Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

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 escape the nexus of climate change, conflict and forced displacement Ms. Jana Birner, Associate Partnerships Officer in the Office of the Special Advisor on Climate Action for the UN Refugee Agency Barthelemy Mwanza, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who works with the Global Refugee Youth Network Alessandro Craparo, a Bioclimatologist with CGIAR

Republicans will soon control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and, of course, the White House. What does this Republican trifecta mean for the United Nations? Peter Yeo, Executive Vice President of the United Nations Foundation, explains the nuances of how Republicans have traditionally approached the United States's relationship to the United Nations, what we can expect from the second Trump Administration, the Senate and House moving forward.

It was neither a surprise nor an upset: Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the United States Presidential Election. Republicans will also control the United States Senate, while control of the House of Representatives remains undecided. Joining me less than 24 hours after this election is Robbie Gramer, national security correspondent for Politico and host of Politico's excellent NatSec Daily newsletter. Few people are as connected to both the political and foreign policy worlds as Robbie Gramer, so I thought it would be valuable to hear what he is learning from his sources about the foreign policy implications of a second Donald Trump term and the potential Republican control of Congress.

On October 26, the Republic of Georgia held parliamentary elections with immense geopolitical stakes. The former Soviet republic was once staunchly pro-Western and pro-European. But over the last several years, the country has drifted closer to Russia's orbit, largely due to one man: the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. His Georgia Dream party has dominated Georgian politics for nearly a decade, and this rule has brought some democratic backsliding, including a new NGO law, modeled after a similar law in Russia, aimed at undermining civil society. However, the people of Georgia remain overwhelmingly pro-West and pro-European. So, this election was seen as a reckoning: would the ruling Georgian Dream Party be voted out, halting the country's drift towards Russia? Despite some reports of election irregularities, Georgia Dream declared victory, claiming 54% of the vote. The opposition rejects this outcome, leaving the country in an uneasy post-election period. Joining me from Tbilisi, Georgia, is Andres Ilves, Regional Director for the Near East and Eastern Europe for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. We discuss what happened in these elections, what accounts for Georgia's drift towards Russia, and some of the key geopolitical implications of these results. Sign up for our new show about the UN: https://www.globaldispatches.org/s/to-save-us-from-hell

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 social assistance can improve mental health in fragile settings. You will hear from: Michael Mulford, World Vision International Adiam Hailemichael, World Bank economist Melissa Hidrobo, Senior research fellow, IFRPRI

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

UNGA week is here! Hundreds of world leaders are gathering in New York for the opening of the 79th United Nations General Assembly. This is always one of the most important moments in international diplomacy, and this week will be no different. We have a special episode today. I kick off with some commentary about the stories I think will drive the agenda during UNGA78, including the Summit of the Future and the prospect of the UNGA unfolding in the context of a widening regional conflict in the Middle East. I also want to shine a spotlight on two important stories from New York this week that will probably not get the attention they deserve, but are nonetheless central to what UNGA is all about: achieving results for the betterment of humanity. To that end, I interview Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, Vice President of Global Health Strategy at the UN Foundation, who tells us what to expect from a high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance. I then speak with Kerrlene Wills, Director for Ocean and Climate at the UN Foundation, who discusses a second key high-level meeting on sea-level rise. For more, please visit https://www.globaldispatches.org/

I caught up with my guest today, Pascal Lamy, on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization's Public Forum. Pascal Lamy is a former Director-General of the WTO and the current Vice Chair of the Paris Peace Forum. He has a reputation as a big thinker, particularly on geopolitical matters. In our conversation, we discussed some of the contours of the deepening rivalry between China and the United States on trade issues. There is an emerging trend in the geopolitics of "decoupling," which is the idea that the world may be split into two trading blocs: one led by China and the other by the United States. I kick off by asking Pascal Lamy if he believes that decoupling is inevitable at this point. We then discuss the roots, causes, and impacts of trade rivalries between the US and China, as well as the role of the European Union and how the rest of the world — that is, countries outside the US, China, and Europe — can influence debates around international trade.

Today's episode was recorded live at the World Trade Organization's headquarters in Geneva. The live taping coincided with the WTO's "Public Forum," a week-long gathering of civil society at the WTO's headquarters. It's a major event, with around 5,000 people registered from around the world, attending a series of meetings, workshops, speeches, panel discussions, and, of course, our live Global Dispatches taping. This episode features two guests. First up is the WTO's chief economist, Ralph Ossa, who discusses his research on the global implications of widening trade disputes between major powers, such as the United States and China. I'm then joined by Anabel Gonzalez, the Vice President for Countries at the Inter-American Development Bank and a former Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization, who offers her ideas on how trade may be harnessed to promote global equality and prosperity.

While in Geneva, I paid a visit to the U.S. Permanent Mission to interview Ambassador Bathsheba Crocker. She is the top U.S. official in Geneva, representing the United States at the many United Nations agencies and international organizations headquartered here. I wanted to speak with Ambassador Crocker because the work of the UN in Geneva can sometimes fly under the radar, yet it directly impacts everyone on the planet, including Americans. I was interested in learning more about how the U.S. engages with agencies that most Americans have probably never heard of—such as the World Intellectual Property Organization or the International Telecommunications Union—but that nonetheless help to shape our world in ways that affect the daily lives of ordinary people. We start by discussing how the U.S. engages with some of the more technical UN agencies in Geneva, and then move on to the Biden administration's decision to rejoin the Human Rights Council after the previous Trump administration withdrew. We also discuss the relationship between the work of the UN here in Geneva and the UN in New York, particularly in relation to issues of peace and security.

Gene therapy is effective against many diseases and even has the potential to address enduring global health challenges like HIV. However, gene therapy as it currently exists is astronomically expensive to develop and administer. What's more, the burden of diseases that may be most susceptible to gene therapy, such as sickle cell disease and potentially HIV, is concentrated primarily in the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. My guest today, Dr. Boro Dropulic, is working to close that gap and bring these advanced therapies to places where they are needed most. He is the Executive Director of Caring Cross, a nonprofit dedicated to both developing advanced medical cures and making them widely accessible. In our conversation, he explains why these gene therapies are so expensive today and how to make them affordable for health systems in the developing world.

If you are a regular listener to the podcast and reader of our associated Global Dispatches newsletter, you know that I believe one of the most important issues in the world today is the growing gap between humanitarian needs and the funding available to meet those needs. Climate change and conflicts are causing a surge in the number of people around the world who require a modicum of humanitarian aid to survive. Yet, funding has not kept pace. Far from it. The gap is large and growing. In response to this pressure, one of the largest and oldest international humanitarian organizations, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, is trying something new. While they still rely on traditional donors, mostly wealthier Western countries, they are also experimenting with innovative financing schemes. This includes using insurance in novel ways and exploring how to issue bonds or sell carbon credits to fund their humanitarian work. Joining me to discuss how the IFRC is approaching these complex financial instruments is Nena Stoiljkovic, IFRC's Under Secretary General for Global Relations and Humanitarian Diplomacy. We kick off by discussing why climate change is driving up the costs of humanitarian response and the IFRC's new program to support climate-resilient communities before diving into a longer conversation about the novel ways in which the IFRC plans to finance that, along with its regular disaster response.

In mid-August, the United States and Switzerland hosted peace talks for Sudan's warring parties. The talks took place outside Geneva at a time when the conflict was exacting a massive toll on the civilian population of Sudan. Just as the talks were getting underway, the UN confirmed a famine in a massive IDP camp in Darfur. Meanwhile, over 10 million people have been displaced by the fighting, making it the largest humanitarian crisis in the world by the numbers. There have been some attempts at international mediation, none of which have stuck. Over the summer, the newly appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, began laying the groundwork for these talks in Switzerland, which only recently concluded. There is obviously still no ceasefire in Sudan, but according to my guest today, Cameron Hudson, Senior Fellow in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the talks nonetheless did achieve important progress on getting humanitarian aid to beleaguered populations.

Ever since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban three years ago, I have periodically checked in with my guest today, Zuhra Bahman. She is the Afghanistan Country Director for Search for Common Ground, an NGO focused on peacebuilding. When the Taliban toppled the Afghan government and asserted control in Kabul, Zuhra Bahman happened to be out of the country on a business trip. However, she was determined to return, and she did. As she explained in our previous conversations, she felt an obligation to influence the direction of her country under Taliban rule, improve the lives of women and girls, and promote local peacebuilding efforts. In our conversation today, I ask her: Has she been successful? More broadly, Zuhra Bahman explains how consistent engagement with the Taliban authorities has led to some incremental gains, and she argues why the international community ought to deal directly and consistently with the Taliban.

On August 14th, the World Health Organization declared MPOX a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." This is the highest level of alarm that the WHO can issue to confront a public health crisis, and it was triggered in response to a rapidly spreading outbreak in Central Africa. As my guest, Dr. Eric Toner, explains, this MPOX outbreak is different from the one two years ago due to the fact that this new strain of the virus is both more deadly and more transmissible. Dr. Eric Toner is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. He explains the differences between the strains and what we know so far about how MPOX is spreading within Central Africa and, more recently, to other continents. We have a lengthy discussion about how to contain the outbreak, which includes deploying effective vaccines. However, the problem is that the supply is limited and controlled by just a handful of vaccine manufacturing companies.

In 1991, Somaliland declared independence from Somalia, but no country has yet to accept Somaliland's sovereignty. That, however, may soon change. On January 1st, Ethiopia and Somaliland entered into a memorandum of understanding that includes Somaliland leasing a coastline and port to landlocked Ethiopia, and in return, Ethiopia would be the first country in the world to formally recognize Somaliland's independence. When news of the MOU came to light earlier this year, it sent shockwaves throughout the Horn of Africa. Somaliland is in the north of Somalia, with a long coastline on the Gulf of Aden and bordering Ethiopia and Djibouti. It has many of the trappings of a state, including its own currency and governing institutions. It is a multiparty democracy and far more stable and less violent than Somalia. Somalia, however, still claims Somaliland—and every country in the world formally considers Somaliland to be part of Somalia. This move by Ethiopia threatens to upend this consensus of the last three decades. Joining me from Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, is Guleid Ahmed Jama, a lawyer and researcher. We kick off by discussing Somaliland's unique history before having a long conversation about this Ethiopia deal and what comes next.

Every two years, since 1951, the United Nations has compiled data and estimates about the world's population. These are contained in a report called World Population Prospects, which provides our best estimates about global population and demographic trends. The latest edition of World Population Prospects was released in June, and joining me today is one of the people responsible for putting this report together. John Wilmoth is Director of the Population Division at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. He last joined us two years ago after the previous iteration of this report was released. We will discuss what has changed, or not, from the estimates of two years ago, why we should be paying attention to rapidly aging populations in East Asia, and what we mean by the "demographic dividend" that many countries in Africa are poised to harness.

I caught up with Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli at the Aspen Security Forum in mid-July. She is the new President and CEO of the One Campaign, which advocates on behalf of global development, justice, and equal rights, with a particular focus on Africa. I was interested in speaking with her at a major conference dedicated to international security precisely because African security issues are often far from the top concerns of the American foreign policy community. One of the big challenges facing many African countries today is how heavily indebted they are. Many African countries these days are spending far more money servicing debts than on their own economic and social programs. Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli explains that this already has international security implications and is bound to get worse unless something changes. We discussed how we can change the narrative around Africa in general and why including Africa in conversations about global security will become increasingly imperative in the future.

The July 28th national elections in Venezuela were supposed to usher in a new era of democracy after 25 years of Chavismo rule. Back in October, President Nicolas Maduro agreed to free and fair elections and, in return, had some US sanctions lifted. He quickly reneged on that deal, barred a popular opposition leader from running, and engaged in other election-related shenanigans. Still, Venezuelans voted in massive numbers, rallying around a lesser-known opposition candidate named Edmundo Gonzalez. But hours after the polls closed, Nicolas Maduro claimed victory, a position backed up by his hand-picked national electoral body. Crucially, Venezuelan authorities have not released a full accounting of the election results, including a paper trail that Venezuela's voting systems use to verify results. This has led to widespread and credible accusations that Venezuela's election was stolen. On the line with me from Caracas is Phil Gunson, a senior analyst for the Crisis Group. We recorded our conversation on August 1st amidst profound political uncertainty in Venezuela. He explains what happened in the lead-up to and immediate aftermath of the elections and how this situation may evolve.

Kamala Harris did not have an extensive foreign policy track record before becoming Vice President. And as Vice President, she did not assume much of a foreign policy portfolio during the Biden Administration. So what could we expect from a Kamala Harris foreign policy? How might it be the same as or different from Joe Biden's foreign policy? And if Harris becomes President, who might assume senior foreign policy roles, such as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor? Joining me to discuss these questions and more is Alexander Ward, a national security reporter who starts at the Wall Street Journal next week and author of The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump, a vital book that tells the story of the first two years of the Biden Administration's foreign policy. We kick off by discussing what role, if any, Harris played in the two major events that Alexander Ward details in his book: the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We then discuss what sort of foreign policy vision can be deduced from Kamala Harris' time as Vice President and Senator from California.

On July 19th, the Houthis launched a drone that struck an apartment building in Tel Aviv, killing an Israeli. This was a long-range, sophisticated drone and marked the first time the Houthis successfully struck Israeli soil. Israel responded with airstrikes against the Port of Hodeida, in the Houthi-controlled part of Yemen. The Houthis are the de facto rulers of most of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the main port city, Hodeida. About a month into the Gaza war, the Houthis—who are part of the so-called Axis of Resistance that includes Hamas and Hezbollah—began attacking civilian commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The US has led an international mission to protect those ships in the Red Sea and deter Houthi attacks by striking targets in Yemen. At the time, many Yemen experts, including my guest today, Alex Stark, warned that bombing the Houthis would not deter them—and would likely only embolden the group. This escalation against Israel proved her right. Alex Stark is an associate policy researcher at Rand who wrote a prescient article in Foreign Affairs some months ago titled "Don't Bomb the Houthis." In our conversation, Alex Stark explains why this attack on Israel was such an escalation, provides some broader context in which the Houthis decided to launch their Red Sea attacks, and offers perspective on how this latest escalation may evolve. Please support our work by purchasing a subscription at https://www.globaldispatches.org/

Bangladesh is roiled in the most intense protests and domestic upheaval in decades. The protests began peacefully by students objecting to a quota system for government jobs, in which government jobs are mostly reserved for those who fought in the 1971 war for independence and their descendants. That quota system was in place for years, then it was substantially revoked only to be re-instated by Bangladesh's high court in a ruling last month. This sparked protests which turned violent when a pro-government student group attacked the protesters. The government of Sheikh Hasina has since enacted a brutal crackdown, imposing curfews, blocking the internet, and authorizing security forces to shoot on sight anyone breaking curfew. This crackdown by Sheikh Hasina is the latest example of her turn to authoritarianism, a trend that has been accelerating in recent years. My guest today, Ali Riaz, is a Distinguished Professor at the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University and the President of The American Institute of Bangladesh Studies. We kick off discussing the quota system and the genesis of these protests before having a long conversation about how economic stagnation after a period of rapid growth, combined with corruption and an authoritarian turn, has created the volatile situation we see in Bangladesh today.

Alsu Kurmasheva was visiting her ailing mother in Russia when she was detained by the authorities and had her passports confiscated. She is a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and her arrest immediately raised alarms that, like the Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich, yet another American journalist has been targeted and wrongfully detained in Russia. However, unlike the wrongful detention of Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva's case is far less known. My guest today is Pavel Butorin, Alsu's husband and also a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He explains what happened to Alsu and his ongoing efforts to secure her release from a Russian jail.

On May 19th, a helicopter crash in Iran killed President Ebrahim Raisi and several top government officials. This forced new presidential elections, and on July 5th, Masoud Pezeshkian defeated his more hardline opponent and is now Iran's president-elect. Pezeshkian comes from the reformist faction of Iranian politics, but real power still lies in the hands of unelected clerics, none more so than Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Still, this election will have an impact on Iran's relationship with the outside world, including the West. Joining me to explain the international implications of Masoud Pezeshkian's election is Sina Toossi, a senior nonresident fellow at the Center for International Policy. We discuss what we mean by "reformist" in the context of Iranian politics, which leads into a broad conversation about the kinds of changes we might see in Iranian domestic and foreign policy as Pezeshkian takes the reins of government from a hardline faction that has been dominant for the last several years.

The Labour Party won an overwhelming victory in the recent elections in the United Kingdom. Keir Starmer is now Prime Minister, ending 14 years of Conservative rule in the UK. So what does this mean for Britain's foreign policy? Can we expect any major changes to Britain's relationship with the world? Joining me to discuss the foreign policy implications of the UK elections is Jason Pack, host of the Disorder Podcast. We have an extended discussion about the new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, who Jason Pack argues will have an outsized role in shaping UK foreign policy in the years to come. This includes reorienting and reinvigorating Britain's once-vaunted global development programs. "The Lammy Doctrine" New Statesmen The Disorder podcast: https://linktr.ee/disorderpod

From July 15th to the 18th, the Chinese Communist Party is holding a gathering known as the Third Plenum. This is a highly anticipated political event, as Xi Jinping and party officials are expected to announce key economic reforms intended to spur the Chinese economy. For the past several years, especially since COVID, the Chinese economy has been lagging. According to my guest today, Anja Manuel, executive director of the Aspen Security Group, this is largely because Xi has prioritized regime security over economic growth. We kick off by discussing what the Third Plenum is and have a broad conversation about the economic and political context in which this meeting is occurring. We also discuss the broader geopolitical implications of a slowing Chinese economy and what that means for competition between the US and China. Finally, Anja Manuel previews the Aspen Security Forum, which kicks off on July 16th. This is a significant foreign policy and national security gathering that I've had the pleasure of attending for the past few years. https://www.globaldispatches.org/SaveUs

A rather bizarre incident recently occurred in the South China Sea off the coast of the Philippines. On June 17th, the Chinese Coast Guard clashed with Philippine naval vessels en route to resupplying a stranded Philippine ship on a formation known as the Second Thomas Shoal. This desolate shoal is very much in the territorial waters of the Philippines, but China nonetheless claims it as Chinese sovereign territory. The Chinese have routinely harassed Philippine ships in the area, but on June 17th, the Chinese Coast Guard attacked the Philippine naval vessels with water cannons, swords, and axes in the most violent incident of its kind in years. This kind of escalation risks drawing in the United States due to the longstanding Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines, which obliges the US to come to the defense of the Philippines. This has the potential to draw the US and China into direct conflict. My guest today is Prashanth Parameswaran, founder of the ASEAN Wonk newsletter and fellow at the Wilson Center. We kick off by discussing what exactly happened during the June 17th incident before having a broader conversation about the dynamics in which this territorial dispute in the South China Sea draws the US and China closer to conflict--and how to escape that trap.

On June 27th, a group of food security experts from the United Nations and major international relief agencies known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released devastating new data on hunger in Sudan. Their data shows that over 755,000 people are experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. This means that there are almost no coping mechanisms left, and people are starving to death. Those experiencing this extreme level of food insecurity are spread throughout several regions; it is not localized to just one part of the country. The cause is conflict. In April last year, a full-scale civil war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The food system in the country, including farmlands and trading routes, has been destroyed. Meanwhile, international humanitarian relief is being obstructed by the warring parties and not reaching people in need in sufficient numbers. My guest today, Dr. Oliver Kiptoo Kirui, is a Research Fellow with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). He recently conducted a large wartime household survey of food security in every region of Sudan. We discuss his findings in detail, as well as what can be done to reverse the massive food crisis gripping the country. The war does not look like it will end anytime soon, so in the midst of conflict, what can be done to limit deaths from starvation and widespread hunger?

On Tuesday, June 25, Kenyan protesters stormed parliament in Nairobi in scenes reminiscent of the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol. However, unlike January 6, police responded violently, and at least six people were killed. The protests had been ongoing for days as the Kenyan parliament moved on a finance bill that would increase taxes for ordinary Kenyans in unusual ways. Like many countries in Africa, the government of Kenya faces an extreme level of debt and was looking for new sources of revenue to service its debt payments while also keeping the government functioning. Following the protests, President William Ruto said he would no longer pursue this taxation bill. While protests in Kenya are hardly unusual, what makes this protest movement so unique, according to my guest today, Brian Obara, is that it was not organized along ethnic, tribal, or even class divides. Rather, it was youth-led and broad-based -- and that could signal a profound change in Kenyan politics. Brian Obara is a Kenyan lawyer, media professional, and columnist for The Star, a daily newspaper in Nairobi. We kick off by discussing what was in this ill-fated Finance Bill that so agitated Kenyans. We then discuss what transpired in the protests and what this episode suggests for the future of politics in Kenya.

The situation in Southern Lebanon is extremely precarious. Israel is positioning more and more military assets along its northern border, while Hezbollah continues its near-daily attacks on Israeli targets from Lebanon and has threatened an all-out war. Caught in the middle are about 10,000 United Nations peacekeepers. The United Nations Interim Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has more peacekeepers deployed per square kilometer than any other UN peacekeeping mission in the world. These peacekeepers have helped avert an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in the past, but tensions are very high right now. If conflict is averted, it may be due to the off-ramp to continued escalation between Hezbollah and Israel that UNIFIL provides. On the other hand, if Israel and Hezbollah decide to escalate, there's little these peacekeepers can do to stop them. The lead segment of our second episode of To Save Us From Hell explains the role of UNIFIL in managing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since 2006 and why some diplomats are considering expanding UNIFIL to prevent a new devastating war in the region. On the flipside, we also discuss what would happen to these 10,000 Blue Helmets if they get caught in the middle of a war between Israel and Hezbollah. Our second segment focuses on a summit this week between Taliban officials and representatives of about 30 governments and international institutions, convened in Doha under UN auspices. This meeting is somewhat controversial and has earned reprobation in some circles for the fact that no Afghan women will be represented. Finally, we share an excerpt of our interview with Courtney Fung, an academic who studies Chinese diplomacy and its approach to the United Nations. This is a 15-minute excerpt of our full 40-minute interview that is available to our paying supporters. The interview covers China's evolving relationship to the UN, including how the policies and strategies it pursues are changing as it becomes a more robust global power. To Save Us From Hell is listener-powered. Please support our work through your paid subscription: https://www.globaldispatches.org/SaveUs

Since 2019, Burkina Faso has been in a state of near-constant conflict. Extremist groups control or occupy large swaths of the country—about 40-50% according to some estimates. Meanwhile, the government is extremely unstable and has been toppled by a succession of military coups. The military government in power today is generally hostile to the same Western powers that have historically supported the people of Burkina Faso with humanitarian and development assistance. My guest today, Jan Egeland, is the president of the Norwegian Refugee Council, a large international humanitarian NGO. Each year, the NRC publishes a list of what it considers the most neglected humanitarian emergencies on the planet, and this year, the crisis in Burkina Faso tops the list. Jan Egeland recently returned from Burkina Faso, and in our conversation, he explains why the humanitarian crisis there is so challenging and what can be done to make Burkina Faso less neglected by the international community.

This is the debut of "To Save Us From Hell," our new weekly chat show about the United Nations. "To Save Us From Hell" is a project of Global Dispatches and features weekly conversations between co-hosts Mark Leon Goldberg and Anjali Dayal about the latest news and happenings around the United Nations. They discuss the implications of Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea for the UN, recent progress on Gaza and Sudan at the Security Council, and who should replace the outgoing top UN humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths. To Save Us From Hell is a project of Global Dispatches and is supported entirely through the paid subscriptions of our supporters. You can access a discounted subscription here: https://www.globaldispatches.org/SaveUs To Save Us From Hell is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere you get your podcasts. Go here to learn more: https://www.globaldispatches.org/s/to-save-us-from-hell

Elections for the European Parliament saw sweeping gains for far-right parties in Germany and France. It was in France that these election results led to the surprising—and very daring—decision by Emmanuel Macron to dissolve parliament and call for snap elections. The first round of these legislative elections will be held on June 30th. Macron is facing a challenge from the far-right National Rally, a party that used to be known as the National Front, which was founded by the Nazi-adjacent Jean-Marie Le Pen and is now led by his daughter, Marine Le Pen. These elections could lead to the far right winning enough seats in the French parliament to lead the government. On the line to discuss the European Parliament elections in general and the results in France is Art Goldhammer, a senior affiliate at the Center for European Studies at Harvard. He explains the political dynamics leading up to these snap elections, and we have a long conversation about the implications for Europe should France be led by the hard-right National Rally.

India's election was supposed to be a coronation for Narendra Modi. Instead, he got a comeuppance. India is, of course, the world's largest democracy, and after a nearly month-long election season, the final results were declared in early June. Narendra Modi and his political party, the BJP, fared much worse than expected. They secured far fewer seats in the Lok Sabha, the parliament, than anticipated, and now Modi and the BJP will have to form a coalition government after losing an outright majority. On the line to discuss the election results and what they mean for Indian politics and foreign policy going forward is Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute and also the deputy director of the Wilson Center's new Indo-Pacific program. As Michael Kugelman explains, the outcome of this election suggests a growing skepticism among the Indian public of Modi's brand of Hindu nationalism and the authoritarian tendencies he's embraced.

"To Save Us From Hell" is a new weekly chat show about the United Nations. Each week, two veteran UN watchers break down the latest news from the United Nations, giving our audience insights into what is driving the agenda at UN headquarters and in its operations around the world. Co-host Mark Leon Goldberg is a veteran journalist who's the editor-in-chief of UN Dispatch and founder of Global Dispatches. He's covered the UN for nearly 20 years. Anjali Dayal is a Professor of International Relations at Fordham University who's written widely about the UN and teaches students about its intricacies. They are teaming up for this one-of-a-kind podcast that will launch in the middle of June. For full access to the show at a discounted price, please visit GlobalDispatches.org: https://www.globaldispatches.org/SaveUs

On Friday, May 31, President Biden made a surprising announcement about a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Biden laid out the terms of this three-phased cessation of hostilities and said that this deal was proposed by Israel and sent to Hamas. The optics of a U.S. president making public what he said was an Israeli proposal made many people question whether or not Israel was fully behind this deal. Meanwhile, Biden aimed much of his remarks at Hamas, urging them to accept this ostensibly Israeli deal. At the time of recording, Hamas has neither accepted nor rejected this proposal. My guest today is Joel Braunold, managing director of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. We kick off by discussing what is included in this ceasefire agreement before having a long conversation about the reactions and responses to the Biden announcement by Hamas and Israel. We spend a good deal of time discussing some of the motivations behind Hamas' approach to a ceasefire deal and the complex domestic politics in Israel surrounding this deal. Check out our new weekly podcast about the United Nations! https://www.globaldispatches.org/s/to-save-us-from-hell

Claudia Sheinbaum will be the next President of Mexico. In national elections on June 2, the protégé of President López Obrador and former Mayor of Mexico City won a landslide victory, earning nearly 59% of the vote. She is a former climate scientist and will be the first woman and the first person of Jewish origin to lead the overwhelmingly Catholic country. But beyond the presidency, there were over 20,000 positions at all levels of government up for election, and it was in these state and local elections that things turned violent. Very violent. This was by far the bloodiest election in Mexico's history, with over 30 candidates assassinated during the campaigning. My guest today, Falko Ernst, is the senior analyst for Mexico at the International Crisis Group. As he explains, this election-related violence is a product of criminal gangs competing for control, influence, power, and wealth. We kick off by discussing Claudia Sheinbaum's background and her unique approach to violent crime as mayor of Mexico City. We then discuss the dynamics that led to violence in the lead-up to these elections and what can be done to disrupt criminal gangs' sway over local politics in Mexico.

After the Islamic State was largely defeated on the battlefields of northern Syria in 2019, thousands of fighters and their families were placed in detention facilities in the region. By far the largest of these detention camps is Al Hol, which at its peak held over 70,000 people from several dozen countries. Today, over 50,000 people live in Al Hol, which is essentially an open-air prison. The vast majority of people living there are children. My guest today, Sarhang Hamaseed, is the director of Middle East Programs at the United States Institute of Peace and is intimately involved with efforts to help repatriate families currently stranded in this prison camp. When we caught up, he had recently returned from Iraq, working on programs to support the reintegration of Iraqi families in Al Hol. In our conversation, Sarhang Hamaseed explains why this festering prison camp in northern Syria is both a humanitarian and security crisis that deserves broader international attention.

Some of the most heavily indebted countries in the world are also the ones most vulnerable to climate-induced natural disasters. When a hurricane, cyclone, or massive drought hits a country, officials can be faced with the choice of either servicing their debts or paying for disaster recovery. As the pace and scale of natural disasters increase due to climate change, some policy entrepreneurs have introduced the idea of including so-called "Pause clauses" in loan agreements that would enable the country to suspend debt payments for a period of time as it recovers from a natural disaster. The best-known champion of this idea is the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley. This was her signature proposal in a suite of reforms to international financing policies for climate-vulnerable countries known as the Bridgetown Initiative. My guest today, Michael Sheldrick, tells the story of how Pause Clauses went from an idea on paper to a policy now widely implemented by the World Bank in his new book: "From Ideas to Impact: A Playbook for Influencing and Implementing Change in a Divided World." Michael Sheldrick is a co-founder of Global Citizen and devotes a chapter of his book to the successful implementation of Pause Clauses. (The book covers much more than Pause Clauses, but it is what we focus on in our conversation today because it is such a good example of policy entrepreneurship in the face of a seemingly intractable problem.) From Ideas to Impact: A Playbook for Influencing and Implementing Change in a Divided World https://gtly.to/4X3iZoma5

Over the past several weeks, hundreds of thousands of people in the Republic of Georgia have taken to the streets to protest against a law making its way through parliament that would force many NGOs to register as foreign agents. The law is modeled on similar measures in Russia that led to the near wholesale criminalization of pro-democracy and human rights civil society groups. This move in Georgia's parliament is being pushed through by a political party led by an oligarch who made his fortune in Putin's Russia. It is also happening at the same time as Georgia is seeking to establish closer ties with the West and join the European Union. On the line to discuss what this law actually says, how it may impact Georgia's future, and human rights inside Georgia is Denis Krivosheev, Deputy Director for Europe & Central Asia at Amnesty International.

On Monday, May 20th, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, applied for arrest warrants for three senior Hamas leaders and for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Hamas leaders include the top official in Gaza, Yahyah Sinwar, Hamas' military commander Muhammad Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based political leader of Hamas. These three men were charged with crimes related to the October 7th attack and their treatment of hostages in captivity. On the Israeli side, Netanyahu and Gallant were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a method of warfare. For those of you who subscribe to the Global Dispatches Newsletter, you'll know that I've been expecting this shoe to drop since November, when Karim Khan first warned Hamas and Israeli officials that his office has jurisdiction in relation to this conflict. Well, this ICC action has now happened, and on the line with me to discuss what these applications for arrest warrants mean and where this ICC case may be headed next is Mark Kersten. He is an assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at the University of the Fraser Valley who specializes in International Law. He's also a senior consultant at the Wayamo Foundation. I daresay you will not find a more informed conversation about the ICC from any other podcast out there. To support our work, please become a paying supporter at Global Dispatches at: https://www.globaldispatches.org/

For humanitarian professionals, people whose job it is to deliver aid in conflict and disaster zones, Gaza is unique. Unlike other crises that suffer from lack of attention, the situation in Gaza is a top priority for governments around the world. Accordingly, there is no shortage of aid available to stem the crisis, which in some parts of Gaza has crossed the famine threshold. Rather, it is distributing the aid that has become the challenge, both in terms of getting the aid through Israeli inspections and, once in Gaza, getting the aid to where people need it most. My guest today, Jeremy Konyndyke, is the President of Refugees International and a veteran humanitarian professional who served as head of USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance from 2013-2017. We kick off discussing why humanitarian groups, the United Nations, and the Biden administration are so concerned about a full-scale Israeli assault on Rafah in southern Gaza. We then discuss the propriety of a humanitarian pier the US is constructing off the coast of Gaza and why the crisis in Gaza is so different from other humanitarian crises around the world. We conclude our conversation with an important discussion of the crisis in Darfur, and specifically the complicity of the United Arab Emirates in supporting a genocidal paramilitary.