The Burn Bag Podcast

The Nuclear Threshold: Diplomacy, Deterrence, and Disarmament featuring Alexandra Bell

In the final episode of The Nuclear Threshold, A’ndre speaks with Alexandra Bell, President & CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and one of the leading U.S. diplomats behind recent efforts to strengthen arms control and reduce nuclear risks. Building on the technical and command-and-control foundations laid by Laura Grego and Steve Fetter, this conversation shifts to the political and diplomatic fault lines that make today’s nuclear landscape uniquely dangerous. Alexandra explains why nuclear policy has fallen out of public view even as the world edges closer to crisis, and why diplomacy — often undervalued and underfunded — remains the only real mechanism for preventing disaster. Drawing on her experience negotiating the New START Treaty and other engagements, she breaks down the collapse of Cold War–era treaties, the rise of new nuclear states, and the challenge of rebuilding trust in a multipolar world. We also explore how deterrence theory holds up in an era of political volatility and weapons on minutes-notice alert. Alexandra discusses realistic steps the United States and others could take to reduce tensions, the role of scientific cooperation when politics freeze, and why public engagement has always been the catalyst for major progress on nuclear issues. As the Doomsday Clock sits closer to midnight than ever, Alexandra makes the case for “fearless diplomacy” — and why, despite the risks, the path away from catastrophe is still possible if governments and citizens choose it.

The Nuclear Threshold: Who Really Decides on Nuclear Launch? featuring Dr. Steve Fetter

In the second installment of The Nuclear Threshold mini-series, we turn from missile defense to the human side of nuclear risk — the people, protocols, and split-second judgments that determine whether nuclear weapons are ever used. While deterrence is often framed as a stable system, history tells a far messier story: false alarms, malfunctioning sensors, training tapes mistaken for real attacks, and leaders operating under extreme pressure. Our guest, Dr. Steve Fetter — Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, former Assistant Director in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board — walks us through how nuclear launch authority actually works inside the U.S. system. We explore why the president has sole authority, why that concentration of power is riskier than most Americans realize, and how “launch-on-warning” creates a decision window measured in minutes. Steve breaks down famous near-miss incidents, the vulnerabilities of command-and-control systems, and his proposal to require concurrence from other top officials before any nuclear order is carried out. The conversation is grounded, accessible, and quietly unsettling — a reminder that deterrence relies on human beings who can make mistakes. This episode asks a deceptively simple question with civilization-level implications: How safe is a system that depends on one person getting everything right?

The Nuclear Threshold: Will Missile Defense Systems Really Save Us? featuring Dr. Laura Grego

The Nuclear Threshold is a three-part Burn Bag mini-series exploring how deterrence, defense, and diplomacy shape nuclear risk in the 21st century. Across three conversations with leading experts, we examine why technological optimism often outpaces reality, how fragile human systems sustain deterrence, and whether diplomacy can still prevent catastrophe in an increasingly unstable world. In this first episode, astrophysicist Dr. Laura Grego, Research Director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, joins A’ndre Gonawela to break down the science — and the myths — behind missile defense. Grego explains why the United States’ decades-long effort to build a reliable shield against nuclear attack has repeatedly failed, and how those failures risk deepening global instability. From the early “Star Wars” program to today’s multi-billion-dollar “Golden Dome” initiative, she unpacks the physics that make missile interception nearly impossible, the political incentives that keep these programs alive, and the illusion of safety that drives them. The conversation explores how misplaced faith in technology can push the world closer to, not further from, the nuclear threshold.

The Gaza Ceasefire: Amb. Dennis Ross on Trump's Middle East Diplomacy, Israel, and Hamas

As the fragile Gaza ceasefire wavers amid renewed airstrikes and mutual accusations of violations, President Donald Trump insists that “nothing will jeopardize” the truce his administration brokered with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. Yet the violence on the ground has cast doubt on whether this agreement marks a turning point or just another pause in a long and bitter conflict. To understand what’s at stake, The Burn Bag turns to Ambassador Dennis Ross — the veteran diplomat who helped shape the Oslo peace process and guided U.S. negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians across multiple administrations. Ross analyzes how the current ceasefire was reached, the leverage Washington used to pressure both sides, and the uneasy coalition of Arab mediators that made it possible. He breaks down the complex second phase of the agreement — from disarmament and reconstruction to the future governance of Gaza — and assesses whether U.S. engagement can translate coercive diplomacy into lasting stability. Drawing on lessons from Oslo and decades of regional experience, Ross offers an unsentimental look at what it will take for this truce to hold — and whether the United States can still convert leverage into peace in a region defined by mistrust.

Best of: Dr. Anthony Fauci on Pandemics, Public Health, and a Lifetime in Public Service

RE-RELEASE: This episode was originally released in February 2025. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Fauci joins A'ndre for an in-depth conversation about his decades-long career in public health and his experiences leading the U.S. response to some of the world’s most pressing infectious disease challenges. Dr. Fauci reflects on his early work during the HIV/AIDS crisis, the evolution of treatments that saved millions of lives, and his role in launching PEPFAR, one of the most significant global health initiatives in history. He  discusses his leadership at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), navigating crises such as Ebola, Zika, H1N1, anthrax, and COVID-19, while working alongside multiple U.S. presidents to shape national and global health policies. Beyond his career in government, Dr. Fauci shares his thoughts on the intersection of public health and national security, the growing challenges of vaccine skepticism and misinformation, and the vital role of institutions like the NIH and CDC in protecting public health. He also highlights the major health threats that remain overlooked in mainstream discourse. Now a professor at Georgetown University, Dr. Fauci reflects on his transition to academia and the importance of training the next generation of medical leaders in an era of evolving global health challenges. You can purchase his recent memoir, On Call [https://www.amazon.com/Call-Doctors-Journey-Public-Service/dp/0593657470], here.