From the Field

Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine has prompted new urgency for NATO to shore up its defenses in Europe. A port in the Greek city of Alexandroupoli might play a key role in the alliance's ability to do just that. ICWA's Stavros Niarchos Foundation fellow Steven Tagle describes a military transfer at the port late last year and what it may mean for the future of European security. *Note: This episode mentions a Russian missile system purchased by Turkey. It is S-400, not S-40. 

For four decades, Douglas Latchford burnished his reputation as a leading expert and collector of relics from the ancient Khmer Empire. But mounting evidence shows the burly British art dealer was trading in art looted during some of the darkest periods in Cambodia's history. As part of the Pandora Papers investigation, Malia Politzer (India, Spain, 2013-15) traced the antiquities to offshore accounts in the British Isle of Jersey. She spoke to Glenn Kates about the investigation. 

Parliamentary elections in Germany this month are set to usher in a new post-Angela Merkel era. But there's another way the process is affecting politics: early voting. Germans have enjoyed postal voting for decades, but with no end to the pandemic in sight, officials expect as many as 60 percent of voters may choose to cast their ballots by mail this year. The far-right AfD party is using that development to take a page from Donald Trump's playbook with unfounded claims about voting reliability. Former fellow and journalist Emily Schultheis, currently based in Berlin and Vienna, joins ICWA's Glenn Kates to explain what's at stake.

As Lebanon slides further into political and economic turmoil, its social fabric is increasingly fraying. Beirut-based fellow David Kenner talks to Dan about the decisions intellectuals and skilled professionals face as they watch their compatriots flee abroad for better opportunities.  

As India's healthcare system buckled under the wright of a second wave of coronavirus, New Delhi-based fellow Astha Rajvanshi was exposed to the tragedy of losing a loved one to the disease firsthand. She talks to Dan about how the Indian government bungled its Covid response.

Saudi Arabia has embarked on a path of gradual social and economic modernization in recent years but it's unclear how much it's extending beyond major urban centers. ICWA fellow David Kenner talks to Dan about Western-style cafes in the southern border city of Jazan, where local entrepreneurs are contending with cultural norms in a bid to grow their businesses.

As European countries struggle in battling rising Covid rates across the continent, Berlin-based Emily Schultheis talks to Dan about why Germany's reputation as a leader in Covid-19 response may have been overstated.  

Hopes are high that President-elect Joe Biden can do something to repair four years of isolationism and confrontation with America's closest allies. But it won't be easy. The award-winning journalist and ICWA fellow Suzy Hansen joins Dan to discuss how the world is a different place than it was in 2016, when many believe America's role had already been on the decline for years.

Three decades after Latin America's worst massacre in living memory, El Salvador still hasn't confronted the truth about what exactly happened. San Salvador-based fellow Elizabeth Hawkins talks to Dan about how a drawn-out legal battle over that troubling history is exposing the fragility of the country's democratic institutions long after its civil war ended.

Currently the world's second-worst coronavirus hotspot, India is facing serious economic trouble as wide swaths of society feel the pain from the pandemic lockdown. New Delhi-based fellow Astha Rajvanshi talks to Dan about some of the hardest-hit: working women seeking financial independence and middle-class Indians climbing the socio-economic ladder.

Long-distance travel is out of the picture for many Europeans, so they're choosing to stay closer to home—whether in their own countries or just across the border. Berlin-based ICWA fellow Emily Schultheis talks to Dan about her experience traveling around a continent that's adjusting to life under the pandemic as well as what that may reveal about the future of travel.

Last fall, widespread protests erupted across Lebanon over an unraveling economy and chronic political mismanagement. Then came the novel coronavirus. Now, the currency is collapsing, fueling anger against the ruling elite that cuts through traditional sectarian divides. Dan talks to David Kenner in Beirut about what's going on and what's behind the crisis.