre Gonawela is ...
23 Feb 51min
Syria After Assad: The SDF Transition and Ahmed al-Sharaa's Strategy with Charles Lister
Syria is at a pivotal moment. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the country’s new leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa is working to reunify a fractured state — and the biggest test is unfoldin...
17 Feb 1h 1min
Russia’s Gambit: Moscow’s Middle East Strategy After Syria and Iran, with Dr. Iulia Joja
In this episode of The Burn Bag, A’ndre Gonawela is joined by Dr. Iulia Joja, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, to examine Russia’s strategy in the Middle East in 2026 following major setbac...
9 Feb 56min
Venezuela After Maduro: Democracy or Regime Management? with Tony Frangie Mawad
In Part Two of this conversation on Venezuela, The Burn Bag turns to the present — and the shockwaves following U.S. strikes and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. Host A’ndre Gonawela is joined again by T...
6 Feb 36min
How Venezuela Got Here: Chávez, Maduro, and the Making of an Authoritarian State with Tony Frangie Mawad
In this episode of The Burn Bag, host A’ndre Gonawela is joined by Tony Frangie Mawad, a Venezuela-based journalist and political scientist, to unpack how Venezuela reached its current moment. Long be...
2 Feb 32min
The Nuclear Threshold: Diplomacy, Deterrence, and Disarmament featuring Alexandra Bell
In the final episode of The Nuclear Threshold, A’ndre speaks with Alexandra Bell, President & CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and one of the leading U.S. diplomats behind recent efforts t...
3 Des 202550min
