February 15, 2022
The Lawfare Podcast: The Biden Administration and Afghanistan’s Frozen Assets
The Biden administration on Friday notified a court of a novel proposal to dispose of $7 billion in frozen Afghanistan assets, producing some pretty confusing media and a lot of anger. To try to unpack it, Benjamin Wittes sat down with Alex Zerden, the founder and principal of Capitol Peak Strategies and the former lead of the Treasury Department's office at the U.S.-Kabul embassy, and Lawfare senior editor Scott R. Anderson. They talked about what the Biden administration did and its executive order on Friday, how the media subtly got it wrong, what the implications are for pending litigation and for providing relief to the Afghan people, and whether the administration has successfully threaded a needle.
Listen to the full podcast from Lawfare.
More from CNAS
-
Trump’s Replacement Tariffs Will Have Unintended Consequences for USMCA
Ultimately, this is a choice between two models of economic leadership. One relies on rules, predictability, and partnership. The other leans on discretion, leverage, and shor...
By Emily Kilcrease
-
US Inflation Picks Up to 3 Year High, Eroding Paychecks
Chris Kennedy, Bloomberg Economics lead for economic statecraft and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, breaks down the state of negotiations betw...
By Chris Kennedy
-
Ziemba: US Strategic Reserves Lowest in Over 40 Years
Oil prices rose after fresh US and Iranian strikes in the Gulf. President Donald Trump blamed Tehran for shooting down an American military helicopter off the coast of Oman. R...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Europe’s Looming Trade War with China, with Tobias Gehrke
Emily and Geoff sit down with Tobias Gehrke to talk about why Europe is facing a looming trade war with China and how prepared (or not) it is to handle trade wars on multiple ...
By Emily Kilcrease & Geoffrey Gertz