Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

  The largest excerise in democracy in the history of humanity is coming to an end. Narendra Modi will cruise to victory, but what does his ascent mean for India's relationship with Pakistan, China, the USA and the rest of the world? Mark speaks with Tanvi Madan of the Brookings Institution about the foreign policy implications of India's elections. 

Boko Haram is in the news for all the wrong reasons. A series of audactious attacks, including the kidnapping of hundreds of school girls, has provoked international outrage. But why would Boko Haram launch such an attack? Who are these people, what do they want, and how can they be defeated?  Mark Leon Goldberg catches up with Jacob Zenn of the Jamestown Foundation who offers insight, context and...

The scion of Ted Turner is forging a new philanthropic path, focusing on reproductive health and environmental issues. She talks to Mark Leon Goldberg about growing up a Turner, her focus on reproductive health issues, and how Captain Planet shaped a generation of environmentalists.  

Iraq is in the midst of an unrelenting descent into violence. Every day brings news of another bombing or attack that leaves scores of people dead. This has been the case for the past several months, and it only seems to be getting worse. I speak with Douglas Ollivant of the New American Foundation who helps put this current wave of violence in context. Ollivant served as a military officer in Ira...

The historian Gary Bass has penned a new book that is getting rave reviews. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide tells the story of the muted American response to a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe that befell Bangladesh in the wake of its separation from Pakistan in the early 1970s.  Gary and I talk about his story, what made this particular genocide "forgotten",...

Mark Leon Goldberg speaks with the demographer and economist Mark Montgomery about global population trends. It turns out that adolescent girls in the developing world hold a tremendous amount of demographic power.     

Doing things a little differently this week. Mark conducts a series of back-to-back-to-back interviews with experts from around the United Nations. Interesting, wonky discussions were had! Here are the interviewees in order of appearance.  Sarah Crowe, UNICEF Jo Scheuer, UN Development Program expert on disaster risk reduction Dan Sheppard, Department of Public Information, specializing on climate...

In this special edition of Global Dispatches, Mark Leon Goldberg interviews Shelly Pitterman of the UN Refugee Agency. Today, June 20th, is World Refugee Day and earlier this week the UN High Commission for Refugees released a report showing that the global number of displaced persons has reached a 20 year high. Pitterman discusses this report, describes the UN Refugee Agency's work in Syria, and...

Mark Leon Goldberg speaks with Suzanne Nossel, author of the influential Foreign Affairs article "Smart Power." Nossel served as a deputy assistant secretary of state during president Obama's first term, and has served in leadership roles in high profile human rights NGOs. Suzanne tells Mark about how familty connections to South Africa shaped her dedication to human rights; how a cold call to Ric...

We are doing something a little different  today. Instead of one in depth interview, Mark chats with several experts who work for various arms of the United Nations.  Here's the set up: The UN Foundation invited a number of talk radio hosts to broadcast from inside the United Nations headquarters in New York and arranged for UN experts to stop by the broadcast room.  I couldn't fit every single in...

On the line this week is PJ Crowley, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. Mark and PJ talk about the role of public diplomacy in US foreign policy, PJ's long career in the Air Force, and how speaking out against the treatment of accused Wikileaker Bradley Manning marked the end of his public service. 

You probably know him as "The Muslim Guy." Arsalan Iftikhar is a civil rights lawyer and popular media commentator who fights daily against widespread bigotry facing Muslim Americans. In our conversation we discuss the how the child of immigrants from Pakistan got into this line of work, how the Bush administration officially sanctioned discrimination against Muslim Americans, and why Barack Obama...

In this week's episode, I talk with Dr. Laura Seay who you probably know better as @TexasinAfrica. I learn how the daughter of a preacher from a cotton farming community near Lubbock became one of America's most influential Africanists. We talk about how activism around Africa (think: Kony 2012 and 'conflict minerals') often has nefarious consequences on the ground; how the DR Congo can get back o...

Executive Director of the National Security Network Heather Hurlburt kicks off the new podcast series. She discuses why Syria is a such a vexing dillemma for Obama; how different generations of policy hands drew separate lessons from the Iraq War; why Russian studies ought be back in vogue; and how the Boston Red Sox shaped her worldview. Have a Listen!