Deep Dish on Global Affairs

With just 10 years remaining to reach the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, COVID-19 has undermined much of the existing progress toward the ambitious targets. As the UN General Assembly takes place this week, BP's Trine Mong and McDonald's Francesca DeBiase join Deep Dish to explain how their companies are making strides towards sustainability to support the SDGs and revolutionize their industries.

An unprecedented hunger crisis is looming as the world grapples with COVID-19, the global economic downturn, stark inequality, and fractured political relationships. But 10 years after the launch of the US government's Feed the Future program, USAID's Jim Barnhart joins Deep Dish to explain why there's still hope for eradicating hunger within this generation.

This year, the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and other Black people drove mass Black Lives Matter protests against racial injustice demanding communities defund the police. Princeton University's Laurence Ralph and the Council on Criminal Justice's Thomas Abt join Deep Dish to explain why police brutality is not a uniquely American phenomenon and argue the strongest examples of successful police reform come from outside the United States.

COVID-19 has exacerbated our society's extreme inequality in access to healthcare, economic opportunity, education, and the rights that protect some but not others based on race. Economist Thomas Piketty joins Deep Dish to examine the ideas that drive persistent global inequality and the solutions he believes will produce a more equitable future.

Inspired by Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Thailand's youth organized mass protests to demand reforms from the culturally revered monarchy. Political scientist Pavin Chachavalpongpun joins Deep Dish to explain how social media makes these protests different than past movements and why the United States should see Thailand as a foreign policy priority when negotiating a rising China.

Decades of political corruption and financial crisis in Lebanon came to a head in early August when an explosion decimated much of the country's economic hub, Beirut. Carnegie Middle East Center Director Maha Yahya and the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Emile Hokayem join Deep Dish to examine the ongoing protest movement, Hezbollah's role in the crisis, and how a system built on sectarian politics could be rebuilt.

This week, US intelligence released a report examining the threat of foreign influence in the 2020 presidential election from China, Russia, and Iran. The Alliance for Security Democracy's Laura Rosenberger and Stanford University's Jacob Helberg join Deep Dish to discuss digital interference, misinformation, and data privacy within the lens of geopolitics.

August 6 marks the 75th anniversary of the first time nuclear weapons were used in combat, when the United States bombed Hiroshima and later, Nagasaki. Former Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and Stanford University's Scott Sagan join Deep Dish to examine nuclear weapons today and what Americans can do as arms control regimes falter, modernization programs move forward, and new technologies upend the logic we've relied on to deter the weapons' use.

This week, the Pentagon announced a plan to remove 12,000 troops from Germany, a key US ally, claiming the country was "delinquent" on defense spending. The Council on Foreign Relations' Mira Rapp-Hooper joins Deep Dish to explain why the alliance system is still essential for America's global leadership – but must be remade to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The United States and China are locked in a tense global technology rivalry with significant geopolitical and national security implications. The Council on Foreign Relations' Adam Segal joins Deep Dish to explain the battles between China and the US over products like Huawei and TikTok, their role in US foreign policy, and why US allies are choosing sides.

Mali's mass political protests against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita escalated over the last few weeks, prompting the government to clash with protestors and dissolve the constitutional court. This week on Deep Dish, the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Judd Devermont and the Financial Times' Neil Munshi explain why Mali's instability is a threat to Africa's Sahel region — soon to be the West's largest conflict zone.

Israel's long-time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided not to annex the West Bank on July 1, at least for now. Former Netanyahu foreign policy advisor Jonathan Schachter and Brookings' Tamara Cofman Wittes join Deep Dish to examine the bigger story — how Israel's foreign policy has changed and the way the country's relationships will shape the future.

From the controversial 2016 Muslim ban to recent efforts to dismantle DACA, immigration has been a key issue for President Trump's administration — but the legacy of punishing immigrants extends throughout US history. Lawyer and author Alina Das joins Deep Dish to share the stories that give a face to decades of legislation criminalizing immigrants and what we can do to begin to fix the system.

A July 1 presidential referendum will determine if Russia's President Putin can remain in power until 2036. Investigative reporter Catherine Belton joins Deep Dish to examine the people that surround Russia's enigmatic leader – and the financial ties to the West that makes the Kremlin's dominance possible.

Brazil is poised to overtake the United States for most total COVID-19 infections and deaths globally — but far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is preoccupied with politics and discredits the pandemic's risk and response. The Igarapé Institute's Ilona Szabó and the Financial Times' Andres Schipani join Deep Dish to examine the implications of social, political, and economic turmoil in South America's largest economy.

The murder of George Floyd and the US government's reaction to national protests on racial injustice have raised concern over the demise of US global leadership. University of Wisconsin-Madison historian Brenda Gayle Plummer joins Deep Dish to examine what the United States must learn from our past in order to fix our foreign policy.

Ahead of the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, China's plan to implement a restrictive new national security law in Hong Kong prompted the United States to end decades of a special relationship with the city. Jamil Anderlini, the Financial Times' Asia editor, and Ambassador Kurt Tong, former US Consul General in Hong Kong, join Deep Dish to examine what this means for the US-China rivalry.

This week President Trump announced he wants all US troops out of Afghanistan by election day. But is that possible? And what does it mean? In this episode from October 2019, the University of Chicago's Robert Pape joins Deep Dish to help us understand the right—and wrong—ways to end the United States' longest war.

While the world is distracted by COVID-19, China has been ramping up its military actions in hotly contested waters – the South China Sea. The Center for Strategic and International Studies' Bonnie Glaser and Lieutenant Commander Matthew Dalton, US Navy, join Deep Dish to examine China's strategy and potential US policy options to ensure freedom of navigation remains intact.

Venezuelans face a global pandemic, a stalled economy, crippling oil shortages, and a potential famine. After a failed coup attempt, will President Maduro hold on to his power? The Inter-American Dialogue's Michael Camilleri and the International Crisis Group's Ivan Briscoe join Deep Dish to discuss.

Germany's effective, science-driven response to COVID-19 is a model for countries around the world. But as life returns to normal for many Germans this week, Chancellor Merkel says the country is still on the "thinnest of ice" in addressing the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal's Bojan Pancevski joins Deep Dish from Berlin to examine Germany's reopening strategy.

Tensions between the United States and Iran continue to simmer amid the coronavirus pandemic. Iran is blaming US sanctions for its lack of medical supplies and recently harassed US warships in the Gulf, while the United States is threatening to increase economic pressure with additional sanctions. Brookings' Suzanne Maloney and the German Marshall Fund's Ariane Tabatabai join Deep Dish to examine internal politics and the future of the US-Iran standoff.

As New Zealand prepares to emerge from a national lockdown on April 27, Axios' Rebecca Falconer joins Deep Dish from Auckland to explain the aggressive and effective national eradication strategy and how the government's actions might influence the general election in September.

Drawing from today's global crises and the patterns of American history, geopolitical forecaster George Friedman predicts the 2020s will be a decade of storm and strain for the United States, followed by a period of prosperity. He joins Deep Dish to examine the institutional and socioeconomic cycles of upheaval that have rebuilt and reinvented American life in the past and explains why he's still optimistic about the future.

In another special edition episode, we're taking you inside the global COVID-19 pandemic response by talking to Nikkei's Kiyoshi Ando, reporting from Tokyo. He joins Deep Dish a few days after the start of a national state of emergency to explain why Japan appeared to be a miracle success story but is currently seeing a spike in infections — complicated by an impending national travel holiday and a lack of protective medical equipment.

Over the weekend, OPEC+ finalized the biggest oil supply deal in history — drastically cutting production with the hopes of stabilizing plummeting prices as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns. Charlotte Howard, the Economist's New York bureau chief and energy and commodities editor, joins Deep Dish to explain the economic and political implications of the agreement and how it could affect the future of oil in the United States and beyond.

Through a series of special edition episodes, we're taking you inside the global COVID-19 pandemic response by talking to journalists on the ground. The New York Times' Steven Erlanger, reporting from Brussels, joins Deep Dish to examine how European nations are learning from the devastation in Italy and Spain — and what the pandemic might mean for European solidarity in the long-term.

While Europe has been struggling to contain COVID-19, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has used his country's emergency response to reduce checks on his power and make himself a de facto dictator. Princeton University's Kim Scheppele joins Deep Dish to explain why the failure of one democracy should matter to every democracy and examine whether Hungary could have ripple effects on other political systems in Europe and beyond.

Stock markets have plunged, economic output is falling, businesses are closed with some facing bankruptcy, and unemployment is soaring as a result of COVID-19. In a new episode of Deep Dish, former Bank of London governor Lord Mervyn King draws from lessons he learned during the 2008 financial crisis to discuss how to manage the current economic uncertainty.

Through a series of special edition Deep Dish episodes, we're taking you inside the global COVID-19 pandemic response by talking to journalists on the ground. We begin in South Korea, which ranked among the top ten countries for total cases at the time of recording. The Wall Street Journal's Dasl Yoon, reporting from Seoul, joins us to explain what other countries can learn from South Korea's innovative approaches to successfully flatten the curve of new infections – without shutting down the economy.

Countries across the globe are rushing to contain COVID-19 and "flatten the curve" – with mixed results. After months of shutdowns China is slowly reopening; India has initiated a national lockdown; leaders in Brazil and Mexico have dismissed the danger; and Italy and Spain report high death totals and lack medical supplies. POLITICO's Ryan Heath joins Deep Dish to explain the lessons the United States can learn from countries that are further ahead in the infection timeline.

While the political importance of the American Midwest in 2020 is clear, the region of 70 million people is all too often written off as an economic has-been and a cultural backwater. Shayndi Raice of the Wall Street Journal and John Austin of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs join Deep Dish to tell a different story, one of bright spots as well as blights in this region encompassing all or part of 12 US states.

Yemen's years-long war pits Iran-backed Houthis against a coalition of Saudi-led forces seeking to restore Yemen's internationally recognized government. The war has created not only a dire humanitarian crisis but also an opening for terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda. International Crisis Group's Daniel Schneiderman, who was NSC director for Yemen under presidents Obama and Trump, joins Deep Dish to explain the US role in the conflict.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs and Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn joins Deep Dish to explain the Trump administration's plan in war-torn Syria, discussing everything from ISIS and the Assad regime to Russian and Iranian influence.

"The United States needs allies more than it ever has," says Mira Rapp-Hooper, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the forthcoming book Shields of the Republic. On the latest Deep Dish, Rapp-Hooper joins Council President Ivo Daalder for a discussion about the state of US alliances at a moment when new concerns are flaring up from the Philippines and East Asia to Europe.

This week, soldiers with automatic weapons occupied El Salvador's legislature, demanding more funds to fight rampant criminal gangs. For years, violence and crime have led to poor living conditions in the country and mass emigration. Rosa Anaya, a Gus Hart Visiting Fellow at the Council, joins Deep Dish to discuss her groundbreaking work rehabilitating inmates and gang members in El Salvador with Catholic Relief Services' Second Chances.

First developed by the United Nations, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an ambitious effort for countries to address the world's biggest problems. Yet much of the remarkable work happening now is at the sub-national level, by cities, local governments, and the private sector. Anthony F. Pipa of the Brookings Institution and Catherine P. Sheehy, global lead for sustainability partnerships at UL, join Deep Dish to discuss the way forward.

America spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined, and the Department of Defense oversees some 1.3 million military personnel. But is it all necessary? Joining Deep Dish to discuss his provocative new book Close the Pentagon, Charles Kenny argues that not only can the United States cut its defense budget, but it can also better secure the nation by eventually shuttering the Pentagon and channeling some of the savings to development, diplomacy, and aid.

Demonstrators have taken to the streets from Hong Kong to Lebanon, with many calling for democratic reforms. Yet policymakers in the United States are split on whether or not to support pro-democracy movements abroad. Rochelle Terman and Paul Poast of the University of Chicago join Deep Dish to debate the two competing options, which they call "America first" and "Spider-Man."

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria, the young head of a conservative party deeply opposed to immigration, has just formed a coalition government with Austria's Green party. Having adopted a platform that is anti-immigration, pro-business, and pro-environment, the odd pairing of these parties holds important and timely lessons for the larger realignment of left-right politics taking place across Europe, not least in Europe's biggest economy, Germany. Sam Jones of the Financial Times joins Deep Dish to discuss.

Earlier this week, in retaliation for the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, Iran fired a dozen missiles on two bases in Iraq housing US troops. After, President Trump said Iran "appears to be standing down." But Kelly Magsamen, NSC director for Iran under US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and now at the Center for American Progress, explains on Deep Dish that the repercussions of killing Soleimani will be felt for days, months, and even years to come.

Following the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani last week, Iraq's parliament voted to ask the prime minister to oust US forces from the country. It comes after violent protests in Iraq against both the Iraqi government and the US embassy in Baghdad. Emma Sky, a former political adviser to the commanding general of US forces in Iraq and now at Yale University, joins Deep Dish to explain why US-Iraq relations have deteriorated so abruptly and what it means for Iran and ISIS.

As we've seen in places like Syria and Iraq, today's armed conflict is civilian-focused, driven by non-state actors, and increasingly urban. Do traditional international norms like the Geneva Conventions still matter? Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, joins Deep Dish to examine why changes in the nature of war have complicated the way international law governs humanitarian crises and urban conflict.

Ever since the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and its meddling in US elections in 2016, relations between Moscow and Washington have gone from bad to worse. But should the United States actively work to improve relations? Or is dealing with Putin a lost cause? Molly Montgomery, a former US foreign service officer and special advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, and William Ruger, vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute, join Deep Dish to discuss.

There's no sign of a big deal soon in the US-China trade war, the US Congress has not yet passed the USMCA, and the World Trade Organization's appeals panel is in peril. But the US jobs market is booming, with 266,000 jobs added in November. The University of Chicago's Austan Goolsbee, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama, and The Economist's Soumaya Keynes join Deep Dish to discuss whether it's a moment for optimism or concern about the US economy.

A centerpiece of US strategy during the Trump administration has been the idea of the "Indo-Pacific," a massive single region stretching across both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. One of the goals in this strategy is to link up India with US allies in East Asia as a counterbalance to a rising China. But how does New Delhi see the situation? Sushant Singh, deputy editor of the Indian Express newspaper, joins the University of Chicago's Paul Staniland and the Council's Brian Hanson to discuss.

While Ukraine dominates US news this week due to the impeachment proceedings, Ukrainian President Zelensky and Russian President Putin are preparing for an upcoming meeting to find a peaceful resolution to the five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine. Melinda Haring of the Atlantic Council and Joanna Rohozinska of the National Endowment for Democracy join Deep Dish to discuss the latest in Europe.

This week, a case was filed in the International Court of Justice accusing Myanmar of having committed genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority. It is a far cry from where the country also known as Burma seemed to be a few years ago, when the long-ruling military junta opened the door for democratic elections. Historian Thant Myint-U, author of the new book The Hidden History of Burma, joins Deep Dish to discuss Burma's recent struggles with race, capitalism, and democracy, as well as the consequences for Southeast Asia.

Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple are massive companies, commanding so much of the market that they are now being called monopolies. Rana Foroohar, global business columnist for the Financial Times and author of the new book Don't Be Evil: How Big Tech Betrayed Its Founding Principles—and All of Us, joins Deep Dish to discuss how these data-fueled tech behemoths are disrupting the US economy and American politics.

The breakdown of fledgling democracies in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, the return of authoritarian leaders, and the resurgence of protesters in the streets all suggest that democracy promotion is a failed project. But the United States still has an essential role to play in promoting democratic institutions abroad, argue Ambassador Derek Mitchell and Daniel Twining. The presidents of the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute join Deep Dish to explain why.