Nada Bakos about her new book, The Targeter, which chronicles her experiences at the CIA.

Nada Bakos is a highly-regarded national security expert with 20 years of in-depth knowledge base in global intelligence. As a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst, she was a key member of the team charged with analyzing the relationship between Iraq, al-Qaeda and the 9/11 attacks. Subsequently, during the war in Iraq, Ms. Bakos was asked to serve as the Chief Targeting officer tracking the world's most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. She has appeared as a guest commentator on CNN, ABC, FOX, MSNBC, BBC, CBC and as a resource for journalists at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and other major international and national media outlets. Ms. Bakos' book, The Targeter, was released in June 2019.

Episode 6: The Interdisciplinarity of Insurgency / Return of the Students

In this episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef start by discussing the highlights of their summer and the start of the semester. They move on to a discussion of the recent G7 meeting in Biarritz. In particular, they explore Trump’s approach to such meetings and Macron’s efforts at diplomacy with Iran. In a bonus segment, fitness expert FitCafé - Véronique Malo Fitness offers some tips on adopting good habits at the start of the semester. The Emerging Scholar interview is with Tanya Irwin [18:00] who talks about her fascinating research on rebel group taxation. In the feature interview, Steve speaks with Nada Bakos [27:00] about her new book, “The Targeter”, which chronicles her experiences at the CIA. Finally, in Steve's Peeves, some commentary from Steve on former Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis’s new book tour.

Chris Ankersen considers the possibility that the international system may not bounce back from the Trump era.

Christopher Ankersen is Clinical Associate Professor at the Center for Global Affairs he teaches in the Transnational Security concentration. Prior to joining NYU, Christopher was the Security Advisor for the United Nations system in Thailand. Previously, he held positions at the UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; the UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna; and with the Department of Safety and Security in New York, where he was Desk Officer for Iraq in 2005 and 2006.From2002 to 2004, Dr. Ankersen was Ralf Dahrendorf Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has taught at the LSE, the London Centre for International Relations, King’s College London, Carleton University, and the Royal Military College of Canada and lectured at staff colleges in Canada, Australia, and Denmark. From 2000 to 2005, he acted as a strategy consultant to militaries, governments and private firms in the UK and Canada.From 1988 to 2000, Dr. Ankersen was an officer in the Canadian Forces, serving in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, including on overseas missions with the UN and NATO. His current research interests include civil military relations, strategic studies and international security. He is particularly interested in the geopolitics and transnational security issues of Southeast Asia. Christopher Ankersen holds a BA (Hons) in International Politics and History from Royal Roads Military College (Canada) and an MSc and PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Alexander Salt explores how lessons learned from military operations in WWII affected US military organizational change.

Alexander Salt is a doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies. His research interests include American Foreign Policy, Technological Innovation, International Relations, Organizational behaviour, Canadian security policy, and Strategic studies.

Episode 5: Learning and Adapting, or Not

This episode of Battle Rhythm is about adaptation and learning in international affairs. In the New and Noteworthy segment, Steve and Stef discuss the ongoing protests in Hong Kong and Canada’s response. They also examine the influence of celebrity diplomacy in light of the diplomatic crisis between Sweden and the US over A$AP Rocky and unpack Trump’s recent expression of interest in Greenland. As September approaches, Steve and Stef highlight what is exciting and challenging about a new academic term. Responding to a listener’s question, they recommend key readings for Canadians interested in defence and security. The Emerging Scholar segment is with Alexander Salt [19:30] whose research explores how lessons learned from military operations in WWII affected US military organizational change. In the feature interview, Steve and Stef speak with Christopher Ankersen [25:45] who considers the possibility that the international system may not bounce back from the Trump era. Finally, in Steve's Peeves, Steve offers his views on the gun debate in America.

Dr. Dan Drezner is a professor of International Politics at Tufts University and Washington Post Columnist who offers his perspective on the frayed state of the liberal international order.

Daniel W. Drezner is professor of international politics, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a contributing editor at The Washington Post. Prior to joining The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, he taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has previously held positions with Civic Education Project, the RAND Corporation and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and received fellowships from the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Council on Foreign Relations, and Harvard University. Drezner has written five books, including "All Politics is Global" and "Theories of International Politics and Zombies," and edited two others, including "Avoiding Trivia." He has published articles in numerous scholarly journals as well as in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Politico, and Foreign Affairs, and has been a contributing editor for Foreign Policy and The National Interest. He received his B.A. in political economy from Williams College and an M.A. in economics and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. His blog for Foreign Policy magazine was named by TIME as one of the 25 best blogs of 2012, and he currently writes the Spoiler Alerts blog for The Washington Post.

Episode 1: Shifting Power

In the pilot episode of Battle Rhythm Podcast, Steve and Stef introduce themselves and explain the purpose and format of the podcast. They discuss the end of Canada’s peacekeeping mission in Mali and the appointment of Canada’s first ambassador for Women, Peace and Security. In our Emerging Scholar segment, Stef speaks with James Anderson [12:12], a US Air Force intelligence officer and Fulbright Scholar on US-Canada security relations . Steve shares some of his thoughts on millennials in the debut of 'Steve's Peeves.'  The feature interview guest is Dan Drezner [29:00], Professor of International Politics at Tufts University and Washington Post Columnist who offers his perspective on the frayed state of the liberal international order. Dan Drezner’s most recent book: The Ideas Industry: How Pessimists, Partisans, and Plutocrats are Transforming the Marketplace of Ideas. Movie Recommendation: War Games.