Things That Go Boom

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4.6 (312)
NEWS
UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Stories about the ins, outs, and whathaveyous of what keeps us safe. Hosted by Laicie Heeley.

3 DAYS AGO

What a Tipping Point Looks Like

In 1970, Canada’s streets were full of troops and the country was on edge. Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte had been captured by a militant French separatist group, the FLQ, and the Canadian government worried thousands of FLQ sympathizers could be ready to unleash chaos in Quebec. As it turned out, the group that caused so much fear throughout the 1960s was never more than a few dozen individuals. This season on Things That Go Boom, we’re starting in Canada, because four years after Jan. 6, the US is as divided as ever. And we wondered if it might be headed for an October Crisis of its own. It doesn’t take a lot of people to create a lot of fear. But what does it mean for a place to devolve into the grip of that fear, and how do we escape it? GUESTS Jean Foster, retired schoolteacher; Elizabeth Morgan, philanthropist and organic farmer; Chris Oliveros, graphic novelist, “Are You Willing To Die For The Cause”; Alexandre Turgeon, historian, Laval University; Peter Graefe, political scientist, McGill University RESOURCES You can buy “Are You Willing to Die for the Cause?” by Chris Oliveros here: https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/are-you-willing-to-die-for-the-cause/

35 min
TRAILER

Season 10: Coming Soon!

When Members of Congress are sworn into office, they say an oath. To protect the country from all enemies… foreign and domestic. But what does a domestic enemy look like? And how can they be stopped? Four years after January 6th, we're turning our eyes on the US to ask, “in our divided times, how do we we stop political violence at home… before it starts… and without losing what makes us, us, along the way.”

2 min
12/23/2024 · BONUS

Monologues (The War Horse Sessions): The Reason Why Soldiers’ Christmas Care Packages Wind Up in the Trash

When former US Navy Intelligence Officer Andrew McCormick spent the holiday season in Kandahar in 2013, attempts at holiday cheer were everywhere. But few were more out-of-touch than the generic care packages sent from civilians who knew nothing about him — or the war he was fighting. Part of our series of monologues in partnership with The War Horse. Additional Resources Care Packages a Powerful Symbol of the Military-Civilian Divide, Andrew McCormick, The War Horse, 2020

8 min
12/16/2024

Monologues (The War Horse Sessions): One Step From Nuclear War, and I Didn’t Even Know It

One night In 1968, Ed Meagher was finishing his last shift at Clark Airways, which included authenticating and repeating messages for the nuclear-armed B-52 fleet in Southeast Asia. Then his phone lines started dinging, with signal after signal — and he couldn’t figure out why none were a match. This monologue is the second in our series with The War Horse. Additional Resources We Were at DefCon 2 — One Step From Nuclear War — and I Was Checking My Work, Ed Meagher, The War Horse, 2024

11 min
12/09/2024 · BONUS

Monologues (The War Horse Sessions): What Poetry Taught Me About Moving Past War

This month on Things That Go Boom, we’re passing the mic to three veterans to share their memories in their words. In this first entry: When paratrooper Bill Glose came home from the Gulf War after leading his platoon, silence was his fortress. That all changed when a friend suggested he start writing poetry. The story is part of a new partnership with the news site The War Horse. The site publishes real stories from veterans that look war in the eye, rough edges and all. If you haven't heard of them, be sure to check them out. And tune in all month for more monologues. Additional Resources Silence Was My Father’s Fortress. I Shared It for a Time Until Poetry Set Me Free, Bill Glose, The War Horse, 2024

13 min
06/24/2024

Bringing it Home

After a season spent examining feminist foreign policies around the world, we turn our attention back to the US. Will the US adopt a feminist foreign policy? And what would that mean? In this episode, three remarkable activists, organizers, and academics share their perspectives on where we are in the process, what the obstacles are, and what gives them hope for the future. Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts to receive a new episode every two weeks. GUESTS: Janene Yazzie, Director of Policy and Advocacy for NDN Collective; Lyric Thompson, Founder and CEO of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative; Margo Okazawa-Rey, Professor Emerita San Francisco State University ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: NDN Collective Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative International Women’s Network Against Militarism Poverty Draft by Al Scorch We are the Ones by Sweet Honey in the Rock Special thanks to The Gender Security Project

34 min
06/10/2024

Where Are the Women, Really?

Political Scientist Cynthia Enloe is, arguably, the reason we’re all here. She was one of the first to explore gender in international relations, and the first to ask, “Where are the women?” But what she meant when she asked that question? It’s been lost in a sea of nuances around feminism and feminist foreign policy. Leading to misunderstandings like so many we’ve seen this season on Things That Go Boom. Misunderstandings like the sense among some that feminism is just about turning things around and subjugating men. Or that a man could never be a feminist, let alone carry out a feminist foreign policy. On this episode of Things That Go Boom, where are the women, really? And where do we go from here? GUESTS: Cynthia Enloe, Clark University ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics, Cynthia Enloe Twelve Feminist Lessons of War, Cynthia Enloe The Invisible Frontline: How the Fight for Women’s Rights Changes in Times of War, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

25 min
05/27/2024

Is Anybody Listening?

As civilian casualties mount in Gaza and many more conflicts around the world kill and displace vulnerable people, we ask, "What can feminist foreign policy do about war crimes?" The international community doesn’t have a great track record of timely intervention to stop atrocities. But one-sided military intervention can also be a recipe for disaster. In this episode, we hear from activists in Rwanda and Afghanistan about how their work protects the vulnerable and what they wish international feminists would do differently. And we hear from an expert on international hierarchies about how feminist foreign policy fits into the long history of attempts to end genocide — and who intervention has historically served. GUESTS: Mary Balikungeri, Director and Founder of Rwanda Women’s Network; Dr. Toni Haastrup, Chair in Global Politics at the University of Manchester; Salma, activist with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: The Rwanda Women’s Network The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) Statement of Intent on Feminist Informed Policies Abroad and at Home, The African Feminist Collective on Feminist Informed Policies The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, UN Background on the Responsibility to Protect, UN Women Peace and Security Agenda (UN Resolution 1325), UN On May 19, 2024 there was an attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the government there alleges that American citizens were involved in the plot. (DRC army says it stopped attempted coup involving US citizens, Reuters) The incident appears to be largely separate from the conflict on DRC’s eastern border that we discuss in this episode and the US has denied any involvement in the attempted coup.

33 min

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Laicie Heeley

Host

4.6

out of 5

312 Ratings

Salut

05/29/2024

Good morning podcast

Je suis un chat 🐈‍⬛
Much gratitude!

02/16/2024

Much Gratitude 🧜🏼‍♀️

Super grateful for all the clarity and creativity of this podcast. As a long-ago student of international relations, this one of my favorite national security podcasts. Laicie & team - thank you!
Real security

02/26/2023

MiloTWiggins

I love Lacie Harley’s comprehensive take on what yields security— not merely or principally armaments, national intelligence, and stern brows, but environmental care and a world where there aren’t populations of materially desperate people. Smart, humane, and thoroughly researched.
Superb

03/17/2022

HPRI

Thought provoking, interesting, lively, and at times hilarious. Really well done. Can’t recommend highly enough.