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 Dec 202550min
The Nuclear Threshold: Who Really Decides on Nuclear Launch? featuring Dr. Steve Fetter
In the second installment of The Nuclear Threshold mini-series, we turn from missile defense to the human side of nuclear risk — the people, protocols, and split-second judgments that determine whethe...
19 Nov 202550min
The Nuclear Threshold: Will Missile Defense Systems Really Save Us? featuring Dr. Laura Grego
The Nuclear Threshold is a three-part Burn Bag mini-series exploring how deterrence, defense, and diplomacy shape nuclear risk in the 21st century. Across three conversations with leading experts, we ...
12 Nov 202546min
The Gaza Ceasefire: Amb. Dennis Ross on Trump's Middle East Diplomacy, Israel, and Hamas
As the fragile Gaza ceasefire wavers amid renewed airstrikes and mutual accusations of violations, President Donald Trump insists that “nothing will jeopardize” the truce his administration brokered w...
3 Nov 202548min
Best of: Dr. Anthony Fauci on Pandemics, Public Health, and a Lifetime in Public Service
RE-RELEASE: This episode was originally released in February 2025. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins A'ndre for an in-depth conversation about his decades-long career in public health and his e...
8 Okt 202559min
The Pentagon Playbook: Steve Blank and Pete Newell on How Start-Ups can Crack Defense Innovation and Acquisition
The Pentagon is one of the hardest customers in the world to win over. For startups, the barriers are steep: complex rules, unfamiliar offices, and a culture that doesn’t work like Silicon Valley. But...
2 Okt 202552min
Violent Populism: Robert Pape on Charlie Kirk's Assassination and the Rise of Political Violence
In this episode of The Burn Bag, political violence expert Dr. Robert Pape joins us to unpack the alarming rise of political violence in America following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Pape, dire...
24 Sep 202532min
