Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

On January 31, the UK formally left the European Union. But ‘Brexit’ is far from over. On this episode guest host Dan Richards talks with political economist and Watson Professor Mark Blyth about the next steps in this process, and what they’ll mean for Europe and the UK. Mark’s never been Brexit’s biggest fan, but on this episode he explains to Dan why he has some reasons for hope, and what it might look like to ‘get Brexit done right.’You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

This past January marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. On this episode, Sarah talks with Watson Faculty Fellow and historian Omer Bartov about the intimate tragedies that occurred within the massive, industrialized murder of the Holocaust. In his book 'Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz,' he vividly illustrates how the residents of one small town went from co-existing to committing mass murder in a matter of years. It’s both an important piece of history and a cautionary tale about how quickly neighbors can turn against each other. You can learn more about and purchase Omer's book here. You can watch Omer discuss the book at the Watson Institute here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

Tensions between China and the US are at a level not seen in decades. But as Chas Freeman, former Assistant US Secretary of Defense and Watson Senior Fellow believes, the tension between these countries is larger than a tit-for-tat trade dispute. Everything about this relationship is being called to question, and it has implications around the world. On this episode Edward Steinfeld, Director of the Watson Institute and Director of Watson’s China Initiative, sits down with Chas to discuss what may be the biggest story of decades to come: the fast-changing relationship between the US and China. You can read Chas’s paper ‘A World Dividing: The International Implications of the Sino-American Rift’ here. You can learn more about Watson’s China Initiative here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

On this episode: why protests have erupted across India in the last few months, and why these protests have been, in many ways, a long time coming. Guest host and producer Dan Richards talks with Sara Shneiderman, associate professor in anthropology and the School of Public Policy & Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia, and Sahana Ghosh, postdoctoral fellow at the Watson Institute, about what they call the “weaponizing of citizenship" in India. You can read more of their analysis in their recent op-ed for The Conversation here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

Observers in the West too often have a one-dimensional view of women in Muslim-majority countries; as subjugated, and in need of help in their liberation. On this episode, Sarah sits down with three leading experts on gender politics in the Middle East and South Asia to break down that myth. Anthropologist and Professor at Watson's Center for Middle East Studies Nadje Al-Ali, along with her colleagues Deniz Kandiyoti and Kathryn Poots, coedited the anthology 'Gender, Governance, and Islam,' which explores the complex politics of gender in the Middle East and South Asia. Their conversation with Sarah -- and even more so, their book -- will change how you view the lives of women in this part of the world. You can learn more about and purchase 'Gender, Governance, and Islam' here: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-gender-governance-and-islam.html You can read more about their visit to the Watson Institute, and find links to their lectures, here: https://watson.brown.edu/events/2019/gender-governance-and-islam You can learn more about Watson's Center for Middle East Studies here: [https://watson.brown.edu/cmes/] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ThHrqJZGFqVgp8kG12AT9sy_JGP1YNEL/view?usp=sharing]

This episode is a co-production between Watson's China Initiative and the Center for Middle East Studies at Brown University. This fall, the Center brought to Watson Adeeb Khalid, Director of Middle East Studies at Carleton College, to discuss the history and future of the Uyghurs in Northwest China. Adeeb and Sarah discuss how this minority group ended up as part of China in the first place, and how China’s economic development plan -- known as the ‘Belt and Road initiative’ -- might be connected to renewed tensions we're seeing today. You can watch the presentation Adeeb Khalid gave at Watson here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGWOoaePJZg&feature=youtu.be] You can learn more about the China Initiative here: [https://watson.brown.edu/china/] You can learn more about the Center for Middle East Studies here: [https://watson.brown.edu/cmes/] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bc6dHNv_ZgRyBDZNPb1wQJns5KBxRrSW/view?usp=sharing]

On this episode, public health scientist and Brown Associate Dean Caroline Kuo talks with Watson Fellow Matthew Gutmann about his newest book ‘Are Men Animals? How Modern Masculinity Sells Men Short.’ They explore how what we think of as ‘male behavior’ -- from displays of aggression to mansplaining -- can only be explained by understanding the complex relationship between our culture and our biology. You can learn more about and purchase Matthew's book here: [https://www.amazon.com/Are-Men-Animals-Modern-Masculinity/dp/1541699580] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q-KtxqQuWWoJ4dHTIir6VuW1ofvlNiu7/view?usp=sharing]

On Trending Globally's 100th episode, Sarah talks with author and Watson Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer about secret agents, the Cold War, and mind-altering drugs. Stephen's newest book, 'Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control', pulls back the curtain on MK-Ultra, a top-secret CIA project that tried to learn how to control the human mind. Gottlieb ran sinister experiments on human subjects across the globe, and in the process helped spread the use of psychedelic drugs like LSD. It’s one of those stories that if it wasn’t true, you’d never believe it. But it is. You can learn more about and purchase 'Poisoner in Chief' here: [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250140432] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZcfdnJce5Zb6A9cM4HRmoFFFlTYjbha3/view?usp=sharing]

In 1979 a group of young rebels, calling themselves the Sandinista National Liberation Front, overthrew a brutal dictatorship in Nicaragua. 40 years later, Nicaraguans are again living under an oppressive authoritarian regime. The current leader? Sandinista Daniel Ortega. In the Spring of 2019, the Watson Institute held an unprecedented conference exploring the history and legacy of this unfinished revolution. Out of that conference came this four-part special series from Trending Globally, telling the story of the Sandinista Revolution from the people who lived it. Part IV: How a country that went through a revolution, a civil war, and a miraculous transition to democracy...found itself under the control of a dictator again today. But like in 1979, young people are taking to the streets, and the world is watching. For more information about the conference this podcast was based on, including recorded lectures and a short film featuring many of the voices from this podcast, visit [watson.brown.edu/nicaragua].

November 11 was Veterans Day, a time to honor and turn our attention to the veterans and service members in our community at Watson. On this special episode, guest host Carrie Nordlund talks with three of them: Aileen Teague is a former Marine Officer and currently a postdoctoral fellow at Watson; Bryan Brown is an active duty Special Forces Officer in the U.S. Army, and currently getting his MPA at Watson; Michael Muir is a prior enlisted Officer in the Marines, and a senior at Brown. It’s a candid and enlightening conversation, and whether you have personal connections to the military or not, we think you’ll learn a lot from what these folks have to say. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VgsQW1NWQ_lLaRkHjpyTvK-Mnx8g53Mw/view?usp=sharing]