In the wake of the Islamist terror attack on U.S. soil by al Qaeda on September 11, 2001, the U.S. government vowed that it would never happen again and implemented many intelligence and security changes including the formation of the Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, in the past 23 years, America faces far greater challenges to the continued well-being and safety of its citizens than ever before. Islamist groups not only have been spreading across the globe including the resurgence of al Qaeda, various forms of ISIS, and the Taliban which now once again controls Afghanistan since our disastrous withdrawal, but Iran (and its numerous proxies which are not limited to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis) is on the cusp of becoming a nuclear-armed state sponsor of terrorism that threatens both our allies in the Middle East and our homeland with Israel on the front line. Our now open border which DHS has failed to control over the past 3 1/2 years has allowed untold numbers of terrorists and gang members into the country while we learn way too often of Chinese spies infiltrating US institutions and even our governments. The axis of Russia/China/Iran/North Korea seems to grow stronger every day while Latin and South American countries are falling to Communist and tyrannical dictators who are no friends of the United States. Even in Asia and Africa, the U.S. is losing influence and control to countries that were once allies but are now becoming foes. Join us for an in depth look at the world since 9/11 and the dangers we now face as we discuss all of this with national security expert Gabriel Noronha.
Gabriel Noronha is a Fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) and the Executive Director of POLARIS National Security. He is a leading advisor to Congress on Iran policy, and his research on Iran, Russia, and China has been cited by the Senate and House of Representatives in dozens of letters, statements, testimonies, and pieces of bipartisan legislation. Gabriel previously testified to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on ensuring the efficacy of sanctions policy while promoting humanitarian outcomes, and to the House Financial Services Committee on strengthening financial pressure on the Iranian regime and its terror proxies. He exposed a major $10 billion nuclear deal between Russia and Iran and worked with Congress to impose sanctions on the program. From 2019 to 2021, Gabriel served as Special Advisor for the Iran Action Group at the U.S. Department of State, where he directed the Department’s communications, human rights policy, and congressional affairs for Iran, and helped coordinate the Maximum Pressure sanctions policy that deprived the Iranian regime of as much as $200 billion. From 2017-2019, he worked as the Special Assistant for the Senate Armed Services Committee under Chairmen John McCain and Jim Inhofe, helping write, negotiate, and pass the annual national security legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Gabriel also served as Executive Director of the Forum for American Leadership from 2021- 2022 and worked for U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte from 2015-2016. Gabriel speaks and conducts research in Russian, Mandarin, and Spanish.
