Rick's World

In this episode I once again speak with Cuong. We have a fascinating conversation about life after the war as well the economy and how to be a good tourist.

In this episode, I speak to Cuong Vu about what life is like in Vietnam. We discuss how this unique country can teach us about its housing policy and how it has become tolerant when it comes to gay pride. There are some mature topics in this episode so the listener's discretion is advised.

In this episode, we once again speak with Damien Templer. We discuss how France deals with its sizeable multi-ethnic population, the complaints about its Legislative elections, and how protest plays as big a role as ever in French politics. Here is also a link to Hackims Odyssey, which Damien referenced within the episode. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hakims-Odyssey-Book-Syria-Turkey/dp/1637790007

This week I speak with Damian Templar about the upcoming French election. We discuss the main candidates, their policy positions, and how global events have shaped the race so far.

In this week's episode, we once again welcome Alex Dukalskis and continue to discuss his book "Making a world safe for Dictatorship". We discuss Xi and his increasing attempts to reign in businessmen in China. We look at some of the overall global trends in authoritarianism before I end the podcast by speaking about the need for people in Europe to understand more about China's fascinating history. For more information about China you can view the following: https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780197520130.001.0001/oso-9780197520130 Alex Dukalskis on Authoritarianism. https://www.amazon.com/China-Henry-Kissinger/dp/0143121316 Henry Kissinger On China. https://www.primevideo.com/detail/China-Triumph-and-Turmoil/0SGGGR3B954RV4DRQGHZ9KZFRS Niall Ferguson on China.

This week I am joined by Alexander Dukalskis who is Professor of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin. We discuss his new book "Making a World Safe for Dictatorship" in which he outlines the multiple ways Authoritarian states manipulate and control what journalists are allowed to write about their country. If you would like to purchase the book please visit the following link https://global.oup.com/academic/product/making-the-world-safe-for-dictatorship-9780197520130?cc=ie&lang=en&

In part 2 of my serious on eSwaitini, I speak with Melony about the country's relationship with South Africa, it's ongoing battle against AIDS, and many many fascinating stories about the region. We also have an update at the end of the episode about the current revolution within the country.

In this week's episode, Melony McKenna and I discuss the fascinating world of eSwatini/ Swaziland. There is currently a revolution taking place in the country against the backdrop of what is one of the world's last remaining absolute Monarchies. Listen to this episode to learn what it is like to live in this very unique country.

In this week's episode, I speak to Dale Mcdermott who is head of Canada's LGBT+ chamber of commerce. We discuss Canada's new drug policies, its gun laws, and how its culture helps with integration. The new intro music is by Lorcan Bowens.

In this episode, Dale and I discuss the different political parties in Canada, as well as how its multi-lingual legacy has created a unique political atmosphere.

In this episode, myself and Dr. Ahmed Jamal discuss how Pakistan has to deal with being located between India, China, Russia, and Afghanistan, while the USA is never far away. We discuss how its warm water ports have left it being the envy of the region, while the Soviet Union and the US invasions of Afghanistan have left it feeling vulnerable to outside pressure. For further reading on some of the topics that are discussed, look here. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29644591 https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/21/india-kashmir-modi-eu-hindu-nationalists-rss-the-far-right-is-going-global/ https://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Splendid-Suns-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/159448385X https://www.ft.com/content/a3203b9e-3b54-11e5-8613-07d16aad2152

Today I am joined by Dr Ahmed Jamal to discuss the politics of Pakistan. We go through its voting systems, political parties, economy as well as touching on some similarities between Ireland and Pakistan. At the end, Dr. Ahmed outlines why Pakistan has enormous untapped tourism potential which he hopes improves in the coming years. Hope you enjoy the podcast.

In our second episode on Australia, Milan and Patrick teach us about Australia's immigration population, its aboriginal population and the economy. For further information on what is discussed in the episode, you can look at the following. Within the episode we discuss the Uluru statement of the heart https://ulurustatement.org/ We also discuss Bruce Pascoe's book Dark Emu https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Emu-Black-Agriculture-Accident/dp/1489403221 Paul Keating's speech on the impact of European settlement of Indigenous Australians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAFaHP6w6tE For more information on the economy you can look here https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/10/27/what-the-world-can-learn-from-australia

An in-depth discussion about Australia's electoral system and political parties.