On the line this week is PJ Crowley, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. Mark and PJ talk about the role of public diplomacy in US foreign policy, PJ’s long career in the Air Force, and how speaking out against the treatment of accused Wikileaker Bradley Manning marked the end of his public service.
Episode 4: Arsalan Iftikhar, “The Muslim Guy”
You probably know him as “The Muslim Guy.” Arsalan Iftikhar is a civil rights lawyer and popular media commentator who fights daily against widespread bigotry facing Muslim Americans. In our conversation we discuss the how the child of immigrants from Pakistan got into this line of work, how the Bush administration officially sanctioned discrimination against Muslim Americans, and why Barack Obama refuses to set foot in an American Mosque.
Episode 3: Dodge Billingsley
This week’s guest is the filmmaker Dodge Billingsley. We discuss his new documentary about the political and cultural challenges of Korean unification; his time spent embedded with Chechen rebels; and the movies that that shaped his worldview.
Episode 2: Laura Seay, aka @TexasinAfrica
In this week’s episode, I talk with Dr. Laura Seay who you probably know better as @TexasinAfrica. I learn how the daughter of a preacher from a cotton farming community near Lubbock became one of America’s most influential Africanists. We talk about how activism around Africa (think: Kony 2012 and ‘conflict minerals’) often has nefarious consequences on the ground; how the DR Congo can get back on its feet; and, speaking of feet, why she cringes at the sight of TOMS shoes.
Episode 1: Heather Hurlburt
Executive Director of the National Security Network Heather Hurlburt kicks off the new podcast series. She discuses why Syria is a such a vexing dilemma for Obama; how different generations of policy hands drew separate lessons from the Iraq War; why Russian studies ought be back in vogue; and how the Boston Red Sox shaped her worldview. Have a Listen!
