Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

The likelihood that Russia will invade Ukraine seems to be growing by the day. If Russia indeed attacks Ukraine, how should the United States and Europe respond?    Joining me to take on that question and more are four excellent speakers: Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Nina Jankowicz the Woodrow Wilson Center Jim Goldgeier of Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation.   Melinda Haring of The Atlantic Council     Recorded live via Twitter Spaces. Follow me @MarkLGoldberg to be notified of the next live taping.

Hong Kong used to have one of the most vibrant media ecosystems in all of Asia. But not today.  There is an ongoing crackdown on independent media in Hong Kong. Outlets large and small are being shut down, ostensible for violating newly enacted laws intended to suppress the pro-democracy movement.  On the line with me from Hong Kong to discuss the plight of independent media there is Austin Ramzy of the New York Times.  "For the Love of Hong Kong: A Memoir from My City Under Siege" by Hana Meihan Davis Austin Ramzy's New York Times story

Bosnia is facing its deepest political crisis since the civil war in the 1990s.   In 1995, the United States helped broker an agreement between the waring parties known as the Dayton Accords. This agreement created a new political order in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has been an uneasy agreement, certainly tenuous at times, but it has held.      Now, the agreement is unraveling -- and very quickly.   On the line to explain why and how Bosnia is on the verge of potential political disintegration is Jasmin Mujanovic, a political scientist and analyst of southeast European and international affairs.

David Miliband is the president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, one of the larger global humanitarian organizations with relief operations around the world. At the end of 2021 David Miliband, the former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, delivered a lecture at the Council on Foreign Relations identifying and defining what he called a "Systems Failure" in global crisis response. This is the topic of much of our conversation today.   

For the last week, massive protests have swept across the large Central Asian country of Kazakhstan.  The spark was a decision by the government to increase fuel prices in the country, which is a major fuel producer.  But as my guests today explain, though the fuel price hike was the proximate cause of the protests, they are rooted in deep and widespread disaffection with Kazakhstan's ruling class.  Three Kazakstan political and security experts contribute to this episode:  Dr. Erica Marat, a professor at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.  Dr. Diana T. Kudaibergenova, a professor at the University of Cambridge  Dr. Jen Brick Murtazashvili a professor at the University of Pittsburgh  

Just before the start of the new year, Somalia's President Mohammad Abdulahi Farmaajo sought to arrest and remove from power Somalia's Prime Minister Mohammad Hussein Roble. This move added a layer of instability on top of an already fragile political and security situation. Somalia is both in midst of elections and fending off an insurgency by al Shabaab, which controls much of the countryside. On the line from Mogadishu is journalist Sakariye Cissman, who explains the current state of Somalia's political, constitutional and electoral crises. 

As 2021 comes to a close, I thought it may be worthwhile to gather some veteran United Nations watchers to reflect on the key events that shaped the work of the United Nations this year.  I'm joined in this conversation by Margaret Besheer, the UN Correspondent for Voice of America, Anjali Diyal, Assistant Professor of International Politics in the Political Science Department at Fordham University, and Louis Charbonneau, UN Director for Human Rights Watch.  We recorded our conversation live via Twitter Spaces

Turkey is in the midst of a currency crisis. The Lira hit a new record low in December, trading about 15.5 lira to the US dollar. This compares to a year ago when the rate was about 7.5 lira to the dollar. In other words, the value of the currency had declined by about 50% in one year.   Meanwhile, inflation is soaring -- at a current rate of more than 20%.   On the line to explain the domestic and international implications of Turkey's tanking Lira is Sibel Oktay, associate professor and chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Illinois, Springfield, and a nonresident Senior Fellow of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Today's episode was recorded live in front of a virtual audience in partnership with CGIAR, the world's largest agricultural innovation network. It is part of a series of episodes examining the relationship between climate and security. Today's episode takes a deep dive into how the transition to low carbon energy economies impacts security. The episode kicks off with introductory remarks by Jesús Quintana-Garcia () Director General, CIAT, Managing Director of the Americas, Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, CGIAR I then moderate a panel discussion featuring a diverse group of experts on this issue, whom I introduce I the top of the moderated session.  https://climatesecurity.cgiar.org/

Libya is poised to hold its first presidential elections in the post-Gaddafi era. This was supposed to be the culmination of a year long peace process. However, there is mounting doubt that these elections will be held on time, amid a brewing political crisis that could lead to a return to armed conflict.   Podcast guest Mary Fitzgerald is a longtime Libya analyst and non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute. She explains why these elections are so fraught with peril and what the international community can do to reduce the prospects of a return to civil war in Libya.