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When the Vice-President of Iran invited Nizar Zakka to speak at a September 2015 conference – as CEO of a global tech NGO working closely with the U.S. government – he never  hesitated, and promptly booked a flight from D.C. to Tehran. He never dreamed he'd end up in Iran's notorious Evin Prison as a political prisoner, experiencing solitary confinement and repeated torture. Following his speech  at the conference, Nizar entered a taxi to take him to Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. En route his vehicle was pulled over by the infamous Iranian Revolutionary National Guard, and he was promptly seized and imprisoned.Initially expecting the matter to be resolved in a matter of days, Nizar, a Lebanese citizen and legal U.S. resident, spent four years in prison. The U.S., led by the Obama administration, was wooing Iran at that time, and so didn't go to bat for the release of a non-citizen resident of the U.S.-- even one that worked closely with government agencies focused on the Middle East. There was little progress or hope until Nizar began organizing his campaign for release from behind bars. With a big assist from his sister and the first Trump administration, he finally won his release. Nizar now runs an organization called Hostage Aid Worldwide, dedicated to the release and support afterward for victims of unfair political imprisonment around the world.Heroes Behind HeadlinesExecutive Producer Ralph PezzulloProduced & Engineered by Mike DawsonMusic provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Cerise Turner is a dedicated public servant, community advocate and champion for peace whose lifelong commitment to service was recognized with the 2024 President Biden's Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service. This national honor reflects her extraordinary contribution of more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service devoted to improving the lives of seniors, youth and families across Washington, D.C.As Ms. Senior D.C. 2023 and a Senior Ambassador for the Department of Aging and Community Living, Cerise advocates for more than 120,000 older adults across all eight wards. Her leadership and outreach span hundreds of events from senior wellness centers to policy forums, parades, cultural celebrations and citywide resource fairs. She has given testimonies before the D.C. Council Committees and remains a trusted voice for equity, respect and quality of life for seniors.She describes her metamorphosis when she became Ms. Senior D.C. She re-made herself by pushing herself to step outside of her typical behind the scenes type of lifestyle. She recommends volunteering as a way to get outside of oneself and meet others. She continues to challenge herself and live her best life at age 67.In 2025, Cerise was named a United Nations Global Peace Ambassador (Appointed through an UN-affiliated NGO), a global recognition of her tireless efforts to promote unity, service, and community unity. She has also taken part in public awareness campaigns protecting seniors from fraud, served as a speaker on financial empowerment for women, and volunteered with countless interfaith and intergenerational initiatives.Cerise's professional background includes a successful career in the private legal sector in which she provided high-level litigation and legal support in leading law firms. Her work was marked by precision, discretion and a strong commitment to excellence, qualities that also define her volunteer leadership and advocacy.Her passion for service has guided her through roles such as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Educational Surrogate Parent for OSSE and Parent Watch Advocate where she supported children and families navigating complex educational and legal systems with empathy and determination.Her community contributions have earned her multiple certificates of appreciation and excellence from the Department of Aging and Community Living, recognition from senior wellness centers, and acknowledgments from local organizations for her steadfast commitment to outreach and engagement. Cerise continues to serve with grace, purpose and compassion believing that lasting change begins with kindness, courage and the willingness to show up for others.Follow her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram:https://www.linkedin.com/in/cerise-elaine-turner-90901241/https://www.facebook.com/cerise.turner.1https://www.instagram.com/cerise.turner.1/

How has the media distorted Israel's response to the October 7 Hamas attacks? In this powerful conversation from AJC Global Forum 2025, award-winning journalist and former AP correspondent Matti Friedman breaks down the media bias, misinformation, and double standards shaping global coverage of Israel. Moderated by AJC Chief Communications and Strategy Officer Belle Etra Yoeli, this episode explores how skewed narratives have taken hold in the media, in a climate of activist journalism. A must-listen for anyone concerned with truth in journalism, Israel advocacy, and combating disinformation in today's media landscape. Take Action: Take 15 seconds and urge your elected leaders to send a clear, united message: We stand with Israel. Take action now. Resources: Global Forum 2025 session with Matti Friedman:: Watch the full video. Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  John Spencer's Key Takeaways After the 12-Day War: Air Supremacy, Intelligence, and Deterrence Iran's Secret Nuclear Program and What Comes Next in the Iranian Regime vs. Israel War Why Israel Had No Choice: Inside the Defensive Strike That Shook Iran's Nuclear Program Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman: I've had the privilege of interviewing journalism colleague Matti Friedman: twice on this podcast. In 2022, Matti took listeners behind the scenes of Jerusalem's AP bureau where he had worked between 2006 and 2011 and shared some insight on what happens when news outlets try to oversimplify the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then in 2023, I got to sit down with Matti in Jerusalem to talk about his latest book on Leonard Cohen and how the 1973 Yom Kippur War was a turning point both for the singer and for Israel.  Earlier this year, Matti came to New York for AJC Global Forum 2025, and sat down with Belle Yoeli, AJC Chief Strategy and Communications Officer. They rehashed some of what we discussed before, but against an entirely different backdrop: post-October 7. For this week's episode, we bring you a portion of that conversation.  Belle Yoeli:   Hi, everyone. Great to see all of you. Thank you so much for being here. Matti, thank you for being here.  Matti Friedman:   Thanks for having me.  Belle Yoeli:   As you can tell by zero empty seats in this room, you have a lot of fans, and unless you want to open with anything, I'm going to jump right in. Okay, great.  So for those of you who don't know, in September 2024 Matti wrote a piece in The Free Press that is a really great foundation for today's discussion. In When We Started to Lie, Matti, you reflect on two pieces that you had written in 2015 about issues of media coverage of Israel during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. And this piece basically talked about the conclusions you drew and how they've evolved since October 7. We're gonna get to those conclusions, but first, I'm hoping you can describe for everyone what were the issues of media coverage of Israel that you first identified based on the experience in 2014? Matti Friedman:   First of all, thanks so much for having me here, and thanks for all of the amazing work that you guys are doing. So it's a real honor for me. I was a reporter for the AP, between 2006 and the very end of 2011, in Jerusalem. I was a reporter and editor. The AP, of course, as you know, is the American news agency. It's the world's largest news organization, according to the AP, according to Reuters, it's Reuters. One of them is probably right, but it's a big deal in the news world.  And I had an inside view inside one of the biggest AP bureaus. In fact, the AP's biggest International Bureau, which was in Jerusalem. So I can try to sketch the problems that I saw as a reporter there. It would take me seven or eight hours, and apparently we only have four or five hours for this lunch, so I have to keep it short. But I would say there are two main problems. We often get very involved. When we talk about problems with coverage of Israel. We get involved with very micro issues like, you call it a settlement. I call it a neighborhood. Rockets, you know, the Nakba, issues of terminology. But in fact, there are two major problems that are much bigger, and because they're bigger, they're often harder to see. One of the things that I noticed at the Bureau was the scale of coverage of Israel. So at the time that I was at the AP, again, between 2006 and the very end of 2011 we had about 40 full time staffers covering Israel. That's print reporters like me, stills photographers, TV crews. Israel, as most of you probably know, is a very small country. As a percentage of the world's surface, Israel is 1/100 of 1% of the surface of the world, and as a percentage of the land mass of the Arab world, Israel is 1/5 of 1%. 0.2%.  And we had 40 people covering it.  And just as a point of comparison, that was dramatically more people than we had at the time covering China. There are about 10 million people today in Israel proper, in China, there are 1.3 billion. We had more people in Israel than we had in China. We had more people in Israel than we had in India, which is another country of about 1.3 billion people. We had more people in Israel than we had in all of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. That's 50 something countries. So we had more people in Israel than we had in all of those countries combined. And sometimes I say that to Jews, I say we covered Israel more than we covered China, and people just stare at me blankly, because it's Israel. So of course, that makes perfect sense.  I happen to think Israel is the most important country in the world because I live there. But if the news is meant to be a rational analysis of events on planet Earth, you cannot cover Israel more than you cover the continent of Africa. It just doesn't make any sense. So one of the things that first jumped out at me– actually, that's making me sound smarter than I am. It didn't jump out at me at first. It took a couple of years. And I just started realizing that it was very strange that the world's largest organization had its largest international bureau in the State of Israel, which is a very small country, very small conflict in numeric terms. And yet there was this intense global focus on it that made people think that it was the most important story in the world. And it definitely occupies a place in the American political imagination that is not comparable to any other international conflict.  So that's one part of the problem. That was the scope, the other part was the context. And it took me a while to figure this out, but the coverage of Israel is framed as an Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict is defined in those terms, the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and everyone in this room has heard it discussed in those terms. Sometimes we discuss it in those terms, and that is because the news folks have framed the conflict in those terms. So at the AP bureau in Jerusalem, every single day, we had to write a story that was called, in the jargon of the Bureau, Is-Pals, Israelis, Palestinians. And it was the daily wrap of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. So what Netanyahu said, what Abbas said, rockets, settlers, Hamas, you know, whatever, the problem is that there isn't an Israeli=Palestinian conflict. And I know that sounds crazy, because everyone thinks there is.  And of course, we're seeing conflicts play out in the most tragic way right now in Gaza. But most of Israel's wars have not been fought against Palestinians. Israel has unfortunately fought wars against Egyptians and Jordanians and Lebanese and Iraqis. And Israel's most important enemy at the moment, is Iran, right? The Iranians are not Palestinian. The Iranians are not Arab. They're Muslim, but they're not Arab. So clearly, there is a broader regional conflict that's going on that is not an Israeli Palestinian conflict, and we've seen it in the past year. If we had a satellite in space looking down and just following the paths of ballistic missiles and rockets fired at Israel. Like a photograph of these red trails of rockets fired at Israel. You'd see rockets being fired from Iraq and from Yemen and from Lebanon and from Gaza and from Iran. You'd see the contours of a regional conflict.  And if you understand it's a regional conflict, then you understand the way Israelis see it. There are in the Arab world, 300 million people, almost all of them Muslim. And in one corner of that world, there are 7 million Jews, who are Israelis. And if we zoom out even farther to the level of the Islamic world, we'll see that there are 2 billion people in the Islamic world. There's some argument about the numbers, but it's roughly a quarter of the world's population. And in one corner of that world there, there are 7 million Israeli Jews. The entire Jewish population on planet Earth is a lot smaller than the population of Cairo.  So the idea that this is an Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where Israelis are the stronger side, where Israelis are the dominant actor, and where Israelis are, let's face it, the bad guy in the story, that's a fictional presentation of a story that actually works in a completely different way. So if you take a small story and make it seem big. If you take a complicated regional story and you make it seem like a very small local story involving only Israelis and Palestinians, then you get the highly simplified but very emotive narrative that everyone is being subjected to now. And you get this portrayal of a villainous country called Israel that really looms in the liberal imagination of the West as an embodiment of the worst possible qualities of the age. Belle Yoeli:   Wow. So already you were seeing these issues when you were reporter, earlier on. But like this, some of this was before and since, since productive edge. This is over 10 years ago, and here we are. So October 7 happens. You already know these issues exist. You've identified them. How would you describe because obviously we have a lot of feelings about this, but like, strictly as a journalist, how would you describe the coverage that you've seen since during October 7, in its aftermath? Is it just these issues? Have they? Have they expanded? Are there new issues in play? What's your analysis? Matti Friedman:   The coverage has been great. I really have very I have no criticism of it. I think it's very accurate. I think that I, in a way, I was lucky to have been through what I went through 10 or 15 years ago, and I wasn't blindsided on October 7, as many people were, many people, quite naturally, don't pay close attention to this. And even people who are sympathetic to Israel, I think, were not necessarily convinced that my argument about the press was right. And I think many people thought it was overstated.  And you can read those articles from 2014 one was in tablet and one was in the Atlantic, but it's basically the two chapters of the same argument. And unfortunately, I think that those the essays, they stand up. In fact, if you don't really look at the date of the essays, they kind of seem that they could have been written in the past year and a half. And I'm not happy about that. I think that's and I certainly wrote them in hopes that they would somehow make things better. But the issues that I saw in the press 15 years ago have only been exacerbated since then. And October seven didn't invent the wheel. The issues were pre existing, but it took everything that I saw and kind of supercharged it.  So if I talked about ideological conformity in the bureaus that has been that has become much more extreme. A guy like me, I was hired in 2006 at the AP. I'm an Israeli of center left political leanings. Hiring me was not a problem in 22,006 by the time I left the AP, at the end of 2011 I'm pretty sure someone like me would not have been hired because my views, which are again, very centrist Israeli views, were really beyond the pale by the time that I left the AP, and certainly, and certainly today, the thing has really moved what I saw happening at the AP. And I hate picking on the AP because they were just unfortunate enough to hire me. That was their only error, but what I'm saying about them is true of a whole new. Was heard. It's true of the Times and CNN and the BBC, the news industry really works kind of as a it has a herd mentality. What happened was that news decisions were increasingly being made by people who are not interested in explanatory journalism. They were activists. Activists had moved into the key positions in the Bureau, and they had a very different idea of what press coverage was supposed to do. I would say, and I tried to explain it in that article for the free press, when I approach a news story, when I approach the profession of journalism, the question that I'm asking is, what's going on? That's the question I think you're supposed to ask, what's going on? How can I explain it in a way that's as accurate as as possible? The question that was increasingly being asked was not what's going on. The question was, who does this serve? That's an activist question. So when you look at a story, you don't ask, is it true, or is it not true? You ask, who's it going to help? Is it going to help the good guys, or is it going to help the bad guys?  So if Israel in the story is the villain, then a story that makes Israel seem reasonable, reasonable or rational or sympathetic needs to be played down to the extent possible or made to disappear. And I can give you an example from my own experience.  At the very end of 2008 two reporters in my bureau, people who I know, learned of a very dramatic peace offer that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had made to the Palestinians. So Olmert, who was the prime minister at the time, had made a very far reaching offer that was supposed to see a Palestinian state in all of Gaza, most of the West Bank, with land swaps for territory that Israel was going to retain, and a very far reaching international consortium agreement to run the Old City of Jerusalem. Was a very dramatic. It was so far reaching, I think that Israelis probably wouldn't have supported it. But it was offered to the Palestinian side, and the Palestinians rejected it as insufficient. And two of our reporters knew about this, and they'd seen a map of the offer. And this was obviously a pretty big story for a bureau that had as the thrust of its coverage the peace process.  The two reporters who had the story were ordered to drop it, they were not allowed to cover the story. And there were different explanations. And they didn't, by the way, AP did not publish the story at the time, even though we were the first to have it. Eventually, it kind of came out and in other ways, through other news organizations. But we knew at first. Why were we not allowed to cover it? Because it would have made the Israelis who we were trying to villainize and demonize, it would have made Israel seem like it was trying to solve the conflict on kind of reasonable lines, which, of course, was true at that time. So that story would have upended the thrust of our news coverage. So it had to be made to go away, even though it was true, it would have helped the wrong people. And that question of who does this serve has destroyed, I want to say all, but much, of what used to be mainstream news coverage, and it's not just where Israel is concerned.  You can look at a story like the mental health of President Biden, right. Something's going on with Biden at the end of his term. It's a huge global news story, and the press, by and large, won't touch it, because why? I mean, it's true, right? We're all seeing that it's true, but why can't you touch it? Because it would help the wrong people. It would help the Republicans who in the press are the people who you are not supposed to help.  The origins of COVID, right? We heard one story about that. The true story seems to be a different story. And there are many other examples of stories that are reported because they help the right people, or not reported because they would help the wrong people. And I saw this thinking really come into action in Israel 10 or 15 years ago, and unfortunately, it's really spread to include the whole mainstream press scene and really kill it.  I mean, essentially, anyone interested in trying to get a solid sense of what's going on, we have very few options. There's not a lot, there's not a lot out there. So that's the broader conclusion that I drew from what I thought at the time was just a very small malfunction involving Israel coverage. But Israel coverage ends up being a symptom of something much bigger, as Jews often are the symptom of something much bigger that's going on.  So my problems in the AP bureau 15 years ago were really a kind of maybe a canary in the coal mine, or a whiff of something much bigger that we were all going to see happen, which is the transformation of the important liberal institutions of the west into kind of activist arms of a very radical ideology that has as its goal the transformation of the west into something else. And that's true of the press, and it's true of NGO world, places like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which were one thing 30 years ago and are something very different today. And it's also true of big parts of the academy. It's true of places like Columbia and places like Harvard, they still have the logo, they still have the name, but they serve a different purpose, and I just happen to be on the ground floor of it as a reporter. Belle Yoeli:   So obviously, this concept of who does this serve, and this activist journalism is deeply concerning, and you actually mentioned a couple other areas, academia, obviously we're in that a lot right now in terms of what's going on campus. So I guess a couple of questions on that. First of all, think about this very practically, tachlis, in the day to day.  I'm a journalist, and I go to write about what's happening in Gaza. What would you say is, if you had to throw out a percentage, are all of them aware of this activist journalist tendency? Or you think it's like, like intentional for many of them, or it's sort of they've been educated that way, and it's their worldview in such a way that they don't even know that they're not reporting the news in a very biased way. Does that make sense? Matti Friedman:   Totally. I think that many people in the journalism world today view their job as not as explaining a complicated situation, but as swaying people toward the correct political conclusion. Journalism is power, and the power has to be wielded in support of justice. Now, justice is very slippery, and, you know, choosing who's in the right is very, very slippery, and that's how journalism gets into a lot of trouble. Instead of just trying to explain what's going on and then leave, you're supposed to leave the politics and the activism to other people. Politics and activism are very important.  But unless everyone can agree on what is going on, it's impossible to choose the kind of act, the kind of activism that would be useful. So when the journalists become activists, then no one can understand what's what's going on, because the story itself is fake, and there are many, many examples of it. But you know, returning to what you asked about, about October 7, and reporting post October 7, you can really see it happen. The massacres of October 7 were very problematic for the ideological strain that now controls a lot of the press, because it's counterintuitive. You're not supposed to sympathize with Israelis.  And yet, there were a few weeks after October 7 when they were forced to because the nature of the atrocities were so heinous that they could not be ignored. So you had the press covering what happened on October 7, but you could feel it. As someone who knows that scene, you could feel there was a lot of discomfort. There was a lot of discomfort. It wasn't their comfort zone, and you knew that within a few weeks, maybe a month, it was gonna snap back at the first opportunity.  When did it snap back? In the story of the Al Ahli hospital strike. If you remember that a few weeks in, there's a massive global story that Israel has rocketed Hospital in Gaza and killed about 500 people and and then you can see the kind of the comfort the comfort zone return, because the story that the press is primed to cover is a story about villainous Israelis victimizing innocent Palestinians, and now, now we're back. Okay. Now Israel's rocketing hospital. The problem was that it hadn't happened, and it was that a lot of stories don't happen, and they're allowed to stand.  But this story was so far from the truth that even the people involved couldn't make it work, and it had to be retracted, but it was basically too late. And then as soon as the Israeli ground offensive got into swing in Gaza, then the story really becomes the same old story, which is a story of Israel victimizing Palestinians for no reason. And you'll never see Hamas militants in uniform in Gaza. You just see dead civilians, and you'll see the aftermath of a rocket strike when the, you know, when an Israeli F16 takes out the launcher, but you will never see the strike. Which is the way it's worked in Gaza since the very end of 2008 which is when the first really bad round of violence in Gaza happens, which is when I'm at the AP.  As far as I know, I was the first staffer to erase information from the story, because we were threatened by Hamas, which happened at the very end of 2008. We had a great reporter in Gaza, a Palestinian who had always been really an excellent reporter. We had a detail in a story. The detail was a crucial one. It was that Hamas fighters were dressed as civilians and were being counted as civilians in the death toll, an important thing to know, that went out in an AP story. The reporter called me a few hours later. It was clear that someone had spoken to him, and he told me, I was on the desk in Jerusalem, so I was kind of writing the story from the main bureau in Jerusalem. And he said, Matti, you have to take that detail out of the story. And it was clear that someone had threatened him. I took the detail out of the story. I suggested to our editors that we note in an Editor's Note that we were now complying with Hamas censorship. I was overruled, and from that point in time, the AP, like all of its sister organizations, collaborates with Hamas censorship in Gaza.  What does that mean? You'll see a lot of dead civilians, and you won't see dead militants. You won't have a clear idea of what the Hamas military strategy is. And this is the kicker, the center of the coverage will be a number, a casualty number, that is provided to the press by something called the Gaza health ministry, which is Hamas. And we've been doing that since 2008, and it's a way of basically settling the story before you get into any other information. Because when you put, you know, when you say 50 Palestinians were killed, and one Israeli on a given day, it doesn't matter what else you say. The numbers kind of tell their own story, and it's a way of settling the story with something that sounds like a concrete statistic. And the statistic is being, you know, given to us by one of the combatant sides. But because the reporters sympathize with that side, they're happy to play along. So since 2008, certainly since 2014 when we had another serious war in Gaza, the press has not been covering Gaza, the press has been essentially an amplifier for one of the most poisonous ideologies on Earth. Hamas has figured out how to make the press amplify its messaging rather than covering Hamas. There are no Western reporters in Gaza. All of the reporters in Gaza are Palestinians, and those people fall into three categories. Some of them identify with Hamas. Some of them are intimidated by Hamas and won't cross Hamas, which makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't want to cross Hamas either. So either. And the third category is people who actually belong to Hamas. That's where the information from Gaza is coming from. And if you're credulous, then of course, you're going to get a story that makes Israel look pretty bad. Belle Yoeli:   So this is very depressing. That's okay. It's very helpful, very depressing. But on that note, I would ask you so whether, because you spoke about this problem in terms, of, of course, the coverage of Israel, but that it's it's also more widespread you talk, you spoke about President Biden in your article, you name other examples of how this sort of activist journalism is affecting everything we read. So what should everyone in this room be reading, truly, from your opinion. This is Matti's opinion. But if you want to you want to get information from our news and not activist journalism, obviously The Free Press, perhaps. But are there other sites or outlets that you think are getting this more down the line, or at least better than some, some better than others?  Matti Friedman:   No, it's just The Free Press. No. I mean, it's a question that I also wrestle with. I haven't given up on everyone, and even in publications that have, I think, largely lost the plot, you'll still find good stuff on occasion. So I try to keep my eye on certain reporters whose name I know. I often ask not just on Israel, but on anything, does this reporter speak the language of the country that they're covering? You'd be shocked at how rare that is for Americans. A lot of the people covering Ukraine have no idea what language they speak in Ukraine, and just as someone who covers Israel, I'm aware of the low level of knowledge that many of the Western reporters have. You'll find really good stuff still in the Atlantic. The Atlantic has managed, against steep odds, to maintain its equilibrium amid all this. The New Yorker, unfortunately, less so, but you'll still see, on occasion, things that are good. And there are certain reporters who are, you know, you can trust. Isabel Kirchner, who writes for The New York Times, is an old colleague of mine from the Jerusalem report. She's excellent, and they're just people who are doing their job. But by and large, you have to be very, very suspicious of absolutely everything that you read and see. And I'm not saying that as someone who I'm not happy to say that, and I certainly don't identify with, you know, the term fake news, as it has been pushed by President Trump.  I think that fake news is, you know, for those guys, is an attempt to avoid scrutiny. They're trying to, you know, neuter the watchdog so that they can get away with whatever they want. I don't think that crowd is interested in good press coverage. Unfortunately, the term fake news sticks because it's true. That's why it has worked. And the press, instead of helping people navigate the blizzard of disinformation that we're all in, they've joined it. People who are confused about what's going on, should be able to open up the New York Times or go to the AP and figure out what's going on, but because, and I saw it happen, instead of covering the circus, the reporters became dancing bears in the circus. So no one can make heads or tails of anything. So we need to be very careful.  Most headlines that are out there are out there to generate outrage, because that's the most predictable generator of clicks, which is the, we're in a click economy. So I actually think that the less time you spend following headlines and daily news, the better off you'll be. Because you can follow the daily news for a year, and by the end of the year, you'll just be deranged. You'll just be crazy and very angry.  If you take that time and use it to read books about, you know, bitten by people who are knowledgeable, or read longer form essays that are, you know, that are obviously less likely to be very simplistic, although not, you know, it's not completely impossible that they will be. I think that's time, that's time better spent. Unfortunately, much of the industry is kind of gone. And we're in an interesting kind of interim moment where it's clear that the old news industry is basically dead and that something new has to happen. And those new things are happening. I mean, The Free Press is part of a new thing that's happening. It's not big enough to really move the needle in a dramatic way yet, but it might be, and I think we all have to hope that new institutions emerge to fill the vacuum.  The old institutions, and I say this with sorrow, and I think that this also might be true of a lot of the academic institutions. They can't be saved. They can't be saved. So if people think that writing an editor, a letter to the editor of the New York Times is going to help. It's not going to help. Sometimes people say, Why don't we just get the top people in the news industry and bring them to Israel and show them the truth? Doesn't help. It's not about knowing or not knowing. They define the profession differently.  So it's not about a lack of information. The institutions have changed, and it's kind of irrevocable at this point, and we need new institutions, and one of them is The Free Press, and it's a great model of what to do when faced with fading institutions. By the way, the greatest model of all time in that regard is Zionism. That's what Zionism is. There's a guy in Vienna in 1890 something, and his moment is incredibly contemporary. There's an amazing biography of Herzl called Herzl by Amos Elon. It's an amazing book. If you haven't read it, you should read it, because his moment in cosmopolitan Vienna sounds exactly like now. It's shockingly current. He's in this friendly city. He's a reporter for the New York Times, basically of the Austro Hungarian empire, and he's assimilated, and he's got a Christmas tree in his house, and his son isn't circumcised, and he thinks everything is basically great. And then the light changes.  He notices that something has changed in Vienna, and the discourse about Jews changes, and like in a Hollywood movie, the light changes. And he doesn't try to he doesn't start a campaign against antisemitism. He doesn't get on social media and kind of rail against unfair coverage. He sits down in a hotel room in Paris and he writes this pamphlet called the Jewish state, and I literally flew from that state yesterday. So there's a Zionist model where you look at a failing world and you think about radical solutions that involve creation. And I think we're there. And I think Herzl's model is a good one at a dark time you need real creativity. Belle Yoeli:   Thank God you found the inspiration there, because I was really, I was really starting to worry. No, in all seriousness, Matti, the saying that these institutions can't be saved. I mean the consequences of this, not just for us as pro-Israel, pro-Jewish advocates, but for our country, for the world, the countries that we come from are tremendous.  And the way we've been dealing with this issue and thinking about how, how can you change hearts and minds of individuals about Israel, about the Jewish people, if everything that they're reading is so damaging and most of what they're reading is so damaging and basically saying there's very little that we can do about that. So I am going to push you to dream big with us. We're an advocacy organization. AJC is an advocacy organization. So if you had unlimited resources, right, if you really wanted to make change in this area, to me, it sounds like you're saying we basically need 15 Free Presses or the new institutions to really take on this way. What would you do? What would you do to try to make it so that news media were more like the old days? Matti Friedman:   Anyone who wants unlimited resources should not go into journalism. I have found that my resources remain limited. I'll give you an answer that is probably not what you're expecting or not what you want here. I think that the fight can't be won. I think that antisemitism can't be defeated. And I think that resources that are poured into it are resources wasted. And of course, I think that people need legal protection, and they need, you know, lawyers who can protect people from discrimination and from defamation. That's very important. But I know that when people are presented with a problem like antisemitism, which is so disturbing and it's really rocking the world of everyone in this room, and certainly, you know, children and grandchildren, you have a problem and you want to address it, right? You have a really bad rash on your arm. You want the rash to go away, and you're willing to do almost anything to make it go away. This has always been with us. It's always been with us.  And you know, we recently celebrated the Seder, and we read in the Seder, in the Haggadah, l'chol dor vador, omdim aleinu l'chaloteinu. Which is, in every generation, they come at us to destroy us. And it's an incredibly depressing worldview. Okay, it's not the way I wanted to see the world when I grew up in Toronto in the 1990s. But in our tradition, we have this idea that this is always gonna be around. And the question is, what do you do? Do you let other people define you? Do you make your identity the fight against the people who hate you? And I think that's a dead end.  This crisis is hitting the Jewish people at a moment when many of us don't know who we are, and I think that's why it's hitting so hard. For my grandfather, who was a standard New York Jew, garment industry, Lower East Side, poor union guy. This would not have shaken him, because he just assumed that this was the world like this. The term Jewish identity was not one he ever heard, because it wasn't an issue or something that had to be taught. So if I had unlimited resources, what I would do is I would make sure that young Jewish people have access to the riches of Jewish civilization, I would, you know, institute a program that would allow any young Jewish person to be fluent in Hebrew by the time they finish college. Why is that so important? Why is that such an amazing key?  Because if you're fluent in Hebrew, you can open a Tanakh, or you can open a prayer book if you want. Or you can watch Fauda or you can get on a plane to Israel and hit on Israeli guys. Hebrew is the key to Jewish life, and if you have it, a whole world will open up. And it's not one that antisemites can interfere with. It does not depend on the goodwill of our neighbors. It's all about us and what we're doing with ourselves. And I think that if you're rooted in Jewish tradition, and I'm not saying becoming religious, I'm just saying, diving into the riches of Jewish tradition, whether it's history or gemara or Israel, or whatever, if you're if you're deep in there enough, then the other stuff doesn't go away, but it becomes less important.  It won't be solved because it can't be solved, but it will fade into the background. And if we make the center of identity the fight against antisemitism, they've won. Why should they be the center of our identity? For a young person who's looking for some way of living or some deep kind of guide to life, the fight against antisemitism is not going to do it, and philanthropy is not going to do it. We come from the wisest and one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and many of us don't know how to open the door to that civilization, and that's in our hands. And if we're not doing it, it's not the fault of the antisemites. It's our own fault. So if I had unlimited resources, which, again, it's not, it's not going to happen unless I make a career change, that's where I would be putting my effort. Internally and not externally.  Belle Yoeli:   You did find the inspiration, though, again, by pushing Jewish identity, and we appreciate that. It's come up a lot in this conversation, this question about how we fight antisemitism, investing in Jewish identity and who we are, and at the same time, what do we do about it? And I think all of you heard Ted in a different context last night, say, we can hold two things, two thoughts at the same time, right? Two things can be true at the same time. And I think for me, what I took out of this, in addition to your excellent insights, is that that's exactly what we have to be doing.  At AJC, we have to be engaging in this advocacy to stand up for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. But that's not the only piece of the puzzle. Of course, we have to be investing in Jewish identity. That's why we bring so many young people to this conference. Of course, we need to be investing in Jewish education. That's not necessarily what AJC is doing, the bulk of our work, but it's a lot of what the Jewish community is doing, and these pieces have to go together. And I want to thank you for raising that up for us, and again, for everything that you said. Thank you all so much for being here. Thank you. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in as John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, breaks down Israel's high-stakes strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure and the U.S. decision to enter the fight. 

Nghe trọn nội dung sách nói 7 Thói Quen Hiệu Quả trên ứng dụng Voiz FM: https://voiz.vn/play/1383/Tác phẩm 7 Thói Quen Hiệu Quả (7 Habits For Highly Effective People) đã ra đời hơn 30 năm, được biết đến là cuốn sách quản trị (quản trị bản thân và quản trị tổ chức) bán chạy nhất mọi thời đại với hơn 30 triệu bản bán ra trên toàn thế giới và được dịch sang 40 ngôn ngữ. Sách có mặt tại thị trường Việt Nam hơn 10 năm nay dưới cái tên 7 Thói Quen Để Thành Đạt. Ấn bản mới năm 2016 được đặt lại đúng với cái tên mộc mạc vốn có của bản gốc Tiếng Anh và có nội dung không chỉ được dịch lại toàn bộ cho sát nghĩa, dễ đọc hơn với các độc giả mà còn được cập nhật thêm những công cụ và ví dụ thực tiễn từ phiên bản nước ngoài mới nhất và có hình ảnh bìa (màu xanh đậm) giống với phiên bản gốc mới nhất.Trích lời giới thiệu của nhà giáo Giản Tư Trung - tác giả sách Đúng Việc (lời giới thiệu chỉ có trong ấn bản tiếng Việt được dịch bởi FranklinCovey Việt Nam). Tên đầy đủ của cuốn sách này, nếu dịch sát nghĩa sẽ là: 7 Thói Quen Của Người Có Hiệu Quả Vượt Trội còn nếu dịch một cách ngắn gọn nhưng vẫn sâu sắc sẽ là 7 Thói Quen Hiệu Quả. Gần như Stephen Covey đã dành cả cuộc đời mình để nghiên cứu về tính hiệu quả của con người, để đi tìm câu trả lời cho ba câu hỏi lớn lao, đó là: Vì sao con người ta trở nên ít hiệu quả? Điều gì làm cho con người ta trở nên hiệu quả cao? Điều gì tạo nên hiệu quả bền vững? 7 Habits chính là sự đúc kết sự nghiệp nghiên cứu cả đời của ông cho ba câu hỏi mang tính "muôn đời" đó.Tại ứng dụng sách nói Voiz FM, sách nói 7 Thói Quen Hiệu Quả được đầu tư chất lượng âm thanh và thu âm chuyên nghiệp, tốt nhất để mang lại trải nghiệm nghe tuyệt vời cho bạn.---Về Voiz FM: Voiz FM là ứng dụng sách nói podcast ra mắt thị trường công nghệ từ năm 2019. Với gần 2000 tựa sách độc quyền, Voiz FM hiện đang là nền tảng sách nói podcast bản quyền hàng đầu Việt Nam. Bạn có thể trải nghiệm miễn phí đa dạng nội dung tại Voiz FM từ sách nói, podcast đến truyện nói, sách tóm tắt và nội dung dành cho thiếu nhi.---Voiz FM website: https://voiz.vn/ Theo dõi Facebook Voiz FM: https://www.facebook.com/VoizFM Tham khảo thêm các bài viết review, tổng hợp, gợi ý sách để lựa chọn sách nói dễ dàng hơn tại trang Blog Voiz FM: http://blog.voiz.vn/---Cảm ơn bạn đã ủng hộ Voiz FM. Nếu bạn yêu thích sách nói 7 Thói Quen Hiệu Quả và các nội dung sách nói podcast khác, hãy đăng ký kênh để nhận thông báo về những nội dung mới nhất của Voiz FM channel nhé. Ngoài ra, bạn có thể nghe BẢN FULL ĐỘC QUYỀN hàng chục ngàn nội dung chất lượng cao khác tại ứng dụng Voiz FM.Tải ứng dụng Voiz FM: voiz.vn/download#voizfm #sáchnói #podcast #sáchnói7ThóiQuenHiệuQuả #StephenRCovey

"No one motivation is ‘better' than any other. We travel with different motivations at different times, and they sometimes overlap." –Ash Bhardwaj In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Ash talk about curiosity as a motivation for travel (1:30); the ancient Greek concepts of happiness that underpin human motivations like travel, and how mentors influence travel (14:00); serendipity as a motivation for travel, Type One versus Type Two fun, and the dangers of "voluntourism" (21:00); how "awe" differs from "wonder," how to bring these perspectives home, and how "eroticism" can be a part of travel (36:30); "grief travel," and how one's sense for travel can become intertwined with a sense of hope (48:30). Ash Bhardwaj is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, and the author of Why We Travel. Notable Links: Paris travel memoir workshop, with Rolf Potts (creative writing class) Banana Pancake Trail (backpacker route in Southeast Asia) Hedonism (philosophical concept involving pleasure) Eudaimonia (philosophical concept involving happiness) A Moveable Feast (posthumous memoir by Ernest Hemingway) Georges Perec (French novelist) Beginner's Mind (Zen Buddhist concept) Levison Wood (British explorer) Arsenal F.C. (English soccer team) Joseph Kony (Ugandan warlord) Flow (focused mental state) Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (Hungarian-American psychologist) NGO (non-governmental aid organizations) Air Vanuatu (national airline in the South Pacific) Hokitika (town in New Zealand) Pounamu (stone valued by the Māori) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel's 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don't host a “comments” section, but we're happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“Nature positive is people positive. Without harmony with nature, there won't be a bright future for people.” This week, Thomas Hübl sits down with Marco Lambertini, the Convener of the Nature Positive Initiative, to explore humanity's deep, inherent connection to nature, what's at stake if climate destruction continues to accelerate, and what we can do to stop it. Marco's Nature Positive movement is working on actionable measures to reverse nature loss by 2030, bringing more forests, fish, and healthy ecosystems back to our planet. Despite the massive challenges we're facing, he believes that we have the understanding, technology, and means to achieve this goal, but we can't do it without both personal and systemic transformation. The future of our planet's ecosystem is intrinsically linked to our own well-being, economy, and future. This discussion is a powerful call to action, reminding us that this generation holds the historic opportunity to put humanity on a completely different, more harmonious course.   ✨ Click here to watch the video version of this episode on YouTube:

Sean Claffey is the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Conservation Coordinator at the Nature Conservancy, a role that places him at the center of one of the West's most overlooked but critically important ecosystems: the sagebrush steppe. Based in Dillon, Montana, Sean works across public and private lands to protect and restore this sprawling, foundational landscape that serves as habitat for countless species, supports rural economies, and connects the region's valleys and mountain ranges. Through his leadership in the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership—a collaborative effort uniting agencies, landowners, and nonprofits—Sean helps ensure that the health of this “land in between” doesn't fall through the cracks. In this conversation, Sean and I dig into the complex threats facing sagebrush country, from invasive grasses and wildfire to conifer encroachment and land conversion. We talk about how fire suppression and ecological shifts have allowed evergreens like Douglas fir and juniper to overtake sagebrush, and how Sean's team is using a mix of prescribed burns, manual thinning, and innovative partnerships with local mills to restore balance to the landscape. He also shares how they're engaging young people in hands-on restoration work, creating pathways for rural youth to connect with the land and gain meaningful employment. Sean brings a unique blend of scientific insight, community-mindedness, and boots-on-the-ground experience to this work, and he's quick to credit the collaborative culture of southwest Montana for making so much progress possible. From low-tech wet meadow restoration to building a more resilient restoration economy, this is a hopeful, grounded conversation about how conservation can succeed when it centers people, place, and purpose. If you're a new listeners and want to go deeper on this subject, I'd encourage you to go back and listen to my earlier episode with Matt Cahill who gives an excellent crash course on the Sagebrush Sea and the epsiode with Austin Rempel and Nancy Smith, who dig deep into riparian restoration in Montana.   But for this episode, be sure the check out the webpage and episode notes for some excellent videos about Sean's work and links to everything we discuss.  Thanks for listening.  --- Sean Claffey Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership Matt Cahill M&P episode Nancy Smith and Austin Rempel M&P episode Full episode notes, video, and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sean-claffey/ --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive. During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 3:26 - Intro and Ed's love of Dillon 4:14 - The Sagebrush Sea 7:19 - Pressures on the sea 9:42 - Conifer expansion, the main reason for grassland reduction 12:00 - Ecological, environmental, economical 17:52 - Working with the timber industry 21:59 - Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, not just another NGO 26:41 - Sean's first priorities with SW MT Sagebrush 30:11 - The way the water should flow 34:47 - Youth programming 40:53 - Cheatgrass, an actual cheater 43:47 - Containing cheatgrass 45:01 - Cheatgrass and fire 47:02 - Working with private landowners 52:58 - Connecting with the community 58:21 - A little more about Sean 1:01:10 - Career advice for people who want to make the world a better place 1:03:54 - Book recs and life recs --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

In these episodes, the hosts break down two critical Supreme Court decisions reshaping American politics. The first ruling sharply limits activist district judges' power to issue sweeping national injunctions against presidential policies—a move that curtails what they call “judicial dictatorship” and restores constitutional boundaries. The second case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, defends parental rights by striking down mandatory transgender and LGBTQ storytime in Maryland schools, sparking fierce dissent from Justice Sotomayor, who warned public education itself could be doomed. Meanwhile, the hosts highlight the sudden disappearance of nationwide riots they claim were fueled by NGO funding and Democrat-aligned billionaires—an effort now under federal investigation. They spotlight Florida's “Alligator Alcatraz,” a vast Everglades detention center created by Ron DeSantis to deport migrants en masse, and criticize Republican leaders in other states for failing to help Trump enforce immigration law. Together, these stories illustrate the escalating battle over the courts, the classroom, the streets, and the border—and why the hosts argue 2024 is a defining moment for America's future.

In this compelling episode, Mike Baer sits down with Brian Albright, professor at Trinity Western University, to explore a journey that spans continents, calling, and crisis.From his early entrepreneurial drive to his transformation in Kenya doing NGO and hospice work, Brian opens up about how God reshaped his theology—from a narrow view of salvation to a holistic understanding of mission. He shares his struggle to reconcile business with faith, and how the tension between profit, purpose, and family tested everything he believed.You'll hear about the challenges of creating a sustainable hospice business model in Kenya, the painful sacrifices of family life, and the moment COVID forced his family to evacuate and reset their lives. But through it all, Brian discovered a deeper truth: that authenticity and obedience often speak louder than success.This episode is a must-listen for anyone wrestling with the integration of mission, business, and personal cost.

VOV1 - Ngày 29/6, Bộ trưởng Ngoại giao Slovakia Blanár tuyên bố, việc đối thoại với Nga là cần thiết để chấm dứt xung đột ở Ucraina.

Nghe trọn nội dung sách nói 4 Truyện Vừa trên ứng dụng Voiz FM: https://voiz.vn/play/6682/Trong số gần 40 tác phẩm sáng tác và biên khảo đã xuất bản của nhà văn Sơn Nam, con số các truyện vừa chiếm tỉ lệ khá khiêm tốn (khoảng 1/8). Để giúp bạn đọc có cái nhìn toàn diện hơn về bút lực của nhà văn Sơn Nam trong thể loại truyện vừa, Nhà xuất bản Trẻ xin trân trọng giới thiệu với bạn đọc tuyển tập bốn truyện vừa của nhà văn.Chuyện Tình Một Người Thường Dân (NXB Trẻ, 1990) là câu chuyện về những thanh niên nam nữ trong những ngày đầu kháng chiến chống Pháp. Họ hòa nhập vào cuộc chiến đấu của toàn dân một cách tự nhiên và sẵn sàng đón nhận những mất mát hy sinh nơi vùng đất phía Tây Nam Tổ quốc.Tại ứng dụng sách nói Voiz FM, sách nói 4 Truyện Vừa được đầu tư chất lượng âm thanh và thu âm chuyên nghiệp, tốt nhất để mang lại trải nghiệm nghe tuyệt vời cho bạn.---Về Voiz FM: Voiz FM là ứng dụng sách nói podcast ra mắt thị trường công nghệ từ năm 2019. Với gần 2000 tựa sách độc quyền, Voiz FM hiện đang là nền tảng sách nói podcast bản quyền hàng đầu Việt Nam. Bạn có thể trải nghiệm miễn phí đa dạng nội dung tại Voiz FM từ sách nói, podcast đến truyện nói, sách tóm tắt và nội dung dành cho thiếu nhi.---Voiz FM website: https://voiz.vn/ Theo dõi Facebook Voiz FM: https://www.facebook.com/VoizFM Tham khảo thêm các bài viết review, tổng hợp, gợi ý sách để lựa chọn sách nói dễ dàng hơn tại trang Blog Voiz FM: http://blog.voiz.vn/---Cảm ơn bạn đã ủng hộ Voiz FM. Nếu bạn yêu thích sách nói 4 Truyện Vừa và các nội dung sách nói podcast khác, hãy đăng ký kênh để nhận thông báo về những nội dung mới nhất của Voiz FM channel nhé. Ngoài ra, bạn có thể nghe BẢN FULL ĐỘC QUYỀN hàng chục ngàn nội dung Chất lượng cao khác tại ứng dụng Voiz FM.Tải ứng dụng Voiz FM: voiz.vn/download#voizfm #sáchnói #podcast #sáchnói4TruyệnVừa #SơnNam

Nghe trọn nội dung sách nói Tốc Độ Của Niềm Tin trên ứng dụng Voiz FM: https://voiz.vn/play/1392/Bất kỳ doanh nhân nào cũng mong muốn xây dựng được một thương hiệu (nhãn hiệu thương mại) cho doanh nghiệp và cho sản phẩm của mình.Tuy nhiên, nếu như hiểu rằng “thương hiệu” là “cái hiệu được thương” thì cũng đồng nghĩa với việc xây dựng thương hiệu là một thách thức lớn đối với mọi doanh nghiệp. Bởi lẽ, muốn có cái “hiệu” (nổi tiếng) thì không khó, nhưng để cái “hiệu” đó được “thương” (uy tín) là điều không hề dễ dàng.Và Tốc Độ Của Niềm Tin (Speed Of Trust) là một trong số những cuốn sách hay nhất về cách thức xây dựng thương hiệu doanh nghiệp mà tôi từng biết.Cuốn sách này chỉ ra rằng, muốn có thương hiệu uy tín (Trusted Brand) thì cần phải có một tổ chức đáng tin (Trusted Organization); muốn có một tổ chức đáng tin thì cần phải có đội ngũ đáng tin (Trusted Team); muốn có đội ngũ đáng tin thì cần phải có con người đáng tin (Trusted People).Tại ứng dụng sách nói Voiz FM, sách nói Tốc Độ Của Niềm Tin được đầu tư chất lượng âm thanh và thu âm chuyên nghiệp, tốt nhất để mang lại trải nghiệm nghe tuyệt vời cho bạn. ---Về Voiz FM: Voiz FM là ứng dụng sách nói podcast ra mắt thị trường công nghệ từ năm 2019. Với gần 2000 tựa sách độc quyền, Voiz FM hiện đang là nền tảng sách nói podcast bản quyền hàng đầu Việt Nam. Bạn có thể trải nghiệm miễn phí đa dạng nội dung tại Voiz FM từ sách nói, podcast đến truyện nói, sách tóm tắt và nội dung dành cho thiếu nhi. ---Voiz FM website: https://voiz.vn/ Theo dõi Facebook Voiz FM: https://www.facebook.com/VoizFM Tham khảo thêm các bài viết review, tổng hợp, gợi ý sách để lựa chọn sách nói dễ dàng hơn tại trang Blog Voiz FM: http://blog.voiz.vn/ ---Cảm ơn bạn đã ủng hộ Voiz FM. Nếu bạn yêu thích sách nói Tốc Độ Của Niềm Tin và các nội dung sách nói podcast khác, hãy đăng ký kênh để nhận thông báo về những nội dung mới nhất của Voiz FM channel nhé. Ngoài ra, bạn có thể nghe BẢN FULL ĐỘC QUYỀN hàng chục ngàn nội dung Chất lượng cao khác tại ứng dụng Voiz FM.Tải ứng dụng Voiz FM: voiz.vn/download#voizfm #sáchnói #podcast #sáchnóiTốcĐộCủaNiềmTin #StephenCovey

This month we are joined by Taru Salmenkari who does research on Chinese NGOs. Taru has a long career studying China, NGOs, and the role of civil society. We are super lucky to catch Taru right as her new book comes out, Global Ideas, Local Adaptations: Chinese Activism and the Will to Make Civil Society. By “exploring the boundaries, fringes, and inner workings of civil society” this book “investigates local forms of political agency in China in light of the globalization of political values, practices, and institutions.” We talked about the book and focused on how the introduction of NGO society to new places requires glocalization to make NGOs locally relevant. Taru highlighted how locals use NGOs for their own aims and in their own ways, which often diverges from the wishes of civil society promoters. Taru explained how civil society promotion uses theoretically and methodologically problematic forms of information extraction about NGOs. Join us for this wide ranging and interesting conversation!Want to check out some of Taru's work?Profile at University of Helsinki https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/taru-salmenkari/publications/Global Ideas, Local Adaptations: Chinese Activism and the Will to Make Civil Society https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/global-ideas-local-adaptations-9781035316670.html Civil Society in China and Taiwan: Agency, Class and Boundaries https://www.routledge.com/Civil-Society-in-China-and-Taiwan-Agency-Class-and-Boundaries/Salmenkari/p/book/9780367209193 

VOV1 - Bộ trưởng Quốc phòng Israel hôm qua xác nhận nước này đã có ý định hạ sát Đại giáo chủ Iran, nhưng chưa có cơ hội. Về phần mình, Ngoại trưởng Iran tuyên bố Tehran chưa có kế hoạch nối lại các cuộc đàm phán hạt nhân với Mỹ.

VOV1 - Tổng thống Indonesia Prabowo Subianto và Thủ tướng Malaysia Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim hôm nay nhất trí ủng hộ một giải pháp hòa bình cho cuộc xung đột Iran-Israel.Ngoài ra, hai bên đều kêu gọi tiếp tục ủng hộ nền độc lập của  Palestine thông qua giải pháp hai nhà nước.

Rima is a medic in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a tactical medicine instructor originally from the United States. She came to Ukraine as an NGO volunteer in 2022 and began medical studies in 2023 before enlisting in 2024. Now, she works on medical evacuations of soldiers from the frontlines and works in stabilization points where they receive casualties and stabilize their injuries for transport to the nearest hospital. Before enlisting, she taught tactical medicine per TCCC standards at the International Center for Tactical Medicine in Ukraine. In her spare time, she writes about tactical medicine for a wider audience based on evolving needs and lessons learned on the ground in Ukraine. More about Rima:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rimameduaSend Rima and her team medical supplies:  https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3QM0WCUA0PBK2?ref_=wl_shareOr, snacks from home: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/390U40XEQSS4P?ref_=wl_shareBlue Yellow USA address for care packages:C/O Blue Yellow USA NFP PO box 641Naperville, IL60566Timestamps:

In the past month or so, President Nayib Bukele's government has sharply intensified its repression of civil society and independent voices in El Salvador.  Journalists have been forced into exile, civil society organizations are being weakened by a new Foreign Agents Law, and former officials, activists, and NGO workers are being jailed on dubious charges. These developments mark a new phase in Bukele's crackdown—one that relies not only on emergency powers but increasingly on legal and financial tools to silence dissent.  In this episode, Juliana Rubio sits down with Leonor Arteaga Rubio, Program Director at the Due Process of Law Foundation. Together, they discuss what recent arrests and crackdowns in El Salvador mean for the remaining checks on government power. They also explore how civil society has adapted in order to continue raising alarms about corruption and abuse of power.  

Trump Isn't the Disease—He's the Cold SoreWhat if the bull in the china shop is just what 70% of the country asked for?I don't know how “good” Trump is as a legislator. Doesn't matter. What is real is the immune response he triggered.Millions of Americans who felt cowed—ignored, belittled, scolded—saw in Trump a signal flare. Not because he's polished or wise. Because he's not. His chaos mirrors their rage. His vulgarity reflects their exhaustion.Voting for Trump isn't a policy decision—it's an act of sabotage. Not against America, but against the institutions that made them feel voiceless. DEI boards. HR departments. Elite universities. NPR accents. A system that told them they were wrong, evil, outdated—for existing.People call him “just loud and polarizing.” Sure. But so was punk rock. So was Malcolm X. Loudness isn't evil—it's often the tool of those who feel erased.This is cultural immunology. Trump's second term is the fever after the body detects an ideological infection. The first 150 days have seen DEI layoffs, NGO collapses, equity hiring freezes, even USAID gutted. Universities, once untouchable, are now battlefield wreckage.And now, United States v. Skrmetti. The Supreme Court—6-3—upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. That decision didn't come from nowhere. It's the latest confirmation that, under Trump's renewed mandate, the gloves are off. Courts, lawmakers, and governors are done pretending to align with progressive orthodoxy. They're not afraid to act on the backlash.Trump isn't doing all this personally. He doesn't have to. He's the accelerant. The lit match. The cold sore. Visible proof that something deeper is erupting.And no—I'm not saying it's noble, kind, or just. Deportation is violent. Prison is dehumanizing. America has never promised kindness—only power and law.We confuse “rights” with moral grace. We imagine the Constitution as empathy. It's not. We've tolerated fascist-adjacent systems for decades—as long as it stayed bureaucratic and discreet. But now? Now it's on TV. Now it's named.Two million citizens are imprisoned in America today. No protests. No outcry. We call that justice. But detain a migrant, and suddenly it's a moral crisis. The distinction is political theater.And that's the point: Trump is just the symptom. Not the virus. Not the cause. He's a cold sore erupting from years of suppressed discontent. Populist nationalism is the actual condition. He's just the part that broke through the skin.He offers himself as the sin-eater—willing to be hated so others don't have to be. And that's why they love him. That's why they keep voting for him. Not because they believe he's good, but because he represents their refusal to submit.And let's be honest: his global peers—Putin and Netanyahu—play the same role. Daddy figures. Chaos agents. “Authoritarian” is no longer a slur. It's shorthand for finally, someone willing to act.No—I don't revere Trump. But I understand his function. And until we understand what made him inevitable, we're only going to see more of him.The left treats Trump voters like they're under conservatorship. Like Britney Spears: too unstable to manage their own choices. That smug, condescending moral management is exactly why those voters set fire to the garden. Better salt the earth than be told how to tend it.Trump is not the disease. He's just the cold sore.And America asked for him.

Episode 12 - Louisa Ponnampalam co-founder of MareCet shares her journey in marine conservation, from her childhood passion for dolphins to establishing her NGO organisation. Disclaimer: Please note that all information and content on the UK Health Radio Network, all its radio broadcasts and podcasts are provided by the authors, producers, presenters and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge. As a service to our listeners/readers our programs/content are for general information and entertainment only.  The UK Health Radio Network does not recommend, endorse, or object to the views, products or topics expressed or discussed by show hosts or their guests, authors and interviewees.  We suggest you always consult with your own professional – personal, medical, financial or legal advisor. So please do not delay or disregard any professional – personal, medical, financial or legal advice received due to something you have heard or read on the UK Health Radio Network.

In this episode of The Financial Guys Podcast, Glenn Wiggle, Mike Lomas, and Mike Sperrazza pull back the curtain on the Biden administration's fake “wins,” outrageous government spending, and the nonstop weaponization of federal agencies. From manipulated economic numbers and taxpayer-funded NGO scams to the twisted priorities in education and law enforcement, the guys call it like it is. Plus, a fiery take on SCOTUS decisions, liberal panic over free speech, and why America needs accountability now more than ever.(00:00:00) "Podcasts and Radio on Financial Guys App"(00:03:16) Trump's Ceasefire Deal in the Middle East(00:13:10) Government's Impact on Ensuring Safety and Security(00:16:39) Call for Islamic Faith Reformation and Peace(00:22:32) Protecting National Interests Through Stringent Immigration Policies(00:28:34) Stock List Manipulation in Investment Finance(00:32:18) Congressional Stock Trading: Examining Insider Influence(00:38:35) Congressman Brian Higgins' Extraordinary Nvidia Returns(00:40:29) Oil Prices Impacts on Market Sentiment(00:45:31) Balancing School Funding for Student Success

Một máy bay phản lực của Không quân Hoàng gia Úc, chở hơn 100 công dân Úc đang cố gắng thoát khỏi cuộc xung đột ở Trung Đông, đã bay ra khỏi một thành phố lớn của Israel sau khi không phận được mở. Nhưng Ngoại trưởng Penny Wong cho biết, các chuyến bay hỗ trợ khởi hành từ Iran, vẫn chưa thể thực hiện được. Các cuộc di tản diễn ra sau một tuần căng thẳng, khi Úc ủng hộ các cuộc tấn công của Hoa Kỳ vào các địa điểm hạt nhân của Iran, trước một lệnh ngừng bắn tạm thời.

In this episode of the Z3 Podcast, host Rabbi Amitai Fraiman is joined by Rebecca Guzman and Shanie Reichman, contributing authors to the book Young Zionist Voices, for a candid conversation about how the younger generations experiences Israel, Zionism, and Jewish identity. What does it take to build understanding between generations, and how can we stay in relationship even when we don't see eye to eye? Don't miss this thoughtful episode that speaks directly to the challenges and possibilities of being young, Jewish, and politically engaged today.Want to hear more from Gen Z voices like Rebecca and Shanie? Get your copy of Young Zionist Voices now at z3project.org/books.About Our GuestsRebecca Guzman is a Straus Scholar and Tablet Fellow at Stern College for Women, where she is currently studying creative writing. Her work has appeared in Jewish Journal and The Jewish Press, and she has received recognition from the National Council of Teachers of English and The New York Times. She lives in New York City.Shanie Reichman is the director of strategic initiatives and director of IPF Atid at Israel Policy Forum, based in New York City, where she works to elevate the discourse around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She serves as the founding chair for the Forum Dvorah U.S. committee, an NGO that champions women's participation in national security and foreign policy decision-making spheres in Israel. She is a Wexner Field Fellow, a Schusterman ROIer, and serves on the boards of Queens College Hillel and the Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding. Her work has been published in the Forward, the Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Hey Alma, Jewish Unpacked, and International Policy Digest. She is a participating author in the book “Young Zionist Voices” and is pursuing her MA in Middle Eastern Studies at CUNY Graduate Center.Chapters(00:00)Introduction(04:15) Defining Zionism: Personal Perspectives(08:47) Zionism and Judaism: Intersections and Distinctions(13:50) Generational Perspectives on Zionism(22:55) The Future of Israel Education(30:35) Understanding Emotional Connections to Israel(32:51) The Complexity of Zionism and Education(35:13) Navigating Criticism and Support for Israel(37:00) The Disconnect Between Heritage and Current Events(38:31) The Reality of Israel vs. Idealism(40:52) Shared Values and Diverging Perspectives(43:21) Empathy and Understanding in the Jewish Community(45:26) Defining Boundaries in Conversations about Zionism(48:41) Strategic Engagement with Young American Jews(52:14) The Impact of Perceptions on Zionism(55:45) The Need for Open Conversations(01:00:26) Hope for the Future of Jewish Identity

Dive into the current crisis in Iran with Joseph Daher! Dominic and Joseph discuss the US and Israel's strategic operations, Iran's response and regional implications these might have, the global consequences and international reactions, the potential for an outright regional war, the nuclear ambitions of Iran, regional security and the growing insecurity, the role of global powers and more!Joseph Daher is a Swiss-Syrian academic and activist. He currently teaches at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), and at the University of Ghent (Belgium) and has been an affiliated professor at the European University Institute(EUI). He has worked with the EUI on the conflict in Syria and the aftermath of the war. Herewith Joseph has published multiple papers, which aimed to produce quality, strategic and accurate reports and analysis of wartime perspectives, challenges, trends and policy options in anticipation of post-conflict stabilisation in Syria.Moreover, Joseph is an expert on Syria, Lebanon, and the Middle East, and has worked for various UN Agencies, NGO's and research centers in consulting and expert mandates to conduct programs, trainings, and research for them. He is the author of three books: Hezbollah: The Political Economy of Lebanon's Party of God, Syria After the Uprising: The Political Economy of State Resilience and Palestine and Marxism . Finally, he is the founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever. He is also co-founder of the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists.The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.Dominic's 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.Follow us on LinkedIn  and Instagram for all our great updates.Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly briefs.Tell us what you liked!

Show SummaryOn today's episode, feature a conversation with Robin Kelleher, the CEO and co-founder of Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit dedicated to uplifting service members, veterans, and military families as they navigate the complexities of military life.   Provide FeedbackAs a dedicated member of the audience, we would like to hear from you about the show. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about the show in this short feedback survey. By doing so, you will be entered to receive a signed copy of one of our host's three books on military and veteran mental health. About Today's GuestRobin Kelleher is the CEO and co-founder of Hope For The Warriors®, a national nonprofit dedicated to uplifting service members, veterans, and military families as they navigate the complexities of military life. For 20 years, Robin has led HOPE with a unique blend of strategic insight and compassionate leadership. Through cultivating meaningful partnerships, driving the vision and impact of HOPE's mission across diverse communities, and building teams that deliver tangible outcomes, Robin has created countless opportunities to meet the evolving needs of our military families.Under her guidance, Hope For The Warriors has become a trusted voice in veteran and military family advocacy and a catalyst for restoring self, family, and hope within the military communityLinks Mentioned During the EpisodeHope For The Warriors WebsitePsychArmor Resource of the WeekThis week's resource of the week is the PsychArmor course Invisible Wounds at Home: Understanding Invisible Wounds. In this course, you will learn about four unseen wounds of military service, and be introduced to our series that includes specific courses on myths and facts about PTSD, Depression, TBI and Substance Use Disorder. You can find the resource here:  https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/invisible-wounds-at-home-understanding-invisible-wounds Episode Partner: Are you an organization that engages with or supports the military affiliated community? Would you like to partner with an engaged and dynamic audience of like-minded professionals? Reach out to Inquire about Partnership Opportunities Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media Email PsychArmorPsychArmor on TwitterPsychArmor on FacebookPsychArmor on YouTubePsychArmor on LinkedInPsychArmor on InstagramTheme MusicOur theme music Don't Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

The show starts off immediately where the last one left off, with the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. We examine how the media and the Democrat party (but, now we are being redundant) reacted to the actions of Operation Midnight Thunder and the announcement of an end to hostilities. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) vows impeachment, but legal analyst Jonathan Turley doesn't see that as a likely outcome. Polling from the GOP shows that once again, Trump is on the 80 side of an 80/20 issue. However, early this morning, Iran launched a few missiles and Israel was planning a massive response, frustrating President Trump, who had no problem sharing his feelings with the media. While some members of Congress wanted to take credit, it all belongs to Trump. And, within a few hours, Trump tweeted that the ceasefire was back on and holding steady. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is testifying on the Hill. There is no reason he should not reduce interest rates, unless he is acting solely on partisan reasoning. Which reminds us of a special report we had back in April from OMG reminding us that elements in the Fed have stated Powell purposely does the opposite of what Trump wants. Now the SCOTUS gets to feel how the POTUS feels with nationwide injunctions. Only this time, it's a rogue, activist judge who is defying the Supreme Court and protecting violent illegals. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) weighs-in on the stupidity of what Judge Brian Murphy is trying to accomplish. The Senate Parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough seems intent on removing much of the Trump agenda out of the reconciliation bill. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) says the House just passed a bill preventing taxpayer dollars from going to the Taliban. Data Republican adds that the bill might actually hit deeper, defunding countries and NGO's that let tax dollars from through them to the Taliban as well. We introduce a new segment called, “What's Happening?” with the Village Idiot Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) as the star. Finally, we close with Trump telling the Legacy/mainstream media what he really thinks of them. Please take a moment to rate and review the show and then share the episode on social media. You can find me on Facebook, X, Instagram, GETTR,  TRUTH Social and YouTube by searching for The Alan Sanders Show. And, consider becoming a sponsor of the show by visiting my Patreon page!!

This week, host Pratyush Deep is joined by Newslaundry's Shivnarayan Rajpurohit and Sumedha Mittal.Shivnarayan talks about his profile of BJP president JP Nadda, diving deep into his rise from an ABVP worker to the president of the world's largest political party. He also sheds light on the Chetna Sansthan, an NGO run by Nadda's wife which received significant corporate and government-linked CSR funding after the BJP came to power.Sumedha talks about her report which looks at an unusual surge in the number of voters in Devendra Fadnavis's constituency in Nagpur South West between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra elections. A section of poll staff told her about alleged lapses in the manner these voters were added to the electoral rolls. Tune in.Timecodes00:00:00 - Introduction00:02:36 - J P Nadda00:21:59 - Unusual spike in the voter roll00:33:20 - RecommendationsRecommendationsShivnarayanSirSumedhaOfficial SecretsPratyushThe Bilaspur blueprint: JP Nadda's political rise and the parallel growth of his family-run NGOIn 6 months, Fadnavis seat added 29,219 voters. Poll staff claim lapsesProduced and edited by Saif Ali Ekram, recorded by Anil Kumar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textFrom a family vacation that turned tragic to the creation of Pakistan's first specialized children's heart hospital, Ana Tanveer Abdullah's journey illustrates how profound loss can spark transformative change.When Ana's athletic, academically gifted brother Daniel collapsed unexpectedly at age 15, no one suspected a heart condition. Despite receiving a pacemaker after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, Danial passed away at 16 while awaiting a heart transplant in India. This devastating loss became the catalyst for an extraordinary mission.Together with her father and Farhan Ahmad (who also lost a child to congenital heart disease), Ana founded the Pakistan Children's Heart Foundation with an ambitious vision: to build the country's first specialized cardiac hospital for children. Through innovative fundraising campaigns inspired by Danial's athletic spirit and tireless advocacy, they've now achieved what once seemed impossible.The Children's Heart Hospital opens in Lahore this April, eliminating the need for Pakistani families to seek expensive treatment abroad. Beyond the physical facility, their "Project by Danial" trains young cardiologists and surgeons specifically in pediatric cardiac care, ensuring sustainable healthcare improvements throughout the country.Ana's story reminds us of the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. "We are trying to find peace in this world," she reflects. "He had already found his peace." Through their foundation's life-saving work, Danial's legacy touches countless families across Pakistan, transforming one family's grief into hope for an entire nation.Join our community and discover how you can support organizations like the Pakistan Children's Heart Foundation that are changing the landscape of pediatric cardiac care worldwide.Link to Global Cardiac Alliance: https://cardiac-alliance.org/Link to the Heart to Heart with Anna episode featuring Farhan Ahmad: https://www.buzzsprout.com/62761/398968-a-miracle-in-pakistanPakistan Children's Heart Foundation (PCHF): https://pchf.org.pk/Project Danial: https://pchf.org.pk/cause/project-danial/Support the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite

Để có thể tiếp tục duy trì tốc độ tăng trưởng như hiện nay, Việt Nam đã đề ra một kế hoạch đầy tham vọng với nhiều dự án cơ sở hạ tầng lớn. Nhưng để những dự án này có thể được thật sự có hiệu quả, phải làm sao giải quyết được những nguyên nhân dẫn đến hai vấn đề chính, đó là đội vốn và trễ hạn. Trong năm 2025, tổng vốn đầu tư công được phê duyệt dự kiến ​​sẽ lên tới 875 nghìn tỷ đồng (35 tỷ đô la ), tăng 37,7% so với tổng số vốn được giải ngân vào năm 2024. Các dự án cơ sở hạ tầng quan trọng đang được xây dựng bao gồm Đường cao tốc Bắc-Nam và Sân bay quốc tế Long Thành. Riêng dự án tuyến đường sắt cao tốc Bắc-Nam, sẽ có chi phí hơn 67 tỷ đô la và dự kiến ​​hoàn thành vào năm 2035, đang gây rất nhiều tranh cãi ở Việt Nam. Theo bộ Xây Dựng Việt Nam, hiện đã có 5 doanh nghiệp nộp đề xuất sơ bộ đầu tư vào dự án đường sắt cao tốc Bắc Nam, trong đó có Công ty Đầu tư và Phát triển Đường sắt tốc độ cao Vinspeed, thuộc tập đoàn tư nhân Vingroup của nhà tỷ phú Phạm Nhật Vượng. Theo phương án đề xuất, VinSpeed cam kết tự tìm 20% vốn (tương đương khoảng 12 tỷ đô la), phần còn lại họ đề nghị được vay từ nguồn vốn nhà nước với lãi suất 0% trong 35 năm. Thời gian thi công dự kiến 5 năm và khai thác trong 99 năm. Tương tự, Thaco (Tập đoàn Trường Hải) cũng đề xuất phương án đầu tư với 20% vốn tự có, phần còn lại huy động từ các nguồn trong và ngoài nước, thời gian thi công 7 năm, vận hành 70 năm.   Nhưng các chuyên gia đang đặt nhiều nghi vấn về khả năng của những tập đoàn nói trên huy động được số vốn cần thiết, cũng như khả năng hoàn thành dự án đúng thời hạn cam kết.  Vấn đề là các dự án cơ sở hạ tầng công ở Việt Nam cho tới nay thường bị chậm tiến độ, lãng phí và bị đội vốn. Những nguyên nhân nào dẫn đến tình trạng đó? RFI Việt ngữ phỏng vấn nhà nghiên cứu Lê Hồng Hiệp, Trung tâm Nghiên cứu Đông Nam Á, Singapore. RFI: Thưa anh Lê Hồng Hiệp, Việt Nam đã thông qua rất nhiều dự án xây dựng cơ sở tầng lớn, đặc biệt là dự án đường sắt cao tốc Bắc - Nam. Đối với một dự án lớn kéo dài nhiều năm như dự án đường sắt cao tốc Bắc - Nam, liệu Việt Nam có đủ khả năng để huy động nguồn vốn? Và nhất là nếu có sự tham gia của các tập đoàn tư nhân như Vinspeed, liệu họ có đủ khả năng để huy động vốn? Lê Hồng Hiệp: Năm nay Việt Nam đặt ra mục tiêu tăng trưởng GDP là 8% và các năm sau là ít nhất là 10%. Trong bối cảnh các trụ cột khác của tăng trưởng kinh tế như là xuất khẩu, tiêu dùng trong nước, đổi mới sáng tạo, còn đang gặp rất là nhiều khó khăn, việc tăng cường đầu tư cả tư nhân lẫn đầu tư công, đặc biệt là đầu tư vào cơ sở hạ tầng, trở thành một lựa chọn bắt buộc đối với Việt Nam để giúp tăng trưởng kinh tế. Việt Nam cần một nguồn vốn khổng lồ. Gần đây, các chuyên gia của tập đoàn phát triển hạ tầng tư nhân có ước tính là từ giờ tới năm 2040, Việt Nam cần khoảng 570 tỷ đô la đầu tư vào cơ sở tầng cho các lĩnh vực như giao thông vận tải, năng lượng, viễn thông, hay các hạ tầng liên quan. Để mà huy động được nguồn vốn khổng lồ như vậy thì Việt Nam sẽ phải thông qua nhiều con đường phổ biến nhất.  Thứ nhất là ngân sách nhà nước thông qua các thu xếp cho các khoản đầu tư phát triển, đầu tư cơ sở tầng. Thứ hai là vay nợ của nhà nước thông qua việc phát hành trái phiếu trong nước cũng như ở nước ngoài và vay nợ từ các cái đối tác phát triển, bao gồm các đối tác ODA, cũng như các tổ chức tín dụng phát triển quốc tế. Thứ ba là huy động vốn từ khu vực tư nhân, như VinGroup hay Thaco, để tham gia phát triển dự án đường sắt tốc độ cao Bắc - Nam. Thứ tư là hợp tác công tư, hình thức hợp tác giữa nhà nước và lĩnh vực tư nhân để có các giải pháp tài chính phục vụ cho những mục tiêu phát triển. Việt Nam phải phối hợp các cái nguồn vốn khác nhau. Có những dự án thì có thể phải huy động ngân sách nhà nước, đặc biệt là những dự án mà lĩnh vực tư nhân có thể không đủ năng lực hay là không có lợi ích nhiều khi tham gia. Tôi lấy ví dụ dự án phát triển điện hạt nhân: Hiện tại Việt Nam đang đề ra mục tiêu phát triển hai nhà máy điện hạt nhân. Nguồn vốn ước tính lên tới khoảng 22 tỷ đô la. Các doanh nghiệp tư nhân không đủ năng lực, cũng như không có lợi ích nhiều khi tham gia các dự án này. Trong những lĩnh vực như vậy thì nhà nước sẽ phải huy động vốn từ ngân sách nhà nước hay là vay nợ của nước ngoài. Tuy nhiên, những lĩnh vực khác như phát triển đường cao tốc, hay đường sắt tốc độ cao Bắc - Nam thì có thể xem xét việc tạo nguồn vốn từ lĩnh vực tư nhân. Tuy nhiên, do lĩnh vực hạ tầng đòi hỏi nguồn vốn lớn, thời gian thu hồi vốn kéo dài và khả năng thua lỗ rất là cao, việc huy động từ lĩnh vực tư nhân cũng không hề đơn giản và đấy là lý do mà chúng ta sẽ thấy trong cái thời gian tới sẽ có các cuộc tranh luận, các cân nhắc liên quan tới dự án đường sắt tốc độ cao Bắc -Nam: Liệu có nên giao cho các tập đoàn tư nhân hay không và nếu giao cho họ thì các điều kiện, điều khoản liên quan tới các ưu đãi cho nhà đầu tư, để làm sao họ có thể thu hồi vốn trong quá trình tham gia phát triển các dự án đầu tư cơ sở tầng lớn như vậy thì sẽ được tiến hành như nào? RFI: Thưa anh, cho dù là vốn tư nhân hay vốn nhà nước, thì các vấn đề lớn cho tới nay ở Việt Nam, đó là những dự án cơ sở hạ tầng thường hay bị chậm tiến độ cũng như là hay bị đội vốn, tức là số vốn ban đầu ước tính như thế nhưng cuối cùng thì rất là cao, như dự án Metro ở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Đây có phải là vấn đề sẽ đặt ra trong những năm tới đối với những cái dự án vừa nói ở trên? Lê Hồng Hiệp: Đội vốn hay là chậm tiến độ, trễ hạn là một vấn đề sẽ còn lặp lại ở nhiều dự án khác nhau. Đây không chỉ là vấn đề của riêng của Việt Nam, mà còn xảy ra với nhiều dự án ở các quốc gia khác, kể cả các nước phát triển, vì nhiều lý do khác nhau. Riêng ở Việt Nam thì chúng ta thấy vấn đề này diễn ra quá thường xuyên, những dự án càng lớn thì nguy cơ đội vốn hay trễ hạn thì càng cao hơn.  Có một số nguyên nhân.Thứ nhất là việc lập kế hoạch thiếu thực tế, không có tính khả thi cao. Ví dụ như Việt Nam vừa rồi đề xuất mục tiêu phát triển hai nhà máy điện hạt nhân trong vòng 5 năm tới, năm 2030, 2031 là hoàn thành. Tôi nghĩ đấy là một mục tiêu không thực tế. Thực tiễn ở các quốc gia khác chỉ ra rằng phát triển những dự án điện hạt nhân lớn như vậy cần rất nhiều thời gian. Việc lập kế hoạch cũng phải kỹ càng hơn. Trong bối cảnh Việt Nam, việc phát triển trong vòng 5 năm hai nhà máy điện hạt nhân công suất lớn như vậy là hoàn toàn là không khả thi. Chưa kể là chúng ta chưa có một kế hoạch rõ ràng cụ thể chi tiết các công nghệ mà chúng ta sẽ sử dụng là gì và sẽ mua từ đâu.  Thứ hai là năng lực quản lý, chúng ta thấy Việt Nam cũng thiếu kinh nghiệm quản lý các dự án, đặc biệt là các dự án quy mô lớn, do đó dẫn tới chậm trễ trong việc phối hợp giữa các bên và các biện pháp phê duyệt thủ tục. Các dự án nhỏ hơn rất nhiều như Metro Nhổn - Ga Hà Nội, hay Metro số 1 ở Sài Gòn quy mô không phải quá lớn, nhưng cũng trễ hạn rất nhiều và đội vốn rất nhiều. Lâu nay chúng ta cũng thường đổ lỗi là do các nhà thầu nước ngoài, nhưng rất nhiều nguyên nhân là xuất phát từ phía Việt Nam.  Liên quan tới năng lực quản lý thì còn có vấn đề thủ tục hành chính phức tạp. Trong dự án metro Bến Thành - Suối Tiên chẳng hạn, có rất nhiều vướng mắc liên quan tới giải ngân của ODA từ Nhật Bản, do thủ tục pháp lý hành chính từ phía Việt Nam rất phức tạp về quy trình phê duyệt rồi quy trình thay đổi các chi tiết của dự án, dẫn tới chậm trễ trong việc giải ngân, dẫn tới định trệ của tiến độ dự án. Ở nhiều dự án của Việt Nam thì còn có vướng mắc về giải phóng mặt bằng. Đây cũng là một nguyên nhân dẫn tới chậm trễ và đội vốn.  Thứ tư là phụ thuộc vào công nghệ nước ngoài. Nhập khẩu các công nghệ và thiết bị nước ngoài có thể khiến chi phí tăng cao, đặc biệt là khi tỷ giá biến động hoặc là khi nhà thầu ngoại quốc trì hoãn việc nhập khẩu thì có thể cũng dẫn tới tiến độ bị chậm trễ và chi phí gia tăng. Trong thời gian tới, khi Việt Nam tiến hành các dự án quy mô lớn hơn như đường sắt tốc độ cao Bắc - Nam, nếu không có các biện pháp chuẩn bị kỹ lưỡng và các bước đi nhằm tháo gỡ các vướng mắc như tôi vừa nêu, chắc chắn dự án cũng sẽ gặp phải những vấn đề đội vốn và trễ hạn. RFI: Đối với những dự án quan trọng như đường sắt cao tốc Bắc - Nam thì liệu Việt Nam có đủ trình độ kỹ thuật để tự mình thực hiện, hay là chúng ta phải nhờ đến trợ giúp của những nước đã có những kinh nghiệm, trình độ về những dự án tương tự? Lê Hồng Hiệp: Trong lĩnh vực xây dựng các tuyến đường cao tốc chẳng hạn, tôi nghĩ là Việt Nam có thể hoàn toàn đủ trình độ để làm được. Còn đối với lĩnh vực đường sắt thì chắc chắn là Việt Nam sẽ không đủ năng lực về mặt kỹ thuật để tự mình thực hiện.  Các dự án đơn giản hơn rất nhiều như các tuyến metro ở Hà Nội và Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh thì cho tới lúc này chúng ta không tự chủ được về công nghệ mà phải dựa vào công nghệ nước ngoài. Tuyến Cát Linh - Hà Đông là dựa vào công nghệ Trung Quốc, hay tuyến Bến Thành - Suối Tiên ở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh là dựa vào công nghệ của Nhật. Ngay cả những dự án đường sắt đô thị như vậy mà chúng ta cũng phải dựa vào công nghệ nước ngoài, thì dự án đường sắt tốc độ cao Bắc - Nam chắc chắn cũng sẽ phải dựa vào công nghệ nước ngoài. Hiện tại Việt Nam chưa nêu rõ là sẽ nhập công nghệ từ nước nào, nhưng chúng ta có thể dễ dàng đoán được chắc chắn là sẽ tới từ những quốc gia có công nghệ đường sắt phát triển như là Trung Quốc, Nhật Bản, Hàn Quốc hay là Pháp, Đức ... Bên cạnh việc nhập về các công nghệ lõi, liên quan tới hệ thống động cơ, hệ thống đầu kéo, hay hệ thống điều khiển tín hiệu, vân vân, thì Việt Nam sẽ tự làm được những hạng mục nào và có thể nội địa hóa được bao nhiêu phần trăm các công đoạn các công nghệ liên quan tới cái dự án này? Vừa rồi tập đoàn Hòa Phát tuyên bố họ có khả năng cung cấp được thép làm đường ray của đường sắt tốc độ cao chẳng hạn. Ngoài Hòa Phát, còn có những công ty nào có thể cung cấp được các được các trang thiết bị đầu vào cho dự án này? Đấy là vấn đề mà chúng ta cần quan tâm. Bao nhiêu phần trăm trong suất đầu tư lên lên tới 67 tỷ đô la Mỹ đấy sẽ ở lại Việt Nam và bao nhiêu sẽ chi trả cho đối tác nước ngoài? Tôi nghĩ đấy là vấn đề cần đặt ra. Vấn đề đặt ra tiếp theo là Việt Nam sẽ nhận chuyển giao công nghệ bao nhiêu từ các đối tác nước ngoài đó để có thể ít nhất là tự chủ được quá trình bảo trì bảo dưỡng dự án trong quá trình vận hành? Tại vì một khi chúng ta phụ thuộc vào các đối tác nước ngoài về cả công tác bảo trì, bảo dưỡng, thì chắc chắn sẽ rất khó khăn trong việc vận hành. Thứ hai, sẽ có rất nhiều rủi ro dẫn tới việc gián đoạn dự án trong giai đoạn vận hành và chi phí để mà vận hành thì cũng sẽ đổi lên rất là nhiều. Tôi chắc chắn rằng là trong các điều khoản hợp tác với nước ngoài đó, Việt Nam sẽ nêu vấn đề này và sẽ coi nó như một điều kiện tiên quyết để có thể nhận chuyển giao các công nghệ và giao các gói thầu cho các đối tác nước ngoài thực hiện. RFI: Tóm lại, làm sao có thể khắc phục được những nguyên nhân đó để mà thật sự có được những công trình hạ tầng cơ sở hiệu quả và bền vững, có thể thật sự đóng góp cho phát triển kinh tế của Việt Nam? Lê Hồng Hiệp: Việt Nam phải áp dụng đồng loạt nhiều biện pháp khác nhau để làm sao bảo đảm rằng các dự án đó có thể được tiến hành một cách hiệu quả nhất, với chi phí tiết kiệm nhất và phát huy được hiệu quả cao nhất.  Thứ nhất là về tính minh bạch, tiết kiệm và chống tham nhũng, Việt Nam phải có các biện pháp liên quan tới công nghệ, tới chính sách, vân vân, để minh bạch hóa quá trình đấu thầu và quản lý chi tiêu, để làm sao quá trình này được minh bạch, hay là xử lý nghiêm các trường hợp tham nhũng, lợi ích nhóm, giảm thiểu lãng phí và thất thoát trong quá trình đầu tư. Thứ hai là phải cải thiện việc lập kế hoạch và dự toán các dự án này để đánh giá được tính khả thi, hay là dự trù các cái rủi ro như là biến động giá hay giải phóng mặt bằng ngay từ giai đoạn lập giá, để làm sao giảm đến mức tối thiểu các vấn đề đội vốn, hay kéo dài thời gian thực hiện dự án.  Thứ ba là phải nâng cao năng lực quản lý dự án: Đào tạo đội ngũ quản lý dự án chuyên nghiệp, áp dụng các tiêu chuẩn quốc tế, đồng thời phân quyền rõ ràng, giảm các thủ tục hành chính, vân vân, để làm sao rút ngắn được thời gian phê duyệt các dự án và đảm bảo có sự phối hợp hiệu quả giữa các bộ ngành và địa phương, để làm sao các dự án này được thực hiện được một cách thông suốt nhất. Thứ tư là làm sao có thể giảm phụ thuộc vào công nghệ nước ngoài, đặc biệt là trong quá trình bảo trì bảo dưỡng. Công nghệ nước ngoài trong quá trình xây dựng thì chúng ta có lẽ là sẽ có ít lựa chọn, đặc biệt là đối với những lĩnh vực phức tạp, đòi hỏi công nghệ cao, như đường sắt tốc độ cao, còn đối với các lĩnh vực như bảo trì bảo dưỡng, chúng ta phải có sự tự chủ ở một mức độ tối đa, để làm sao phát huy được hiệu quả của dự án trong quá trình vận hành.  Thứ năm là làm sao huy động vốn một cách là hiệu quả và đa dạng hóa các nguồn lực. Chúng ta phải phát triển các thị trường vốn trong nước, thúc đẩy các mô hình hợp tác công tư chẳng hạn, với các cơ chế rõ ràng minh bạch để thu hút các nguồn lực từ lĩnh vực tư nhân, để làm sao giảm được gánh nặng cho ngân sách nhà nước và đồng thời phát huy nguồn lực xã hội ở mức tốt nhất. Thứ sáu là làm sao đảm bảo hiệu quả bền vững về mặt kinh tế. Việt Nam hiện đang có rất nhiều dự án tham vọng.Tuy nhiên, không phải dự án nào cũng cần thiết hay là hiệu quả, mà Việt Nam phải tinh lọc để làm sao tập trung vào những dự án có tác động kinh tế lớn nhất và tránh dàn trải các nguồn vốn, dẫn tới cái sự lãng phí và kém hiệu quả.  Và điều cuối cùng tôi nghĩ cũng rất là quan trọng, đó là tăng cường trách nhiệm giải trình của các cơ quan bộ ngành và các lãnh đạo của các bộ ngành, các bộ trưởng, vân vân, để họ phải chịu trách nhiệm giải trình trực tiếp về tiến độ cũng như chất lượng dự án. Trong quá trình này, Việt Nam cũng cần phải công khai các thông tin về tiến độ, về chi phí dự án, về năng lực của các nhà thầu, để người dân có thể giám sát.

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/geography

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/japanese-studies

In The Banality of Good: The UN's Global Fight against Human Trafficking (Duke University Press, 2024), Dr. Lieba Faier examines why contemporary efforts to curb human trafficking have fallen so spectacularly short of their stated goals despite well-funded campaigns by the United Nations and its member-state governments. Focusing on Japan's efforts to enact the UN's counter-trafficking protocol and assist Filipina migrants working in Japan's sex industry, Dr. Faier draws from interviews with NGO caseworkers and government officials to demonstrate how these efforts disregard the needs and perspectives of those they are designed to help. She finds that these campaigns tend to privilege bureaucracies and institutional compliance, resulting in the compromised quality of life, repatriation, and even criminalization of human trafficking survivors. Dr. Faier expands on Hannah Arendt's idea of the “banality of evil” by coining the titular “banality of good” to describe the reality of the UN's fight against human trafficking. Detailing the protocols that have been put in place and evaluating their enactment, Dr. Faier reveals how the continued failure of humanitarian institutions to address structural inequities and colonial history ultimately reinforces the violent status quo they claim to be working to change. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew For America talks about the "violence, violence, violence" that Sam Winchester from the According2Sam podcast recently covered in his last few episodes with regard to the "No Kings" riots that recently occurred in LA and other cities around the country. Andrew talks about the riots, the NGO's that coordinated them, the wars in Ukraine and now Iran, and how the riots and media propaganda are probably "cover" being used to distract Americans from the fact that its apparently time for more wars for Israel (who allegedly run American foreign policy). Andrew also talks about the recent killings of Minnesota lawmakers and how they are connected to governor Tampon Tim Walz. Andrew plays clips from many online commentators, as well as Benjamin Netanyahu, George W Bush, Julian Assange, Sam Tripoli, and others to help illustrate his points.The song selection is the song, "Feel Bad Hit of the Winter" by the band Lines of Drift. Visit allegedlyrecords.com and check out all of the amazing punk rock artists!Visit soundcloud.com/andrewforamerica1984 to check out Andrew's music!Like and Follow The Politics & Punk Rock Podcast PLAYLIST on Spotify!!!Check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Y4rumioeqvHfaUgRnRxsy...politicsandpunkrockpodcast.comhttps://linktr.ee/andrewforamericaFollow Future Is Now Coalition on Instagram @FutureIsOrgwww.futureis.org

In this deeply insightful episode, we welcome Ashka Naik, PhD candidate and Director of Research and Policy at Corporate Accountability, a global human rights and social justice NGO. Ashka joins Vera and Molly to explore how food systems have been colonized by powerful industry players, and why the words we use to describe what we eat matter more than ever. We unpack the political, historical, and spiritual dimensions of what Ashka calls “violent processing”—a system that has robbed us of biodiversity, cultural wisdom, ancestral practices, and even language itself. Drawing connections between ultra-processed food products, neocolonial economic models, and public health crises, Ashka makes the case for reclaiming food as power and justice. This is more than a conversation about nutrition. It's a call to collective memory, systemic change, and grassroots action.

Berlin is losing its publicly-funded Nextbike system. What does it say about the city's deflating civic status? Also we meet the artistic director of the Doxumentale film festival to hear why they've added an X to their name. And the founder of Give Something Back to Berlin will tell us about how beauty parlours are places of feminist empowerment.  Nextbike has lost its €1.5M annual public funding to run a discounted shared bicycle system across Berlin. The CDU-led city-state government says it is too broke to fund the scheme, which ran since 2017, and reached 4 million journeys last year. Joel explains what's behind its demise. Days before the start of Berlin's Dokumentale documentary and non-fiction festival, the organizers received a legal threat over their name. Instead of fighting, they've changed their name to DoXumentale. We meet the festival's artistic director Anna Ramskloger-Witt, who explains why the new name is better. She tells us about program, including a nature film about gay animals, a profile of a Berlin undertaker and more. DoXumentale runs until June 28. Find a screening or watch online at https://www.dokumentale.de/ What goes on behind the doors of beauty salons? NGO founder Annamaria Olsson decided to take a microphone to meet women in these safe spaces, and found a world of womens' empowerment. Beauty salons give women jobs and help them overcome domestic violence. Annamaria has travelled to Morocco, Georgia, Bosnia and Kosovo to record audio for her project. The result is “Stories from the Beauty Parlor”. Listen now here: https://www.beautyparlorstories.org/ Radio Spaetkauf co-founder Joel Dullroy is briefly back in Berlin, after one of his trips around the world filming mini-documentaries. If you want to see some of his videos, go to: http://www.joeldullroy.com Thanks to Vanta for support! http://www.vanta.com/RadioSpaetkauf Thank you to our listeners, if you would like to make a donation or support us through a steady membership: www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate Live show recording and engineering: podfestberlin.com  This episode was produced by Daniel Stern and Joel Dullroy. Find Dan at: https://www.instagram.com/danielandstern/ or https://www.sterndaniel.com/ 

Five days in, Israel's battle to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure continues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched the campaign in the wake of a decision by the IAEA Board to censure Iran a resolution declaring that Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, one day past a Donald Trump imposed deadline of 60 days for Iran to agree to relinquish its uranium enrichment capabilities. Iran has responded with indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in Israel. Can Israel destroy Iran's nuclear program? Is that possible without the United States? What role will the United States play? And can the Tehran regime survive? Haviv Gur is a veteran Israeli journalist who serves as Senior Analyst for The Times of Israel. He has covered Israel's politics, foreign policy and relationship with the Jewish diaspora since 2005. He has reported from over 20 countries and is fluent in Hebrew and English. He served as director of communications for the Jewish Agency for Israel, the country's largest NGO. He travels around the world educating people on Israel and reporting on timely events and developments in and about Israel as a premiere analyst.Read the transcript here.Subscribe to our Substack here.

Show SummaryOn today's episode, we welcome back a previous guest, Marine Corps veteran Waco Hoover, an entrepreneur and investor with over 20 years of experience in venture capital, M&A, entertainment, media and live events. We talk about MCON, an annual event that celebrates military culture and includes MCON Health conducted in partnership with PsychArmor.  Provide FeedbackAs a dedicated member of the audience, we would like to hear from you about the show. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about the show in this short feedback survey. By doing so, you will be entered to receive a signed copy of one of our host's three books on military and veteran mental health. About Today's GuestWaco Hoover is an entrepreneur and investor with over 20 years of experience in venture capital, M&A, entertainment, media and live events.He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1997-2001 as an infantry Marine, combat water survival instructor and infantry scout. He served several deployments across Southeast Asia.After separation from the military, Hoover graduated from New York University, cum laude and completed Harvard Business School executive education programs. He then became an entrepreneur and investor who now has over 18 years of experience in venture capital, M&A, entertainment, media and live events.He is currently Chair of the Be The One initiative for the American Legion. He is also a co-owner of Veteran Entertainment Television, advisor to Founders Factory, a London based venture capital firm, Managing Partner at Xperiential Group, and serves on the board of Irreverent Warriors, a non-profit preventing veteran suicide. He has advised global brands including MGM Resorts, Informa, Vivendi, and Las Vegas Sands Corp. He was a co-founder and investor in businesses sold to Informa, Emerald, Endeavor Business Media and Onstream Media.Hoover speaks at industry events including VenuesNow, PTTOW!, CEMA, The American Legion, Military Influencer Conference, SXSW, Pollstar, TSE 100, Society for Independent Show Organizers, National Sports Forum and XLIVE.He lives in Southern California with his wife, son and two yellow labs, Tucker and Winnie. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing, diving, and mountaineering as often as possible. He is a member of The American Legion and recently hosted the Be the One Symposium at the 104th American Legion National Convention in Charlotte.Links Mentioned During the EpisodeMCON Web SiteMCON HealthPsychArmor Resource of the WeekThis week's resource of the week is the previous podcast episode featuring Waco, episode 156 where we talk about the American Legion's Be The One Campaign an initiative whose goal it is to eliminate the stigma related to mental health treatment, and in turn, lower the number of veterans who die by suicide every day.   You can find the resource here:  https://psycharmor.org/podcast/waco-hoover Episode Partner: Are you an organization that engages with or supports the military affiliated community? Would you like to partner with an engaged and dynamic audience of like-minded professionals? Reach out to Inquire about Partnership Opportunities Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media Email PsychArmorPsychArmor on TwitterPsychArmor on FacebookPsychArmor on YouTubePsychArmor on LinkedInPsychArmor on InstagramTheme MusicOur theme music Don't Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

It's summer in Trump's first year and the same playbook used during BLM is being played out before our eyes in the name of protesting deportation. This time though, the receipts are available and we're seeing who's financing it. We discuss the CCP's backing and other socialist groups that are using NGO money to cause trouble. Did you know that an activist organization is being paid by the state of California? Well you will once you get done with this episode. Senator Padilla crashed a press conference, Israel and Iran are back at war, Ozempdick is apparently a thing now, all while Los Angeles is burning. Buckle up. This summer is going to be lit.  Think Critically Act AccordinglyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/whiskey-hell-podcast--5683729/support.

[EP 25-239] What a weekend! Israel bombed Iran, the No Kings protests, Democrats racking up the “kills” with the assassination of Democrat lawmakers in Minnesota. More on that in a bit.Did you watch any video of the protests last weekend?PAID protesters, still funded by legacy NGO money. And thankfully there are real journalists exposing the game. What I noticed most about the protests is how the police are taking NO CRAP from protestors. I watched police manhandle unruly protestors.Interestingly, a few No Kings protests were canceled in areas of the country due to…LOW TURNOUT.In DC and Atlanta, protestors were made to remove masks or leave. I saw one woman get arrested for refusing.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Truth Be Told with Booker Scott – I explore the sparks igniting nationwide protests, rooted in frustration over current immigration policies and perceived socialist agendas. As cities prepare for the No Kings Protest, I connect violent demonstrations and NGO funding to radical ideologies aiming to destabilize America. I challenge readers to see beyond the headlines and understand the underlying conflict driving unrest in Los Angeles...

What is America's role in a dramatically changing world? How does the health of our democracy impact other nations? In this episode we hear a rich mix of ideas in a conversation with podcaster, commentator, and former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes.“Young people today are going to have to imagine a new US government and a new set of international institutions,” says Ben. A future administration “will have to renegotiate the terms of a new international order.”This hour-long episode is a recording of a live event held on May 22 in Washington D.C., produced by the Democracy Group and The McCourtney Institute. “How Do We Fix It?” is one of eighteen network members of Democracy Group, which features podcasts about civic engagement, civil discourse and the future of our democracy.Ben Rhodes is cohost of the foreign policy podcast, “Pod Save the World”. He served as Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting under President Obama. With former Biden advisor Jake Sullivan, Rhodes the co-chair of National Security Action, a political NGO. He is the author of two books: “After the Fall”, and “The World As It Is.”This Democracy Group recording is cohosted by Kamy Akhavan, who leads the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California, and Stephanie Gerber Wilson, host and producer of the podcast/column “Freedom Over Fascism”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this fiery and deeply revealing episode, Jack Maxey returns to Two Mikes to dissect the chaos engulfing Los Angeles, the ongoing black hole that is the Ukraine war, and the unsettling silence from President Trump on key America First promises. Maxey questions Trump's tepid responses to border chaos, the fentanyl war, and the continued disappearance of over 350,000 migrant children trafficked under Biden's regime. The conversation uncovers explosive truths about NGO complicity, cartel influence under Mexico's new radical president Claudia Sheinbaum, and the growing grassroots revolt against D.C.'s blind loyalty to Israel. Maxey also raises alarms over Trump's alignment with censorship laws pushed by Israeli interests, calling into question the future of the First Amendment. This episode is not for the faint of heart—it's for patriots who demand answers.Make sure you follow Maverick Broadcasting Network on the following platforms:Pickax: https://pickax.com/maverickbroadcastingRumble: https://rumble.com/c/maverickbroadcastingSubstack: https://maverickbroadcasting.substack.comX: https://x.com/mavbroadcastnetMaverick Broadcasting Network benefits when you shop with the following companies:MY GOLD GUY - https://mygoldguy.com/mbnAs inflation surges and global elites toy with our financial future, My Gold Guy empowers you to safeguard your wealth with physical gold and silver – a real asset for real Americans. Get your FREE Gold & Silver Guide today, and mention that you were referred by Maverick Broadcasting Network.PREPPER ALL-NATURALS (code MBN) - https://maverickbeef.comIn a world where global elites push lab-grown meat and insect-based diets, safeguard your family's health with Prepper All-Naturals' premium freeze-dried beef—100% American, mRNA-free, and boasting a 10-year shelf life. Use code MBN at checkout for a 25% discount and ensure your pantry is stocked with real, nutritious beef amid uncertain times.THE WELLNESS COMPANY (code MBN) - https://twc.health/mbnIn an era where government overreach threatens personal health choices, safeguard your autonomy with The Wellness Company's Medical Emergency Kit—featuring essential medications like Ivermectin and Amoxicillin. Use code MBN for 10% off and take control of your health today.SUPERMASSIVE BLACK COFFEE (code MBN) - https://supermassiveblackcoffee.comTired of the corporate sludge masquerading as coffee? Supermassive Black Coffee is your defiant alternative, roasting 100% organic beans with Victorian-era fire roasters to deliver a brew that's pure, bold, and breathtakingly smooth. Join the rebellion against mediocrity and savor the difference. Use promo code MBN for 20% off your order.

Regardless of his recent falling out with President Trump over the size of the “Big Beautiful Bill” tax and spending package or personal beefs, Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” team performed at least one extremely useful public service: They highlighted the extent to which the “nongovernmental organization” (NGO) sector is actually the […]

From January 18, 2024: Last month, the Department of Defense released its first-ever policy on civilian harm reduction. But as Marc Garlasco recently wrote in Lawfare, “[T]he policy comes at an awkward time … The U.S. military has issued guidance on how to protect civilians during operations just as its close ally Israel has reportedly killed thousands of Palestinians with American bombs.” And yet, many aspects of the new policy are nothing short of groundbreaking.Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien sat down with Marc, a former targeting professional and war crimes investigator and current military advisor at PAX, as well as Emily Tripp, the Director of Airwars, a transparency watchdog NGO which tracks, assesses, archives, and investigates civilian harm claims in conflict-affected nations. They discussed the state of civilian harm worldwide; the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Pentagon's new policy; and recent efforts to get U.S. allies and partners to buy in. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.