Podcasts about eurasia foundation

In this episode, Siri and I co-host a conversation with Steve Schmida. Siri is also launching her own podcast called the Corporate Activist. So we thought of releasing this episode on both our podcasts because this conversation has great crossovers. Siri and Steve have known each other for almost 20 years. The three of us share the common link of having graduated from the Fletcher School's GMAP programme in international affairs. I'm excited about this conversation because I want to hear Steve''s perspective on how he's helping companies with their sustainability, climate and ESG commitments through projects in rural communities and in emerging markets and how he's making sense of stakeholder needs and local dynamics in designing programmes that create value in difficult places. Steve is the co-founder and the Chief Innovation Officer of Resonance, which is a frontier markets solutions firm. Steve was working out of his spare bedroom together with his wife Nazgul and bootstrapped Resonance into an award-winning, global consulting firm with more than 100 staff today. Resonance's clients include Fortune 500 and international donor agencies along with non profits and foundations. Steve has worked in more than 40 countries. Prior to founding Resonance, Steve worked in Russia and Central Asia where he established and led programmes for the Eurasia Foundation and the National Democratic Institute. Recently, Steve published the book Partner with Purpose, a step-by-step guide to planning, launching and maintaining cross-sector partnerships.Recorded on 20 February 2023.Steve's book is Partner with Purpose: Solving 21st-Century Business Problems Through Cross-Sector Collaboration, published in June 2020 by Rivertowns Books and available at major bookstores including on Amazon.Connect with Steve on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/steve-schmida-57823a10.Siri launched her new podcast, the Corporate Activist, where this episode was also published on 24 March 2023. It's available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Instagram: @corpactivist. Instagram: @at.the.coalfacePlease subscribe to At the Coalface wherever you get your podcasts to receive a new episode every two weeks: Apple Podcasts  |  Spotify  |  Google PodcastsHelp us produce more episodes by becoming a supporter. Your subscription will go towards our hosting and production costs. Supporters get the opportunity to join behind the scenes during upcoming recordings. Thank you.Support the show

"The fundamental idea of gross national happiness is to say that the center of our attention should be the happiness of all people as well as all life forms."  — Tho Va Hinh   This week I speak to a returning guest, Tho Va Hinh, author of The Culture of Happiness and founder of the Eurasia Foundation and the Eurasia Learning Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing. He's designed the Happy Schools curriculum, which started its first program in Vietnam and is now being tried in Switzerland and Germany.  He is also a Buddhist teacher ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh.   Tho's early life was shaped by being the child of a Vietnamese diplomat father and a French mother. Though he did not directly witness the Vietnam War growing up, he was impacted by it through extended family. He saw both sides, he explains. While he at first thought he'd study to be a doctor, he chose a less conventional path: he became a performer and dance teacher. The type of dance he did was Eurythmy, a dance form developed by Rudolf Steiner, whose philosophies shape Waldorf schools.    Tho explains his early interest in Eurythmy and his journey as a teacher and a Buddhist have all been driven by a desire to connect inner transformational work with the outer work of social change.He pursued a PhD in psychology and education when he was over 40. He has held leadership roles in schools, including director of Camphill Seminar of Curative Education in Switzerland and director of learning and development for the International Committee of the Red Cross.  While serving in the latter role, he saw firsthand the devastating impact of wars in such places as Palestine and Darfur. He began to seek out ways to change the root of the problems, rather than addressing the consequences of violence.    Tho's interests led him to Bhutan, where the government has implemented an alternative framework to replace the Gross National Product:  Gross National Happiness. He explains how and why this framework is based on the premise that the guiding principle for a society should be on wellbeing for individuals, connection with others, and caring for the planet. The economic system is only one part of this larger framework. However, most societies use the Gross National Product - an economic index - as one of the most important markers of how a society is doing. Tho describes the process of implementing an index to measure Gross National Happiness instead and how this has led to his development of the Happy Schools curriculum.    Tho has also helped implement the principles of Gross National Happiness into business, working with companies in Vietnam, Switzerland and Germany. One first step is to gather information through employee surveys to find out what needs and concerns workers have in order to find ways that the company can help improve their employees' wellbeing. So far, the results have been encouraging, with leaders reporting higher employee engagement and a more positive work culture.   Tho says that schools and businesses that have adopted these principles have proven more resilient through the pandemic and ultimately have come out stronger, and he's eager to see this grow in the future. His latest project hopes to do just that, through the creation of a "Happy Village" in Vietnam.   In this episode of Leading with Genuine Care, you'll also learn: How Tho's father responded when he told him he was going to study Eurythmy instead of medicine What Tho thinks of the current culture of information and how people need time to integrate all the information they are taking in  His experience of meeting Thich Nhat Hanh for the first time  The definition of dharma and why true Buddhist teachings are about freedom  Why he he started working on Gross National Happiness in Bhutan  What Tho thinks about artificial intelligence  How we need to shift education to respond to our current culture and create a better future  What Happy Schools teach and the results so far   The importance of gratitude in a happiness practice  How Rob took the principles and Gross National Happiness and applied them to his own business  To view the Happy Schools documentary mentioned in the podcast,  go to:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib0PC9-y-KI Connect With Tho Va Hinh   Websites Eurasian Learning  Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing Happy Schools   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/havinhtho/   Facebook https://www.facebook.com/eurasialearninginstitute   Twitter https://twitter.com/HaVinhTho   Book: Culture of Happiness https://www.parallax.org/product/a-culture-of-happiness/   The 2023 Do Nothing Retreat is open for registration (5 spots remaining)   Join us from October 8-12 for The Do Nothing Retreat,  a mindfulness meditation retreat suitable for meditators at all levels The retreat will enable you to cultivate a deeper mindfulness practice while in a peaceful and rejuvenating mountain location. Previous attendees have reported experiencing increased productivity, increased focus, and new perspective – among other benefits – as a result of what they learned.    Get Rob's Weekly Newsletter Never miss an inspiring conversation about compassionate, positive leadership on the Leading with Genuine Care podcast plus other great articles and insights. Click below, and you'll also get a download of his favorite mindful resources.   https://www.donothingbook.com/resource-guide    Follow Rob Dube on Social Media  LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/robdube    Facebook:  www.facebook.com/rob.dube.1   Twitter:  twitter.com/robddube     Rob Dube's Website www.donothingbook.com   Buy Rob's book, donothing: The Most Rewarding Leadership Challenge You'll Ever Take amzn.to/2y9N1TK  

Today's episode is one that I was very excited about, but before I get into it, I want to offer a quick update on my recent trip to Berlin. Jeff Gedmin and I were joined by a few journalists as well as a number of Ukrainian, German, and Polish thought leaders to see how the West could come together to join forces in support of Ukraine. This is just the beginning of a series of dialogues RDI will host in coordination with American Purpose. We'll keep you apprised of how these conversations go and what they will produce. And now, onto the episode! I'm joined by Fiona Hill for a conversation on how Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's psychology informs his decision making in the war in Ukraine, and how it may inform the decision making of dictators everywhere. We discuss Putin's calculated choice to escalate the war in Ukraine, the many ways Putin could lose control over Russia, Putin's connection to Zelensky and Trump, the possibility of nuclear war, and the necessity of maintaining a united front against Russian aggression.Fiona was the deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council from 2017 to 2019. She served as a national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council from 2006 to 2009. Prior to that, she held numerous positions at the Eurasia Foundation in Washington, D.C. and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Fiona is currently a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center on the United States and Europe and has written extensively on Russian history, Vladimir Putin, and geopolitics. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit renewdemocracy.substack.com

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine going into its third week, it's important to remember that Ukraine has been fighting Russia for over 8 years. We cover this and a whole host of other topics in this week's episode.Our guest this week, Judy Twigg is a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches courses on global health, international political economy, and Russian politics. Judy helps us better understand the rich history that exists between these two countries and how, through sanctions, the Russian people will be affected. We then talk about an agreement that hasn't been getting much attention these days, the Budapest Memorandum, which is an agreement that Ukraine made with the US and Russia to get rid of their nuclear weapons in exchange for assurances on their security. This wide ranging discussion covers elements of Russia-Ukraine that you likely have not heard before and you'll want to listen to the very end! If you want to help and get involved please consider checking out these resources suggested by our guest:International Rescue Committee (https://www.rescue.org)UNICEF Ukraine (https://www.unicefusa.org)Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (https://bank.gov.ua) Use your browser's translate functionCome Back Alive foundation, providing auxiliary support for the Ukrainian armed forces  (https://www.comebackalive.in.ua)Guest Bio:Judy Twigg is a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches courses on global health, international political economy, and Russian politics. She is also a senior associate with the Global Health Policy Center and Russia & Eurasia Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; consultant for the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank and the Office of Evaluation and Oversight of the Inter-American Development Bank; adjunct professor at the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University; and member of the board of trustees of the Eurasia Foundation. She has been a consultant for the Kennan Institute, John Snow, Inc., UNICEF, the Social Science Research Council, and various U.S. government agencies.Twigg's work focuses on issues of health, demographic change, and health systems reform in Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. She also conducts program and project evaluations for development assistance efforts world-wide spanning human development and public sector management. She has testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Congress and has been a member of several congressional and other U.S. government advisory groups on Russian affairs. She received the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia's Distinguished Faculty Award in 2005. Dr. Twigg is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/faithpolitics)

Kuwait's nationality and citizenship rules have been contentious since the country's independence in 1961. The rightful claim to full citizenship rights in the oil-rich Gulf state is highly restricted and divided along lines of kinship, religion, gender, ethnicity and nationality, leaving the majority of Kuwait's population excluded from many social privileges. Shaping youth civic identities through education and media messaging has been an important part of the state's construction of nationalist narratives of Kuwaiti citizenship. While young people's voices are largely absent from official discourses, they have been creating their own spaces and means of participation. This webinar presented findings from the LSE Kuwait Programme project ‘Empowering Democratic Citizenship through Education: Exploring Rights-Based Approaches to Educational Policymaking in Kuwait'. The study explored the tensions between young people's perspectives and Kuwaiti official discourses around citizenship identities, rights and participation. Findings are based on focus group discussions and interviews with more than 100 secondary school students and youth activists in Kuwait, as well as an analysis of Kuwaiti media outlets. Dr Rania Al-Nakib is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Gulf University for Science and Technology in Kuwait, where she teaches courses in the sociology of education as well as human rights. She also worked as a consultant to en.v (a Kuwaiti organization dedicated to fostering civic engagement in the Middle East) on their n-mu programme, developed in partnership with the Eurasia Foundation and the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX) to promote constructive youth engagement in Kuwait. Her research focuses on human rights education and education for democratic citizenship in Kuwait. She is particularly interested in the impact of the hidden curriculum on Kuwaiti students' citizenship activities and Kuwaiti female students' gendered experiences of public education. Her PhD from the Institute of Education, University of London was titled ‘Dialogic Universalism and Human Rights Education: A Case Study from Kuwait'. She has an MS in Theoretical Linguistics from Georgetown University and an MEd from Marymount University. Her most recent publication is a chapter in an edited volume, entitled Citizenship and Global Migration: Implications for Theory, Research, and Teaching, published by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Dr Sam Mejias is Research Fellow in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. He conducts multidisciplinary research on the cultural politics of human rights and equity across several connected strands of work in different countries (currently the UK, USA and Kuwait). Dr Mejias holds a PhD in Education from University College London and a Master's degree in International Educational Development from Columbia University Teachers College. Abdullah al-Khonaini completed his MA in Power, Participation, and Social Change from the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University. He co-founded 'Raqib50', an online parliament watch that holds Kuwaiti parliamentarians accountable by making their voting records accessible to the public. His research interests include a focus on civil society, dynamics of informal civic groups and participation, postcolonial identity and belonging in the Gulf. Abdullah is a researcher on the LSE Kuwait Programme project led by Rania and Sam. Dr Rana Khazbak recently joined the University of Nottingham's Rights Lab as a post-doctoral researcher. She did her PhD in the Department of Social Policy at LSE, during which she explored the impact of urban regeneration on young people's wellbeing in London. Rana is a researcher on the LSE Kuwait Programme project led by Rania and Sam.

What does Ukrainian President Zelensky's White House visit tell us about the state of US-Ukrainian relations? Melinda Haring and Ambassador Alexander Vershbow join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the key issues in the relationship as well as how the US and Europe should shape their policy toward Ukraine in the future. Melinda Haring is the deputy director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. Previously, she was the editor of the Atlantic Council's popular publication, the Ukraine Alert blog. Haring has also worked for Eurasia Foundation, Freedom House, and the National Democratic Institute, where she managed democracy assistance programs in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia. Ambassador Alexander “Sandy” Vershbow is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and Eurasia Center. Ambassador Vershbow was the deputy secretary general of NATO from February 2012 to October 2016. Prior to his post at NATO, Ambassador Vershbow served for three years as the US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

Have you found yourself asking a lot of questions about TikTok, since it has broken into the mainstream with the Administration working to ban the video sharing service over national security concerns? We speak with Xiaomeng Lu, Senior Analyst of Geo-Technology at the Eurasia Foundation, about the geo-political nature of this issue and whether or not TikTok is a national security threat. We also take the time to speak with the Fulbright Association about why this program is so valuable and how it builds global understanding, as well as knowledge.

Dr. Ha Vinh Tho ist der Gründer von ELI: „Eurasia Learning Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing." Er ist der Präsident der Eurasia Foundation, einer NGO, die ökologische und pädagogische Projekte in Vietnam entwickelt. Er war Programmdirektor und Mitbegründer des Gross National Happiness Centers, in Bhutan, einer Organisation, die eine alternative Vision von ökologiebasierter Entwicklung, einer gerechten und nachhaltigen Wirtschaft, guter Regierungsführung sowie kulturellen und spirituellen Werten fördert. Zuvor war er der Leiter der Aus und Weiterbildung am IKRK (Internationales Komitee vom Roten Kreuz) und Direktor einer Fachhochschule für Sozialpädagogik in der Schweiz.Er ist Buddhistischer Lehrer (Dharmacharia) in der Vietnamesischen Zen Tradition ordiniert von Zen Meister Thich Nhat Hanh. Er promovierte in Psychologie und Pädagogik an der Universität Genf, ist ein internationaler Vortragender und ist Autor mehrerer Bücher und zahlreicher Artikel. In diesem Podcast sprechen die beiden über die Quellen des Glücks und wie wir ein nachhaltig glückliches Leben im Einklang mit allen Lebensformen führen können und warum der innere Weg der Selbsterkenntnis eine so wichtige Rolle dabei spielt. Hier sind die Inhalte & Themen dieses Podcast in Kürze für dich zusammengefasst: - Die Bedeutung von Glück: Was bedeutet Glück? Und was braucht es um glücklich zu sein? - Der Unterschied zwischen kurzfristigem Glück (hedone) und nachhaltigem Glücksempfingen (eudaimonia) - Die wichtigsten Säulen als Basis für echtes Glück: die Beziehung zu uns selbst/mit sich selbst in Harmonie leben, Qualität der menschlichen Beziehungen, Beziehung zur Natur und unserem Planeten - Die Entstehungsgeschichte des Bruttonationalglücks in Bhutan - Welche Länder sich bereits an der Regierung in Bhutan ein Beispiel nehmen - Unterschiedliche Schul- und Bildungssysteme - Die 3 Zufluchten der Buddhistischen Tradition: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha - Erklärung der Ursachen des Leidens: Selbstentfremdung zu unserer wahren Natur, - Entfremdung von Mensch zu Mensch und von Mensch zur Natur als der innere Weg der Selbsterkenntnis als zentrales Element für ein Sinn erfüllten Leben - Wie wir ein nachhaltig glückliches Leben führen können im Einklang mit allen Lebewesen - Wie jeder einzelne von uns Samen für eine bessere Zukunft sähen kann - Kurze Meditation angeleitet von Dr. Tho Viel Freude beim Hören. Wenn dir dieser Podcast gefallen hat und er hilfreich für dich war, freuen wir uns sehr wenn du Lust hast ihn mit deinen Freunden zu teilen und uns eine positive Bewertung zu hinterlassen. Damit hilft du das dieser Podcast wachsen kann, und soviele Menschen wie möglich inspiriert und unterstützt auf ihrem Weg. Vielen herzlichen Danke, Wanda & Team 'Better than found. Bedeutet Die Welt ein Stückchen hinterlassen als ich sie vorgefunden habe.‘ - Dr. Tho ‚WENN DER WIND DES WANDELS WEHT BAUEN DIE EINEN MAUERN UND DIE ANDEREN WINDMÜHLEN’ - CHINESISCHES SPRICHWORT Hier findest du mehr spannende Informationen zu Dr. Ha Vinh Tho Sein letztes Buch - Der Glückstandart: https://www.droemer-knaur.de/buch/dr-ha-vinh-tho-der-gluecksstandard-9783426292952 Vortrag: Dr. Ha Vinh Tho - „Die inneren und äußeren Bedingungen des Glücks“ https://vimeo.com/219976525 Er leitet auch einen Zertifikatskurs über BNG an der Hochschule Osnabrück: https://www.hs-osnabrueck.de/de/studium/studienangebot/weiterbildung/seminare-und-lehrgaenge/gross-national-happiness/ „Eurasia Learning Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing“ https://elihw.org

Susan Thornton was Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State during the first 18 months of the Trump administration. Prior to her departure, Thornton led East Asia policy-making amid crises with North Korea, escalating trade tensions with China, and a generally deteriorating environment in the United States for international economic and diplomatic engagement. She was the architect of the diplomatic pressure campaign on the North Korean regime, structured the administration’s initial approach to China, and developed the administration’s trademark Indo-Pacific Strategy. In previous leadership roles in Washington, Thornton worked on China and Korea policy, including stabilizing relations with Taiwan, the U.S.-China Cyber Agreement, the Paris Climate Accord and led a successful negotiation in Pyongyang for monitoring of the Agreed Framework on denuclearization. In her 18 years of overseas postings in Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus and China, Thornton’s leadership furthered U.S. interests and influence and maintained programs and mission morale in a host of difficult operating environments. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she was among the first State Department Fascell Fellows and served from 1989–90 at the U.S. Consulate in Leningrad. She was also a researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute from 1987–91. Thornton received her M.A. in International Relations and Soviet Studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1991 and earned an M.S. in National Strategy and Resource Management at the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School in 2010. Thornton received her B.A. from Bowdoin College in Economics and Russian in 1985, and taught in international secondary schools in Brussels, London, and Chile. She speaks Russian, Mandarin Chinese and French, is a member of numerous professional associations and is on the Board of Trustees for the Eurasia Foundation. The Charles Neuhauser Memorial Lecture is an annual lecture at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University. Read and download the transcript for this event on our website: https://fairbank.fas.harvard.edu/events/neuhauser-lecture-featuring-susan-thornton-can-we-live-with-china-a-roadmap-for-co-evolution/

The CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program in cooperation with Eurasia Foundation invite you to join us for the U.S. debut screening of All for One, One for All at CSIS Headquarters.All for One, One for All is a collaborative documentary produced by filmmakers with disabilities from Russia and the U.S. This collection of short films focuses on the daily lives, aspirations, and challenges of people with intellectual and physical disabilities. The film was produced with support from the US Department of State, Mr. Pierre Bastid and Eurasia Foundation. Join us to learn more about this unique project and how the filmmakers are changing the dialogue on disabilities and U.S.-Russian relations. The forty-minute film will be followed by a Q&A featuring one of the film's directors, two-time Academy Award nominee and 16-time national Emmy Award winner Jon Alpert and contributor Jonathan Novick. Novick uses film-making as a tool to offer viewers a look into the daily challenges he faces navigating the world. Olga Oliker, Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at CSIS, will moderate.This event is made possible by the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Mutual mistrust, saber-rattling, and heated rhetoric define the U.S. relationship with Russia. If it looks like a new Cold War and smells like a new Cold War, is it a new Cold War? If it's not, what is it? From the 1990s to the present, how did we get here? Why did the West's hopes for Russia in the aftermath of the Cold War dissolve? How does Russia view its current strategic position? What are the limits of its growing influence in the Middle East and other regions? How long will Putin remain in power? What should the United States do about Russia? Can they make a deal?  In a wide-ranging, fascinating, and intellectually rich speech, Angela Stent tackles these questions and more.  Stent is the director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) and a professor in the Department of Government and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Stent is the author of many books and articles on the relationships between the United States, Russia and Europe. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Advisory Board of the Eurasia Foundation, and of Supporters of Civil Society in Russia. Stent previously served as a member of the advisory panel for NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and  on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Russia and Central Asia. She is the former National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council (2004-2006) and staff member in the Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State (1999-2001).   Music and Production by Tre Hester 

In this interview, we hear from Dr. Ha Vinh Tho, the Program Development Coordinator of the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan. Tho is also the founder and chairman of Eurasia Foundation, a humanitarian NGO, a visiting fellow at several universities and a Buddhist teacher in the Tradition of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism, who was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh. We speak about the history and meaning of the Gross National Happiness Index and how it can be a better index for measuring happiness, health, and wellbeing in a country. For more information, visit Dr. Tho's blog and Bhutan's Gross National Happiness website.

In this interview, we hear from Dr. Ha Vinh Tho, the Program Development Coordinator of the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan. Tho is also the founder and chairman of Eurasia Foundation, a humanitarian NGO, a visiting fellow at several universities and a Buddhist teacher in the Tradition of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism, who was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh. We speak about the history and meaning of the Gross National Happiness Index and how it can be a better index for measuring happiness, health, and wellbeing in a country. For more information, visit Dr. Tho's blog and Bhutan's Gross National Happiness website.

In this interview, we hear from Dr. Ha Vinh Tho, the Program Development Coordinator of the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan. Tho is also the founder and chairman of Eurasia Foundation, a humanitarian NGO, a visiting fellow at several universities and a Buddhist teacher in the Tradition of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism, who was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh. We speak about the history and meaning of the Gross National Happiness Index and how it can be a better index for measuring happiness, health, and wellbeing in a country. For more information, visit Dr. Tho's blog and Bhutan's Gross National Happiness website.