The DSR Network
Foreign Office is a weekly interview podcast hosted by Michael Weiss, from New Lines Magazine and Free Russia Foundation, dedicated to those ever-relevant subjects of Russian intelligence operations and active measures. Featured guests include prominent historians and scholars, journalists, diplomats, and ex-spies.
Apr 5, 2024
Investigative journalists Christo Grozev, Roman Dobrokhotov and Michael Weiss have been looking into the Havana Syndrome since 2020. They initially approached the topic skeptically, questioning the capability of any government to carry out such a mass global attack. However, they discovered a document linking a Russian military unit to the Havana weapon, which sparked their investigation. They have been gathering evidence of overlaps between the travel of members of this unit and incidents related to the Havana Syndrome. The journalists have presented a prosecution case, highlighting motive, means, and opportunity, and are calling for the U.S. government to act as a defense attorney for the accused criminals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 22, 2024
Last week, reports surfaced of a teacher in Estonia who was charged with spying for Russia. Host Michael Weiss discusses this as well as the state of the Russia/Ukraine war with former President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves and former CIA Intelligence Officer, Dan Hoffman. Don’t miss this vital discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 9, 2023
All eyes are on Israel and Gaza as the conflict threatens to spread throughout the region. But how have the key regional actors responded? Michael Weiss is joined by Faysal Itani, the Director of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, to dissect what the key players in the Middle East have been doing and what the future could hold for the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 30, 2023
Michael’s guest this week is Dr. Anthony (Tony) Tingle, Program Director of the Institute for Future Conflict at the United States Air Force Academy where he oversees research on regional conflict and military technology including artificial intelligence, cyber, and biotechnology. Their conversation centers around Ukraine and the extraordinary footage captured by Tony during a recent trip to Ukraine. They touch on what’s working and what isn’t as well as provide an outlook on what to expect over the next 12 months of the war. They also touch on Israel and their battle with Hamas. Don’t miss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 28, 2023
Michael’s guest this week is Australian Retired General Mick Ryan. Mick is a military analyst who served in the ADF for more than 35 years and was commander of the Australia Defence College. He is the author of War Transformed and an adjunct fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Michael and MIck discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and what could be in store for the coming months. Don’t miss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 26, 2023
On this special episode of Foreign Office, Michael is joined by Roman Dobrokhotov, a Russian investigative journalist, political scientist and former activist and Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist and author and the lead Russia investigator with Bellingcat, focusing on security threats, extraterritorial clandestine operations, and the weaponization of information. The three discuss the alleged assassination of former Wagner Group Leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 21, 2023
Sweden is set to join NATO as Turkey drops their objections. They’ve also been staunch supporters of Ukraine in the effort against Russia. To understand Sweden’s role on the international stage, Michael speaks with Martin Kragh, Deputy Center Director of the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS) and Senior Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. Kragh's research interests include Russia's economy and history, but also the political development in Russia and the former USSR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 3, 2023
Michael’s guest this week is Calder Walton, Assistant Director of the Belfer Center's Applied History Project and Intelligence Project at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of the book, “Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West. Michael and Calder discuss the history of espionage between Russia and the United States and they touch on Michael’s upcoming book on the GRU. Don’t miss it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices