🇪🇸 Español

En este episodio de Beyond Borders, conversamos con Carlos Oscar Cerbasi, autor de Sombras de la Frontera Invisible, sobre la expansión de Al Qaeda y el extremismo yihadista en África. Exploramos el legado del colonialismo, los conflictos regionales y los desafíos de seguridad en el Sahel, así como sus implicaciones para el resto del mundo.

🇺🇸 English

In this episode of Beyond Borders, we sit down with Carlos Oscar Cerbasi, author of Shadows of the Invisible Border, to explore the expansion of Al Qaeda and jihadist extremism across Africa. We discuss the legacy of colonialism, regional conflicts, and the growing security challenges in the Sahel—and why what happens in Africa matters far beyond its borders.

🎙️ Episode in Spanish | Episodio en español

In this episode Nancy Aguilar speaks with Amir Taheri, author of the allegorical novel Alice in Mullahland, about using satire and dark humor to reveal life under Iran’s Islamic Republic. Amir draws on his own experiences to explore themes of fear, survival, censorship, and the psychology of authoritarian rule.

The conversation examines the book’s animal allegory (rabbits, lions, wolves, foxes), the moral hypocrisy around sexuality and hijab, the regime’s control of knowledge and protests, and the human cost of disappearances and violence.

Despite the brutality described, Amir argues cracks are appearing within the regime and offers a cautious note of hope while stressing the importance of history, solidarity, and imagining a different future.

What does it take to step inside a violent extremist movement — and live to tell the story?

Scott Payne, a former FBI undercover agent who infiltrated white supremacist networks from the inside talks about his book Code Name: Pale Horse. Not from a distance. Not from theory. But by living among them, earning trust, and exposing how radicalization really works.

We talk about what extremism looks like from the inside.

This is a raw, eye-opening conversation about ideology, danger, and the cost of going undercover to protect others.

Let’s get into it.