At the Water's Edge

At the Water's Edge

Exploring American Security Policy

The At the Water’s Edge Podcast explores national security and geopolitics from an insider’s perspective, looking at how national power, industrial policy, diplomacy, and military might shape our world and America’s place in it.

Joe Kent: 'Israel Drove This Decision, Not Us'
At the Water's EdgeJuly 09, 202601:08:56

Joe Kent: 'Israel Drove This Decision, Not Us'

Joe Kent spent 21 years in Army Special Forces and the CIA before becoming President Trump's Director of the National Counterterrorism Center — then walked away from it, resigning in protest over the war with Iran. This week I sit down with him to talk about what he saw from inside the administratio...

Iran's Funeral Just Changed the War | Robert Pape's Warning to Washington
At the Water's EdgeJuly 06, 202600:35:42

Iran's Funeral Just Changed the War | Robert Pape's Warning to Washington

Just days after President Trump's Fourth of July weekend, Iran held a massive funeral for its slain leadership — and millions turned out. In this week's installment of our ongoing series on the war with Iran, Robert Pape, Professor at the University of Chicago and one of the leading scholars on coer...

Iran Is Not Deterred | Robert Pape on the Escalation Trap
At the Water's EdgeJune 29, 202600:30:06

Iran Is Not Deterred | Robert Pape on the Escalation Trap

This is the latest episode in The Escalation Trap, an ongoing series with Robert Pape of the University of Chicago tracking the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran in real time. After new strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. bombing inside Iran, Iranian missile attacks on U.S. bases i...

The Future of PTSD Treatment Is Already Here. Why Can’t Veterans Access It?
At the Water's EdgeJune 25, 202601:29:21

The Future of PTSD Treatment Is Already Here. Why Can’t Veterans Access It?

In the final episode of our PTSD series, Scott speaks with Dr. Jessica Maples Keller of Emory University about the future of psychedelic-assisted therapy for PTSD.Emory has been studying MDMA and psilocybin in a clinical setting, with a focus on how these treatments might enhance evidence-based care...

The Deal Is Signed. The War Isn’t Over. | Robert Pape on Iran
At the Water's EdgeJune 22, 202600:31:57

The Deal Is Signed. The War Isn’t Over. | Robert Pape on Iran

This is the latest episode in The Escalation Trap, an ongoing series with Robert Pape of the University of Chicago tracking the war with Iran in real time. The U.S. and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding. But according to Pape, that does not mean the war is over. Instead, the battlefield...

Why Veterans Are Going Overseas for Psychedelics | PTSD Part 2
At the Water's EdgeJune 17, 202600:51:33

Why Veterans Are Going Overseas for Psychedelics | PTSD Part 2

Why Veterans Are Going Overseas for Psychedelics In part two of our PTSD series, Scott speaks with Jesse Gould, founder of the Heroic Hearts Project and a former Army Ranger from the 75th Ranger Regiment, about why some veterans are seeking psychedelic-assisted treatment outside the traditional U.S....

A Deal Doesn’t End This War | Robert Pape on Iran
At the Water's EdgeJune 15, 202600:34:04

A Deal Doesn’t End This War | Robert Pape on Iran

This is the latest episode in The Escalation Trap, an ongoing series with Robert Pape of the University of Chicago tracking the war with Iran in real time. Reports suggest the U.S. and Iran may be moving toward a deal. But Pape argues that a signing ceremony, memorandum, or public claim of victory d...

Surviving War Was Only the Beginning | PTSD Part 1
At the Water's EdgeJune 11, 202601:07:25

Surviving War Was Only the Beginning | PTSD Part 1

Surviving war is only the beginning for many veterans. In Part 1 of this series on post-traumatic stress disorder, At the Water’s Edge examines what PTSD is, why it is so often misunderstood, why many veterans wait years before receiving care, and what effective treatment can look like. This episode...

Iran Is No Longer Just Surviving | Robert Pape on the Escalation Trap
At the Water's EdgeJune 08, 202600:33:26

Iran Is No Longer Just Surviving | Robert Pape on the Escalation Trap

This is the latest episode in The Escalation Trap, an ongoing series with Robert Pape of the University of Chicago tracking the war with Iran in real time. After 100 days of war, Pape argues that the conflict is no longer in its opening phase — but it is nowhere near over. Instead, the war has enter...

Trump Thought Iran Would Collapse. He Was Wrong. | Trita Parsi
At the Water's EdgeJune 05, 202600:46:13

Trump Thought Iran Would Collapse. He Was Wrong. | Trita Parsi

President Trump thought Iran would collapse quickly. According to Dr. Trita Parsi, that assumption may be one of the central miscalculations that pulled the United States deeper into war. In this episode of At the Water’s Edge, Scott Kelly speaks with Dr. Trita Parsi, co-founder and Executive Vice P...