Podcasts about united nations mission

The panel "African Security and Climate Change" is part of the “Climate Change and the Futures of War and Peace” conference, organized by the Centre FrancoPaix of the Raoul Dandurand Chair, the Climate Security Association of Canada and the Information Integrity Lab of the University of Ottawa.With:Manuela Garcia Nyangono Noa, Université de Yaoundé 2Gabriel Lagrange, Institut d'Études de Géopolitique Appliquée (IEGA)Johnson Nkem, United Nations Mission in South SudanChair: Gabrielle Daoust, University of Northern British Columbia

The situation in South Sudan remains precarious, with the threat of renewed civil war looming large.A growing concern, according to Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), is the dangerous spread of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, which continue to fuel instability in an already fragile environment.He warned that even a single fake message shared on platforms like WhatsApp can trigger chaos, undermine peace efforts and deepen tensions between communities.General Subramanian spoke to UN News's Sachin Gaur and started by telling him about the key challenges the UN peacekeeping mission is facing in its efforts to maintain security. 

Content warning for discussion of genocide, torture, mutilation, rape, and slavery Hey, Hi, Hello, this is the History Wizard and welcome back for Day 11 of Have a Day w/ The History Wizard. Thank you to everyone who tuned in for Day 10 last week, and especially thank you to everyone who rated and/or reviewed the podcast. I hope you all learned something last week and I hope the same for this week. This week we're going to be talking about the currently ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the long history of capitalist exploitation, western imperialism, and systemic racism that led to it. But first, as is tradition, let's take a trip over to the Alchemists Table to see what potion we've got for today. Today's libation has a lot going on in it, it's called Underworld Vacation. It starts by adding some strawberries and blueberries to the bottom of your shaker with .75 of an ounce of rose simple syrup before muddling the fruit. Then add one ounce each of pomegranate and elderflower liquor followed by 2 oz of Hendricks Lunar gin, add ice to your shaker and then stir for about 30 seconds before straining into a highball glass and topping with about 4 oz of prosecco. With that out of the way it's time to talk, once again, about the most important part of history. The proverbial devil in the literal details, context. Because to understand what is happening in the DRC today you need to understand the Kivu Conflict, and to understand that you need to understand the Second Congo War, and to understand that you need to understand the First Congo War, and to understand that you need to understand the end of the Rwandan Genocide and the Congo Crisis of the 1960s, and to understand that you need to understand the Scramble for Africa, The Berlin Conference and King Leopold !! of Belgium. So, we've got a lot to cover, and we're going to be doing it in fairly broad strokes, but it might still take us a while, so let's get started with the Berlin Conference. Near the end of the 19th century there was very little European colonial and mercantile presence in Africa. There were some port towns, to be sure, and there was trade, but very little of the African continent was under the control of European powers at this time. But, European greed for gold and, especially, ivory wouldn't allow them to ignore African riches for much longer. The Berlin Conference was organized in 1885 at the request of King Leopold II of Belgium and was organized by Otto von Bismarck of Germany.   Leopold had been using the explorations of Henry Morgan Stanley, and his own organization, the International African Association to quietly try and create his own private colony in central Africa that would be called the Congo Free State, but France found out and started making moves, and then Britain and Portugal found out and began trying to grab land which led Germany to do the same. War was brewing quickly as these various European powerhouses all sought as much land, wealth, and power as they could grab. This, ultimately, would be why the Berlin Conference was called and why it was so successful. These European powers decided, instead of going to war and killing each other over Africa they'd just all meet and carve it up like a pecan pie and settle it all peaceful like. There were 14 nations/empires in attendance at the Berlin Conference, Germany, Austria Hungary, the International Congo Society (this really means King Leopold II of Belgium), Spain, Denmark, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden-Norway, and the Ottoman Empire. And while all 14 of those countries were in attendance at the Berlin Conference and had a say in the final decisions that were made, only 7 countries were actually going to colonize Africa once it was over. Those countries were Belgium (really just King Leopold II, this would be his own private colony), Germany, Spain, France, Great Britain, Portugal, and Italy. At the time of the Berlin Conference less than 10% of the African continent was under European control, but by the time World War 1 broke out only Liberia and Ethiopia were still independent. Although, Liberia certainly only existed because of US colonial power, and so doesn't REALLY count as independent.  This period of New Imperialism is what we tend to call The Scramble for Africa. Sof ar we've been talking about this all in fairly clinical terms, as if these European countries simply sat around a table and calmly decided who would get what land in the second largest continent on the planet and then it just happened, with no additional muss or fuss. Anyone who has studied even the barest amount of human history knows that nothing happens without muss or fuss. There were wars, and battles, and massacres that led to Europe gaining control of African territory, but that's not the topic of today's podcast. We now need to talk a bit about the Congo Free State, and how King Leopold of Belgium, a frail weakling (compared to the other European powers) managed to worm his way into the conference and into one of the most lucrative colonies in Africa. The Congo Free State was a truly massive colony that was owned personally by Leopold. It was NOT, at least between the years 1885 and 1908, part of the Belgian Empire, it was not owned by the Belgian government and was ruled entirely separately, it just happened to be ruled by the King of Belgium. Leopold was able to gain this massive colony by convincing the monarchs of Europe that he was engaged in humanitarian and philanthropic work, and that the Congo Free State would be an area of free trade in Africa.  Leopold maintained a guise that he was not trying to use the Congo Basin to increase his own wealth and economic and political power. He maintained that his presence in the region was, as was a huge part of the ethos of New Imperialism, to civilize the savages of the Congo Basin and to bring them closer to God and good European cultural supremacy.  Of course, all of that was a lie, and that lie would reveal itself over the intervening years. The Congo was home to something that would become one of the most important natural resources in the entire world, rubber. There are only two sources of natural rubber in the world. The sap of the Hevea brasiliensis, or rubber tree that grows in the Amazon River Basin, and the sap of Landolphia owariensis, a species of woody vines that grow in the Congo. I mean, technically there are 2500 species of plants that produce natural latex and rubber, but those two are the big ones. Today 99% of natural latex and rubber comes from the Amazon, but Leopold was able to make massive profit off of his colony. The economic system in the Congo Free State was known as the red rubber system. It was a slave economy that Leopold enforced through the use of his armed forces known as the Force Publique. Each slave in the Congo Free State was required to harvest a regular quota of rubber sap. What that quota was was often arbitrarily decided based purely on profit based concerns. Workers who refused to supply their labour were coerced with "constraint and repression". Dissenters were beaten or whipped with the chicotte, hostages were taken to ensure prompt collection and punitive expeditions were sent to destroy villages which refused. The policy led to a collapse of Congolese economic and cultural life, as well as farming in some areas. Failure to meet the rubber collection quotas was punishable by death. Meanwhile, the Force Publique were required to provide the hand of their victims as proof when they had shot and killed someone, as it was believed that they would otherwise use the munitions (imported from Europe at considerable cost) for hunting or to stockpile them for mutiny. As a consequence, the rubber quotas were in part paid off in cut-off hands. A Catholic priest quotes a man, Tswambe, speaking of the hated state official Léon Fiévez, who ran a district along the river 300 mi north of Stanley Pool: “All blacks saw this man as the devil of the Equator ... From all the bodies killed in the field, you had to cut off the hands. He wanted to see the number of hands cut off by each soldier, who had to bring them in baskets ... A village which refused to provide rubber would be completely swept clean. As a young man, I saw [Fiévez's] soldier Molili, then guarding the village of Boyeka, take a net, put ten arrested natives in it, attach big stones to the net, and make it tumble into the river ... Rubber causes these torments; that's why we no longer want to hear its name spoken. Soldiers made young men kill or rape their own mothers and sisters.” One junior officer in the Force Publique had this to say about the quota system: The baskets of severed hands, set down at the feet of the European post commanders, became the symbol of the Congo Free State. ... The collection of hands became an end in itself. Force Publique soldiers brought them to the stations in place of rubber; they even went out to harvest them instead of rubber ... They became a sort of currency. They came to be used to make up for shortfalls in rubber quotas, to replace ... the people who were demanded for the forced labour gangs; and the Force Publique soldiers were paid their bonuses on the basis of how many hands they collected. Within the Congo Free State there was also rampant famine and disease that killed hundreds of thousands of people, a type of residential school where children were sent to learn to be either workers or soldiers. About 50% of the children who entered these schools died. There were also several reputable reports of Congolese people turning to cannibalism in the face of their lack of food resources. With everyone being forced to harvest rubber there was no one to farm or gather or hunt for food. It is generally accepted that over the course of Leopold's rule in the Congo Free State, between 1885 and 1908 that at least 10 million Congolese people were killed. Eventually word got out of what was happening in the Congo Free State and a conclave of the European powers of the Berlin Conference was called as, even they, decided that Leopold was going too far. Leopold offered to reform his government and economic system in the Congo, but no one would give him the chance, but also, no one wanted to take on the responsibility of rebuilding the Congo. Eventually, after two years of debate, the Belgian Parliament took over control of the Congo. Leopold would die about a year later in 1909. The Congo would remain under under Belgian control for another 50+ years, and while the abuses and overwhelming violence of King Leopold's rule were curbed. They even added a clause to the new Colonial Charter to outlaw slavery. Article 3 of the new Colonial Charter of 18 October 1908 stated that: "Nobody can be forced to work on behalf of and for the profit of companies or privates", but this was not enforced, and the Belgian government continued to impose forced labour on the indigenous people of the area, albeit by less obvious methods. So, even without King Leopold, the Belgian Congo was still a European colony, which means it was still exploited for profit. African independence movements existed throughout the entirety of European colonialism and imperialism in Africa, excepting Liberia the first country in Africa to gain independence from direct European control would be South Africa which would nominally gain its independence in 1910 after the creation of the Union of South Africa and would formally gain official independence when the last vestiges of British parliamentary control would leave the country in 1931 with the Statute of Westminster, and while there would be other successful independence movements after World War 1, such as Egypt, most African decolonization would come after World War 2, including the Congo's.  Nationalist movements popping up in various African nations and agitating for Independence is, generally speaking, what would eventually cause all of African independence, and this would be no different for the Congo. Though, something that is often also common in the case of independence movements that emerged between the end of World War 2 and the early 1990s is that they would become proxy wars for the US and the USSR during the Cold War. To make a long, complex story very short, the US came out on top in this war. The nationalist movements within the Congo largely emerged amongst a class of people called the évolués, which is a term that was used in French and Belgian colonies for “evolved ones”, people of African descent who had become somewhat Europanized through education.  One of the deciding moments in Congolese independence came in the form of the Leopoldville Riots of 1959. Joseph Kasa-Vubu, who would become the first President of an independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, was the leader of the ABAKO political party, the Alliance of Bakongo. The riots began because many young folks and members or sympathizers of the ABAKO party felt that the government was forbidding them from organizing and protesting. The riots broke out on the 4th of January, 1959. The crowd began throwing rocks at police and attacking white motorists. The initial group of protesters were soon joined by 20,000 Congolese leaving a nearby soccer stadium. At the time press accounts estimated that 35,000 Africans were involved in the violence, which quickly spread as the rioters attempted to enter the European section of the capital. Rioters allegedly smashed and looted storefronts, burned Catholic missions and beat Catholic priests. Many demonstrators chanted "indépendance immédiate" The Belgian Parliament established a commission of inquiry to investigate the cause of the riots. The commission found the disturbances to be the culmination of discontent with racial discrimination, overcrowding, and unemployment. It also concluded that external political events, such as France's decision to grant self-governance to the neighboring French Congo, to be a contributing factor, and criticized the colonial administration's response to the riot. On 13 January the administration went forward with its scheduled announcement of reforms, including new local elections in December, the institution of a new civil service statue that made no racial distinctions, and the appointment of more Africans to advisory bodies. The Belgian King, Baudouin, also declared for the first time that independence would be granted to the Congo in the future. January 4th is still celebrated as an auspicious day in the DRC, it's the Day of the Martyrs and denotes a turning point in the independence movement. Congolese independence was officially declared, as planned, on the 30th of June, 1960, with Kasa-Vubu of the ABAKO elected as president and Patrice Lumumba of the Congolese National Movement appointed as the Prime Minister. Now, despite the DRC formally being declared as independent at this day, they still relied heavily on Belgian colonial institutions that had been in place previously, like the Force Publique and various white technical experts who couldn't be replaced in the face of a lack of ready replacements available amongst the Congolese people. The fact that this lack of available peoples being a result of European colonialism forbidding Congolese people from higher education wound up being somewhat irrelevant, but absolutely caused greater levels of resentment among the newly independent Congolese. In the face of this lack of change and in the face of an address given by Lieutenant General of the Force Publique Émile Janssens, many of the Congolese troops mutinied. The address went as follows: "Independence brings changes to politicians and to civilians. But for you, nothing will be changed ... none of your new masters can change the structure of an army which, throughout its history, has been the most organized, the most victorious in Africa. The politicians have lied to you." Instead of sending in Belgian troops to put down the mutiny, as Janssens wanted, Lumumba fired him and began to institute some reforms, including immediately remaining the Force Publique to the Armée Nationale Congolaise (ANC) and promoting all black soldier by at least one rank. While this had success in Leopoldville and Thysville, it failed in the rest of the country and the mutiny intensified. The government attempted to stop the revolt—Lumumba and Kasa-Vubu intervened personally at Léopoldville and Thysville and persuaded the mutineers to lay down their arms—but in most of the country the mutiny intensified. White officers and civilians were attacked, white-owned properties were looted and white women were raped. The Belgian government became deeply concerned by the situation, particularly when white civilians began entering neighbouring countries as refugees. The international press expressed shock at the apparent sudden collapse of order in the Congo, as the world view of the Congolese situation prior to independence—due largely to Belgian propaganda—was one of peace, stability, and strong control by the authorities. The Congo Crisis would run for 5 years and would end with the torture and assassination of Patrice Lumumba, with Joesph Kasa-Vubu dying while under house arrest, and with the military dictator Mobuto Sese Seko “elected” as the president of the Republic of Congo-Leopoldville. This would note just one in the long string of times that the US helped to install a military dictator in order to overthrow a democratically elected left wing government, just because they had support from the USSR and the US feared (and fears) any threat to their capitalist hegemony. Between 1965 and 1971 Mobutu consolidated his hold on power as much as he could, removing all provincial control over anything and bringing every scrap of infrastructure he could under the control of himself and his central government. In 1971, with his hold on power relatively secure and as part of his policy of Africanization of the Congo's culture and government Mobutu renamed the Republic of Congo Leopoldville to Zaire, a name that was derived from the Kikongo wore nzere, meaning “river that swallows all rivers”. Mobutu would remain as “president” of Zaire all the way until 1997, but his hold on power would begin to crumble with the First Congo War that began in 1993. Now comes the time for more context. What started the First Congo War? Honestly, to a certain extent we can view the First Congo War as an extension of the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide began in 1994 as a final culmination of ethnic tensions that were exacerbated by, first, German and the Belgian colonialism. See, Rwanda used to be a German colony, Rwanda was one of the nations that Germany got as part of the Scramble for Africa, but after World War 1, with the signing of the treaty of Versailles Germany was forced to give up all of its overseas colonies. Belgium gained control of Rwanda. Belgium maintained many of the systems of power and oppression that Germany had put into place, most notably the fact that they put the Tutsi ethnic group in positions of authority and disenfranchised the Hutu and Twa ethnic group. The Twa are the indigenous ethnic group of Rwanda, but by the time the Rwandan genocide occurred they were only about 1% of the population, about 85% were Hutu and the remaining 14% were Tutsi. Still, based on the indicators of European scientific racism and phrenology the Tutsi had more “European features” and so were considered superior to the Hutu ethnic group and placed, exclusively, in positions of authority. The sudden shift in power dynamics after Rwandan independence is what would lead to the Rwandan Genocide as Hutu supremacists decided to vent their fury on the Tutsi people. We won't go into any more detail than that for the Rwandan genocide. Suffice it to say that when it ended hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsi people had fled the nation of Rwanda to neighboring African countries, such as Zaire. Roughly 1.5 million ethnic Tutsi people wound up settling in Zaire. There were also about 1 million Hutu extremists in eastern Zaire who had fled the retaliation of the Rwandan Patriotic Front at the end of the Rwandan Civil War and the Rwandan Genocide. As mentioned previously, the First Congo War, also known as Africa's First World War can most simply be seen as an extension of the Rwandan Genocide. Zaire had been in decline since Mobutu gained power in 1965. He was a terrible leader and the average GDP of Zaire dropped by about 65% during his reign. Eastern Zaire was a region of massive instability that was only made worse by the number of Hutu extremists who fled to the region following the Rwandan Genocide. Rwanda, just fully, invaded Zaire in 1996 in order to put down various Hutu rebel groups that were extant in the region. These rebel groups were actively funded and supported by Mobutu's government leading to this war that lasted for some 6 months. It involved several African nations including Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Burundi, Zambia, ZImbabwe, South Sudan, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia, Chad, China, Israel, and Kuwait. Following the war Mobutu went into exile in the nation of Togo where he eventually died of prostate cancer in 1997. Zaire came under the rule of the communist aligned Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Kabila had heavy support from Rwandan, Burundian, and Ugandan forces during his rise to power in the form of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire. Kabila also came to be seen as an instrument of the foreign regimes that put him in power. To counter this image and increase domestic support, he began to turn against his allies abroad. This culminated in the expulsion of all foreign forces from the DRC on 26 July 1998. The states with armed forces still in the DRC begrudgingly complied although some of them saw this as undermining their interests, particularly Rwanda, which had hoped to install a proxy-regime in Kinshasa. Several factors that led to the First Congo War remained in place after Kabila's accession to power. Prominent among these were ethnic tensions in eastern DRC, where the government still had little control. There the historical animosities remained and the opinion that Banyamulenge, as well as all Tutsi, were foreigners was reinforced by the foreign occupation in their defence. Furthermore, Rwanda had not been able to satisfactorily address its security concerns. By forcibly repatriating refugees, Rwanda had imported the conflict. This manifested itself in the form of a predominantly Hutu insurgency in Rwanda's western provinces that was supported by extremist elements in eastern DRC. Without troops in the DRC, Rwanda was unable to successfully combat the insurgents. In the first days of August 1998, two brigades of the new Congolese army rebelled against the government and formed rebel groups that worked closely with Kigali and Kampala. This marked the beginning of the Second Congo War. The Second Congo War is generally considered to be the deadliest war since World War 2. Over the course of this war some 5.4 million excess deaths took place.  Now comes the time where I need to define what an excess death is. In epidemiology, the excess deaths or excess mortality is a measure of the increase in the number deaths during a time period and/or in a certain group, as compared to the expected value or statistical trend during a reference period (typically of five years) or in a reference population. It may typically be measured in percentage points, or in number of deaths per time unit. To put it more simply, disease, depravation, and starvation were so rampant during the Second Congo War that the overwhelming majority of deaths weren't caused directly by the fighting, but were caused by the residual damage of the fighting. The Second Congo War involved many of the same issues of the First Congo War. It would end with Laurent-Désiré Kabila assassinated in 2001 in his office by an 18 year old former child soldier. Laurent would be replaced as president by his son Joseph Kabila, who was elected unanimously by the Congolese parliament. To further highlight the complexity of the Congolese Wars, In April 2001, a UN panel of experts investigated the illegal exploitation of diamonds, cobalt, coltan, gold and other lucrative resources in the Congo. The report accused Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe of systematically exploiting Congolese resources and recommended the Security Council impose sanctions. All conflicts within Congolese territory will ultimately go back to economic exploitation and capitalist overreach. The Congo Basin is full of some of the most valuable natural resources that exist on the planet, and people will always be fighting over them. This leads us into the Kivu conflict. The Kivu conflict is an umbrella term for a series of protracted armed conflicts in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo which have occurred since the end of the Second Congo War. This includes, but is not limited to Effacer le tableau, which was a genocidal extermination campaign against the Mbuti Pygmy ethnic group. The Bambuti were targeted specifically as the rebels considered them "subhuman", and it was believed by the rebels that the flesh of the Bambuti held "magical powers". There were also reports of cannibalism being widespread. It is estimated 60,000 to 70,000 Pygmy were killed in the campaign, and over 100,000 more were displaced. There are more than 120 distinct rebel groups involved in the Kivu Conflict, including the March 23 Movement, which a UN report indicates was created by the Rwandan government in order to potentially take over the Congolese government. Conflict began in 2004 in the eastern Congo as an armed conflict between the military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and the Hutu Power group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has played a large role in the conflict. With 21,000 soldiers in the force, the Kivu conflict constitutes the largest peacekeeping mission currently in operation. In total, 93 peacekeepers have died in the region, with 15 dying in a large-scale attack by the Allied Democratic Forces, in North Kivu in December 2017. The peacekeeping force seeks to prevent escalation of force in the conflict, and minimise human rights abuses like sexual assault and the use of child soldiers in the conflict. In 2007 and 2008, in several news and TV reports, the BBC published own evidence about Pakistani MONUC peacekeepers in Mongbwalu had entered in a gold-for-guns trading relationship with Nationalist and Integrationist Front (FNI) militia leaders, eventually drawing Congolese army officers and Indian traders from Kenya into the deal. Following its own investigations, the UN concluded that there was no involvement of Pakistani peacekeeper in any such trade relationship. Namely Human Rights Watch harshly criticized the UN for the way it handled the investigation, providing detailed information from several UN documents, arguing that serious allegations of wrongdoing by Pakistani peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo were ignored, minimized or shelved by the UN's Organization of Internal Oversight Services. MONUC officials say nothing of substance about mining in Congo, which proceeds in parallel with the bloodletting, arms trading and extortion. For example, Anvil Mining has been involved in massacres in DRC. Anvil directors include former U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Brown, who served at U.S. embassies in Brussels, Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville and South Africa. Brown was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa (1987–1989) under George Shultz and George H.W. Bush and Director of Central African Affairs (1980–1981). Interestingly, Brown succeeded William Lacy Swing—head of MONUC in DRC—as Ambassador to the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). Meanwhile, the former top internal intelligence and security chief of the United Nations Observer's Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) has been worked for Anvil mining in Katanga since 2006. There have been numerous cases of sexual misconduct by UN peacekeeping forces in the Congo. This has been acknowledged by the UN itself (such as the letter of 24 March 2005 from the Secretary-General to the President of the General Assembly). So, basically foreign powers both within Africa and outside of it are actively fighting within the Congo Basin in order to secure control of the vast amount of natural resources that exist within the nation. The DRC currently produces about 70% of the world's cobalt, and 80% of the cobalt mines in the DRC are owned by China. The leading use of cobalt in modern technology is in rechargeable batteries. So your cell phone battery, your laptop batteries, any kind of rechargeable battery you have is likely created using Congolese cobalt, which is a direct cause of the millions of deaths and displacements that are occuring in the DRC.  The DRC is, effectively, the site of a capitalist proxy war as the region is fought over by foreign governments and local rebel groups for control over Congolese natural resources. No one in Europe or the US would even begin to care about an African country if it wasn't for the battery technology resources that are so abundant in the region. Between 1885 and today it is, very easy, to say that roughly 20 million people have been killed by capitalist excess and exploitation.  We can, absolutely call what is happening in the DRC a genocide, though it can be difficult to always pinpoint who, exactly are the victims. Broadly speaking the victims are the Congolese people, all of them, who are being killed over a desire to control the cobalt mines. This has gone far beyond simple ethnic conflict between Hutu and Tutsi, though that conflict, which is still ongoing, definitely added to the fire. This is a genocide of the people of the DRC by capitalism itself. Capitalism has always been, and will always be an inherently genocidal institution. It craves the acquisition of individual wealth at the expense of the working class. You cannot have a system predicated on infinite growth within a closed system. Capitalism will always require that resources and wealth be stolen from people who need them. And when so much of our wealth is tied up in food, water, and housing, the theft of those resources from the working class will lead to our deaths. For the past century and a half the Congo Basin has been subjected to genocide after genocide in the name of capitalism. What is happening right now is only an extension of that, though made far more complicated by the literal hundreds of competing groups and the lack of any international will to see peace achieved. That's it for this week folks. No new reviews, so let's get right into the outro. Have a Day! w/ The History Wizard is brought to you by me, The History Wizard. If you want to see/hear more of me you can find me on Tiktok @thehistorywizard or on Instagram @the_history_wizard. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to Have a Day! On your pod catcher of choice. The more you do, the more people will be able to listen and learn along with you. Thank you  for sticking around until the end and, as always, Have a Day, and Free Congo.    

In this special episode, His Excellency Timothy Musa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, shares insights into his country's key priorities during its current tenure on the Security Council. 54 years ago, Sierra Leone was elected to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for the first time, serving a two-year mandate from 1970 to 1971. Now, Sierra Leone returns to the Security Council for the 2024-2025 term after enduring a decade of civil war and embarking on a 20-year journey of post-war reconstruction. This period included the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeeping force, which played a pivotal role in facilitating the end of the conflict. In this special episode, His Excellency Timothy Musa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, shares insights into his country's key priorities during its current tenure on the Security Council. He explores how these priorities align with broader objectives for the African continent and reflects on the lessons learned from Sierra Leone's own post-conflict reconstruction efforts.  Related content Democracy in Sierra Leone and Liberia Africa Aware: Reflections on Sierra Leone's peace process

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

Conflict and coverage - why some conflicts dominate headlines for months, then suddenly get ignored    

The episode was recorded on 29 January 2024. In this episode, we discuss the changing international order and areas where these changes appear the most consequential. We talk about the potential role of the UN in a multipolar international system and why it remains an important global actor despite the ongoing stalemate in the Security Council. We also look at international human rights and humanitarian law from a legal perspective, delving into the political interpretations that human rights are subject to in different national contexts. The discussion highlights China in particular, as both its global ambitions and its reluctance to act in certain conflicts have a significant bearing on the wider world. We also turn to the war in Gaza, discussing the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice on the genocide case against Israel, and we also consider the implications of the changing global order for the EU. Providing a wide survey of ongoing geopolitical developments, this episode seeks to underscore the consequences of an evolving international system. Guests: Angela Kane assumed the position of Vice President of the IIP in 2016. She holds a number of other functions: Visiting Professor and Member of the Strategic Committee at the Paris School of International Affairs (SciencesPo), Visiting Professor at the Tsinghua University Schwarzman Scholars in Beijing, and Chair of the United Nations University Council. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. Kane has served in many positions during her career at the United Nations. Until mid-2015, she served as the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. Between May 2008 and 2012, she was Under-Secretary-General for Management. She served twice in the Department for Political Affairs, as Assistant Secretary-General and previously as Director. She supported several special political missions in Iraq, Nepal and the Middle East, and established the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. Her field experience includes Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), a special assignment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and multi-year postings in Indonesia and Thailand. Ralph Janik teaches international law at Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, the University of Vienna, Andrassy University Budapest, and Universität der Bundeswehr München. His research focuses on armed conflicts, human rights, and the interplay of international law and international relations. He studied law and political science at the University of Vienna and the Universidad Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), followed by an LL.M. in European and International Law at the University of Amsterdam. Moderation: Marylia Hushcha, Researcher and Project Manager at the IIP

General Birame Diop is the Military Advisor to the Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations. General Diop has over 30 years of military experience, previously serving as Chief of the Defence Staff of the Senegalese Armed Forces. He has also served as National Security Advisor to the President of Senegal and Air Force Chief of Staff. He has also served as Deputy and Chief Air operations with United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) from 2002 to 2003. General Diop is a graduate of the Royal Air Academy in Morocco, of the Air University in the United States of America, and from the French War College.

On Daybreak Africa: Raila Odinga, the leader of the main opposition party, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya, has called for a new anti-government protest Friday. The demonstration coincides with the formation of Saba Saba, or the July 7th Movement, against one-party rule in Kenya 33 years ago. Odinga says Friday's protest will be about government taxation without the consent of the people. Plus, Nigeria's electoral body begins a review of controversial elections amid court challenges. Anticipation builds in Liberia for Monday's speech by provocative political commentator and radio talk show host on the 2023 elections. The head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan says the country is not ready for the 2024 elections.For this and more tune to Daybreak Africa!

Order my first book 'Build, Don't Talk' here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu--------------In today's episode of Figuring Out, Raj is in conversation with IPS Ravinder Singal, the Additional Director General of Police. Apart from his public servant profile, he's also an Endurance athlete and the only bureaucrat to have finished the Ironman Triathlon at the age of 50! IPS Singal is known to have managed the Kumbh Mela of 2003 by himself and has also served as the Chief of the War Crimes Investigation Unit at United Nations Mission, Kosovo and also handled various national missions. He's also a motivational speaker & a writer and is actively associated with the Cyber Crime Awareness programmes in the country. IPS shares with us his experience of serving the country and sheds light on the current crime scene of India. He expresses his concerns over the movies ruining the image of Indian Police and gives a directive on how couples can be more aware in order to not fall prey to crimes related to live-in relationships.  To learn more about how India deals with crime, Law & order, watch the video till the end! -------------------------

Alfred Orono's childhood came to an abrupt end when he was recruited as a soldier in Uganda, when he was just 11 years old. Now Chief of Child Protection at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), he draws on his own experience as a child soldier to help young people find a peaceful way forward. “I work with children who, when I look at them, I know exactly what's going on in their minds. I know how they feel. And I'm part of the solution to their problems.” Every year, thousands of children are recruited by warring parties around the world. Yet their troubles rarely end after the conflict is over. Having suffered violence, abuse, and exploitation, many struggle to rebuild their lives. In this episode, Alfred Orono reflects on his own experience, the hope it gives to former child soldiers, and on living life without regrets.

**Secretary-General's TravelThe Secretary-General is in Lviv, where he has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The two were later joined by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a trilateral meeting. In his remarks to the press just now, the Secretary-General reiterated that the United Nations will go on working in full solidarity with the Ukrainian people to mobilize all of our capacities and resources — alongside our national partners — to continue to provide humanitarian support to people in need, wherever it is required. He also underscored that the positive momentum on the food front reflects a victory for diplomacy and for multilateralism. Getting food and fertilizer out of Ukraine and Russia in larger quantities is crucial to further calm commodity markets and lower prices, Mr. [António] Guterres said. “It is essential to provide relief to the most vulnerable people and countries,” he added.The Secretary-General said he had discussed the investigation of the tragic incident in a detention facility in Olenivka on 29 July. In relation to that, he announced that he intends to appoint General Carlos dos Santos Cruz of Brazil to lead a fact-finding mission. In order for the mission to work, he told the press, it needs to have the necessary assurances to guarantee secure access to the site and any other relevant locations. To put it simply, the Secretary-General said, a fact-finding mission must be free to find the facts. And we just put out the transcript of his press remarks.The Secretary-General arrived in Lviv yesterday evening, and, earlier today, he briefly visited the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. In speaking to reporters afterwards, the Secretary-General noted the links between the United Nations and the university, adding that today, the contributions of civil society and of academia are increasingly essential in the development of modern democracies.**UkraineStaying in Ukraine: We, along with our humanitarian partners, yesterday delivered 60 tons of critical supplies in Zaporizka oblast to help meet the most immediate needs of nearly 6,000 people who remain in the Orikhiv settlement, only 6 kilometres from the front line. The nine-truck humanitarian convoy brought food, water, hygiene kits, health supplies, shelter kits and relief items to help people stay warm in the cold season ahead. Our humanitarian colleagues note that this is the first convoy to reach this severely affected area since the war began. Across Ukraine, aid workers have provided life-saving assistance to nearly 12 million people affected by the war since February. However, assistance remains limited in areas beyond the control of the Ukrainian Government.**AfghanistanThe United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today said that it deplores yesterday's attack on a Kabul Mosque, the latest in a disturbing series of bombings which have killed and injured more than 250 people in recent weeks, the highest monthly number of civilian casualties over the last year. The United Nations Mission noted that scores of civilians were killed and injured in Wednesday's attack. UNAMA extended its deepest sympathies to the families of the killed and a speedy recovery to the injured. With security deteriorating, the UN calls on the de facto Taliban authorities to take concrete steps to prevent all forms of terrorism in Afghanistan. The United Nations Mission stressed that vulnerable communities should be provided additional support and perpetrators brought to justice.**ArmeniaThe Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries caused by the explosion in a warehouse in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Sunday, 14 August. He extends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Armenia. He wishes the injured a speedy recovery. The United Nations stands by the people of Armenia during this period of mourning.**SyriaTurning to Syria, the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator there, Imran Riza, yesterday concluded a four-day mission to the north-eastern Al Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa Governorates. Mr. Riza warned in a statement today that north-east Syria is facing a severe water crisis - from drinking water to water for irrigation, food production, and power generation – impacting people's health and livelihoods. He said that the UN, working with all parties concerned, is committed to address this crisis. Mr. Riza also visited several camps for internally displaced persons and called for sustained access to services to help affected families in and out of camps break the cycles of poverty and crisis so they can live their lives in dignity. He expressed concern about the increasing levels of violence in Al Hol camp. This year alone, at least 26 people, including three this week, have been murdered in the camp. Twenty of those murdered were women.**HaitiIn Haiti, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says that one year after the devastating earthquake that struck the south-western part of the country, more than 250,000 children do not have access to adequate schools. Reconstruction has been delayed by insecurity and lack of funds and may take years to complete. Despite a challenging environment and limited funding, UNICEF has rebuilt or rehabilitated 234 classrooms. The agency has also provided school kits to 74,000 students. Additionally, almost 100 high performance tents were installed in damaged schools. UNICEF has also repaired 22 drinking water systems reaching 440,000 people. It also provided 23,000 hygiene kits to 121,000 people. At the end of last year, UNICEF requested $97 million through the 2022 Humanitarian Appeal for Children to reach 950,000 people, including 520,000 children in Haiti. To date, UNICEF has only received 30 per cent of the funding needed. The agency is asking for $64.6 million in urgent funding to continue helping the most vulnerable.**ComorosIn Comoros, our team, led by Resident Coordinator François Batalingaya, says there has been progress on COVID-19 vaccinations. Now, over 70 per cent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated, following a month-long national campaign, led by health authorities with the support of the UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, our joint efforts helped the authorities vaccinate nearly half of the entire population. As a result, Comoros is now among the top ten African countries with a high percentage of fully vaccinated people. This success is also attributed to a gender-based community engagement co-led by WHO and UNICEF to involve training nearly 200 women and 140 young journalists in vaccination promotion for youth and early screening.**MadagascarAnd the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that three consecutive years of severe drought in the Grand Sud of Madagascar have led to the country's worst food crisis in the last 20 years, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of already poor populations. Despite humanitarian interventions, FAO said that the outcome of the main agricultural season in 2021 was low due to reduced cultivated areas linked to limited access to agricultural inputs and the delayed onset of rains. FAO notes that the situation was worsened by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.**Financial ContributionAnd last, I am happy to report a fresh contribution to the regular budget. Today it comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we thank our friends in Kinshasa. DRC's payment takes us to 117 fully paid-up Member States. And with that, I'm open to your questions.

Health officials in South Sudan report an increase in meningitis cases in Northern Bahr al Ghazal State; A new report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) says cases of conflict-related sexual violence more than doubled between January and March compared to the same period last year; Authorities in Warrap State say calm has returned to the area following deadly fighting which left 21 people killed and more than a dozen injured in Gogrial East County on Sunday.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has hailed recent progress made by the parties to the revitalized peace agreement in unifying the command of security agencies; Authorities in the Abyei Special Administrative Area say dozens of civilians were killed and many others injured after a group of suspected armed Misseriya men from neighboring Sudan attacked the area.

The U.S. Statement Department warns that it will continue to impose punitive measures on leaders who are perpetuating the conflict in South Sudan; The African Union, IGAD, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission have joined other leaders in appealing for calm and urging South Sudanese leaders to pursue dialogue and complete implementing the revitalized peace agreement, The SPLM- IO says it has submitted a number of recommendations to the Sudanese leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that would pave the way for a smooth implementation of security arrangements in South Sudan.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission are urging partners in the unity government to respect the peace agreement; The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has wrapped up a three-day training for journalists from east Africa's Djibouti, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda on disinformation and countering violent extremism

The South Sudan minister for East African Affairs, Deng Alor Kuol, has come under criticism for persistent failure to attend sittings at the East African Legislative Assembly; The United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the World Food Program are condemning a recent ambush of an interagency UN convoy carrying food and nutrition assistance in Jonglei State; The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) is expressing concern about the impact of conflict and climate change on human mobility in South Sudan

A new report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan says violence against civilians saw a 42 per cent reduction in 2021 compared with the year before; Civil society activists and residents in South Sudan's capital Juba have welcomed a decision by South Sudan's presidency to graduate some 50, 000 unified forces in a week's time; authorities in Aweil North County of South Sudan's Northern Bahr el Ghazal State are urging area residents to live in peace and share available resources with nomads from neighboring Sudan who migrated to the area recently

A member of the Canadian Armed Forces, Chief Warrant Officer Dominique Geoffroy enlisted in 1987, and went on to serve on deployments around the world, including a United Nations Mission to Haiti in 1997.

Raza Rumi joins us on this deep dive podcast to discuss why he had to leave Pakistan, the shrinking space for Journalism in the country, how digital journalism is changing the landscape, the philosophy behind Naya Daur, new media and nation building. What do we need to do to build a Pakistani state? Should journalists be scared of the new laws? What is the role of journalism? Find out this, and more on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience. The Pakistan Experience is an independently run podcast. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tinder. https://www.facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ https://twitter.com/shehzad89 Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Pakistani writer and a public policy specialist currently based in Ithaca, USA. He is the Director, Park Center for Independent Media, Ithaca College and has been teaching in Journalism department since 2015. He is also visiting faculty at Cornell Institute for Public Affairs and teaches courses in international development and public policy. Earlier, Raza was a global faculty fellow at the Gallatin School, New York University (Spring 2016). Raza was a fellow at New America Foundation (2014); United States Institute of Peace (Sept 2014-March 2015), a fellow at National Endowment for Democracy (summer 2016); and currently a member of Think Tank at Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown University. He is also a senior fellow at the Jinnah Institute in Islamabad. In recent years, Raza founded a digital media platform NayaDaur Media in collaboration with Pakistani diaspora in the United States. It is a bilingual multimedia portal with a Youtube channel. From 2017-2019, Raza was also the editor of Pakistan's national newspaper Daily Times. From 2005-2017, he was affiliated with weekly The Friday Times in various editorial positions. Raza was also a commentator and a current affairs talk show host in Pakistan and was affiliated with the Express TV, Pakistan before he left Pakistan in 2014. He contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, Huffington Post, New York Times, The Diplomat, Fair Observer, CNN and Al Jazeera, Daily O, Scroll India, The Hindu and Indian Express. His columns for the Express Tribune can be accessed here. Prior to his foray in journalism, Raza worked as a governance and capacity development specialist for the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Pakistan, a number of Pakistani nongovernmental organizations, and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. He has also been an academic adviser to the Network of Asia Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance (NAPSIPAG); a public policy adviser to LEAD Pakistan, a nonprofit focused on sustainable development; and was an advisory board member of both the ASR Resource Centre and the South Asian Institute of Women's Studies in Lahore. As a freelance policy professional/consultant he continues to advise international development organizations, governments and NGOs. Books: He is also the author of Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler (Harper Collins, 2013); The Fractious Path: Pakistan's Democratic Transition (2016); Identity, Faith and Conflict: Essays on Pakistan & Beyond (2017); and Being Pakistani–Essays on Arts, Culture & Society (2018).

Please join host Amir Oren for an interview with Minister for Jewish Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai, who is likely Israel's foremost authority on military-media relations. If this issue has four or five angles to it, Shai has seen it from six. Prior to entering politics, then-Brigadier General Shai was a member of the General Staff when he was appointed IDF Spokesperson, best known for calming a concerned nation during a barrage of Iraqi missile fire on Israel in the 1991 First Gulf War. Shai has also served as a combat correspondent, Spokesman for Israel's United Nations Mission and Washington Embassy, Media Advisor to Defense Ministers Moshe Arens and Yitzhak Rabin, Head of IDF Radio, abroadcast executive, Visiting Professor at two of America's best universities, as well as the author of a book and PhD thesis on the media-military nexus. You are welcome to join our audience and watch all of our programs - free of charge! TV7 Israel News: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/563/ Jerusalem Studio: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/18738/ TV7 Israel News Editor's Note: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/76269/ TV7 Israel: Watchmen Talk: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/76256/ Jerusalem Prays: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/135790/ TV7's Times Observer: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/97531/ TV7's Middle East Review: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/997755/ My Brother's Keeper: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/53719/ This week in 60 seconds: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/123456/ Those who wish can send prayer requests to TV7 Israel News in the following ways: Facebook Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/tv7israelnews Email: israelnews@tv7.fi Please be sure to mention your first name and country of residence. Any attached videos should not exceed 20 seconds in duration. #IsraelNews #tv7israelnews #newsupdates Rally behind our vision - https://www.tv7israelnews.com/donate/ To purchase TV7 Israel News merchandise: https://teespring.com/stores/tv7-israel-news-store Live view of Jerusalem - https://www.tv7israelnews.com/jerusalem-live-feed/ Visit our website - http://www.tv7israelnews.com/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/tv7israelnews Like TV7 Israel News on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tv7israelnews Follow TV7 Israel News on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tv7israelnews/ Follow TV7 Israel News on Twitter - https://twitter.com/tv7israelnews

For show notes, visit https://calwalters.me/  It is an honor and pleasure to welcome back Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert Caslen, who recently served as the 29th President of the University of South Carolina. On this episode, General Caslen discusses his time at the University of South Carolina and recent controversy surrounding a speech he made at their graduation ceremony. General Caslen served 43 years in the United States Army. His military career culminated in 2018 as the 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Under his direction as Superintendent, West Point was recognized as the number one public college in the Nation by Forbes Magazine and the number one public college by U.S. News and World Report. Through the establishment of Centers of Excellence at West Point, General Caslen connected the operational Army with West Point research and intellectual capital. He refined West Point's leadership program by making professional ethics a priority and essential part of leadership and character development. He worked tirelessly to expand the diversity of cadets and faculty alike, and he dramatically expanded West Point's minority and women populations to reflect the demographics of the Army that West Point's graduates help lead. Working with the Director of Athletics, he revamped the athletic program, made it self-sustaining, and fielded 25 competitive intercollegiate teams. He created partnerships with the NCAA and Department of Defense to conduct research into preventing and treating concussions and traumatic brain injury that have led to significant improvements in prevention and care. He stood up the Army Cyber Institute to build expertise and Army leaders prepared for the new cyber fight. And, fulfilling a pledge he made soon after becoming Superintendent, he led a sweeping reversal of Army's football program and developed a culture of excellence through winning with character, culminating in Army defeating Navy in 2016 for the first time in 14 years, and beating both Air Force and Navy in 2017 to win the Commander-in-Chief's trophy for the first time in 21 years. Before becoming the West Point Superintendent, General Caslen served as the Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, where he served as the senior military commander in Iraq after the drawdown of U.S. and allied forces in 2011. Caslen held several other notable positions including commanding general of Multi National Division-North during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Chief of Staff of both the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) and the 10th Mountain Division, where he also served as the Division's Chief of Staff during Operation Enduring Freedom. He also has served in combat and overseas deployments in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras, and Operation Uphold Democracy and the United Nations Mission in Haiti. Connect with Lieutenant General (Ret.) Caslen on his website or follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter

Today marks the 10 years since South Sudan gained independence. It's a significant anniversary for the world's youngest country, but one which is mired by instability, corruption and one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. UNICEF say two-thirds of children in South Sudan, are in desperate need of support - the child mortality rate is among the highest in the world with one in 10 children not expected to reach their fifth birthday. Former MP David Shearer returned to New Zealand earlier this year, after spending four years in South Sudan as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the United Nations Mission. He spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Today marks the 10 years since South Sudan gained independence. It's a significant anniversary for the world's youngest country, but one which is mired by instability, corruption and one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. UNICEF say two-thirds of children in South Sudan, are in desperate need of support - the child mortality rate is among the highest in the world with one in 10 children not expected to reach their fifth birthday. Former MP David Shearer returned to New Zealand earlier this year, after spending four years in South Sudan as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the United Nations Mission. He spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Nicholas Haysom is Special Representation of the Secretary General to South Sudan, and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. In this episode, we discuss the roles peacekeepers play in the protection of women's rights. From being Chief Legal and Constitutional Adviser to Late President Nelson Mandela, with whom he worked again during the Burundi Peace Talks, to his work in Sudan and more recently South Sudan. SRSG Haysom shares his reflections, insights, and expertise.

My guest today is Anna Di Lellio, a sociologist and policy analyst with a broad range of interests and experience, from American politics and culture to nationalism, security and state building in the Balkans. Her research and publications focus on Kosovo, where she worked for years, as spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Program during the 1999 NATO intervention; Media Commissioner under the aegis of the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); research analyst and advisor on the Kosovo Liberation Army program of reintegration for the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo; and political adviser to the Prime Minister. She is also the co-founder of the Kosovo Oral History Initiative (KOHI) in cooperation with the Kosova Women’s Network and she coordinates the project. KOHI is a multi- lingual and multi-media virtual archive of Kosovo history that is easily accessible to the public. It focuses on individual life stories that, since Kosovo’s history has either been unrecorded or trapped in ideological narratives, provide the micro-knowledge that maps and demystifies the construction of mythologizing identities that support those narratives. In January 2015, KOHI has been awarded a grant by the National Endowment for Democracy in support of the Initiative’s work on strengthening inter-ethnic understanding and cooperation, as well as promoting human rights education. Professor Di Lellio teaches in New York at the Graduate Program in International Relations, The New School for Public Engagement, and at the International Relations Program of New York University. She is the editor of The Case for Kosova: Passage to Independence (Anthem, 2006), and the author of The Battle of Kosovo 1389: An Albanian Epic (I.B. Tauris, 2009). In 2015 she was awarded the Kosovo Presidential Medal of Merit by President Atifete Jahjaga for her contributions to the nation in the field of culture. In this episode, we discuss the Kosovo-Serbia conflict: what the background of the conflict is, what could potentially come out of the US-brokered negotiations scheduled for later this week, and the prospect of both countries for joining the European Union.

About the lecture: In this lecture, Dr. Sara Vakhshouri will discuss the fundamentals and changes in the energy market, and Mr. C. Derek Campbell will talk about physical security of energy infrastructure and cyber security. This lecture will cover themes from Dr. Vakhshouri's IWP course on “Energy Security and the New Geopolitics of Energy.” The course focuses on the transformation of energy use over the past century and on expanding our understanding of today's concepts of energy and how they fit within the rubric of national security. About the Speakers: C. Derek Campbell is the Chief Executive Officer of Energy & Natural Resource Security, Inc., an international security company providing “best-inclass” physical and cyber risk mitigation solutions for Critical Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resource assets. In this role, he leads the strategic engagements of the company and directs the development of all market entry strategies. In the public sector, during 2016, Derek served as a Special Security Advisor for the U.S. Special Envoy's Office on South Sudan, where he lead the South Sudanese Ministry of Interior in the development and implementation of the Joint Operations Center(JOC) which is charged with de-militarizing and establishing police primacy for security in the capital city of Juba, South Sudan. As a United States Marine Officer, Derek served as the Marine Liaison Officer to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) where he oversaw all Marine Corps Counter-Threat initiatives: CounterDrone/Counter-UAS, Counter-IED, Counter-Tunnel and the like from 2016 to 2019. From 2014 to 2015, Derek served as the Chief of Military Plans for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) – a Chapter VII Peace Enforcement Mission. Derek is a regular on the international Oil & Gas/Energy speaking circuit speaking as an authority on topics such as Energy Security and the Extractive Industry geo-political and market dynamics in Africa. Dr. Sara Vakhshouri is founder and president of SVB Energy International, a strategic energy consulting firm with offices in Washington DC and Dubai. Dr. Vakhshouri has about two decades of experience of working in the energy industry with an extensive experience in global energy market studies, energy strategy, energy security and geopolitical risk. She has consulted numerous governments, public and private entities, and international organizations like IMF & World Bank. She is also member of the Energy Task Force of the Cyprus Climate Initiative which was launched and initiated by the President of the Republic of Cyprus. She is also Professor of Energy Security at the Institute of World Politics. Dr. Vakhshouri has been a keynote speaker at prestigious energy conferences including the World Energy Congress, Chatham House Middle East & Energy Conference, Platts Oil and Middle East conferences and the Global LNG Congress. She has also been a keynote speaker at Duke University, Sciences Po university in Paris and Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Vakhshouri is frequently quoted and has appeared on Bloomberg, the BBC, The Financial Times, Reuters, Platts, The Wall Street Journal, Energy Intelligence, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post and Voice of America. She is the author of The Marketing and Sale of Iranian Export Crude Oil since the Islamic Revolution. Dr. Vakhshouri has a PhD in Energy Security and Middle Eastern Studies. She has an MA in Business Management (International Marketing) and another MA in International Relations. She has been a Senior Energy Fellow at the Atlantic Council and at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Dr. Vakhshouri has also experience of working in both public and private sectors of the Iranian energy industry.

#ManagingChange is a series of online webcasts by SpeakIn that brings you the top #experts to guide on how to get through this #COVID-19 phase. In this webinar, we have Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda talkning about how to battle with the COVID 19 pandemic and maintain a balance along with stability during these times. Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda is the former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian army's Northern Command. The General Officer was the Northern Army Commander during the 'surgical strike' in September 2016. He is most prominently known for his views on Kashmir with a strong emphasis on human rights. With a career spanning forty years, he has served on both the Northern and Eastern borders of India. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishist Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal (Bar). He has also served on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea for which he was awarded the UNMEE Medal.

Lest We Forget. Lieutenant-Colonel Bruno Plourde was born in Lévis, Quebec. He join the Army Reserve with the Régiment de la Chaudière in 1980 as an infantryman and commissioned in 1983. During his service, he represented Canada at the NATO Military Pentathlon Competition of the Allied Confederacy of Officers of the Reserve (CIOR). He successively deployed in CFB Goose Bay Protection Company as part of the OP UNIQUE, in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2001 as SFOR Senior Regional Liaison and Disarmament Officer with the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2004 Chief of Staff - Sector 2 in Kisangani to the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and 2008/2009 as in the dual role of NATO Regional Command (South) Liaison Officer with the Afghanistan National Security Forces and Deputy commander of the Regional Police Advisory Command -South (OP ENDURING FREEDOM). When not deployed, he served, on full time service, in various junior and senior staff officer appointments, mainly in operations, planning and institutional transformation in Brigade and Divisional Headquarters from 1989 to 2017. Lieutenant-Colonel Plourde commanded the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada from November 2009 to May 2013 and the 2nd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group from December 2013 to March 2017. He came back to the Black Watch for a second assignment in September 2017. In his civilian employment, he is the Director General of Maison Bieler, a non-for-profit organization that provides transition housing and reintegration support for Military Veterans in need. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/vozwin/support

The western African nation of Liberia underwent a period of significant unrest and violent beginning with a military coup in 1980 and culminated with a very bloody civil war in 2003, which saw the ouster and exile of an autocratic leader. Under watch of the United Nations Mission to Liberia, the nation successfully transitioned to democratic rule, signified by the free and fair election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in 2005. In the years that followed, the U.S. assisted in the demobilization of the old Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the establishment of a new AFL, operating under civilian rule, by 2010. So what has transpired since? Is the new AFL operating as a professional force similar to the U.S.? To what extent does it contribute to enduring peace in Liberia at home and to international peace efforts elsewhere? These and many other topics are explored in this special episode where we welcome Lieutenant Colonel Roland Murphy of the Liberian Armed Forces who provides an insiders' view of the AFL's professionalization. These may inform future U.S. efforts to build partner capacity in other nations. U.S. Army War College Director of African Studies Chris Wyatt moderates. A lot of neighbors in our subregion were skeptical of Liberia, so after the new Armed Forces of Liberia were formed, they were watching carefully. The story is different now. Roland Murphy is a lieutenant colonel in the Liberian Army, a member of the 2nd Cohort of the new Armed Forces of Liberia, and an International Fellow of the U.S. Army War College resident class of 2020. Chris Wyatt is a colonel in the U.S. Army and the Director of African Studies at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf inspecting AFL soldiers on board USS Fort McHenry in 2008 Photo Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Elizabeth Merriam

Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen Jr. served in the U.S. Army for 43 years, and he retired in 2018 as the 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He talks with Jim and Jan about the responsibility that came with his role as superintendent. They also discuss diversity in leadership, winning in a complex world, the role ethics and character play in leadership, and his fondness for the new generation of leaders.  Under his direction as Superintendent, the Academy was recognized as the number one public college in the Nation by Forbes Magazine and the number one public college by U.S. News and World Report.   Key Takeaways [3:18] Yes, Lt. Caslen really did kill a deer by drowning it.   [9:08] Lt. Caslen’s role as the 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point gave him an opportunity to make an impact on the next generation of leaders. He saw it as one of the best opportunities to build a legacy of future leaders in the military and in their communities. [12:06] It is important for leaders to make everyone feel valuable and to be sensitive to policies that polarize or discriminate.    [16:21] Great leaders are equipped to lead diverse organizations. They develop future leaders that recognize others as a valued member of the team. Lt. Caslen believes in everyone having the opportunity to serve, regardless of ethnicity, sexual preference or gender. [20:29] Before becoming the West Point Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Caslen served as the chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, where he served as the senior military commander in Iraq after the drawdown of U.S. and allied forces in 2011.  He also has served in combat and overseas deployments in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, JTF-B in Honduras, and Operation Uphold Democracy and the United Nations Mission in Haiti. [24:22] The most important element of leadership is trust. When we lead with competence and character, those around trust us and our actions match our words. [26:03] When you are engaged, empowered, and energetic, it shows others you care. [28:31] Leaders must understand the complex nature of their battlefield, and also possess the interpersonal skills to develop relationships that support others. [32:17] Great leaders should be on the edge of seeing how technology will affect our future, and also empower others by underwriting the risks of making mistakes. [37:37] Whether we are leading big organizations or individuals, savvy leaders respond to compromising situations to the best of their abilities and their values consistently remain in tact. [46:17] The next generation continues to inspire Lt. Caslen. [48:18] Lt. Caslen’s challenge to us: Be more engaged, and live a life of constant learning, as it enables us to continue to give back. The more senior you are, the more opportunity you have to give back.   Quotes “Perseverance is persistence.” “When you find a way to bring people together, they feel good in your presence.” “The first lesson of leadership was to learn how to follow.” “Trust is a function of competence and character.” “We have to have character internalized 24 hours a day, and I think that’s how it ought to be for all of us.” “Let’s live a life that has our values internalized.” The Speed of Trust Twitter | Facebook | Website

In this podcast, Stan and Mike talk with Gary Eastridge, Critical Response Coordinator and Affiliate manager for CCW Safe.   Gary is a retired law enforcement officer. He started with the Oklahoma City Police Department in February 1979 retiring in 2000 as an Inspector in the Homicide Unit. Gary also served as a department firearms instructor after receiving his CLEET certification in 1986. After retirement he worked as a police officer with the International Police Task Force (IPTF) in support of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Gary worked homicides with counterparts from 53 nations as well as mentoring local Police officers. Gary was named Chief Investigator for the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office in January of 2007 where he served until his retirement in April of 2017 to accept his position with CCW Safe. He reviewed all officer involved shootings occurring in Oklahoma County as well as in custody deaths and other significant and high profile investigations / prosecutions. Gary is helping head up our new HR218 plans, along with Mike and Stan.  Full transcription: Speaker 1: 00:01 Welcome to the inside. CCWSAFE podcast with founders, Stan Campbell and Mike Darter. If you're forced to fight the battle for your life, CCWCSAFE will fight the battle for your future. Mike Darter: 00:22 Welcome to the inside CCWSAFE podcast, I'm Mike Darter in Oklahoma City. Stan Campbell: 00:27 I'm Stan Campbell in California right now. Mike Darter: 00:31 And we got Gary. Gary: 00:33 Hey guys. Mike Darter: 00:34 Gary's also in Oklahoma City. Stan Campbell: 00:37 That's right. Mike Darter: 00:38 So we normally do a weather report. I want to hear this, Stan? Is it nice out there? Stan Campbell: 00:42 It really is kind of nice today. Mike Darter: 00:45 You suck. Stan Campbell: 00:46 It's like, it's like 68 degrees. It's kind of beautiful. Mike Darter: 00:49 It's such a ... It's not bad here. Stan Campbell: 00:52 Yeah. You know how it is though, but you know. Mike Darter: 00:55 Yeah, yeah. Stan Campbell: 00:56 Yeah. Mike Darter: 00:59 What's been going on with you two, anything new on the CCWSAFE front, you guys? Stan Campbell: 01:06 Well, we are, I mean, we're just all over the place. You know, we've been dealing with our awesome new clients over there in New York. Gary and I had been helping the NYPD retire guys in joining and welcoming them to the family. So we're real happy about that. And we have ladies day is coming up, right Gary? Ladies days coming up this next month. And that's in Orlando- Gary: 01:37 A little over two weeks. Stan Campbell: 01:39 That's right in Orlando, so if you guys are in Orlando area, make sure you stop by and see me at Gary because we'll be there with the ladies. We always sponsored that event, it's an awesome event there. And so I think something about 500 women show up. Mike Darter: 01:53 Wow. Stan Campbell: 01:54 You know, for safety and concealed carry classes, a little bit of everything, right Gary? Gary: 01:59 Yeah. Mike Darter: 02:00 Now, where is that at? Gary: 02:03 It's at the Central Florida Rifle Pistol Club in Orlando. Just outside of Orlando, Florida. Good group. This is what, the fourth year I've think you've, we've been going down there. Stan Campbell: 02:14 Yeah. We're pretty much their main sponsors and we understand the importance of supporting women in the industry. You know, female carriers, the numbers are going up and we welcome them with open arms so we make sure we get down there and support all of our affiliates down there. Mike Darter: 02:36 That's cool. Then we also have the police week coming up as well in May. Stan Campbell: 02:42 Yeah, police week. Yep. Mike Darter: 02:44 What date is that? Stan Campbell: 02:45 What's the dates, Gary? Gary: 02:46 May 12th through May 16th. I just worked out my calendar up there on the white board, which is now full. The next about six weeks we're going to be really busy. Stan Campbell: 03:00 That's right. Mike Darter: 03:02 All right. So if you're going to be out in a police would come by and see us. We're going to have some pretty, some kind of cool stuff to give out there. Stan Campbell: 03:09 That's correct. And then also myself, you, and Gary, we're going to be in California supporting Unite Inland Empire 2019 Conservative Conference. So we'll be out there. There's about thousand in attendance out there. It's being sponsored by AM590, The Answer. Those guys, they, we really help them out. They help us out. You know, we partner a lot. You got Phil with Firing Line radio show. I've been on there several times myself, Mike, our entire crew, I've had the opportunity to cohost, I have the opportunity to stand in as a host there on the radio show, and I mean they really take care of us. It's just, they're part of our family. So we're going out to support them with the United Inland Empire Conservative Conference 2019, so we'll be there also. That it's April 28th, so if you guys are in that area, believe it or not California is our number two state in reference to a membership base. So if you there in that area come through and see is there as well. Mike Darter: 04:14 Yeah, it's going to be good time, man. I forgot about that. Stan Campbell: 04:16 That's right. Mike Darter: 04:17 That's coming up pretty quick too. Stan Campbell: 04:18 Yeah, a lot going on. Mike Darter: 04:20 So what are we talking about today? Stan Campbell: 04:22 Well today we brought on Gary, because we want to kind of talk about, we've been going a lot of calls from retired policemen mostly, not truly having a good grasp on HR 218, the rules that apply, any changes that are being made there. So I wanted to bring Gary on to kind of talk about HR 218 and kind of break it down for folks, some myths, some problems, some things to watch out for. So it's really important that all three of us carry under that realm as well and it's important to know the do's and don'ts. So I wanted to bring Gary on for that reason. Mike Darter: 05:08 Cool. So Gary, so what, do you have any specific questions we could like start out with that you've got, or do you just want to start going over what it is? Gary: 05:20 Well, I think the important thing for everybody ... I think most officers have a general understanding of what's commonly referred to as HR 218 it's actually the law enforcement officers safety act. It was signed into law in 2004 by President Bush. It's been amended a couple of times over the last what, 15 years that it's been in existence. But it's really a pretty simple law. The HR 218 was the house resolution ... (silence) ... forces that I use myself of the NRA ... (silence) ... They're not fully on board with LEOSA because they don't have a whole lot of input with it. And that was, that's actually by design that ... (silence) ... offices they let her stay ... (silence) ... know the extended coverage for a corrections officers and ... (silence) ... to be able to carry a gun anywhere in the US ... (silence). Mike Darter: 19:32 ... often. Thank God I got a couple of family members that are policemen there. But ... (silence). Gary: 21:03 ... it multiplies your force. But I'm thinking, so what happens is if you have a jurisdiction that may not be pro gun, that wants more gun control, they see this as an extension of that. And this is one way they want to limit LEOSAs. Stan Campbell: 21:29 Got You. Now and I'm just asking your opinion now, Gary, but what's your thoughts on, if it's not too big of a deal to back up with a concealed carry in a specific state that you visited a lot. Like you go to Virginia a lot, you and I go to Orlando, we all go to Vegas, you know, so Nevada and stuff like that. What's your thoughts on that? Gary: 21:53 I have an Oklahoma permit. I don't see a downside to having the state permit. In reality it should not be necessary with LEOSA. If this bill passes, I'm not sure I will re-up my state permit, but I don't see a downside to having multiple permits. Stan Campbell: 22:15 Yeah. Yeah. I wanted to get your opinion because I'm an advocate of getting the multiple permits as a backup. I mean it doesn't take much to do so. And if you do run into that green officer, somebody who's brand new and has no idea what LEOSA is, they, normally they know what concealed carry permit is. So that way you do have some type of backup as well. You have to think about how you engage, because no matter what, when we retire, it's a culture. So when you retire, I mean once a policeman, usually always a policeman, it's just in you. And you see something that goes wrong, you feel like you need to just jump in. So, you really have to be careful, and remember that hey I'm retired now. One of the things I might need to do before I just jump on into somebody's domestic or whatever the case may be, or try to make a citizen's arrest, because that's what's going to end up being, you might want to make sure you call 911 first too as an officer. Because we kind of move and think that we can handle something and then at times we'll get in over our heads as well. It doesn't take much. Gary: 23:26 Yeah, absolutely. And then when the cops do show up, they're not going to know you from anybody. Mike Darter: 23:33 No, that's right. Gary: 23:34 I'm a firm believer as someone who carries under LEOSA and under a state permit, that before I'm going to intervene in a situation, someone has to be being hurt physically. I'm not going to try to stop a theft, I'm not going to try to stop an argument. I may watch it, call 911, tell them, hey this is getting ready to, this has potential to become violent. But I'm not gonna interject unless it becomes a, it's a matter of significant injury to somebody. Stan Campbell: 24:15 Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I mean I think of it the same way, you know, any more because of politics and because of the gray areas, you have got to absolutely think about taking care of yourselves out there. Take a extra moment. You know, if it's not a Isis, al Qaeda situation, you're not talking about somebody gunning down people in the church, of course you have to just react to that. But if it is like something simple arguments, the domestics, you know it's not some serious violence going on, somebody steals a bag of Skittles, don't think that you have to be the hero on that. So yeah. So that's kind of where we are there. But anything else on that Gary, on any LEOSA issues? Gary: 25:09 Well, I'm not being specific. I think it's incumbent on any officer who is eligible for LEOSA to carry under LEOSA, to research and know the law. Because you remember how it was when we were on the streets, Stan. We had a thumbnail idea of a lot of laws. We had a not a real good understanding of maybe other than the handful that we routinely enforce. As an officer, I think it's incumbent on you to learn LEOSA, plan ahead on how to respond to an officer who may not understand LEOSA. Research. When I started writing an article late last year only I was amazed at how much information is available on the Internet. And really even though it's not as simple as it seems, it's a pretty simple law. Stan Campbell: 26:14 Yeah. Yeah. I mean- Mike Darter: 26:19 One of the things I was going to say was one of the things we're creating for this, for our members that are going to be HR 218 is a membership card that will have information on that card for law enforcement should you have to display it. And it's going to be a card that states, the person carrying this card meets the requirements by LEOSA. You'll have to carry it with ... Gary, kind of talk about just right quick, the requirements, the things you have to have with that card. Gary: 27:06 Yeah. The law requires you to have two things. It requires you to have a photo ID from the agency that you are or were a police officer at, excuse me, and proof of qualification within the last 12 months. So what I carry is my retired card and on the back of it I put on my qualification card. And every year, as long as it's, here in Oklahoma, it's CLEET, as long as a CLEET authorized instructor signs off and qualifies me, I update my card. That's the only two things that are required by the law for an officer to carry. Now if I were in a situation like with you, I would probably take a snapshot of that letter showing my 10 years plus service to just to confirm my eligibility under LEOSA. Mike Darter: 28:11 Right. Yeah. So that's- Gary: 28:14 Nowadays with smart phones it's so easy to carry all that with you that you can produce that and for that matter you can show them the actual law for those that don't understand. Mike Darter: 28:27 Right. So that's what I carry now is I have another card that I have that I carry with my card that you signed on my qualification that's dated. And then I do have my police ID, or a copy of my police ID and I have a copy of that letter. So, and I'm actually looking forward to these cards cause they look awesome. Justin's done them. Gary: 28:58 I was gonna say, our content guy is pretty good at that kind of thing. Mike Darter: 29:01 Oh yeah, yeah. He's been killing it so. So I'm excited about this new plan coming out. I think it's going to be one thing with, generally with law enforcement officers, retired and former officers, we all know the possibilities of what can happen and it's going to be a good deal. The everything wrapped into it with the civil liability coverage and the extended bail and all that. So yeah, I'm excited to get it out. Gary: 29:39 It's going to be a good product. Mike Darter: 29:42 I've got, I've found one email that I'd like to, while I've got you guys on here, from Matt [Bell, 00:29:53] he sent in a copy of his umbrella plan document from his, and he said, "I listen to your podcast, episode number 26 I checked my umbrella policy, which I hoped would cover us in a self-defense situation. It appears that it does, but I would appreciate if you would confirm this. I," and he attached a document of his plan. And you know this is one thing that has kind of come up recently more and more and it's one thing that really for us to confirm it, we're not the ones that need to confirm it. Your insurance company is the one that's going to have to confirm this and here's what my take is on it for Mark and whoever else, or Matt and whoever else has this question, because it comes up a lot. Mike Darter: 30:51 You have to remember that your insurance company, first of all, have you guys, I know you three have dealt with insurance in the past, correct? Stan Campbell: 30:59 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Gary: 30:59 Yes. Mike Darter: 31:01 And when you're making a claim, they, whether it be a car or roof or whatever, they send adjusters out, they send people to come out and especially if it's a use of force situation, there will be attorneys involved for that insurance company. And here's my fear with anything that goes through an insurance company. I don't know about you guys, but my experience with insurance companies has not been, I mean it's been okay, I guess. I mean, I've been covered on things, but it's always not what you think you're gonna get back. There's always some, well, it was this, so that gets deducted, it isn't. Gary: 31:58 And those attorneys are working with the interest of the insurance company, not the insured. Mike Darter: 32:04 Right, and this is one thing when we created our service, when we first started this back in 2012 we said, we don't want to be grouped or seen as an insurance company because most states, if not all states, it's illegal to cover an intentional act or an illegal act with an insurance policy or coverage. So any attorney working on the behalf of an insurance company, I think it easily argue, even if your homeowner guy says, "Oh yeah, we're going to cover you," well, he's not the one that's going to be going to bat for you when that time comes, if you have to try to make a claim. The person who is going to be going to bat is going to be going to bat for the insurance company trying to deny that claim. Gary: 33:08 Mike have, I've had several members asked that exact question and I told each of them to call their broker and get them to put it in writing. Of the ones that responded, 100% have told me that their agents said they would not cover a self-defense situation. Mike Darter: 33:27 Yeah. So I just, I saw that come in and I just wanted to address that because I know we have that topic discussed a lot with you guys, especially with David, but you guys who are answering the calls and and all that. So- Gary: 33:48 I think it gets down to that issue. Just like in New York and Washington state. Insuring for intentional acts. Mike Darter: 33:56 Yup. Yup. So Matt, I would definitely say to check, Like Gary said, like Gary tells everybody, get it in writing. Call your insurance agent, get it in writing. I don't think they're going to put that in writing. So I didn't see any others. I thought I had some others that I had set aside on the, in reference to the podcast, but I can't find them now. Stan Campbell: 34:25 So well, what would we do Mike, is being that we're not interviewing anybody on the next one. If we do one by ourselves, we'll make sure we'll have a list and we'll go through them as well. Mike Darter: 34:36 Okay? Cool. All right guys. Well, Gary, thanks for your time, man. Gary: 34:42 Enjoyed it. Stan Campbell: 34:42 Thanks Gary. Mike Darter: 34:42 Stan, good to see you again. Stan Campbell: 34:46 I'll see you soon. Mike Darter: 34:47 All right, man. Take care, bye-bye. Stan Campbell: 34:47 All right, bye.

Susan Page served as the first United States Ambassador to South Sudan, the Acting United States Ambassador to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa as well as in other diplomatic postings. In addition, she has served the United Nations and has held the positions of Director of the Rule of Law Advisory Unit in the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) and Senior Legal Adviser for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sudan and in Rwanda. She served in her role as U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan from October 2011 through July 2015. Page received an A.B. in English with high distinction from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She has also studied at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and conducted research on children and women's rights through a Rotary International post-graduate fellowship. Page currently serves as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH).

In this episode of "Inside CCW Safe" Mike and Stan talk with Gary Eastridge, Critical Response Coordinator for CCW Safe.  There's alot more to CCW Safe's critical response program than just a call center when dealing with citizens who have been involved in a self defense shooting.  The three talk about critical incidents, what they are, and how they are handled by CCW Safe.  CCW Safe bases the handling of critical incidents on their experience as police officers, and experience they recieved after being involved in shootings themselves.   Gary is a retired law enforcement officer. He started with the Oklahoma City Police Department in February 1979 retiring in 2000 as an Inspector in the Homicide Unit. Gary also served as a department firearms instructor after receiving his CLEET certification in 1986. After retirement he worked as a police officer with the International Police Task Force (IPTF) in support of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Gary worked homicides with counterparts from 53 nations as well as mentoring local Police officers. Gary was named Chief Investigator for the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office in January of 2007 where he served until his retirement in April of 2017 to accept his position with CCWsafe. He reviewed all officer involved shootings occurring in Oklahoma County as well as in custody deaths and other significant and high profile investigations / prosecutions.

In this special episode of Global Dispatches Podcast we are bringing you the story of how UN Peacekeepers partnered with the people and government of Liberia to help transform the country from one of the bleakest places on the planet, to one of the more hopeful today. When peacekeepers were first deployed to Liberia in 2003, the west African country had just experienced a devastating civil war. Fifteen years later, the last Blue Helmets left the country.   Through interviews and archival audio, you will hear from Liberians, UN officials and experts who explain how the UN Mission in Liberia, known as UNMIL, was able to work itself out of a job. This episode is produced in partnership with the United Nations Foundation as part of the special series that examines success stories of multilateral engagement. When the world works together, powerful and lasting change can take place.    UNMIL is a success of UN Peacekeeping. This episode tells its story. 

The United Nations is a polarising institution. Some people look to the UN as a trusted expert and moral voice concerning issues related to the environment, development and poverty alleviation, human health, and peace and security. Others see United Nations agencies, funds, and programs as highly bureaucratic, ineffective, and outdated. The United Nations might have weaknesses, but when it comes to the complex challenges of peacebuilding in some of the world's toughest contexts, can we imagine a viable alternative if the United Nations were not to play a leading role? And what is the nature of that role? How does it relate to the work of other stakeholders in conflict settings, and what is life like for the diverse mix of international peacebuilders who choose to make far-flung countries their home in the pursuit of peace? Joe Washington recently retired from the post of Chief Training Officer for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. His more than ten years of experience of working throughout the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sudan and South Sudan spanned these countries' historic peace process and partitioning into two separate states, and the subsequent violence that engulfed South Sudan in the years after independence. Prior to this Joe served for more than two decades as an adjunct or visiting professor, researcher, lecturer, or director of programs for various academic institutions in Europe and the United States in the fields of conflict resolution and human rights. Joe's personal warmth and acute sense for the human, relational dimensions of effective peacebuilding are matched by deep insight on the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations. This episode will be of particular interest to people who are interested in this organisation or the broader challenges of peacebuilding working in a difficult context like South Sudan. For those that have experienced either, Joe's words might be therapeutic! Some highlights include: •Joe's recollection of what motivated him to pursue an international career, and the role models and educational pathways that led him to a United Nations career; •The need as a peacebuilder for reflective practice, whereby you try to realise that you see the world with different eyes and may have different priorities than your counterparts. Joe reminds us of the need for peacebuilders to have high cross-cultural sensitivity, especially when local counterparts have basic needs and livelihoods concerns that international peacebuilders don't; •The separation between local and international stakeholders in peacebuilding settings is again discussed in relation to the relative wealth of international people in poor countries, which can drive up local prices and reinforce divisions between insiders and outsiders that makes fostering local ownership difficult; •Joe dissects United Nations infamous bureaucratic challenges, and argues that instead of finger pointing at other parts of the UN system, staff should focus on their circle of influence, and work more collaboratively in order to expand that circle; •The reality of 'camp life' is laid bare, as Joe paints a picture of daily life living in shipping containers in a United Nations compound, and describes the lifestyle in remote areas in the midst of conflict; •In response to Susan's question on the value of the United Nations as opposed to other actors that could potentially use the same resources more effectively, Joe suggests - with good reason - that the peacekeeping mission might have prevented a genocide in this country in the last few years. A fascinating man and life story - take a listen.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) will close at the end of March 2018. Over its nearly 15 years of operations, the peacekeeping mission has helped bring back peace and stability to the West African country. In January, Liberia carried out its first peaceful democratic transition in more than 70 years, with the election of President George Weah, who succeeded Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Africa's first elected woman head of state. Napoleon Viban is the head of UNMIL Radio, the peacekeeping mission's station, which has been a driving force in bringing Liberians together after years of brutal conflict. In this podcast, he shares with  UN News his hopes for Liberia's continued transition and development, as the UN Mission exits the country. Viban also explains the role he and his staff at the station hope to play by staying on air and continuing to serve the Liberian people, with news and programmes that will help strengthen stability and democracy.

This seminar is concerned with the broad issues raised by the UN's long-running mission in the DRC and what it tells us about the deeper challenges facing the UN as it continues to grapple with civil war and protection crises in different parts of Africa. In November 2012, the city of Goma in eastern Congo, whose population had recently swollen to nearly 1 million following the influx of refugees fleeing fighting and mass atrocities in neighbouring territory, fell to a Rwanda-backed armed group, the Mouvement du 23 mars (M-23). Some 1,500 UN peacekeepers were based in the city when it was overrun. The fall of Goma, more than a decade after the first arrival of blue helmets in the DRC and eerily reminiscent of earlier protection crises facing the organisation, cruelly exposed the bankruptcy of UN efforts to protect civilians and bring stability to the country. Responding to what was seen as humiliating ‘moment of truth', the Security Council decided, in March 2013, to strengthen the UN mission with the creation of a Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), entrusting it with a mandate “to carry out targeted offensive operations … in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner”. The Council insisted that such operations would, in principle, be directed against all armed groups in eastern DRC. The establishment of the FIB was described by the then Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, as a “milestone” in the evolution of UN peacekeeping. That view was widely shared and, in many quarters, warmly welcomed as evidence of a wholly different approach to the use of force and the protection of civilians by UN forces operating in conditions of civil war. The presentation examines the actual record of the FIB and draws wider lessons from its experience. It is concerned, in particular, with the broader issues raised by the UN's long-running mission in the DRC: to wit, what it tells us about the political economy of conflict in the DRC and, more generally, the dynamics of contemporary civil wars; about the inherent challenges of third-party intervention and the use of force in civil-war like situations; and, finally, about the deeper challenges facing the UN as it continues to grapple with civil war and protection crises in different parts of Africa. Mats Berdal is Professor of Security and Development at the Department of War Studies, King's College London.

This seminar is concerned with the broad issues raised by the UN’s long-running mission in the DRC and what it tells us about the deeper challenges facing the UN as it continues to grapple with civil war and protection crises in different parts of Africa. In November 2012, the city of Goma in eastern Congo, whose population had recently swollen to nearly 1 million following the influx of refugees fleeing fighting and mass atrocities in neighbouring territory, fell to a Rwanda-backed armed group, the Mouvement du 23 mars (M-23). Some 1,500 UN peacekeepers were based in the city when it was overrun. The fall of Goma, more than a decade after the first arrival of blue helmets in the DRC and eerily reminiscent of earlier protection crises facing the organisation, cruelly exposed the bankruptcy of UN efforts to protect civilians and bring stability to the country. Responding to what was seen as humiliating ‘moment of truth’, the Security Council decided, in March 2013, to strengthen the UN mission with the creation of a Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), entrusting it with a mandate “to carry out targeted offensive operations … in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner”. The Council insisted that such operations would, in principle, be directed against all armed groups in eastern DRC. The establishment of the FIB was described by the then Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, as a “milestone” in the evolution of UN peacekeeping. That view was widely shared and, in many quarters, warmly welcomed as evidence of a wholly different approach to the use of force and the protection of civilians by UN forces operating in conditions of civil war. The presentation examines the actual record of the FIB and draws wider lessons from its experience. It is concerned, in particular, with the broader issues raised by the UN’s long-running mission in the DRC: to wit, what it tells us about the political economy of conflict in the DRC and, more generally, the dynamics of contemporary civil wars; about the inherent challenges of third-party intervention and the use of force in civil-war like situations; and, finally, about the deeper challenges facing the UN as it continues to grapple with civil war and protection crises in different parts of Africa. Mats Berdal is Professor of Security and Development at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London.

In July 2011, South Sudan gained independence and became the world’s newest country. Yet just two-and-a-half years after this momentous decision, the country was in the grips of renewed civil war and political strife. On 8 July 2016, the Rift Valley Institute and the Norwegian Embassy launched South Sudan: The Untold Story from Independence to Civil War, by Hilde F. Johnson. This book, based on the author's experience as a Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan from July 2011 until July 2014, provides an unparalleled insider’s account of South Sudan’s descent from the celebrations of July 2011 to the outbreak of the conflict in December 2013 and the early phase of the fighting. Johnson’s access to contacts at the highest levels of government, accompanied by her knowledge of the country and its history, make this a unique eyewitness account of the turbulent first three years of the world’s newest—and yet most fragile—country. In the light of the current crisis, the current peace agreement in South Sudan, and the political, social and economic impact of the crisis on the region, the question remains: What is the way forward for South Sudan?

African Union Heads of State will decide this week whether to expand the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in South Sudan. Rwanda's Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo says the latest fighting in South Sudan - the world's newest nation - will be given priority when African Presidents meet in Kigali. The mandate of United Nations Mission for South Sudan will expire at the end of this month, but there are proposals for an extension until the end of August and also the expansion of the troops' mandate to include combat. Recent clashes in the capital Juba left more than 270 people dead. Sarah Kimani reports from Kigali

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa evolved into a complex emergency with significant political, social humanitarian and security dimensions in 2014. It is estimated by the United Nations that US$987.8 million are required to implement the Ebola response strategy. Health agencies such as the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders have warned of inadequate resources to contain the epidemic and treat affected people. As the international community scales up its efforts, the private sector is being called upon to expand its engagement to provide resources with the objective to eradicate the Ebola threat and mitigate its impact.The online event on the “Power of business in the Ebola response” rovided information on the Ebola crisis, specific ways in which the private sector could contribute to the crisis and best case examples of private sector engagement in the response. We heard first-hand accounts of the crisis on the ground from workers in affected countries and from private sector companies that had been offering support to the response.Our panel of speakers included Joe Ruiz, Corporate Grants Manager at UPS Foundation; Karen Smith, Private Sector Strategic Partnerships Advisor at United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER); Jon Pender, Vice President at Global Health in GSK's Government Affairs Department; Dr Craig Friderichs, Director of Health at GSMA; Alan Knight, General Manager for Corporate Responsibility at ArcelorMittal; and Sue Adkins, International Director at Business in the Community.Read more at https://phap.org/WHS-17oct2014

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa evolved into a complex emergency with significant political, social humanitarian and security dimensions in 2014. It is estimated by the United Nations that US$987.8 million are required to implement the Ebola response strategy. Health agencies such as the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders have warned of inadequate resources to contain the epidemic and treat affected people. As the international community scales up its efforts, the private sector is being called upon to expand its engagement to provide resources with the objective to eradicate the Ebola threat and mitigate its impact.The online event on the “Power of business in the Ebola response” rovided information on the Ebola crisis, specific ways in which the private sector could contribute to the crisis and best case examples of private sector engagement in the response. We heard first-hand accounts of the crisis on the ground from workers in affected countries and from private sector companies that had been offering support to the response.Our panel of speakers included Joe Ruiz, Corporate Grants Manager at UPS Foundation; Karen Smith, Private Sector Strategic Partnerships Advisor at United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER); Jon Pender, Vice President at Global Health in GSK's Government Affairs Department; Dr Craig Friderichs, Director of Health at GSMA; Alan Knight, General Manager for Corporate Responsibility at ArcelorMittal; and Sue Adkins, International Director at Business in the Community.Read more at https://phap.org/WHS-17oct2014

Producer Eva Flomo of United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Radio discusses the economic impact of Ebola on Liberia's economy with Timothy Bulman, World Bank Senior Country Economist in Liberia. A recent World Bank Group analysis of the Ebola epidemic has found that that if the virus continues to surge in the three worst-affected countries – Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – its economic impact could grow eight-fold, dealing a potentially catastrophic blow to the already fragile states.

On 6 March 2013, the first in a series of three RVI Juba Lectures, held in collaboration with the Centre for Peace and Development Studies at the University of Juba, took place at the university’s New Hall. The keynote speech on the theme ‘Consulting the Nation’ was given by Professor Akolda Tier, chair of the South Sudan Constitutional Review Commission. The professor responded to comments from a panel that included Zacharia Diing Akol, Director of Training at the Sudd Institute, Henry Swaka, Vice Chair of the South Sudan Civil Society Alliance, and Marcia Dawes of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, under the chairmanship of RVI co-founder Jok Madut Jok, Executive Director of the Sudd Institute.