Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Global Dispatches
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Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

The longest running independent international affairs podcast features in-depth interviews with policymakers, journalists and experts around the world who discuss global news, international relations, global development and key trends driving world affairs. Named by The Guardian as "a podcast to make you smarter," Global Dispatches is a podcast for people who crave a deeper understanding of international news.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    A Political Earthquake in Botswana

    Botswana's general elections were held on October 30th, and the results were nothing short of a political earthquake. Botswana has had the same ruling party for 58 years—since independence. Even by the standards of long-ruling post-independence parties in Africa, this is remarkable. Just days after the elections, President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) conceded defeat. The incoming president is a human rights lawyer and advocate named Duma Boko, who leads the opposition coalition known as the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). Botswana is a politically stable, upper-middle-income country—a rarity in the region—and it has long maintained this status. This stability partly explains the longevity of the Botswana Democratic Party. However, as my guest Ringisai Chikohomero explains, Batswana have grown disillusioned with the BDP, reflecting a broader global trend against incumbent governments. In our conversation, Ringisai Chikohomero discusses why the BDP lasted so long in power, what to expect from the incoming government, and why Botswana's politics and economy matter to the global community. He is a researcher specializing in political affairs, governance, and democracy in the Southern Africa program of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. We spoke last week.

    22 min

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    The Crisis in Haiti Has Taken a Dramatic Turn for the Worse

    Over the past few weeks, the situation in Haiti has gone from bad to worse. On November 10, the interim prime minister of Haiti, Gary Conille, was dismissed by the council that had appointed him in May. Since then, violence has surged throughout Port au Prince and in surrounding locals. A Kenyan-lead police mission has been powerless to stop this escalating security and humanitarian crisis. In our conversation, Renata Segura of the International Crisis Group explains the shifting contours of this violence and what steps can be taken to enhance security in Haiti. She also delves into the ongoing debates about transforming the Kenyan-lead mission into a formal UN peacekeeping mission, discussing the potential advantages and disadvantages of such a move.

    31 min

  3. 18 NOV

    A Heavy Shadow Looms Over, COP 29 the Major UN Climate Conference

    The major UN climate conference, known as COP29, kicked off in Baku, Azerbaijan, last week. Tens of thousands of attendees are present, including members of civil society, the private sector, and delegates from every country on the planet. This long-planned summit, however, takes place just a week after the world's largest economy and second-largest emitter elected as president a man who denies climate change and intends to pursue American withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. What impact is the U.S. election having on these negotiations and on climate diplomacy moving forward? Joining me to explore this question and much more is Ryan Hobert, Associate Vice President for Climate and Environment at the UN Foundation. We begin with an extended conversation about this and another elephant in the room: the irony of a petrostate hosting a climate conference. We also spend much of our discussion focusing on the substance of this year’s COP, particularly the effort to reach an agreement on funding for less-developed countries to help them adapt to climate change and mitigate its impacts.

    23 min

  4. 14 NOV

    How to Escape the Nexus of Climate Change, Conflict and Forced Displacement | From Fragility to Stability

    Today’s episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.  We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability” and in today’s episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts about how to escape the nexus of climate change, conflict and forced displacement Ms. Jana Birner, Associate Partnerships Officer in the Office of the Special Advisor on Climate Action for the UN Refugee Agency Barthelemy Mwanza, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who works with the Global Refugee Youth Network   Alessandro Craparo, a Bioclimatologist with CGIAR

    29 min

  5. 11 NOV

    What the Republican Election Sweep Means for the United Nations

    Republicans will soon control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and, of course, the White House. What does this Republican trifecta mean for the United Nations? Peter Yeo, Executive Vice President of the United Nations Foundation, explains the nuances of how Republicans have traditionally approached the United States's relationship to the United Nations, what we can expect from the second Trump Administration, the Senate and House moving forward.

    24 min

  6. 7 NOV

    What Trump's Victory Means For US Foreign Policy | Politico's Robbie Gramer

    It was neither a surprise nor an upset: Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the United States Presidential Election. Republicans will also control the United States Senate, while control of the House of Representatives remains undecided. Joining me less than 24 hours after this election is Robbie Gramer, national security correspondent for Politico and host of Politico’s excellent NatSec Daily newsletter. Few people are as connected to both the political and foreign policy worlds as Robbie Gramer, so I thought it would be valuable to hear what he is learning from his sources about the foreign policy implications of a second Donald Trump term and the potential Republican control of Congress.

    19 min

  7. 4 NOV

    The High Geopolitical Stakes of Georgia's Parliamentary Elections

    On October 26, the Republic of Georgia held parliamentary elections with immense geopolitical stakes. The former Soviet republic was once staunchly pro-Western and pro-European. But over the last several years, the country has drifted closer to Russia's orbit, largely due to one man: the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. His Georgia Dream party has dominated Georgian politics for nearly a decade, and this rule has brought some democratic backsliding, including a new NGO law, modeled after a similar law in Russia, aimed at undermining civil society. However, the people of Georgia remain overwhelmingly pro-West and pro-European. So, this election was seen as a reckoning: would the ruling Georgian Dream Party be voted out, halting the country’s drift towards Russia? Despite some reports of election irregularities, Georgia Dream declared victory, claiming 54% of the vote. The opposition rejects this outcome, leaving the country in an uneasy post-election period. Joining me from Tbilisi, Georgia, is Andres Ilves, Regional Director for the Near East and Eastern Europe for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. We discuss what happened in these elections, what accounts for Georgia's drift towards Russia, and some of the key geopolitical implications of these results. Sign up for our new show about the UN: https://www.globaldispatches.org/s/to-save-us-from-hell

    23 min

  8. 31 OCT

    How Social Assistance Can Improve Mental Health in Fragile Settings | "From Fragility to Stability"

    Today’s episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.  We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability” and in today’s episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts about how social assistance can improve mental health in fragile settings. You will hear from:  Michael Mulford,  World Vision International Adiam Hailemichael, World Bank economist Melissa Hidrobo, Senior research fellow, IFRPRI

    34 min
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The longest running independent international affairs podcast features in-depth interviews with policymakers, journalists and experts around the world who discuss global news, international relations, global development and key trends driving world affairs. Named by The Guardian as "a podcast to make you smarter," Global Dispatches is a podcast for people who crave a deeper understanding of international news.

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