Nothing is Foreign

This week, the Chinese government accused the U.S of sending 10 high-altitude balloons into its airspace in the past year. This came after the U.S shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this month, and amid U.S. accusations that China operates a fleet of spy balloons around the world. Both governments have denied the allegations of surveillance being levelled against them. Analysts say that these events have huge implications for the long-term relationship between the two global superpowers. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we get the view from Beijing on how the diplomatic crisis unfolded. Plus, a look at the challenges of getting aid into heavily sanctioned rebel-held Northwestern Syria after the devastating earthquake of February 6. Will easing sanctions speed the flow of aid — or will it help prop up President Bashar al-Assad's regime? Featuring: Lingling Wei, China chief correspondent, the Wall Street Journal. Monzer Al-Salal, with the Stabilization Support Unit, a non-governmental organization based in Syria. Alena Douhan, UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/nothing-is-foreign-transcripts-listen-1.6732059

For the first time in six decades, China's population shrank last year. It's resulted in growing fears around the future of the country's economy and has pushed government authorities and private companies to launch incentive programs to boost the population. Just last week, government officials in the Chinese province of Sichuan announced they would allow couples to have an unlimited number of children. It's a radical turn from the days of the one-child policy, which was in place from 1980 to 2015. According to Mei Fong, author of One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment, that policy has influenced a generation of young people to push back against societal expectations around marriage and childbearing. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we dig into those changing attitudes and how they might help us understand the population decline we're seeing in China today. Featuring: Mei Fong, author of One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/nothing-is-foreign-transcripts-listen-1.6732059

University students across India have been protesting the government's suppression of a recently released BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It's about his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, where over a thousand people were killed, mostly Muslims. The Indian government suppressed the documentary by using emergency powers, stemming from an IT law it created in 2021 that allows for the removal of online content considered fake or false by the government, or seen as a threat to public order. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we get into the support and backlash to Modi shutting down screenings of the BBC documentary and what that says about growing concerns around censorship and freedom of expression in the country. Featuring: Ajoy Ashirwad, political editor at The Wire, an independent news agency based in Delhi. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/nothing-is-foreign-transcripts-listen-1.6732059

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine drags on, experts say Vladimir Putin is preparing to do what was once unthinkable: launch another wave of mobilization. Russian military analysts say Putin is preparing the country for a long war and needs the extra recruits. In addition, Ukrainian intelligence officials have also claimed that a second round of mobilization is imminent. But what do ordinary Russians think? This week, Nothing is Foreign speaks to a Russian man who fled when he first received his draft notice. He says that if the war effort persists, he does not see a future for himself and his family in Russia. Featuring: Denis Volkov, director of the Levada Center, a non-governmental research organization based in Moscow. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/nothing-is-foreign-transcripts-listen-1.6732059

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there has been a crackdown on the rights and freedoms of women in the country. Despite initially promising that a woman's right to study and work would be preserved, the Taliban has enacted policies that virtually ban women from public life. Girls are not allowed to continue their education beyond Grade 6. Afghan women have pushed back on the restrictions, and this week on Nothing is Foreign, we hear one woman's story of resistance. Sahar, whose last name we are not disclosing for her safety, teaches at a secret school for girls in Grades 7-12 in Kabul. Featuring: Obaidullah Baheer, lecturer at American University of Afghanistan. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/nothing-is-foreign-transcripts-listen-1.6732059

On Sunday, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country's Congress. This happened just a week after the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Thousands of demonstrators crossed security barricades, smashed windows and ransacked offices. For many who follow Brazilian politics closely, this act of violence wasn't surprising. Bolsonaro supporters have been blocking highways, and camping out at military headquarters across the country, demanding that the military reinstate the former president. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we take a closer look at Bolsonaro's support base — often described as "bibles, beef and bullets," and the culture wars that have fuelled political divisions in the country, to better understand what might have led to this week's attack on Brazil's Congress. Featuring: Cedê Silva, Brasília-based journalist, working for The Brazilian Report.

The Indonesian parliament recently approved a law that, in part, bans sex outside of marriage, making the act punishable by a year in jail. Rights groups fear this will lead to a crackdown on dissent and privacy rights, and that it will also targets the LGBTQ community given that gay marriage is illegal in Indonesia. Today on Nothing is Foreign, we dig into what this could mean for people in Indonesia, and the growing influence of conservative Muslim values in the country. Featuring: Dede Oetomo, LGBTQ right activist and founder of Gaya Nusantara. Andreas Harsono, author and Indonesia researcher for Human Rights Watch.

India’s RRR, a three-hour epic that’s made 175 million dollars around the world and found a massive audience through Netflix, has just been nominated for two Golden Globes — a first for an Indian film. And with that, RRR has brought a lot of attention to Tollywood, the South Indian Telugu-language film industry from which it was made. This comes during a rough patch for Bollywood, the country’s dominant Hindi-language film industry. There have been a string of big budget flops along and a right-wing driven movement to boycott some big stars. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we dive into the world of RRR and Tollywood’s success and why this might be connected to India’s polarizing political climate. Featuring: Aakshi Magazine, film and culture writer based in New Delhi

In many ways South Korean boy band BTS is exceptional. The group sells out stadiums around the world, and adds about $3.6 billion USD a year to their home economy. But in one crucial aspect, each of its seven members is completely ordinary. Like every young man in South Korea: they must enlist for mandatory military service before they turn 30. Last week, the oldest member of the group, Kim Seok-jin — better known as Jin — started his deployment in the county of Yeoncheon, near the North Korean border. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we pull apart all the different arguments in the debate over BTS, Korean conscription, and using K-Pop idols as the ultimate diplomatic emissaries. Featuring: Michelle Cho, professor of East Asian studies at the University of Toronto, BTS fan.

World Cup 2022 is about to wrap up this weekend, and one of the emerging storylines has been the growing solidarity between fans from different Arab nations. The success of Morocco, the first African and largely Arabic-speaking country to enter the semi-finals, is a big contributing factor to this, but many fans have also been united in their support of the Palestinian cause during the tournament. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we unpack these moments of solidarity happening between nations, and how the World Cup has provided a venue for both people to celebrate but also speak out about tensions in the region. Featuring: Vivian Nereim, Gulf bureau chief for the New York Times.