The United Nations released a grave warning this week that some 1,500 women have been captured as sex slaves by the Sunni extremist group that is rampaging through parts of Iraq and Syria. Mark speaks with Zainab Hawa Bangura the UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict about the situation in Northern Iraq and what can be done to help these women.
Episode 29: Chris Hill
Chris Hill was born into the foreign service…and he stayed there. He has served as Ambassador to Iraq and as the lead American negotiator in the six party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. Ambassador Hill sits down with Mark to discuss managing US relations with key allies as the iron curtain fell, facing down Slobodan Milosevic, negotiating with North Korea and the current problems facing Iraq.
These stories are all fresh in his mind. Ambassador Hill just completed his highly anticipated memoir, to be published this fall. Have a listen!
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 25: Joseph Cirincione
Joseph Cirincione is on the line this week. The nuclear policy wonk and activist discusses Iran, Bush’s troubled non-proliferation record and why the jury is still out on President Obama’s nuclear legacy. He tells Mark about his first memories of living under the threat of nuclear war and how his life and career has tracked the ups and downs of American nuclear policy. It’s timely conversation, kicked off with a brief discussion of the Iran nuclear talks, and a timeless conversation about the history of America and the bomb. Enjoy!
A Child Migrant’s Perspective
There is a refugee crisis in the USA. Since October over 50,000 children and tens of thousands of families have streamed across the southern border of the United States. What is compelling this surge in migration, particularly of unaccompanied minors? Who are these children and families? And what is their journey like? I speak with Gary Shaye of Save the Children, which is running a relief operation in Texas for children and families that have made it across the border. He answers these questions and more.
Inside the Iran Nuke Talks
All eyes are on Vienna as delegations from the United States, Germany, France, the UK, Russia and China meet with Iranian officials in a final push to secure a comprehensive agreement over Iran’s nuclear program. They have until July 20 to come to terms.
The negotiations are complex and the issues vexing. But one thing is certain: if an agreement is struck it could change international relations in the entire Middle East and even the world. Here to take us inside the negotiations is veteran journalist Laura Rozen. She sets the scene for what to expect in Vienna in the coming days. I also speak with Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association who breaks down the wonky key points of negotiation in an easily digestible way.
I think you’ll enjoy this episode. This is a hugely significant moment for Obama’s foreign policy legacy, the Middle East, and the cause of non-proliferation. Have a listen.
Turkey’s Strategic View of the Iraq Crisis
Turkish foreign policy is always a fascinating case study. As the sunni insurgency in Iraq is gaining steam, how are Turkish foreign policy elites responding? What are Turkey’s near term strategic goals for Iraq and Syria? And how does this impact Turkey’s sometimes hostile relationship to its Kurdish population? Mark speaks with professor Louis Fishman who answers these questions and more.
Be sure to check out Prof. Fishman’s blog, Istanbul-New York-Tel Aviv.
Live from the UN, 2014 (Part 1)
Something different on the podcast this week! I recent sat down with a number of officials at the United Nations as part of Talk Radio Day 2014. This is an annual event hosted by the United Nations Foundation in which talk radio hosts from around the country broadcast from the UN for the day. I spoke with about a dozen officials, both from the United Nations secretariat and from member states. Each of the interviews focuses on topical issues related to the work of my very interesting guests.
Here’s the first batch of interviews. Look out for part two in the near future.
John Ashe, President of the General Assembly
Courtenay Rattray, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the UN
Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam’s Ambassador to the UN
Kurt Chesko, UN Mine Action Service
Andrew Hudson, UN Development Program
Chris Whatley, United Nations Association of the USA
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.
Dying for the World Cup
In 2022 Qatar will host the World Cup. Migrant workers, mostly from Southeast Asia, are living in harsh conditions and dying in large numbers as they construct the infrastructure for the World Cup in the Gulf Kingdom. Mark speaks with journalist Pete Pattisson of the Guardian who takes us inside the migrant worker industry to expose horrid conditions, stolen wages, and corrupt practices faced by Nepalese workers in the Gulf.
