Veteran CIA Operatives Jonna Mendez and Marc Polymeropoulos Weigh in on the Recent Turmoil in Russia
During our most recent "Dent @ Home" Zoom talk, our Passport members were privy to a conversation between Dent's very own resident (retired) CIA operative, Jonna Mendez, and her friend, veteran CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos. Jonna and Marc helped guide us through these murky waters related to the recent unsettling events in Russia. Jonna and Marc provided us with their invaluable perspective and discussed how we might be able to decode what is happening behind the scenes in Putin's world.
As a part of the conversation, many valuable resources were mentioned, and we have complied them to share with those present, and we are also happy to distribute these to the dental community at-large.
Frequently mentioned was Valerie Plame's excellent Spies, Lies, and Nukes Conference (Nov. 10–12). Jonna, Marc, and Mary Beth Long will all be speaking there. Mary Beth will also take the stage at our Dent Conference in Santa Fe (Sept 10–13). Dent Passport members are eligible for discounted passes to both conferences.
Marc Polymeropoulos Links:
His website is here. His book “Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA” can be found here. Clarity in Crisis has been written so readers can meet their “next crisis head on and get through it stronger than ever by using the hard-earned strategies and core principles from Marc Polymeropoulos, a highly decorated, 26-year operations officer with the CIA.” Marc and his co-host David Rothkopf can also be found on their Spy Show podcast.
Jonna Mendez Links:
Jonna’s website is here. Her most recent book is “The Moscow Rules,” which Joe Weisberg, creator and executive producer of The Americans, called a “riveting insider account is unlike any spy story that's ever been published.”
Recommended Links and Sources Mentioned by Jonna and Marc:
Julian E. Barnes is a national security reporter for The New York Times, covering the intelligence agencies. His Twitter account is here.
James Rushton is a freelance security and foreign policy analyst. Currently based in Kyiv. Twitter here, Substack here.
Shane Harris writes about intelligence and national security for the Washington Post. Twitter here.
Michael Weiss Is a contributing editor at New Lines magazine and a senior correspondent for Yahoo News. Twitter here. His “Foreign Office” Podcast is here.
Rob Lee is a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Eurasia Program. Twitter here.
The Institute for the Study of War is a policy research organization focused on U.S. national security. Twitter here.
Alex Finley is a former officer of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, where she served in West Africa and Europe. She writes and teaches about terrorism, disinformation, covert influence, and oligarch yachts. Substack here. Twitter here.