New Thinking for a New World - a Tallberg Foundation Podcast

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has significant implications for the future. Georgia, another former Soviet country, shares similar challenges. Will Georgia become another conflict zone or secure its future as a Western democracy? Nino Evgenidze, the executive director of the Economic Policy Research Center in Tbilisi, discusses this with host Alan Stoga on New Thinking for a New World.

Join us as we revisit our conversation with Johan Rockström, renowned earth scientist and Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. A year ago, he shed light on the gravity of our situation, stating that "for the first time in human history, we face a planetary emergency." Astonishingly, this remains an urgent reality even today. Recently, an article titled "Safe and just Eart...

In recent months, the Middle East has witnessed significant developments that could reshape the global order, rivaling the impact of Russia's war on Ukraine. These include China's efforts to reconcile Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Arab League's celebration of Syria's President Assad's return, Saudi Arabia's applications to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICs, countries like Moroc...

India had the world's largest economy until the 17th century but suffered almost 500 years of decline afterward. However, India is currently the world's most populous nation with one of the largest economies, growing faster this year than any other major country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought stability to India, making the country economically and geopolitically resurgent. Critics worry...

In this podcast episode of "New Thinking for a New World", the tragic situation in Sudan is discussed where conflict, military rule, displacement, and a crushed economy have ensued since the revolution that ousted Omar al-Bashir. The current power struggle between two generals is causing immense harm and there is a risk of broader conflict in the Horn of Africa. The podcast features Samah Salman,...

2023 has become a year of recession, inflation, social and labor unrest, war, the ravages of climate etc. One casualty of that mess is the rule of law; justice seems to take a beating when times are bad. Why is that? The demand for justice is not only a basic human right, but also a human need. Is it possible to deliver effective justice at the individual level, to actually make justice systems wo...

This episode explores the implications of the recent diplomatic breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Iran, brokered by China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. How will this affect the Middle East’s geopolitics, security, and relations with the US and Israel? Yasmine Farouk, a scholar of Saudi Arabian and Gulf affairs at Carnegie, offers her insights on this new thinking for a new world.

French President Emmanuel Macron faces a complicated situation at home and abroad. He’s trying to assert European sovereignty against the US, but he’s also angering his allies and his own people. Is he losing his way or playing a long game? Pierre Lellouche, a former French politician and diplomat, shares his views on Macron’s strategic and political mistakes and their consequences for France on t...

Migration is a long and ongoing story of human history. People move for fear or opportunity, and others resist them. This still happens today: more people flee war, climate and poverty, and more barriers are built. Don’t we have human rights and laws to protect them? Yet the long lines are still there; few make it to the safety they seek. Why? Listen to this week’s New Thinking for a New World pod...

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has settled into a grueling, vicious war of attrition with no end in sight. However, there is a growing consensus in NATO capitals that a long war not only favors Russia but has the potential for nasty, unintended consequences. What does not seem to exist is a strategy to do something about it. Lots of rhetoric: “Ukraine will win” and “we will do what it takes” as well...

In this podcast, explore the potential of Africa and the obstacles it faces, including too much debt and a history of mismanagement. With 24 out of 54 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa experiencing severe debt problems, growth and development may be impeded. Is debt cancellation still the answer, or is it time for a new approach? Join the discussion with Bright Simons, a Ghanaian researcher and poli...

Israel seems to be on the verge of exploding. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pursuit of radical judicial reform has been met with massive and growing street demonstrations. Meanwhile, violence between Israelis and Palestinians is soaring, raising the possibility of another intifada and adding to the sense of looming disaster. Neri Zilber is a journalist and analyst who focus on Israel's - and more gen...

After the Pinochet years, Chile evolved into one of the most successful countries in the Americas in terms of the health of its democracy. All of that came to a screeching halt in 2019 when protests escalated into widespread violence. Chile was suddenly at a revolutionary moment. However, instead of a civil war, the Chileans launched an inclusive political process to write a new constitution. Fast...

At times of rapid societal change, the academy can be a radical platform for experimentation and new thinking or a bastion of conservatism—or a combination of both. How does a modern university navigate the space between its classrooms and labs and the rest of society? How do university leaders prepare students not just to cope with a world that is visibly changing before their eyes, but to lead i...

Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed how global politics works. What about Mongolia? It is geographically sandwiched between China and Russia, making it almost impossible to avoid their embrace, especially if they can’t be played off against each other. What to do? Dr. Undraa Agvaanluvsan, a former member of Mongolia’s Parliament, holds a doctorate in physics. She recently explained her country’s...

What could possibly go wrong with underlying technology that can research, write, draw, code, compose music, and possibly even think at least as well as many, if not most, human beings? Mark Abdollahian and Juan Enriquez help us understand not only what's technically called generative artificial intelligence, but to think together about the impact on jobs, on creativity, and innovation, on how we...

2023 looks likely to be a year of recession, inflation, social and labor unrest, war, the ravages of climate etc. One casualty of that mess is likely to be the rule of law; justice seems to take a beating when times are bad. Why is that? The demand for justice is not only a basic human right, but also a human need. Is it possible to deliver effective justice at the individual level, to actually ma...

At least one in nine of the almost eight billion people who live on earth are undernourished. As the 18th century economist Robert Malthus forecast, we seem on a path where the planet can’t produce enough food for the projected 10 billion people who will be alive in 2050. Climate change and wars will only make the global food situation more precarious. Is large scale famine inevitable? David Kapla...

We live in a complicated, conflicted world. Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine. US and European efforts to punish Russian aggression. China's growing geopolitical and military assertiveness. What about India? Today it's the world's sixth largest economy and famously, the world's largest democracy. But it aims higher. Prime Minister Modi recently declared that the country must accelerate its growth...

What does Putin want? How far will he go in his efforts to subjugate Ukraine? Does he have limits? By the time historians can answer those questions, it will be too late. Meanwhile, one of the best places to find answers might be in a recently published biography, entitled PUTIN by Philip Short. Short is a British journalist with a long career as a foreign correspondent and an accomplished author....

There is no doubt that the prevailing view of China in many European capitals has flipped from growing cooperation to feared confrontation. What happened? Did President Xi’s hardening approaches—from wolf warrior diplomacy to his “No Limits” commitment to Russia, to lecturing Western leaders—shock European leaders? Did American pressure on 5G, Huawei and microchips force a strategic rethink? Can E...

For many, the holiday season is a time of giving, when people think a bit more about those with less, or those affected by war or other calamities. Globally, private philanthropy is big and growing. Nonprofit foundation Giving Tuesday alone is now a worldwide phenomenon that raised more than three billion dollars last month. But how to know whether your charity is impactful? Much of the non-profit...

Our world has become a weird combination of dangerous, existential challenges and of almost magical, potential solutions. Which is it going to be? Are we doomed or can we save ourselves? Can innovations be transformed into practical realities at the necessary speed and scale, and in ways that allow mankind to flourish?  Scott Cohen believes the answer is a resounding, “Yes!!” He co-founded New Lab...

The US mid-term elections are (almost) over. Perhaps most importantly, after the turmoil of the last election cycle, in almost all cases voters voted, ballots were counted, winners celebrated and losers conceded. In other words, American democracy demonstrated resilience. But is it too early to say that democracy has healed itself? Is the absence of wild allegations of fraud too low a bar for a co...

2020 will be remembered as the Pandemic Year when a deadly pathogen somehow moved from bat to human—and the rest is history still being written. Six out of 10 infectious diseases are zoonotic: everything from COVID and the other coronaviruses to rabies, West Nile, even the plague. Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka has a better idea, she believes that zoonotic disease is controllable by simultaneously wor...