Do you really know?

What is soft power? Thanks for asking!There was a time where the only way to impose power was through violence and war. But for a few decades now, the power of a country or group is also affected by its soft power. By that we mean its ability to influence other parts of the world by spreading its cultural model.Soft power can be held by states, but also by international institutions, NGOs, businesses or citizen movements. It’s actually nothing new. Looking back in history, you can find examples of soft power in the times of ancient Greece or the British Empire. But only in 1990 was the theory of soft power developed by international relations professor Joseph Nye.Nye argued that the rise of globalisation meant using military force, or hard power, alone was no longer an option. His country, the United States, had grasped that and was using a new and highly effective form of power, which depended on its ability to attract and persuade others, thus shaping their preferences. What does soft power look like? Are the Americans the kings of soft power in that case? What countries are on the first place of soft power? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:What is Covax? What is the Suez Canal?What is a ghost kitchen? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is Covax? Thanks for asking!Described as the “biggest worldwide rollout of vaccines in the history of humanity”. the Covax scheme is part of the international battle against Covid-19, with the aim of ensuring people all around the world have access to vaccines, especially in poorer countries. This global initiative is led by the World Health Organisation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, with the support of Unicef and other international NGOs. 190 countries are participating, divided between 98 higher-income and 92 low- and middle-income economies. In the long term, Covax should help vaccinate 20% of the population in countries belonging to the latter group.Which countries are due to benefit from Covax then? So is it mainly African countries who are set to benefit then? Who is donating all the Covax vaccine doses? What challenges does the Covax initiative face? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:What is a ghost kitchen? What is the precautionary principle?What is poverty porn? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the Suez Canal? Thanks for asking! On March 23rd, the Ever Given container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in both directions. Such a blockage had never occurred before and it took six days for salvage crews to free the 220,000-ton cargo ship. Over 400 ships were forced to queue, waiting for Ever Given to be moved. Shipping data suggested the obstruction was holding up $9.6M worth of goods each day. Insurer Allianz estimated that each additional day contributed to a further $6bn - $10bn loss for world trade.Wow, that sure is one important waterway! When was the Suez Canal built? Who does the canal actually belong to? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:What is a ghost kitchen? What is the precautionary principle?What is poverty porn? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a ghost kitchen? Thanks for asking!For many of us, it’s been a long time since we last set foot in a pub or restaurant. We’ve become more accustomed than ever before to navigating our favourite food delivery apps until we find something that catches our fancy. But do we actually know how and where our meals are prepared?Ghost kitchens, or dark kitchens as they are also known, have really taken off in the last two years. Their success has come hand-in-hand with that of online delivery platforms, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only served to speed up the process. The idea is simple: a kind of virtual restaurant with no seating, no diners and no waiters. That’s right, ghost kitchens operate only to serve online customers.Uber Eats claims to now have 10,000 such providers on its US platform, compared to just 3,000 in 2019.Don’t they need a restaurant in order to prepare delivery food? So are ghost kitchens going to kill off traditional restaurants? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:What is poverty porn? What is Stop Asian Hate?Who is Ousmane Sonko?A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the precautionary principle? Thanks for asking! While over 50% of people in the UK have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, the EU is lagging far behind at 16%. Just two days ago, the World Health Organisation described the rollout in Europe as being “unacceptably slow”. The delays are down to several factors, one of which is the precautionary principle.In mid-March, 18 countries suspended use of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, including some of the EU’s biggest member states like Spain, Germany and France. They cited the precautionary principle as justification. This followed reports of blood clots in some patients who had received a dose of the vaccine. What’s the link between the vaccine and the precautionary principle then? Couldn’t you argue the EU leaders were right to exercise caution? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:What is poverty porn? What is Stop Asian Hate?Who is Ousmane Sonko?A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is poverty porn? Thanks for asking!Poverty porn is a provocative term of criticism which looks at how poor people and their living situations are portrayed in films, on television or on social media.The term became more widespread after the release of Slumdog Millionaire in the late 2000s. The Oscar-winning film tells the story of a young boy who grew up in the slums of Mumbai and is close to winning ₹20 million on a TV quiz show.Despite the film’s massive success, there were debates about whether it was poverty porn. Some suggested director Danny Boyle created it for a white audience looking for images of deprivation in a faraway setting.What’s the link with porn then? But is it really such a bad thing? Can you have poverty porn in Western countries too? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:Who is Ousmane Sonko?What is Generation Covid?What are HFCs?A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is Stop Asian Hate? Thanks for asking!On March 16th, a series of shootings in Atlanta caused eight deaths. The murders took place at three different spas, and six of the deceased victims were Asian women. The 21-year-old perpetrator claims to have been motivated by shame at his own sexual addiction, rather than specifically targeting the Asian community. But some believe the killings should be classed as hate crimes. The Stop Asian Hate hashtag has been trending on social media ever since.On the day of the shootings, social media analytics platform Visitbrain recorded 4 million tweets using the hashtag. It was notably shared by the Black Lives Matter movement, who released an anti-white supremacy statement. Is Stop Asian Hate a recent development? Do we have any statistics on the crimes being carried out? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Who is Ousmane Sonko?What is Generation Covid?What are HFCs?A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is Ousmane Sonko? Thanks for asking! Since early March, Senegal has seen a series of violent protests, a rare event in a country known for its political stability. Behind it all is the arrest of one man - Ousmane Sonko. The 46 year old MP is the main opponent of President Macky Sall and came third in 2019’s presidential election.Sonko is the leader of the PASTEF political party, and identifies as an anti-establishment candidate. He’s particularly popular among Senegal’s youth, and it’s worth noting half the country’s population is under the age of 20.  Why was Sonko arrested? What are the Senegalese youth demanding? What’s happened to Ousmane Sonko in the meantime? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What is eye yoga?What is a test concert?What is euthanasia?A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is Generation Covid? Thanks for asking! In social sciences, a generation refers to a group of the population whose members are around the same age and have hence lived through the same era. Think the baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials… and now Generation Covid!While they may be significantly less at risk of serious illness from Covid-19, young people are bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s economic consequences. Their development into adulthood is increasingly being affected, and it’s taking a mental toll.So who exactly do we count as part of Generation Covid? What about students and young adults? How have they been affected? Is there any cause for optimism? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What are HFCs?What is eye yoga?What is a test concert?A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are HFCs? Thanks for asking!Fridges, freezers and air conditioning. In cooling our individual homes, humans are heating up our collective home - planet earth. That’s partly down to hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs for short. These industrial chemicals are mainly used for cooling and refrigeration, but they generate a huge amount of pollution.The adoption of HFCs is relatively recent as until the 1980s we used chlorofluorocarbons as refrigerants. Scientists then realised these greenhouse gases were contributing to ozone layer depletion, with a global warming potential of around 10,000. That’s a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of carbon dioxide. So in 1987, states signed the Montreal Protocol, which would see the production of CFCs drastically reduced. To be replaced by....HFCs? What is that? Is it good for the environment? How are we going to produce refrigerants without CFCs or HFCs? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What is eye yoga?What is a test concert?What is euthanasia?A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices