Welcome to another episode of “On the Issues with Alon Ben-Meir.” Today’s guest is Michael Bedenbaugh, a political analyst and author, whose latest book, Reviving Our Republic: 95 Theses for the Future of America, argues the need for political renewal in the United States and presents recommendations for such reforms in a historical context. Mike’s diverse background includes five years of service in the US Navy, as well as previously serving as president and executive director of Preservation South Carolina, working to protect and preserve the state’s historic places.
In this episode, Alon and Mike discuss the ceding of congressional power to the president over the years, and how that power shift looks under Trump, the crisis of leadership in the United States, and the possibility of going, as Mike describes, back to the country’s foundational goal of neutrality.
Full bio
American author and political thinker Mike Bedenbaugh is a respected voice in constitutional principles and American governance, historic preservation, and community development. Born with a reverence for history, he served as the former president and executive director of Preservation South Carolina, where he led numerous initiatives that demonstrated the economic and cultural value of historic preservation.
Mike’s diverse background includes five years of service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS South Carolina, studies in international studies and history at the University of South Carolina and Columbia University, and leadership roles in both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. He was CEO of Post No Bills, Inc., a product marketing firm that collaborated with corporate powerhouses like Phillip Morris USA, RCA Records, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, and MGM. He has also served on his hometown’s city council while his efforts in community revitalization and historic preservation earned him the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor. As a member of Preservation Action in Washington, D.C., he continues to advocate for policies that strengthen local communities and honor America’s heritage.
A native of Prosperity, South Carolina, Michael remains deeply involved in his home state’s development while contributing to national discussions on governance and civic engagement. His work exemplifies the principle that understanding the past is crucial to shaping a better future. His book, Reviving Our Republic: 95 Theses for the Future of America, is an outcome of his lifelong passion for his community, state, and nation, and was inspired by America’s founding fathers and the principles that birthed a nation. Mike firmly believes the American South has had a profound impact on shaping the political culture of the USA, asserting that one cannot truly understand America without understanding South Carolina. His perspective as a descendant of twelve generations of white Southern landowners provides a grassroots understanding of the unique traditions that define Southern culture. He aims to share the real lived experience of the South, reflecting the complexity and richness of Southern history and its impact on the broader American story.
Driven by a mission to revitalize America’s founding ideals, Mike hosts the podcast Reviving Our Republic with Mike Bedenbaugh, where he explores the intersection of history, politics, and community development. His unique approach combines grassroots activism with a deep understanding of constitutional intent, offering fresh insights into modern political challenges within the United States.
Today’s guest is Carlein Boers, a political scientist focusing on the national political process in Israel as well as proposals toward a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. She also served seventeen years as a civilian officer in the field of military international cooperation and special air operations. In this episode, Alon and Carlein discuss the seemingly thorniest issue discussed in negotiations over a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine – the status of Jerusalem. They discuss previous negotiations involving Jerusalem, as well as propose novel ideas for its status and relation to future Israeli and Palestinian states.
Published October 21, 2025
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Ms. Carlein Boers is a political scientist and an alumnus from the Diplomatic Studies Program at Clingendael Institute. In 2018, she participated in the U.S. State Department ‘International Visitor Leadership Program’, focusing on rebuilding Iraq and Syria post-Da’esh/ISIS. Her academic specializations are in the fields of the national political processes in both Jordan and Israel as well as the various proposals towards a Two-State Solution for Israel and Palestine. Carlein served seventeen years as a civilian officer in the field of military international cooperation and special (air) operations. She speaks several languages to various degrees, including Levantine Arabic and Hebrew.
Today’s guest is Mark D. Friedman, an independent scholar working in the field of political theory and ethics. His latest book, Come Now, Let us Reason Together: Uncovering the Torah’s Liberal Values, discusses what he describes as the fundamental misconception about Judaism, that because the ultra-Orthodox follow ancient traditions and strictly adhere to halakhah, that the rigid practices that characterize their communities represent authentic Judaism. In this episode, we dive into this discussion on understanding Judaism, and discuss how this relates to current events and policies in Israel, and perceptions of Judaism in the here and now.
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After retiring from the successful practice of corporate law, Mark D. Friedman returned to his first love, the study of philosophy. He is currently an independent scholar working in the field of political theory and ethics. He has written three books: Nozick’s Libertarian Project: An Elaboration and Defense (2011), Libertarian Philosophy in the Real World: The Politics of Natural Rights (2014), and his most recent book, Come Now, Let us Reason Together: Uncovering the Torah’s Liberal Values (2024).
Friedman received a J.D. from Georgetown Law School, USA, with honors, and holds an MBA from Columbia University, USA. He lives in a small town outside of Seattle, with his family of four, and is very active in his local synagogue. His interests include attending his children’s activities and family travel.
Welcome to another episode of “On the Issues with Alon Ben-Meir.” Today’s guest is Hillel Schenker, co-editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, a Jerusalem-based independent, joint Israeli-Palestinian English-language quarterly. In this episode, Alon and Hillel discuss the current growing protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and release of the hostages, Netanyahu’s current strategy in Gaza, and the role of the international community in reaching an end to the war.
Released September 3, 2025
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Hillel Schenker is co-editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, a Jerusalem-based independent English-language quarterly, initiated and maintained by a group of prominent Israeli and Palestinian academics and journalists. It aims to shed light on, and analyze freely and critically, the complex issues dividing Israelis and Palestinians. Schenker served for 13 years as editor of New Outlook, the Israeli peace monthly founded in the spirit of Martin Buber’s philosophy of dialogue, that served as a vehicle for understanding Israeli-Arab affairs and as a catalyst for dialogue and initiatives for peace. He has written for The Nation, Los Angeles Times, L.A. Weekly, Tikkun, Israel Horizons, In These Times, the Israeli-Hebrew-language press and many other print and electronic outlets. He was an activist and co-founder of the Peace Now movement and has served for many years as spokesperson for the Israeli branch of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. He is an International Advisory Board member of the Global Majority center for non-violent conflict resolution based at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
We are happy to welcome back to the podcast Moshe Ma’oz, Professor Emeritus of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a previous Director of the university’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace. In this episode, Alon and Moshe discuss Netanyahu’s latest decision to escalate Israel’s offensive and fully conquer all of Gaza, the current mood in Israel over the war and toward the Palestinians in general, and what role the international community, especially the United States, can play in resolving the conflict and working toward a two-state solution.
Bio
Moshe Ma’oz is Professor Emeritus of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a previous Director of the university’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace. Professor Ma’oz is renowned for his expertise in Arab and Middle East affairs, and has published extensively on Islam and on the history and politics of the Middle East. He is a leading expert on Syria. Professor Ma’oz has been a visiting professor, scholar, and fellow at many leading universities and institutions around the world. He has served as an advisor on Arab Affairs for Israel’s Knesset, and was a member of official advisory committees that counseled the late Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.
Published August 19, 2025
Today’s guest is Larry Luxner, a veteran journalist and photographer who has reported from more than 100 countries across the world. In this episode, we discuss the tragedy of October 7, 2023 and Israel’s conduct for years leading up to that date, Israelis’ shift in attitude since the attack and their current views on the events in Gaza, and whether or not the prospect still exists for a two-state solution.
Release date:
4 August 2025
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Miami native Larry Luxner, a veteran journalist and photographer, has reported from more than 100 countries in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia for a variety of news outlets. He lived for many years in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Washington, D.C., area before relocating to Israel in January 2017.
Today’s guest is Milica Javdan, a political scientist and activist in the Iranian opposition’s women’s movement. In this episode, Alon and Milica discuss what work the Iranian opposition is undertaking, both inside and outside Iran, the impact of Israeli and US attacks on Iran and how that impacts the relationship of the Iranian people with the regime, and the prospect of regime change in Iran.
Released July 8, 2025
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Milica Javdan is a political scientist focusing on political theory regarding Shia Islam’s understanding of just governance. She has been active in the Iranian opposition’s women’s movement for over 22 years, and serves as the Chairwoman of the Norwegian Iranian Women’s Network, Norway’s branch of Women’s Human Rights International Association (WHRIA), a global umbrella organization. In this capacity, she has participated in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva for more than 12 years, promoting the rights of women and ethnic and religious minorities in Iran.
She frequently appears in Norwegian media and political podcasts as an analyst commenting on issues concerning human rights in Iran.
Today’s guest is Anne Speckhard, Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. She previously served for over two decades as Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine, as well as an Affiliate in the Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University. She has interviewed over 800 terrorists, their family members and supporters in various parts of the world including in Western Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, the Former Soviet Union and the Middle East, and has also been training key stakeholders in law enforcement, intelligence, educators, and other countering violent extremism professionals on the use of counter-narrative messaging materials both locally and internationally.
In this episode, Alon and Anne discuss the rise in violent extremism and the causes behind it, the prospects of political violence in the US, the role of social media in promoting violent extremism and terrorism, and how violent extremist movements in the Middle East may evolve in relation to current events.
Full bio
Anne Speckhard, Ph.D., is Director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) and served for over two decades as Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine and also served as an Affiliate in the Center for Security Studies, Georgetown University.
She has interviewed over 800 terrorists, violent extremists, their family members and supporters around the world, including in Western Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, the Former Soviet Union and the Middle East. Over the past five years, she has conducted in-depth psychological interviews with 275 ISIS defectors, returnees and prisoners, as well as 16 al Shabaab cadres (as well as their family members and leaders,) studying their trajectories into and out of terrorism, and their experiences inside ISIS and al Shabaab.
Speckhard developed the ICSVE Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative Project from these interviews, which includes over 250 short counter narrative videos that mimic ISIS recruitment videos but contain actual terrorists strongly denouncing ISIS as un-Islamic, corrupt and brutal. These videos have been utilized in over 200 Facebook and Instagram campaigns globally. Beginning in 2020, she launched the ICSVE Escape Hate Counter Narrative Project, interviewing 54 white supremacists and members of hate groups, developing counternarratives from their interviews, and creating anti-recruitment videos. She has also conducted rare interviews with five Antifa activists (Antifa protestors rarely grant interviews.)
Dr. Speckhard is also an expert in rehabilitation and repatriation of terrorists and their families. In 2007, she designed the psychological and Islamic aspects of the Detainee Rehabilitation Program in Iraq to be applied to 20,000+ detainees and 800 juveniles. This work led to consulting with foreign governments on issues of terrorist prevention, interventions and repatriation; and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ISIS foreign fighters, wives and children. She has worked individually with former terrorists from Belgium, Australia, Sweden and elsewhere. She has also worked on these issues with NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), UN Women, United Nations Countering Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED), United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC), the EU Commission and EU Parliament, and to the U.S. Senate & House, Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Health & Human Services, and the FBI.
Dr. Speckhard actively trains key stakeholders in law enforcement, intelligence, elite hostage negotiation teams, educators, and other professionals in countering violent extremism, locally and internationally. Her focus is on the psychology of terrorism, the effective use of counter-narrative messaging materials produced by ICSVE, as well as studying the use of children as violent actors by groups such as ISIS. Her consultations and trainings include U.S., Australian, Canadian, German, British, Dutch, Austrian, Swiss, Belgian, Danish, Iraqi, Syrian, Jordanian and Thai national police and security officials, among others.
Dr. Speckhard is the author of five books: Homegrown Hate, Talking to Terrorists, Bride of ISIS, Undercover Jihadi, and ISIS Defectors: Inside Stories of the Terrorist Caliphate. She has appeared on CNN, BBC, NPR, Fox News, MSNBC, CTV, CBC, and in the New York Times, Washington Post, London Times, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, Daily Beast and more. She regularly writes a column for Homeland Security Today. Her research has been published in Global Security: Health, Science and Policy, Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, Journal of African Security, Journal of Strategic Security, the Journal of Human Security, Bidhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies, Journal for Deradicalization, Perspectives on Terrorism and the International Studies Journal. Her academic publications are found at https://georgetown.academia.edu/AnneSpeckhard and www.icsve.org.
ICSVE’s Breaking the ISIS Brand and Escape Hate Counternarrative videos and training seminars can be watched on ICSVE’s YouTube channel.
ICSVE’s research has been funded by the EU Commission; U.S. Departments of: State, Homeland Security, Defense and Justice; UN Women; and the Embassy of Qatar.
Follow @AnneSpeckhard
Today’s guest is Edita Tahiri, former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Chief Negotiator of Kosovo. She is a key founder and leader of the movement for Kosovo’s independence, and as Chief Negotiator of Kosovo, she is the signatory of the first-ever agreement reached between Kosovo and Serbia, after 20 years of peace talks.
In this episode, Alon and Edita discuss the recent election in Kosovo, what the possibilities are for forming a new government, the current status of talks between Kosovo and Serbia, and what effect the new US administration may have on the peace process.
Full Bio
Edita Tahiri is former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Dialogue, Minister of Public Administration, Peace Negotiator and Member of Parliament for five terms. She is a key founder and leader of the movement for independence of Kosovo and was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo for ten years in hard times of liberation of her country (1990-2000). She is the President of reformist party Democratic Alternative of Kosovo (ADK).
She is a leader of independence of Kosova and has a long standing career as a leader, politician, diplomat and peace negotiator. She was one of the founders and key leaders of the movement for Kosovo’s independence, the Democratic League of Kosovo, in the years 1991-1999. She is known as one of key protagonists of political changes in Kosovo and the Balkans since the end of the Cold War.
She is a distinguished peace negotiator and chief negotiator in times of war and peace for Kosovo and the Balkan region with about 30 years’ experience. She is recognized as the only woman peace negotiator in the Balkans participating in the international peace processes such as the Rambouillet International Peace Conference on Kosovo (1999), Pre-Rambouillet Peace Negotiation (1998), London Conference on Disintegration of Former Yugoslavia (1992) and Chief Negotiator of Kosovo at the EU facilitated Dialogue on normalization of neighborly relations between Kosovo and Serbia (2011-2017). As the Chief Negotiator of Kosovo in the EU mediated peace talks with Serbia, she is the signatory of the first ever-reached agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, after 20 years of peace talks.
Dedicated to empowerment of women and WPS agenda, she serves as the Chair of the Regional Women’s Lobby in South East Europe for over 12 years. She was participant at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. She is a member of the Women Waging Peace Network and the Mediterranean Network of Women Mediators
She graduated from Harvard University and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2002. She also graduated from the Edward S. Mason Program for Public Policy and Management, 2002. She holds a doctoral degree in political sciences from Prishtina University in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University –SAIS, in 2011. She was a Fulbright Scholar in 2006/2007 at the Johns Hopkins University – SAIS at the Program for Conflict Resolution. For her academic achievements, she was awarded the title “Outstanding student of 2002” by the John Kennedy School of Government Public Service Fellowship and an “Edward S. Mason Appreciation for an Extraordinary Contribution.”
She has a long-standing experience in foreign policy and security, international relations, conflict resolution, international peace negotiations, post-conflict transitions, peacebuilding, women’s empowerment and WPS agenda. Her geographical expertise covers: Kosovo, Balkans, Europe, Myanmar, Philippines, Nepal, Middle East and North Africa. She has numerous publications as author and coauthor and has been participant and lecturer in numerous international conferences and universities, and appeared with interviews in world news including CNN, BBC, DW, etc. She is fluent in Albanian (mother tongue), English, Croatian, Serbian and Turkish.
We have an unusual situation for today’s episode, where our guest is appearing via a pseudonym, “Joseph.” Joseph is a Turkish university professor, now living in exile in the United States after serving six years in prison on charges of being a member of the Hizmet movement. Although he and his immediate family are now in the US, Joseph is using a pseudonym due to Erdogan’s tyranny and overreach, to protect friends and family still living in Turkey, as many others in his situation have done. We hope you will enjoy this unique episode, and find Joseph’s story illuminating.
Full Bio
“Joseph” (a pseudonym) is a former Turkish university professor. He obtained his PhD in the United States, after which he began teaching in Turkey in his field of study, where he also developed two research and development startups. Joseph was arrested in August 2016 on allegations of being affiliated with, or a member of, the Hizmet movement. He served six years in prison, after which he came to the United States, where he still resides.