1,025 episodes

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.

Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters World News and Opinion

    • News
    • 4.8 • 288 Ratings

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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.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    Why Haiti is Descending Deeper into Crisis

    Why Haiti is Descending Deeper into Crisis

    The security and humanitarian situation in Haiti has gone from bad to worse over the last several days. The country, ensnared in an enduring crisis following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, now faces a critical juncture as violence led by gang coalitions escalates and state authority wanes. Amid this chaos, Prime Minister Ariel Henry signaled his intent to step down, agreeing to a transitional governing council. Meanwhile, a Kenya-lead prospective police mission under UN authorization remains in limbo, highlighting the urgency for immediate intervention to prevent further collapse.
    Renata Segura, Deputy Director for Latin American and the Caribbean for the International Crisis Group, sheds light on Haiti's descent into chaos. This includes a recent surge in gang conflict which saw a temporary alliance aiming to confront the state's governance structures. This gang alliance has led to an unprecedented level of turmoil, targeting police stations, airports, and causing mass jailbreaks. Segura explains where this crisis may be headed next, and what the international community can do to prevent the crisis from getting even worse. 
    Key Takeaways: Haiti has entered a heightened state of crisis following a gang coalition that directly challenges state authority. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has agreed to transfer power to a transitional council composed of various Haitian political and civil society groups. The United Nations Security Council's multinational support mission, led by Kenya, is critical but currently faces significant challenges in deployment. Renata Segura emphasizes the importance of swiftly addressing the violence in Haiti before the state potentially fails completely. There is discussion around the prospect of integrating gangs into the political framework as a means to de-escalate conflict.

    • 33 min
    How to Limit the Threat of "Killer Robots" and Autonomous Weapons That Are Changing Warfare

    How to Limit the Threat of "Killer Robots" and Autonomous Weapons That Are Changing Warfare

    Artificial Intelligence is changing warfare. Fully autonomous weapons that can make their own decisions about what to target or whom to kill are already in limited use today. But the pace of development of AI suggests that these so-called "Killer Robots" may become more and more common in future armed conflicts. Meanwhile, the speed at which new AI technology is coming online far exceeds the ability of the international community to come up with guardrails that might place controls on fully autonomous weapon systems.
    Guest Paul Scharre is the Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security. He is the award-winning author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. We kick off by discussing what we mean by autonomous weapons before having a longer conversation about what the future holds for AI in warfare, nuclear security, and how to secure sensible regulations on autonomous weapons and military uses of AI.
    Paul Scharre in Foreign Affairs
     

    • 25 min
    Why Confiscating Russian Assets is Key to Financing Ukraine's Reconstruction

    Why Confiscating Russian Assets is Key to Financing Ukraine's Reconstruction

    Western countries have seized hundreds of billions of dollars of Russian assets following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Since then, the question of what to do with those assets has loomed large over debates about Ukraine.
    Vladimir Milov is a Former Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation and now a Russian opposition politician. Milov makes a compelling case for the expropriation of these assets as a means to aid Ukraine's reconstruction efforts and explains the web of state-affiliated money hidden overseas. Vladimir Milov delves into the staggering amount of Russian capital funneled out of the country, shedding light on the possibility that a significant portion is controlled by entities with direct ties to the Russian state. He emphasizes the necessity of differentiating between clearly identified state-owned assets and the more obscured parastatal resources that play a role in the international economy. Milov also discusses the potential for substantial funds to be uncovered, which could dramatically aid in the reconstruction of Ukraine's war-damaged infrastructure and society.
    Vladimir Milov's article for GlobeSec

    • 28 min
    The Untold Story of a CIA Plot to Kill Congo's First Elected Leader, Patrice Lumumba

    The Untold Story of a CIA Plot to Kill Congo's First Elected Leader, Patrice Lumumba

    Stuart Reid is the executive editor of Foreign Affairs and author of the new book "The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination." The book tells the story of Congo's liberation from Belgium in the 1950s and 60s and the rise to prominence of Patrice Lumumba, Congo's charismatic independence leader. Believing Lumumba to be under the sway of the Soviet Union, the CIA hatched a plot to assassinate him at a time when Congo was falling into a chaotic civil war. Into this civil war, UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dispatched a unique peacekeeping mission to restore order and died in a plane crash under mysterious circumstances.  Stuart Reid weaves each of these stories into a single compelling narrative that reads at times like a spy thriller. 
     

    • 30 min
    From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Gaza: Politico's Alexander Ward on How Biden's Foreign Policy Evolved

    From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Gaza: Politico's Alexander Ward on How Biden's Foreign Policy Evolved

    Alexander Ward ia national security reporter for POLITICO and author of the book "The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump." We discuss the implications of Mitch McConnell stepping down as the leader of the Senate Republicans and delve into the key themes and insights from Ward's important new book. We explore the concept of the "foreign policy for the middle class" and how it shaped the Biden administration's approach to foreign policy. Ward also examines the decision-making process behind the Afghanistan withdrawal and the administration's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Our conversation sheds light on the acrimonious relationship between Biden and Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, and the challenges of navigating international crises. The episode concludes with a discussion on the ongoing Gaza crisis and the potential impact of Trumpism on future foreign policy decisions.

    • 27 min
    Are We Facing a Global Development "Traffic Jam?"

    Are We Facing a Global Development "Traffic Jam?"

    There is a global development pileup on the horizon. In 2024 and 2025, about a dozen funding pools that support global development and global health are due for replenishment. These replenishments are essentially fundraisers for entities like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), and the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), among many, many others.
    A new report from the Center for Global Development warns that these fundraisers may all be competing with each other for similar pools of money—and doing so at a time of contracting foreign aid budgets and pivotal elections in key donor countries.
    One of the authors of that report, Clemence Landers, joins me for a conversation about the causes and consequences of a potential replenishment traffic jam. We kick off discussing what we mean by a "replenishment" in Global Development speak. Clemence Landers also makes the point that of these fundraisers, the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is arguably the most consequential. IDA is the branch of the World Bank that provides grants and very concessional loans to support the development priorities of the lowest-income countries. The World Bank president is seeking a major replenishment this December.

    • 30 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
288 Ratings

288 Ratings

DelCoTrash ,

Excellent Africa analysis

Its rare to find long form in depth reporting on events in Africa. This podcast regularly devotes entire episodes to African news and generally offers a good perspective for listeners who dont normally deep dive into it

Kayla92075 ,

Great Informative Podcast! Distracting Intro

This is a super informative podcast re international affairs. Highly reccomend! Lately it’s seemed the like intro voices are robotic and flat, as if they are generated by AI. It’s distracting! I could be wrong but every time I hear the intro it sounds so different and robotic. Otherwise the contest is very informative and overall a great podcast.

Tim K S ,

In-depth interviews

This is an excellent podcast for anyone involved in (or who cares about) international humanitarian issues and perspectives.

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