Archives for February 2021

The Conflict in Yemen Takes a Turn for the Worse

The conflict in Yemen is entering a new phase. The Houthi rebel group that controls much of the country is launching a new offensive in an oil rich region of the country. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has breathed new life into international diplomatic efforts to end the war by ending US support to the Saudi Arabia lead military campaign.  This episode examines how the Yemen conflict has evolved over the years and where it may be headed next. 

Guest: Gregory D. Johnsen, Brookings Institute and former member of the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on  Yemen.

 

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Why Countries Just Can’t Quit Coal? New Research Offers Some Clues

“Coal Lady” Credit: Adlai 88 via flickr creative commons

We know that countries around the world sometimes favor coal because it is cheaper. But new research aims to pinpoint some of the political forces that drive continued investment in coal. 

Jan Steckel, along with his research collaborator Michael Jakob, are coordinating a series of global case studies to understand the non-economic factors associated with investment in coal-fired power. The series includes over a dozen countries with collaborators from all corners of the world using a political-economy framework developed by Jan Steckel and Michael Jakob’s team at the Mercator Institute. 

Their research examines what interests and actors that make investment in coal (or divestment) politically so attractive. And in so doing, they also identify possible entry points for policies that nudge countries away from coal. 

Jan Steckel is head of the working group on climate and development at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change. He joins us from Berlin to discuss this research.

Their framework is published online here, and one of the case studies is published here.

Today’s episode is part of series of episodes that showcase the research and work of the Sustainable Energy Transitions Initiative. SETI is an interdisciplinary global collaborative that aims to foster research on energy access and energy transitions in low and middle-income countries. Currently, SETI is housed at Duke University, where it is led by Professors Subhrendu Pattanayak and Marc Jeuland. To learn more about SETI, follow them on Twitter @SETIenergy.

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What Comes Next for USAID with Samantha Power in Charge?

The United States Agency for international development, USAID, is the premier global development agency of the United States government and one of the largest global development organizations in the world.

As USAID goes, so goes global development. As Samantha Power prepares to lead USAID, this episode examines the global development priorities the new administration may pursue. 

Guest: Sarah Rose, policy fellow at Center for Global Development.

Crisis in the Central African Republic

The security and humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic has rapidly deteriorated over the last several weeks. Rebel group control a key road from which goods, food and humanitarian supplies is imported to CAR from neighboring Cameroon. The capitol city, Bangui is under an effective siege.  

On the line to discuss what is happening in the Central African Republic is Hans de Marie Hengoup, the Central Africa senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. 

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