Global Dispatches -- Conversations On Foreign Policy And World Affairs

As 2021 comes to a close, I thought it may be worthwhile to gather some veteran United Nations watchers to reflect on the key events that shaped the work of the United Nations this year.  I'm joined in this conversation by Margaret Besheer, the UN Correspondent for Voice of America, Anjali Diyal, Assistant Professor of International Politics in the Political Science Department at Fordham University, and Louis Charbonneau, UN Director for Human Rights Watch.  We recorded our conversation live via Twitter Spaces

Turkey is in the midst of a currency crisis. The Lira hit a new record low in December, trading about 15.5 lira to the US dollar. This compares to a year ago when the rate was about 7.5 lira to the dollar. In other words, the value of the currency had declined by about 50% in one year.   Meanwhile, inflation is soaring -- at a current rate of more than 20%.   On the line to explain the domestic and international implications of Turkey's tanking Lira is Sibel Oktay, associate professor and chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Illinois, Springfield, and a nonresident Senior Fellow of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.  

Today's episode was recorded live in front of a virtual audience in partnership with CGIAR, the world's largest agricultural innovation network. It is part of a series of episodes examining the relationship between climate and security. Today's episode takes a deep dive into how the transition to low carbon energy economies impacts security. The episode kicks off with introductory remarks by Jesús Quintana-Garcia () Director General, CIAT, Managing Director of the Americas, Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, CGIAR I then moderate a panel discussion featuring a diverse group of experts on this issue, whom I introduce I the top of the moderated session.  https://climatesecurity.cgiar.org/

Libya is poised to hold its first presidential elections in the post-Gaddafi era. This was supposed to be the culmination of a year long peace process. However, there is mounting doubt that these elections will be held on time, amid a brewing political crisis that could lead to a return to armed conflict.   Podcast guest Mary Fitzgerald is a longtime Libya analyst and non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute. She explains why these elections are so fraught with peril and what the international community can do to reduce the prospects of a return to civil war in Libya.   

Afghanistan is in a humanitarian and human rights tailspin. Since the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban in August, the Afghan economy has been in a tailspin. A major liquidity crisis is causing widespread suffering among the Afghan people including severe foos insecurity. Meanwhile, a new report from Human Rights Watch details a spate of summary executions and violence meted out by the newly installed de-facto Taliban government.  Guest: Patricia Gossman, Associate Asia Director for Human Rights Watch.  Become a premium subscriber:  https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches   

On December 6, Aung San Suu Kyi was handed down a prison sentence by a court loyal to Myanmar's military junta. Until February of this year, Suu Kyi was the de-facto civilian leader of Myanmar. Her party, the National League for Democracy, had just won re-election in a landslide victory -- the results of which were rejected by the military, which mounted a coup.  The military junta were not swayed massive protests throughout the country and began violently suppressing dissent. Now, violence seems to be escalating, prompting the UN's top human rights official to warn that Myanmar may be sliding into a civil war. My guest today, Matthew Smith, is the co-founder and CEO of Fortify Rights, a human rights organization long active in Myanmar. We kick off discussing the circumstances of Aung San Suu Kyi's criminal conviction before having a broader conversation about the escalating crisis in Myanmar.  Our conversation was recorded live on Twitter using the new Twitter Spaces platform. Twitter is partnering with the

Robert Jervis passed away on December 9th at the age of 81. He was one of the major figures of International Relations scholarship  -- in the entire history of International Relations as a field of study.   In October 2015, Robert Jervis sat down with me for a long interview about his life and career in which he discussed how his upbringing shaped his worldview from a young age.It was a long and thoughtful conversation about both his personal history and the origins of some of the big ideas that he brought into this world. This episode was behind a paywall of archived content, available at https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches         

Today's episode was recorded live in front of a virtual audience in partnership with CGIAR, the world's largest agricultural innovation network. It is part of a series of episodes examining the relationship between climate and security. Today's episode takes a deep dive into how gender impacts and is impacted by climate-security. The episode kicks off with introductory remarks by Nicoline de Haan, director of CGIAR GENDER platform.   I moderate a panel discussion featuring a diverse group of experts on this issue, whom I introduce I the top of the moderated session.   

For only the second time in its,  the governing body of the World Health Organization met in a special session. WHO, the World Health Assembly, gathered for a special session. The question at hand: Should member states of the WHO seek to create a new treaty, convention, accord or some sort of international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response?  The meetings occurred just as the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, was popping up in countries around the world, prompting travel bans focused on Southern Africa. On the line to help us understand what happened at this special session of the World Health Assembly and what it means for progress towards an international agreement of some sort on pandemic preparedness and response is Kate Dodson, Vice President for Global Health at the United Nations Foundation.    

Russian military forces are massing on the border of Ukraine. This has prompted widespread concern that Russia may once again seek to invade Ukraine. On the line with me to discuss this unfolding crisis is John Herbst, Senior Director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council and Former US Ambassador to Ukraine. We kick off with a conversation about what this military buildup may signal - or not - about Vladimir Putin's intensions on Ukraine before having a discussion about what diplomatic and military options exist to deter Russian aggression.  Links: John Herbst's article on the Atlantic Council's website. Access to a premium subscription and the crypto and global development podcast series.  https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches         

The most innovative cryptocurrency projects today are being built in the developing world (Sub-Saharan Africa in particular) to address real-world obstacles to economic development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.  Cryptocurrency and the blockchain technologies they power carry big implications for global development, but are generally off the radar of the global development and foreign policy community. That may soon change as these technologies become more widely adopted.  Guest Garry Golden demystifies the world of crypto and explains the implications of this emerging technology for emerging economies and the business of global development.  This is a free episode of the new Cryptocurrency and Global Development podcast series and newsletter from Global Dispatches, which profiles crypto projects built to address common global development challenges.  Future episodes in this series will be exclusively available to paying subscribers to the Cryptocurrency and Global Development podcast series

U.S. Senator Chris Coons is one of Congress's leading voices shaping U.S. policy on Africa. For many years he was the top Democrat in the Senate Sub-committee on Africa and earlier this year, President Biden tapped Senator Coons to be his special envoy to Ethiopia. (There is now a full time envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman) I caught up with Senator Coons in person at the Halifax International Security Forum, not long after governments around the world advised their citizens to leave Addis Ababa, ahead of a possible battle for control of Ethiopia's capital. Along with fellow journalist Robbie Gramer of Foreign Policy, we asked Senator Coons to explain U.S. policy towards the Ethiopian conflict, including whether or not the time was right to impose sanctions on government and rebel leaders.   

When Joe Biden came to office the Iran Nuclear Dead was on life support. Known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, the Obama-era deal lifted US and UN  sanctions on Iran in return for Iran placing verifiable limits on its nuclear program. The deal was rejected by the Trump administration which re-imposed sanctions; and Iran has responded in kind by re-starting certain aspects of its nuclear program. Here to explain where things stand with nuclear diplomacy between the United States and Iran is Kelsey Davenport, director for non-proliferation policy policy at the Arms Control Association. We spoke ahead of planned talks in Vienna between the United States and Iran, scheduled for the end of November and early December.

The Halifax International Security Forum is a major annual meeting dedicated to fostering closer ties among the world's democracies. The Forum is organized by HFX, an independent public policy organization based in Washington DC dedicated to strengthening strategic cooperation among democratic nations. And on the line today, is Peter van Praig Founding President of Halifax International Security Forum, HFX to preview this year's forum, which runs from November 19 through 21st in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We kick off discussing this history of the Halifax International Security Forum and why it was created 13 years ago before having a longer discussion about the issues, topics and provocations expected at this year's meeting.   

The major United Nations climate conference, known as COP26, went into overtime in Glasgow, Scotland. But on Saturday, November 13th agreement was reached on the text of an outcome document.   Pete Ogden, Vice President for Energy, Climate and the Environment at the United Nations Foundation explains the key outcomes from COP26, what was accomplished -- and what was left on the table -- at this major UN climate conference.   

Today's episode was recorded live in front of a virtual audience and produced in partnership with CGIAR, the world's largest agricultural innovation network. It is part of a series of episodes that examine the relationship between climate and security. I moderate a panel discussion in which experts discuss how climate science can encourage and support peace in the Middle east and north Africa. The episode kicks off with some introductory remarks by Aly Abousabaa Regional Director for Central and West Asia and North Africa CGIAR, and the Director- General of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. I then introduce the panel and moderate a lively discussion about climate security and peace in the Middle East and North Africa.  To view other episodes in this series, please visit climatesecurity.cgiar.org

The UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus  is one of the world's oldest peacekeeping missions. Yet to this day, it is still serving a valuable role in preventing conflict between Greece and Turkey -- two NATO allies.  On the line to explain why this peacekeeping force is still needed after all these years is Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign and Senior Vice President of the United Nations Foundation.  We kick off discussing the history of the mission before having a broader conversation of its still relevant work after all these years.      

In Madagascar thousands of people in the southern part of the country are experiencing famine-like conditions. Over a million more are considered to be on the brink of famine. The crisis in Southern Madagascar is a direct consequence of climate change. This region has experienced successive droughts -- the rainy season is shorter, the lean season is longer and farmers are unable to plant their crops. This is widely considered to be the world's first climate-change induced famine.  On the line with me to explain the link between climate change and the famine like conditions in Southern Madagascar is Mandipa Manchacha, human rights researcher at Amnesty international's souther Africa regional office. We kick off with a discussion about Madagascar more broadly and the impact of climate change on the island before having a broader conversation about the brutal intersection of climate change and famine in Southern Madagascar.  

COP 26 is the most important international climate conference since the Paris Agreement of 2015.   On the line with me to offer a preview of what to expect from this major UN climate meeting is Pete Odgen, Vice President for Energy, Climate, and the Environment at the United Nations Foundation. He is a veteran of many previous COPs and in our conversation he discusses the key issues up for negotiation in Glasgow and the broader geopolitics of climate change diplomacy. This includes a deep dive into how both China and the United States are approaching COP26 and thorny questions around climate finance. 

Today's episode was recorded live in partnership with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) ahead of COP26 in Glasgow.   I moderate a panel discussion that takes a deep dive into the Nationally Determined Contributions as they relate to food and agriculture. The Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, are the backbone of the Paris Climate Agreement. They are what each country brings to the table in terms of their own contribution to climate action. Collectively, it was the goal of the Paris Agreement that the NDCs would add up to put the world on track to limit global warming to under 2 degrees celsius.   We are not there -- yet.    But in today's panel discussion a diverse group of experts helps to explain what more can be done in agriculture, land use and food systems to drive ambition in climate change and give a needed boost to the NDCs so they can achieve the Paris goals.