Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

The spread of child sexual abuse material on the internet has grown at an exponential pace in the last fifteen years, since the advent of social media. This is truly a global problem, affecting every country on earth. The tools of technology can be harnessed to combat the spread of images and videos depicting child abuse and one non-profit is leading the way. Thorn is a technology driver non-profit founded by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore that develops tools to combat online child abuse and child sex trafficking. On the line with me to discuss some of these tools and strategies is Julie Cordua, the CEO of Thorn. In this conversation, Julie Cordua describes the scope of the problem, which she refers She also describes how emerging technologies developed by Thorn are being used to detect when this material is being uploaded and is aiding law enforcement around the world. We kick off discussing a recent announcement that Thorn was one of the winners of the Audacious Project, housed at TED, and will share in $280 million prize to eliminate Child Sexual Abuse Material from the Internet. We discuss how Thorn will work toward that goal and we have a broader conversation about how global efforts to combat the spread of child sexual abuse online have evolved since the early days of the internet and social media. This episode is part of a content partnership with the Skoll Foundation to showcase the work of the 2019 recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders whose organizations disrupt the status quo, drive sustainable large-scale change, and are poised to create even greater impact on the world. Recipients receive $1.5 million in core support investments to scale up their work.

There is an escalating humanitarian crisis in Cameroon where more than half a million people have been displaced by conflict. This conflict erupted in earnest in late 2017 and early 2018 in a series of attacks and reprisals between Anglophone separatists and the French dominated government. In international affairs circles, this is known as the "Anglophone Crisis" in Cameroon. As my guest today, Jan Egeland says, when hundreds of thousands of civilians are displaced, it usually sets off international alarm bells. But this is not the case with Cameroon. There is virtually no international mediation, very little media attention, and the humanitarian response has been woefully inadequate. Jan Egeland is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, a large humanitarian relief organization. He has spent his career in humanitarian affairs, including serving as an under secretary general of the United Nations and as a humanitarian relief advisor for the UN in Syria. He is one of the world's most high profile humanitarian relief experts and he is sounding the alarm on this crisis. He recently returned from a fact finding trip to the crisis affected regions of Cameroon and a few days after we recorded this conversation, he's briefing the Security Council on this humanitarian crisis. You can consider this conversation a preview and extended version of the message he'll be sending to the Security Council. This episode does a good job explaining what is driving this crisis. However, if you want a deeper explanation of the origins of the Anglophone crisis, I will point you to a podcast episode from January 2018, recorded just as this crisis was erupting, that goes more in depth into the historical roots of the anglophone crisis. Also, if you want to learn more about Jan Egeland himself, I'll point you to episode number 52 of Global Dispatches, from back in 2015 in which Jan Egeland discusses his life and career in more detail. Support the show. Become a Premium Subscriber. Unlock Rewards

My guest today Supriya Vani interviewed every living female Nobel Peace Prize winner for her 2018 book Battling Injustice: 16 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. In this conversation we discuss some common traits that she found across these women and she tells some stories from her interviews and reporting across the globe. Supriya Vani is a journalist and activist in India, and I caught up with her from New Delhi Quick note before we begin: thank you to all of you who are supporting the show through patreon. When you make a contribution to the show, I'll add you to the subscriber roles to my daily news clips service, DAWNS Digest. You will also unlock a host of bonus episodes and other rewards. Support the Show!

Today's episode is a cross over promotion with the new podcast: How to Fix Democracy. How to Fix Democracy is an interview series in which prominent thinkers, writers, politicians, technologists, and business leaders discuss some fundamental questions about the fate and trajectory of democracy today. This episode features an interview with Michael Ignatieff by the host of the show, Andrew Keen. Michael Ignatieff is a former Canadian politician and author of several books about world affairs. He is now serving as the president and rector of the Central European University. This is a Hungary-based graduate school founded by George Soros that the illiberal government of Hungary, lead by Victor Orban, has sought to shut down. In this episode, Ignatieff discusses the challenge to democracy posed by illiberal "democrats" like Viktor Orban. After listening to this episode, be sure to subscribe to the entire series, which features some really interesting guests and discussion. The series is presented by the Bertelsmann Foundation, in partnership with Humanity in Action. I am a Humanity in Action senior fellow and am glad to present this crossover episode to you.

According to the World Health Organization 800,000 people die due to suicide every year. My guest today, Bob Filbin is helping to pioneer a way to sharply reduce that number. Bob Filbin is the Chief Data Scientist of Crisis Text line. This is a text based mental health crisis intervention platform, operational in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Individuals in crisis are able to text trained mental health workers anonymously, who can then help them through their emergency. Hundreds of millions of texts have been exchanged since the launch of crisis text line, which is providing researchers with key insights into how to prevent self harm. This is a really interesting conversation about a crucial health issue that is, indeed, a global heath issue. It is also scalable--and Bob Filbin does discuss crisis text line's global plans. This episode is part of a content partnership with the Skoll Foundation to showcase the work of the 2019 recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders whose organizations disrupt the status quo, drive sustainable large-scale change, and are poised to create even greater impact on the world. Recipients receive $1.5 million in core support investments to scale up their work.

Battles are raging in Tripoli between forces aligned with the UN-backed government and a renegade general named Khalifa Haftar. Haftar and his militias had controlled eastern parts of the country, including the city of Benghazi, but in recent weeks he has marched his troops westward, toward the capitol Tripoli, in an effort to oust the Libya's internationally recognized government. Several hundred people have been killed in this fighting. Thousands have been displaced, and the situation is now very much on the precipice of descending into a full blown civil war. On the line with me to discuss what is happening in Libya and why we need to be paying attention to this escalating crisis is Mary Fitzgerald, a former journalist and researcher who has been studying on Libya since 2011. In this conversation she breaks down the complex dynamics of this conflict in ways that I found very understandable. This episode is an excellent explainer on this currently unfolding crisis in Libya. We kick off discussing a rather unusual turn of events. On April 19th, I and every other reporter who subscribes to the White House email list, received a note in our inbox that was a White House summary of a phone call between Donald Trump and Khalifa Haftar. In the call, the President offered his support behind the renegade general. This statement seemed to reverse US policy on Libya, which is to support the UN-backed government. Support the show! Become a premium subscriber!

In mid march, Cyclone Idai struck southern Africa, ravaging parts of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Of these countries, Mozambique was hardest hit. The storm struck the port city Beira and surrounding areas, creating a massive inland flood plane. At the time, the World Meteorological Organization called it one of the worst weather related disasters to ever strike the southern hemisphere. One month on, I wanted to get a sense of the how the recovery efforts were progressing, so I called up Dorothy Sang of Oxfam, who is on the line with me today from the city of Beira in Mozambique. Dorothy Sang is Oxfam's humanitarian advocacy manager and in this conversation she describes the scale of the damage wrought by Cyclone Idai and how international relief agencies like Oxfam are responding to this crisis. One thing that struck me about this conversation is how over one month since this crisis, relief agencies are still finding communities that have been totally cut off from access. Before we start: I do want to ask again for you to email me stories, anecdotes about how listening to this podcast impacted you in some way. Did you take some action based on this podcast? Did it affect your work one way or another? Did it inspire you to send an email? Make a call? Buy a book? Donate to a cause? Please email me

Some truly remarkable events are unfolding in Sudan, where protesters have secured the ouster of longtime ruler Omar al Bashir. After nearly thirty years as an authoritarian president and dictator, he was deposed in coup on April 11. But the protesters have not dispersed and are rallying against the cadre of military officials who have assumed control. On the line with me to discuss these events is Payton Knopf. He is a former US diplomat and UN official who has worked on Sudan issues for many years. He is currently an advisor to the US Institute for Peace We kick off discussing the events that lead to the ouster of al Bashir. But we don't dwell too much on that because I actually did a whole other episode about the protest movement and about al Bashir; I published that episode in January, just a few weeks after these protests began. Rather, we spend the bulk of the conversation discussing this unfolding and fluid situation. Payton Knopf explains who these military rulers of Sudan are--and why it is significant that some of them have trained and deployed militias to Yemen and Libya. We also discuss the implications of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for al Bashir and the unfolding geo-political dynamic that may influence how this political crisis is resolved. Before we start, I have a question for you all. One dynamic I have noticed having done this show for so long is how I, as a, journalist often bring you stories from parts of the world less covered by mainstream outlets or on topics that are globally important but really don't get much coverage--but then you, as a listener have taken some concrete action based on what you have heard. This action could be something as direct as buying the book of the author I interviewed or using your professional connections to follow up on an idea or issue raised in the show. I hear stories of this real world impact from time to time, but I would really love to collect them. So, could you please email me and let me know if an episode inspired you to take some real world action--whatever that may be? These stories of impact are very valuable to me so thank you in advance, You can send me an email using the contact button on Global Dispatches Podcast.com. I'll also post a link to my email in the description field of the podcast if you are listening on your phone. Email me!

Among the many barriers to quality healthcare in the developing world is the high cost of medicine. This is due, in part, to frequent disruptions in the supply chain. Customers who visit a pharmacy to purchase medicine can't be guaranteed that the medicine will be something they can afford-- or even if the medicine will be there at all. My podcast guest today, Gregory Rockson, is a social entrepreneur who is pioneering a way to make medicine in several African countries more affordable and access to that medicine more reliable. He is the c0-founder of a social enterprise called mPharma, which uses data analytics and supply chain management to help small and independent pharmacies control their costs. This is crucial because unlike here in the United States where big pharmacy chains are ubiquitous, in the places mPharma operates small and independent pharmacies are serve the vast majority of people. mPharma essentially manages the drug supply of participating pharmacies, and assumes the financial risk if drugs are over or under stocked -- sharply driving down the costs. This is an absolutely fascinating business model and it's already revolutionizing access to medicine in five African countries and is poised for further expansion. If you have twenty minutes and want to learn why drug prices in many countries are so high and what can be done to drive down those costs, have a listen.

South Africa is experiencing what demographers call a "youth bulge." This occurs when young people make up a very large percentage of the entire population. There are youth bulges similar in many countries in the developing world, including in Africa and Asia. One key challenge facing societies experiencing a youth bulge large is what happens when these young people become of working age, and there are too few jobs. In South Africa and in many countries with similar demographics, unemployment rates among young people is orders of magnitudes greater than the over all unemployment rate. As my guest today Nicola Galombik explains, when large numbers of young people are unemployed, the knock-on effects for society in general can be extremely negative. So, Nicola Galombik has embarked on a strategy to reduce youth unemployment in her native South Africa. She is the co-founder of the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, a social enterprise that is not only helping to find young people jobs at scale, but is changing mindsets around employing young people. Youth unemployment is a key driver of instability in many countries around the world, and as you will see from this conversation the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator has found a formula to take on what is essentially a demographic challenge. This episode is part of a content partnership with the Skoll Foundation to showcase the work of the 2019 recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders whose organizations disrupt the status quo, drive sustainable large-scale change, and are poised to create even greater impact on the world. Recipients receive $1.5 million in core support investments to scale up their work.

The world has never been safer, wealthier or healthier. So why is it that our foreign policy is dominated by fear and inflated perceptions of threats that can harm us? My guest today, Michael Cohen, and co-author Micah Zenko seek to answer that question in their new book Clear and Present Safety: The World Has Never Been Better and Why That Matters to Americans. The book makes the convincing argument that fear mongering has distorted US foreign policy and distracted us from recognizing impressive gains in human development. This is a very refreshing conversation. One trend that Cohen and Zenko identify an define is something they call the Threat-Industrial-Complex and we spend a good deal of time discussing how that serves to shape US foreign policy priorities. If you have 20 minutes and want a good corrective on US foreign policy, have a listen. Support the show and become a premium subscriber!

Not long ago, the social entrepreneur Bright Simons had a lofty goal of restoring social bonds between farmers and consumers. He tried to create a platform to pair organic farmers in Ghana with consumers of organic products. That project failed -- but in failure he made an important discovery that is now revolutionizing the fight against fake and counterfeit goods in the developing world, including potentially deadly counterfeit medicines Bright Simons is the co-founder and lead of mPedigree, a social enterprise that combats the problem of counterfeit and fake goods -- everything from medicines, to seeds, to auto-parts and more. As Bright Simons explains, mPedigree takes a systems-wide approach to fighting counterfeits. It's core innovation is a unique product identification marker, called the GoldKeys Platform. Think of it as a scratch off label that reveals a code which people can use a phone to instantly validate the authenticity of a product. Through this validation system, mPedigree has not only helped stop counterfeiting across many industries, but as Bright Simons explains it's changing the behavior of individuals consumers, industries and even government. This conversation with Bright Simons will change how you think about counterfeit goods and the systems required to stop this problem and restore consumer confidence and trust. This episode is presented in partnership with the Skoll Foundation to showcase the work of the 2019 recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Skoll Awards distinguish transformative leaders whose organizations disrupt the status quo, drive sustainable large-scale change, and are poised to create even greater impact on the world. Recipients receive $1.5 million in core support investments to scale up their work.

The White House confirmed that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is to meet President Trump at the White House on April 9. The invitation to the White House was offered amid a deepening crackdown on human rights and a further erosion of the rule of law in Egypt, nearly six years after al-Sisi ousted President Mohammad Morsi. The White House visit comes as Egypt is facing yet another inflection point that could further ensconce al Sisi in power. At issue are a series of constitutional amendments that would effectively make al Sisi president for life and create what analyst Amy Hawthorne calls a "personalist dictatorship." Amy Hawthorne is the deputy director for research at the Project on Middle East Democracy and co-author of a recent Foreign Policy piece on the current tumult in Egyptian politics.. After years of crackdowns on political opposition, she explains why Egyptian politics is poised to enter a potentially more dangerous phase. We kick off with an extended conversation about the circumstances that brought al Sisi to power, including the events of Egypt's Arab spring and its aftermath. We then discuss the implications of recent moves by al Sisi to further consolidate power. We recorded this conversation a few days before it was announced that al Sisi was to visit Washington, DC on April 9th. If you are listening to this episode contemporaneously, Amy Hawthorne does a good job of setting the scene for that visit. If you have 20 minutes and want to learn how al-Sisi has subverted democracy and undermined human rights in Egypt over the last six years, have a listen. Support the show. Go Premium!

Global trade is changing how women work. Supermarkets and major brands source much of their materials and manufacturing in the developing world as part of a "Global Value Chain." This is a way of obtaining raw materials and bringing goods to market that has become more and more common among major global brands in recent years. One consequence of this trend in global trade and global sourcing has been to upend traditional dynamics around gender and work. Stephanie Barrientos is a professor of global development at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester who studies the intersection between gender dynamics and global trade. Her latest research examines how norms around work and jobs in the developing world are being changed by global sourcing from major brands. As Professor Barrientos explains, companies' Global Value Chains are having profound implications for women and gender dynamics around work and employment in the developing world. This conversation is a great introduction to key shifts in global trade over the past decade and some of the downstream effects of how large multinational companies operate. If you have twenty minutes and want to learn how a brand like Cadbury Chocolates is affecting gender roles in places like Ghana, have a listen. This episode is part of a content partnership between the podcast and the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. Experts from the Global Development Institute discuss their research and also the pressing news of the day as it relates to global inequalities and development. If you'd like to learn more about the Global Development Institute you can go to GDI.Manchester.ac.uk

The second worst Ebola outbreak in history is currently unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since August last year there have been nearly 1,000 confirmed cases and over 600 deaths. The DRC is a very large country and these cases are so far confined to the eastern part of the country. This is also the region of the Democratic Republic of Congo that has long been mired in conflict and insecurity. In recent weeks, Ebola treatment centers have been attacked forcing medical staff to suspend operations. Meanwhile, new ebola cases are confirmed on a nearly daily basis. On the line to discuss is Karin Huster, the field coordinator for Medicins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Border in the DRC. She spoke to me from the city of Goma, the largest city in the eastern part of the DRC. We kick off discussing recent attacks on two Ebola treatment centers run by Doctors Without Borders, and then have a longer conversation about the trajectory of this outbreak and what can be done to halt its spread. One thing that comes though in this conversation is that this outbreak is not under control. Karin Huster explains why the current strategy has not be able to stop the transmission of Ebola and explains how this outbreak can be halted. The Ebola outbreak in DRC has fallen from the headlines. This episode provides you with a grounds-eye view of why this outbreak continues to fester. Quick note before we begin. If you are listening to this show contemporaneously, I wanted to let you know that we have some available slots for advertising. This is a great way to get your message in front of tens of thousands of global affairs professionals, including leaders at the UN, the NGO community, government, academia and think tanks. Send me an email using the contact button on globaldispatchespodcast.com and I can tell you about our rates, availability and impact.

Getting bitten by a poisonous snake is not just an individual injury -- rather it is now recognized as a global health hazard. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that between 80,000 and 136,000 people die from snakebite in each year. To put that in perspective, that is more than the number of people who died from meningitis and within the range of the number of people who died from Measles. Getting bitten by a poisonous snake, or as it's known snakebite envenoming, is now included in the WHO's list of Neglected Tropical Disease On the line with me is one of the world's leading experts on Snakebite, Dr. Gabriel Alcoba. He is a pediatrician who has treated snakebite as a doctor with MSF, or Doctors Without Borders. He is also a public health expert who works with the Geneva University hospitals. This episode provides a very good introduction to snakebite as a global health hazard. Dr. Alcoba explains the link between poverty and injury and death from snakebite and why the pharmaceutical industry has been somewhat slow to develop proper anti-venoms.

Today's episode is the second installment of my new series "UN Correspondent Chat." As the name suggests, this series includes wide ranging conversations with in-house reporters at the United Nations who discuss what is driving the agenda at Turtle Bay. On the line today is Carole Landry, who is a veteran UN Correspondent with Agence France Presse, AFP. We float between topics that have been buzzing around UN in recent weeks including: how Brexit will impact diplomacy at the UN; some of the latest geopolitical intrigue at the Security Council; the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women conference; how the Secretary General has lived up to his pledge to have greater gender parity among senior staff at the UN; and more! This new series is a great way to feel the pulse of the UN and learn what is driving the diplomatic agenda at United Nations Headquarters in New York

I caught up with CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward not long after she returned from reporting inside Taliban controlled territory in Afghanistan. She is one of the only western journalists to access Taliban territory to see what life is like under their control. She interviewed both civilians and Taliban officials and is on the Global Dispatches podcast to discuss her reporting. We kick off discussing the story behind her story: that is, how an unprecedented reporting project like this can be carried out in a volatile security environment? We also discuss how she and her team navigated gender dynamics inherent in a female journalist interviewing Taliban officials. We then talk through some of her key findings about how the Taliban have evolved over the last 17 years. Her report comes at a vital time as the US and Taliban officials are negotiating face to face, and as Clarissa Ward explains, the fact of those ongoing negotiations helps provide some context for her reporting.

In late January, the Trump administration began a pilot program on the border between Tijuana and San Diego in which migrants who claim asylum are sent back to wait in Mexico as their asylum claims are processed. This is known formally as the Migrant Protection Protocols and informally as the "Remain in Mexico" policy. The result has been to turn back individuals, mostly migrants from central America, before they can even present claims of asylum; and even if they are able to make a formal claim, they must wait in Mexico as their case proceeds through the US court system. Needless to say, this is almost certainly in contravention of US law regarding asylum and a test case involving the American Civil Liberties Union is due to be heard in a few weeks. In the meantime, this policy is causing profound harm for asylum seekers. My guest today, Kerri Kennedy recently returned from a fact finding trip to Tijuana in which she interviewed people turned away at the border due to this policy. Kerri Kennedy is the associate general secretary for international programs with the American Friends Service Committee, this is of course the Quaker peace and justice organization. She spent a week in Tijuana, speaking to people impacted by this policy and visiting what are effectively homeless shelters that provide for migrants stranded in this limbo. The picture she paints is pretty grim. And conforms with what we already know about the Trump administration's policies of inflicting harm on migrants as a way to deter people from making asylum claims. At time of recording, it appears that the Trump administration is seeking to expand this pilot from Tijuana to other key border crossings, like the Juarez - El Paso border. If you are a regular listener to the show, you know I have a fairly even tempered disposition. This conversation, though, got me upset and pretty riled up. If you have the same reaction as I did, you can help raise awareness of this issue by sharing this episode on social media and beyond. And I will also post a link on Global Dispatches Podcast that tells you how to get involved with the world the American Friends Service Committee is doing on this issue.

For the past several weeks Algeria has been rocked by mass protests that harken to the Arab Spring. The protests were triggered by the decision of longtime ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for another term in office in elections scheduled for April. Bouteflika came to power in 1999 as the architect of a peace accord that ended Algeria's brutal civil war that killed as many as 200,000. But Bouteflika is now 82 years old and has not been seen in public since suffering a stroke over five years ago. His decision to stand again for elections (or, probably more accurately, the decision of those around him to have him stand for elections) is being widely rejected by these protesters. Also fueling the protests is Algeria's languishing economy and a looming fiscal crisis, propelled by falling prices of oil and natural gas. On the line with me to discuss this unfolding situation in Algeria is Dr. Dalia Ghanem, visiting scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, which is where I caught with her. We kick off with the basic question on the minds of many Algerians: Where is President Bouteflika currently? We then discuss the politics of who is running the state while Bouteflika is possibly incapacitated. We then have a longer conversation about what is driving these protests and where these may be headed.

"Sometimes you gotta walkaway," That is how Donald Trump described the failure of he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to come to an agreement during their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. So now that this meeting has ended in failure what comes next for nuclear diplomacy with North Korea? On the line with me to discuss the events in Hanoi and talk through possible scenarios for future engagement with North Korea is Kelsey Davenport, the director of non-proliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. We kick off discussing why this summit ended without any agreement. We also go over the events leading up to this Hanoi meeting, including the first summit between these two men in Singapore eight months ago. We then have a longer conversation about what the next iteration of diplomacy between the United States and North Korea may look like. This conversation does a good job both explaining what happened in Hanoi and setting the context for understanding what may come next between the US and North Korea. Support the show on Patreon and become a premium subscriber!

Tensions are rapidly escalating between India and Pakistan, following a suicide bombing in India controlled Kashmir that killed scores of Indian security forces. In retaliation, India bombed what it called a terrorist camp inside Pakistani territory. The situation is still unfolding--as I'm recording this there is word that an Indian Air Force pilot has been captured after his plane was shot down over Pakistan. On the line to discuss this ongoing crisis, and explain why Kashmir has become such a flash point between India and Pakistan is Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center. We kick off discussing the events leading up to this escalation of hostilities before having a longer conversation about the history of Kashmir and India-Pakistani relations. One thing I particularly found helpful in this conversation was Michael's description of the domestic political logic in India and Pakistan that propels conflict over Kashmir. Needless to say, India and Pakistan have gone to war with each other--the last time was in 1971. But now, they both have nuclear weapons so any hot crisis like the one unfolding now has the potential to descend into the worst-case scenario.

Energy Poverty conventionally refers to the lack of household electricity. Over 1 billion people live without reliable sources of electricity -- but a new group seeks to change how we think about energy poverty. My guest today, Todd Moss is the founder and executive director of the Energy for Growth Hub, a new think tank. The Energy for Growth Hub seeks large scale solutions to end the kind of energy poverty that can stifle industrial and commercial development in the developing world. We kick off talking about energy poverty--specifically why the traditional definition of that term may be an inadequate understanding of the problem. We then have a lengthy discussion about the link between big scale energy solutions, global development and climate change.

As I am recording this, the United States is deep into negotiations with the Taliban over some sort of political arrangement that would enable the Taliban's entrance into Afghan politics while the US drew down its troop levels. The specifics of these negotiations are opaque--not much is known about what is on the table. What we do know is that there are precisely zero Afghan women at the table. And what we also know, thanks to research done in part by my guest today Anna Tonelli, is that the exclusion of women from peace negotiations is a predictor of failure for peace negotiations. When women are excluded from peace talks, those peace talks are less likely to result in any durable success. Anna Tonelli is the inclusive peace and security senior policy advisor wth Oxfam International. In this conversation we discuss some of the research that links the success of peace talks to the inclusion of women. We discuss examples from around the world, but kick off discussion the situation in Afghanistan.

We have known for years that vaccinations, including routine childhood vaccinations for diseases like measles, mumps and rubella prevent children from dying on a fairly massive scale. We also know that as a health intervention, most vaccines and vaccination programs are relatively inexpensive. What was not well known, at least until recently, was the relationship between vaccine preventable illness and poverty. Dr. Angela Chang lead a ground breaking study that shows how vaccines can be an effective tool to prevent individuals in the developing world from slipping down the income latter and into extreme poverty. Dr. Angela Chang is a post doctoral fellow at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The study was published in the journal Health Affairs while she was a doctoral candidate at Harvard School of Public Health. It examines the relationship between what is known as "medical impoverishment" and vaccinations. We kick off the conversation discussing what we mean by medical impoverishment before having a longer conversation about her findings.

Thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets in anti-government protests that quickly turned violent. Several people have been killed and a great amount of property has been damaged in these protests. Haiti, of course, is no stranger to political crisis. But this crisis feels different, according to veteran reporter Jacqueline Charles. Jacqueline Charles is the Haiti Caribbean reporter for the Miami Herald and in this conversation she explains the origins of this new protest movement and how it may play out over the coming weeks. As she explains, these protests began, in part, over allegations of corruption surrounding a Hugo Chavez-era Venezuelan oil subsidy program, known as Petro Carbibe. But what began as an anti-corruption protest movement has morphed into something much broader that now threatens to bring down the government of President Jovenel Moise. This crisis in Haiti has potential to unleash great instability in a very fragile country, which could have big international implications. This conversation does a very good job of giving you the background and context you need to understand events as they unfold.

The riddle of how to avoid the so-called "resource curse" has bedeviled a generation of policy makers, economists and academics. Resource curse refers to the negative consequences that befall a country when it discovers a valuable natural resource, like oil. Often times the discovery of oil does not propel a country's economic development, and can even set a country back. My guest today is engaging in ground-breaking research that suggests some ways that a government may avoid the resource curse. Sam Hickey is a professor of the politics and development at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester . And in this capacity he is engaged in some long term research into how governments in Africa are approaching their oil sectors.This includes a fascinating study comparing how democratic Ghana and authoritarian Uganda have approached their relatively recent oil discoveries. Responsible resource extraction is a key element in the development of many countries around the world and I found this conversation an extremely enlightening explanation about what academic research says about what works--and what does not -- in avoiding the resource curse. We kick off with an extended discussion of the curse, before discussing his research. This episode is part of a content partnership between the podcast and the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. Experts from the Global Development Institute discuss their research and also the pressing news of the day as it relates to global inequalities and development. If you'd like to learn more about the Global Development Institute you can go to GDI.Manchester.ac.uk or click on the add on globaldispatchespodcast.com

About a decade ago, Simon Moss co-founded Global Citizen with a few friends in Australia. It has since grown into a behemoth of global advocacy on issues related to ending extreme poverty around the world. I've known Simon for years and have watched Global Citizen evolve over the years. So, I thought it might be useful and interesting to learn from him how an advocacy group like Global Citizen is adapting to broader geopolitical shifts. How does a group focused on ended extreme poverty respond to China's increasing influence in the global development space? How does it adapt to the withdrawal of the United States from its traditional role as a champion of global health and anti-poverty programs? I put these questions and more to Simon Moss in this enlightening and lively conversation about the future of global advocacy on issues related to sustainable development and fighting extreme poverty. We kick off discussing the origin story of Global Citizen before having a longer conversation about new trends in global advocacy work. Global Citizen is probably best known for its annual music festival in Central Park in New York that takes place during UN week, bringing together music stars, NGO leaders and government officials on stage in an effort to catalyze action on key global issues like polio eradication or girls education. Simon Moss explains the pros and cons of using a major event like a rock concert to leverage concrete policy outcomes. If you have 25 minutes and want to learn where international advocacy is headed in the Trump era, have a listen.

Zimbabwe was rocked by protests in mid-January in the most significant public display of dissatisfaction with the government of Emerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa you will remember deposed longtime Zimbawe ruler Robert Mugabe in a coup in November 2017 -- an this past summer he further ensconced himself in power through an election in which he was declared the winner. The proximate cause of these protests were a sudden increase in the price of fuel. The government's response was exceedingly violent and repressive. Thousands of people are now languishing in jail. On the line with me to explain what caused these protests and why the once promising reign of Mnangagwa is now looking more and more like a facsimile of the Mugabe era is Mako Muzenda. Mako Muzenda is a freelance journalist from Zimbabwe. --and I have had the pleasure of editing her contributions to UN Dispatch. She is currently finishing her post graduate work at university in South Africa, which is where I caught up with her for this episode. We kick off discussing the fuel tax hike that lead to these protests before having a longer conversation about the ups and downs of the Mnangagwa era in Zimbabwe.

My guest today, Dr. Sharifullah Dorani is the author of the new book America in Afghanistan: Foreign Policy and Decision Making from Bush to Obama to Trump' as the title suggests, the book examines the history of US involvement in Afghanistan from 2001 through the first two years of the Trump presidency. And in this conversation we discuss what both what has stayed the same and what has distinguished the Trump administrations approach to Afghanistan from his predecessors. We recorded this conversation just a few weeks after Trump, via Tweet, suggested a precipitous withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which is of course America's longest war. So we do discuss what role American troops are currently playing in Afghanistan and what some of the debates about troop levels have been. We also discuss the ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Trump's envoy to Afghanistan, former US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad.

Today's episode is the launch of a new series: UN Correspondent Chatter. From time to time I'll check in with an in-house reporter at the United Nations headquarters in New York to discuss the latest news, buzz, and intrigues around Turtle Bay. I'm pleased to launch this new series with Margaret Besheer of the Voice of America. She has covered the UN since 2008 and has a been a great source of news and insight to me over the years. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, including how the UN is responding to the situation in Venezuela, the significance of a breakthrough on Yemen in the Security Council, the implications of Palestine taking over as the chair of a key group of countries, what to expect from the US at the UN in the coming months, and whether or not other diplomatic breakthroughs may be possible in the coming months. Join the referral program!

On January 23rd, the 35-year-old head of the Venezuela's National Assembly Juan Guiado declared himself president of Venezuela, promising to would serve in that role on an interim basis before free elections could be held. He was quickly recognized as the legitimate head of state by the United States, Canada, the Organization of American States and many countries in Latin America. Of course, de-facto president Nicolas Maduro is rejecting this claim. At time of recording he still controls the government -- and most importantly the security services. Maduro is backed by other countries in the region and also other key international players like Russia. There is an extremely dangerous standoff underway in Venezuela, the outcome of which is very far from certain. On the line to provide some context to help you understand this crisis is Ivan Briscoe. He is the regional director for Latin America with the International Crisis Group. We kick off discussing the political context of this situation, including how a relatively unknown politician came to declare himself President. We then discuss the crucial role of the military and security services in determining the political future of Venezuela and whether or not it was a mistake for the US and other countries to quickly rally behind Guiado. This is obviously a very rapidly unfolding situation and I am confident that this conversation will give you the context and background you need to interpret events in the coming days and weeks. Learn about the referral program! $upport the show on Patreon!

Dr. Aaron Davis, has one of the greatest titles of anyone I have ever interviewed in the last four years of doing this podcast. He is head of coffee research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. And in that role, he co-authored of two new scientific papers which demonstrate that many species of what is known as "wild coffee" are threatened with extinction, and that is in large part due to climate change. As Dr. Davis explains, we coffee drinkers do not generally consume wild coffee. Rather, there are two species of coffee that are not "wild" that most of us drink, called Arabica and Robusta. But you will learn, the fate of the two species of coffee we drink and that of the 124 species of wild coffee are closely linked. Aaron Davis also holds the title of Senior Research Leader at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. And we kick off talking more generally about the science of coffee before having a longer conversation about the broader broader social and economic implications of his research into climate change and coffee excitation. Support Mark's Coffee Habit (And Also Unlock Some Rewards for Yourself!)

The Democratic Republic of Congo held elections on December 30th that would mark the country's first peaceful transfer of power since its independence in 1960. The long serving ruler, Joseph Kabilla had effectively delayed these elections for years, but finally promised to step down and cede power to the winner of these elections. Votes were cast. Ballots were counted. A winner declared--and according to several reports a massive fraud was perpetrated. The Catholic Church, which served as independent election monitors, said that the declared result do not match their data. And on January 15th the Financial Times newspaper obtained the raw data from electronic voting machines, which demonstrated a wide margin of victory for opposition candidate Martin Fayulu. On the line with me to discuss what appears to be industrial scale election fraud in the DRC is Ida Sawyer. She is the deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Africa division and a longtime observer of politics in the DRC. In this conversation she explains who the main candidates are; why this election is so significant, and what it means that Over the next several weeks and perhaps months this election related drama will unfold in the DRC. This conversation gives you the context you need to understand and interpret events as they unfold. Join our referral program! Before we begin, I wanted to let you know about a way you can share this podcast with others who are similarly interested in global issues beyond the headlines. I'm launching a referral program in which for the simple act of telling people about the show, you can earn some freebies and rewards. If you tell just one person about the show, I'll send you my specially curated list of over 50 Twitter handles and Instagram accounts that every global affairs nerd should follow. The rewards get better from there, including a podcast mug and tote bag, and a free trial of my DAWNS Digest news clips service. To learn more and enter this limited time promo, you can go to Global Dispatches Podcast.com or click on the link in the description field of this podcast episode.

A protest movement in Sudan is posing the biggest challenge to the genocidal regime of Omar al Bashir in decades. The protests began just before Christmas, ostensibly over an increase in the price of bread and they quickly spread. Predictably, the regime has responded with violence but nevertheless, these protests persist. On the line with me to discuss the origins of this protest movement, how it spread and whether or not it may take down the nearly thirty year reign of Omar al Bashir is Zachariah Cherian Mampilly. He is a professor of political science and international studies at Vassar College and in this episode we discuss both what has made the regime of Omar al Bashir so enduring, and how this protest movement may evolve over the coming weeks and months. Join our referral program! Before we begin, I wanted to let you know about a way you can share this podcast with others who are similarly interested in global issues beyond the headlines. I'm launching a referral program in which for the simple act of telling people about the show, you can earn some freebies and rewards. If you tell just one person about the show, I'll send you my specially curated list of over 50 Twitter handles and Instagram accounts that every global affairs nerd should follow. The rewards get better from there, including a podcast mug and tote bag, and a free trial of my DAWNS Digest news clips service. To learn more and enter this limited time promo, you can go to Global Dispatches Podcast.com or click on the link in the description field of this podcast episode.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim is stepping down at the end January. He made that announcement on January 7th, surprising most observers for the fact that he is resigning from his post with three years left in his second term. This coming vacancy presents a key inflection point for the World Bank, according to my guest today, Scott Morris. Scott Morris is a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and longtime observer and analyst of the World Bank. In this conversation we discuss Jim Kim's legacy at the Bank and why his departure now sets the stage for a potential clash between the Trump administration and other governments over who will next lead the Bank. An American has always headed the World Bank. This is owing to a deal struck between the United States and Europe in which the US backs the European nominee for head of the International Monetary Fund while Europe back the US nominee for head of the World Bank. But as Scott Morris explains, that longstanding tradition may now come to an end.

You would not really know it from the headlines, but more irregular migrants and refugees are arriving to Europe via Morocco than are arriving to Italy via Libya or to Greece via Turkey. In fact, as the numbers of migrants arriving to Europe declined overall in 2018, the migrant route from Morocco to Spain experienced a sharp increase. On the line with me to explain why the Morocco-to-Spain route has become so popular, and what this change in migration routes says about Europe's shifting attitudes towards migrants and refugees is Joe Wallen. Joe Wallen is a freelance foreign correspondent for the Telegraph newspaper, the Guardian and al Jazeera. He's reported extensively from sub-saharan migrant communities in Morocco who seek to make the journey across the straight of Gibraltar. In the process, he has reported on human rights abuses that are being visited upon this community by both traffickers and Moroccan security forces backed by the European Union. We kick off with a discussion of the evolving migrant routes from Africa and the middle east before having a longer discussion about the current situation in Morocco.

On December 1st, a business executive named Meng Wanzhou was arrested while transferring through the Vancouver airport at the request of US authorities. Ms Meng is the CFO of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei and now faces extradition to the United States. About ten days later, a former Canadian diplomat and analyst with the International Crisis Group named Michael Kovrig was mysteriously arrested in China. His arrest was followed by the arrest of another Canadian, businessman Micheal Spavor, under similarly opaque circumstances. These incidents have plunged Canada into a diplomatic crisis -- and this crisis has implications far beyond Canada, according to my guest today Stephanie Carvin. Stephanie Carvin is an assistant professor of International affairs at Carlton University in Ottawa. She is also the host of a Podcast called Intrepid. In this episode we discuss both the details of this diplomatic crisis and why what is happening right now between China and Canada is something to which every observer of international affairs ought to be paying close attention.

One of the worst mass atrocities in recent times took place in Sri Lanka during the final days of that country's long civil war. In May 2009, tens of thousands of people were killed by Sri Lankan armed forces over the course of just a few days as the military sought to deal a final blow to an insurgent group known as the Tamil Tigers. In the process, they killed as many as 40,000 civilians. No one was brought to justice for this crime against humanity. And the lack of accountability for those crimes is a key factor in that my guest, Kate Cronin- Furman, argues is contributing to political instability in Sri Lanka today. Kate Cronin-Furman is an assistant professor of Human Rights in the Department of Political Science, University College London. In this conversation, she explains what happened during the final days of that civil war when this massacre occurred. We then discuss how the forces that carried out that crime against humanity are posing a big challenge to the political life of Sri Lanka, which entered an extremely tumultuous period this fall in which two people claimed to be prime minister at the same time. We kick off discussing the Sri Lankan civil war and its brutal end days before having a longer discussion about the ways in which the lack of accountability for those events are undermining the political stability of Sri Lanka today. This massacre of 40,000 people was second only to the genocide in Darfur as the worst mass atrocity event of the first decade of the 21st century. As you will learn in this episode, Sri Lankan politics is still defined by this atrocity in ways harmful to a healthy democracy.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert is Donald Trump's nominee to serve as the next US Ambassador to the United Nations. If confirmed, she will replace of course Nikki Haley, who served in the role for nearly two years. Heather Nauert is a former journalist and Fox News personality before joining the State Department in April 2017. As State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert held regular briefings with the State Department press corps, so I thought it would be a good idea to invite a veteran member of that press corps on the show. On the line with me is reporter Matt Lee of the Associated Press. Matt Lee has covered the State Department for nearly 20 years and has seen many State Department spokespeople come and go. In this conversation, we discuss what distinguished Heather Naurert from her predecessors and what her performance as sState Department spokesperson might suggest about how she would approach the job of UN Ambassador. We also discuss the implications of a decision by the White House to downgrade the position of UN Ambassador from a cabinet level position, which is was during Nikki Haley's tenure. The UN ambassador will no longer serve on the National Security Council and we discuss what that means in terms of foreign policy decision making. Support the show!

Massive infrastructure projects like the building of ports, roads and railways are becoming more and more commonplace in the developing world. According to my guest today, the reason we are seeing more of these projects is a burgeoning global rivalry between China and the United States. Seth Schindler is a senior lecturer in urban development and transformation at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. He studies large scale infrastructure projects and as he explains were are on the cusp of an infrastructure "arms race" between the US and China for connecting the developing world. He predicts that geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States will be the key factor driving the development of these massive projects. In our conversation we talk through the implications of this trend, which has accelerated since China launched a massive global infrastructure-building strategy known as the Belt and Road Initiative. It was in response to this Chinese strategy that the US Congress passed a law known as the US BUILD ACT, which established a new International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) We kick off this conversation talking about both the Belt and Road Initiative and the new US International Development Finance Corporation, before having a broader discussion about the ways this rivalry will manifest itself around the world and its impact on global development. This episode is part of a content partnership between the podcast and the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. Experts from the Global Development Institute discuss their research and also the pressing news of the day as it relates to global inequalities and development.

A protest movement in France known as the Gilets Jaunes, or Yellow Vests, has become a political crisis for French President Emmanuel Macron. The protest movement began over a hike in a fuel tax, but has grown into something much more and is now threatening to further weaken Macron, who was already deeply unpopular in France. On the line with me to discuss the origins of this movement and its political significance both in France and throughout Europe is Arthur Goldhammer, a senior affiliate with the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. He is also a translator of French works into english. If you are one of the many people who read Thomas Picketty's book Capitalism in the 20th Century, you read Art Goldhammer's translation. We kick off discussing the origins of this protest movement, then have a wider discussion about the roots of Macron's unpopularity in France and the implications of his unpopularity for Europe, the European Project and liberal democracy more broadly. Become a premium subscriber!

Over 180 countries are endorsing what is known as the Global Compact for Migration. The text of this non-binding agreement was finalized over the summer, and countries are meeting in Marrakech Morocco on December 10th and 11th to formally launch the Compact. There is a great deal of misinformation being spread, mostly by right wing governments in Europe and here in the US, about what this agreement entails. This agreement is not a treaty. Rather, it is an agreed set of principles and creates a kind of platform for multilateral and bilateral cooperation around issues of international migration. On the line to explain the Global Compact for Migration, better known around the UN as the "GCM" is Alice Thomas of Refugees International. I caught up with Alice Thomas from Marrakech where she was participating in civil society forums around the Compact. We discuss both the content of the Compact and its potential impact on destination countries, origin countries and migrants themselves. We also discuss the impact of the non-participation of a few countries in this compact, including the United States and some countries in Europe. If you have 20 minutes and want to a primer on the Global Compact For Migration, then I think you will very much appreciate this conversation. Access Your Rewards By Becoming a Premium Subscriber

The Kingdom of Bahrain is the smallest country in the Middle East. It is an island in the Persian Gulf connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway. And it is home to a very large US naval base, that houses the Navy's fifth fleet. Bahrain is also in the midst of a years long crackdown in which political opposition figures, human rights defenders, journalists and bloggers have been languishing in jail. And it was in this context that last month Bahrain held elections that were a total sham, according to my guest today, Brian Dooley. Brian Dooley is a senior advisor at Human Rights First and as he explains, the politics and international relations of Bahrain can teach us a lot about broader trends in the Middle East. In our conversation, we discuss why these recent elections in Bahrain matter and what the international community can do to restore a semblance of representative democracy to Bahrain. Become a premium subscriber to the podcast and unlock a bucket of rewards! Click here

Diplomats, scientists, advocates and other concerned parties are gathering in Katowice, Poland for a major international climate conference that is serving as a followup to the Paris Climate Agreement. The meeting is formally called the 24th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is better known in UN lingo as COP24 and it stretches from December 2nd to the 14th. This conference is a big moment in international diplomacy and a key inflection point for the implementation of the goals set forth in the Paris Accord. On the line with me to discuss what is happening at this conference and why it matters is Yamide Dagnet, a senior associate at the World Resources Council. And as she explains there are three main tasks before delegates to this conference, which together are intended to facilitate global cooperation toward the Paris agreement goal of limiting the pace of global warming. We also discuss how the United States fits into these negotiations given that it is both a major emitter and that President Trump has decided the US will pull out of the Paris Agreement.

Michelle Gelfand is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland and author of the new book Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire our World. The book, which is written for a popular audience, is based on a scientific study conducted by Gelfand in 33 countries in which she examines cultural norms around rule following. As she explains, certain countries have a higher tolerance for norm and rules breaking behavior than others--and these discrepancies can have important consequences for international relations. Dr. Gelfand's study is a groundbreaking way to look at key cultural differences between countries. ****Become a Premium Subscriber and unlock a host of rewards and bonus content! **** https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches

My guest today, Diana Mitlin, is a professor of global urbanism at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. Much of her work focuses on issues surrounding informal urban settlements, commonly known as slums. In this episode we discuss why slums present such a profound challenge for global development--and how getting policies around slums right can lead to big progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. We kick off this discuss talking more broadly about the scope of the challenges surrounding the nearly 1 billion people around the world who live in what might be considered a slum. We then discuss what policies work to uplift people who live in these informal urban settlements and how successful policy is being implemented by some cities and local governments around the world. This episode is part of a content partnership between the podcast and the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. For the next several months we will be featuring from, time to time, experts from the Global Development Institute who will discuss their research and also the pressing news of the day as it relates to global inequalities and development. If you'd like to learn more about the Global Development Institute you can go to GDI.Manchester.ac.uk or click on the add on globaldispatchespodcast.com"

Harold Hongju Koh is one of the America's leading scholars of international law. He is the Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School, where he formerly served as the dean. He's also served as the Legal Advisor in the State Department and was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Professor Koh is the author of the new book that examines the Trump administration's relationship with international law. His book, called "The Trump Administration and International Law" surveys issues in which the Trump administration has clashed with international law, including immigration and refugees, human rights, and climate change. Professor Koh concludes that forces of international law are far more resilient than we might expect, and in fact, Trump's power has been constrained by international law. Professor Koh explains the process through which international law has so far been able to blunt some of Trump's more aggressive impulses.

On October 31, South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar entered the capitol city of Juba for the first time in two years to attend a peace ceremony. The ceremony in Juba was intended a confidence building measure toward the implementation of the peace deal. Earlier this summer, Machar and South Sudan's president Salva Kiir signed a peace deal, formally ending a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced over a million more. On the line with me to discuss the peace deal is Alan Boswell. He is a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group who has been following events in South Sudan for years. We discuss the roots of the conflict, what lead to this peace agreement, and whether or not this new peace agreement can succeed.

In mid September, I was sitting next to the journalist Sally Hayden while attending a press briefing near the United Nations when phone started buzzing with WhatsApp messages. Refugees and migrants stranded in a prison in Libya had gotten her number and were sending her messages describing awful details of their confinement. These refugees were stranded in prison because of a deal worked out between the Libyan Coast Guard and Italian government. Thousands of refugees and migrants, mostly from Eastern and Sub-saharan Africa, are languishing indefinitely in confinement in Libya after having been captured by Libyan coast guard units as they tried to make their way to Italy. This has resulted in an ongoing human rights catastrophe as prisoners are left alone in jail cells, often without food or water. As Sally Hayden explains, this has resulted in an unbelievably awful human rights calamity that is not getting the attention it deserves. In this episode, Sally Hayden explains this unfolding crisis.