How Other Countries Solved What America Won’t (w/Natasha Hakimi Zapata)
America is in crisis, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Around the world, other countries have already solved many of the problems we’re told are unsolvable here: from unaffordable healthcare to lack of parental leave, crumbling infrastructure, climate disaster, and more. So why can’t the U.S. do what other nations have already done?
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Show Notes
🦩 This episode originally aired on April 18, 2025. Get new episodes early at patreon.com/CurrentAffairs
America is in crisis, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Around the world, other countries have already solved many of the problems we’re told are unsolvable here: from unaffordable healthcare to lack of parental leave, crumbling infrastructure, climate disaster, and more. So why can’t the U.S. do what other nations have already done?
We’re joined by journalist and lecturer Natasha Hakimi Zapata, author of Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe, a new book that explores how other countries have tackled problems the U.S. treats as unsolvable. From universal healthcare in the U.K. to paid family leave in Norway, public housing in Singapore, and green energy in Uruguay, Zapata shows what’s possible and how it was achieved. She traces the political fights, the movements, and the leadership that made these victories real, offering lessons for Americans ready to demand more. The solutions exist. The question is whether we’re willing to fight for them.
0:00–15:17 The Fight to Create the NHS
15:17–21:44 Parental Leave & Childcare That Actually Works
21:44–27:00 Why These Aren’t “Handouts”
27:00–29:32 How Singapore Made Public Housing Work
29:32–33:52 Estonia’s Model of Digital Democracy
33:52–36:47 Uruguay’s Green Energy Revolution
36:47–45:23 How to Win These Fights in the U.S.
🌎 Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Another-World-Possible-Lessons-America/dp/162097844X
🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership
🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs
🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/