Langley Intelligence Group Videos

Jim Nicholson, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, told LIGNET the next Pope will play an important role in global affairs. One area where the role of the Pope is critical, according to Nicholson, is in fighting radical Islam. He noted that the Pope is a “spiritual superpower” and has “a very big moral megaphone.” Nicholson said he believes there are three leading contenders for Pope, one each from Europe, South America and North America.

Congressman Mike Rogers (R-MI), the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, discusses the possible effects of sequestration budget cuts on US intelligence and cyber security programs in this Bloomberg interview. Rogers also discusses new legislation to fight foreign cyber attacks on the United States.

In this France-24 interview, Matthew Levitt, former counterterrorism official at the FBI and the U.S. Treasury Department, discusses Hezbollah, which he describes as “Iran’s primary proxy terrorist group,” and how its strategy has changed over the last five years. Levitt believes Hezbollah is being used by Iran as part of its shadow war with the West to target Israeli tourists worldwide. Levitt says this resulted in the killing of five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last summer.

Ambassador Terry Miller, Director of the Center for International Trade and Economics at the Heritage Foundation, said his organization’s new “2013 Index of Economic Freedom” points to trouble on the horizon for global economic freedom in 2013. Miller is especially critical of the United States, which he says is no longer promoting economic freedom around the world.

Geoff Hiscock, author of “Earth Wars: The Battle for Global Resources,” told LIGNET there is increasing global competition for water and food, thanks to the rise of the middle class in developing countries like China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia and other nations. Hiscock said he doubted that China and India will be able to solve their water disputes with a treaty. In terms of ‘rare earths,’ Hiscock believes China’s power over the sector will soon diminish.