The Boko Haram insurgency is intensifying precisely as Nigerians prepare to go the polls in hotly contested elections. Earlier this month, the group pulled off their deadliest attack to date (though the media was consumed by the Charlie Hebdo attacks). So why is Boko Haram stepping up their attacks now? What effect might it have on the prospects of another term in office for President Goodluck Jonathan? What can the international community do to help beat back this insurgency? And what are the other big campaign issues on the table in Africa’s largest democracy? Alexander Thurston of Georgetown University answers these questions and more.
Archives for January 2015
Episode 50: Trita Parsi
Trita Parsi is the founder of the National Iranian American Council. He tells Mark the story of his family’s escape from Iran to Sweden during the revolution, and how he eventually came to Washington, D.C. Parsi is a scholar, activist, and media personality who has written extensively on middle east affairs. In this episode, he discusses some of the domestic barriers to a nuclear deal facing Iranian moderates; his amazing personal story; and how he came to found America’s only organization dedicated to the political mobilization of Iran’s diaspora in the USA.
Obama’s Visit to India
President Obama visits India this week. This means that for the first time in history, a US President will visit India twice while in office. Tanvi Madan of the Brookings Institute discusses the symbolic importance and concrete policy outcomes that this trip may bring. She argues that Obama’s decision to travel to India for its Republic Day celebrations could lift a profound psychological barrier that has prevented closer ties between the world’s two largest democracies. Have a listen!
Episode 49: C. Christine Fair
C. Christine Fair is one of academia’s brightest and most respected South Asia analysts. In this great episode of the Global Dispatches Podcast, Dr. Fair discusses her unique career path and speaks candidly about navigating around sexual harassers. Dr. Fair has sharp elbows and an ever sharper sense of humor. I don’t say this often, but this is a must-listen episode. You’ll learn a lot about Pakistan. You’ll learn even more about how to effectively overcome sexual harassment.
Can We Really End Extreme Poverty?
In September delegates at the United Nations will decide upon a set of Sustainable Development Goals to replace the Millennium Development Goals, which are expiring. The SDGs will almost certainly set an audacious goal: to totally of eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. Is that even possible? And what will it take to get there? In this episode, host Mark Leon Goldberg gets two distinct perspectives on the substance and process behind the Sustainable Development Goals. First up is John McArthur of the Brookings Institution and United Nations Foundation who discusses the big picture of why we need a common international development agenda. Next is Amina Mohammad, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General in charge of spearheading the UN system around setting these goals. This is a great episode, published in conjunction with a day of social media action to raise awareness about the SDGs and big stakes ahead in 2015.
Episode 48: Admiral James Stavridis
Admiral James Stavridis was the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and is currently the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He was the head of NATO during the Libya intervention; and served in top policy positions at the Defense Department before assuming his post at Fletcher. In this episode of the Global Dispatches Podcast, Adm Stavridis recounts his personal and intellectual journey to become a highly decorated Naval officer and a widely respected scholar of international relations. These stories are fresh in his mind: last fall he published his memoir The Accidental Admiral. This is a great conversation with a leading intellectual and practitioner of foreign policy. Enjoy!
Stories that will Drive the Agenda at the United Nations in 2015
2015 will be a big year for the United Nations. Richard Gowan of New York University and host Mark Leon Goldberg discuss the debates, events, and ideas that are going to drive the agenda at the United Nations this year. Some of these are predictable (Syria!) others probably under the radar, but will still shape international diplomacy in the coming year. If you are interested in learning what will make ambassadors and diplomats sweat in Turtle Bay in the coming few months, have a listen.
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Episode 47: Chris Blattman
The economist Chris Blattman is a pioneering researcher best known for testing whether giving money directly to extremely poor people can yield positive results for international development. Blattman discusses how these cash transfer programs work, his groundbreaking research into the economic effects of child soldiers in Uganda, and the circuitous route he took to becoming one of the best respected international development economists.
