Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Global Dispatches
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Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters
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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.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    How a School Milk Program is Fighting Hunger in Yemen | 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, we examine how a novel school milk program in Yemen is fighting food insecurity and achieving other impressive results. You will hear from: Adeeb Qasem, Director for Economic Development Initiatives at the HSA Group Lily Bliznashka, a research fellow at the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

    20 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    An Inside look at Jimmy Carter's Quest to Kill the Last Guinea Worm

    Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29th, at the age of 100.  Jimmy Carter's term in office coincided with some key events in international affairs, including the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. But for my money, Jimmy Carter's most lasting legacy will be what he did after office.  And in terms of history alterting impacts on the human species, Jimmy Carter has no greater legacy than his determination to eradite guinea worm disease.   Guinea worm is a water born parasite that when ingested grows and grows until it painfully exits the body through a lesion in the skin. There is no treatment for it. There is no cure for it. But it can be prevented.  And if prevented everywhere, Guinea Worm Disease will be eradicated.  We are now on the cusp of global eradication moment. This is largely thanks to the work of the Carter Center.  In 1986, 3.5 million people a year were impacted by guinea worm disease across 21 countries in Africa and Asia. Then, Jimmy Carter decided to make guinea worm eradicationa pillar of his post-presidential work. According to the Carter Center, the incidence of Guinea worm has been reduced by more than 99.99 percent. As of last year there were just 14 cases of the disease.  In February 2023, I caught up with Adam Joseph Weiss, director of the Guinea Worm Eradication Program at the Carter Center. In our conversation he explained how the Carter Center and its partners are able to confront this ancient parasite and why they are so tantalizingly close to global guinea worm eradication.  Rest in power, Jimmy Carter

    29 min

  3. 12/24/2024

    A Top NGO Official Explains the Difficult Dynamics of Getting Aid into Gaza and Syria

    Tjada D'Oyen McKenna is a veteran humanitarian official who now leads Mercy Corps, a major international NGO that provides relief in disaster zones, including Gaza and Syria. Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023, I have periodically checked in with her to discuss the challenges of meeting the needs of Gazans trapped and displaced by the conflict. Over a year later, the dynamics of getting aid into Gaza have largely remained unchanged—there are still significant bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the Israeli government, which controls the flow of aid. Moreover, there is no meaningful so-called "de-confliction mechanism" to allow aid groups to operate in Gaza without fear of being attacked by warring parties. Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, even as new signals suggest a ceasefire may soon be reached. In Syria, the situation has obviously changed dramatically over the past several weeks, so we discuss how Mercy Corps plans to expand its aid operations as the new de facto authorities consolidate power in Damascus. Please support our humanitarian journalism with a paid subscription: https://www.globaldispatches.org/

    21 min

  4. 12/19/2024

    Putting Women's Empowerment at the Center of Resilience Building | From Fragility to Stability

    Today’s episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration as part of a series that examines effective approaches to improving the well-being of people in fragile and conflict-affected settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that brings together international organizations focused on research for food security. We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability.” In today’s episode, we host a roundtable discussion with three experts on how to place women’s empowerment at the core of resilience-building efforts. Our guests include: Vivian Efem-Bassey, Programs Management Specialist in the Women’s Rights Unit at ActionAid in Nigeria. Sarah Hendricks, Director of the Policy, Program, and Intergovernmental Division of UN Women and Head of the Secretariat for the Secretary-General's Gender Equality Acceleration Plan. Jordan Kyle, Research Fellow in the Gender and Inclusion Unit at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

    37 min

  5. 12/16/2024

    Will There Be a Coming Trade War?

    If Donald Trump actually follows through on many of his campaign promises to impose tariffs, it would thoroughly upend the rules-based system governing international trade. That system, which is partially embodied by the World Trade Organization, was once championed by the United States. However, over the years, U.S. presidents, including President Biden, have occasionally skirted its rules and processes. The incoming Trump administration, though, seems willing and eager to ignore it altogether. So, what does that mean for global trade? And could Trump's actions spark a trade war? Joining me to answer these questions and more is Dmitry Grozoubinski, a trade expert and author of the new book Why Politicians Lie About Trade...and What to Do About It. The book is an excellent primer on trade policy—I learned a lot from it. We kick off by discussing the book before diving into a long conversation about how Trump's approach to international trade upends the logic of the rules-based trading system and whether or not his policies might result in a trade war. https://www.globaldispatches.org/

    31 min

  6. 12/12/2024

    What Syria's Political Future May Look Like | Emma Beals

    As a journalist who covers international humanitarian crises, I'm accustomed to seeing masses of refugees fleeing their homes for safer locations. But in Syria over the last several days, the reverse has happened. Thousands upon thousands of displaced people are now returning home -- the scenes of traffic jams, literally on the road to Damascus, were indicative of the fact that Syrians believe this new era to be one in which they are safe to return home. A brutal regime has been toppled, but are the new de-facto authorities going to respect the rights of Syrians and be able to undertake the basic functions of government to avoid state collapse and the chaos that would bring? I put these questions and many more to my guest today, Emma Beals, a longtime Syria analyst and reporter who is a Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace and a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute. We kick off discussing the mood on the street in Damascus before having a long discussion about Syria's political future. Support the show!  https://www.globaldispatches.org/

    29 min

  7. 12/09/2024 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    How Syria Stymied the UN

    As Anjali Dayal and I discuss in this episode of our UN podcast To Save Us From Hell, the Syria conflict marked a turning point for the Security Council’s ability to meaningfully respond to conflicts. From the end of the Cold War until the Syria conflict, the Security Council would sometimes intervene to stop conflicts. Now, it almost never does. Disputes over how to approach the Syria conflict have both reflected and accelerated the widening geopolitical rift between the United States and Russia, which has stymied action on a range of threats to international peace and security. In this episode, we discuss: Why the Syria conflict marked the end of an era for the Security Council — and the start of a new, far more contentious one How the non-permanent members of the Security Council became crucial to keeping humanitarian corridors open for the Syrian people What it means that the leading Syrian opposition force, HTS, is designated as a terrorist group by the UN and is under UN sanctions How the UN might approach Syria if the Assad regime falls Plus: we have a random digression into Javier Pérez de Cuéllar’s innovative diplomatic style during the First Gulf War!

    29 min

  8. 12/09/2024

    What is Biden's Africa Legacy? (And Will Trump Blow It Up?)

    Joe Biden's final foreign trip as President was a long-promised visit to sub-Saharan Africa—Angola, to be precise. Biden had pledged to be the first President to visit Africa in nearly a decade, but the trip was delayed and is only happening with just a few weeks left in his term. Still, the trip was intended to solidify at least one part of the Biden administration's legacy: a major infrastructure project called the Lobito Corridor. This rail line links the mineral-rich regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo to a port on Angola's Atlantic coast. A key question now is whether this legacy will survive the incoming Trump administration. How might the Trump administration's approach to Africa differ, if at all, from that of the outgoing Biden administration? Joining me to answer these questions—and many more—is Ziyanda Stuurman, Senior Analyst for Africa at the Eurasia Group. We begin by discussing why Angola is well-suited for a major American investment like the Lobito Corridor and then dive into a wide-ranging conversation about how this investment fits into the geopolitical competition between China and the United States, as well as what might—or might not—change about U.S. policy toward Africa under the new administration.

    25 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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