Global in the Granite State

Founded in its modern form in 1932, Saudi Arabia continues to play an important role in the world today, shaping many different regional and global issues. The country also shares a long history of engagement with the United States on various issues, from economic development, military support, and geopolitical goals. While not always in exact alignment, this enduring relationship has continued to strengthen since a historic meeting between U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1945. In light of President Trump's recent visit to the Kingdom, we spoke with Fahad Nazer, Official Spokesperson for the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC, to gain his insights on this historic relationship, break down some of the deals that were struck during President Trump's visit, and to outline the future for this country. We acknowledge that a lot has changed in the region since the start of the current kinetic war between Israel and Iran, however, we want to note that this interview was completed prior to these attacks. We will continue to watch the ongoing war closely, as tensions in the region continue to rise. Fahad Nazer is the official spokesperson for the Embassy of Saudi Arabia to the United States. He was appointed to this role on January 18, 2019. Prior to this appointment, Nazer was a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and served as an International Fellow at the National Council on U.S. Arab Relations. Additionally. He was also a columnist for the daily newspaper Arab News. His publications have appeared in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, CNN, Foreign Policy, YaleGlobal Online, The National Interest, and Newsweek. Nazer earned his BA in political science from New York University and an M.A in political science from Saint John's University in New York City. He has also completed the credit and examination requirements of the PhD program in political science at the Catholic University of America in Washington.  

Across the globe, many people see democracy retreating and authoritarianism on the rise. In places as diverse as India, Hungry, Niger, El Salvador, and even right here in the United States, people of all political background are concerned about the state of their democracy, even if their reasons for worry differ. From attacks on courts, to the accumulation of executive power, and the takeover of institutions, many countries have see their democracies weaken, while many others have seen their democracies completely overthrown (at least 32 coup d'état's since 2010, and many more attempts, around the world).  Freedom House has marked overall democratic decline for the past 19 years based on their global metrics, while countless articles have been written about democratic backsliding around the world.In this month's episode, we discuss the state of democracy around the world with Dr. Henry Thomson of Arizona State University. Throughout this conversation, we cover the pathways to democratic decline and dive into the trends that the world is currently experiencing, while putting this discussion in historical context. In addition, we talk about what lessons pro-democracy forces can learn from the transitions that other countries have made away from authoritarian styles of government. It is important to remember that at one point in time, all countries were under authoritarian forms of government. Dr. Henry Thomson is an Associate Professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. He is a political economist with a research focus on economic development, authoritarian rule, and transitions to democracy.He is the author of two books, Watching the Watchers: Communist Elites, the Secret Police and Social Order in Cold War Europe (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2024) and Food and Power: Regime Type, Agricultural Policy and Political Stability (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2019).Before joining ASU, Thomson was a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. He completed his PhD in Political Science at the University of Minnesota. His doctoral dissertation won the 2015 Juan Linz Prize for the Best Dissertation in the Comparative Study of Democratization from the American Political Science Association. He has been a visiting scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, at Australian National University, and at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies in Berlin.Professor Thomson teaches classes on Democratization, Political Economy, International Political Economy, and social science research design.

As the Trump Administration works to re-envision, revise, and rewrite the ways in which the United States engages with the world, it remains important that people understand the why and the how of U.S. foreign policy.  Whether you want to make America safer, more prosperous, and more secure, or you take a broader look at the importance of global engagement, understanding the goals and limitations of U.S. power can inform your thinking of the U.S.' role in the world.Speaking with Andrew Albertson, Executive Director of Foreign Policy For America, this episode outlines what a principled approach to foreign policy looks like and how the current administration diverges from the traditional approach. From respecting human rights, building important alliances, and engaging the global economy, there is a lot about U.S. foreign policy that can be improved, but we must ensure we do not throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water. By listening to this month's episode you will gain insights into the state of U.S. global engagement, hear about why it remains important to U.S. prosperity, and how you can help shape the U.S.' approach to the world. Andrew Albertson is the founding Executive Director of Foreign Policy for America. He previously served at USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), where he was Deputy Regional Representative for OTI's programs in South and Southwest Afghanistan. Prior to that, Andrew was the founding executive director of the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to examining how genuine democracies can develop in the Middle East and how the U.S. can best support that process. Andrew serves on the board of directors for Secure Families Initiative, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and the Middle East Democracy Center. He received a B.A. from Taylor University and a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from Georgetown University, where he was the Huffington Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.

One of the first government agencies targeted for dismantling by the Trump Administration, The United States' Agency for International Development (USAID) has been a major focal point of executive actions, headlines, and judicial filings. The chaotic approach to slashing jobs, shuttering offices, and eliminating funding has led to many people feeling unclear on what this agency does and how it affects the United States, as well as its relationship to the world. With many questions still remaining about the legality of what the Administration is attempting, as USAID is a Congressionally mandated agency, many Americans are left to wonder and wade through a dizzying array of information. In light of all this, the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire spoke with Charles Kenney, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, to unpack the history of this agency and the impact it has. From administering lifesaving treatments around the world (which remain paused despite waivers) to building local economies (allowing people to stay in their home countries, rather than migrating to the West), this Agency has left an indelible mark on the world. Join us on this insightful conversation as you learn more about the realities surrounding USAID.Charles Kenny is a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. His current work focuses on global economic prospects, gender and development, and development finance. He is the author of the books “The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease,” "Getting Better: Why Global Development is Succeeding," “The Upside of Down: Why the Rise of the Rest is Good for the West,” and “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Utility: Happiness in Philosophical and Economic Thought.” He has been a contributing editor at Foreign Policy magazine and a regular contributor to Business Week magazine. Kenny was previously at the World Bank, where his assignments included coordinating work on governance and anticorruption in infrastructure and natural resources, and managing a number of investment and technical assistance projects covering telecommunications and the Internet.

As President Trump has implemented sweeping changes in how the government functions and continues to try and re-write the rules of the game, many people are feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up. In this month's episode, we speak with Jeffery Thielman, President & CEO of the International Institute of New England, to unpack the various changes and enforcement actions implemented in the first couple weeks of the new administration. From a stated desire to remove up to 11 million undocumented people from the country, to activating the military and empowering them to directly engage in deportations, there is a lot to keep up with. There are long ranging implications for these efforts, many of which will be challenged in courts, and it remains important for people to know what is really going on and to hold their government accountable. Jeffery Thielman - Since becoming the President and CEO of the International Institute of New England in 2015, Jeff has been a leader in the effort to preserve the U.S. refugee resettlement program and to protect the rights of immigrants in New England. Under his direction, IINE has expanded services to more refugees and immigrants, reinstated its legal services program, and expanded career services to more cities and towns in the region.Prior to joining IINE, he co-founded the national Cristo Rey Network and spent nearly two decades creating schools that today serve 13,000 low income and immigrant students in 24 U.S. states and boast of more than 21,000 graduates. Jeff oversaw the start-up of the first 24 Cristo Rey schools and served as President of Cristo Rey Boston High School.Early in his professional career, Jeff was a trial attorney in Boston and worked in the financial services industry. Between college and law school, he served as a Jesuit International Volunteer in Tacna, Peru, where he was a teacher and founder of a program for street children called the Center for the Working Child, which has been replicated in several cities in Peru. He is co-author of Volunteer: With the Poor in Peru, holds undergraduate and law degrees from Boston College, and is fluent in Spanish.Jeff lives with his wife and three children in Arlington, Massachusetts, where he serves on the town's School Committee.View the Pew Research Center's Chart on Immigration Encounters since 2000.

The relationship between the United States and China remains one of the most critical dynamics shaping our world today, with ripple effects that could lead to either global progress or conflict. Amid political shifts in the U.S., now is the perfect time to take stock of where this high-stakes relationship stands, uncover emerging trends, and hear from experts on fostering understanding between these two global powerhouses.In this month's episode, we sit down with Sarwar Kashmeri—renowned host of the Polaris Live web series and Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Association. A longtime friend of the Council, Mr. Kashmeri taps into his extensive network of global leaders to offer fresh insights into U.S.-China relations. Together, we explore his latest Telegram Series installment, where he gathers perspectives from top thinkers on how the two nations can maintain stability and avoid potential catastrophe.While tensions remain high, there are glimmers of hope. Discover how these two nations can collaborate on pressing global challenges, avoiding conflict while building a foundation for mutual benefit. Don't miss this critical conversation on the future of the world's most consequential relationship.Bonus Content: Curious about the European Parliament's report on the 2022 Sanctions War between China and the EU, discussed in this episode? Click Here to Read it Now.Sarwar Kashmeri is an international relations specialist, author, and commentator, noted for his expertise on U.S. global strategy and national security. He speaks frequently before business, foreign policy and military audiences. He is the founder and host of Polaris-Live. com, “United States and China in the world,” a live internet video program featuring 30 minute conversations on the business and geopolitical impact of China's rapid rise to superpower status.Kashmeri is author of the Foreign Policy Association's report “The Telegram: A China Agenda For President Biden“ (2021); “The Telegram II: The Business of America and China is Business“(2022); “China's Grand Strategy: Weaving a New Silk Road to Global Primacy,” (Bloomsbury), his third book, was published in July 2019. It is a centennial book of the Foreign Policy Association where Sarwar is a Senior Fellow. The book was released at a Washington D.C. launch on November 7th, 2019 featuring Kashmeri and former U.S. Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel.

For the past thirteen years, a bloody and terrible civil war has raged through Syria that has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions have been displaced, and yet the war still rages on. While many around the world have forgotten about the war in Syria, especially with other global issues taking precedence, we have all seen the fallout from this devastating war. Recently, however, the crisis has come back into focus for the world as the Syrian army collapsed in the face of an armed group attack, seeing the city of Aleppo fall in 24 hours, a stunning feat. In this episode, we speak with Charles Lister, the Director of Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, highlighting this global issue and reminding audiences of the need for a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis. Through these conversations, you will come away with a deeper understanding of the roots of this conflict, a clearer picture of the international implications, and a better vision for the future. As Charles points out in this episode, what happens in Syria doesn't stay in Syria and leaving the situation to fester is in no one's interest.Charles Lister is a senior fellow and the Director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute. His work focuses on all-things Syria and on issues of terrorism and insurgency across the Levant. Prior to joining MEI, Lister was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Qatar and a Senior Consultant to the multinationally-backed Syria Track II Dialogue Initiative, in which he managed nearly three years of intensive face-to-face engagement with the leaderships of over 100 Syrian armed opposition groups. He has previously held other positions at the Brookings Institution and at IHS Jane's in London, UK. Lister is a Consultant to the United Nations' International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria and a regular consultant and expert witness in counter-terrorism prosecutions and with law enforcement bodies in the United States, Europe and Australia.

Over the past three years, several seemingly frozen conflicts (Sudan, Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, Armenia/Azerbaijan, etc) have broke out into hot conflicts that are challenging the current international order. There is, however, one of the longest standing potential flashpoints that has not entered the fray, but is listed as one issue that could embroil the world. That is the unresolved issue of cross-strait relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC), also known as the island of Taiwan. For more than seventy years, the question of who controls Taiwan has simmered just under the surface of geopolitical tensions, as the PRC continues to claim control of Taiwan, while recognizing that reunification is necessary (the juxtaposition here is insightful). The ROC continues to maintain that the political status of Taiwan can only be decided by the people of Taiwan, who currently support maintaining the status quo (having their own democracy, while not openly trying to claim full independence). In this episode we speak with Director General Charles Liao of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. As the US and Taiwan do not maintain official relations, they do not maintain an embassy or series of consulates throughout the US, so these offices act as the representatives of the ROC in the US. Listen to gain insights into the current state of cross-strait relations and how the ROC views their relationship with the PRC. This becomes increasingly important as the PRC continues to ramp up military drills surrounding Taiwan, increasing the chances for a miscalculation or accident that can lead to all out war. In an age where military might has returned to the global stage as a way to resolve conflicts, the question of Taiwan and how to encourage a diplomatic resolution remains one of the most important of the day.As mentioned in the podcast introduction, if you are interested in learning more about what foreign policy might look like as the United States enters a second term for President Trump, please watch our conversation with Dan Negrea of the Atlantic Council and co-Author of "We Win, They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War". You can watch the RECORDING HERE.Charles Liao is the Director-General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. Prior to assuming his current position on August 3rd 2023, Mr. Liao was Deputy Secretary-General of the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs, seconded to Foreign Minister's Office, from 2020 to 2023.From 2014 to 2020, Mr. Liao served in Washington, D.C. as First Secretary and then Deputy Director at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. He was Section Chief in the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2013. From 2004 to 2010, Mr. Liao served as Senior Consular Officer at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles.Mr. Liao earned a Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy from National Chengchi University in 1999. Mr. Liao is married to Nicole Chang and they have two daughters, Norah and Carice.

For time immemorial, various groups have been taking hostages, political prisoners, and illegally detaining people with impunity. This tried-and-true method of gaining leverage over a rival state or group continues today, despite the fact that is runs contrary to established international law. As of this posting 42 Americans are being illegally detained by foreign governments and the United States, after a long practice of not negotiating, is finally getting serious about bringing its citizens home. As this delicate dance continues to play out on the international stage, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation continues to lead the way on responses to these illegal and immoral actions taken by foreign governments, rebel groups, and terrorist organizations. In this month's episode, we speak with Diane Foley, mother of slain journalist James Foley, about the work of their family's foundation to help ensure no other family has to endure the pain they did back in 2012 when ISIS killed their son. We dive into what the research tells us about different responses, what is effective, what needs to change, and how we all can work to keep ourselves safe while traveling abroad. This important conversation provides audiences with key information and hope for the future. The more international attention we can bring to this practice, the more we can pressure governments to sign on to the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, a global initiative started by Canada in 2021, the less likely it is that people will continue to be used as political pawns, simply because of their nationality. 2024 Foley Foundation Hostage Report10th Annual James W. Foley Freedom RunDiane M. Foley is President and Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which she created in September 2014 less than a month after the public beheading by ISIS in Syria of her son James W. Foley, an American freelance conflict journalist.In 2015, she led JWFLF efforts to fund the start of Hostage US and the International Alliance for a Culture of Safety, ACOS. She actively participated in the National Counterterrorism Center hostage review which culminated in the Presidential Policy Directive-30, which created the current US hostage enterprise to free innocent Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. JWFLF was instrumental in the passage of the Robert Levinson Hostage Taking and Accountability Act.She has been a tireless hostage, wrongful detainee and family advocate within the US hostage enterprise, Congress, and every presidential administration since 2014. She has raised awareness of international hostage-taking and wrongful detention using the award-winning documentary, “Jim, the James Foley story”, opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today and media interviews.She co-authored the book “American Mother” which was published in 2024 with writer Colum McCann. Diane is also the author of a chapter called, “Life For A Voice: the Work of Journalist James W. Foley through the Eyes of his Family” in Living with Precariousness, edited by Christina Lee and Susan Leong, which was published in 2023.

Over the course of the past 170 years, the world has experienced many different forms of terrorism designed to create fear, push for political aims, and recruit followers. Groups of varying political ideologies have used terrorism over the years, making this an issue that never really goes away, it simply morphs and changes. However, one thing remains the same... all of these groups eventually come to an end. It may surprise you that the average lifespan of a terrorist group is 8-10 years, which can seem unbelievable with the staying power of groups like al-Qaeda (founded in the 1980s), the "Provisionals" of the IRA (who used Terrorist attacks in Ireland for over 20 years), and the New People's Army (which has utilized terrorist tactics in the Philippines since 1969). These are the outliers rather than the norm. This episode takes a look at amazing research conducted by Dr. Audrey Kurth Cronin, Director of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology, who has collated the ways in which terrorist groups come to an end. Spoiler alert, sometimes these groups morph into something worse, so it is important to understand why terrorist groups exist, what their goals are, and how the global community can work to hasten these groups' turn away from targeting civilians. Take a listen to engage in this global conversation on understanding how terrorism ends. Purchase Dr. Kurth Cronin's book How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns and her second book Power to the People:  How Open Technological Innovation is Arming Tomorrow's Terrorists to dive even deeper into the topic.Audrey Kurth Cronin is Trustees Professor of Security and Technology and Director of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST).  Cronin's best-known book is How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns (Princeton, 2009), which the New Yorker called a “landmark study.”  Her latest book, Power to the People:  How Open Technological Innovation is Arming Tomorrow's Terrorists (Oxford, 2020), analyzes emerging technologies and devises a new framework for analyzing 21st century military innovation. It was short-listed for the Lionel Gelber prize and won the 2020 Neave prize.    Cronin was a Marshall Scholar from Princeton, earned a DPhil from Oxford, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard. Formerly Distinguished Professor at American University, she founded and directed the Center for Security, Innovation and New Technology in Washington, DC.  She also gained accreditation, founded, and ran the International Security graduate program at George Mason University.  She has been director of the core course on War and Statecraft at the National War College, Director of Studies for the Changing Character of War program at Oxford University, and Specialist in Terrorism at the Congressional Research Service. She has also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy and frequently advises at senior levels. She was Chairman of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Terrorism and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

It has long been said that the United States has benefited from its geography, when it comes to national security. This is attributed to vast oceans to the east and west, along with friendly neighbors to the north and south. The same can be said for Canada, with Santa being a pretty friendly neighbor to the north, one would assume. Do to this shared advantage, which might be less true today, Canada and the United States have long worked together to secure "Fortress North America". From the defensive structures of NORAD and NATO, to the continued force projection taking on some of the biggest challenges of the day, these two countries have collaborated in a number of military spaces.While it would take too long to dive into all the shared challenges that these countries face on the global stage, we did take a special opportunity to speak with the Canadian Defense Attaché to the United States about several of the biggest issues of the day. Major General  Michel-Henri St-Louis of the Canadian Armed Forces graciously gave his time to talk about NATO, NORAD, Ukraine, and the current state of Canada's military and integration with American forces. With a thirty-plus year military career, the Major General has held many high level commands across multiple theatres, as he has helped to ensure Canada upholds its international security obligations. This episode tackles important questions, from what challenges do the armed forces face in terms of readiness, what support has the Canadian government provided to Ukraine, and how our adversaries actively work to undermine important foreign policy conversations here in the US and Canada. This fascinating and unique conversation provides access to top level military thinking, accessible for all.Major-General Michel-Henri St-Louis is an infantry officer from le Royal 22e Régiment, currently serving as the Defence Attaché to the United States. Born in Managua, Nicaragua, he and his family moved to the south shore of Montreal in 1978 during the time of the Sandinista Revolution. Before assuming his current responsibilities at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, MGen St-Louis was the Acting Commander of the Canadian Army. This followed his appointment as the Canadian Army's Training Authority. Preceding this, he served as the Commander of Joint Task Force - IMPACT in the Middle East for more than a year (mid 2019 – mid 2020). Other previous commands and appointments include Deputy Commanding General for Operations of America's First Corps (I Corps - US Army) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (2017-2019), command of 5e Groupe-Brigade Mécanisé du Canada (2015-2017), as well as commander of the last Canadian Battle-Group in charge of combat operations in Panjwai, Kandahar (2010-2011).Through his service he and his family have lived in Saint-Jean, Québec City, Oromocto, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Washington, D.C., Washington State and Kingston (Ontario). He has deployed on 6 different missions, to such places as Srebrenica (Bosnia), Rastevic (Croatia), Zgon (Bosnia), Kabul, Kandahar (Afghanistan) and the OP IMPACT Middle East area or operations (Kuwait-Iraq-Jordan-Lebanon).He has attended the US PINNACLE and CAPSTONE Leadership Programs, followed seminars at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NDU) and the US Army War College. He is a graduate of the National War College (Washington, D.C., U.S.A.), the Canadian Forces College, le Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean, the Royal Military College in Kingston, and the Canadian Army Command and Staff College. His three Masters degrees have focused on the study of war, defence and strategy. He served as chief of staff at the operational level in the 1st Canadian Air Division. In addition, he served three times at the strategic level with the Director General of Strategic Planning, within the Canadian Army Staff and with the Strategic Joint Staff.

With the NATO Summit, celebrating 75 years of this alliance, coming up in July, it is an important time to continue to make the case for the importance of NATO. While some question the usefulness of this alliance, the undeniable fact is that having a strong set of allies in the world sets the United States apart from its competitors. Russia and China cannot call on other countries in the same way and must revert to coercive tactics that make them even fewer friends on the global stage. In this episode we speak with Daniel Kochis, Senior Fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, about the strength of this alliance system, where it needs to be improved, and why Americans should continue to support engagement with our European allies. Whether you want a strong America that is ready to confront Russia and China, or you want the US to work closely with like minded countries to defend the international liberal order, you can't do much better than NATO. Daniel Kochis is a senior fellow in the Center on Europe and Eurasia at Hudson Institute. He specializes in transatlantic security issues and regularly publishes on United States policy in Europe; NATO, Baltic, and Nordic dimensions of collective defense; and Arctic issues.Prior to joining Hudson, Mr. Kochis spent 11 years with the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, most recently as a research fellow in European affairs. There, he served as lead Europe analyst, authoring hundreds of publications and for a decade writing the Europe chapter of Heritage's Index of US Military Strength.In addition to his work on transatlantic security, Mr. Kochis has government affairs experience working at a national nonprofit organization. He previously worked in research and marketing roles with the Advisory Board.Mr. Kochis holds an MA in comparative political science from Fordham University, where he received the Richard A. Bennett graduate assistantship. He received his BA in political science from the Catholic University of America, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, and from the University Honors Program.

For the past 77 years, since the founding of Pakistan at the partition of British held India, the United States and Pakistan have worked together to try and bring stability to this region of the world. As the fifth largest country in the world, as measured by population, and sitting at a geopolitical strategic crossroads, Pakistan remains an important partner on a wide range of issues of global, regional, and national interest. Whether it is managing their own relations with India, balancing the interests of the United States and China, or working on transnational issues such as climate change and terrorism, this country plays a key role in responding to the various challenges facing the world today. In this episode, we speak with Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, to explore the role that Pakistan would like to fill in the international system, to discuss where interests overlap, and to identify what Pakistan wants to see from its relationship with the United States. Through this conversation, we highlight the importance of understanding the deeper relationships than what is typically talked about. By discussing how the US-Pakistan relationship goes deeper than counterterrorism, we can better understand the ways this relationship can be leveraged to benefit both countries. Ambassador Masood Khan is currently serving as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, a role he has held since 2022. Prior to that he was the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from August 2016 to August 2021. Immediately before becoming the President he was the Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, one of the top think tanks in Pakistan.Ambassador Masood Khan had a distinguished diplomatic career. Most notably, he served as: Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2005; Pakistan's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2005 to 2008; Pakistan's Ambassador to China from 2008 to 2012; and Pakistan's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Headquarters, New York, from 2012 to 2015. In his earlier diplomatic career, he held important diplomatic positions in China, The Netherlands, United Nations (New York) and the USA (Washington D.C. from 1997 to 2002).Over the years, he has also held leadership positions in the international community which include: President of the Conference on Disarmament, Chairman of the Committee on Internet Governance of the 2005 World Summit for Information Society. President of the Biological Weapons Review Conference 2006, President of the Governmental Group of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Chairman of the ILO Reform Committee, Chairman of the Council of the International Organization for Migration Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Geneva. Chairman of the Group of 77 and China. In New York, Ambassador Khan represented Pakistan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from 2012 to 2013 and became the President of the Security Council in January 2013.While in New York, he was also the Vice President of the Economic and Social Council, Vice President of the UN General Assembly and President of the Executive Board of UNICEF. Ambassador Masood Khan also remained Pakistan's Chief Negotiator (Sherpa) for the US-led Nuclear Security Summits, from 2009 to 2015.

On the heels of the latest aid package for Ukraine from the United States, the Global in the Granite State reached out to one of our exchange alumni, Member of Parliament Nataliya Pipa, from Ukraine to hear about what life is currently like in the country and what this latest round of support will mean for their ongoing fight against Russia. Providing key insights into how the people of Ukraine have proven resilient in the face of this unprovoked war, MP Pipa gives listeners a first hand account of the devastation, while sharing the joy of knowing that people and governments still care about the freedom and future of Ukraine. MP Pipa visited New Hampshire in July of 2021 through the Open World Leadership program, having the opportunity to share best practices with her local counterparts on creating accountability in government. One year later, she was back to thank the people of New Hampshire for their support for her country in the early stages of what is now a three year old war. This compelling conversation will provide listeners with a better understanding of the war, what is at stake, and what Western support means. While some will debate whether or not weakening the Russian Military and its morale is in our own national interest, you cannot deny the importance of this support to Ukraine, from a Ukrainian perspective. Nataliya Pipa has been a Member of Parliament since 2019, representing a western region of Ukraine, including part of the city of Lviv. Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, she was involved in volunteering, working on the ecological situation in Lviv and fighting illegal constructions. Along with other activists she managed to stop illegal construction and to create a public space “Square of Dignity”. Her main focus in the Parliament is on education and she has a specific interest in the expansion of education programs. She is married to a teacher and has two young sons. 

While much attention is paid to the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia, it is important to note that Russia continues to try and exert influence across the world. This is particularly true across the Middle East, where Russia has tried to center itself as the reliable partner for autocratic leaders throughout the region. Russia has a long history of engagement with Middle Eastern Leaders, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it saw its influence wane, down to just a couple of countries. Over the past ten years, however, they have regained a foothold through the Syrian Civil war and have increased their engagement with other countries, especially in the wake of the Arab Spring. While Russia has many interests in the region, our speaker, Vice Admiral John W. Miller (ret.), proposes that the driving force of Russian interests are two fold; to create transactional relationships that benefit Russia, and to disrupt the U.S.' vision for the region. Join us for this episode to gain critical insights into why Russian engagement in the Middle East is an issue that all Americans should be aware of and why it is in the U.S.' national security interest to counter their growing influence. This episode will highlight the number of ways in which the U.S. and Russia approach this region and how many countries would prefer to partner with these large global actors.  Admiral John W. Miller serves as the President and CEO of The Fozzie Miller Group, LLC and as a Principal Partner of Global Alliance Advisors, LLC, both Washington DC based national security firms positioned at the intersection of government policy, defense acquisition programs, and industrial performance. The firm teams with US and international clients to deliver solutions that blend national security strategies and industrial growth into achievable national security objectives.Admiral Miller also serves as a Highly Qualified Expert and Senior Mentor to the U.S. Naval War College, providing advice and expertise to the U.S. Navy on a wide range of operational and educational subjects.His last three assignments in the Navy were as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander U.S. Fifth Fleet/Commander/ Combined Maritime Forces; Commander, Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center; and Commander, Carrier Strike Group Eleven.Admiral Miller also serves as a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and as an active member of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Board of Trustees. 

Haiti is a country that has suffered through a long, hard history. From disasters, both natural and man-made, the people of Haiti continue to strive to create a bright future for themselves. However, today that goal seems further away than ever and many people would be hard pressed to see the light at the end of the tunnel. How did a land that was once the Pearl in the Crown of the French Empire ends up in such chaos? In this episode we explore the rich and challenging history of this country, while looking at the current crisis and explaining the difficult road ahead. However, this is not all doom and gloom, as there are glimmers of hope that we can look to in order to see a brighter future for the people of this island nation.Sophie Rutenbar is a visiting fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings, which she joins as a Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow. She also currently works as a visiting scholar with the Prevention and Peacebuilding Program of the New York University Center for International Cooperation.Rutenbar was previously the mission planning officer for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. Based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, she worked in the front office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General conducting strategic planning for the United Nations in Haiti. Before that, she served as political affairs officer with the policy planning team of the United Nations Department of Peace Operations. In that role, she worked extensively on U.N. peacekeeping and peace and security reform processes, including supporting the Action for Peacekeeping Initiative (2018-present), the secretary-general's Peace and Security Restructuring (2017-18) and the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (2015). Rutenbar also helped lead efforts to enhance U.N. peace operations' capacity to respond to the evolving technology landscape and strengthen U.N. efforts to engage with non-state armed groups.Her other experience at the U.N. has included working with the United Nations Department of Field Support, United Nations Mission in South Sudan, and the U.N. Secretary-General's high-level panel on the global response to future health crises. She joined the United Nations in 2013 as the first U.S.-sponsored associate expert/junior professional officer in the U.N. Secretariat, working with the policy planning team for the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support.Before joining the U.N., Rutenbar worked for organizations in Sudan and South Sudan, including observing the 2011 referendum process on independence for southern Sudan with the Carter Center and working for USAID's Sudan and South Sudan Transition and Conflict Mitigation Program. She also has experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Thailand.She was a 2005 Truman Scholar and previously served as co-president of the board of the Truman Scholars Association. She is also a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project. Rutenbar graduated magna cum laude from the University of Texas at Dallas, where she studied global politics as a Eugene McDermott Scholar. Through the Marshall Scholarship, she received master's degrees in conflict, security, and development from the War Studies Department at King's College London and in human rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

You may have heard the name before, when they burst onto the international scene in the wake of the Arab Spring, challenged the central government and eventually a Saudi led international response. However, with the civil war winding down in Yemen, the Houthis name recognition seemed on the decline. The war in Gaza has brought this group back to the forefront of the world's mind, as they began firing rockets and drones at cargo ships in the Red Sea, stating that they would stop only when the war in Gaza came to an end. So who are the Houthis and what do they stand for? This group has an interesting background that brought them from a local political party, based on a historical Zaydi Islamic kingdom that ruled North Yemen for around 1,000 years to an international disruptor who has changed the way that upwards of 12% of global trade occurs. In this episode we talk with Sarhang Hamasaeed, Director of the Middle East Program at the US Institute of Peace, to learn more about the history of this group, what they are looking to accomplish, and why they were so successful in capturing and maintaining critical territory from the internationally recognized government. It is important to understand global issues and the people driving it, as we look to understand potential policy responses. 

Over the past couple of years the idea of weaponizing migration has come to the forefront, particularly as the current case of Russia enabling migrants to access the Russia Finnish border and Belarus using travel agents to bring migrants to their border with Poland in 2021. However, this "hybrid warfare tactic", as several targeted states have termed it is not something new, it is instead a well worn path used by state and nonstate actors for centuries. To get a better understanding of what weaponized migration is and is not, we spoke with Dr. Kelly Greenhill, professor at Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as author of the book "Weapons of Mass Migration: Forced Displacement, Coercion, and Foreign Policy", probing some interesting stories of people being used as political pawns to extract concessions from targeted governments. Throughout this conversation we covered not only the how and why of weaponized migration, but also the ways in which targeted states and communities can respond (some more palatable than others). One of the most interesting things to note in this is that this coercive tactic only works when the targeted country's population is divided over immigration debates. This means that the United States, which has not been able to agree on immigration policy changes since 1994, is very vulnerable to this and needs to prepare for various countries to utilize this tactic both very publicly and in more clandestine ways. As the Presidential Election season is upon us and the Southern Border remains a hotly debated issue, it is interesting to wonder what the sudden appearance of migrant caravans might be in service of. Are countries trying to impact our elections by creating these caravans and encouraging them to move north? What can malign regimes extract from the Biden Administration simply by threatening to release waves of people upon the US' southern border?Join us for this engaging conversation and dive into the realities of this all too common exploitation of people looking for a better, safer, and brighter future.

The United States of America's government faces a funding deadline of November 17th of this year to pass a full budget or a continuing resolution, or shut down non-essential operations. In what has seemingly become a yearly tradition, the two Parties cannot come together on a number of issues and have missed their self imposed deadline to fund the government once already. On top of this, the House of Representatives spent three critical weeks trying to find a new Speaker of the House, delaying important conversations on creating agreement on how to move a budget forward. Of course, there are a wide range of important impacts that come from a government shutdown, which are well documented by the media. However, not many understand the impacts that these potential shutdowns, as well as wider governmental disfunction, have on the US' ability to project its power and influence abroad. In this episode, we talk with Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of the US Global Leadership Coalition, a broad-based coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs that advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy. She outlines for us the problems that these self inflicted issues raise for the United State's global leadership, foreign policy goals, and national security interest. From allowing our adversaries to claim democracy doesn't work, to distracting the government from important global issues, it is important that the government continues its regular functions, and remains focused on its important interests at home and abroad. Of course, global issues cannot always direct governmental decisions, but they should factor into our understanding of the impacts of a government shutdown.  ______________________________________________________________________________________Liz Schrayer serves as President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), a broad based coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs that advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy. Under her leadership, the USGLC has grown to a nationwide network of advocates in all 50 states and boasts a bipartisan Advisory Council which includes virtually every living former Secretary of State, and a National Security Advisory Council consisting of nearly 200 retired three and four-star generals and admirals.Ms. Schrayer currently serves on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation's Development Advisory Council, USAID's Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACFVA), as well as several advisory boards and committees for the University of Michigan, including the Ford School of Public Policy. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.In addition to running the USGLC, Ms. Schrayer serves as President of Schrayer & Associates, Inc., a nationwide consulting firm founded in 1995, which works on a wide range of domestic and international issues.Prior to starting her own firm, Ms. Schrayer served as the national Political Director of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) for more than a decade. She worked on Capitol Hill, founding the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and in state government. She has traveled across the country organizing citizen advocates in every state. Ms. Schrayer has been published in TIME, Newsweek, USA Today, and The Hill, among other outlets. She has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and resides in Maryland with her husband Jeff Schwaber, an attorney who helped launch the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

Last month the city of Derna, Libya was destroyed by an intense hurricane that hit the city and surrounding mountains. Two dams, built in the 1970s and not maintained since 2002, burst overnight, sending a 23-foot high wall of water rushing through the city. Over 25% of the city's infrastructure got destroyed and thousands of people were swept out into the ocean or crushed under crumbling buildings. For about a week the international community focused on this tragedy, but then attention shifted elsewhere. However, the crisis for the people of Derna did not end there, as tens of thousands remain in need of basic support; from housing, to food, clean water, and medicine. The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire connected with an International Visitor Leadership Program alumni Akram Bannur, from his home in Tripoli, Libya to learn more about the ongoing crisis, what led to such a catastrophic disaster, and what the people of Derna need in order to continue as survivors of the flood and not succumbing to the humanitarian disaster that ensued. This conversation comes with lessons to learn for people around the world, particularly about the importance of ensuring critical infrastructure remains in tip-top shape as more and more extreme weather events challenge the systems in place. Mr. Akram Moh H. I. Bannur works as a general secretary at the National Anti-Corruption Commission in Libya where he provides advisory services and technical expertise to specialized anti-corruption bodies and units on preventing, detecting, and prosecuting cases of corruption.

Another month, another African coup led by the Presidential Guard, this time in Gabon. This month we talk with Jean Hakuzimana, a journalist and immigration advocate, who provides insights into why this coup occurred, the challenges that face Gabon, and what this means for the wider region. On August 30th, hours after the election results gave a large win to President Bongo for a third term, the Presidential Guard came on national TV and announced the cancellation of the election results, closure of the border, and that the government was now under the control of the military. Listing several factors such as a fraudulent election, a deteriorating security situation, and constitutional violations, they indicated that they were forced to take this action for the protection of the country and its citizens.Listen today to explore the reasons why these explanations do not hold water and how this recent coup fits into the wider regional trends. Jean provides unique insights, having lived and worked in these countries, which allows you to better understand the importance of this region. Just because the media moves on quickly from this crisis, it does not mean it lacks in importance or the West should not try and understand the trendlines that these coups have stemmed from. Jean Hakuzimana has over 12 years of experience in community development strategy design, communication, advocacy, and media,. He is the founder and Director of #NHSONGA (NH Moves) and a deputy editor at Amjambo Africa, a newspaper that covers a wide range of news of immigrants and host communities in Maine. He also host the Amjambo Time podcast at WMPG, a community radio station affiliated with the University of Southern Maine, where he brings new Mainers' voices on air and discusses various topics of interest and relevance to them.Jean graduated in community development policy and practice from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, and has an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Rwanda. He has worked with the United Nations, European Union funded programs, regional organizations, diplomatic, governmental, and non-profit entities in Africa and USA, focusing on issues such as refugee resettlement, social determinants of health, environment , agriculture, biodiversity, governance, and inclusive finance. He is passionate about using his communication, journalism, and advocacy skills to amplify the voices and stories of marginalized and underrepresented communities, and to promote social justice and positive change.

In this episode, we delve into the recent coup in Niger, analyzing its implications and underscoring its significance on the global stage. On July 26th, the Presidential Guard took a daring step by placing President Mohamed Bazoum under house arrest, sealing the borders, imposing airspace restrictions, and boldly proclaiming the seizure of power. The world was caught off guard by this unforeseen upheaval, prompting a wave of sanctions and international condemnations.To provide deeper insights into this complex situation, we were privileged to speak with two distinguished individuals: Kamissa Camara, former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Mali and current Senior Advisor on Africa at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Susan Fine, a retired Foreign Service officer with 30 years of experience at USAID. Their perspectives are informed by their extensive contacts in the region, a profound understanding of Niger, and their ability to share broader contextual insights about how this crisis unfolded.While it is tempting to perceive the coup as having no impact on the United States, the truth is there are several intricate complications that could arise if Niger becomes the fourth West African country to succumb to military leadership in the span of two years. The insights shared by Camara and Fine shed light on these complications and underscore the interconnectedness of global politics and stability. As the situation continues to develop, it becomes increasingly evident that proactive engagement and thoughtful consideration of these events are imperative, even for those geographically distant from the affected region.Kamissa Camara is a senior advisor for Africa at the U.S. Institute of Peace. She is a sub-Saharan Africa policy analyst and practitioner with 15 years of professional experience. She has served as Mali's minister of foreign affairs, minister of digital economy and planning, and most recently, as chief of staff to the president of Mali. Previous to that, she served as senior foreign policy advisor to the president. Prior to working with the Malian government, Camara held leadership positions in Washington, D.C. with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and PartnersGlobal. At NED, Camara co-founded and co-chaired the Sahel Strategy Forum. She also spearheaded a multi-million-dollar program supporting civil society initiatives in West and Central Africa, with a particular focus on the Sahel.From 2015 until 2018, she was the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa instructor at the State Department's Foreign Service Institute where she trained U.S. diplomats. Susan Fine currently serves as the Board Chair of Rain for the Sahel and Sahara, a NH based-NGO that has partnered with rural and nomadic Nigeriens since 2001. She was Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, and Acting Assistant to the Administrator, in USAID's Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL).  Ms. Fine, a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer with rank of Minister Counselor, served in multiple positions in Washington and overseas including Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, PPL, Director for Development Cooperation, and Mission Director for Senegal and the Sahel, managing a complex, multi-sector portfolio in Senegal, the Sahel Resilience program and bilateral activities in Niger and Burkina Faso.  Prior to that, she was Director for East African Affairs in the Africa Bureau where she oversaw USAID's programs in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes countries.

In this month's episode we explore the challenges surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the need for global cooperation to minimize potential negative outcomes. By speaking with Ben Porter of Prometheus Endeavor, a technology think-tank, the conversation provides a balanced viewpoint of the challenges and opportunities surrounding the development of AI, from the robot overlords of the Matrix to the lifesaving programs identifying cancer cells, there are a lot of potential programs that can be used for good and evil. In response to a National Telecommunications and Information Administration request for comment, Prometheus Endeavour has outlined some guidelines that governments should adopt to protect everyday citizens from the potential harms of uncontrolled AI development. Recognizing the global competition between countries like the United States and China to lead AI innovation, we stress the need for coherent and consistent regulations worldwide. There is a strong need to highlight the importance of transparency, accountability, and adherence to privacy and copyright laws in AI development. While many people are calling for the slowing down or ending of AI development, it remains critical to many national development plans and simply needs positive oversight to ensure a reduction of harms to the end users. Join us as we dive beyond the headlines and provide you with the right insights to help you sleep better at night, without a robot overlord watching over you.Ben Porter - Ben porter is a consultant and educator focusing on innovative use of technology. He has created, built and managed world leading management consulting companies focusing on the strategic use of information technology, as well as led Fortune 500 companies through the development of IT Vision, Strategy, and delivery of strategic business value. He holds a BS in Mathematics from Carnegie-Mellon University and an MS in Industrial Administration from Purdue.Over his more than 40 years of consulting and decade plus of teaching, he is passionate about finding ways for organizations to creatively use technology to achieve their business and organizational visions. He has developed careers for scores of consultants and students in the fields of Information Technology, Data Science and Analytics.Prometheus Endeavor - "At Prometheus Endeavor, we challenge conventional wisdom. We research, make observations, ask questions about endeavors and publish our ideas. We apply our knowledge, management experience, frameworks and models to separate issues and good ideas from traps and blind alleys. We uncover unknowns, identify scenarios, set priorities and plans, calibrate adjustments and measure progress."

With over 719 million people across the world living below the international poverty line and the current data indicating the world will miss its target of eliminating poverty by 2030, we dive into the issues facing these efforts, what international organizations are missing, and why it is so important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #1 as soon as possible. It is not by chance that the first SDG is the elimination of poverty in all its forms. Through a wide array of studies, conversations, observations, and engagements, the world recognizes that many different issues stem from poverty including crime, malnourishment, migration, and more. This is not only a problem for the Global South, but for the entire world, as poverty remains endemic in all countries (Iceland has the lowest poverty rate, at 4.5% of its population) and the SDG #1 promises to leave no one behind, while focusing on the most extreme forms of poverty first. However, since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the world has seen the first rise in global poverty rates in over a generation. This issue is not going away soon, but local social entrepreneur, Marc Blumenthal, has a new approach that he believes will create sustainable systems designed to empower local communities to bring economic development to their own communities.In this episode we speak with Marc Blumenthal of Social Ventures Foundation and the EPIC program, and hear from him about how the top down approach of the global development agencies has failed those experiencing poverty and how his new social venture program will tackle the issue from the bottom up. By by-passing governments and working directly with the people, Marc believes his social ventures and social franchises can create economic drivers that are lead and run by the people in-need. Rather than funding the haves and expecting a trickle down effect, the Social Ventures Foundation looks to work with people on the bottom of the economic ladder, not only to build businesses, but to also provide social impact.  Marc Blumenthal has been involved in a variety of startups in the fields of Education, Medical Devices, Plasma Fusion, and Aerospace.  He founded SVF in 2017 and has been involved in the enterprise on a full-time basis. At the age of 19 he was involved in his first start-up, while attending the University of Pennsylvania. His second venture was designed around providing educational opportunities for millions of children across the Northeast, through The Learning Guild. After his time with the Learning Guild, he became Managing Director of a multi-million dollar limited investment partnership, which then led him to creating his own Venture Capital firm, Novations. He began the Social Ventures Foundation in response to a lack of sustainable resource allocation in the poverty reduction industry. Our mission is three-fold: to identify, promote, and invest in businesses of all sorts that have a product or service that lifts the livelihoods of the poor. Through this work, they engage directly with the people inthese communities to build sustainable paths to a better future, economically, socially, and communally. Contact Marc at: marc@socialventuresfoundation.org

Things have never been easy for the modern state of Israel over the past 75 years, including today where the government faces a wide variety of external and internal pressures. Over the past four years the government has struggled to build a lasting coalition, having five elections in that timeframe and watching countrywide protests erupt over their judicial reform bill in recent months. In addition, the country inhabits an inherently hostile space, as several of their neighbors see the state as illegitimate and take particular issue with the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. While there are no easy answers on the path to a two state solution, there are opportunities for progress.The Global in the Granite State podcast dives into the current state of affairs in Israel, bringing in a historical perspective, by speaking with Jason Isaacson, Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer at the American Jewish Committee. By listening to this month's episode you will come away with a better understanding of the current challenges and opportunities that Israel faces as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. These include the recent challenge over the judicial reform bill, ongoing regional tensions that flared over into violence in the past few weeks, and the longstanding, unresolved issue of creating compromise with the Palestinian leadership. Jason Isaacson, Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer at the American Jewish Committee, is a longtime analyst of U.S. political and strategic affairs and an advocate for Arab-Israeli peace. An observer to the 1991-92 Middle East peace talks in Madrid, Moscow, and Washington, he represented AJC at the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna; since 1993, he has coordinated periodic AJC ministerial meetings throughout the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Asia, including numerous visits that were the first by an American Jewish civic organization. He has lectured periodically at the Diplomatic Institute of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy. In 2002, he was a Senior Visitor at St. Antony's College, Oxford University. Isaacson directed an AJC initiative to strengthen transatlantic cooperation on Middle East policy – resulting in the opening of the Transatlantic Institute in Brussels in 2004. In 2005, in Tunis, he convened an NGO seminar on tolerance-promotion on the Internet, in conjunction with the UN World Summit on the Information Society. In 2015, he coordinated in Brussels the Defining Moment for Europe conference on strategies to combat resurgent antisemitism. In 2007, the French Minister of Culture and Communication awarded him the rank of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters. In July 2009, King Mohammed VI bestowed on Isaacson the honor of Chevalier of the Order of the Throne of the Kingdom of Morocco. 

Seemingly forever, the world has debated what to do about climate change. The arguments on both sides are well worn and movement towards incorporating more green technology into the energy system continues to gain momentum. However, as this transition begins, one issue to consider, which has not seen robust public discussion is the idea of bringing justice to the energy system. It is not a secret that energy production, resource extraction, and the most negative effects of pollution impact low income communities the most. So, as the world starts this transition there is an opportunity to bring more equity to the way in which energy is produced and impacts communities. Today we talk with Dr. Erin Baker, Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the Faculty Director of the Energy Transition Institute, about what is meant by a "Just Transition", what stands in the way of this, and how everyday people can have an impact on this issue. Dr. Erin Baker is a Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the Faculty Director of the Energy Transition Institute, which is focused on stakeholder-engaged research at the intersection of energy technology and social equity. She has a PhD in Engineering-Economic Systems & Operations Research from the department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University and a Bachelor's in Mathematics from U.C. Berkeley. She combines operations research methods and economics to decision-making under uncertainty, with a focus on Energy Justice and publicly-funded energy technology Research & Development portfolios in the face of climate change.  

"Never again" has turned into "Again and Again", or "Never Happened". In the wake of the holocaust, the world committed to never forgetting the atrocities and never letting something like this happen again. 75 years later, the world continues to see new genocides begin and concerted efforts to deny that these atrocities ever even happened. As hate rises around the world, the conditions necessary for mass atrocities has ripened, allowing for more than ten current and ongoing genocides to flourish today. In this episode, we talk about the ways in which the world, and individual, can work to better prevent, respond to, and recover from genocides. While this area of international affairs is very difficult to deal with, that does not mean there is nothing to do. The first step is knowledge and awareness. Where countries can shroud their actions behind secrecy and a disinterested global community, this is where governments are able to act with impunity against perceived threats to their authority. Listen today to better understand the ways a genocide gets started, how the world can respond, and why these horrible atrocities continue to occur today. Michael C. Pryce is the founder and CEO of COA Consultants and COA NonProfit, both organizations dedicated to developing pragmatic planning tools to prevent or intervene in a mass atrocity. From 2007-2009, Pryce was the Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) of the US Army War College, and Director of the Mass Atrocity Response Operations (MARO) Project, a partnership between PKSOI and the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.He used his expertise in military planning and conflict resolution to recruit and lead a group of fellow planning experts in developing the MARO Project's documents. He also coordinated the project's initial evolution throughout the Department of Defense and the US Government. He has formally presented the MARO Project to international military audiences as well as organizations such as the UN and the Pearson Peacekeeping Center in Ottawa, Canada.From 1999 until 2007, Pryce worked in Stuttgart, Germany at the US European Command Plans Division as the lead or deputy planner in stability and combat operations. While there he helped develop plans and strategies for military cooperation with non-defense agencies of the US Government, as well as NATO and EU organizations, and was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. He specialized in guiding small, diverse groups of executives and academics through analytical processes designed to clarify strategic and operational problems and develop feasible solutions. DONATE TODAY

Not only do global experiences open your eyes to the world around you, they also help you better understand who you are and they let you explore who you want to be. Whether it is through study abroad, the Peace Corps, agri- or volun-tourism, or any extended trip abroad, you gain so much from engaging with the world, changing your life and the lives of those you interact with. Today we talk with Lisa McAdam Donegan and David Crisci, co-founders of Global Education Partners, about the power of going global to experience the world. While many people may not feel they are able to go abroad, if you are dedicated enough to the opportunity, there are many ways to fund your global experience. As promised in the episode, here are a couple of opportunities  you may want to look into:-  Peace Corps- Teach Abroad with CIEE- Fulbright Program- Travel Sponsorship Ideas- Study Abroad Sponsorship Ideas- Study Abroad Sponsorship Ideas- U.S. Government SponsorshipThis is just a short listing of ideas, which is provided for informational purposes only. The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire does not receive any monetary support from these links and does not guarantee the availability of any funds for particular situations. 

If you want to start a heated debate, pretty much anywhere in the Western world today, just bring up the topic of immigration. While there are plenty of policy issues that drive partisanship today, few are as sticky as the immigration issue. From the arguments of protecting the border and rule of law, to the need to protect immigrant rights and the dynamism that comes with welcoming legal immigrant, there are plenty of ideas, issues, and challenges to work on and argue about. In today's episode, we talk with Dr. James Hollifield, Professor and Director of the Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs at Southern Methodist University, about why the United States and the European Union have grappled with immigration for so long. The challenge stems from what he identifies as the "Liberal Paradox", where states need to define borders, citizenship, and rule of law, with the need to respect human rights, uphold values, and welcome new labor. Join us as we take a look at the history of immigration in the U.S. and what these countries can do to solve this issue. James F. Hollifield is the Ora Nixon Arnold Fellow in International Political Economy, Professor in the Department of Political Science, and Director of the Tower Center at SMU in Dallas, Texas, as well as a member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations and a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC.Hollifield has served as an Advisor to various governments in North and South America, Europe, East Asia and the Middle East and Africa, as well as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the OECD, the ILO, the IOM, the EU, and other international organizations.  He currently chairs working groups at the World Bank and the IDB and serves on the International Advisory Board of the National Center for Competence in Research (NCCR for Migration and Mobility) of the Swiss National Science Foundation.   He has been the recipient of grants from private corporations and foundations as well as government agencies, including the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Social Science Research Council, the Sloan Foundation, the Owens Foundation, the Raytheon Company, and the National Science Foundation.His major books include Immigrants, Markets and States (Harvard), L'Immigration et l'Etat Nation: à la recherche d'un modèle national (L'Harmattan), Pathways to Democracy: The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions (with Calvin Jillson, Routledge), Migration, Trade and Development (with Pia Orrenius and Thomas Osang, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), Herausforderung Migration—Perspektiven der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft (with Uwe Hunger, Lit Verlag), Migration Theory (with Caroline Brettell, Routledge, now it its third edition), and Controlling Immigration ( with Philip Martin and Pia Orrenius, Stanford, also in its third edition). His current book projects are The Migration State (Harvard)—a study of how states manage international migration for strategic gains—and International Political Economy: History, Theory and Policy (with Thomas Osang, Cambridge). He also has published numerous scientific articles and reports on the political economy of international migration and development.

Over the past two years the Chinese Communist Party has worked to keep the COIVD pandemic at bay through a series of policies requiring strict quarantines, sometimes of millions of people at the same time, that reduced the opportunity for community spread. Over the past couple of weeks, the Chinese public has come out into the streets to demand the end of the Dynamic Zero COVID polices, as they has suffered too much in this time. From being locked in their homes, sometimes with little to no food, to being forced into quarantine centers without warning, as well as an economy in decline, the protests were a pressure release that looked for substantive change in a number of areas of Chinese life. In today's episode we speak with Dr. Chris Reardon of the University of New Hampshire about what drove people into the streets and what the response from the CCP may look like.  Let us know what you think about this, and other, episode by sending us an email at council@wacnh.org

The Global in the Granite State brings you a extra special, bonus episode, through a collaboration with the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. In this episode, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Tim Horgan join forces for a dynamic conversation about the complex and often problematic ways in which the world of sports intersects and interacts with human rights issues. They cover everything from sportswashing (ancient and modern!) – including the two biggest sporting events of 2022, the Beijing Winter Olympics and the World Cup in Qatar – to the responsibility of sports federations to promote and uphold human rights, to the powerful role that athletes can play as advocates for human rights and other social issues. The episode introduces many of the topics that the Sports & Rights season will dive into more fully, with a special focus on how they play out close to home in the Granite State.

Throughout our work, the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire tries to identify unique and amazing connections to the world from right here in the granite state. From nonprofits doing work across the globe, to stories of international connections fostered by our global exchange programs, it never ceases to amaze the many ways that granite staters are impacting the world. In this month's episode, we speak with Maria Horne, co-founder and CEO of BLI Global, a nonprofit with a unique global history and a deep connection to the state. Through a variety of youth focused programs in countries as far away as Peru and Vanuatu, they are empowering youth to become changemakers in the world. Join us to dive deeper into the great work this program is doing right here in the state.If you enjoy this episode, or want to help us bring more engaging global content to our audiences, please consider a donation today! DONATE NOW 

As with many other wars and conflicts that grew out of the collapse of the Soviet Union, there is a much deeper history to what is going on between Azerbaijan and Armenia. You have to understand the historical context to understand why these two countries cannot get together and come to a lasting agreement over their border and what to do with Nagorno Karabakh. With a breaking of the ceasefire last month, and at least 300 dead, this region continues to see instability that has the potential to flare up again and again. For this episode we talk with Mary Glantz, a former US Foreign Service Officer and a current Senior Advisor to the Russian and European Center at the US Institute of Peace, about the intractable nature of this conflict. On a rare positive note, there is hope that a breakthrough in the peace process is closer than ever and there is a high likelihood that the United States could help push this over the finish line. Listen today to help better understand the drivers of this conflict and what the what is happening here!Dr. Mary Glantz was a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service and was detailed to USIP as a State Department fellow prior to her retirement in 2022.Most of her 20-year career as a diplomat has focused on Russia, the former Soviet Union, and other countries of Europe and Eurasia. Previous overseas postings include Baku, Jerusalem, Estonia, and Kosovo. Dr. Glantz also has served as a Russia analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research as well as on the Russia and Poland desks at the State Department. Prior to joining the State Department, she worked as an intern for the Special Adviser for Central and Eastern European Affairs to the Secretary General of NATO, serving in Moscow, Russia and Vilnius, Lithuania.Dr. Glantz received her bachelor's in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her master's in post-Soviet studies from the University of London's School of Slavonic and East European Studies, and a doctorate from Temple University with a specialization in military and diplomatic history. She recently completed a certificate in data science at Montgomery College.Donate Today to help support our ongoing series. 

The nature of work has consistently changed and morphed, through technological innovation and societal upheavals. Currently, the world sees both factors pushing new ways for people to work, as well as what employees value in their work lives. We speak with Kevin Cassidy, Director and Representative to the Bretton Woods and Multilateral Organizations at the International Labour Organization, about the work that the ILO does to bring together governments, businesses, and workers to ensure a human centered approach to work. Through collaborative efforts of these three stakeholders, a more positive and successful environment for employers and employees can be created. Whether viewed through the lens of the "Great Resignation" the "Great Reshuffling" or the "Great Exploration", the fact of the matter is that major changes are underway and understanding the reason are vital to ensuring a positive outcome.If you would like to join us for our event with Kevin on October 5th, either in-person or online, you can find more information at: https://wacnh.org/event-4953543DONATE TODAY if you enjoy this program!

Over the past few month, Sri Lanka has undergone massive protests that have led to the dissolution of the Cabinet, the resignation of the Prime Minister, and the fleeing of the President. Protests were fueled by rising inflation, inaccessible basic goods, corruption, and a feeling that the government was more interested in serving itself than the people. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Neil DeVotta, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Wake Forest University, about the historical roots of this crisis and what the future looks like for this island nation. Understanding this crisis can provide insights and lessons for other countries to help them avoid destabilizing protests, brought on by economic mismanagement. It is also a cautionary tale for countries experiencing democratic backsliding and high levels of corruption. For the everyday person, it is important to understand this crisis as Sri Lanka is located in a geo-strategic location, situated in-between India and China. A prolonged crisis in this country can lead to further supply chain disruptions, open the door for criminal organizations to operate, and intensify the U.S. - China competition for influence in the region. Learn more about the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire at www.wacnh.org.  Help support our work and this podcast in-particular by visiting www.wacnh.org/donate

The war in Ukraine continues to rage, despite international efforts to end it. Russia has redefined their end goals, while Ukrainians continue to fight for their homes. NATO and its allies have continued to support the war effort, while punishing Russia through one of the largest sanctions regimes the world has seen. However, other countries continue to provide support to Russia, refusing to condemn this invasion. Here in the U.S., we continually hear about this war through an American lens, not gaining insights from other countries. In this episode, the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire brings you a view of the war from Lithuania, a country on the front lines of Russia aggression. Gintautas Paluckas, a member of Parliament in Lithuania, visited NH through the International Visitor Leadership Program and shares insight on the ongoing war from his country's perspective. 

Over the years, the United States has worked with many different international partners. Some of these partnerships have grown out of a shared sense of values and understanding of the world. Other partnerships have been merely for a narrow set of strategic goals, while ignoring the challenges these partners have posed. Turkey, particularly in the past ten or so years, has challenged the US's ability to balance these competing forces, as Erdogan has worked tirelessly to make as many people question their reliability as a partner, while doing just enough to remind people of their geopolitical importance. With their latest gambit to hold the NATO alliance hostage for their own gain, Turkey has raised objections to the expansion of the alliance to include Sweden and Finland. What is behind their stated concerns? Are they simply looking to leverage this crisis for their own personal gain? Can they be counted on as a reliable partner, or would it be better to cut them loose at this point? We explore these questions, and more, with Dr. Melinda Negron Gonzales, Chair of the Department of Security Studies at the University of New Hampshire Manchester and our resident Turkey expert. Dr. Negrón-Gonzales has taught at UNH since fall 2008 and teaches courses on global studies and comparative politics. She is the Chair of the Department of Security Studies and the Founding Program Director of the Global Conflict and Human Security master's program.Her research covers social movements and civil society, counter-terrorism and human rights, international norms that promote human security (especially the responsibility to protect/R2P), and Turkish and Middle East politics. Her latest research explores the tension between counter-terrorism and human rights and analyzes the ways civil society organizations in Turkey have attempted to promote human rights and hold state officials accountable for gross human rights violations during armed conflict.Dr. Negrón-Gonzales was a Fulbright Scholar (Turkey, 2006-7). She received UNHM's Faculty Excellence in Teaching award in 2013 and a Silver UNH Sustainability Award in 2021. She serves on the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire.Please consider donating to the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire to help support this program and our overall efforts to help make sense of this complex world we all live in.DONATE TODAY

You never know when your next global connection will happen. While host and executive director, Tim Horgan, took his daughter to a play group, he met the leader of a twice yearly service trip to Rwanda right here in New Hampshire. After talking about the program and how it is a true grassroots effort, Tim wanted to tell the story of how the people of New Hampshire forge inspiring connections to the world in various ways. This month's episode focuses on NINH's efforts to bring a little light and progress to communities in and around Kigali, Rwanda. It highlights the power that small groups can have to create change in the world, as well as how those going on the trip are changed, too. Even here, in the small state of New Hampshire,  people are able to have a positive impact on others six time zones away.Donate Today

On February 4th Russia and China announced a renewed relationship that "has no limits". Three weeks later Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, violating the territorial sovereignty of an independent nation. In this month's episode we explore the relationship between these two countries and what the invasion signals for the future. Sarwar Kasmeri, host of the Polaris Live Podcast, joins us to provide his perspective on the issues and opportunities that he sees as the world grapples with the largest invasion of a European nation since World War II. Sarwar Kashmeri is an international relations specialist, author, and commentator, noted for his expertise on U.S. global strategy and national security. He speaks frequently before business, foreign policy and military audiences. He is the host of Polaris-Live, featuring 30 minute live conversations on the business and geopolitical impact of China's rapid rise to superpower status.Kashmeri is author of the Foreign Policy Association's report “The Telegram: A China Agenda For President Biden“ (2021); “China's Grand Strategy: Weaving a New Silk Road to Global Primacy,” (Praeger), his third book, was published in July 2019. It is a centennial book of the Foreign Policy Association where Sarwar is a Fellow. The book was released at a  Washington D.C. launch on 7 November 2019 featuring Kashmeri and former U.S. Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel.He is also an Applied Research Fellow of the Peace and War Center of Norwich University, Vermont, USA. He served a four year term as a non-residential Senior Fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center for International Security of the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. He serves on the American Advisory Board of UK's Ditchley Foundation.

In a recent article for Foreign Affairs, Erica Chenoweth and Zoe Marks argue that Authoritarians repress women's rights for more than just chauvinism, but because they actually "fear" the power women hold in creating lasting democratic change through pro-democracy movements. In this episode, we discuss why women help to make these movements so successful and what this means for the prospects of democracy around the world. In a time when authoritarianism is on the rise and women's rights are being rolled back by these same governments, it is important to understand how these issues intersect. Article Link Here: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2022-02-08/women-rights-revenge-patriarchsZoe Marks - A Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research and teaching interests focus on the intersections of conflict and political violence; race, gender and inequality; peacebuilding; and African politics.Her current book project examines the internal dynamics of rebellion in Sierra Leone to understand how and why rebel groups can sustain a viable threat to the state without widespread support. It draws on nearly a decade of fieldwork, several hundred interviews with former combatants and community members, and private archives from members of the Revolutionary United Front. Professor Marks is leading a separate project that examines how wartime experiences shape individual wellbeing and community reintegration after war. Using surveys and social network analysis in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the project compares peaceful and protracted conflict settings, respectively, to explain how mobilization for violence affects prospects for poverty alleviation and peace. Erica Chenoweth - the Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard Kennedy School and a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University. They study political violence and its alternatives. At Harvard, Chenoweth directs the Nonviolent Action Lab, an innovation hub that provides empirical evidence in support of movement-led political transformation.Chenoweth has authored or edited nine books and dozens of articles on mass movements, nonviolent resistance, terrorism, political violence, revolutions, and state repression. Their recent book, Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford, 2021), explores what civil resistance is, how it works, why it sometimes fails, how violence and repression affect it, and the long-term impacts of such resistance. Their next book with Zoe Marks, Rebel XX: Women on the Frontlines of Revolution, investigates the impact of women's participation on revolutionary outcomes and democratization.Chenoweth maintains the NAVCO Data Project, one of the world's leading datasets on historical and contemporary mass mobilizations around the globe. Along with Jeremy Pressman, Chenoweth also co-directs the Crowd Counting Consortium, a public interest and scholarly project that documents political mobilization in the U.S. since January 2017.

In this month's episode, we take a look at the ongoing diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympic Games held in Beijing. As a part of the wider geopolitical competition between the US and China, this effort to highlight human rights abuses in China has been met with mixed success. We talk with former Olympian and NH resident, Julia Ford, former US Olympic Committee member, Dick Swett, and China expert, Vikram Mansharimani, we explore the positives and negatives of this effort. There are many ways to make your voice heard and we hope you will find valuable information here. As the Olympics kick off in a couple days, it is important to understand why the US has taken this route and what the goal is. Donate TodayJulia Ford - Ms. Ford is a former member of the U.S. Ski Team, with whom she competed in 40 F.I.S. World Cup races and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. She is a two- time U.S. National Downhill Champion. Before joining the U.S. Ski Team, she was a multi-sport athlete at Holderness School.Vikram Mansharimani - Dr. Vikram Mansharamani is a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities. He is the author of the recently-released THINK FOR YOURSELF: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence and BOOMBUSTOLOGY: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst.  He has been a frequent commentator on issues driving disruption in the global business environment. Vikram's ideas and writings have also appeared in Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, The New York Times and a long list of other publications. Linkedin twice listed him as their #1 Top Voice for Money, Finance and Global Economics and Worth has profiled him as one of the 100 most powerful people in global finance. Millions of readers have enjoyed his unique multi-lens approach to connecting seemingly irrelevant dots.Ambassador Dick Swett - Richard N. Swett was nominated to be ambassador to Denmark in 1998. In 1990, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He served on the U.S. Congressional Delegation for Relations with the European Parliament; the Congressional Human Rights Caucus; and the Committees on Public Works and Transportation, and Science, Space and Technology. Ambassador Swett's business experience encompasses architectural design, corporate management, project development and finance. He recently served as managing principal of the Washington, D.C., office for the eighth largest architecture and engineering firm in the United States, and currently is developing alternative energy and socio-economic enterprises in developing countries around the world. His activity is primarily in real estate, alternative energy, energy conservation, industrial development and international export promotion. He has consulted on energy technology projects and assisted with financing through the World Bank and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development in Eastern and Central Europe. He also worked with U.S. government organizations, such as USAID and the United States Trade and Development Agency.

The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire sat down with Vikram Mansharamani to gain his insights into why the Uyghurs matter. This discussion dives into the history of the Uyghur lands, why China views them as a problem, and the geopolitical standoff that is occurring around these people. With competing narratives around what is actually happening (re-education vs. forced labor), it can be difficult to find the truth. Take a listen to this episode to find out more about this global challenge and what steps you can take to bring about change.Dr. Vikram Mansharamani is a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities. He is the author of the recently-released THINK FOR YOURSELF: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence and BOOMBUSTOLOGY: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst.  He has been a frequent commentator on issues driving disruption in the global business environment. Vikram's ideas and writings have also appeared in Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, The New York Times and a long list of other publications. Linkedin twice listed him as their #1 Top Voice for Money, Finance and Global Economics and Worth has profiled him as one of the 100 most powerful people in global finance. Millions of readers have enjoyed his unique multi-lens approach to connecting seemingly irrelevant dots.Support this Podcast. DONATE TODAY

Over the past several years the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire has hosted a number of exchange participants from Afghanistan to talk with them about ways to improve their countries. From government officials to nonprofit leaders, these people have left a lasting impact on the people of New Hampshire. In this episode, WACNH executive director, Tim Horgan, speaks with an alumni of a 2019 exchange that brought together visitors from across the Middle East. The visitor recounts her experiences in leaving the country during the hectic evacuation lead by the United States.  This personal account provides you with an inside look at the challenges people faced and decisions they had to make in order to escape to a better situation.

It seems that everyday a story about the crisis at the border bubbles to the surface, either eliciting sympathy or stoking fears. However, what drives people to make the journey north for an opportunity to enter the United States, where there are so many perils along the way. Dehydration, starvation, exposure, rape, kidnapping, and even murder occurs as people traverse various terrains, lead by unscrupulous criminals. In this episode, we explore the push and pull factors that lead people down this path, with no guarantee of success. We also look at the dangers that these migrants face on their journey, further highlighting the dire situations they are coming from.Speaking with Mariana Campero of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, we get the the heart of the challenges facing these people and the countries involved, looking for solutions to help end the need for this migration.Refugee: Any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion...Asylum Seeker: Asylum is a protection granted to foreign nationals already in the United States or arriving at the border who meet the international law definition of a “refugee.”Migrant: Migrants are people who move from their home countries willingly for many different reasons, like pursuing education or a job in a new country. Immigrant: Immigrants also move from their countries willingly to settle in another country with the help of a green card, but their reasoning is different. They are moving to the new country legally to settle permanently and work without any restrictions

There is a long and complex history that helps to explain the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia today. It is a diverse country with many different ethnic groups, all of whom have competing interests. Those in power call for unity, while those without it call for respect of cultures and diffuse power structures. An understanding of the country's history is vital to an understanding of the current conflict between the Federal government and the Tigray region. It is a story of power struggles and international intervention. It is also a story of compromises made that did not satisfy the groups involved and opportunities lost to bring people in through effective power sharing. This episode features Jason Mosely, of the African Studies Centre at Oxford, who breaks down these complex issues to help you understand a conflict that could spill over throughout the Horn of Africa, destabilizing an area littered with international terrorist groups.  Donate Today

For the past several decades, foreign policy experts have been sounding the alarm bells about a rising China who would one day pose a threat to the United States of America as a global leader. Those bells seemingly ring louder each and every day. Whether it is a trade war, war of words, or something worse, the relationship between the two countries are at an all time low. This episode explores a new report from the Foreign Policy Association that looks to reimagine the relationship between the world's two biggest economies. The report's author, Sarwar Kashmeri, tries to get his audience to think differently about how these two countries interact and engage. It is his assertation, and that of many war game simulations, that the U.S. does not hold a strategic advantage in the military space anymore and this demands a new posture that looks for cooperation on key issues. Follow this link to read the full report: https://www.fpa.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Printproduction09Jul_red.pdf 

The recent discovery of over 1,000 unmarked graves at the sites of three former residential schools for First Nations people, has brought these institutions back into the spotlight. However, many people were never taught about the history of these programs to wipe out native cultures. In this month's episode we talk with Dr. Ronald Niezen of McGill University about the ongoing history of the treatment of First Nation peoples. Dr. Niezen is the author of a 2017 book, "Truth and Indignation: Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools", which explored the Canadian government's truth and reconciliation process that occurred from 2010-2015. There is still more work to be done, despite the 94 calls to action that the commission came out with. Explore this important topic with us.Ronald Niezen, is Professor of Anthropology and Associate Member of the Faculty of Law. He held the Katharine A. Pearson Chair in Civil Society and Public Policy in the faculties of Law and of Arts between 2013 and 2020, and is a former Chair of the Department of Anthropology. He also held the Canada Research Chair in the Anthropology of Law between 2012 and 2019. He was selected as the William Lyon Mackenzie King Chair for Canadian Studies, Harvard University, for 2018-2019.Professor Niezen researches and teaches in the areas of political and legal anthropology, indigenous peoples and human rights. He is an anthropologist with wide ranging research experience: with the Songhay of Mali, the Cree communities of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, and the Sami of northern Europe.

Iran is a key player in the Middle East and occupies an outsized amount of U.S. attention when it comes to foreign affairs. From proxy wars in Yemen, Syria, and other places, to the ongoing nuclear negotiations, understanding Iran is key to understanding U.S. policy in the region. With an upcoming election in just a few days, it is important to examine what this latest election can tell us about the future of Iran. In this episode we talk with Negar Mortazavi and Trita Parsi to find out more about the process and likely outcomes of the election. As a slate of mostly hardliners jockey for the role of President, many Iranians are dissatisfied with the overall process.

It is hard to believe, but there is a world leader who laments that previous dictators did not kill more of their countrymen. He also has pretty clear ties to violent militias, including one militia who killed a city councilwoman in Rio. However hard it may be to believe, this is the case with Brazil and their President, Jair Bolsonaro. In this episode we speak with Harvard University Professor, Bruno Carvalho, about the rise of President Bolsonaro and how people can support such a man. This insightful discussion provides listeners with the opportunity to learn more about authoritarians and how they come to power. It is helpful to understanding the wider trend of democratic backsliding and what needs to be done to confront it.

Where does the global fight against climate change stand? What can you do about it? Why is it important on both a local and international scale? Speaking with Julie Cerqueira of the US Climate Alliance and Rob Werner, State Director of the League of Conservation Voters, we dive into these questions and more to help you better understand what is needed to avoid a potential disaster.

On February 1, 2021, the military instigated a coup of the democratically elected government. In short order, this relatively new democracy went from aspirational to regressive. Protests started immediately and have only grown over the past month. In this episode, we speak with an American who has lived in Myanmar since 2016. She has a close connection to New Hampshire, having served as an AmeriCorps member several years back. We speak with her about her experiences living in the country during an overthrow of a government and what the reality on the ground is. This inside view provides unique insights and perspectives to the realities of the situation and the dangers it poses within the country and around the world. For information on how you can support local, vetted, charities, please visit https://www.isupportmyanmar.com/. For high quality local English language coverage, visit: https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/myanmar-protests-live/