Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

July 19, 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua. Leading up to the anniversary, the Watson Institute hosted a conference looking at the history of the Revolution and its legacy. We at Trending Globally asked many of the conference guests -- including former Sandinista fighters, diplomats, foreign correspondents, scholars, and activists -- to help us tell the story of this Revolution. Coming this Fall on Trending Globally, the story of the Sandinista Revolution from the people who lived it, and an exploration of how it brought Nicaragua to crisis today. Subscribe to Trending Globally to get the first episode when it comes out. You can find more information about Watson's conference, including links to all the lectures and panel discussions, here: https://watson.brown.edu/events/2019/conference-nicaragua-1979-2019-sandinista-revolution-after-40-years

Policy-makers and the media have a problem when it comes to talking about gender in many Muslim-majority nations: too often it’s discussed only in the context of religion or culture, and politics is left out of the equation. On this episode, Sarah Baldwin talks with Nadje Al-Ali [watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/Al-Ali], an anthropologist at Watson's Center for Middle East Studies [https://watson.brown.edu/cmes/], working to change that. They discuss the various ways gender and politics intersect in Muslim-majority countries, at scales both local and global. They also talk about Al-Ali’s forthcoming book Gender, Islam & Governance [https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-gender-governance-and-islam-hb.html], which she co-edited with Deniz Kandiyoti and Kathryn Spellman Poots. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E92_Nadje%20Al-Ali_mixdown.pdf]

On this episode Sarah Baldwin talks with Charlotte Silverman, Sarah Campbell Tucker, and Carly Paul, three students at Brown who are doing fascinating work on gender and development. They discuss their work and research, explore how to better frame issues of gender equality and public health, and hear from Charlotte about what it’s like having your social justice work...win an Oscar [https://www.brown.edu/research/pembroke-center/news/2019-02/gnss-concentrator-charlotte-silverman-wins-oscar]. The film Charlotte co-produced, 'Period. End of Sentence.' is available streaming on Netflix. You can see the trailer here: [https://www.netflix.com/title/81074663] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E91_Documentary_DS%20Students_REV_1.pdf]

On this episode of Trending Globally, Sarah Baldwin talks with Emily Oster, an economist at The Watson Institute and author of 'Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool' [https://www.amazon.com/Cribsheet-Data-Driven-Relaxed-Parenting-Preschool/dp/0525559256]. In the book, Oster uses the tools of an economist to challenge the conventional wisdom of early childhood parenting. Sarah and Emily discuss some of the most surprising findings from her research, and explore why the book has become such a hit among young parents today. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E90_Emily%20Oster_mixdown.pdf]

How has globalization changed the way that borders operate? And how have these changes affected the US's already strained immigration system? On this episode, Sarah Baldwin talks with former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin and Watson Professor Peter Andreas, both experts on the Mexico-US border. They discuss the current state of the border, the cynical genius of Trump’s chant to ‘build a wall,’ and how to fix our patchwork immigration system going forward.To see Alan Bersin's April presentation at Watson, follow this link: [https://watson.brown.edu/events/2019/alan-bersin-lines-and-flows-future-border-security-not-what-it-used-be]You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E89_Alan%20Bersin_Rev_2.pdf]

This episode of Trending Globally is the third in our 2019 Commencement-Student Spotlight series. As spring semester came to a close, host Sarah Baldwin spoke with a few of Watson’s graduating seniors about their research and work as undergrads. Be prepared to be inspired! Luna Floyd is a public policy concentrator at Watson. Sarah spoke with Luna about her work and research, which has focused on LGBTQ rights, homelessness, and fixing our country’s broken foster care system. It’s heavy stuff, but Luna approaches it with a clarity, intelligence, and passion that might actually give you hope. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E87_3_Student%20Ep%201c_Luna_EDIT_1.pdf]

This episode of Trending Globally is the fourth and final part of our 2019 Commencement Student Spotlight series. As spring semester came to a close, host Sarah Baldwin spoke with a few of Watson’s graduating seniors about their research and work as undergrads. Sebastián Otero Oliveras concentrated in ethnomusicology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies. A musician and music lover, his passion and studies have taken him from Providence to Cuba to his home of Puerto Rico. Sarah and Sebastián talked about how he combined his musical and academic interests at Brown, and how he plans to continue this fusion of interests after graduating. To find Sebastián's music: On streaming services: search 'Sebastián .Oteros' Soundcloud: [https://soundcloud.com/sebadelmundo] Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCycEQzz9nZrLXmedjuI8KpA] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E87_4Student%20Ep%201d_Sebastian_FINAL.pdf]

Is war with Iran in the works? With tensions escalating, and U.S. allies skeptical about what the Trump administration calls an ‘imminent threat,’ the potential for armed conflict feels all too real. On this special episode of Trending Globally, Sarah Baldwin talks with Professor Jo-Anne Hart [https://watson.brown.edu/people/visiting/hart], an expert on security, Iran, and the Middle East, about the fact, fiction, and nuances of the US's relationship with Iran. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E88_Jo-Anne_mixdown.pdf]

This episode of Trending Globally is the second in our 2019 Commencement-Student Spotlight series. As spring semester came to a close, host Sarah Baldwin spoke with a few of Watson’s graduating seniors about their research and work as undergrads. Be prepared to be inspired! Ethan Shire is a Political Science and Latin American & Caribbean Studies concentrator, and an active member of Brown’s political scene. But his Junior year he took Engineering 1010, a class on entrepreneurship taught by Professor Danny Warshay, and it started him on a path he did not expect. Sarah talked with Ethan about how he first got the entrepreneurial bug, and how his interests in policy, history, and business overlapped at Brown. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E87_2_Student%20Ep%201b_Ethan_FINAL.pdf]

This episode of Trending Globally is the first in our 2019 Commencement-Student Spotlight series. As spring semester came to a close, host Sarah Baldwin spoke with a few of Watson’s graduating seniors about their research and work as undergrads. Be prepared to be inspired! Part 1: Drashti Brambhatt is originally from Queens, New York, and is concentrating in international relations. In her time at Watson she has studied and worked on human rights issues around the world. Back in Providence, she wrote a thesis exploring how museums retell and reframe national traumas. She talked with Sarah about how these experiences at Brown complimented each other, and how she hopes to continue connecting these interests in the future. Download episode transcript