Big World

When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, the founders envisioned that the United States would become a powerful country committed to liberty and democracy. As America marks its 250th anniversary, what would the founders think of the U.S.’s role on the world stage today? SIS professor and author of Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy Jordan Tama joins Big World to analyze key momen...

In this episode of Big World , SIS alumnus and tech accountability advocate Zamaan Qureshi joins us to discuss the impact of AI and social media on teen mental health, the push for stronger regulation, and how U.S. tech policy compares to other countries. Qureshi shares what drew him into tech advocacy (2:47) and how he came to co-found Design It For Us —a youth-led grassroots coalition pushing fo...

In this new episode of Big World, SIS professor emeritus Philip Brenner joins us to discuss the politics behind the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and how it connects to the growing crisis in Cuba. Brenner kicks off our episode by contextualizing the close alliance between Venezuela and Cuba (1:54) and the history of U.S. relations with both nations (4:31). Brenner also explains wh...

In this episode, School of International Service's Judy Gearhart joins Big World to discuss international labor organizing and the fight for workers' rights within the global supply chain. Gearhart, a research professor at the Accountability Research Center and host of The Labor Link Podcast , begins the conversation by describing challenges and abuse that workers currently face in the global supp...

In this new episode, SIS visiting scholar in residence Laura Field joins Big World to discuss the intellectual backbone of the New Right. Field is a writer, political theorist, and the author of the recently published book Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right. In this episode, Field explains why she wrote this book (2:15) and what surprised her most in her research (3:30). Field also ex...

In this new episode, School of International Service professor and former US Ambassador to Mongolia Piper Campbell joins  Big World  to share reflections on her 30-year career in diplomacy and provide practical advice for aspiring foreign service officers. Campbell, the chair of the Department of Foreign Policy & Global Security, begins our conversation by explaining why she chose to...

In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professor Yerevan Saeed joins Big World to talk about Kurdish history, geopolitics, culture, and more. Saeed, the director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace and Barzani Scholar-in-Residence in the Department of Politics, Governance, and Economics (PGE), begins the conversation by talking about the history of the Ottoman Empire and the...

In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professor William Akoto joins Big World to discuss the intersections of artificial intelligence and international affairs. Akoto, a member of the SIS Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security and the director of research at the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology, begins our conversation by explaining what is currently k...

In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professor Jesse Ribot joins Big World to discuss his current research on migration, vulnerability, and the “hungry season” in West Africa.   Ribot, a member of the SIS Department of Environment, Development, and Health , begins our conversation by discussing how a ship that sunk off the coast of Italy and killed hundreds of migrants on bo...

In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professors Tazreena Sajjad and Maria De Jesus join Big World to discuss the history of US immigration policy and unpack how recent shifts are impacting our local DC community and beyond.    Sajjad, a professor in the Department of Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations, begins our conversation by explaining common misconce...

In this episode, School of International Service (SIS) professor Michael Stanaitis joins Big World to discuss trade wars and tariffs during President Donald Trump’s second term. Stanaitis, a member of the SIS Department of Global Inquiry and professor for SIS online graduate programs, begins our conversation by defining tariffs and explaining how the United States has historically used them (2:01)...

In this new episode, School of International Service professor and anthropologist Scott Freeman joins  Big World  to discuss development, displacement, and international aid in Haiti. Freeman, a professor in the Department of Environment, Development, and Health, begins our conversation by explaining the background of the 2011 Caracol Industrial Park development project that displac...

In this new episode, School of International Service professor Johanna Mendelson Forman and University of Milan professor Andrea Borghini join Big World to discuss the power of the dining table. Mendelson Forman, who teaches and researches culinary diplomacy and social gastronomy, and Borghini, an expert in food philosophy, begin our conversation by discussing the symbolism of the dining table and...

In this new episode, School of International Service professor Ken Conca joins  Big World  to discuss climate resiliency in the face of natural disasters. Conca, a professor in the Department of Environment, Development, and Health, begins our conversation by explaining why he wrote his new book, After the Floods: The Search for Resilience in Ellicott City (2:19). Conca also discusses th...

In this new episode, School of International Service Distinguished Diplomat in Residence and former US Ambassador to Mexico Earl Anthony Wayne  joins Big World to discuss Mexico’s recent election and US-Mexico relations. Wayne, a professor in the Department of Foreign Policy & Global Security , begins our conversation by explaining why Mexico is important to the United States (1:55). Wayn...

Sara Jones, the director of the SIS Office of Career Development joins Big World to discuss the topic at the forefront of many international affairs students’ minds: how to get a job. Jones oversees career development support for SIS undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni, including events, advising, and employer relations. Jones begins our conversation by sharing the best kinds of internsh...

Cue the fanfare: in this new episode, School of International Service professor Robert Kelley joins Big World to talk about sports diplomacy and the soft power of the Olympic Games. Kelley, an expert in new diplomacy studies who researches at the intersection of politics and culture, begins our conversation by defining and explaining the objections of both sports and public diplomacy (1:45). Kelle...

*Note: This episode was recorded before the US Supreme Court in Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine unanimously rejected a lawsuit challenging the FDA's rules for prescribing and dispensing the abortion medication mifepristone on the issue of standing. American University School of Public Affairs professor, lawyer, and reproductive rights and policy expert Jessica Wat...

SIS online programs professor and intercultural consultant Melissa Hahn joins Big World to discuss the importance of fostering strong interpersonal relationships in the global workforce. Hahn is the author of a recent book titled, Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce: Build Rapport, Camaraderie, and Optimal Performance No Matter the Time Zone. Hahn, who teaches intercultural communication, begins o...

School of International Service professor Patrick Thaddeus Jackson joins Big World to discuss imperialism, post-conflict societies, and the parallels between the Star Wars universe and our own. Jackson, the chair of the SIS Department of Global Inquiry, begins the discussion by describing how the original movie trilogy depicts the struggles of organizing a resistance movement (5:26). He also discu...

School of International Service professor Claudine Kuradusenge-McLeod joins Big World in this episode marking the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. In 1994, a roughly 100-day massacre by Hutu militias targeting the Tutsi minority ethnic group resulted in the death of about 800,000 people, including Tutsis, moderate Hutus, and Twa. Kuradusenge-McLeod, who is a scholar-activist specializing...

In this episode, School of International Service professor Shadi Mokhtari joins Big World to discuss the history of protests in Iran, the unprecedented international reaction to Mahsa Amini’s death, and the greater impact of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. Over a year has passed since Mahsa Amini was detained and died in Iran after being detained by Iran’s morality police for improperly wearing...

Organized labor is having a moment. In this episode, School of International Service professor Stephen Silvia joins Big World to discuss the evolution of the labor movement, the significance of the recent United Auto Workers strike and recent organizing attempts by both Starbucks and Amazon employees, and what the future holds for unions. Silvia, who researches comparative labor employment relatio...

Can you think of a stereotype or lie you’ve heard about Black people? Do you know how or when that stereotype came to be? In this episode, SIS professor Omekongo Dibinga joins Big World to discuss his new book, Lies About Black People: How to Combat Racist Stereotypes and Why it Matters, and explain how we can improve on our antiracist journeys. Dibinga begins our conversation by explaining the or...

Does throwing tomato soup at a famous painting force the world to respond to climate change? In this episode, Dana Fisher, School of International Service professor and director of American University’s Center for Environment, Community & Equity, joins Big World to discuss the evolution of climate activism, the demographic of people participating in climate protests, and the goal of more radical c...