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.

How the UN Helps Fight Terrorism

The Security Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, chaired by President Obama, dedicated to stemming the flow of foreign fighters to the Syrian battlefield. The meeting demonstrates that the United States believes the United Nations has an important role to play in the global fight against terrorism. But what, exactly, does that mean? Here to discuss the Security Council meeting and the UN’s evolving involvement on terrorism issues (including its strengths and weaknesses) is Naureen Chowdhury Fink of the Global Center on Cooperative Security. 

 

South Sudan’s Looming Famine

South Sudan is quite possibly on the verge of famine. The conflict that erupted in December shows little signs of abating. The peace process is halting and in the meantime the humanitarian situation is growing precipitously worse. Mark speaks with Tariq Riebl, Oxfam’s South Sudan country director about the humanitarian situation in South Sudan and what can be done to avert a possible famine.

Episode 27: Daniel Drezner

Daniel Drezner is on the line this week. You probably know him through his robust social media presence and as a long time blogger for Foreign Policy and the Washington Post. Now at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, Drezner talks with Mark about his life in and out of academia and how he first became interested in the global political economy as a young boy witnessing long lines at the gas station in the 1970s. It’s a fun conversation with interesting diverstions along the way.

 

Episode 21: Ambassador Thomas Pickering

 

Amb Thomas Pickering has had a front row seat to some of the most important foreign policy events of the last 50 years. The career foreign service officer and widely respected diplomat served as US Ambassador to the United Nations, Israel, Jordan, Russia, India, among others places. He speaks with Mark about the faltering Israel-Palestine peace process, his role in shaping US policy during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and an awkward phone call with President-elect George H.W. Bush, who tapped him to serve as US Ambassador to the UN during the run-up to the Gulf War.

 

Episode 20: Jessica T. Mathews

Jessica Tuchman Mathews is on the line this week. The longtime head of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and foreign policy trendsetter discusses the crisis in Ukraine, growing up with a famous mother, her unconventional path from molecular biology to foreign policy; and how two of her Foreign Affairs articles forever changed how we think about the world.

It’s a great conversation!  Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Why Libya is Suddenly on the Verge of Civil War

Libya today is arguably closer to a full blown civil war than at any time since the fall of Muammar Ghaddafi in 2011. A renegade general named Khalifa Haftar is on the March, seeking to upend an Islamist controlled parliament. Who is this man, what does he want, and why are conditions ripe for a civil war? Mark speaks with journalist Marine Casalis who puts the unfolding situation in Libya in some context.

Episode 17: Gov. Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson is a former UN ambassador, governor, presidential candidate, member of congress and energy secretary. But throughout it all he’s had a second career: hostage negotiator. Richardson discusses how he developed a reputation as the “undersecretary for thugs”; his visits to hostile countries to secure the release of political prisoners; and how a famed African dictator almost bludgeoned him with a cane.

The Foreign Policy Implications of India’s Elections

 

The largest excerise in democracy in the history of humanity is coming to an end. Narendra Modi will cruise to victory, but what does his ascent mean for India’s relationship with Pakistan, China, the USA and the rest of the world? Mark speaks with Tanvi Madan of the Brookings Institution about the foreign policy implications of India’s elections.

Episode 16: Save the Children CEO Carolyn Miles

Save the Children is one of the largest international aid and relief organizations in the world. CEO Carolyn Miles speaks with Mark about her unconvential path to relief work, which included studying animal behavior, a stint selling credit cards in Asia and opening a boutique coffee chain in Hong Kong.

Because this was published on Mother’s Day, they kick off with a discussion of Save the Children’s report on unsafe motherhood around the world.  Have a listen!