Securing America with Frank Gaffney Podcast

With Jack Keane, Mario Loyola, Tom Popik, Gordon Chang

General JACK KEANE (Ret.), former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army:

*Implications of US action vs. inaction in Syria
* Possibility for safely training and arming the Syrian moderate rebel forces
*Proposed limited strikes against Syrian government infrastructure, as Assad keeps secret chemical weapons
*First stage of a Russian military invasion of Ukraine

MARIO LOYOLA, former Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during the Gorge W. Bush Administration

*The USSR-era formation of Ukraine's present-day boundaries
*Geo-politcal and strategic implications of further Russian expansion
*Recommendations to forward-deploy American and NATO troops in eastern Ukraine and countries bordering Russia
*US's refusal to grant Iranian UN Ambassador a visa because of his involvement in terror activities.

TOM POPIK, founder of the Foundation for Resilient Societies

* Recent congressional hearing, "Keeping the Lights On: Are We Doing Enough to Ensure the Reliability and Security of the Electric Grid?"
* Merits of publicizing level of grid vulnerability
* FERC, NERC, and self-regulation of the electric utilities

GORDON CHANG, columnist at Forbes.com:

*Recent visit by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to China, and the Chinese's disdain for his "kowtowing"
*US's diminishing focus on human rights in China
*The possible benefits of President Obama's upcoming Asia trip

BILL GERTZ, Senior Editor at the Washington Free Beacon, scrutinizes the Administration's Pivot to Asia policy. Gertz details that this policy has been largely reduced to rhetorical measures and exercises with regional allies, while neglecting any real signs of military force projection.

TIM WILSON, visiting fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, explains how Iranian shipping patterns indicate that the easing of sanctions has allowed for a significant boost to its economy. Wilson contends that the level of economic prosperity in post-sanction relief Iran is far greater than what the State Department intended.

ROGER NORIEGA, former Ambassador to the Organization of American States, questions the validity of the talks between Venezuelan dissidents and the Maduro regime. Noriega also expresses support for the "Cuban Twitter" funded by USAID, which recently came under fire at a Congressional hearing.

President of Foundation for Defense of Democracies CLIFF MAY contends that Vladimir Putin is content with being a "19th century man," as Secretary John Kerry referred to him. May also establishes that Kerry's declaration that the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over will welcome hostile forces to the Western Hemisphere. Finally, May lays out why PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas does not necessarily have the authority to make a deal with Israel.

Congressman, MIKE KELLY (PA-3) contends that the U.N Arms Treaty threatens United States' sovereignty and dilutes American leverage on the international stage.

HENRY NAU, author of "Conservative Internationalism: Armed Diplomacy under Jefferson, Polk, Truman and Reagan," defines the term "conservative internationalism." Nau goes on to outline specific cases, notably Syria, in which the term can be usefully applied.

BILL ROGGIO, managing editor of the Long War Journal, reports on the Syrian civil war. He argues that the lack of moderate groups fighting in the country means U.S. support could have devastating consequences for the region.

Fred Fleitz, senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, critiques a report regarding Bush-era enhanced interrogation programs conducted by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Former Army Lieutenant Colonel and, now, Congressman John Shimkus of Illinois details the implications of the relinquishment of U.S. administration of internet domains. Rep. Shimkus describes action taken by the House of Representatives to try to ensure due diligence and analysis of the risks involved in sharing such Net administrative responsibilities with unpredictable totalitarian state actors.

Secure Freedom Radio recorded at FAIR's "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" event today. Host Frank Gaffney spoke with guests about the efforts to combat illegal immigration at the local, state, and federal level:

Sheriff SAM PAGE of Rockingham County, NC speaks about the problems that law enforcement faces in confronting violent drug cartels.

Congressman LOU BARLETTA (PA-11) recounts the Congressional efforts to oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Kansas Secretary of State KRIS KOBACH reports on the status of a legal battle over how much identification state governments can require potential voters to provide to protect the integrity of elections.

Journalist in Residence at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies CLAUDIA ROSETT runs through the international responses to Vladimir Putin's invasion of the Crimea. She highlights particularly the UN General Assembly's resolution condemning the invasion, which directly named Russia only once. Rosett also describes the effect the differences between US rhetoric and actions are having on China's military buildup.

DIANA WEST, author of "American Betrayal", examines Marxist sentiments found throughout the US. She argues that these feelings are a legacy of the US's failure to completely win the ideological battle of the Cold War.

ANDY McCARTHY, former federal prosecutor, offers his insight into the possible ramifications of further U.S. involvement in the Syrian conflict. He contends that this issue, in addition to the Russian-Ukraine conflict and the Israeli peace talks, comprise the top diplomatic failures of President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.

TED BROMUND, senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, details the fundamental vagueness of the United Nations when addressing human rights standards in its Arms Trade Treaty. He further explains how this language may preclude future U.S. policies towards Israel and Taiwan.

Former Congressman PETE HOEKSTRA addresses the Administration's policies for relinquishing US leadership in the areas of space, weapons and technology.

JOSEPH HUMIRE, author of the upcoming book "Iran's Strategic Penetration of Latin America," describes foreign influence in Venezuela. In particular, he looks at the benefits Iran and Cuba get from supporting the Maduro regime, and the increasing militarization of Venezuelan "colectivo" groups. 

CATHERINE HERRIDGE, Chief Intelligence Correspondent for Fox News, critiques Mike Morell's "Benghazi talking points" testimony from last week's hearing before the House Intelligence Committee.

Contending that U.S. China policies are rooted in misapprehensions, GORDON CHANG, of Forbes.com and World Affairs Journal, outlines the unprecedented U.S. disclosure of sensitive information to the Chinese.

LEE SMITH, author of "The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations," reports on recently released journals that confirm the anti-semitic sentiments of 20th century German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Smith connects Heidegger's ideas--a major part of Western thought--to some of the anti-democratic thinking popular today among young intellectuals.

PHILLIP SMYTH, a researcher on Shia jihadists in the Middle East, describes the transformation of anarcho-capitalism into Libertarianism.

Media strategist PETER DUKE explores the power of feelings over logic among voters. Duke also details how the current trend of "exploitative, trashy" news has come about.

American historian and jazz columnist NAT HENTOFF points out the intersection of free speech and jazz music in the United States.

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, formerly a US Ambassador to the UN, Afghanistan, and Iraq, lays out what remaining leverage Russia has over the US in Afghanistan. He also explains why he is hopeful that this Saturday's presidential elections in Afghanistan will see a president elected who is in favor of a bilateral security agreement with the US. 

Lt. Gen. JERRY BOYKIN, Executive Vice President of the Family Research Council, argues that social experimentation is turning the US military into a homeland defense force, unable to respond effectively to problems overseas. He also reports on the FBI's apparent severing of ties with the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center. 

GORDON CHANG, of Forbes.com and World Affairs Journal, weighs in on the rationale leading up to North Korea's recent non-lethal shelling into South Korean waters. Chang goes on to discuss an array of topics that include China's courting of South Korea, President Obama's recent effort to restore Korean-Japanese relations, and First Lady Michelle Obama's trip to China.

Former Senior Director of International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council ROGER ROBINSON draws parallels between the implementation of economic warfare in the U.S.S.R. of old and Putin's Russian Federation of today. He details further several measures by which the United States and its NATO allies can best combat Russia's economic strategy.

House Chief Deputy Whip Rep. PETER ROSKAM argues that the US-Israel relationship must be recognized as a mutually beneficial one, and that the Administration's actions are belying its words about that partnership.

MICHAEL ROWAN, columnist for Venezuelan newspaper "El Universal," reports on the violent protests in Venezuela, and examines how foreign actors are continuing their efforts to stoke the flames of chaos in that country.

Contributing editor at The National Review ANDREW MCCARTHY explores the difference between the intentions and capabilities of Vladimir Putin, and argues that willful blindness is the standard operating procedure in Washington to avoid politically risky situations like an aggressive Russia.

Dr. JAMES CARAFANO, vice president of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, contends that Russia is not a global partner with the United States, but rather a global competitor to the United States. He goes on to discuss how the United States must interact with the Russian Federation in light of this reality.

Senior Writer for the Washington Free Beacon, ADAM KREDO, addresses the discontinuation of Tomahawk and Hellfire missile production. Without viable replacement options, this will leave behind significant void once these missile stockpiles have been fully depleted in an estimated 18 months. He also discusses the ramifications of depleting U.S. military assets during a period of global geo-politcial instability.

FRED FLEITZ, senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, examines the Metadata program and the proposed changes to the program the President and others in the government want to make.

RICH MINITER, author of "Eyes on Target," gives an inside look into his new book, highlighting experiences and stories from the Navy Seals' most harrowing missions.

NONIE DARWISH, Egyptian-American human rights activist and author of "The Devil We Don't Know: The Dark Side of Revolutions in the Middle East," sheds light how the recognition of Shariah-adherent wills in British common law sets back progress of women's rights.