The Looking Glass

As new technologies emerge, space operations and infrastructure have become critical to U.S. national security and economy. To understand the ongoing discussion on what the current status is on space technology and infrastructure, developing space policy communities, and the security issues that follow, joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Gregory Falco. Dr. Gregory Falco is an Assistant Profess...

The Sudan Civil war has brought about the current largest famine and displacement crisis in the world, bringing with it questions around aid and international attention. To discuss the status of the conflict, the famine crisis and why it continues, and possible international actions that could be taken, joining us on the podcast today is Dan Sullivan. Dan Sullivan is the director for Africa, Asia,...

The rise of AI and its use in private and public sectors has highlighted the need for AI regulations and have sparked debates on its contents globally. To understand the ongoing debates around what exactly the technology is, the pros and cons of adopting AI, and the current and future regulatory environment for an ethical AI, joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Monica Lopez-Gonzalez. Dr. Lopez...

For our 4th episode, we are joined by Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. Mcgovern Foundation, AI ethicist, and appointee ​​to the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.  This week, it’s all about the need to support technology creation that is fair and equitable through public and third-sector efforts.  This week we are learning :  Importance of curiosity and life-long learni...

On the 3rd episode of this series, we are joined by Ronaldo Lemos - co-founder of the Brazilian Internet Bill of Rights and the National IoT Plan. Founder of the Institute for Technology of Rio de Janeiro, he is also a professor at Schwarzman College in Beijing, at Columbia University and still a lawyer. This week it’s all about how we need to build competitiveness and have different national regu...

This week’s episode, Mathilde is hosting Sabhanaz Diya, the founder of Tech Global Institute as well as a senior fellow for the Center for International Governance Innovation. Whilst working for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as for Meta as the Head for Bangladesh, she developed expertise at the intersection between advocacy and implementation - working to bridge the gaps in communi...

Across the dunes of time, the winds of change have often reshaped nations. Welcome to "The Looking Glass." I'm Kosi Ogbuli, your guide through the intricate maze of history and politics. Today, we step back into 1969, when a young Muammar Gaddafi changed Libya forever. This is Episode 2: "The Winds of Change." Dirk Vandewalle, a renowned expert from Dartmouth College with...

Welcome on Talos, a new podcast in partnership with The Looking Glass. My name is Mathilde Barge and I will be taking you on a journey across different technology policy profiles, asking real questions about what it entails, what we can do about it, and how it is evolving.  This week’s episode,I had the pleasure of talking with Eleonore Fournier Tombs, Head of Anticipatory Action and Innovation at...

Welcome to "The Looking Glass," the show where we reflect on the stories that shape our world. I’m Kosi Ogbuli, and in this inaugural episode of this mini-series, we journey back to the early 20th century to witness the birth of a nation - Libya. It's a tale of independence, monarchy, and the shaping of a country's identity amid the waves of change sweeping through Africa and t...

Renowned historian, intellectual, and journalist Vijay Prashad joins the pod to discuss how the political left sees the year ahead. Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian and journalist. Prashad is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World and The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Glo...

Jason Terry (He/Him), Director of Strategic Programs at UNRWA USA,  joins the pod to discuss the harrowing situation unfolding in Gaza.   Things will have changed by the time you have listened to this episode.  Remember to leave 5-stars and share with a friend!

Today, we're exploring the critical role of the World Bank Inspection Panel in protecting livelihoods through its 30 years of operations. We'll be discussing the insights and experiences gained from various inspection cases, particularly focusing on a recent investigation in Togo, West Africa." Remember to leave 5-stars and share with a friend!

Today, we're joined by two experts: Laura Sanders from Cetus Global and Dougoukolu Alpha Oumar, a geopolitics analyst, clinical psychologist, and a  SAIS alum and someone who can speak truth to power regarding Fulani communities across West Africa. "Don't Call it a Farmer Herder Conflict." Remember to leave 5-stars and share with a friend!

Dr. Marsha A. Echols is the Director of The World Food Law Institute and a Professor at Howard University School of Law, where she teaches commercial, international business and trade, and world food law. She is a recognized expert in the fields of international food regulation, international trade and dispute settlement.  Remember to leave 5-stars and share with a friend!

The politics of disaster series continues with a dive into the devastating environmental and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Royal Dutch Shell oil company in the Niger Delta region.  For decades, the local communities have suffered from massive oil spills, gas flaring, and deforestation, leading to loss of livelihoods, contaminated water, and severe health impacts. Despite ongoing legal bat...

In a special series, The Looking Glass and The Politics of Disaster Podcast will explore powerful stories at the intersection of policy and climate disaster. This episode explores the Lingering Impact of Deepwater Horizon. On the mic are: Jeffrey Gorham (MAIR ‘24/narrator), Rowan Humphries (MAIR ‘24/interviewed Ben Casselman), and Nathan Felmus (BA/MAIR ’24/interviewed Allen Lindsay Jr.) This epis...

Back in March, we had the pleasure of Speaking with Charles Dunst about his new book,  Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman. In a world where democracy is in decline and autocracy is on the rise, Dunst argues autocracy is not the solution despite being an attractive alternative for those disillusioned with current democratic institutions. He argues that th...

Digital authoritarianism is a wide-ranging and, at times, difficult-to-define area of international security analysis. To help us tease out some key terms and analytical frameworks in this ever-evolving domain, we brought on international security expert and analyst Mr. Erol Yayboke , Director of the Project on Fragility and Mobility and Senior Fellow for the International Security Program at the...

At the posting of this episode —Nigeria’s tightest presidential election in a generation — Africa’s most significant democratic exercise —has yet to be decided. However, Nigeria's political map will never be the same after this election. This phenomenon has been years in the making. Joining us to discuss these dynamics is Ebenezer Obadare , Douglas Dillon senior fellow for Africa studies at t...

Perhaps the most important critique of modern international law has been the charge that it is a Eurocentric regime, which has helped to erect and defend a world of deep injustice characterized by violence, exploitation, and inequality. To reorient the discussion on international law, this episode of The Looking Glass explores International Law and the Global South with Professor Obiora Chinedu Ok...

This episode of The Looking Glass follows the rise of digital authoritarianism through China’s use of technology for mass surveillance, including the use of biometrics, artificial intelligence, and big data. We discuss the export of digital authoritarianism to other parts of the world, the role of democracies in providing a better use case of technology, and technology’s relationship with human ri...

This episode of The Looking Glass follows the rise of authoritarianism in Poland over the past forty years and considers the varied consequences; from rising tensions with the European Union, to the weaponization of conspiracy and revisionist history, to violations of human rights and threats to democracy. It considers the state of things, as well as the stakes–what it all means for Poles today an...

This episode of The Looking Glass tackles the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and asks the question: what can international institutions do to intervene in this conflict? It explores challenges faced by these organizations and what policies they can put in place to solve these problems. Join us as guests Nele Ewers-Peters, Jason Blessing, and Obiora Okafor as they discuss the historical role of N...

This episode of The Looking Glass dives into the understudied field of Gender Disinformation. It explores how disinformation operations conducted against women are inherently different than their male counterparts. This episode combines the subjects of the last two SAIS Review issues, "Who Runs the World: A Look at Gender in International Affairs" and "Conflict in the Fifth Domain&q...

Join hosts Jen Roberts and Derek Chuah as The Looking Glass enters its fourth season! This episode features a roundtable of cybersecurity professionals who discuss a variety of topics, ranging from how malware is implemented in cyberattacks to a review of the Biden Administration's  cybersecurity policies.  Join us as we discuss choosing our weapon with Will Loomis, an Assistant Director at t...