Americans Want U.S. Strength and Statesmanship

Politicians love to tell Americans what we think about U.S. leadership, our military, our allies, and our enemies — but the data tells a different story. A new Reagan National Defense Survey cuts through the noise to reveal what Americans actually believe during a moment of strategic flux. To unpack the findings and what they mean for U.S. power, deterrence, and America’s role in the world — guest host Bradley Bowman is joined by Roger Zakheim, Washington Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute and co-founder of the Reagan National Defense Forum. 

Guest host Behnam Ben Taleblu is joined by former U.S. intelligence official Norman Roule to examine Iran’s postwar moment: from puncturing the comforting illusion created by viral clips of loosened social activity (or, as Norm puts it, why “a few videos of dancing and hijab-free afternoons don’t outweigh 21,000 arrests and expedited executions”) to exposing the harsh reality of a regime so unpopular that its fragility may leave it with “no alternative but to crack down” and the rising pressure both guests describe as the Islamic Republic’s “greatest” — and “most dangerous” — long-term threat.

Watch this episode on YouTube here.Africa rarely makes the headlines — but it should. Here are just a few: Islamist movements are expanding from Nigeria to Mozambique, Mali to Somalia. The French have been pushed out, Russian forces are moving in, while China is building influence and quietly extracting wealth from African earth and people. Ambassador Alberto Fernandez joins Cliff to explain how jihadist militias, local warlords, regional powers, and great-power competition are reshaping the continent — and why America ignores this at its own risk.

President Trump gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, A.K.A. MbS, a royal welcome to Washington. But beyond the flashy diplomacy, quite a lot of business was transacted. Host Cliff May is joined by Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss the visit, the future of U.S.–Saudi relations, the threat from Tehran and the Houthis, Turkey’s neo-Ottoman ambitions, and how a changing kingdom is changing the Middle East.

📺: Watch this episode on YouTube here.Filmmaker Michael Pack joins host Cliff May to tell the extraordinary story of The Last 600 Meters, his gripping documentary on the battles of Fallujah and Najaf. Though the film was finished in 2007, it sat on a shelf for 17 years before PBS finally aired it this Veterans Day. From young Americans fighting al-Qaeda and Iran-backed militias in brutal urban combat to political leaders pulling the plug mid-mission and media outlets like Al Jazeera shaping the narrative, Cliff and Michael connect these lessons highlighted in the film to the wars of today — a long-buried film that tells a long-overdue story. 📺: Watch The Last 600 Meters here.

Guest host and Senior Director of FDD’s Iran Program Behnam Ben Taleblu sits down with historian Ali Ansari to explore why the Islamic Republic is rewriting Iran’s past to justify its present, how Iranians are reclaiming their identity from the regime, and what the nation’s search for identity reveals about the Islamic Republic’s fading future.

President Trump just returned from a whirlwind week in Asia closing trade and investment deals and strengthening security alliances. Host Cliff May sits down with FDD’s Craig Singleton to discuss what Trump accomplished, as well as the challenges – and threats – that remain.

Watch this episode on YouTube here.For two years, Israel has been fighting a war on multiple fronts. And although it has delivered blows to Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas on the ground, it’s losing another fight: the information war, a campaign of slander and blood libels fueled by a media empire built by the Muslim Brotherhood. To expose where — from Al Jazeera’s studios in Doha to Turkish satellite channels and newsrooms in London — and how this empire works — amplifying Hamas, laundering Islamist ideology through “journalism,” and reshaping the narrative from Cairo to Washington — host Cliff May is joined by FDD’s Mariam Wahba. Mentioned in the episodeRead Mariam's piece for The Free Press, "How the Muslim Brotherhood Built a Media Empire," here.Watch Mariam's appearance on Haviv Rettig Gur's podcast, Ask Haviv Anything, here. 

Host Cliff May is joined by retired Ukrainian Admiral Ihor Voronchenko, the former inspector general of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and former commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine; along with retired U.S. Marine Colonel Andy Bain, executive director and co-founder of the Ukrainian Freedom Fund; and FDD's retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery to assess the state of Russia’s war on Ukraine — what Kyiv needs from the West and where the fight goes next. 

Watch this episode on YouTube.LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster and Brad Bowman join host Cliff May to explain why diplomacy only works when backed by force. From Gaza to Ukraine, they trace how strength — not illusions — shapes outcomes and frustrates the ambitions of the Axis of Aggressors: Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, and Pyongyang.