The Just Security Podcast

This year, the war in Ukraine has dominated news headlines and been on everyone’s mind. At the heart of it is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began his career as a spy with the KGB. To understand a former spy, you need a former spy. Doug London is fluent in Russian and spent nearly 40 years with the CIA, as an operations officer and station chief in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. On this episode, he discusses Putin’s background, mindset, and strategies for the United States and others to address Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. 

Show Notes: 

• Douglas London (@douglaslondon5)
• 5:25 New York Times coverage of Russian leadership considering the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine 
• Doug’s book The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence
• Doug’s Just Security article analyzing Putin’s mindset 
• Music: “The Parade” by “Hey Pluto!” from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/hey-pluto/the-parade (License code: 36B6ODD7Y6ODZ3BX)

This year, the war in Ukraine has dominated news headlines and been on everyone’s mind. At the heart of it is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began his career as a spy with the KGB. To understand a former spy, you need a former spy. Doug London is fluent in Russian and spent nearly 40 years with the CIA, as an operations officer and station chief in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. On this episode, he discusses Putin’s background, mindset, and strategies for the United States and others to address Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. 

Show Notes: 

• Douglas London (@douglaslondon5)
• 5:25 New York Times coverage of Russian leadership considering the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine 
• Doug’s book The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence
• Doug’s Just Security article analyzing Putin’s mindset 
• Music: “The Parade” by “Hey Pluto!” from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/hey-pluto/the-parade (License code: 36B6ODD7Y6ODZ3BX)

New York Times national security correspondent Charlie Savage reported that the Biden administration has issued a still-classified policy on some types of counterterrorism operations, such as drone strikes and commando raids. That policy, the Presidential Policy Memorandum (PPM), follows earlier guidance from the Obama and Trump administrations. 

For reactions to the PPM, Just Security has a written mini-series from our lineup of expert authors. On this week’s episode, Yale Law School professor Oona Hathaway and New America International Security Program Fellow Luke Hartig discuss the Biden plan and what it all means for U.S. counterterrorism efforts and forever war. 

Show Notes:

• Oona A. Hathaway (@oonahathaway)  
• Luke Hartig (@LukeHartig)
• Just Security mini-series on President Biden’s Presidential Policy Memo (PPM)
• 0:23 Charlie Savage’s NYT article on the PPM
• 2:20 President Obama’s Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG)
• 3:12 President Trump’s Principles, Standards, and Procedures (PSP) 
• 16:33  New York Times coverage of Aug. 29, 2021 Kabul drone strike that killed 10 civilians 
• 17:40 New York Times coverage of March 18, 2019 Baghuz drone strike that killed about 70 civilians 
• 18:20 Azmat Khan’s Pulitzer-winning reporting on U.S. drone strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan 
• Music: “The Parade” by “Hey Pluto!” from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/hey-pluto/the-parade (License code: 36B6ODD7Y6ODZ3BX)

New York Times national security correspondent Charlie Savage reported that the Biden administration has issued a still-classified policy on some types of counterterrorism operations, such as drone strikes and commando raids. That policy, the Presidential Policy Memorandum (PPM), follows earlier guidance from the Obama and Trump administrations. 

For reactions to the PPM, Just Security has a written mini-series from our lineup of expert authors. On this week’s episode, Yale Law School professor Oona Hathaway and New America International Security Program Fellow Luke Hartig discuss the Biden plan and what it all means for U.S. counterterrorism efforts and forever war. 

Show Notes:

• Oona A. Hathaway (@oonahathaway)  
• Luke Hartig (@LukeHartig)
• Just Security mini-series on President Biden’s Presidential Policy Memo (PPM)
• 0:23 Charlie Savage’s NYT article on the PPM
• 2:20 President Obama’s Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG)
• 3:12 President Trump’s Principles, Standards, and Procedures (PSP) 
• 16:33  New York Times coverage of Aug. 29, 2021 Kabul drone strike that killed 10 civilians 
• 17:40 New York Times coverage of March 18, 2019 Baghuz drone strike that killed about 70 civilians 
• 18:20 Azmat Khan’s Pulitzer-winning reporting on U.S. drone strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan 
• Music: “The Parade” by “Hey Pluto!” from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/hey-pluto/the-parade (License code: 36B6ODD7Y6ODZ3BX)