This blog post is part of AEI’s Best Podcasts of 2019 series. Click here to see other AEI podcast hosts’ favorite episodes of the year.
Ever look at the mess across the world and wonder, What the Hell Is Going On? From North Korea to Iran, Venezuela, China, and the fight against ISIS, it’s hard to keep track. That’s why we started this podcast — to delve into the national security challenges facing America today. Released on Wednesdays or when there’s breaking news, we sit down with a variety of guests and introduce you to the policymakers and experts who help us make sense of the world.
Below are some of our favorite episodes from this year.
Thanks for listening, and please reach out to us at whatthehell@aei.org (we
had a hard time getting IT to sign off on that email address) with any
comments, suggested topics or guests, and questions.
1. WTH is going on with impeachment, Ukraine, and 2020? Karl Rove explains — Ep. #13, October 9
Karl Rove, “The Architect” of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns, came on the show to shed some much-needed light on President Trump’s impeachment and what it all means for the 2020 presidential election. Karl explained how people outside of the Washington bubble view impeachment and noted that neither Republicans nor Democrats are going to emerge from this mess looking good.
2. WTH is going on in Afghanistan? Gen. Petraeus explains the US-Taliban deal — Ep. #9, August 28
Remember when the US almost made a deal with the Taliban? While the US-Taliban Camp David meeting was eventually cancelled, Gen. David Petraeus offered his insights into what a deal would mean for US national security and the people of Afghanistan. With US-Taliban negotiations resuming, listen to this episode to hear why the four-star general thinks US troops should remain on the ground.
3. WTH is going on with Russian mercenaries? Inside Putin’s armies in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Venezuela, and more — Ep. #21, December 11
Now this was a really cool episode. We connected with investigative journalist Michael Weiss to learn more about the shadowy group of Russian mercenaries, specifically the Wagner Group, executing Putin’s strategic imperatives worldwide. The more we heard about this group, the more it sounded like something out of a James Bond movie or “Killing Eve.”
4. WTH is going on in North Korea? Piranhas and purges in Pyongyang — Ep. #2, July 18
On one of our first, but still one of our favorite, episodes we met with AEI’s own Nicholas Eberstadt to talk about the inner-workings of the North Korean regime. Nick explained what might happen to someone who falls out of favor with Kim Jong Un and told us the truth about the likelihood of North Korean denuclearization. He also addressed rumors that Kim was executing dissidents in piranha-filled tanks.
5. WTH is going on in Hong Kong? Solidarity hero Lech Walesa’s advice for pro-democracy protesters — Ep. #19, November 22
As pro-democracy protests continue in Hong Kong, we were lucky enough to be joined by the former President of Poland and Chairman of Solidarity Lech Walesa. He told us about his experience with anti-government protests, and even said that he would be willing to go to Hong Kong and fight for the democratic ideals that protesters are demanding.
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