Rephonic
Artwork for FDD Morning Brief

FDD Morning Brief

FDD
Iran
Israel
Hamas
Gaza
United States
Hezbollah
Middle East
Turkey
Syria
Qatar
Lebanon
Saudi Arabia
Middle East Conflict
Donald Trump
China
United Nations
Trump Administration
Muslim Brotherhood
Russia
Nuclear Weapons

The Middle East never stops moving. Neither does the FDD Morning Brief.

Three mornings a week, FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer cuts through the noise with the experts who have spent their careers studying, shaping, and living the region’s most consequential moments. All before your morning coffee gets cold.

PublishesDailyEpisodes415Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
News CommentaryNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for FDD Morning Brief

Latest Episodes

Headlines:

• The UK has agreed to help Saudi Arabia fight the Houthis by providing aerial refueling services to Saudi planes for the next few weeks. 

• The Trump administration is reportedly setting up a multi-billion dollar investment fund to help ... more

Headlines:

• The State Department approved the potential sale of dozens of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia yesterday. 

• French President Emmanuel Macron met with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun yesterday as part of a bro... more

Headlines:

• Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is in Beijing today to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

• A Russian bank just got dinged by the US Treasury for laundering dirty Iranian money.

• Malaysia seized three shipping containe... more

Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, providing timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Mark Cancian, senior adviser with the Defense and S... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Mark Cancian
Senior Advisor, Defense and Security at Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Episode: The truth about America's munitions crisis | feat. Mark Cancian
Swell Ariel Or
Actress known for The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem
Actor/Performer
Episode: The beauty queen of wartime Jerusalem | feat. Swell Ariel Or
Lara Burns
Retired FBI special agent who led major terrorism investigations
George Washington University's Program on Extremism (current)
Episode: The FBI's war on terror financing | feat. Lara Burns
Yohanan Plesner
President of Israel Democracy Institute
Israel Democracy Institute
Episode: Israel's post-October 7 election | feat. Yohanan Plesner
Jonathan Tobin
Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
Jewish News Syndicate
Episode: The elusive exit from the Iran war | feat. Jonathan Tobin
Shira Efron
RAND's distinguished chair for Israel policy
RAND Corporation
Episode: War and the Board of Peace | feat. Shira Efron
Daniel Chamovitz
President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Episode: A university blooms in wartime Israel | feat. Daniel Chamowitz
Laura Kelly
Foreign policy reporter for The Hill who covers how events on Capitol Hill ripple outward
The Hill
Episode: Congress' MidEast mindset | feat. Laura Kelly
H. R. McMaster
LTG (Retired), Chair of FDD Center on Military and Political Power
Episode: America's next strategic test | feat. LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster

Host

Jonathan Schanzer
Host of FDD Morning Brief; policy analyst and commentator on Middle East affairs

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 172 ratings
  • Endless wars

    How many goys have to die ?

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Tomcruise675
    United Statesa month ago
  • Clarity

    FDD is by far the most important foreign policy think tank in DC. They are unapologetically honest and fair. Listening to one of their podcasts is like taking an hour long master class on the issues. None of the dog whistle antisemitism at the Heritage Foundation. None of the whitewashing of Qatari and Turkish meddling in American politics. Love this group.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Dr, L
    United States10 months ago
  • Audio

    Audio is terrible!

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Not Murphy!
    United Statesa year ago
  • Great content, but…

    You’ve gotta work on the sound quality. It sounds like you’re and your mother‘s basement. Sorry, but it’s really hard to listen to.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    tipzipzee
    United Statesa year ago
  • May

    Love Cliff May and thank him for creating the FDD.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Gnome chopper
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are consistently credible experts bringing topical policy insights.
Critiques mention inconsistent sound quality but high-quality content and guests.
Listeners praise the host's clarity and depth on complex security issues.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The truth about America's munitions crisis | feat. Mark Cancian
Q: What are the main causes or contributing factors behind this crisis?
Root causes include post–Cold War budget choices that shrank the industrial base, decisions to squeeze surge capabilities, and underinvestment in defense procurement, with the Ukraine war and elsewhere exposing these structural weaknesses.
The truth about America's munitions crisis | feat. Mark Cancian
Q: Do you believe the United States confronts a munitions crisis or at least a serious munitions problem?
Yes, there is a crisis in certain areas like missile defense and long-range munitions, and the lack of alternatives once stocks run low underscores persistent vulnerabilities in readiness and industrial capacity.
China steals America's AI edge | feat. Leah Siskind
Q: How are adversaries leveraging AI in warfare and information operations?
Authoritarian regimes are using AI to enhance cyber operations, create targeted disinformation, automate propaganda, develop AI-enabled drones, and conduct cognitive warfare by building fake think tanks and targeting influential figures to shape narratives.
China steals America's AI edge | feat. Leah Siskind
Q: What are the broader safety concerns surrounding AI beyond hacking incidents?
Safety concerns span the risk of AI systems acting autonomously or in unanticipated ways, influencing critical infrastructure, enabling surveillance and disinformation, and complicating defense and civilian life; governance and multi-stakeholder coordination are essential to balance innovation with safeguards.
Tehran squeezes Riyadh | feat. Bernard Haykel
Q: What is going on with the Mecca and Mecca-Mandab threats, and how is Saudi Arabia handling the security situation?
Bernard Haykel explains that Saudi Arabia faces an existential threat from three directions and that while they have some capability, the region's security architecture remains fragmented and heavily reliant on external support, with limited practical defense commitments from allies.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About FDD Morning Brief

What is FDD Morning Brief about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The program centers on Middle East policy analysis and global security, regularly pairing a seasoned U.S. policy host with top think-tank and policy experts. Episodes routinely dissect Iran, Israel, Gaza, Syria, and regional alignments, often linking on-the-ground developments to broader strategic dynamics such as deterrence, sanctions, and diplomacy. A standout trait is the guest roster: high-caliber researchers, former policymakers, and regionally focused scholars who offer actionable insights for decision-makers, sponsors, and PR teams targeting a policy-forward audience. The show frequently surfaces timely debates—from disarming militant groups to realignment among Gulf and regional powers—making it valuable for listeners seeking rigoro... more

Where can I find podcast stats for FDD Morning Brief?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for FDD Morning Brief. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to FDD Morning Brief and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does FDD Morning Brief get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for FDD Morning Brief, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for FDD Morning Brief?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for FDD Morning Brief, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does FDD Morning Brief have?

To see how many followers or subscribers FDD Morning Brief has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to FDD Morning Brief?

These podcasts share a similar audience with FDD Morning Brief:

1. Ark News Daily
2. Call Me Back - with Dan Senor
3. Boundless Insights - with Aviva Klompas
4. The Iran Breakdown with Mark Dubowitz
5. What Matters Now

How many episodes of FDD Morning Brief are there?

FDD Morning Brief launched 3 years ago and published 415 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact FDD Morning Brief?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for FDD Morning Brief?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for FDD Morning Brief from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for FDD Morning Brief?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of FDD Morning Brief. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on FDD Morning Brief?

Recent guests on FDD Morning Brief include:

1. Mark Cancian
2. Swell Ariel Or
3. Lara Burns
4. Yohanan Plesner
5. Jonathan Tobin
6. Shira Efron
7. Daniel Chamovitz
8. Laura Kelly

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days