Today, Martha, Les, Jess, and Bishop discuss the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of last year’s attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces killed Sinwar during a strike in Gaza, Israel’s government confirmed Thursday night. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu did not indicate that Sinwar’s killing signaled the climax of Israel’s assault on Gaza, as he vowed to bring hostages home. However, many hope it opens the door to peace.

What are the impacts of Sinwar’s death on the War in Gaza and potential peace talks? How will Palestinians respond to Sinwar’s death? Will there be wider regional implications due to Sinwar’s death?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/10/17/world/israel-lebanon-iran-gaza-news?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=cpy&pvid=5DDFF1AD-803D-42D5-BA43-F761AA03A69B

https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-killed-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-gaza/

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-lebanon-hezbollah-news-10-17-2024-d12ca71945313e601cf10876072f4182

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@lestermunson

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@NotTVJessJones

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Today, Les, Jess, Martha, and Jeffrey discuss Israel’s response, or lack thereof, to Iran’s missile attack earlier this October. The Biden Administration believes it has won assurances from Israel that it will not hit Iranian nuclear or oil sites as it looks to strike back against Iran. However, the Biden Administration recently demanded that Israel take steps in the next month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on U.S. military aid.

Are these demands political posturing for domestic audiences by the White House? Does the United States have any influence over Israeli actions? Is it ethical to politicize critical national security issues?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-oil-nuclear-sites-biden-f5dd702de7d990dd1d00f665e1484dee

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/15/world/middleeast/oil-prices-israel-iran-attacks.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb&ngrp=mnp&pvid=56EB71F1-82A2-4CD1-BEDA-A0531A9D115B

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-gives-israel-30-days-improve-gazas-humanitarian-situation-or-risk-aid-reports-2024-10-15/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/10/15/letter-to-congressional-leadership-providing-an-update-on-developments-in-the-middle-east-and-the-u-s-governments-response/

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Today, Jess, Jeffrey, Martha, and Morgan discuss increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula as North Korea has accused South Korea of flying drones and dropping anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang. North Korea threatened to respond with force and says its front-line army units are ready to launch strikes on South Korea if the drone flights continue.

Are these claims saber-rattling or a true escalation? Why are South Korean leaflets getting Kim Jong Un so mad? Is the timing of Kim’s fiery rhetoric and the upcoming U.S. presidential election a coincidence?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-south-drones-attack-threat-border-d1b2e42665fba63dbf4cf2f36a96f5f5

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/asia/north-korea-south-drones-pyongyang/index.html

https://apnews.com/article/north-south-korea-drones-c923535e6f414674593d74ff935adf41

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-roads-destroy-tensions-drones-072433677101dc38e30bb65f908ec631

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3282158/kim-jong-uns-sister-warns-south-korea-horrible-disaster

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@marthamillerdc

@morganlroach

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Today, Morgan, Matt, Amy, and Jeffrey discuss the historic handover of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Backed by the White House, the United Kingdom agreed to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands after 13 rounds of negotiations over the former African colony. Importantly, the UK will retain control of the UK-US Diego Garcia military base for an initial period of 99 years. However, critics argue this move is a victory for Chinese interests in the Indo-Pacific.

What are the impacts of this handover on U.S. interests in the region? Will this handover set a precedent in the use of lawfare by our adversaries? How will future administrations handle the soft and hard power changes as a result of this handover?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://www.politico.eu/article/republicans-us-washington-chagos-islands-deal-china-security/

https://www.newsweek.com/diego-garcia-news-uk-mauritius-chagos-islands-agreement-us-base-indian-ocean-1963650

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/09/uk-chagos-islands-mauritius-diego-garcia-last-colony/

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/10/despite-hold-on-diego-garcia-uks-move-to-return-chago-islands-sparks-security-concerns/

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@morganlroach

@WMattHayden

@amykmitchell

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Today, Jess, Martha, Morgan, and Les discuss MI5’s latest threat report, in which the UK’s spy chief outlined that Britain is facing a “staggering rise” in attempts at assassination, sabotage, and other crimes on UK soil by Russia and Iran, as the two states recruit criminals to “do their dirty work,” amid a rise in terrorist threats to the European continent by a resurgent ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

How can the United States and our allies respond to these kinetic and active threats? What have been the failures of successive presidential administrations to address these threats? Is the global war on terror truly over?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://apnews.com/article/uk-intelligence-mi5-threats-russia-iran-936d7c24d303ffea41f6b1cef7c7b814

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uks-mi5-spy-chief-details-security-threats-facing-uk-2024-10-08/

https://www.reuters.com/world/man-convicted-hostile-reconnaissance-london-based-tv-channel-critical-iran-2023-12-20/

https://apnews.com/article/germany-russia-spying-military-officer-305ee23eb4677f3215c9e3560945a0d9

https://apnews.com/article/sweden-iran-israel-criminal-gangs-proxy-d50a17efab629a585e281854d3e11407

https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-berlin-fire-diehl-behind-arson-attack-on-factory/

Follow our experts on Twitter:

@lestermunson

@NotTVJessJones

@marthamillerdc

@morganlroach

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We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/Vm_v73sEmek

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Today, Les, Martha, and Morgan discuss last week’s assault by the Chinese Coast Guard assault on 10 Vietnamese fishermen near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Three of the fishermen suffered broken limbs and the rest sustained other injuries, their fishing gear was damaged, and about 4 tons of their catch were sized by the Chinese.

How does this incident impact the United States’ role in the region? What are the economic ramifications of Chinese aggression? Will China change its behavior in the face of growing ties between Indo-Pacific nations in response to its aggressive actions?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://apnews.com/article/china-vietnam-paracel-south-china-sea-d86889dd2fda73499602951ef3056d32

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/02/asia/vietnam-protest-china-attack-fishermen-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-accuses-china-assaulting-vietnamese-fishermen-south-china-sea-2024-10-04/

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3926061/allies-partners-conduct-operations-in-south-china-sea/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/03/south-china-sea-underwater-cables/

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@lestermunson

@marthamillerdc

@morganlroach

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We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/WT6v-ZEmBqc

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Today, Jess, Martha, Morgan, and Les discuss Japan’s new Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, a 67-year-old Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) backbencher, who has grand ideas for Japanese foreign policy including establishing an Asian NATO to deter China, joint management of U.S. bases in Japan, and the United States sharing their nuclear deterrence with Japan.

What does Ishiba and his foreign policy ideas mean for U.S.-Japan relations? Are any of Ishiba’s security ideas achievable? How do U.S. partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific perceive our security assurances?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://www.hudson.org/politics-government/shigeru-ishiba-japans-new-security-era-future-japans-foreign-policy

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/09/29/japans-prime-minister-ishiba-00181546

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/japans-newly-elected-prime-minister-shigeru-ishiba-forms-cabinet-with-emphasis-on-defense

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/incoming-japan-pm-ishibas-asian-nato-idea-test-us-diplomacy-2024-09-27/

https://apnews.com/article/japan-ishiba-us-south-korea-australia-china-73a66e7b2fce8c3847622acf314357e1

https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/08/how-fumio-kishida-shaped-japans-foreign-policy

Follow our experts on Twitter:

@lestermunson

@NotTVJessJones

@marthamillerdc

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We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/nkjGUhSO_Xo

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Today, Les, Morgan, Jeffrey, and Bishop discuss Tuesday’s missile strikes by Iran against Israel where at least 180 missiles were fired into Israel in what is said to be a retaliation for a series of devastating blows Israel has landed in recent weeks against Hezbollah and other Iranian proxy forces in the Middle East.

What happens next? What is the Biden administration’s policy in this conflict? Is Iran an effective actor?

Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines.

Check out the sources that helped shape our expert's discussion!

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-01/israel-s-devastation-of-hezbollah-puts-iran-in-a-corner

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4909053-iran-preparing-missile-attack/

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cg4qx62kkxxt?post=asset%3A4edfbeb0-ff7e-4b9c-a412-4f16fb69d23d#post

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3923320/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-irans-missile-strikes-a/

https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-lebanon-hezbollah-gaza-news-10-02-2024-7d93f71b7894177b4f9c303671ee55de

Follow our experts on Twitter:

@lestermunson

@BishopGarrison

@morganlroach

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We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/NNyS-CkzoKA

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