Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

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 III: The Contra War. How a CIA-led insurrection against the Sandinista government turned into a genuine, massive civil war by the mid 1980s. We hear from people on different sides of the struggle, as well as from those involved in it's surprising resolution.  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].

At a moment when it feels like there’s an endless stream of breaking news, it’s worth stepping back sometimes, and thinking about things on a longer time scale. On this episode, Sarah spoke with artist and writer Pam Petro '82 about her other-worldly photography exhibit, 'The Blink of Our Lifetimes: The Ecology of Dusk,' which is currently on view at the Watson Institute. They talk art, ecology, memory, history, and impossible-to-translate (but oh-so-useful) Welsh concept of ‘hiraeth.’ It might make you look at the next breaking headline a little differently. Pam Petro’s exhibit 'The Blink of Our Lifetimes: the Ecology of Dusk,' is open to the public and runs through December 20 at Watson, located in the lobby of 280 Brook Street, Providence. You can learn more about the exhibit here: [https://watson.brown.edu/events/2019/blink-our-lifetimes-ecology-dusk]

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 II: Trouble in Paradise. In July 1979, with widespread support at home and abroad, the Sandinista-led Junta of National Reconstruction took over Nicaragua's government. Within a few short years the Junta would crumble, a Civil War would begin, and Nicaragua would find itself the newest front in the Cold War. On this episode we hear from people who led Nicaragua during this transition, as well as from a US diplomat who tried to convince President Reagan to hold off on funding the Contras(spoiler: he didn't succeed). 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].

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 1: Who are the Sandinistas? How did they grow from a rag-tag army to an unstoppable revolutionary force? What was their appeal? On this episode we get answers -- from former Sandinista’s themselves. For more information about the conference this podcast was based on, including recorded lectures and a short film featuring many of the voices in this podcast, visit [watson.brown.edu/nicaragua].

On this episode Sarah talks with Watson Senior fellow Deborah Gordon. Deborah’s newest paper looks at one of the ‘stealthiest’ and most destructive greenhouse gasses: methane. Specifically, the paper uncovers how methane is leaked throughout our infrastructure, from oil rigs to your kitchen stove. It’s a gas leak on a global scale, and it’s warming our planet more than anyone knew. On the bright side, plugging these leaks could make a measurable, immediate impact towards fighting climate change. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E99_Debbie%20Gordon_Final.pdf]

On this episode, guest host Rich Snyder talks with Maria Cabrera Arus, a visiting professor at the Center for Latin American and Carribean Studies at Watson. Maria studies the sociology, politics, and history of something we all interact with every day: clothes. Specifically, at how clothes communicate power, and project values in a culture. She and Rich explore a place and time that exemplifies this relationship between politics, power, and fashion especially well: Revolutionary Cuba. You can learn more about Maria’s upcoming public lecture at Watson here: [https://watson.brown.edu/clacs/events/2019/maria-cabrera-arus-la-moda-la-revoluci-n-cubana-y-el-hombre-nuevo-fashion-cuban] For more examples and images of Revolutionary Cuba’s material culture, visit Maria’s blog ‘Cube Material’: [https://cubamaterial.com/] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E98_Cabrera%20Arus_Final.pdf] NOTE: The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Watson is currently accepting applications for the Cogut Visiting Professorship, which brings scholars from Latin America and the Caribbean to teach and conduct research here at Brown. The application deadline is November 15. You can learn more about it and apply here: [https://watson.brown.edu/clacs/opportunities/fellowships]

From the industrial revolution to the rise of globalization, human society has changed profoundly since our early days as hunter-gathers. But our brains? Not so much. On this episode, Sarah talks with Watson professor Rose McDermott about this evolutionary mismatch, and the vexing problems it creates in our politics and culture. Perhaps nowhere is this more urgently felt than in the rise of anti-immigrant, far-right populism around the world, where leaders and the media have learned to play into our most primal instincts. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E97_Rose%20McDermott_Final.pdf]

NOTE FOR LISTENERS: Mark and Carrie will be moving to their own podcast channel after this episode. To hear new episodes of Mark and Carrie from now on, subscribe to their new feed, 'Mark and Carrie,' wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks! Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown's Watson Institute, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and associate director of Brown's Master of Public Affairs program, share their take on the news. Topics include: Greta Thunberg and the grown-ups failing our planet, fires and blackouts in California, Brexit: Endgame, Bernie Sanders' health and its effects on the Democratic primary, Mark's super chill visit to Hong Kong, and the US's impending constitutional crisis. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dop41fa1X2-go_mRM13GL4S_ztcapMU-/view]

Cristian Farias is a journalist who's written about law and the Supreme Court for New York Magazine, HuffPost, and The New York Times (among many others). For much of the last two years he’s closely followed the Trump administration’s efforts to put a citizenship question on the 2020 census. On this episode of Trending Globally, he and Sarah talk about the politics and policy of the 2020 US census, and why it's fundamentally important to our democracy to get the census right. You can watch Cristian talk from his visit to the Watson Institute here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-wAy2jfb-4&feature=youtu.be] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E96_Cristian%20Farias_Final.pdf]

On this episode of Trending Globally, Sarah talks with Watson sociologist Jayanti Owens about her research on racial discrimination in one of America’s most important institutions: our schools. They look at how racial discrimination affects students as young as 5 years old, how these effects ripple out into the rest of society, and how thoughtful public policy can help make an education system that works for every child. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E95_Jayanti%20Owens_Final.pdf]