In The East Wing

In The East Wing

Stories of espionage, war, and politics, with a primary focus on the Middle East. This podcast will bring together individuals who were involved in the region in different capacities and lived long enough to tell their stories. This will be raw, balanced, and undeniably suspenseful. Join Abdullah Najjar, as he takes you through a journey to a different world. A podcast by WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2.

Episodes

May 20, 2025 21 mins

In this episode, Abdullah expresses his gratitude to WKNC and the fans for their support of the podcast. He also goes over a couple of things about his background, how the podcast started, and some of his favorite conversations. 

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Abdullah is Joined by Gentry Smith, A former police officer, special agent for diplomatic security, and director of the office of foreign missions. Smith shares with us many stories about his postings abroad as well as some of the lessons that he learned from diplomacy and travel.

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Joseph Kyrlow is a philosophy professor at NC State University. Before his academic career, Joe was in the US military, where he enlisted in the Marines straight after high school. In this episode, Joe shares with us a few stories about his military career, his transition to philosophy, as well as his faith journey. This is a raw and unfiltered conversation with my good friend Joe.

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This is A short interview with Special operator Bob Burton, who was a green beret in the US military. Bob shares with us a few lessons about what it takes to make it to this special operations unit and why he ended up choosing to join the army and serve his country.

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This is A conversation with Patrick Weninger, an NC State University alum and a former Case Officer for the CIA. Patrick shares stories from his experience as a case officer, how he became involved with the CIA, and what it is like to engage with people as an undercover officer.

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 Lindsay Moran joins Abdullah Najjar to discuss her work in the Clandestine Service at the CIA. Her work involved the recruitment of Human intelligence, otherwise known as spies. After Leaving the agency in 2003, Lindsay started writing and published her memoir, Blowing My Cover (attached below), which details her time in the agency. She currently works as a freelance writer, whose articles have appeared at the New York Ti...

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Toby Harnden is an Author and War Correspondent. He spent almost 25 years working for British newspapers, mainly as a foreign correspondent. He has reported from different places around the world, including London, Belfast, Washington, Jerusalem, and Baghdad. In 2012, he was awarded the Orwell Prize for books. He has written three non-fiction books, which are linked below. Our conversation primarily focused on foreign corr...

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 In Part 2, Jason Riddle Walks us through some of the changes in US administrations that impacted his military career at the air force. Jason shares with many stories - some are serious, and some are quite hilarious.

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Jim Lawler, a former CIA officer, walks us through his days in the agency and his recruitment of foreign spies. Mr. Lawler shares with us many insights about human nature and what it takes for someone to betray a trust and commit treason. In addition, Mr. Lawler and I discuss the pagers' attack conducted by Israel against Hezbollah, and devote the last bit of our conversation to his espionage novels. Links to these novels ...

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Hollie Mckay, a war journalist, joins Abdullah Najjar for a conversation on passion, the realities of war, giving a voice to the voiceless, and much more. Hollie shares a few of the lessons learned from her experiences in different countries and the balance she has to draw between family and the work she's engaged in.

Be sure to Get Hollie's recent publication, a novel called "The Dictator's Wife". Be sure to also check out...

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Professor Richard Mahoney, who was a former secretary of the state of Arizona, joins Abdullah Najjar to talk a little bit about his background in addition to recent political developments, both domestically and internationally. In addition to his many hats, professor Mahoney is an author, a traveler, and a former speech writer for Obama.

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November 20, 2024 146 mins

This Episode explores the story of Jason Riddle, who was in the air force for 20 years and experienced deployments pre and post 9/11. Jason delves into a lot of the specifics of his deployments to Afghanistan, Kuwait, and other places. He was also involved with NATO its campaign in Libya in 2011. The is the longest episode recorded In the East Wing so far.

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Sarah Adams, a former CIA targeter, joins Abdullah in the East Wing, where they talk about Hamas, Al-Quaeda, Benghazi, and other subjects. She is the co-author of the book Benghazi: Know thy enemy, and she also served as served as the Senior Advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi.

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October 16, 2024 87 mins

Angelika Regossi guides us through her career in War journalism that started after her escape from the USSR. She has covered the fall of Yugoslavia, the war in Iraq, the Russia-Georgia war, and other dangerous conflicts. Her life has been filled with so many unconventional experiences, and it is an honor to have her on The East Wing.

Angelika Regossi's books


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October 10, 2024 70 mins

Mick Mulroy joins Abdullah Najjar to talk about the intense situation that the Middle East is currently experiencing, especially with recent developments in Lebanon. In addition to talking about the Middle East, Abdullah and Mick explore a fair bit of Stoicism in their conversation. Mick, a stoic, is a former Paramilitary operations officer, a US Marine, and a former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for the Middle Eas...

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September 18, 2024 81 mins

Abdullah Talks to Ric Prado, a shadow warrior who spent 24 years with the CIA. His journey has taken him from the jungles of Nicaragua to the tough terrain of Afghanistan and other countries. From being a Cuban orphan in the US to becoming one of the most well-known CIA officers, Ric takes us through his life journey and its different intricacies in this 1-hour and 20-minute long conversation.

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 A conversation with Harrison Mann, a Jewish army major who decided to resign from the Defense Intelligence Agency over the Biden administration's handling of Gaza. Mann takes us through his background in joining the military, his career in intelligence, his trips to the region, and his resignation. 

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August 31, 2024 56 mins

 This is a conversation with Riley Livermore, a military veteran who resigned from the Air Force as a result of the Biden administration's policy regarding the situation in Gaza. Riley spent 16 years in the Air Force, during which he got to spend 2 years in Israel from 2016 to 2018. In this episode, we talk about his background, his years in the military, his experience in the Middle East, and the decision he made to final...

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 In this conversation with Kathy Gannon, a veteran journalist, we take a deep dive into her experience with Afghanistan. We talk about the Mujahedeen Vs. the soviets, the US invasion, the pullout, and her role as a war journalist who has dedicated her life to reporting from some of the most dangerous areas in the world. This is unfiltered, raw, and very real. certain subjects might be sensitive to some people, so please be...

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August 23, 2024 28 secs

 "In the East Wing" will provide a raw depiction of the Middle East through the eyes of the those who experienced the region in different capacities. Abdullah Najjar, a Libyan young man with a deep interest in the region, will be hosting this brand new podcast in collaboration with WKNC 88.1. 

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