Nicholas Kristof is on the line! The New York Times columnist discusses growing up in rural Oregon with a father who escaped near certain death in a World War Two prison camp. Kristof tells Mark how he got his start in journalism and discusses some of the big assignments of his career, like the Tiananmen Square massacre and the genocide in Darfur. You’ll hear some fascinating stories from someone who you’ve no doubt read for years. They kick off with a discussion of A Path Appears, the new book by Kristof and his co-author and wife Sheryl WuDunn.
Archives for October 2014
What the Ebola Panic Reveals About Americans’ Understanding of Africa
The ebola outbreak and its importation to the United States has unleashed a wave of panic in the United States that reveals the paucity of Americans’ knowledge and understanding of Africa. I speak with Laura Seay of Colby College and the Washington Post who is one of America’s premier Africanists. She discusses how ignorance breeds discrimination and policy responses that undermine the effort to contain the ebola outbreak in West Africa. Americans don’t know much about Africa or African geography–and that is hurting the country’s ability to stop ebola at its source.
Episode 37: Anneke Van Woudenberg
Anneke Van Woudenberg first came to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997 on a drunken dare. The rest is history. In this episode, the famed human rights investigator discusses her life and career working for human rights in Africa. Woudenberg was born in Holland, raised in Canada, and schooled in the United Kingdom before she set foot in the country that would define her career. The name Anneke Van Woudenberg may not ring a bell to you –though it should–but Congolese warlords know and fear her. This is a fantastic episode with one of my personal heroes.
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The Sustainable Development Goals–What You Need to Know
The Millennium Development Goals are expiring in 2015 and they will be replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a big year for international development–and humanity — as complex diplomacy is underway at the United Nations to finalize what’s called the “Post 2015 Development Agenda.”
Here with me to discuss the process of creating the Sustainable Development Goals, the substance of those goals and the key points of contention is Minh Thu Pham of the United Nations Foundation. This is a super helpful discussion for anyone who cares about international development, global do gooder and diplomacy. Have a listen!
Episode 36: George Mitchell
Most people know George Mitchell for overseeing successful peace talks in Northern Ireland and his celebrated tenure in the United States Senate. He’s led an incredible life. He grew up in Maine in relative poverty, and emerged as one of his generations greatest politicians and peacemakers. Mitchell discusses his life story with Mark, including how a military posting in post-war Berlin led to law school in Washington, DC, and how his mentor Edmund Muskie helped launch his political career. Sen Mitchell and Mark kick off with a conversation about his work as President Obama’s special envoy for Middle East peace. This was a great episode.
In an historic first, a president faces charges at the International Criminal Court
For the first time in the history of the world, a sitting head of state is attending his trial for crimes against humanity. The head of state is Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta. The venue is the International Criminal Court. The stakes are high, but the case against him is troubled. Mark speaks with Mark Kersten of the LSE and SOAS, and author of the blog Justice in Conflict about the case against Kenyatta. They discuss its significance the ICC, and why it’s exceedingly difficult to build a case against a serving head of state.
Episode 35: Scott Guggenheim
Scott Guggenheim is the most influential development expert that you’ve never heard of. The writer Rebecca Hamilton sits in for Mark today and interviews Guggenheim about his pioneering model of community driven economic development. This model has critics, but it was proven effective — of all places — in Afghanistan in the height of the insurgency. Guggenheim tells Hamilton how this model works, how he came up with it, his friendship with Ashraf Ghani, and his career as a maverick World Banker.
Somaly Mam, in her own words
Somaly Mam is on the line today. She is the Cambodian anti-sex trafficking activist who came to prominence a few years ago as celebrities in the west rallied around her and her organization. That all came crashing down this year when Newsweek published a cover story calling into question the credibility of her amazing personal story, which includes escaping from the sex trade herself. She was ousted from the organization that bears her name and was tarnished by some of her closest allies. Then, in September, Marie Claire published an article calling into question some of the claims of that Newsweek takedown, suggesting that key details were incorrect.
So what is the real story? I don’t know. The point of this interview was not to engage in a back and forth with Somaly about whether or not she fabricated claims about past. Rather, I was interested in learning what she is up to now, and how this controversy has affected her personally and her work rescuing girls from the sex trade. To be honest, I’m not sure I succeeded. It was a tough interview. I’ll let you decide. Please feel free to direct your criticisms and critiques (or, if you like it, your approbation) of this interview to me personally, via @MarkLGoldberg
