Breaking China

More from FDD's Foreign Podicy All episodes →

1. 

   8 May 2026 · 1 hr 14 min

   The Axis of Aggressors and Unraveling World Order

   The world is entering a more dangerous era. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly coordinating across every domain of power. Wars are expanding. Nuclear threats are rising. America’s alliances are under pressure. And President Trump is heading to Beijing. Former U.S. ambassador to Finland and Turkey Eric S. Edelman joins guest host Bradley Bowman to break down the new age of great-power competition — from China and NATO to Iran, deterrence, and the growing risk of global conflict.

2. 

   1 May 2026 · 52 min

   Stakes in the Straits and Chips on the Table

   The Strait of Hormuz isn't just about Iran. It's a stress test for American will, allied confidence, and the deterrence architecture holding the Indo-Pacific together. FDD's RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, fresh from a trip to Taiwan, and Craig Singleton, FDD China Program Senior Director, join Cliff May to connect the dots — from the naval blockade's economic pressure to the lessons Beijing and Taipei are both drawing, in real time, from the Iran war.

3. 

   24 Apr 2026 · 59 min

   The Fog of Ceasefire

   Negotiations between President Trump’s envoys and those of the Islamic Republic of Iran were postponed. Operation Epic Fury halts in an uneasy ceasefire as Operation Economic Fury begins cutting off Tehran’s revenue streams. The Strait of Hormuz is not yet a safe space. FDD Research Fellow Max Meizlish, a former Treasury official, and Adjunct Fellow Joseph Zacks, a former CIA official, join host Cliff May to take stock.

4. 

   17 Apr 2026 · 51 min

   From Budapest to Beirut to Tehran: Perspectives from Across the Pond

   Three shocks. Three fronts. One world shifting fast. In Hungary, Péter Magyar topples Viktor Orbán’s grip. In Washington, Lebanese–Israeli talks edge beyond ceasefire toward something more consequential—rattling players from Hezbollah to Emmanuel Macron. And after failed diplomacy in Islamabad, U.S. Vice President JD Vance now faces a new phase: an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, squeezing Tehran’s lifeline. Host Cliff May sits down with FDD experts Edmund Fitton-Brown and Simone Rodan-Benzaquen to make sense of a moment that may redraw the map.

5. 

   10 Apr 2026 · 57 min

   The New Sultanate

   In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States, Turkey offered a sliver of optimism in a region defined by turmoil — a Muslim-majority democracy, a NATO ally, and even a friend of Israel. But after more than two decades under the rule of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, that Turkey is long gone. So, what happened? And what does it mean for America, NATO, Israel — and the future of the Middle East? FDD Turkey experts Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer join host Cliff May to assess Turkey’s transformation, including the strategic consequences only now coming into focus.

6. 

   28 Mar 2026 · 1 hr

   Back from the Front

   Fresh off the frontlines, FDD's Mark Montgomery recently returned from Ukraine and other hotspots abroad. He joins host Cliff May for an in-studio debrief on what he saw and what comes next. Also joining the conversation: FDD Action's Daniel Vaynshteyn, former Legislative Director in the U.S. House of Representatives and liaison to the U.S. Helsinki Commission.

7. 

   20 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 4 min

   Breaking Down The Islamic Republic

   For more than two decades at FDD, Foreign Podicy host Cliff May and Mark Dubowitz have tracked the evolution of America’s enemies—from al Qaeda to the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism in Tehran. Long before many grasped the threat, Mark focused on the Islamic Republic’s ideological war, its open commitment to jihad against the “Great Satan” and “Little Satan,” and a decades-long campaign too often misunderstood. On the one-year anniversary of Mark's FDD podcast, The Iran Breakdown, Cliff sits down with him to unpack what too many still miss: what the regime believes, how it wages…

8. 

   13 Mar 2026 · 49 min

   The Arab Case for Israel

   There has always been a Jewish case for Israel, a Christian case for Israel, and an American case for Israel. But what about the Arab case for Israel? FDD’s Hussain Abdul-Hussain lays out the arguments in his new book, appropriately titled: " The Arab Case for Israel ." He sits down with host Cliff May to discuss the idea, the history behind it, and why a growing number of Arab and Muslim thinkers know he’s right.

9. 

   6 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

   The War Against Iran’s Jihadis: What’s Xi Got to Do With It?

   For nearly half a century, Iran’s rulers have promised “Death to America.” It wasn’t just a chant — it was a policy. From the 1979 hostage crisis to terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of Americans, the Islamic Republic has spent decades waging a shadow war against the United States. Now Washington is confronting Iran’s jihadist regime more directly — raising a larger question: what role might Xi Jinping’s China play in the conflict? Cliff May sits down with former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency David Shedd to examine the long war against Tehran’s jihadist rulers — and…

10. 

    28 Feb 2026 · 59 min

    Wars and Rumors of War

    Earlier this week, President Trump said of Iran’s rulers: “I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror — which they are, by far — to have a nuclear weapon." He also noted that the regime massacred “at least 32,000” unarmed civilian protestors in January and has previously “killed and maimed thousands of American service members.” On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told his embassy staff they might want to take a little trip abroad. And the US State Department is advising American citizens that it’s best not to visit Israel right now. Host Cliff May asks FDD's…