Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

The escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has sparked a rapidly unfolding displacement crisis in Lebanon. Over the past few weeks, as Israel intensified its strikes and launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, around 700,000 people have fled their homes. This is in addition to the 100,000 people who fled the region shortly after the October 7 attacks, which saw some exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah. In the last two to three weeks, what began as a limited conflict has sharply escalated, leading to this new displacement crisis. Joining me to discuss the contours of this crisis and its potential impact on Lebanese society, politics, and security is Juan Gabriel Wells, the country director for Lebanon at the International Rescue Committee. As he explains, this new wave of displacement is layered on top of several other crises affecting Lebanon today, including a deep and ongoing economic catastrophe.        

Today’s episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.  We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability” and in today’s episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts about how to better deliver humanitarian and social assistance in fragile settings You will hear from: Kibrom Abay (IFPRI Senior Research Fellow - Development Strategies and Governance) Mitchell McTough (IWMI Postdoctoral Fellow – Water, Conflict & Resilience) Susanna Sandstrom (Senior Economist, Head of Economic and Markets Unit, World Food Program) You can find this episode and other episodes that are part of this series on GlobalDispatches.org

My guest today, Marietje Schaake, is the author of a brilliant new book, The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley. The book explains how the tech industry has effectively captured government, assuming many of the functions traditionally held by governments, but without the oversight inherent in democratic governance. This includes areas like national security, domestic functions, and even the maintenance of democracy itself. Marietje Schaake is an old friend of mine and a former member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands. We begin our conversation by discussing her experience leading the EU's election observation mission in Kenya in 2017, when a faulty French voting technology company disrupted the election with serious political consequences. We then move on to examine the tech industry's role in supplanting government in the national security realm, and why Elon Musk's alliance with Donald Trump is so potentially dangerous for democracy. The Tech Coup is easily one of the best books I've read this year. It presents a compelling argument for why democracies should push back against the growing influence of the tech industry—and how they can do so. Here is my conversation with Marietje Schaake, a non-resident Fellow at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center and the Institute for Human-Centered AI, and the author of The Tech Coup.

Today’s episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a new series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.  We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability”  In today's episode,  I host a roundtable discussion with three experts on the topic of Anticipatory Action— that is, how acting before a crisis hits can reduce impacts on the most vulnerable. You will hear from: Ms. Catalina Jaime, Head of Climate and Conflict | Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, Colombia Dr Emmanuel Attoh, Researcher in Climate Adaptation | International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka Esraa Elgadi, Project Officer, Resurgence (TBC) To learn more visit: https://www.globaldispatches.org/ 

When Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023, something extraordinary happened. Neighborhoods, mostly in and around Khartoum, began setting up what they called "Emergency Response Rooms." This name is somewhat of a misnomer because, while some Emergency Response Rooms do provide medical assistance, others serve as communal kitchens, day care centers, or offer maternal health services. In each case, they were created by the community in response to its own needs. This so-called mutual aid happens across cultures and around the world. What is profoundly unique about mutual aid in Sudan is that these Emergency Response Rooms have organized themselves into a coherent network that connects very local, neighborhood-level humanitarian responses to international donors. They have done this through a homegrown system of oversight and governance, providing a revolutionary new model for humanitarianism. Joining me to discuss Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms, how they work, and why they represent such a departure from more conventional approaches to humanitarian relief, is Alsanosi Adam. He is the external communications coordinator for the national umbrella group that supports the work of over 700 Emergency Response Rooms throughout Sudan. You can support their work, like I did, here:  https://mutualaidsudan.org/

Today's episode is the launch of a new series called "From Fragility to Stability" in which we examine what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings who often struggle to sustain resilient food, land, and water systems in the face of the climate crisis. The series is produced with CGIAR, a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security, to help deepen understanding of fragility, conflict, and migration dynamics. Episodes in this series will convene experts, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders to foster a collaborative dialogue, share insights, and co-create actionable strategies to address the multifaceted challenges of conflict, crises, and fragility. To kick off this series we have a high powered panel discussion focusing on how partnerships can bring food systems from fragility to stability.   You will hear from:  -Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director–CGIAR -Andrew Harper, Special Advisor to the High Commissioner on Climate Action,  the UN Refugee Agency  -Arif Husain (Chief Economist and Director of Analysis, Planning and Performance United Nations World Food Program  -Katrina Kosec, Senior Research Fellow–IFPRI; Lead–CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration; Lecturer, Johns Hopkins Universit To learn more and access other episodes in this series, please visit https://www.globaldispatches.org/t/fragilitytostability     

Today’s episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a new series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.  We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability” and in today’s episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts on the topic of responsibly scaling innovations in fragile settings You will hear from: Karen Nortje, International Water Management Institute Research Group Leader for Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion.  Maha Al-Zubi, Regional Researcher - Sustainable & Resilient Water Systems.  International Water Management Institute,  Kyle Cordova,  Founder and CEO of Aquaporo.

For the United Nations itself, the big event during the UN General Assembly was the Summit of the Future. This was a two-day event that kicked off UNGA and led to the adoption of a document known as the Pact for the Future. This pact contains a suite of proposals for reforms to the UN and the broader multilateral system. Negotiations had been taking place line by line for months, and last week it was finally gaveled into being, adopted by consensus. Joining me to discuss what happened at the Summit of the Future, including some of the key outcomes, is Daniel Perell, Representative to the United Nations for the Baha'i International Community, and someone who has been following and participating in the Summit of the Future process very closely. If you want to learn some of the significant results of the Summit of the Future and what comes next, this episode is for you.  This episode is produced in partnership with the Baha’i International Community, an NGO that represents the worldwide Baha’i community at the UN and other international forums, where it emphasizes that recognizing humanity’s interconnectedness is key to a shared global future."

Today's episode is a crossover with our sister podcast To Save Us From Hell, a weekly chat show about the UN. I'm joined by co-host Anjali Dayal, who is an international relations professor at Fordham University, and Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group. We spoke on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after President Biden's farewell UNGA address. We cover a good deal of ground in this episode, including Biden's speech, Antonio Guterres' speech, some drama at the Summit of the Future, and other happenings around the UN during this very busy High-Level Week. Enjoy, and be sure to subscribe to To Save Us From Hell by visiting https://www.globaldispatches.org/s/to-save-us-from-hell

As world leaders converge in New York for the 79th UN General Assembly, the spotlight is on pivotal global issues. Key discussions will center around the Summit of the Future, antimicrobial resistance, and rising tensions in the Middle East. Expect urgent meetings addressing health threats and sea-level rise, with an emphasis on political action. The podcast features insights from experts on securing commitments to combat these challenges while focusing on sustainable solutions for humanity's benefit.