Archives for November 2014

Episode 43: Gareth Evans

gareth evansGareth Evans will forever be known as the godfather of the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect. The former foreign minister of Australia was also a pioneer in the practice of middle power “niche diplomacy,” and in this episode of the Global Dispatches Podcast Gareth Evans traces his personal and intellectual journey from a working class family in Australia to becoming one of his generation’s greatest intellectuals and statesmen. Evans and host Mark Leon Goldberg kick off with a discussion of some of the big issues facing the UN Security Council then pivot to a longer conversation about Evans’ intellectual development, including powerful moments that shaped his worldview from an early age.

 

Episode 42: Howard French

HFrenchThe journalist Howard French spent a career covering West Africa and China for the New York Times. He stumbled into journalism somewhat accidentally while living in the Ivory Coast and has reported from the Liberian civil war, conflict in DR Congo, and covered social upheavals in China.  Now out with a book about China’s complex relationship with Africa, Howard sits down with Mark to discuss his unique path to become one of America’s most respected journalists and observers of African affairs. Have a listen!

The Geopolitical Implications of an Iran Nuclear Deal

iran nuclearThe USA and Iran may remake the geopolitics of the Middle East with a successful outcome of a nuclear deal. Failure to reach a nuclear agreement between the USA and Iran will come with its own set of profound consequences. I speak with Alireza Nader of the Rand Corporation about the regional and global implications of both failure and success in reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. We discuss the potential shifting of alliances in the Middle East, how a detente between the USA and Iran may affect the conflict in Syria, and how Saudi Arabia may respond to a diplomatic breakthrough. Have a listen.

Episode 41: Kori Schake

Kori SchakeKori Schake is a Republican foreign policy advisor who served in various positions in the George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations before joining the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008. Now ensconced in academia, she is working on a book about American foreign policy in the 19th Century. She discusses being mentored by Condoleezza Rice, her regrets about the Iraq War, and why she became a Republican. It’s an interesting conversation with a thoughtful critic of my general worldview. Enjoy!

The Rohingya of Myanmar

rohingya of myanmar, credit HRWThe Rohingya are a religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar that faces horrid abuse and discrimination by Burmese authorities. As the politics of Myanmar lurches toward representative democracy, this group is still excluded from sharing basic rights of citizenship. Even the lauded Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is shamefully silent about their situation. On the eve of President Obama’s second visit to Myanmar, Mark speaks with Matthew Smith of the human rights group Fortify Rights about the plight of the Rohingya and what the international community can do to improve human rights in Myanmar as it opens up to the world.

Episode 40: Tom Hart

EMT_tom-hart_large-360x444Tom Hart was at the center of the biggest international development debates of the last 15 years. Now serving as the US Director of the ONE Campaign, Hart lobbied for forgiving the debt of the world’s poorest countries in the late 1990s, and in the early 2000s he helped pass the world’s largest program to combat HIV/AIDS. In this episode. Hart tells the genesis story of the Jubilee Campaign, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. And “Genesis” is apt–Tom grew up in Alaska the son of an Episcopal minister and became the Washington, D.C. lobbyist for the Episcopal church. It’s a very interesting story, accessible and interesting for wonks and non-wonks alike.

 

The Foreign Policy Implications of the U.S. Midterm Elections

Screen Shot 2014-11-05 at 11.27.50 AMThe foreign policy implications of the U.S. midterms could be profound. How might Republican control of the U.S. Senate affect the sensitive nuclear negotiations with Iran? How would it impact President Obama’s Foreign Affairs budget requests. And what do the election results say about foreign policy debates within the Republican party? Here with me to discuss these questions and more is Boston Globe columnist Michael Cohen of The Century Foundation. Enjoy (or not, depending on your political preference!)

 

Episode 39: Erica Chenoweth

cropped-erica1c2Erica Chenoweth is a pioneering academic whose groundbreaking research on the strategic use of non-violence showed that movements that use non-violent tactics when fighting for the overthrow of a regime are twice as likely to succeed as movements that use violence as a tactic. Her book, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Non-Violence, co-authored with Maria J. Stephan, provides an authoritative study of how and why non-violent movements succeed. Chenoweth discusses her book, some of the current uprisings she is studying and tells Mark how growing up in Dayton, Ohio during the crisis in the Balkans helped propel her to a career in international relations.