The second episode of the CIB Intelligence Report, the television show that covers the latest developments in the Chanticleer Intelligence Brief, is now online. The 27-minute episode can be accessed on the CIB TV YouTube channel, here. The show was filmed at the new studio facilities of the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, located on Coastal Carolina University’s Conway campus in South Carolina. It is hosted by the CIB’s Community Relations Coordinator, Chryssy Katsikoudi, who is a CCU alumna with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from King’s College in London.

This first episode of the CIB Intelligence Report provided some essential background on how the CIB project began, the vision behind it, as well as the group’s current projects and activities. We spoke with the founder and first Executive Director of the CIB, Ben Malone, and the group’s Faculty Mentor, Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis. Our second episode features interviews with CIB Executive Director Blake Gutberlet and CIB Quality Assurance Officer Ryan Haag. Gutberlet is is a junior from Hickory, NC, majoring in Intelligence and National Security Studies and minoring in Psychology. Haag, from Frederick, MD, majored in Intelligence and National Security Studies with a minor in Geographic Information Systems.

The focus of the program is on the analytical specializations of the two CIB officers. Gutberlet focuses on the ongoing war between the Nigerian state and Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group that has been involved in a 10-year-old insurgency in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. Haag specializes on North Korea, arguably one of the world’s most isolated countries, and has a strong interest in domestic North Korean politics, as well as on Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Speaking about the war against Boko Haram, Gutberlet explained that the situation is far more complex than most outsiders believe. Additionally, he said, the Nigerian media is heavily controlled by government interests, which means that information coming out of Nigeria is not always accurate or reliable. This is even more so the case in North Korea, where the regime of Kim Jong-un continues to view nuclear weapons as a matter of state survival, according to Ryan Haag. The CIB’s North Korea expert concluded his remarks by stating that Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un continues to retain a firm power base in the country.

Our third episode will be out in March. It will feature a number of CIB analysts, who will share their views about their area of specialization and research. In the meantime, enjoy episode 2!