Podcasts about global dispatches

Global Dispatches is entering a new era—and I need your help to keep it going. For years, I've been able to produce this show thanks to institutional support, especially from the UN Foundation, which has backed my work for two decades. But due to recent funding cuts, that support is ending, and I now need to raise $140,000 to keep the show going at current levels. If this podcast has helped you make sense of the world, informed your work, or simply earned your trust, please consider becoming a paying subscriber. Most episodes are free, but they're not free to make. You can support at full price—or with a 20% or 40% discount. All subscribers get access to our sister podcast To Save Us From Hell, my essays, and the full 13-year archive. And if you join based on this pitch, I'll mail you a Global Dispatches sticker as a thank-you. https://www.globaldispatches.org/  https://www.globaldispatches.org/20PercentOff  https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff  

On April 22, militants launched a brutal assault on a tourist site in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing 26 civilians in what became the deadliest terrorist attack in India in nearly 15 years. What followed was the most intense military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades—airstrikes, drone attacks, and a terrifying cycle of escalation that threatened to spiral out of control. Then, suddenly, came a ceasefire on May 10. But why? And will it hold? In today's episode, I speak with Debak Das, Assistant Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, to unpack the deeper roots of the Kashmir dispute and why it remains such a dangerous flashpoint between two nuclear-armed rivals. We explore how this crisis escalated so quickly—and why it stopped just short of the brink. Debak also offers sharp insight into the precariousness of the current ceasefire and what might come next. Get a discounted subscription to Global Dispatches at this link: https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff

Heather Hurlburt is a former chief of staff in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Biden Administration and now a fellow at Chatham House. She is also someone I've routinely turned to over the years for insights into broader geopolitical trends. In our conversation today, we dig into the real geopolitical fallout from Donald Trump's escalating trade war — and how the global balance of power is already shifting in ways that most people aren't paying attention to. She explains why the trade war is about much more than tariffs, who the real winners and losers are likely to be, and what ripple effects we're already seeing across Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond. Get a discount subscription to Global Dispatches at this link: https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff   

On March 28th, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar—the strongest to hit the region in a century. The epicenter was in the Sagaing region, near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, in the northwest of the country. Sagaing is also the epicenter of Myanmar's civil war and the humanitarian crisis caused by the brutal conflict that has raged for the past four years. In other words, this earthquake created a crisis on top of a crisis. And it struck just as the main backer of global humanitarian relief—the United States—has suspended nearly all foreign aid and emergency humanitarian assistance programs. Joining me to discuss the damage caused by the earthquake and the ongoing local and international response is Bob Kitchen, a veteran humanitarian official and the Vice President for Emergencies at the International Rescue Committee. We begin by discussing the scope of the damage and the complexities of mounting a response in the midst of Myanmar's civil war, before delving into how the response to this sudden-onset natural disaster is being shaped by the absence of American leadership, which has long played a central role in global emergency relief efforts. Use this link to get a 40% discounted subscription to Global Dispatches and all we have to offer! https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PecentOff Use this link if you'd like to support us at full price https://www.globaldispatches.org/ 

Today's episode is a crossover with Robert Wright's Nonzero Podcast. I have followed Bob's work for years—he is a thoughtful commentator, author, and podcaster. He asked me to come on his show to discuss how the new Trump administration may approach the United Nations and what impact Trump's policies may have on international cooperation and global governance more broadly. This is a long episode in which I more freely share my thoughts than I would in a conventional Global Dispatches episode. But I thought you would find this conversation useful and interesting—I know I did. The first 45 minutes of this episode are freely available, and then there's a paywall for the second half of our chat. You can access the full episode by getting a paid subscription at GlobalDispatches.org or, if you are listening on Apple Podcasts, you can unlock our premium feed directly in the app with just a few taps. I hope you do.  

Today's episode was recorded live at the World Trade Organization's headquarters in Geneva. The live taping coincided with the WTO's "Public Forum," a week-long gathering of civil society at the WTO's headquarters. It's a major event, with around 5,000 people registered from around the world, attending a series of meetings, workshops, speeches, panel discussions, and, of course, our live Global Dispatches taping. This episode features two guests. First up is the WTO's chief economist, Ralph Ossa, who discusses his research on the global implications of widening trade disputes between major powers, such as the United States and China. I'm then joined by Anabel Gonzalez, the Vice President for Countries at the Inter-American Development Bank and a former Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization, who offers her ideas on how trade may be harnessed to promote global equality and prosperity.

If you are a regular listener to the podcast and reader of our associated Global Dispatches newsletter, you know that I believe one of the most important issues in the world today is the growing gap between humanitarian needs and the funding available to meet those needs. Climate change and conflicts are causing a surge in the number of people around the world who require a modicum of humanitarian aid to survive. Yet, funding has not kept pace. Far from it. The gap is large and growing. In response to this pressure, one of the largest and oldest international humanitarian organizations, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, is trying something new. While they still rely on traditional donors, mostly wealthier Western countries, they are also experimenting with innovative financing schemes. This includes using insurance in novel ways and exploring how to issue bonds or sell carbon credits to fund their humanitarian work. Joining me to discuss how the IFRC is approaching these complex financial instruments is Nena Stoiljkovic, IFRC's Under Secretary General for Global Relations and Humanitarian Diplomacy. We kick off by discussing why climate change is driving up the costs of humanitarian response and the IFRC's new program to support climate-resilient communities before diving into a longer conversation about the novel ways in which the IFRC plans to finance that, along with its regular disaster response.  

“The United Nations was not created in order to deliver us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell.” - Dag Hammarskjöld.“To Save Us From Hell” is a new weekly news and analysis podcast about the UN. Mark Leon Goldberg, a veteran global affairs journalist and editor of the news outlets UN Dispatch and Global Dispatches, and Anjali Dayal, a political science professor and author at Fordham University, co-host the show. They join us on Making Peace Visible to explain the significance of the UN today, especially when it comes to deescalating conflicts and laying the groundwork for peace. Goldberg and Dayal's intense focus on the UN and its work comes at a time when the world's focus on the institution seems to be diminishing, while violent conflicts are increasing. We also have global crises like climate change, infectious disease, and refugees. The one global institution designated to deal with problems at that scale is the UN. So what's missing from mainstream news coverage of the UN, and can it save us from hell?!Subscribe to “To Save Us from Hell” at globaldispatches.org. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Siddhartha Corsus, and SFmusic. ABOUT THE SHOW Making Peace Visible is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin, with help from Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support this podcast Connect on social:Instagram @makingpeacevisibleLinkedIn @makingpeacevisibleX (formerly Twitter) @makingpeaceviz We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

This is the debut of "To Save Us From Hell," our new weekly chat show about the United Nations. "To Save Us From Hell" is a project of Global Dispatches and features weekly conversations between co-hosts Mark Leon Goldberg and Anjali Dayal about the latest news and happenings around the United Nations. They discuss the implications of Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea for the UN, recent progress on Gaza and Sudan at the Security Council, and who should replace the outgoing top UN humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths. To Save Us From Hell is a project of Global Dispatches and is supported entirely through the paid subscriptions of our supporters. You can access a discounted subscription here: https://www.globaldispatches.org/SaveUs  To Save Us From Hell is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere you get your podcasts. Go here to learn more: https://www.globaldispatches.org/s/to-save-us-from-hell      

"To Save Us From Hell" is a new weekly chat show about the United Nations. Each week, two veteran UN watchers break down the latest news from the United Nations, giving our audience insights into what is driving the agenda at UN headquarters and in its operations around the world. Co-host Mark Leon Goldberg is a veteran journalist who's the editor-in-chief of UN Dispatch and founder of Global Dispatches. He's covered the UN for nearly 20 years. Anjali Dayal is a Professor of International Relations at Fordham University who's written widely about the UN and teaches students about its intricacies. They are teaming up for this one-of-a-kind podcast that will launch in the middle of June. For full access to the show at a discounted price, please visit GlobalDispatches.org: https://www.globaldispatches.org/SaveUs   

"To Save Us From Hell" is a new weekly chat show about the United Nations. Each week, two veteran UN watchers break down the latest news from the United Nations, giving our audience insights into what is driving the agenda at UN headquarters and in its operations around the world. Co-host Mark Leon Goldberg is a veteran journalist who is editor in Chief of UN Dispatch and founder of Global Dispatches. He's covered the UN for nearly 20 years. Anjali Dayal is a well-known professor at Fordham University whose written books about the UN and teaches students about its intricacies. They are teaming up for this one-of-a-kind podcast that will launch in the middle of June. Learn more: https://www.globaldispatches.org/ Get full access to Global Dispatches at www.globaldispatches.org/subscribe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globaldispatches.org/subscribe

On Monday, May 20th, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, applied for arrest warrants for three senior Hamas leaders and for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Hamas leaders include the top official in Gaza, Yahyah Sinwar, Hamas' military commander Muhammad Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based political leader of Hamas. These three men were charged with crimes related to the October 7th attack and their treatment of hostages in captivity. On the Israeli side, Netanyahu and Gallant were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a method of warfare. For those of you who subscribe to the Global Dispatches Newsletter, you'll know that I've been expecting this shoe to drop since November, when Karim Khan first warned Hamas and Israeli officials that his office has jurisdiction in relation to this conflict. Well, this ICC action has now happened, and on the line with me to discuss what these applications for arrest warrants mean and where this ICC case may be headed next is Mark Kersten. He is an assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at the University of the Fraser Valley who specializes in International Law. He's also a senior consultant at the Wayamo Foundation. I daresay you will not find a more informed conversation about the ICC from any other podcast out there. To support our work, please become a paying supporter at Global Dispatches at:  https://www.globaldispatches.org/ 

On the one year anniversary of the outbreak of civil war, Sudan is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today. On April 15, 2023, fighting spread from Khartoum to other parts of the country, including Darfur, where the conflict took on ugly ethnic dimensions, potentially leading to genocide. Over 8 million people have been displaced, and the UN is warning of famine in parts of the country. My interview guest today, Kholood Khair, is the founder and director of Confluency Advisory, a think-and-do tank formerly based in Khartoum. She explains how the conflict has evolved over the last year and why the humanitarian crisis is as dire as ever. In our conversation, we spend a lot of time discussing potential ways out of this crisis, which thus far have been elusive. Kholood Khair explains: How the conflict in Sudan began. How the conflict has changed over the last year. Why the conflict is becoming more complex and harder to solve the longer it lasts What the international community, including the United States, can do to better support a peace process. Please support our ongoing efforts to cover undercovered global stories by becoming a paid supporter of Global Dispatches on Substack or Apple Podcasts https://www.globaldispatches.org/

Ten years ago the podcast industry was in its infancy and the format of Global Dispatches was a bit different than it is today. I would sit down with people who had interesting lives or careers in international affairs and interview them about their life and career, with digressions about the historic foreign policy moments in which their or career intersected. I did around 200 of these longform biographical interviews over the first several years of the podcast. These interviews are mostly behind a paywall at this point, and unlocked for paying subscribers via Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For today, I wanted to bring everyone my 2016 conversation with Clarissa Ward, CNN's Chief International Correspondent. At the time, Clarissa Ward had recently snuck into rebel held territory in Syria.  We kick off with a conversation about the mechanics of sneaking into a conflict zone and the risks that war reporting entails. We then have a long conversation about how and why she became a journalist, including her time in Beirut and Baghdad.   Get more episodes like this by becoming a premium subscriber. For Apple Podcasts, upgrade directly in the app. To access these bonus episodes on Spotify, go here. https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches       

It is the week between Christmas and New Years so I wanted to do something a little different this week and bring you one of my favorite episodes from deep in the archives. Now, I started Global Dispatches ten years ago, in 2013. And back then, aside from the BBC, there weren't really any international affairs and world news podcasts. Today, of course, the landscape is a bit richer and I am happy for that--I don't view other international affaris podcasts as competition, but rather believe that a rising tide lifts all boats so the more the merrier. But ten years ago the podcast industry was in its infancy and the format of Global Dispatches was a bit different than it is today. I would sit down with people who had interesting lives or careers in foreign policy and international affairs and interview them about their life and career, with digressions about the historic foreign policy moments in which their or career intersected. I did around 200 of these longform biographical interviews over the first several years of the podcast. I did so many of these I can't name them all here, but some names you might recognize include George Mitchell, James Stavridis, Joseph Nye, Nick Kristoff, Robin Wright, Fareed Zacharia, Jessica Tuchman Matthews, Dennis Ross, Linda Thomas Greenfield, and so many more. These interviews are mostly behind a paywall at this point, and unlocked for paying subscribers via apple podcasts or Spotify. But for today, I wanted to bring everyone my 2016 conversation with Clarissa Ward. She is CNN's chief international correspondent. At the time, Clarissa Ward had recently snuck into rebel held territory in Syria, including Aleppo. And it was because of her several excursions into Aleppo that she was invited to brief the Security Council later that year. We kick off with a long conversation about the mechanics of sneaking into rebel held territory and the risks that entails. We then have a long conversation about how and why she became a journalist, including her time in Beirut and Baghdad.   And I have been thinking about this nearly 8 year old interview because in December Clarissa Ward became one of the first, if only, western journalist to enter Gaza without embeding with the IDF. She filed a harrowing report from a makeshift hospital in southern Gaza, which I will link to in the shownotes of this episode. 

This episode of Global Dispatches was recorded as a live taping of the podcast, produced in partnership with CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Global Dispatches and CGIAR are partnering on a series of episodes about the nexus between climate and security. In our conversation today expert panelists discuss the path to resilient societies in a polycrisis era and soft launch CGIAR's new Climate Security Sensitivity Tool to assess the peace potential of climate adaptation The episode kicks off with some opening remarks from, Peter Laderach, Co-lead CGIAR Climate Security, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT  I then moderate a panel discussion featuring : Carolina Sarzana – Climate Security Specialist with CGIAR, the Alliance of Bioveristy and CIAT  Linda Ogallo – Climate Change Adaptation Expert at the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, Intergovernmental Authority on Development Suzanna Huber -- Climate and Energy Advisor World Food Programme, Regional Bureau Eastern Africa Erick Mariga -- Regional Fragility and Resilience Coordinator, at the Africa Development Bank Group Mana Farooghi -- Climate and Environment Adviser at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office  

This episode of Global Dispatches was recorded as a live taping of the podcast, produced in partnership with CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Global Dispatches and CGIAR are partnering on a series of episodes about the nexus between climate and security. In our conversation today expert panelists discuss the multiple benefits of climate adaptation for disaster related displacement.  The episode kicks off with some opening remarks from, Peter Laderach, Co-lead CGIAR Climate Security, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT  I then moderate a panel discussion featuring : Michelle Yonetani, Senior Policy Officer, Office of the Special Advisor to the High Commissioner on Climate Action, UNHCR  Sandra Ruckstuhl, Senior Researcher, International Water Management Institute and Co-lead, CGIAR Fragility, Conflict and Migration Initiative Tasneem Siddiqui, Professor, University of Dhaka   Raphaela Shveiger, Yale World Fellow, Yale University  

China's economy has been exhibiting troubling signs. Property prices are falling, making households less wealthy and curtailing consumer spending. High government debt, a declining population, and America's policy moves are combining to pose Chinese policymakers a serious challenge.  How is Beijing navigating the country's economic slowdown? How will China's struggles impact the global economy? For answers, watch FP's Ravi Agrawal in discussion with three experts: Economist Adam Posen; the Wall Street Journal's chief China correspondent, Lingling Wei; and James Palmer, author of FP's weekly China Brief newsletter.  This episode is a special cross promotion for  FP Live, the flagship podcast from Foreign Policy Magazine, hosted by Foreign Policy Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal. If you like Global Dispatches, you will certainly want to subscribe to FP Live. 

BONUS EPISODE: The Global Dispatches podcast—“How Interpol Works, with Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout this week there has been a notable lack of female leaders. By my count just seven of the 99 Presidents or Prime Ministers to address the General Assembly were women.  This is a recurring issue in every UN General Assembly I've covered since 2005. In our second segment today, I discuss the issue of women's political representation with Hibaaq Osman, founder and CEO of Karama a movement working in the Arab Region on ending violence against women and promoting women's political participation. For our first segment, I speak with Pete Ogden, Vice President for Climate and the Environment at the United Nations Foundation. The Climate Ambition Summit convened on Wednesday by Antonio Guterres was the centerpiece of climate diplomacy at UNGA this year. Pete Ogden explains what happened at that summit and how events at the UN and throughout New York this week are helping to shape the outcome of the next major moment in climate diplomacy, COP28, which kicks off in Dubai in late November. The Global Dispatches podcast is teaming up with the United Nations Foundation for a special daily series during the 78th United Nations General Assembly.  Get our newsletter  

Today is Wednesday, September 20th and it was a very busy day at the United Nations. Of all the days this week, today was arguably the most packed with high level consequential meetings. Throughout the day today was the Secretary General's Climate Ambition Summit. We will bring you full coverage of that in tomorrow's episode. Also today, the Security Council held a meeting on Ukraine, which featured Zelenskyy's first time addressing the Security Council in person since Russia's invasion. There were two key meetings on Global health, one on Pandemic Preparedness and Response, the other on Universal Health Coverage. I will be speaking with Kate Dodson Vice President for Global Health at the United Nations Foundation about those meetings as well as a key meeting on Tuberculosis later in the week during our second segment.  Our first segment features Vera Songwe, Chairwoman and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility and Co-Chair of the High Level Panel on Climate Finance who discusses the crucial topic of Financing for Development.  The Global Dispatches podcast is teaming up with the United Nations Foundation for a special daily series during the 78th United Nations General Assembly.  Get our newsletter

Tuesday, September 19th marks the start of the United Nations General Assembly "General Debate." This is the parade of Presidents and Prime Ministers who address the world from the rostrum in the United Nations General Assembly hall. The day follows a familiar pattern each year: the Secretary General kicks off, followed by the new President of the General Assembly, who is Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago. By tradition the President of Brazil is the first leader of a UN member state to speak, followed by the President of the United States. Joining me to discuss these speeches and more is Anjali Dayal, Associate Professor of International Politics at Fordham University's Lincoln Center Campus and Maya Ungar of the International Crisis Group. We spoke just as Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded his first in-person UNGA address since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That is our first segment today. Our second segment features Butti Almheiri, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow for Climate, who previews some of the climate focused themes this week. The Global Dispatches podcast is teaming up with the United Nations Foundation for a special daily series during the 78th United Nations General Assembly.  Get our newsletter

Monday, September 18 marks the kickoff to what is known around the United Nations as "High Level Week." The main event today was the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, which was intended to revive progress towards the SDGs following years of reversals during COVID. In the words of Antonio Guterres' opening remarks today, "the world needs an SDG rescue plan." Joining us on the second half of the show to discuss the SDG Summit is Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).  To kick off and set the stage for all of High Level Week is Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation. We discuss some of the key stories that will drive the diplomatic agenda during the 78th United Nations General Assembly and preview some of the major events and meetings happening throughout the week. This is your vital UNGA78 scene setter. Global Dispatches is teaming up with the United Nations Foundation for a special daily series during the 78th United Nations General Assembly. This is episode one of four.   

It's impossible to understand the events of 9/11 without understanding Osama bin Laden. Who was he? What was he hoping to achieve with the attack? How did the US track him down? And what can we learn from that story now? Three women - a CIA analyst, an FBI investigator, and a scholar who read 6,000 pages of documents recovered from bin Laden's compound after he was killed - recount how they came to know and understand Osama bin Laden.Hear Peter Bergen on a recent episode of Global Dispatches.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2003 a militia drawn from ethnic Arab tribes in Darfur, known as the Janjaweed, partnered with the government of Sudan in a genocidal campaign against non-Arab tribes in the region. An estimated 300,000 people were killed in the 2003-2004 Darfur genocide. In August 2023, there is mounting evidence of ethnic cleansing is again underway in Darfur, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museaum is warning that there is risk of a full blown genocide.   As Cameron Hudson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies explains, what is happening in Darfur today is reminiscent of the Genocide 20 years ago. We kick off discussing the current campaign of ethnic cleansing underway in Darfur.  He then explains how the genocidal Janjaweed militia became the Rapid Support Forces, which are carrying out these atrocities while battling for control of the whole of Sudan in a full blown civil war that began in April. We discuss how the Rapid Support Forces funds its operations, and the support it is receiving from the United Arab Emirates. Global Dispatches will bear witness to the unfolding crisis in Darfur even as it is far from the headlines of most western outlets. We will offer original reporting, and give you the analysis and context you need to understand this crisis as it unfolds through a series we are calling Darfur Genocide Watch. To access this series and support our work, become a paid subscriber in Apple Podcasts, via Patreon or via Substack  

This is a a special crossover episode featuring Global Dispatches host Mark Leon Goldberg taking questions from veteran journalist Ray Suarez, from the On Shifting Ground podcast. They discuss trends in international reporting and why humanitarian journalism is a vital part of the media ecosystem. Regular Global Dispatches listeners will get a unique understand of how the show is put together every week.   

Media is being challenged as audience consumption trends continue to change, and journalists are facing violence and imprisonment in the field. What do these threats mean for the future of journalism? Ray Suarez sits down with Mark Goldberg, host of “Global Dispatches,” to explore how international journalism can remain vital.   Guest:   Mark Leon Goldberg, editor of UN Dispatch and host of "Global Dispatches"   Host:     Ray Suarez   If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.

The growing popularity of podcasts as an innovative platform for sharing experiences and views on a wide range of topics was one of the inspirations for starting Global Health Matters. As engaging and learning from our stakeholders is one of our goals, we invited some fellow podcasters and our listeners to join a live Twitter Space discussion on how podcasts are sparking conversations on global health. This bonus episode shares some highlights from the Twitter Space moderated by our podcast host Garry Aslanyan, covering topics such as the unique advantages of podcasts compared with other communication tools, the accessibility of podcasts, and how they are used by educators in the classroom. Guests: -Emmanuella Amoako, co-host of Global Health Unfiltered podcast -Leshawn Benedict and Gordon Thane, hosts of Public Health Insight podcast -Mark Goldberg, host of Global Dispatches podcast -Priti Patnaik, editor of Geneva Health FilesRelated episode documents, transcripts and other information can be found on our website.We are keen to engage with you, our listeners, at every step of the way – please feel free to suggest topics and questions to be discussed and share your feedback by dropping us a line at TDRpod@who.int.Subscribe to the Global Health Matters podcast newsletter.  Follow @TDRnews on Twitter, TDR on LinkedIn and @ghm_podcast on Instagram for updates.  Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Global Health Matters podcast series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of TDR or the World Health Organization  All content © 2023 Global Health Matters. 

Host Shawn Rostker talks with foreign affairs journalist, and SSP alumni, Mark Leon Goldberg about his career in journalism and the field of foreign policy. Mark talks at length about his experience as creator and host of the longest-running independent international affairs podcast, Global Dispatches, and offers insights and advice for anyone interested in pursuing journalistic endeavors or a career as a podcaster. They discuss how coverage and consumption of foreign affairs issues have evolved since the advent of the podcast medium and explore the role of an international affairs journalist in the contemporary environment.

To mark the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Global Dispatches has teamed up with the podcast Inside Geneva to bring you a live recording in which host Imogen Foulkes is joined by conflict resolution experts to discuss the prospects for peace – and how it can be won.   “The fact that we're talking about the possibility of using nuclear weapons, the fact that we're talking about the possibility of the United States and China going to war over Taiwan; it's frightening,” says Katia Papagianni, director of Policy and Mediation Support at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. “There is a concept that has been floating around in academia for many years called a hurting stalemate, when the two parties decide that enough is enough. And we are clearly not at this hurting stalemate,” says Keith Krause, director of the Centre on Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding at the Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID). What does a lasting peace look like? “Peace is beyond the absence of violence. It's really about access to justice, economic opportunities, security, and pluralism,” says Hiba Qasas, executive director of the Principles for Peace Initiative. “Sustainable peace needs to include the youth, it needs to inform the youth, and it needs to educate the youth; so inclusion, information, and education,” says Shefali Kaur Nandhra, a graduate student in sustainable development at IHEID. Are there good examples from the past?  “There are, of course, some success stories. I think the Colombian process, we have a lot to learn from that, and not just because it was locally driven,” says Krause. “As someone who grew up in conflict, my concern is not only about the battlefield, but also about all the insidious impacts that come after the guns have been silenced,” says Qasas. Once you listen to this episode, please be sure to subscribe to Inside Geneva wherever you find podcasts.  Inside Geneva is produced by SwissInfo, a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.  

FP Playlist recommends: Global Dispatches.This week on FP Playlist, we feature an episode from Global Dispatches in which host Mark Goldberg sits down with the Wilson Center's Michael Kugelman to discuss the recent protests in Bangladesh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Global Dispatches is a bit different than usual. Rather than the host, Mark Leon Goldberg interviewing someone, he is the one being interviewed. Moderators at the WordNews page on Reddit invited Mark to share some of his expertise on international justice issues in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Specifically, what are the prospects of accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Russian war on Ukraine. Mark has reported on the International Criminal Court and other issues related to war crimes and crimes against humanity for nearly 20 years and took questions from moderator Akaash Maharaj, Ambassador-at-Large for the Global Organization of Parliamentarians against Corruption and a fellow at the Munk School at the University of Toronto.

Mark Leon Goldberg, editor-in-chief and publisher of UN Dispatch and host of the podcast "Global Dispatches," and Rachel Denber, Europe and Central Asia Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch, talk about this year's recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize: Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, Memorial in Russia and Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine. Before the public announcement of the 2022 #NobelPeacePrize Olav Njølstad from the Norwegian Nobel Committee, informed the Center for Civil Liberties, that their organisation was one of the recipients of the peace prize.Listen to the emotional reaction upon hearing the news. pic.twitter.com/A7U9bHWg2o — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2022

Today's episode of Global Dispatches is a promotion for a podcast that I think many of my listeners will find valuable. The podcast is called “Inside Geneva,” in which host Imogen Foulkes puts big questions facing the world to the experts working to tackle them in Switzerland's international city. Inside Geneva is is produced by Swissinfo, a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland. In this episode, Imogen Foulkes talks to human rights defenders and investigators bringing their cases to the UN Human Rights Council. You will hear from a diverse array of human rights defenders, investigators and victims of human rights abuses as they pursue justice at the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.  

As listeners to Global Dispatches know, in many parts of the world war is a growing threat – or a harsh reality. But who are the peacemakers working to change this?  This week, we are featuring an episode of The Mediator's Studio podcast, which offers a glimpse into the normally hidden world of peace diplomacy. In this episode, one of the world's most distinguished conflict mediators, Lakhdar Brahimi, reflects on the hopes and failures of peacemaking in Afghanistan and his search for a peaceful solution to the war in Syria.  If you are a regular listener to Global Dispatches you will no doubt benefit from subscribing to The Mediator's Studio on any major podcast platform.  I've posted a link to the Mediator's Studio  in the show notes of this episode. And this absolutely fascinating conversation with a legendary diplomat will no doubt inspire you to subscribe to that podcast. So here is an episode of the Mediator's Studio featuring Lakhdar Brahimi.  Link: The Mediator's Studio

This week, Joshua Holland welcomes Global Dispatches host Mark Leon Goldberg to talk about how Russia's invasion of Ukraine is spurring a rapid and dramatic reorganization of the international order and is poised to send shockwaves through the global economy. Then we are joined by Muhlenberg College historian Jacqueline Antonovich who recently unearthed the largely forgotten history of the Ku Klux Klan's deep involvement with public healthcare and symbiotic relationship with many prominent members of the medical community in the 1920s.   PlaylistCourtney Barnett: "If I Don't Hear From You Tonight"Khruangbin & Leon Bridges: "B-Side"Rico Nasty: "No Debate" 

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

As India assumes the Security Council presidency in August, it seeks to show the world that it deserves a permanent seat at the horseshoe table. On this episode, we are joined by Indian Ambassador to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, as well as foreign policy expert Mohamed Zeeshan. Zeeshan is a staff writer at the Diplomat, a foreign affairs publication, and has written a book called, "Flying Blind: India's Quest for Global Leadership." Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN Instagram: @passblue ----- Are you thinking of a career working for the United Nations or its agencies around the world? Is it your dream to serve in your country's foreign ministry, but you don't know where to start? We may have the answer. The Centre for United Nations Studies at the University of Buckingham in the UK offers a Masters Degree in United Nations and Diplomatic Studies. The degree can be taken full-time over one year or part-time over two. Graduates will gain a firm grounding in the work of the WHO, UN peacekeeping operations and the UN's sustainable development goals. They will also learn about global political communication, develop negotiating skills and write a dissertation on a UN-related topic of their choice. In addition to a high-level guest speakers program, they will have access to mentors with first-hand experience in the UN, such as program director Mark Seddon, a former speechwriter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and a former UN Correspondent for al Jazeera English TV, and Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, a former UN Deputy Secretary General. Applications for Fall and January 2022 are now open. To find out more about the program, visit: www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities/ma/…omatic-studies ----- Global Dispatches is the longest-running independent world news podcast, publishing twice a week since 2013. It's hosted by veteran journalist Mark Leon Goldberg , editor of UN Dispatch, who conducts thoughtful interviews with policy makers, think tankers and experts around the world. The Guardian calls it a "podcast to make you smarter." Global Dispatches covers issues ranging from conflicts and crises in Africa and the Middle East to long term trends in global development and the latest geo-political intrigues at the United Nations. If you like PassBlue you will certainly like "Global Dispatches." You can find Global Dispatches on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. ----- Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally? Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week. The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements. GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show's host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

France takes over the presidency of the Security Council at a major turning point in its foreign policy: it has announced it is scaling down its long military presence in West Africa. Also this month: France hosts the final Generation Equality Forum, in Paris. We talk to French Deputy Permanent Representative Nathalie Broadhurst and a French political scientist, Franck Petiteville, of Sciences Po University, about what the change of the military mission means for France, the Sahel region and President Macron's political future. We also discuss France's commitment to gender equality at home and abroad. Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN Instagram: @passblue ----- Are you thinking of a career working for the United Nations or its agencies around the world? Is it your dream to serve in your country's foreign ministry, but you don't know where to start? We may have the answer. The Centre for United Nations Studies at the University of Buckingham in the UK offers a Masters Degree in United Nations and Diplomatic Studies. The degree can be taken full-time over one year or part-time over two. Graduates will gain a firm grounding in the work of the WHO, UN peacekeeping operations and the UN's sustainable development goals. They will also learn about global political communication, develop negotiating skills and write a dissertation on a UN-related topic of their choice. In addition to a high-level guest speakers program, they will have access to mentors with first-hand experience in the UN, such as program director Mark Seddon, a former speechwriter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and a former UN Correspondent for al Jazeera English TV, and Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, a former UN Deputy Secretary General. Applications for Fall and January 2022 are now open. To find out more about the program, visit: www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities/ma/united-nations-and-diplomatic-studies ----- Global Dispatches is the longest-running independent world news podcast, publishing twice a week since 2013. It's hosted by veteran journalist Mark Leon Goldberg , editor of UN Dispatch, who conducts thoughtful interviews with policy makers, think tankers and experts around the world. The Guardian calls it a "podcast to make you smarter." Global Dispatches covers issues ranging from conflicts and crises in Africa and the Middle East to long term trends in global development and the latest geo-political intrigues at the United Nations. If you like PassBlue you will certainly like "Global Dispatches." You can find Global Dispatches on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. ----- Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally? Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week. The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements. GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show's host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

On June 18th, Antonio Guterres was re-appointed United Nations Secretary General for a second and final five year term.  Richard Gowan, the UN Director of the International Crisis Group, looks back at the highlights and lowlights of Guterres' first term and discusses some of the key challenges and opportunities that will present themselves over the next five years.  Global Dispatches debut book: For The Love of Hong Kong

Hana Meihan Davis comes from a long line of democracy activists in Hong Kong. Today, they are all either in exile, facing arrest, or somewhere in between. Hana Meihan Davis is the author of the new book For The Love of Hong Kong: A Memoir From My City Under Siege, which tells the story of Hana's family and friends who have been on the frontlines of an epic struggle to defend democracy, freedom of speech and human rights in the face of increasing repression by Chinese government authorities. This is the first book under the new Global Dispatches publishing imprint.    

Wow, so Trump thinks that he can host the G7 at Camp David next month. [sure_jan.gif] A pair of dams collapsed in Michigan and the ones in your state probs aren’t much better tbh. We figure out which TV doctors we’d trust during These Times. And we talk to Mark L. Goldberg, host of the Global Dispatches podcast, about this week’s World Health Organization meeting AKA the new battleground between the US and China. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

The crisis in Libya is about to get much worse. Nine months ago a renegade general named Khalifa Hiftar launched an attack on the internationally recognized and UN-backed government in Tripoli. That assault suddenly ended UN-brokered peace process that seemed to be on the brink of success.  In the ensuing months, the sides have been locked into a stalemate, with fighting mostly confined to neighborhoods on the outskirts of Tripoli. But, recently Hiftar's foreign backers have stepped up their support. This includes Russia, which has deployed troops and equipment to Hiftar this fall. Meanwhile, Turkey is raising the possibility that it will send troops to defend Tripoli from Hiftar's attack. The situation is now extremely perilous. Outside forces, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates are fueling this conflict. Meanwhile, key diplomatic players in Europe and the United States are sending mixed signals about their preferred outcome. So, at the end of 2019 it could very well transpire that Libya descends into a crushing proxy war and civil war, of enormous humanitarian consequence.  On the line to discuss the crisis in Libya is Mary Fitzgerald. She is a longtime researcher who recently returned from Libya. In this episode of the Global Dispatches podcast she explains how we got to this point--that is, how Libya descended into chaos after the fall of Gadaffi and how a civil war in Libya became the venue for an international proxy war. If you have 25 minutes and want to learn why Libya could become the major international crisis of 2020, have a listen. 

It's December at the United Nations.  Just weeks before many delegates and staff take time off for the holidays. But as the year winds down, some issues are heating up. North Korea is once again dominating the Security Council. Meanwhile, the United Nations is running out of money -- literally.  On the Global Dispatches podcast to discuss what is buzzing at the United Nations at the end of the decade, and otherwise driving the agenda at UN Headquarters is Margaret Besheer, UN correspondent for Voice of America news.  We spoke in mid December and we kick off with a brief discussion about a sudden decision by the United States to back off its support for a Security Council meeting about human rights in North Korea. We then have a longer discussion about the still-new US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, who at the time was serving as president of the Security Council. Another key topic we spend a good amount of time discussing is the impact to the United Nations of a cash flow shortage. The United Nations is seemingly barely making payroll because some key countries have not paid their UN membership dues on time and in full.   If you have 25 minutes and want to learn the latest news from United Nations headquarters in New York, have a listen   Margaret Besheer is speaking in her own capacity. The opinions and thoughts she expresses are her own.    Unlock a premium subscription --> https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches       

Over the summer, millions of people in Hong Kong took to the streets in an unprecedented protest against a proposed law that could allow for the extradition of people in Hong Kong to mainland china. Protesters saw this as an affront to what is known as the one country, two systems policy. This is the idea that though Hong Kong is formally part of China, it also has a special political status as a former British Colony -- and that status includes a degree of autonomy and freedoms from the political system of mainland china.  But since those protests against the extradition bill over the summer, the situation in Hong Kong has changed dramatically. Protests have continued and have widened to include other demands. This includes a demand for universal suffrage for the people of Hong Kong. The protests and the police reaction to it have also become increasingly violent.  On the Global Dispatches podcast today is Victoria Tin-bor Hui, a professor of political science at Notre Dame University.   She discusses the situation in Hong Kong, including how the protest movement and Beijing's reaction to it have evolved since the summer. She also discusses the concrete demands of the protesters.     

The politics and recent history of Ukraine are suddenly quite central to the politics and history of the United States.  In this episode of the Global Dispatches podcast we examine what the US impeachment inquiry looks like from Ukraine. Veteran journalist Steven Erlanger, who is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe for the New York Times explains the recent history of Ukraine, including the 2004 Orange Revolution which brought Viktor Yushenko to power; and later, how Yushenko was replaced by a more pro-Russian president named Victor Yonukovich, who subsequently fled to Russia during what was known as the Euromaidan revolution in 2014. We then discuss the improbable rise of a comedian turned politician, Volodymyr Zelensky who became president in April 2019 -- and how Zelensky has reacted to being thrust into the middle of a domestic political scandal in the United States. My intention with this episode is to give you a brief and accessible introduction to Ukrainian politics -- which are suddenly very central to the politics of the United States. If you have 20 minutes and want to learn both the recent history of Ukraine and also better understand how events in DC are being interpreted in Kyiv, have a listen   Support the show! Become a Premium Subscriber!  https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches  

For the past several weeks, Washington Post reporter Mustafa Salim has had a front row view to massive protests that have erupted in Baghdad and other cities in Iraq. As he explains in this Global Dispatches podcast episode, these protests are neither centrally organized, nor do they have an explicit set of demands. Yet, they may prove to be powerful enough to bring down the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. The protests began in early October, mostly by young men from poorer Shi'ite cities and towns angered by corruption and their own economic distress. But now, the protests have since expanded to include women and men from all walks of life.  In our conversation, Mustafa Salim describes the scene on the ground in Baghdad where I reached him a few days ago. We discuss how these protests originated, where they may be heading, why Iran is a target of the protesters, and how humble drivers of three wheel taxis that cater to the urban poor, known as Tuk Tuks, became symbolic heroes of this protest movement.  If you have 20 minutes and want both a deeper understanding of what is driving the Iraq protests and what the mood is on the ground in Baghdad, have a listen.     https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches        

Around the United Nations you will often see CEOs of major companies participating in meetings and events around sustainability. Meaningful corporate participation is fairly commonplace at the United Nation these days. But this was certainly not the case ten years ago and more, when I'd regularly see Hans Vestberg around the United Nations as one of the very few corporate leaders engaging on development and sustainability issues. Hans Vestberg is the CEO of Verizon and he is on the Global Dispatches podcast to discuss the role of 5G technologies in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. We kick off with a discussion about what exactly 5G is, and how it can be used to advance sustainable development. We then have a discussion about his own commitment to sustainability issues and how Verizon has integrated the Sustainable Development Goals into its corporate strategies.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres discusses climate change in this special episode of the Global Dispatches podcast.  On Tuesday, September 17th Antonio Guterres sat down with Mark Hertsgaard of The Nation and Mark Phillips of CBS News for an interview conducted on behalf of Covering Climate Now. This is a global collaboration of over 250 news outlets, including the Global Dispatches Podcast and UN Dispatch, to strengthen coverage of the climate story. The interview with Antonio Guterres was conducted on behalf of all participating members of this coalition and I am glad to be able to present the podcast version of it to you.   If you are listening to this episode contemporaneously, I'd encourage you to check out the episode I posted earlier this week that gets into a little more detail about the UN Climate Action Summit; and later this week, I will have an episode that previews all the big stories that will drive the agenda around the UN Week in New York.  After the interview concludes, I'll offer some short commentary about my big takeaways. I've covered the UN for nearly 15 years and I think Antonio Guterres' remarks in this interview for reasons I explain.      If you are new to the podcast: welcome. Global Dispatches is a global affairs podcast that typically features my interviews with diplomats, NGOS leaders, policy experts journalists and academics all around topics of world concern. I encourage you to subscribe the show and check out our robust archive. 

  The UN General Assembly convenes at United Nations headquarters in New York next week. As in every year, UNGA is an annual opportunity for heads of state to come to the United Nations to meet each other and address the world.   What distinguishes the UN General Assembly this year is a series of key events and meetings focused on climate change.   Of these events and meetings the most high profile is what is known as the UN Climate Action Summit. This will take place on Monday the 23rd of September, and will include top government officials, business leaders, and civil society members bringing to the table concrete action plans to accelerate progress on addressing climate change.    Today's episode of the Global Dispatches podcast is dedicated to explaining just what that Climate Action Summit entails and what to expect from this major climate meeting at the United Nations.     On the line with me to discuss the significance of this summit and what it hopes to achieve is  Cassie Flynn, she is the strategic advisor on climate change in the executive office of the UN Development Program, UNDP. She is the someone who has very much been involved in aspects of planning the summit and in this conversation offers a curtain raiser for the summit itself, and discusses some of the broader expectations for this event.    The Climate Action Summit at the UN is the capstone to several climate related events happening at the UN, including a Youth Climate Summit that will feature young leaders from around the world. In this conversation we discuss how these events relate to each other and directly to the Paris Climate Accord.   If you have twenty minutes and want to better understand the UN Climate Action Summit, have a listen.   This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.    

Japan and South Korea are in the throws of a dispute - and its getting worse. What was a trade war escalated to the security realm last month when the South Korean government announced that it was pulling out of a key intelligence sharing agreement with Tokyo. This agreement enabled the real-time sharing of key intelligence as it related to common threats, including from North Korea.  Needless to say, amid a growing threat from North Korea, which is regularly testing missiles that could reach both countries, this dispute between South Korea and Japan poses a big risk for international security.  So why are two key US allies that share a common adversary at such loggerheads? And what does a frayed relationship between Seoul and Tokyo mean for regional security and international relations more broadly? On the line with me to answer these questions and more is Andrew Yeo, associate professor of politics at the Catholic University of America. We kick off talking through the World War Two era origins of this conflict before having a longer conversation about the global implications of a dispute between Japan and South Korea.  If you have twenty minutes and want to learn why historical grievances have become hyper-relevant in East Asia -- and why relations are poised to get worse between these two countries, have a listen.    People often ask me what podcasts I most enjoy listening to and top of the list for me is "First Person" from Foreign Policy magazine. The host, Sarah Wildman, is someone I have gotten to know over the years and whose work I have long admired. Each week she draws out from one guest a personal story or narrative that has some broader global significance.It's a great show and if you are fan of Global Dispatches, you'll certain enjoy First Person.   First Person Homepage Apple Podcasts Spotify  

There is an escalating humanitarian crisis in Cameroon where more than half a million people have been displaced by conflict.  This conflict erupted in earnest in late 2017 and early 2018 in a series of attacks and reprisals between Anglophone separatists and the French dominated government. In international affairs circles, this is known as the "Anglophone Crisis" in Cameroon.   As my guest today, Jan Egeland says, when hundreds of thousands of civilians are displaced, it usually sets off international alarm bells. But this is not the case with Cameroon. There is virtually no international mediation, very little media attention, and the humanitarian response has been woefully inadequate.    Jan Egeland is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, a large humanitarian relief organization. He has spent his career in humanitarian affairs, including serving as an under secretary general of the United Nations and as a humanitarian relief advisor for the UN in Syria.  He is one of the world's most high profile humanitarian relief experts and he is sounding the alarm on this crisis.   He recently returned from a fact finding trip to the crisis affected regions of Cameroon and a few days after we recorded this conversation, he's briefing the Security Council on this humanitarian crisis.  You can consider this conversation a preview and extended version of the message he'll be sending to the Security Council.   This episode does a good job explaining what is driving this crisis. However, if you want a deeper explanation of the origins of the Anglophone crisis, I will point you to a podcast episode from January 2018, recorded just as this crisis was erupting, that goes more in depth into the historical roots of the anglophone crisis. Also, if you want to learn more about Jan Egeland himself, I'll point you to episode number 52 of Global Dispatches, from back in 2015 in which Jan Egeland discusses his life and career in more detail.   Support the show. Become a Premium Subscriber. Unlock Rewards

I caught up with CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward not long after she returned from reporting inside Taliban controlled territory in Afghanistan. She is one of the only western journalists to access Taliban territory to see what life is like under their control. She interviewed both civilians and Taliban officials and is on the Global Dispatches podcast to discuss her reporting. We kick off discussing the story behind her story: that is, how an unprecedented reporting project like this can be carried out in a volatile security environment?  We also discuss how she and her team navigated gender dynamics inherent in a female journalist interviewing Taliban officials. We then talk through some of her key findings about how the Taliban have evolved over the last 17 years. Her report comes at a vital time as the US and Taliban officials are negotiating face to face, and as Clarissa Ward explains, the fact of those ongoing negotiations helps provide some context for her reporting.

The challenge was immense About twenty years ago, India accounted for over 60% of all polio cases worldwide -- in fact it was considered a "hyper" endemic country. Then, the Indian government teamed up with the United Nations and other partners, including through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, to tackle polio head on. India's vast population, its geographic diversity, and pockets of extreme poverty seriously complicated this effort. But the Indian government and its partners adapted, innovated and above all persisted until they could reach the very last child with the polio vaccine. In 2014, India was officially declared polio-free. There has not been a single case of wild polio in India in over eight years. Today, only three countries remain polio endemic. And as of October, there were fewer than 20 wild polio cases worldwide in 2018. The world is now tantalizingly close to the total global eradication of polio, and India's success in defeating polio within its borders is a big reason why total eradication is within reach Through interviews and archival material, this special episode of Global Dispatches tells you the story of how, against all odds, India eliminated polio. This episode is produced in partnership with the the United Nations Foundation as part of a series that examines successes in multilateral cooperation to tackle great global problems.  Previous episodes in this series include how the world closed the hole in the ozone layer, and how the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia successfully completed its work  in 2015.   

The year is 1985. Ronald Regan is president. Margaret Thatcher is prime minister of the United Kingdom. Michael Jackson, White Snake and George Michael are dominating the billboard charts. Back to the Future is a smash hit at the box office. And scientists have just discovered a giant hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica. Scientists were warning that if left unchecked, this hole in the ozone would grow ever larger, letting through harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun that would wreak havoc on human health. Skin cancer rates would skyrocket, as would cataracts. In cities like Los Angeles and Washington, DC going outside for just a short period of time in the summer would be dangerous. Meanwhile, the basic ecology of the world’s oceans could change as plankton that make up the bottom of the food chain would die off. But in two years time, before even Universal Pictures released the sequel to Back to the Future, the international community had come together to create a binding international treaty that would lead to the healing of the ozone layer. That agreement is known as the Montreal Protocol. It is widely considered the world’s most successful global environmental treaty. In this special episode of Global Dispatches podcast, produced in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, we bring you the inside story of how the world came together to create an internationally binding treaty to protect the ozone layer-- and ultimately human health. You will hear from scientists who discovered the link between cloroflorocarbons and ozone depletion; key diplomats and government leaders who pressed for the international regulation of CFCs in 1987; and academics and civil society leaders who explain why this 31 year old agreement is as relevant today as it was the day it was signed. The Montreal Protocol is a success of multilateral cooperation. This podcast episode tells its remarkable story.

I got my start in journalism covering John Bolton when he was the US Ambassador to the United Nations.  At the time, I was a reporter for the political monthly The American Prospect. I sometimes quip that I owe my career to Bolton because covering his time at the UN was my entry point into covering the United Nations more broadly. My reporting at the time culminated in a cover story that was published in January 2006 that detailed Bolton's tenure thus far at the UN and broke a few scoops about his conduct. In this special episode of the podcast I am going to share a few anecdotes from my reporting at the time that might shed some light on how he will conduct himself as the National Security Advisor to Donald Trump. I’ll also survey some key issues around the world, including North Korea, Iran, Trans-Atlantic Relations and the United Nations to see what Bolton’s past interactions with these issues might suggest for the future of US policy.  I’ll also explain the position of National Security Advisor to help you understand where, exactly, Bolton will fit in in the bureaucratic politics of US foreign policy making. That this is a different kind of Global Dispatches episode. This podcast is typically an interview-based show in which I have conversations with experts about topical issues, or I have longer discussions with people who have had interesting careers in foreign policy. In these conversations, I’ll occasionally interject my own views. But for the most the other person is talking.  But this time around, I am something of the expert. And I think other people see me as such, based on my past reporting.  I was on BBC’s Nightly News program last Friday after the news about Bolton broke. And I also had a piece up on The Daily Beast.  So this episode is just me talking.    Links: Become a premium subscriber  Leave a review!  My Iran Deal episode with Spencer Ackerman My Daily Beast piece on Bolton  

How can we better understand the nuances of U.S. foreign policy in our ever changing world? From Northern Afghanistan to the halls of the White House, Zalmay Khalilzad has had a front seat view to the tumultuous events of recent times. His steady hand has helped shaped American policy on the international stage, in the United Nations, and as Ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan. His latest book The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World chronicles his experiences under three presidential administrations with candid behind-the-scenes insights. In this fascinating discussion during an IVY Idea's Night in Chicago, Khalilzad argues that America needs an intelligent, effective foreign policy, informed by long-term thinking, and supported by bipartisan commitment.  Please enjoy our conversation with Zalmay Khalilzad, moderated by Mark Leon Goldberg of the Global Dispatches podcast. And remember to visit IVY.com to enjoy access to a lifetime of learning, growth, and impact through in-person collaborations with world-class leaders, thinkers, and institutions.

I've started to roll out special bonus episodes for premium subscribers. I'm calling these "Background Briefings." Through interviews with experts, we will provide you with the context you need to understand key ideas, debates, dilemmas and institutions shaping foreign policy and world affairs today. Think of these as "explainers." And you, the listener, get to assign me a topic to explore.   I've created two of these episodes already and many more are on the way. Become a premium subscriber to unlock these episodes and get other rewards. Click here to become a Patron of the show.  Other rewards include: Complimentary subscription to my DAWNS Digest global news clips service--an email news clips service for the global affairs community.  Join my email list that previews upcoming episodes so you can suggest questions to my guests I'll mail you a Global Dispatches sticker.  Other bonuses as they become available.  Global Dispatches is totally unique and I need your support to sustain it.  If this podcast is part of your weekly routine, become a premium member and support the show. You understand that there is no podcast out there like Global Dispatches. It is totally unique and it relies on you to become a sustainable social and media enterprise.  Support the show through this secure platform --> Patreon.com/globaldispatches  Sample the bonus episodes here.

--- Support the podcast and join our premium subscribers club! --- As Americans headed to the polls on election day, diplomats from around the world headed to Marrakech, Morocco for the first big global climate summit since the Paris Agreement last year. This was to be an important inflection point in the global effort to combat climate change. Just a week earlier the Paris Agreement officially entered into force after the requisite number of countries ratified it and this meeting in Marrakech would to fill in some key details and add some technical guidance to enable the implementation of the agreement.  And then, Donald Trump was elected.   During the campaign he pledged to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and defund UN programs to combat climate change. So I was interested to learn the implications of the election on the ongoing negotiations in Morocco and this episode is in two parts.   First, I speak with Eliot Diringer of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, who I caught up the day after the election just as he was headed to Morocco. Eliot discusses the ways domestic politics here in the USA may affect climate negotiations and also recounts the history of American leadership (or lack thereof) in international climate diplomacy.     Next, I speak with Hugh Sealy, a diplomat from Grenada who is a lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, known as AOSIS in UN speak. I caught up with Hugh in Marrakech about a week after the election, and as you'll see he does not report that much has changed. He does though, also discuss the importance of American leadership and also offers some interesting insights into the role that small countries like his can play in these big negotiations.    If you have not already done so, please check out the Patreon page I have created which is a way for you to support the show and also, if you are interested, take a deeper role in its production. Listeners who make a recurring monthly contribution through this platform can receive rewards for your support. So, for being a Global Dispatches premium subscriber you get a complimentary subscription to my DAWNS Digest global news clips service, sneak previews of upcoming episodes and the opportunity to have your questions posed to my guests, and also, if enough of you join the premium club I will launch a new podcast series, shaped by you, exclusively for. And stickers! Check it out. 

--- Click here to go to the Patreon Page to earn rewards and support the show! ---    I'll get straight to the point. These are uncertain times. They are confusing times. We are entering the Trump era of American foreign policy. What does that mean for the world? For the ideals we care about? For the entire liberal international world order?  I don't know. But I am going to make a pledge to you right now: I will dedicate this podcast to exploring and explaining the implications of President Trump to foreign policy, international relations and global affairs. These are uncharted waters into which we are all about to set sail.  And in times like this community is more important than ever. I am going to open up Global Dispatches and offer you a chance to share your experiences, anxieties, hopes and ideas for what the future will hold. I'll give you expanded opportunities to interact with my guests, with me, and with each other.  But I need help to make this work so here's my pitch: I need to spend more time putting together great shows, building community, and less time hustling to cover costs. That's where you come in. I've created this page to give you an easy way to support the podcast and earn awesome rewards in the process. Together, we can build this into a powerful community and keep the podcast going strong in these uncertain times.  Patreon is a platform used by many podcasters and "content creators." It is a way for you, dear listener, to become a Patron of the show. Several listeners suggested I create one, so here goes.  The Rewards  Contributors at the $10/month level or above will receive: 1) A complimentary subscription to my DAWNS Digest global news clips service. Every morning you will receive in your inbox an easy-to-skim summary of the most interesting and relevant news and opinion from around the world. It's a news clips service that major global NGOs, think tanks and government agencies wake up to in the morning. And it can be yours! 2) Sneak previews of upcoming episodes and the chance to pose questions to my guests. I'll let you know ahead of time about the topics I'm covering and individuals I'm interviewing. If you have a specific question you'd like me to ask, I'll work it into my interview.   3) Bonus episodes! If 100 of you to become sustaining members of the podcast, I'll create a regular series for your-ears-only. It will be a looser kind of show than Global Dispatches and focus on the consequence of Trumpism inside the UN and global institutions more broadly. It will also cover the big events, ideas, politics and other happenings around the UN that may be off the radar. It should appeal to a general global affairs audience and UN-insiders alike. This is a special bonus for sustaining members, so we can tailor this special programming to your requests.   4) Access to a community platform. This will be a space where we can have discussions about world events, about our lives and careers, or reflect on previous episodes. It can serve as a safe, private outlet where you can share whatever is on your mind with your fellow listeners.  5) Swag! I'll mail you a sticker. Who doesn't love stickers?  As more and more people sign up, the swag will get awesomer. (Tote Bags! Mugs! Flashdrives!)  ----- Why this? Why now?  I've been writing on the Internets for 13 years --  as a blogger, twitter person and beyond. In all my projects over the years, I've never felt a deeper connection with my audience than through this podcast. There is an intimacy to this medium. I really cherish that. And based on the feedback I receive everyday, you do too.   If the podcast is part of your daily routine, become a patron. It cannot keep going without your support.  Together we can turn this challenging election outcome into something positive--into an opportunity to learn and grow.  Lots of Love, Mark   PS If you have any questions or concerns, contact me. 

The UN General Assembly kicks into high gear this week as world leaders flock to New York for the annual UN summit. There are many story lines for international affairs nerds to follow, and on the line with me to break them all down is Richard Gowen, a fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations.    Richard and I offer a preview of the big stories, high drama, and possible moments of intrigue that are sure to be present at one of the most important weeks ever year for global affairs.    Before we kick off, I have a special announcement--actually an invitation. I will be holding a live taping of Global Dispatches with Under Secretary of State Sarah Sewall and you are cordially invited to attend. She is the highest ranking State Department official dealing with human rights, terrorism, refugees, and other issues related to civilian security, rights, and democracy, and it should be a fantastic conversation that will include some audience participation.   The event is organized in conjunction with the group Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, is being held in New York on Wednesday, September 21st at 7pm at the SLC Conference center 15 W 39the st (near Bryant Park.) So, for those of you in the New York area, please come by. If you are planning to attend, you can RSVP here. http://www.ypfp.org/globaldispatches  -----SUPPORT THE SHOW----- Click here to make a contribution to the podcast -->  http://www.globaldispatchespodcast.com/support-the-show/   

-----SUPPORT THE SHOW----- Click here to make a contribution to the podcast -->  http://www.globaldispatchespodcast.com/support-the-show/  Greg Stanton has spent a career researching and fighting genocide. He speaks candidly about the psychological toll of this line of work and managing the PTSD which he confronts to this day.  Stanton is a descendent of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and as you'll learn from this conversation, the human rights gene runs strong in this family. His father was a liberal preacher and civil rights activist, and Greg tells me the most dangerous place he's ever worked, to this day, was registering black voters in Mississippi in the 1960s.    Greg is the founder of the NGO Genocide watch. His career as a genocide scholar and activist began in the 1980s as an humanitarian worker in Cambodia, and he recounts collecting evidence of war crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge. Greg served for many years in the State Department as well, including in Rwanda to help establish the war crimes tribunal following the 1994 genocide. We kick off discussing an ongoing genocide against the Yazidi people in Iraq and Syria.   The subject matter of this episode is pretty heavy and i just want to thank Greg for being so open and honest about the emotional challenges he's faced throughout his career.   As regular listeners know, we sometimes have some ads before the start of a show. Those ads are helpful, but they are inconsistent and I need consistency to be able to produce this show every week. To that end, I've put up a link on Global Dispatches podcast.com where you can make a financial contribution to the podcast; and for anyone who makes a recurring monthly contribution to the podcast I can mail a book, at random, from my personal collection of foreign policy books. If you are listening to this on iTunes you can go to that donation page right now by clicking here. THANK YOU! 

This is a special bonus episode of Global Dispatches. Mark speaks with Prof Laura Seay about the implications of President Obama's decision to visit Ethiopia, and what it says about US policy toward Africa. 

Victor Ochen grew up in displaced persons camps in Northern Uganda, fleeing from the Lord's Resistance Army. He emerged from that difficult situation to become a civic leader and peacemaker. And this year, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on behalf of war crimes victims in Uganda. Victor and Mark are old friends, and Victor opens up about growing up in a war zone, losing a brother, and becoming a self-taught social entrepreneur. This is one of the best episodes of Global Dispatches yet. 

From the perspective of the United Nations, the crisis in Iraq cannot be disaggregated from the crisis in Syria. In this special edition of Global Dispatches, I speak with the United Nations Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliason who shares his deep concern that ISIS's offensive in Iraq and Syria's escalating conflict could plunge the entire region into sectarian war. I also speak with Bettina Luescher, spokesperson for the World Food Program, who discusses the UN's humanitarian response to the Iraq and Syria crises. Have a listen. Look out for more of these conversations from the United Nations on Monday.

In this special edition of Global Dispatches, Mark Leon Goldberg interviews Shelly Pitterman of the UN Refugee Agency. Today, June 20th, is World Refugee Day and earlier this week the UN High Commission for Refugees released a report showing that the global number of displaced persons has reached a 20 year high. Pitterman discusses this report, describes the UN Refugee Agency's work in Syria, and explains how the Syria emergency is complcating other humanitarian efforts around the world.