Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

The foreign policy implications of the U.S. midterms could be profound. How might Republican control of the U.S. Senate affect the on-going and sensitive nuclear negotiations with Iran? How would it impact President Obama's Foreign Affairs budget requests, and what does the election results say about foreign policy debates within the Republican party? Here with me to discuss these questions and more is Boston Globe columnist Michael Cohen of The Century Foundation. Enjoy (or not, depending on your political preference!)

Erica Chenoweth is a pioneering academic whose ground breaking study on strategic non-violence demonstrated that movements that use non-violent tactics when fighting for the over-through of a regime are twice as likely to succeed as movements that use violence as a tactic. Her book, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Non-Violence, co-authored with Maria J. Stephan, provides an authoritative study of how and when non-violent movements succeed in their goals of overthrowing a regime. Chenoweth discusses her book, some of the current movements she is studying and tells Mark how growing up in Dayton, Ohio to helped propel her to a career in international relations.

The ebola outbreak and its importation to the United States has unleashed a wave of panic in the United States that reveals the paucity of Americans' knowledge and understanding of Africa. I speak with Laura Seay of Colby College and the Washington Post who is one of America's premier Africanists. She discusses how ignorance breeds discrimination and policy responses that undermine the effort to contain the ebola outbreak in West Africa. Americans don't know much about Africa or African geography--and that is hurting the country's ability to stop ebola at its source.

The Millennium Development Goals are expiring in 2015 and they will be replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a big year for international development--and humanity -- as complex diplomacy is underway at the United Nations to finalize what's called the "Post 2015 Development Agenda." Here with me to discuss the process of creating the Sustainable Development Goals, the substance of those goals and the key points of contention is Minh Thu Pham of the United Nations Foundation. This is a super helpful discussion for anyone who cares about international development, global do gooder and diplomacy. Have a listen!

For the first time in the history of the world, a sitting head of state is attending his trial for crimes against humanity. The head of state is Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta. The venue is the International Criminal Court. The stakes are high, but the case against him is troubled. Mark speaks with Mark Kersten of the LSE and SOAS, and author of the blog Justice in Conflict about the case against Kenyatta. They discuss its significance the ICC, and why it's exceedingly difficult to build a case against a serving head of state.

Scott Guggenheim is the most influential development expert that you've never heard of. The writer Rebecca Hamilton sits in for Mark today and interviews Guggenheim about his pioneering model of community driven economic development. This model has critics, but it was proven effective -- of all places -- in Afghanistan in the height of the insurgency. Guggenheim tells Hamilton how this model works, how he came up with it, his friendship with Ashraf Ghani, and his career as a maverick World Banker.

Somaly Mam is on the line today. She is the Cambodian anti-sex trafficking activist who came to prominence a few years ago as celebrities in the west rallied around her and her organization. That all came crashing down this year when Newsweek published a cover story calling into question the credibility of her amazing personal story, which includes escaping from the sex trade herself. She was ousted from the organization that bears her name and was tarnished by some of her closest allies. Then, in September, Marie Claire published an article calling into question some of the claims of that Newsweek takedown, suggesting that key details were incorrect. So what is the real story? I don't know. The point of this interview was not to engage in a back and forth with Somaly about whether or not she fabricated claims about past. Rather, I was interested in learning what she is up to now, and how this controversy has affected her personally and her work rescuing girls from the sex trade. To be honest, I'm not sure I succeeded. It was a tough interview. I'll let you decide. Please feel free to direct your criticisms and critiques (or, if you like it, your approbation) of this interview to me personally, via @MarkLGoldberg

The Security Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, chaired by President Obama, dedicated to stemming the flow of foreign fighters to the Syrian battlefield. The meeting demonstrates that the United States believes the United Nations has an important role to play in the global fight against terrorism. But what, exactly, does that mean? Here to discuss the Security Council meeting and the UN's evolving involvement on terrorism issues (including its strengths and weaknesses) is Naureen Chowdhury Fink of the Global Center on Cooperative Security.

Hundreds of world leaders are descending on the United Nations for a one day meeting on climate change. This is a big deal for the United Nations, for diplomacy, and possibly for the planet. So who is showing up and what countries are snubbing the conference? What will be discussed? And how will this affect ongoing negotiations to construct an internationally binding climate change agreement? Mark speaks with Elliot Diringer of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions who helps put this historic meeting at the United Nations in the larger context of international climate change diplomacy. This is a very useful conversation for understanding the diplomatic contours of arguably the single most important issue facing humanity today.

Ruth Messinger cut her teeth in New York City politics. She was a long serving member of the city council and one-time candidate for Mayor. She made the move from municipal politics to global affairs when she became the head of the American Jewish World Service, an international development and advocacy organization. Ruth tells Mark about growing up in New York, running for office, and making the switch to international issues. They kick off with a discussion about the work of the AJWS around the world.