The Burn Bag Podcast

The Dissident's Dilemma: Case Studies of Moral Courage in an Age of Authoritarianism with Gal Beckerman

In this episode of The Burn Bag, Gal Beckerman joins us to explore what it means to be a dissident in an age of conformity, fear, and authoritarian drift. Drawing on themes from his new book, How to Be a Dissident [https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Dissident-Gal-Beckerman/dp/B0G7C2CR4M], Beckerman reflects on the people who refuse to betray their conscience — from historic rebels and moral witnesses to ordinary individuals forced to decide whether silence is still an option. This conversation goes beyond the book to ask bigger questions about dissent itself: What separates genuine dissidence from performative rebellion? When does courage become recklessness? Why do authoritarian systems fear humor, memory, and witness? And how can acts of conscience become movements capable of changing history?

Violence as an Epidemic: From Community Harm to War and Authoritarianism with Dr. Gary Slutkin

In this episode, The Burn Bag speaks with Dr. Gary Slutkin, a physician, epidemiologist, former World Health Organization official, and founder of Cure Violence Global, about a provocative idea: what if violence is not simply a problem of crime, morality, or politics, but a contagious epidemic? Drawing on his decades of work fighting tuberculosis, cholera, AIDS, and community violence, Dr. Slutkin explains how violence spreads through exposure, trauma, social networks, and norms — and how it can be interrupted using tools adapted from public health. We discuss why punishment-first approaches often fall short, how violence interrupters work on the ground, and what this model can teach us about community violence, political extremism, authoritarianism, and war. At a time when violence is shaping communities, politics, and conflicts around the world, Dr. Slutkin offers a different diagnosis — and a more hopeful path toward prevention. You can find Dr. Slutkin's book, The End of Violence, here [https://www.garyslutkin.com/].

Rethinking China: Could Washington be Getting Beijing Wrong? w/ Zhengyu Huang

In this episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, A’ndre Gonawela sits down with Zhengyu Huang — former President of the Committee of 100 and author of Rethinking China [https://www.rethinkingchina.us] — to examine the assumptions driving U.S. policy toward China. The conversation covers U.S.-China competition across trade, technology, national security, and Taiwan, while examining where current policy debates may benefit from what Zhengyu believes are more evidence-based assumptions. Zhengyu also discusses economic decoupling, deterrence, the China Initiative, and the role of Chinese Americans in U.S. national security debates. Together, A’ndre and Zhengyu discuss how Washington can think more clearly about competition with China while avoiding overreach, miscalculation, and unnecessary escalation.

Data Centers as Targets: What Happens if the Cloud and AI Infrastructure gets Hit? with Morgan Plummer

For decades, wars targeted oil fields, pipelines, ports, and power grids. But in March 2026, that logic appeared to change when Iranian strikes reportedly targeted commercial cloud infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, damaging data center facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and disrupting digital services used by millions. What happens when data centers become wartime targets? How vulnerable is the infrastructure powering artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the global economy? And what could attacks on commercial compute hubs mean for markets, businesses, and ordinary Americans? On this episode of The Burn Bag, A’ndre Gonawela speaks with Morgan C. Plummer about the growing strategic importance of AI infrastructure in an era of geopolitical conflict. They discuss why commercial cloud infrastructure is increasingly viewed as a high-value target, how disruptions to data centers could ripple through the global economy, and what governments can do to protect the digital backbone of modern life.

Fuels, Ports, and Power: How South Asia's Smaller States are Navigating Crisis, with Nilanthi Samaranayake

As geopolitical tensions spill into the Indian Ocean, smaller states in South Asia are finding themselves on the frontlines of crises they did not choose. From the sinking of an Iranian vessel off Sri Lanka’s coast to mounting pressure from major powers and a region-wide scramble for energy, countries like Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Nepal are navigating an increasingly complex strategic environment. In this episode, Andre sits down with Nilanthi Samaranayake to unpack how these states are balancing great-power competition, maritime security challenges, and economic vulnerability. They explore how energy shocks spawned by the U.S.-Iran War are reshaping foreign policy decisions, the growing strategic importance of ports and sea lanes, and how smaller states are hedging to preserve autonomy amid intensifying rivalry between India, China, and the United States. The conversation also examines India’s evolving role as a regional crisis manager and what the future holds for smaller states navigating an Indian Ocean that is becoming more contested, more strategic — and more consequential than ever.