Global I.Q. Podcast

The world changed on that day in August 1945 when the American B-29 bomber released the 7,900 pound “Little Boy” nuclear bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and 77 years later nuclear weapons remain a primary global issue. Today, a nuclear weapon can fit into a suitcase. Join us for a special Mel Kusin National Security Lecture on nuclear threats with former National Security Council member Ro...

From the presence of drones to the power of social media, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is changing the face of warfare as we know it. How will the U.S. military adapt to the evolving future of warfare? Join us for a discussion with former Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy on America’s strategy for success in the uncertain times ahead, including insights from Lt Gen John "Jack" Shanaha...

Today, American democracy faces a polarized population. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham has found a timely message to American leaders in the example of Abraham Lincoln: the survival of democracy demands a firm conscience. A frail, imperfect man, Lincoln overcame his limitations and was willing to risk his career to uphold his deep faith in liberty and equality. Meacham joins the Coun...

The political polarization of America in 2022 is not a new phenomenon, but what is often missing is the political will to find a middle ground. Even while in fierce opposition to the policies of President Ronald Reagan, who was swept into office in a landslide, Democrat House Speaker Tip O’Neill said, “In the best interest of America, the hand of cooperation ought to go out.” Last year, the Pew Re...

Our challenge is to remain good citizens in a politically and socially divided world. The Freedoms Foundation’s David Harmer says, “When we recognize what we share in common and work through our differences with civility, we can preserve and advance freedoms for all.” At the Bill and Barbara Benac Human Dignity and Fairness for All Lecture, Harmer will focus on the twin ideals of freedom and indiv...

Do massive floods worldwide and soaring heatwaves foreshadow changes in the global climate status quo? Last February, the freeze in Texas caused massive power outages, damage to infrastructure, and 172 people lost their lives. What does a system more resilient to catastrophic risk look like? Is our response coming too late? Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment...

In this year’s Gail Koppman History Lecture Series, the Civil War may have ended on April 9, 1865, but over 150 years later, the fight for a stable democracy continues with polarizing civil tension in the United States. The fight to preserve the Union is more tightly knit with the fight for democracy than any of can imagine. What are the implications of our forgotten history and what impact does i...

No recent administration has been so intensely scrutinized as that of President Donald Trump. “Insiders,” media, and Congressional hearings attempt to interpret what happened behind the scenes at the Trump White House. Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, and Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker and founder/editor at Politico, offer their front-row perspect...

The monarchy is a national symbol of the UK and a traditional unifying point, as we have just witnessed. As the United Kingdom said goodbye to its longest-reigning monarch, questions arose about how many of the 56 commonwealth nations would retain King Charles III as their sovereign. What is the impact of the Queen’s passing on the world? Does it change global order? Will the monarchy remain relev...

Hacking is no longer a far-off, fictional plot from science fiction. We all participate in the digital world. The threats to individuals and their identities are real and inevitable; no person or corporation is exempt from identity theft or data breach. Last year, Microsoft was infiltrated by at least 10 different hacker groups as a result of software flaws and unsuspecting users. Cyber-tech leade...

Over the past century, Americans have seen several iterations of the Republican Party, from the post-WWII Eisenhower days to Reaganomics to the rise of Trump’s MAGA movement. Amid so much change, how does one define the modern-day Republican Party, and what does it mean to be a conservative in 2022? Political scholar Matthew Continetti seeks to answer these questions and more in his book, The Righ...

When facing technical difficulties with your computer, the easiest solution is often just to reboot it. But can you hit control, alt, delete on a political party? In his book, American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done, former Republican congressman and CIA officer William Hurd argues you definitely can. Dubbed “the future of the GOP” by Politico and Texas Monthly, Hurd reveal...

Honeybees seem to attract the spotlight but our pollinators in general are in a bind. We aren't helpless though. Everyone has the capacity to be a huge help to our bee populations, both native and introduced, but first we must discuss what’s threatening them and why we need to act. Join us in this special Earth Day conversation with Dr. Sammy Ramsey, founder and director of the Ramsey Research Fou...

Only three months into the new year, the world has already faced a multitude of new challenges. From humanitarian crises to threats to global democracy to the resurgence of Covid-19 and crippled supply chains, there are many obstacles to clear in the months ahead. Furthermore, with the escalating war between Russia and Ukraine and increasing access to lethal autonomous weapons, the stakes are grea...

The Abraham Accords represent the first public normalization of relations between an Arab nation and Israel since 1994. The future looms on the precipice of change as this joint statement between the State of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States signals an opening between Israel and the Middle East. This is evidenced by the American Jewish Committee’s recent announcement of open...

Reporter Kelly Weill has spent most of her journalism career covering misinformation and conspiracy theories. As a recent college graduate in 2016, Weill entered the media world at a time of immense change, when terms like “fake news” and “disinformation” became part of the mainstream American vocabulary. Coinciding with this time was the rise in “Flat Earthers,” a group of people who support the...

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia could not feel "safe, develop, and exist" because of what he claimed was a constant threat from modern Ukraine. Immediately after, a full-scale military invasion on Ukraine was launched, resulting in number of casualties, both military and civilian. With President Joe Biden’s recent decisions to increase sanctions on Russia and keep...

Not all heroes wear capes, but the best of them take brave stands for people most in need. With a life devoted to issues that affect people in the margins, that bravery is woven in the very fabric of who Shalonda Spencer is. She has spent her career affecting legislation regarding women’s rights, foreign affairs, immigration, healthcare, and education – notably issues pertaining to people of color...

Dan Hunt is no stranger to the professional sports industry. His father, Lamar Hunt, was key to the establishment of professional sports in the U.S. He founded professional leagues and owned many teams – notably the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) and FC Dallas (MLS). Dan inherited his father’s passion, working with him to make Toyota Stadium a reality and Frisco, TX a premier destination for both profes...

There are countless examples of spies in modern popular culture. There are not, however, many examples of the reality behind modern espionage, a world that’s changing faster than most people realize. Rapid advances in technology, combined with ever-changing geopolitical dynamics, have created an intelligence world that Dr. Amy Zegart argues looks quite different from what is portrayed in spy novel...

Making important decisions under pressure can be tough for even the most confident individuals. Marc Polymeropoulos, a 26-year CIA veteran, has some solutions to offer. In his new book, Clarity in Crisis, Polymeropoulos shares his approach to leadership, an intentional process he honed over his long career, during which the consequences of his decisions held enormous weight. As an expert in counte...

The Economist’s “The World Ahead” series is published every year as an outlook of what is likely to occur in the upcoming year. Tom Standage, the series’ editor, will share an overview of the publication’s content, delving into informed predictions of the year to come, analysis of world affairs from experts and public figures, and important topics to think about as 2021 draws to an end. In 2022, w...

About Jessica L. Bedoya Global financial services firm Deloitte projects that the collective economies of Latin America will grow by 3.8 percent in 2022. Some countries, like Colombia, are expected to grow by as much as 5.8 percent. What’s going on down south? On January 11, regional expert Jessica Bedoya will share her insight into Latin America’s recent economic growth, drawing on nearly two dec...

In the first half of the twentieth century, the United States and Japan navigated a tumultuous relationship. When devastating attacks from both sides during World War II led both countries to a desire to avoid any future conflict, a strong alliance formed. Today, that alliance has grown into a closely intertwined friendship, as the American and Japanese economies work together for mutual benefit....

As one of the largest cities in the South, Atlanta has recently been the focus of news coverage on everything from election controversies to significant social justice reforms. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has found herself at the center of many of these headlines. Through the lens of her One Atlanta initiative, Mayor Bottoms sees the future of Atlanta as a “an affordable, resilient, and equitable c...