How Bad Intelligence Helped Sell the Iraq War | Luis Rueda (throwback episode)

How Bad Intelligence Helped Sell the Iraq War | Luis Rueda (throwback episode)

Author: dee takos August 13, 2026 Duration: 1:56:25
original air date - 01/19/24
Former CIA officer Luis Rueda reflects on a career that took him from fleeing Castro’s Cuba to covert operations in Central America, Grenada, the drug war, Iraq, and eventually serving as Chief of Station in New Delhi. He also breaks down the failures behind the Iraq War, the reality of intelligence work, and what decades in the CIA taught him about power, policy, and counterintelligence.

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00:00 - Start
01:07 - Growing Up in Cuba and Fleeing After the Bay of Pigs
03:50 - Being Recruited by the CIA
07:07 - Training at the CIA’s Farm
13:28 - The CIA and the Invasion of Grenada
24:39 - CIA Operations in Central America
39:44 - The CIA’s War on Drug Cartels
50:17 - Cuban Intelligence Tries to Recruit Him
55:14 - Eastern European Intelligence Operations After the Cold War
1:01:23 - Running CIA Operations Against Iraq
1:09:00 - Rumsfeld, General Franks and the Iraq War Plan
1:18:09 - The Intelligence Behind Iraq’s WMD Claims
1:28:51 - Chief of Station in New Delhi
1:37:07 - India, China and the Fight for the Indian Ocean
1:52:12 - Counterintelligence and Becoming Permanently Paranoid

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Hosted by Jack Murphy, The Team House is a long-form conversation built around a simple, powerful premise: to understand national security, you need to listen to the people who have been there. This podcast deliberately steps away from the partisan noise, offering a fiercely apolitical space where special operations veterans, intelligence professionals, and frontline reporters can share their experiences and analysis. Many guests here are speaking publicly for the very first time, providing raw, firsthand accounts that you won't find elsewhere. Each episode is a deep dive into the realities of conflict, the nuanced tradecraft of intelligence work, and the underlying geopolitical forces that shape global events. The conversations are detailed, often technical, and always grounded in the lived expertise of the guests. Alongside this main show, the The Team House network includes the sister program Eyes On Geopolitics, hosted by Mick Mulroy, Andy Milburn, and Jason Lyons, which continues the focus on global dynamics with a similarly experienced lens. For listeners seeking substance over soundbites, this podcast delivers complex narratives about modern warfare, espionage, and international relations, told directly by the individuals who have operated within these shadowed worlds. It’s a rare opportunity to hear unfiltered perspectives on the most critical security challenges of our time, making each episode an immersive lesson in the human and strategic dimensions of power.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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