On Shifting Ground

In the first part of a 3-part series on climate change, we look at the connection between global warming and world refugee flows. Climate change could displace as many as one billion people by 2050, according to the UN. In countries like the US, where both the status of refugees and the validity of climate change are hotly contested issues, what will that mean for climate change refugees? In conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour, is a panel of digital media experts, including, Tom Friedman, New York Times Columnist, Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia, Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank, and Heidi Cullen, Director of Communications at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

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Direct download: 09_17_18_Climate_Refugees-Panel.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 5:22pm PDT

Joshua Keating, staff writer at Slate, talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about his new book, Invisible Countries: Journeys to the Edge of Nationhood. The book explores the global quest for self-determination, challenging historical boundaries and the very notion of a nation state.

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Direct download: 09_10_18_Joshua_Keating.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

On August 18th, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan passed away at the age of 80. In one of his final on-stage conversations he joined World Affairs CEO Jane Wales to talk about his legacy of global leadership, and lessons learned in his mission to create a more stable, peaceful world.

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Direct download: 09_10_18_Kofi_Annan.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

The conflict in Afghanistan reaches its 17th anniversary in October, and US involvement in Iraq will be 15 years. Americans are aware of these wars, but what about the almost 200,000 other US military personnel stationed around the world in over 130 countries? Where are American forces and what explains the large military footprint? Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and Richard Fontaine, President of the Center for a New American Security, discuss the value of the American military abroad with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 08_27_18_Fontaine_Stavridis-US_Troops.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

It’s been 100 years since the Spanish flu killed millions worldwide. While we’ve made medical and technological progress in the century since, the world remains vulnerable to mass disease. In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss how greater mobility, population pressures and climate change increase the risk of global epidemics. Peter Piot, Director of Global Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about the importance of effective outbreak preparedness.

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Direct download: 08_20_18_Peter_Piot.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

As the US continues to abdicate its leadership role in global affairs, China’s international influence continues to grow – diplomatically, economically and politically. Will it, can it, fill the void? And how will its role on the world stage influence domestic policy? Elizabeth Economy, senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and John Pomfret, former Washington Post bureau chief in Beijing, and author of “The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present”, discuss the ramifications of America's absence in global leadership with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 08_13_18_Economy_Pomfret_China.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Over the past fifty years, we have experienced two fundamental digital revolutions, one in computing and one in communication. Today, we’re entering a third digital revolution, that of fabrication. From medical advancements to weapon design, in this hour, we’ll discuss what widespread digital fabrication could mean for the future. In conversation with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales are brothers Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Professor, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Alan Gershenfeld, Co-Founder and President, E-Line Media, and Neil Gershenfeld, Director, Center for Atoms and Bits, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Direct download: 08_06_18_Third_Digital_Revolution.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

In recent weeks, searing rhetoric from President Trump has pushed our trading relations with both Europe and with China onto center stage. In the case of China, an escalating trade war has begun, and with Europe, President Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker first clashed before agreeing in principle to work toward lowering barriers to commerce. Is Trump simply solving problems of his own making or is this part of a smart negotiating strategy that will ultimately benefit American consumers, producers and farmers? Can trade wars actually be won? Tyler Cowen, Holbert L. Harris chair of economics at George Mason University, and Gillian Tett, US managing editor for the Financial Times, discuss the ramifications of Trump's trade policy with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 07_30_18_Trade_Wars.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Digital and social media have upended not only the news industry, but entire notions of governance and leadership. In this week’s episode, we’ll consider how the rise of digital media has impacted public life and the ethical innovations needed in order to capture the benefits and mitigate harm. In conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour, is a panel of digital media experts, including, Jennifer Cobb, Director of United for News, Eileen Donahoe, Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford University, Tristan Harris, Co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, and Gerald Ryle, Director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

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Direct download: 07_23_18_Digital_Media.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

The increased use of cyberweapons is changing geopolitics. Cyberattacks now occur on a daily basis, by states and non-state actors alike, large and small. On the receiving end, governments are challenged by the anonymity and asymmetry of these attacks. In this week’s episode we’ll consider how, and if, we can develop foreign policy doctrines to deal with this new reality. David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times, talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about how the US can protect itself in the age of cyberweapons.

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Direct download: 07_16_18_David_Sanger.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

On June 12th, President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong-un in Singapore. Despite widespread international news coverage, the state of US-North Korea relations is still shrouded in mystery. In the first part of this week’s episode, Victor Cha, senior adviser and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discusses what was achieved in the meeting and what to expect going forward.
 
In the second part of the program, World Affairs CEO Jane Wales talks with Lina Sergie Attar, co-founder and CEO of the Karam Foundation, and Chelsea Handler, celebrated comedian, talk show host and activist, about the need for humanitarian and philanthropic intervention for Syrian refugees.
 
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Direct download: 07_09_18_Victor_Cha-Karam_Foundation.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

The White House recently announced that President Trump plans to hold his first formal summit with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland on July 16th. The meeting will take place against a contentious backdrop that includes Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, widespread diplomatic expulsions on both sides, continued Russian support of military offensives in Syria and the ongoing investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. How did we get here and is there a way forward? World Affairs CEO Jane Wales is in conversation with former US ambassador to Russia and author of “From Hot War to Cold Peace” Michael McFaul.

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Direct download: 07_02_18_Michael_McFaul.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

The Mexican national elections will take place on July 1st. A new president could transform Mexico and, in turn, reset North American political and economic relationships. In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss what’s at stake in the elections, from immigration, to NAFTA, to energy production, and what it could mean for US–Mexico relations. Arturo Sarukhan, the former Mexican Ambassador to the U.S., and Andrew Selee, Director of the Migration Policy Institute and author of Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together, are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS Newshour.

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Direct download: 06_25_18_Mexican_Elections.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Following President Trump's relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem - timed to coincide with Israel's 70th anniversary - tensions along the border in Gaza have flared. Although a ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces was reached on May 30, recent developments in the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians have enduring consequences for both the Middle East and the international community at large. In this week’s episode, we’ll delve into the obstacles to peace and consider potential paths forward. World Affairs CEO Jane Wales talks with Ehud Barak, former Israeli prime minister and minister of defense, and Marwan Muasher, former Jordanian minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister.

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Direct download: 06_18_18_Israel_Palestine.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

In the first summit between American and North Korean leaders, President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12th. The stakes -- and tension -- could not be any higher, but the meeting is shrouded in uncertainty. In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss how American diplomacy towards North Korea has evolved through different administrations and the potential outcomes of the meeting. What incentives does each leader have, and what’s at stake for each country, to continue the negotiations and make a deal? World Affairs CEO talks with Scott Sagan, Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.

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Direct download: 06_11_18_Scott_Sagan.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

As populist governments across Europe sweep into power, the future of the European Union is anything but certain. Italy's newly formed government joins Hungary's and Poland's in the flouting of Europe's traditional liberal democratic values. At the same time, they are also forming what some see as dangerous alliances with historic enemies such as Russia. Most unsettling to global markets is talk of the possibility that some will vote to abandon the Euro. Will Europe's biggest experiment since the end of World War II survive? Heather Grabbe, executive director at Open Society, and Charles Lichfield, a European and Euroasian affairs specialist with Eurasia Group, are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former senior correspondent for PBS' NewsHour. 

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Direct download: 06_04_18_European_Union.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:54am PDT

In what many are calling genocide, over half a million Rohingya, Myanmar’s dispossessed Muslim minority, have been driven from their homes since August of 2017. Most have flooded into Bangladesh in search of safety from brutal killings and sexual violence. The pace of new arrivals has made this the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world, potentially overwhelming the capacity of the inadvertent host government. Panelists, Muhammad Musa, Executive Director, BRAC, Aerlyn Pfeil, Board Member, Médecins sans Frontières, and Nirmala Rao, Vice Chancellor, Asian University for Women, share how they are bringing safety and sustenance to the stateless Rohingya. They are in discussion with Iain Levine, Program Director, Human Rights Watch.

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Direct download: 05_28_18_Plight_Rohingya.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Cybercrime and cyberwarfare are both on the rise. From businesses large and small to national governments, the question is not if they will experience a cyberattack, but when, how much damage will be done and how long the recovery process will be. In this week’s episode, we discuss the cybersecurity landscape and how businesses and governments can most effectively work together to mitigate risks. Joining World Affairs CEO Jane Wales are digital security experts Ray Rothrock, CEO of RedSeal and author of “Digital Resilience,” and Richard Clarke, former U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counterterrorism and most recently, author of “Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes.”

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Direct download: 05_21_18_Clarke_Rothrock.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:20am PDT

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, dismantling Obama’s signature foreign policy agreement. Robert Malley, president and CEO of the International Crisis Group and one of the US negotiators who helped forge the deal in 2015, offers his insight into what Trump's withdrawal means for US-Middle East relations. Malley also zooms out on the region to discuss how complex conflicts like the war in Yemen and the Rohingya refugee crisis are impacting international affairs more broadly. He is in conversation with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales.

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Direct download: 05_14_18_Robert_Malley.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Across the world, low birth rates coupled with increased life expectancies are creating myriad challenges for governments, businesses and individuals alike. This demographic shift is not only transforming economies, but the way we live our lives. In this week’s episode, we’ll consider why, and how, things like work environments, education systems, and the concept of "old age" itself need to be rethought to account for longer lifetimes. Joseph Coughlin, founder and director of MIT’s AgeLab and author of "The Longevity Economy,” and Andrew Scott, deputy dean and professor of economics at London Business School, and co-author of "The 100 Year Life," are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 05_07_18_Aging_World.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

During recent elections, we saw populist far-right parties gain momentum in Europe and the US. The message from leaders in this political movement was clear: mass migration is threatening economies as well as cultural values and the establishment is doing very little to serve and protect citizens. Is this the beginning of an era which will see the far-right gain more power? To what extent are individual rights and independent institutions under siege? Yascha Mounk, a lecturer on government at Harvard University, talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about the rise of populism and far-right politics and the growing uncertainty of liberal democracies.

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Direct download: 04_30_18_Yascha_Mounk.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

China is heavily investing in two global trade routes: a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road stretching from Southern China across the Indian Ocean to connect Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Africa to the Mediterranean; and a land-based Silk Road Economic Belt connecting Western China to Europe via Central Asia. Establishing these transcontinental trade routes will likely cost over one trillion dollars and will cover 65% of the world's population. How likely is China to succeed in achieving these grand investment goals, and how would this proposed project impact global trade? Dr. Thomas Fingar, a Shorenstein APARC fellow in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, discusses China's audacious vision for their "One Belt, One Road" project with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.

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Direct download: 04_23_18_Thomas_Fingar.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Are we truly living in the first "Networked Age"? Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, argues that social networks are nothing new, and actually have been fundamental in shaping history. With over 2 billion Facebook users, what lessons can be learned by examining social networks of the past? How can "new" networks create social change, impact businesses, and influence policy? Ferguson talks networks and power with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.

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Direct download: 04_16_18_Niall_Ferguson.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:50am PDT

With so many forces undermining democratic institutions worldwide, we wanted a chance to take a step back and provide some perspective. Russian interference in elections here and in Europe, the rise in fake news and a decline in citizen trust worldwide all pose a danger. In this third of a three part series, we focus on Russia's assault on global democracy. Daniel Fried, former ambassador to Poland and distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Alina Polyakova, David M. Rubenstein foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 04_09_18_Russian_Interference.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:49am PDT

With so many forces undermining democratic institutions worldwide, we wanted a chance to take a step back and provide some perspective. Russian interference in elections here and in Europe, the rise in fake news and a decline in citizen trust worldwide pose a danger. In this second of a three part series, we look at the role of social media and the ways in which it was exploited for the purpose of sowing distrust. Janine Zacharia, former Jerusalem bureau chief and Middle East correspondent for The Washington Post, and Roger McNamee, managing director at Elevation Partners and an early stage investor in Google and Facebook, are in conversation with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales.

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Direct download: 04_02_18_McNamee_Zacharia.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:20am PDT

With so many forces undermining democratic institutions worldwide, we wanted a chance to take a step back and provide some perspective. Russian interference in elections here and in Europe, the rise in fake news and a decline in citizen trust worldwide all pose a danger. In this first of a three part series, we focus on the global erosion of trust. Jennifer Kavanagh, political scientist at the RAND Corporation and co-author of “Truth Decay”, and Tom Nichols, professor at the US Naval War college and author of “The Death of Expertise,” are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 03_26_18_End_of_Authority.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

In our first segment, we look at critical areas of conflict around the world, and identify options world leaders have to address them. Rob Malley, CEO of the International Crisis Group, seeks to prevent global crises before they turn deadly, or to help resolve conflicts once they do. He is in conversation with Markos Kounalakis, Visiting Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. In the second half, Guardian reporter Rory Carroll shares his perspective on how the once wealthy, oil-rich nation of Venezuela devolved into its current state of economic chaos, first under President Hugo Chavez and now under President Nicolás Maduro. He speaks with Jonathan Visbal, chairman of World Affairs.

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Direct download: 02_12_18_Malley_Carroll.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Bear Stearns, the first of several large investment banks on Wall Street to fall in 2008. Its eventual sale at $10 a share to JP Morgan (down from $159 a year earlier) set off a spiraling loss of confidence that eventually led to the global financial crisis. Ten years later we unpack the forces that led to Bear Stearns’ downfall. What lessons have we learned and are we at risk of another global financial catastrophe? William Cohan, former investment banker and author of “House of Cards” – a chronicle of the Bear Sterns collapse, and David Wessel, senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS Newshour.

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Direct download: 03_12_18_Bear_Stearns.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

With tax cuts, trade tariffs, and military spending grabbing headlines, the recently passed budget and its impact on American society – the wealthy, the poor, and everyone in-between – is President Trump's policy in action. Budgets are not just about dollars and cents, they're also about values, so what does Trump's 2018 budget say about the priorities of the White House, and what does it mean for America's future? Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, and Greg Ip, chief economics commentator for the Wall Street Journal, are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS Newshour.

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Direct download: 03_05_18_US_Budget.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:52am PDT

The Middle East has been a key focus of American foreign policy for the last three decades, and the events of 2017 ensure it will remain an area of focus. Between volatile proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, a declaration to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and new protests in Iran, entrenched conflicts transformed and created new flashpoints over the course of the year. As the lead negotiator for peace processes in the Middle East under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Ambassador Dennis Ross skillfully brokered agreements between Israel and Palestine, digging into the messiest relationships in the region. How do the conflicts in the Middle East today compare to the situation under other administrations? What is the next stop on the long road to peace? Join us as Ambassador Ross shares his extensive diplomatic experience and discusses the Trump administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East.

SPEAKER:
Dennis Ross
Davidson Distinguished Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

MODERATOR:
Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

For more information please visit: http://worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1800

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Direct download: 02_26_18_Dennis_Ross.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:59am PDT

The immigration debate has roared to the front of Washington, D.C.’s and the country’s agenda. At stake is the fate of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, scheduled to expire on March 5th. That issue has been tied to increased border security, a possible wall on our southern border, the family reunification policy and a lower cap on refugee resettlement. As DACA hangs in the balance, what is the future for comprehensive immigration reform? Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, is in conversation with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for the PBS Newshour.

This is Ray Suarez's maiden interview with World Affairs.

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Direct download: 02_19_18_Noorani_Suarez-Immigration.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:51am PDT

Capital has changed and capitalism is changing as a result. For the first time in history, businesses are investing more in things you can neither see nor touch – so-called intangible capital – than in traditional physical assets like buildings, machines, computers or vehicles. Intangible capital, such as R&D, design, software, brands and organisational capabilities, have different economic properties from traditional assets. As a result, the rise of the intangible economy is changing the economy and society in important and non-obvious ways. This new intangible economy helps explain a range of big puzzles and problems: why productivity is stagnating, why inequality is rising, why populism is on the rise. It also helps managers, investors and policymakers understand what to do about it.

Jonathan Haskel, economics professor at Imperial College Business School, and Stian Westlake, policy adviser to the Minister of State in the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy at the University of Cambridge, have written a new book, "Capitalism without Capital." They will discuss this new economic trend and what it means for the future.

SPEAKERS

Jonathan Haskel
Professor of Economics, Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London

Stian Westlake
Policy Adviser to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, Center for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge

MODERATOR:

Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Direct download: 02_12_18_Intangible_Economy.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:29am PDT

In a symbolic breakthrough, North and South Korean teams will march together under a single unified flag during opening ceremonies at the Winter Olympic Games. Does this rare show of unity signify a substantial thaw in diplomatic relations on the Korean Peninsula? How might this impact growing international tensions related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program? Gi-Wook Shin, Director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, and Kathleen Stephens, Former US Ambassador to South Korea, discuss the precarious relationship between the two Koreas. In the second part of this episode, World Affairs' CEO Jane Wales talks with David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times, about how the US might turn to cyberwarfare to contain the threat of a nuclear North Korea.

 

SPEAKERS

Gi-Wook Shin
Director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

Kathleen Stephens
Former US Ambassador to South Korea

MODERATOR:

Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

For more information about this event please visit: http://worldaffairs.org/media-library/event/1795

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Direct download: 02_05_18_Shin_Stevens_Sanger.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:44am PDT

In his first year in office, President Donald Trump has broken with decades of US foreign policy orthodoxies and injected tremendous uncertainty into a world already in flux. What is behind the Administration’s ‘America First’ doctrine, and what does it signal for the future of US global leadership and international cooperation? Stewart Patrick, the James H. Binger senior fellow in global governance and director of the International Institutions and Global Governance program at the Council on Foreign Relations, will discuss the importance of sovereignty in US politics and how the United States can retain its constitutional independence while cooperating with others to dampen the risks of globalization. Patrick's latest book "The Sovereignty Wars: Reconciling America with the World," offers a clear-eyed framing of the sovereignty debate in terms of what is actually at stake, when it's appropriate to make bargains and how to go about doing so.

SPEAKER:
Stewart Patrick
Council on Foreign Relations

MODERATOR:
Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

For more information please visit: http://worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1792

We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Direct download: 01_24_18_Stewart_Patrick.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:07am PDT

From North Korea to Jerusalem, President Trump is facing unprecedented foreign policy changes -- some arguably of his own making, some not. Trump's diplomacy is under the microscope as tensions rise in the Middle East and Asia, so where do we go from here? In this special program, World Affairs' CEO Jane Wales talks with Janine Zacharia, former Jerusalem Bureau Chief of The Washington Post, and also David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times. Can Trump pivot away from searing rhetoric and instead work toward strengthening diplomacy abroad?

We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Direct download: 01_22_18_David_Sanger-Janine_Zacharia.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:11am PDT

China’s rapid growth and transition towards a more market-oriented economic system have encouraged spectators to predict massive changes to the Chinese political and social system. However, while growth is slowing, the economy remains sound and the Chinese Communist Party emerged from the 19th Party Congress with its strongest leader in years. What makes experts forecast again and again that China is on the verge of collapse? Yukon Huang, former Country Director for China at the World Bank, cuts through the myths and joins us to discuss his new book, "Cracking the China Conundrum: Why Conventional Economic Wisdom is Wrong." His in-depth analysis explores the varied dynamics at play in China’s economic growth today and sheds light on why so many China watchers have gotten it wrong.

SPEAKER:

Yukon Huang
Senior Fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

MODERATOR:

N. Bruce Pickering
Vice President of Global Programs, Asia Society and Executive Director, Asia Society Northern California, Asia Society

We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Direct download: 11_30_17_Yukon_Huang.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:32am PDT

Food security is one of Africa's most pressing issues. Globally, 800 million people are undernourished, with 281 million coming from sub-Saharan Africa. Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is working to mitigate poverty and hunger by supporting local farmers. Two pioneers of this initiative, Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman of Econet, and Jeff Raikes, former Chief Executive Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discuss how AGRA is tailoring solutions for African partners. They're in conversation with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales.

We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Direct download: 01_08_18_Masiyiwa_Raikes_Wales.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:16am PDT

Essential to a free and functioning democracy is an independent press, a crucial civil society actor that holds government to account and provides citizens access to the impartial information they need to make informed judgments, reason together, exercise their rights and responsibilities, and engage in collective action. In times of crisis, the media fulfills the vital role of alerting the public to danger and connecting citizens to rescue efforts, as Ushahidi has done in Kenya. Or, it can alert the international community to human rights abuses as does Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently. But, the very capabilities that allow the media to alert and inform, also allow it to sow division – as it did in Rwanda leading up to and during the genocide-- by spreading untruths, and, through “dog whistles,” targeting ethnic groups and inciting violence against them. This panel will focus on two topics: the role of media as a vehicle for advancing or undermining social cohesion, and the use of media to innovate, organize and deepen understanding, enabling positive collective action.

* Abdalaziz Alhamza, Co-Founder, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently

* Uzodinma Iweala, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Ventures Africa; Author, Beasts of No Nation; Producer, Waiting for Hassana (moderator)

* Ben Rattray, Founder and CEO, Change.org

* Malika Saada Saar, Senior Counsel on Civil and Human Rights, Google

Direct download: 04_18_17_Trust_Identity_Politics-GPF17.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:59pm PDT

This week’s episode offers an in-depth perspective of foreign policy under Trump, with a focus on US - North Korea relations. What is the strategic calculus for both countries and how can some degree of calm be restored?

In the first half of the show, you’ll hear from Ambassador Wendy Sherman. Ambassador Wendy Sherman served as the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. In this position, she led the team from the United States and five other countries in negotiating the Iran nuclear weapons deal. Under the Clinton administration, she served as Advisor to the President and Secretary of State and North Korea Policy Coordinator.

From Jerusalem to North Korea, President Trump has demonstrated again and again a willingness to break with established diplomatic strategy and forge a new path. In our conversation, Sherman discusses the current state of foreign policy under the Trump administration, with a focus on the current diplomatic calculus with North Korea.

The second half features Orville Schell and Philip W. Yun. They discuss whether the US and North Korea can pivot from searing rhetoric, and instead work toward strengthening diplomacy. This interview was previously aired in August.



SPEAKERS

Wendy Sherman, Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group

Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society

Philip W. Yun, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Ploughshares Fund

MODERATOR:

Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

Direct download: 12_11_17_Sherman_Schell_Yun.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 3:37pm PDT

His Excellency Anatoly Antonov was recently appointed by President Putin to serve as the Russian Ambassador to the United States. A career diplomat, he has served for more than thirty years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2004, he was the Director of the Department for Security and Disarmament. Ambassador Antonov was formerly the Deputy Minister of Defense and, before his recent appointment, held the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Please join us for this special event to hear Ambassador Anatoly Antonov discuss the importance of diplomacy and Russia’s role in the world.

SPEAKER:

Anatoly Antonov
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, Russian Federation

MODERATOR:

David Holloway
Raymond A. Spruance Professor of International History, Professor of Political Science, Senior Fellow Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1783

Direct download: 11_29_17_Ambassador_Anatoly_Antonov.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:37pm PDT

President Trump will meet with President Duterte during his first visit to the Philippines next month. What can be expected for the future of US-Philippine relations? Although the two countries have historically been strong allies, the elections of Trump and Duterte, as well as policy shifts in both nations, have raised questions about the stability of the relationship. The Philippines has benefited from significant US military aid for several decades. Recently both training and intelligence sharing were especially helpful as Philippine armed forces fought to regain control of Marawi following terrorist attacks by ISIS affiliates. While military aid is considered a symbol of the continued alliance between the two countries, Duterte’s renewed economic and political relations with China are causing tension. Is the Philippines looking to pivot toward China for a stronger alliance and veer away from the US, therefore shifting the strategic balance in the region? As for Filipinos as home, how are they impacted by the rise of a populist leader, one who is focused on fighting corruption and targeting drug offenders? What do these tactics reveal about Duterte as a leader? What issues can Trump and Duterte come together on and where might they disagree?

Richard Heydarian, a Filipino academic and columnist, will join us for a discussion on the Philippines under Duterte and his latest book "The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy."

SPEAKER:

Richard Heydarian
Resident Political Analyst, GMA Network

MODERATOR:

Maria Ortuoste
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, California State University East Bay

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1777

Direct download: 11_01_17_Richard_Heydarian.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:40pm PDT

Less than a year into the new Trump administration, the US appears to be shifting away from key, longstanding foreign policies as well as from established allies. The president’s recent speeches to NATO members and at the G20 signal a departure from previous administrations on myriad issues, including human rights, climate change, and resolving civil conflicts. These global challenges often require leadership and collective action by major actors in the international community, yet the US is uncertain whether these issues are worth the investment. There is deep concern among many nations and former US officials who are perplexed by this strategic direction.

Is the US forging a new path, going it alone and leaving behind ongoing conflicts and unresolved humanitarian crises? Will the US maintain its alliances and continue to engage with the international community?

On the anniversary of Donald Trump's election, Samantha Power, former US ambassador to the United Nations and current professor of practice at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law, will join World Affairs CEO Jane Wales for a discussion on the state of US Foreign Policy, and challenge the assumptions behind the Trump administration’s strategic direction. How can we make America good again, and where might we go from here?

This event is made possible through a generous grant from the Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation in the name of Richard and Judith Guggenhime, and brings world-renowned experts to the Bay Area.

SPEAKER:

Samantha Power
Former United States Ambassador, United States Mission to the United Nations

MODERATOR:

Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

Direct download: 11_08_17_Samantha_Power_Foreign_Policy.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:31am PDT

This week’s episode will feature two unique perspectives from the frontlines of international war.

In the first half of the show, you’ll hear from Retired US Admiral James Stavridis. Admiral Stavridis was the Supreme Allied Commander for NATO from 2009 to 2013, and he led NATO’s Operation Unified Protector during the 2011 military intervention in Libya.

In this talk, Stavridis discusses the US' role in a complex, quickly shifting international landscape.

And now to the second half of our program, featuring combat journalist Sebastian Junger.

In his newest project, “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS”, Junger documents the civil war by telling the stories of Syrians living through the chaos and rise of extremism, and who later attempt to escape the violence. Jung discusses his motivation for the project, and he reveals the inside story of the film.

Direct download: 10_30_17_Stavridis_Junger.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:16pm PDT

Equal access to justice and equal protection under the law are critical elements of our liberal democracy. Yet, in practice, in the US young men of color are more likely than their white counterparts to be picked up for, locked up for, and prosecuted for suspected criminal offenses. If they cannot gain pre-trial release, these young men remain in jail while awaiting prosecution. The jury is more likely to find these men guilty, and the prosecutor is more likely to ask for a stiff sentence, which the judge is more likely to impose. Once incarcerated, these young men may not be protected from mental and physical harm. Once released, they can be denied housing, jobs, credit and even the ability to vote. Their families will have been impoverished by the costs associated with trials, imprisonment and lost earning capacity. This pattern of bias – whether unconscious or not – has served to delegitimize our system of justice in the eyes of a growing number of Americans. Can philanthropy and civil society advance the reforms needed for our justice system to regain the trust of all Americans? Can we realize the vital goal of equal justice for all?

Introduction: Adam Foss, President, Prosecutor Impact

Panel Discussion

* Carroll Bogert, President, The Marshall Project

* Adam Foss, President, Prosecutor Impact (moderator)

* Glenn E. Martin, Founder and President, JustLeadershipUSA

For more information about this event please visit: https://www.philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2017/

Direct download: 04_20_17_Race_Justice_Legitamacy.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 12:06pm PDT

In 2012, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned that the United States was facing the possibility of a "cyber" Pearl Harbor and was increasingly vulnerable to foreign computer hackers who could dismantle the nation's power grid, transportation system, financial networks and government. Since then, we have seen Iran attack US financial institutions and gain control of a New York dam. ISIS has released a kill list complete with stolen US federal employee information. Russia has attacked our democratic system through a combination of cyber theft and massive botnets used to propagate fake news. And North Korea is alleged to be behind a series of attacks including Sony Entertainment and culminating in the global WannaCry ransomware attack in May.

Why have we been unable to defend against these attacks? What is being done to prevent and protect us from potential future threats? The “WannaCry” attack and most recent “Petya” attack have caused damage on a global scale, and have even taken lives. Further, it appears such attacks have made use of stolen NSA cyber weapons previously distributed on the dark web and available for sale.

Nicole Perlroth, cyber security reporter for The New York Times, will discuss these attacks and what to expect for the future of cyber warfare.

SPEAKER:

Nicole Perlroth
Reporter, The New York Times

MODERATOR:

Kim Zetter
Author, Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1749

Direct download: 09_11_17_Nicole_Perlroth.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:57pm PDT

If pluralism is essential to free and functioning societies, it is also the sine qua non of liberal democracy, and essential to the legitimacy – and sustainability – of the state. But when states fail to meet the needs of their citizens and collapse into violent conflict, what is the role of the international community and global civil society? Where does responsibility lie? We will explore interventions along the conflict continuum as well as global norms that assign responsibility. Will citizens trust their government, if access to health, education, jobs and even justice is uneven? And when governance fails, how can human security be assured? This conversation will focus on governments and the governed, with particular attention to access to justice and examples of conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation. Throughout, the role of race, gender, religious affiliation and ethnicity will be explored.

Robert Malley, incoming Vice President for Policy, International Crisis Group (moderator)

David Miliband, President and CEO, International Rescue Committee

John Prendergast, Founding Director, Enough Project

Yifat Susskind, Executive Director, MADRE

David Tolbert, President, International Center for Transitional Justice

Robin Wright, Senior Fellow, The US Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson Center

For more information about this event please visit: https://philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2017/

Direct download: 04_19_17_Trust_Justice_Conflict_Continuum.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 12:26pm PDT

President Trump once pledged to “tear up” the Iran nuclear agreement. Now, the world watches to see the fate of an agreement considered by some to be a pivotal victory in American foreign policy, and by others as a mistake.

Trita Parsi, the preeminent Middle East foreign policy expert who advised the Obama White House throughout the Iran talks, takes us behind the scenes to examine the negotiations. Was a better deal to be had in 2015? What have been the benefits gained, or disasters averted, under the deal? Parsi provides a nuanced and thoughtful view of the agreement designed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Will the Iran deal survive the Trump Presidency? If the agreement can be viewed as a down-payment on improved US-Iranian relations, has that now been squandered by the sabre-rattling that followed? What are the options and consequences of a renegotiation and, without the support of an international coalition, does an effort to renegotiate have the impact of removing the US from a position of influence on this important subject? What is the benefit where each side abides by the letter of an agreement, but does not act in the spirit of the agreement?

SPEAKER:

Trita Parsi
President, National Iranian American Council

MODERATOR:

Neil Joeck
Research Scholar, Institute for International Studies, University of California, Berkeley

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1747

Direct download: 09_05_17_Trita_Parsi.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 9:07am PDT

Jim Yong Kim, President, World Bank Group, in conversation with Jane Wales, Founder, Global Philanthropy Forum.

Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank.

For more information about this event: https://www.philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2017/agenda/

Direct download: 04_18_17_Kim_Moreno.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:34am PDT

Imagine if you had no choice but to flee your country. Where would you go? How would you cope? What would you need to rebuild your life in exile? These are the questions that three million South Sudanese have had to ask themselves in the face an unrelenting civil war, famine, violence and persecution. And as conflicts across the globe have forced millions to flee their homes, the international debate on refugee policy rages on. How does South Sudan fit into this broader narrative, and what lessons can be learned from its citizens cast into uncertain exile?

Join World Affairs as we examine this pressing global issue from both policy and human perspectives. Gabriel Akim, spokesperson for Rebuild South Sudan, Diana Essex-Lettieri, Deputy Director of Asylum Access, and Valentino Achak Deng, co-founder of the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, will call upon their unique expertise and personal experience to shed light on what it means to be displaced from war-torn South Sudan.

As part of our "Engage" series, this event features a post-discussion Q&A, when you will have the chance to participate directly with the speaker and gain incredible insights that you won't get anywhere else.

SPEAKERS

Valentino Achak Deng
Co-founder, Valentino Achak Deng Foundation

Gabriel Akim
Advisor, Rebuild South Sudan

Diana Essex-Lettieri
Deputy Director, Asylum Access

MODERATOR:

Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1743

Direct download: 08_09_17_South_Sudan.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:59am PDT

In 2018, Russia will hold its presidential election, and few are likely to oppose the current president, Vladimir Putin. One of the potential challengers gaining momentum is Alexei Navalny, a central figure in the pro-democracy movement. Since 2011, this small but passionate opposition group has captured the attention of many disaffected Russians angered by corruption, economic disparity and the restriction of civil liberties. What can Russia's pro-democracy movement do to break through a culture of systemic corruption to win the election? What can the opposition do to build support among all Russians?

Vladimir Ashurkov, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and close colleague of Alexei Navalny, will provide insight into the pro-democracy campaign, recent protests in Moscow and the many challenges facing the opposition movement.

SPEAKER:

Vladimir Ashurkov
Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Foundation

MODERATOR:

Carla Thorson
Senior Vice President, Programs, World Affairs

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1744

Direct download: 07_26_17_Vladimir_Ashurkov.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24pm PDT

The American dream used to be founded on the goal of finding a good, stable job to spend the majority of one’s career — but this is no longer the norm. Over the last seventy years, the standard employer-employee relationship has drastically changed. Companies no longer offer the same level of job security, regular pay increases, guaranteed pensions, robust health benefits and other social benefits as they did in the past. This shift in the corporate social contract has taken a toll on loyalty on both sides.

Senior Advisor and former Executive Director at the Drucker Institute, Rick Wartzman, discusses his recent book "The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America," which chronicles the erosion of the relationship between major American businesses and their workers. Have these new workplace practices decreased morale and productivity? How can America revitalize its middle class? What is the new American Dream?

SPEAKER:

Rick Wartzman
Senior Advisor and Former Executive Director, The Drucker Institute

MODERATOR:

John Sepulvado
Host of The California Report, KQED Public Radio

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1739

Direct download: 07_20_17_Rick_Wartzman.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 12:57pm PDT

The first five years of a child’s life are a period of intense creativity, invention and growth. During this period, children rely on those around them to provide for their physical, cognitive and socio-emotional development needs to ensure their capacity to trust and become resilient adults. Distressingly, nearly 200 million children globally may not reach their developmental potential due to the effects of unhealthy environment and paucity of educational opportunities. Many of these children also live in stressful circumstances – caused by poverty, abandonment or violent conflict – and so face additional challenges in learning to trust. This session will investigate the factors impacting early childhood development and learn which interventions can prevent, mitigate or address the potentially lasting effects of toxic stress. If –as Nelson Mandela said –“there is no keener revelation of society’s soul than the way it treats its children,” then surely the legitimacy of a state rests at least in part on whether it meets its obligations to the young.

Randa Grob-Zakhary, Global Head of Education, Porticus

Peter Laugharn, President and CEO, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (moderator)

Carolyn Miles, President and CEO, Save the Children

Deogratias Niyonkiza, Founder and CEO, Village Health Works

 

For more information about this event please visit: https://www.philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2017/

Direct download: 09_04_17_Capacity_Child-GPF17.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:49am PDT

The current crisis between the US and North Korea has escalated with both sides firing off heated exchanges following North Korea’s missile tests and threats extending as far as Guam. While North Korea has tested missiles in the past, the US is on alert as Kim Jong-un accelerates the drive for nuclear capabilities which could bolster the survival of his regime. President Trump is now faced with his biggest challenge since coming into office, and it is one which is alarming from both a humanitarian and economic perspective as South Korea and China urge more dialogue and less military exercises.

Can the US and North Korea pivot from searing rhetoric and work toward strengthening diplomacy? To what extent is China willing to help in terms of diplomacy and deterrence? Is the Korean Peninsula less safe with a nuclearized North Korea?

SPEAKERS

Orville Schell
Arthur Ross Director, Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society

Philip W. Yun
Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Ploughshares Fund

MODERATOR:

Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/media-library/event/1758

Direct download: 08_22_17_Wales_Schell_Yun-North_Korea.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 9:43am PDT

President Trump’s first visit to the Middle East demonstrated a notable shift in US policy toward the region. In a marked departure from the policies of the Obama administration, the president not only embraced the Sunni Arab states, but signed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, and stated that he will not lecture the Kingdom or other Arab autocracies on human rights issues. He also initiated a review of the Iranian nuclear deal, gave greater military emphasis to US actions in the area, and called for states in the region to isolate Iran. Meanwhile, elections in Iran have given President Rouhani a broader mandate to open Iran’s economy further.

How will President Trump’s policies and actions impact America’s relations with Saudi Arabia, the nuclear deal with Iran and the prospect of ending arduous conflicts as seen in Syria and Yemen? Will this further increase tensions, or is there potential for renewed diplomatic cooperation between the US, Saudi Arabia and Iran?

Banafsheh Keynoush, a geopolitical and communications consultant, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Ambassador Hossein Mousavian, Middle East security expert at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, will discuss the US - Iran - Saudi Arabia nexus and whether we are destined for renewed diplomacy or conflict in the Middle East.

SPEAKERS

Seyed Hossein Mousavian
Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist, Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University

Banafsheh Keynoush
Foreign Affairs Scholar and Author, "Saudi Arabia and Iran: Friends or Foes?"

Fred H. Lawson
Senior Fellow, Centre for Syrian Studies, University of St. Andrews

MODERATOR:

Jessica Tuchman Mathews
Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1737

Direct download: 06_27_17_Iran_Saudi_Arabia.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:19am PDT

What drives voters to the election booth? Dr. Arlie Hochschild, UC Berkeley sociologist and author of New York Times best seller “Strangers in their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right,” embarked on a journey to the Deep South to explore this very question. What she found were lives damaged by lost jobs, poor wages and an elusive American dream. As she connected and became friends with the people she met, she was surprised to discover that their values mirrored the liberal values she grew up with, including a desire for community, the importance of family and hopes for their children. She came to appreciate how strongly emotions, including years of anger and frustration, drive political preference for many far-right voters.

What role did “emotion in politics” play in the results of the 2016 election? What feelings motivate Trump supporters and Tea Partiers to support these movements? Why do citizens who would seem to benefit most from “liberal” government programs detest the party that passed them? Dr. Hochschild will share her observations and the stories of those who have felt like strangers in their own land.

SPEAKER

Arlie Hochschild
Professor Emerita, Sociology, UC Berkeley

MODERATOR:

John Sepulvado
Host of The California Report, KQED Public Radio

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1727

Direct download: 05_31_17_Arlie_Hochschild.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:25pm PDT

What can the rise of Japan and Germany in the last century - or the rise of Athens 2,000 years earlier - tell us about the risks facing the US and China today? Is a US-China war inevitable?

Graham Allison, among the most astute geostrategic observers of his generation, terms this “Thucydides’s Trap.” He takes us back to the Peloponnesian war to remind us of the timeless insights of the historian Thucydides: When a rising power rivals a ruling power, danger is near. In fact, in 12 of the 16 occasions this global power pattern has repeated, the outcome was war. With this view to history, the existential challenge of our era is not violent Islamic extremists or a resurgent Russia; it is the impact of China’s ascendance on the international order. According to Allison, "Never before in history has a nation risen so far, so fast."

Even Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged that the world “work together to avoid the Thucydides trap… Our aim is to foster a new model of major country relations.” But is being aware of danger enough to avoid it? While the West seeks to encircle and constrain, China demonstrates, with aggressive naval exercises in disputed seas, that it will demand the respect due a major power in its own region and the world. Can the world escape the perilous prophecy of Athens and Sparta?

Graham Allison, director of Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, founding dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School and advisor to every secretary of defense from Reagan to Obama, shares insights from his career, and outlines the painful steps both China and the US must take to avoid disaster.

SPEAKER:

Graham Allison
Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University

MODERATOR:

Michael M. Nacht
Thomas and Alison Schneider Professor of Public Policy; Interim Director, Center for Studies in Higher Education, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1732

Direct download: 06_06_17_Graham_Allison.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:56am PDT

In 2011, Cairo's Tahrir Square commanded the attention of the world as the Egyptian people demanded their freedom. At the time, President Barack Obama famously declared: “Egyptians have inspired us, they have changed the world.” But, half a decade later, is this the whole story?

The Arab World's most populous nation remains as volatile as ever and thoroughly enmeshed with a broader moment of political turbulence that is unfolding across the globe. In his new book, "The Egyptians: A Radical Story," former Egypt Correspondent for the Guardian, Jack Shenker, examines the roots of Egypt’s revolution, arguing for a much more nuanced, and far-reaching view of the forces that are reshaping the region. Egypt’s revolutionary turmoil has never just been about Mubarak, or his successors, or elections, says Shenker. It is not merely a civil war between Islamists and secularists, nor a fight between backwardness and modernity. Underlying it all, the unrest is about economically marginalized citizens muscling their way onto the political stage to demand sovereignty over domains previously closed to them: factories and urban streets, the houses they live in, the food they eat and the water they drink. The real story is more complicated and, ultimately, more hopeful.

Speaker Jack Shenker is an author and journalist, and Former Egypt Correspondent for the Guardian.

The conversation is moderated by David D. Arnold is President of The Asia Foundation.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1683

Direct download: 02_02_17_Jack_Shenker.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12pm PDT

Our lives in 2050 will be vastly different than today. Rapidly advancing technology is changing everything from food production to health care, energy output, manufacturing and the military balance. Innovations already in development include brain-computer interfaces, vat-grown cruelty-free meat, knitted cars and guided bullets among many others. Technology which once seemed like science fiction is now reality - and even old news - where can we possibly go from here?

The Executive Editor of The Economist, Daniel Franklin, explores how technology will shape the future in his recent book, Megatech: Technology in 2050. His insights are based on extensive interviews with distinguished scientists, industry leaders, academics and acclaimed science-fiction authors who are at the forefront of the most exceptional inventions and sinister trends.

Where will technology be in 2050, and how will it affect the way we live? What does this mean for the job market and how we perform our work? In what ways can we prepare for the opportunities — as well as the dangers — that await?

Speaker Daniel Franklin is Executive Editor at The Economist. He is in conversation with Quentin Hardy, Head of Editorial at Google Cloud.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1699

Direct download: 03_29_17_Daniel_Franklin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:41pm PDT

In April – shortly after triggering article 50 of the Lisbon treaty which started the process of withdrawing from the European Union – British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a snap general election to be held in June. There is no turning back on Brexit, but a strong win by the Conservative Party would give May a stronger mandate in executing it as she sees fit. May hopes to increase her majority in Parliament as she strives to negotiate a good deal for Britain, and local election results and polls indicate that this is a likely outcome.

The UK vote comes in the wake of the French elections, where pro-EU Emmanuel Macron won with 65% of the vote. One of his first public statements was to warn the UK to expect “tough” Brexit negotiations. Regardless of how the deal is cut, it will redefine the political and economic relationships between the EU and Britain, as well as the US, that form the bedrock of the Western alliance.

What is the future of the European Union, and how will the upcoming UK elections influence it? How will this impact the transatlantic US-UK relationship? Colin Brown, chairman of the British-American Business Council and Christophe Crombez, senior research scholar at Stanford’s The Europe Center and professor at KU Leuven in Belgium, will discuss prospects for Brexit, the European Union and international trade negotiations.

As part of our "Engage" series, this event features a post-discussion Q&A, when you will have the chance to participate directly with the speaker and gain incredible insights that you won't get anywhere else.

SPEAKERS

Colin Brown
Chairman, British-American Business Council

Christophe Crombez
Senior Research Scholar at Stanford’s The Europe Center and Professor at KU Leuven in Belgium

MODERATOR:

Kausik Rajgopal
Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1734

Direct download: 06_12_17_UK_Elections.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 3:02pm PDT

According to recent studies by Pew Research, consumers are now just as likely to get their news from social media as from traditional news websites. And while some Americans are confident in their abilities to detect "fake news," two-thirds feel some confusion about navigating the facts in current issues and events.

What obligations do government and media have to filter fake news, and what steps have already been taken to prevent these stories from gaining undue attention? What is the future of journalism in this post-facts era? How can we know what is credible and what is not?

Joaquin Alvarado, CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, will share his thoughts about reporting in a time when our country is being confronted by an unprecedented assault on basic facts.

SPEAKERS

Joaquin Alvarado
CEO, Center for Investigative Reporting

Janine Zacharia
Former Jerusalem Bureau Chief and Middle East Correspondent, The Washington Post

MODERATOR:

Edward Wasserman
Dean, Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1724

Direct download: 05_24_17_Fake_News.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 4:03pm PDT

Is American influence in Asia and around the world set to decline? In the years following the global financial crisis, the US has increasing ceded its leadership in the world, while China has rushed in to fill the gap left behind. Based on the inward-looking economic nationalism of the Trump administration, some say this trend is poised to accelerate.

Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times, terms this phenomenon “Easternization” - the tectonic shift of the world’s center of gravity from West to East, and from the US to China. Though obscured by the headlines of the day, in the not-so-distant future we may come to view this, as Rachman does, as the momentous transformation of the young century.

How is the growing wealth of Asian nations transforming the international balance of power? Will Trump’s temperament lead to war or peace with Asian nations? After striving for years to be a part of Europe, is Russia now returning to its Asian roots? How would a shift to the East shape all of our lives? This event is co-organized with the Mechanics Institute.

SPEAKER:

Gideon Rachman
Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, Financial Times

MODERATOR:

Carla Thorson
Senior Vice President, Programs, World Affairs

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1714

Direct download: 05_23_17_Gideon_Rachman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:07pm PDT

In November, the international community watched as Americans elected Donald Trump the next President, leaving many with unanswered questions about what lies ahead for international development. The United States government is currently the biggest foreign aid donor in the world. Washington’s actions also influence how much other governments contribute to global efforts to eliminate poverty, reduce hunger, empower women and local actors, and increase access to education and healthcare.

Trump said little about his stance on international aid throughout his campaign. Republicans have supported foreign aid in the past because it contributes to national security at home, which is also one of Trump’s biggest priorities. However, if his nationalist ideologies and “Make America First” rhetoric are any indicators of future actions, foreign aid — despite representing less than 1% of the national budget — may be on the chopping block.

What progress has been made, and what hope is there for the world’s most vulnerable people? Dana Hyde, the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Richard Leach, the President and CEO of World Food Program USA, will share insights about major achievements in recent years and shifting priorities for the future.

Dana Hyde, Chief Executive Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Richard Leach, President and CEO of the World Food Program USA, are in conversation.

The discussion is moderated by Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1674

Direct download: 01_11_17_US_Development.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:36am PDT

The US Presidential elections were a wake-up call to many that millions of Americans are angry and want drastic change. While our new global economy has benefited many, they feel that they have been left behind – losing their livelihoods and income to companies abroad. As a nation, we need to do something about these issues, although Trump’s promises and actions to pull out of international trade deals may not be the only or best solution.

The problem, according to Council on Foreign Relations’ Edward Alden, is not globalization itself, but the failure of domestic policies to address its associated challenges. US policymakers have long recognized the challenges that Americans would face in the new global economy, but mainly looked the other way.

In his book, Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy, Alden explains why support for free trade is disappearing, and how to improve the situation for citizens whose lives have been negatively impacted by it. What can we do to minimize these impacts, and how can we build a workforce that is adaptable and resilient to rapidly changing global markets? What potential federal policies would develop more internationally competitive industries and improve the overall American economy?

Speaker Edward Alden is the Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The conversation is moderated by Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1713

Direct download: 05_10_17_Edward_Alden.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:51pm PDT

Theodore Roosevelt once famously said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," in reference to his stance on foreign policy. Today, many Americans - wary of waging another war and maintaining a military presence abroad - question this approach.

But given the threats posed in today’s increasingly dangerous and nuclearized world, can the US afford to shy away from hard power? Can diplomacy be divorced from military power? Would deploying forces and strengthening our naval or military presence to thwart Russian hostilities, irrational regimes and China’s transgressions in the South China Sea serve to weaken America’s interests and security?

Dr. Eliot Cohen, a former senior advisor to George W. Bush, professor at Johns Hopkins University and renowned political commentator, will make the case that hard power remains essential for American foreign policy. Sharing insights from his recent book, "The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force," Dr. Cohen will provide a nuanced argument for the use of force in the service of American security and ideals.

Speaker Eliot Cohen is the Robert E. Osgood Professor of the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University.

The moderator for this discussion is Stephen Krasner, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; and Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences at the School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1702

Direct download: 05_09_17_Eliot_Cohen.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 3:03pm PDT

North Korea has threatened the United States with a “merciless” nuclear attack. While not a new threat, they may soon be capable of actually making good on that promise. North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, has recently been pushing to develop a missile capable of hitting the US, as witnessed by a series of tests. The likely target? California.

Meanwhile, escalating military tensions in the region have further isolated the nation both politically and economically, setting the stage for long-standing internal human rights abuses to worsen. Situations involving political prison camps, unresolved disappearances and the abduction of Japanese and South Koreans are all cause for concern. Add to that savory list, power struggles within the family itself. According to Malaysian authorities, Kim Jong-un's half-brother was recently murdered with chemical weapons in an airport in Kuala Lumpur, further escalating tensions.

How serious is the risk of a North Korean nuclear attack? How will Trump’s reaction and willingness to work with our allies in the region influence the situation? And what obligation, if any, does the international community have to intervene on any and all fronts? Experts Philip Yun, Director of the Ploughshares Fund, and Daniel Sneider, Associate Director for Research at Stanford’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, will share their insights.

SPEAKERS

Daniel Sneider
Associate Director for Research, Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University

Philip W. Yun
Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Ploughshares Fund

MODERATOR:

Neil Joeck
Research Scholar, Institute for International Studies, University of California, Berkeley

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1708

Direct download: 04_12_17_North_Korea.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:48pm PDT

Tension in US-Russia relations is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War. Russia’s 2012 invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s military intervention in support of the Assad regime in Syria — along with the unprecedented Russian interference in the 2016 US election — have fanned these flames.

President Trump insists that he will prioritize healing the relationship and that Moscow can be an important partner in the fight against terrorism and other issues. However the recent use of chemical weapons in Syria followed by a US retaliatory airstrike against the Russian-backed Assad regime have raised the stakes and the risk of greater use of force. What can be done to avoid accidental or unintended military confrontation in the Middle East or in Europe? Will Russia’s interference in our domestic politics have lasting repercussions? In what ways can we collaborate with Russia on fighting the risk of nuclear terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction? Will Trump’s approach lead to stronger US-Russia cooperation, or is the relationship too broken to fix?

Andrew Weiss, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will share his perspectives on the future of US-Russia relations as well as key policy recommendations to manage the bilateral relationship, drawn from a two-year, high-level, and bipartisan task force on U.S. policy toward Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. The task force was convened jointly by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Chicago Council for International Affairs.

Speaker Andrew Weiss is Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

 
The conversation is moderated by Carla Thorson, Senior Vice President of Programs at World Affairs.
 
For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1716
 
Direct download: 04_11_17_Andrew_Weiss.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 12:16pm PDT

The United States is a leader in environmental policy, with California at the forefront as a global hub for clean energy technology and investments. With Trump as President, many environmentalists fear this will change. Trump has vowed to bring back coal jobs, withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and reduce clean energy spending — not to mention calling climate change a “hoax” and selecting climate change deniers to head the EPA and Energy Department.

Californian officials and other international leaders have spoken out and pledged for continued environmental progress, regardless of what happens in Washington. What specific protections can state governments such as California put in place? Are market forces and technology strong enough that current trends towards clean energy will continue despite any potential policy decisions? If the US were to pull out of the Paris Agreement, would other countries continue to hold up their end of the bargain?

Hal Harvey, the CEO of Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology LLC, and Severin Borenstein, E.T. Grether Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, will evaluate the ramifications of potential policy decisions that Trump could make.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1681

Direct download: 02_28_17_CA_Energy.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 9:13am PDT

The Syrian war has left an estimated 470,000 dead, with 4.8 million international refugees and 6.6 million people internally displaced. As peace efforts falter, the world cries out for the respect of human rights and international humanitarian law, seeking accountability for their infringement.

Recent attention has focused on the siege of Aleppo, where intense aerial bombardment by Syrian and Russian forces destroyed all medical care infrastructure, wiped out marketplaces and bakeries and led to thousands of civilian deaths. Unlawful killings remain a hallmark of this blood-soaked conflict. Humanitarian access is blocked. What can be done?

This panel discussion will examine the findings of the the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic special report examining the violations that took place in Aleppo city since late 2015, and debate its impact on any future accountability for victims of the conflict's many crimes.

This event is co-organized by World Affairs and the Center for Justice and Accountability

SPEAKERS

Sareta Ashraph
former Chief Analyst, UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Scott Gilmore
Staff Attorney, Center for Justice and Accountability

Stephen Rapp
Former Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, U.S. Department of State

MODERATOR:

Beth Van Schaack
Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor in Human Rights, Stanford Law School

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1685

Direct download: 02_13_17_Syria_War_Crimes.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:45pm PDT

Join Asia Society, The Asia Foundation, Commonwealth Club, and World Affairs for a unique dialogue featuring the leaders of four of the Bay Area’s most prestigious public affairs and non-profit organizations, who will look at the presidency of Donald J. Trump and what it will mean for America’s relationship with Asia and the world.

Held within the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, the dialogue will examine more closely a persistent divide between California and the Bay Area, and the rest of the country, on the future direction of this nation. The dialogue will examine how the Bay Area, and the state more broadly, views America’s relationship with Asia, as well its place in the world on global issues such as trade, security and climate change.

What are some of the primary issues of importance to the Bay Area—politically, economically, culturally—as it relates to US-Asia relations and are they similar or different from the rest of the country? Has the state and the region evolved differently from the rest of the country in how they perceive America’s relationship with Asia and the world, and if so, why?

World Affairs seeks to explore problems and expand opportunities at the intersection of international policy, philanthropy and enterprise — where solutions to hard problems lie. Every day, we convene thought leaders, change makers and engaged citizens to share ideas, learn from each other and engage in conversations that matter. Founded in 1947, following the San Francisco conference that established the United Nations, World Affairs remains one of the most vibrant global affairs organizations in the United States.

SPEAKERS

David D. Arnold
President, The Asia Foundation

Dr. Gloria C. Duffy
President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club of California

N. Bruce Pickering
Vice President of Global Programs, Asia Society and Executive Director, Asia Society Northern California, Asia Society

Jane Wales
CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute

MODERATOR:

Mina Kim
PM Anchor and Forum Friday Host, KQED

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1691

Direct download: 03_07_17_Trump_West_Coast.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 9:20am PDT

General Michael Hayden is the only person ever to lead both the CIA and NSA. For 10 years, he was a key player in some of the most important events in the history of American national security. Now, at a time of ominous new threats and political change, General Hayden will share an insider’s perspective of America's intelligence wars.

What role did US intelligence play in the wake of terrorist threats, a major war and the technological revolution? What was the transformation of the NSA after 9/11? Why did the NSA begin the controversial terrorist surveillance program that included the collection of domestic phone records? What else was set in motion during this period that formed the backdrop for the infamous Snowden revelations in 2013?

General Hayden is a retired United States Air Force four-star general, former director of the NSA, principal deputy director of National Intelligence, and director of the CIA. His recent book, "Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror," is a behind-the-scenes account of his experiences within our national intelligence operations. His goals for writing it are simple: No apologies. No excuses. Just what happened.

Speaker General Michael Hayden is the Former Director of the NSA and CIA.

Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum, and Vice President, The Aspen Institute, moderates the discussion.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1692

Direct download: 03_13_17_Michael_Hayden.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:53am PDT

In the first months of the new administration, multiple questions have arisen about President Donald Trump’s approach to executive power. Join us for a discussion that will focus on the White House’s policy on immigration. We will discuss the law and policy of the executive order suspending immigration from seven majority Muslim nations under the Immigration and Naturalization Act and the US Constitution.

Does the president have the authority to build a wall along the US-Mexico border and tax Mexican imports or currency transfers to pay for it? What can the president do in the absence of legislative action and when and where does the judiciary step in? Has President Trump gone too far or simply not framed the orders correctly? Daniel Farber, Peter Schuck, and John Yoo, three of the nation’s leading legal scholars, respond to these questions and more, illuminating the limits of the executive power.

As part of our "Engage" series, this event features a post-discussion Q&A, when you will have the chance to participate directly with the speaker and gain incredible insights that you won't get anywhere else.

SPEAKERS

Daniel Farber
Sho Sato Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley School of Law

Peter Schuck
Visiting Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley School of Law

John Yoo
Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley School of Law

MODERATOR:

Jeffrey L. Bleich
CEO, Dentons Diplomatic Services and Chair, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1700

Direct download: 03_09_17_Trump_Executive_Power.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 3:52pm PDT

Join Asia Society Northern California and World Affairs for a dialogue with The Honorable Kevin Rudd, President of the Asia Society Policy Institute and former Prime Minister of Australia, who will look at some of the critical issues facing the Asia-Pacific region today and the challenges likely to emerge in the coming years.

While Asia is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies and a young, dynamic population, the region is also confronted with a number of issues that threaten to stymie the region’s rise. Growing nationalism, enduring security flashpoints in the Korean peninsula and the South China Sea, an ascendant China, and climate change are just some of the factors that will demand attention and action in the coming years. The election of Donald Trump as the new U.S. President adds unpredictability to the region given his campaign promises to upend America’s role in the alliance infrastructure that underpins security, economic, and political relationships in the region and the world.

Co-Chairman of the ASNC Advisory Board and Chairman Emeritus of Silicon Valley Bank Ken Wilcox will moderate the dialogue.

Direct download: 02_08_17_Kevin_Rudd.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:27pm PDT

There is a new world order. This isn't the 20th century anymore: shifting coalitions, changing spheres of influence, evolving economic and political powers. A friend one minute; a foe another. To address these challenges, the next US president must reconsider our statecraft and diplomacy. Career Ambassador and renowned expert on US-China and Middle East relations, Chas W. Freeman, will call upon his decades of experience to discuss how US foreign policy must change to suit today’s increasingly competitive and disorderly world.

How can the US better navigate its complex relationship with China? What lessons can be learned from our failed interventions in the Middle East, and what steps can be taken to remedy those diplomatic and military errors? How should the US respond to the Arab uprisings and the deteriorating order in the Middle East? Is Israel a strategic asset or liability for the US?

Ambassador Chas Freeman is well-positioned to respond to these questions. During his three decades as an American diplomat, he has served as the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; negotiated with Fidel Castro and other state leaders; translated for President Nixon during his breakthrough visit to Beijing; and served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Freeman is one of America’s most distinguished diplomats. Providing frank, but graciously rendered observations, he will challenge us to think critically about US foreign policy - how we have erred in the past, and how we might do things differently in the future.

Speaker Chas W. Freeman is Senior Fellow of the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, and Chairman of the Board, Committee for the Republic

Moderator Jane Wales is CEO of World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum, and Vice President of The Aspen Institute.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1686

Direct download: 02_07_17_Chas_Freeman.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:34pm PDT

The news each week is filled with increasingly horrific stories of the effects of violent extremism and ISIL-led and ISIL-inspired attacks in Iraq, Syria and around the world. We will make a a clear-eyed assessment of the challenge of violent extremism, including recruitment and radicalization, and the current state of the conflict and discuss how the US and our partners might respond in 2017 and beyond. How are the US defense, intelligence, diplomatic, and development agencies working to prevent the rise of violent extremism and counter ISIL? What consensus for our strategies and tactics exists among US allies and partners? What role should the multilateral organizations, including the UN, NATO and others play in the year ahead? How is ISIL able to convince young vulnerable populations across the globe to join them? How do we work with our local communities and in communities in Europe and other regions to identify signs of radicalization to violence and prevent it? How is the US and our partners working to leverage the technology sector, social media platforms and counter-messaging efforts to counter ISIL’s use of the internet for self-promotion and recruitment?

Rukmini Callimachi, Foreign Correspondent covering extremism, The New York Times

Michael Ortiz, Deputy Coordinator for Countering Violent Extremism, Bureau of Counterterrorism, US Department of State

Moderator: Martha Crenshaw, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

For more information please visit: https://www.worldaffairs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=792

Direct download: 10_28_16_Countering_ISIL.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 11:52am PDT

Head west. Start up. Get rich.

The Silicon Valley mythos describes a steady stream of young, idealistic startup founders who have made it big. No longer content on joining the next “unicorn” (the unprofitable startup with a billion dollar valuation), entrepreneurs now chase the goal of the “deca-corn” - the 10 billion dollar startup. But what about the rest of those many unknown entrepreneurs battling to make it to the top?

Alexandra Wolfe, staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal and author of Valley of the Gods, takes us on a journey into the unique Silicon Valley culture, turning her relentless gaze and unflinching wit on the life and times of the startup bubble. What makes these Silicon Valley entrepreneurs tick? How do these young up-and-comers balance Silicon Valley’s endless optimism with its lofty expectations? Who are these men and women of Silicon Valley, whose hubris and ambition are changing the world?

Speaker Alexandra Wolfe is an author and Staff Reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

The conversation is moderated by Brad Stone, Senior Executive Editor for Technology at Bloomberg News.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1673

Direct download: 01_12_17_Alexandra_Wolfe.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:08am PDT

Take an extraordinary journey through the criminal underworld of the Mexican drug cartels and the dark heart of the US-Mexican drug wars. Los Zetas, the infamous Mexican drug cartel, has taken gang brutality to unprecedented levels. United States and Mexican law enforcement agencies accuse Los Zetas of hundreds of deaths and laundering millions of dollars.

As blood has spilled on both sides of the US-Mexican border, the cartels have increasingly turned to children as their foot soldiers - for trafficking, kidnapping, and even murder. Journalist Dan Slater has spent years researching this phenomena as it has played out in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and just across the border in its sister city, Laredo, Texas - border towns that are a prime battleground for control of lucrative US drug smuggling routes.

Sharing insights from his book, "Wolf Boys", Slater will respond to the questions: Who are the casualties when cartels go to war? Why did the cartels begin this sinister recruitment of children, and how did two American teens get caught up in the violence? What can be done to break this vicious cycle?

Speaker Dan Slater is author of Wolf Boys.

The discussion is moderated by Andrew Becker, Reporter, The Center for Investigative Reporting.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1632

Direct download: 10_05_16_Dan_Slater.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:49pm PDT

Disorder is on the rise: in the Middle East, in Europe, across Asia and even on the home front. It is not merely that the players in the international arena have changed, but the rules of the game itself have changed too. Old approaches to world affairs are now rendered obsolete.

Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the upcoming book, A World in Disarray, will provide a compelling diagnosis of the most pressing global challenges today and his prescription for a renewed American foreign policy to address these challenges. In the age of non-state actors re-writing traditional rules of diplomacy, the US, while still an indispensable nation, must also recognize that once-great powers are losing their sway. The old global order has shifted, but the US - through its relationships with China, Russia and in the Middle East - can help forge a new order for this twenty-first century world.

Calling upon his years of experience working as an analyst and in the highest levels of government, Haass will provide a lucid and incisive analysis: what is the state of the world; how did it become a world of disarray; and what can we do about it?

Speaker Richard N. Haass is President of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The conversation is moderated by Kori Schake, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/media-library/event/1678

Direct download: 01_30_17_Richard_Haass.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 4:51pm PDT

Violent, extremist movements have continued to build around the world, and diplomacy and military power have failed to stem the tide. Why have the past responses to these crises fallen short? Steven Koltai argues that terrorist groups are fueled less by ideology, and more by a lack of attractive economic prospects for the young men who join the fray. If joblessness is an important root cause of extremist movements, then good jobs and economic growth may provide security where past responses have failed. Have traditional approaches to development adequately invested in entrepreneurship as a means of creating economic opportunities in the developing world? What lessons from the US startup culture can be translated to these volatile markets?

Steven Koltai's new book, "Peace through Entrepreneurship" builds a case for a renewed emphasis on entrepreneurship in US foreign policy.

Speaker Steven Koltai is an author and guest scholar at the Brookings Institution.

The conversation is moderated by Charles Slaughter, Founder and CEO, Living Goods.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/media-library/event/1634

Direct download: 09_27_16_Steven_Koltai.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 12:41pm PDT

Fred Hochberg, Chairman and President of the Export-Import bank of the US, makes the case that the US is leading the way in a globalized economy. By focusing 90% of the bank’s attention on small businesses, Hochberg argues that his bank is creating greater opportunity while reducing risk. In contrast, Rana Foroohar, Assistant Managing Editor at TIME, sees a murkier future.  According to Foroohar what few of us realize is how the misguided financial practices and philosophies that nearly toppled the global financial system in 2008 have come to infiltrate all American businesses, putting us on a collision course for another cataclysmic meltdown.

Direct download: 01_23_17_Hochberg_Foroohar.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:44am PDT

This week, World Affairs CEO Jane Wales is in conversation with Senator George Mitchell, former Senate Majority Leader and Special Envoy for Middle East Peace and Alon Sachar, lawyer and former advisor to Senator Mitchell. The two recently co-authored the book, “A Path to Peace: A Brief History of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations and a Way Forward in the Middle East.”  As a new administration takes over, are there new avenues for diplomatic solutions in the Middle East?

Direct download: 01_16_17_George_Mitchell.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:15pm PDT

In this special episode, we feature two conversations from WorldAffairs 2016.

In the first half of the program, Stanford's Larry Diamond and Francis Fukuyama discuss whether global democracy is in crisis.

In the second half of the program, Frances Burwell and Holger Stark talk about the rise of Right-leaning populism in Europe and the United States.

For more information on conversations from WorldAffairs 2016, please visit: https://www.worldaffairs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=792

Direct download: 01_09_17_Rise_Right_Diamond_Fukuyama.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 6:13pm PDT

All around us, we see intractable challenges - problems which have defied solutions for years, even decades: Immigration reform, economic stagnation, inequality, political gridlock, corruption, civil war and terrorism. These are the issues elections are fought over, and it has become commonplace to conclude there are no solutions.

Jonathan Tepperman, Managing Editor of Foreign Affairs magazine, has traveled the world conducting more than 100 interviews, and he has reached a different conclusion: The solutions are out there. As he explains in his recent book, "The Fix: How Nations Survive and Thrive in a World in Decline," innovative approaches have been tried and tested, in democracies near and far, which may offer hope and hold insights for policy responses in the United States.

Is there cause for optimism? If tried and tested policy solutions are available around us, why do the solutions appear to spread so much more slowly than the problems themselves? How does a news culture which overlooks positive stories affect our determination and focus to pursue these solutions? Among a sea of cynics, is there a data-driven case for optimism today?

Speaker Jonathan Tepperman is Managing Editor of Foreign Affairs.

The discussion is moderated by Annie Maxwell, President of the Skoll Global Threats Fund.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1643

Direct download: 10_13_16_Jonathan_Tepperman.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:37am PDT

International development actors are taking cues from Silicon Valley’s boom to improve their ability to better serve the world’s most disadvantaged, transforming development in the 21st century. Technology, science and innovation are key to discovering new solutions to long-standing problems. Cutting-edge data techniques can help us measure the impact of interventions, continually improving services and scaling proven solutions to reach hundreds of millions of people.

Leading technology firms are also major philanthropists, providing both financial resources and technical expertise to support development innovations. By partnering together, alongside other non-traditional stakeholders, we can achieve what human progress has only now made possible — the end of extreme poverty by 2030.

How can development interventions become more adaptive and transparent? In what ways could shifting the culture of the way development organizations do business make them more responsive to beneficiary needs? How can we include local innovators and their contextual knowledge?

Join us on for a discussion with Ann Mei Chang, Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Global Development Lab, a new entity within USAID at the forefront of these breakthrough solutions, and Jacquelline Fuller, the Director of Google.org, which provides over $100 million yearly to support innovators using technology for humanity.

Speakers Ann Mei Chang is the Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the US Global Development Lab at USAID and Jacquelline Fuller is the Director of Google.org.

The conversation is moderated by Scott Wu, Partner and Head of Investments, Omidyar Network.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1649

Direct download: 10_06_16_21st_Century_Development.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:24am PDT

Globalization has been one of the most influential economic forces of the last century. The Internet has connected the world in ways that would have been unfathomable just a few years ago, China and other emerging nations’ economic fluctuations have impacted international markets, and terrorism has caused the biggest refugee flows in decades.

It is no secret that many issues related to globalization such as trade, immigration, and climate change were at the forefront of the recent US elections. What policy decisions related to globalization will our new president face when he enters office next year? What immediate actions should the next administration take?

Jeffrey Garten, who served in the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Clinton administrations and is also dean emeritus at the Yale School of Management, will share his views. Through the riveting stories of ten extraordinary visionaries, Jeffrey Garten's new book, "From Silk to Silicon: The Story of Globalization Through Ten Extraordinary Lives" explores how globalization has changed world history and continues to shape our lives.

Speaker Jeffrey E. Garten is Dean Emeritus of Yale School of Management, and Author of "From Silk to Silicon: The Story of Globalization Through Ten Extraordinary Lives".

The conversation is moderated by Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1659

Direct download: 11_17_16_Jeffrey_Garten.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:59am PDT

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the Iran deal — is perhaps the most important negotiated arrangement thus far in the 21st century. Iran’s capacity to construct a nuclear weapon has been stopped for 15 years and perhaps longer. It has not yet led to greater cooperation with Iran in the region, domestically on human rights and more democratic governance, and it has created problems for the governments of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. Why? What are the prospects for the future for the next US president.

Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Suzanne Maloney, Deputy Director, Foreign Policy Program, The Brookings Institution

Thomas Pickering, Vice Chairman of Hills & Company, former Under Secretary of State for Policy and Career Ambassador

Moderator: Greg Dobbs, former Foreign Correspondent, ABC News

Direct download: 10_28_16_US_Iran.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:15pm PDT

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most complex and polarizing conflicts in modern history. Nearly seventy years after the foundation of Israel and fifty years since the beginning of the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank territories, the struggle between the two sides seems to be almost as far from a resolution as when it first began.

How can Israeli and Palestinian leaders move toward a sustainable peace? Is a two-state solution the answer? Can the US and the international community help to bridge gaps and bring the two sides together? Join us for a conversation about the prospects for achieving peace and why it matters so much to the US and the world.

Maen Rashid Areikat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, The General Delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the United States, and Jeremy Ben-Ami
Founder & President, J Street, are in discussion.

The conversation is moderated by Janine Zacharia, Former Jerusalem Bureau Chief and Middle East Correspondent, The Washington Post.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1601

Direct download: 10_20_16_Israeli-Palestinian_Conflict.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:43am PDT

Russia and President Putin are a renewed source of concern in US foreign policy. From the perspective of the NATO alliance and potential challenges along Russia’s western and southern borders, to the clashes and compromises in addressing the ongoing crisis in Syria, to growing evidence of Russian cyberattacks within the United States, the next president faces a Russian leader with an agenda and expectations on the world stage.  What are the strategic key strategic challenges and is there an endgame for US-Russia relations?

Masha Gessen, Russian American Journalist and Author

Kathryn Stoner, Senior Fellow, Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University

Moderator: Robert English, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Southern California

Direct download: 10_28_16_Putin_Russia.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:22am PDT

In this special episode we feature two conversations from WorldAffairs 2016, Day One: The World that Awaits.

 

US Leadership: Where Do We Go from Here?

Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America Foundation

In conversation with Jane Wales, President and CEO, World Affairs

 

Global Economy Today: Can the US and China Work Together?

Henry M. Paulson Jr., Chairman, Paulson Institute, and 74th US Secretary of the Treasury

In conversation with Anja Manuel, Cofounder and Managing Partner, RiceHadleyGates LLC

Direct download: 10_28_16_Slaughter_Paulson.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:22am PDT

In a 2009 speech in Prague, President Obama set out an ambitious agenda: committing to reducing the role of nuclear weapons, strengthening nuclear nonproliferation efforts and preventing nuclear terrorism. Seven years later, the world is fundamentally different than it was when President Obama embarked on what became known as the "Prague Agenda." As the Obama presidency enters its final months, we ask: What has been accomplished in preventing the threat of nuclear terrorism? What challenges remain? Join World Affairs for a conversation with Lt. General Frank G. Klotz, the Department of Energy's Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration, about the state of global nuclear security in a rapidly changing world.

Speaker Frank G. Klotz is the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Zachary Davis, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1625

Direct download: 06_30_16_Frank_Klotz.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 3:44pm PDT

In this special episode, we feature three conversations from speakers at our 2016 Global Philanthropy Forum conference. 

Antony Blinken, United States Deputy Secretary of State, Elias Bou Saab, Minister of Education and Higher Education of Lebanon, and Alexander Betts, Leopold W. Muller Professor of Forced Migration and International Affairs and Director of the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, discuss the Syrian refugee crisis and how government, enterprise, and civil society can bring solutions to the issue.

For more information about these programs please visit: https://www.philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2016/

Direct download: 10_24_16_GPF_Meeting_Displaced_Needs.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 9:55am PDT

South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation. Tragically, the euphoria of liberation following its independence in 2011 was soon undermined by deep-seated political, ethnic and geographical tensions. For the past 3 years, this power struggle has played out as a full-scale civil war in the country. Over 2 million South Sudanese are internally displaced, and over half of its 11 million population is facing famine.

This discussion reflects on important questions facing South Sudan 5 years after gaining its independence. Is there hope for peace and stability in South Sudan? What role will the international community play in bridging ethnic tensions in the country? What is the future for the UN South Sudanese peacekeeping mission that is opposed by the very government it aims to support? Can the UN impose peace on a reluctant nation? What is the role of youth and the diaspora in paving the way to sustainable peace?

Valentino Achak Deng, prominent South Sudanese advocate, will be joined by acclaimed author Dave Eggers in a conversation on these important issues.

As a boy, Valentino fled Sudan during its civil war and spent nine years as a refugee in Ethiopia and Kenya before eventually resettling in Atlanta. In collaboration with author Dave Eggers, his experience was memorialized in the acclaimed novel, "What Is the What."

Valentino Achak Deng, Co-founder, Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, speaks with author Dave Eggers.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1642

Direct download: 09_28_16_South_Sudan.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 3:01pm PDT

ISIS surged to international prominence following its audacious prison camp raids in 2013 in Iraq, freeing more than 500 Iraqi insurgents. ISIS has since carried out increasingly bold attacks in Syria and beyond, cementing its reputation as a group more violent and ruthless than any that came before it. No longer an insurgency, ISIS’ focus is to establish its own rule on conquered territory, and declare a worldwide caliphate. Of course the roots of ISIS trace deeper, and are much more intertwined with the interventions of the West than they first appear.

Today’s ISIS jihadists are the "children of Zarqawi," General Michael Flynn would later warn Congress, referring to Abu Musab Zarqawi, the once-obscure jihadist who led Al Qaeda in Iraq and laid ISIS’ philosophical foundations. How did Abu Musab Zarqawi, a “small-time thug,” rise to such world-changing prominence? How did ISIS emerge so forcefully from the chaos, and power struggles, of competing jihadist groups? Did the efforts of the West to crack down on Al Qaeda, inadvertently fuel the growth of ISIS ten years later?

Pulitzer Prize winner Joby Warrick, a reporter with The Washington Post since 1996, will address these issues in a conversation at World Affairs about the birth of ISIS. His latest book, “Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS,” pursues a thoughtful reflection on the origins the most notorious terror group in the world today.

As part of our "Engage" series, this event features a post-discussion Q&A, when you will have the chance to participate directly with the speaker and gain incredible insights that you won't get anywhere else.

Speaker Joby Warrick is Author and Reporter at The Washington Post.

The conversation is moderated by Kori Schake, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1636

Direct download: 09_15_16_Joby_Warrick.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:24am PDT

The frequency of epidemics is increasing, driven by surging populations, environmental change and globalized trade and travel. The SARS, pandemic influenza, MERS, Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks illustrate that the world is ill-prepared to deal with a large-scale viral pandemic. Experts have so far identified only a tiny proportion of viral threats, and few of these viruses have had vaccines or other counter-measures developed. Over the coming century we will witness spillover from a pool of over one million "unknown" viruses into human populations. The Global Virome Project is a global initiative to identify and characterize every significant viral threat circulating in the world. Only by identifying these potential threats can the world begin to prepare for the next great outbreak. In conversation with Jonna Mazet, Dennis Carroll and Nathan Wolfe, three experts from the Global Virome Project, this program will explore the extent of the viral threat to human populations and what can be done to stop it.

The panel features:

Dennis Carroll, Director, Global Health Security and Development Unit, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Jonna Mazet, Executive Director, One Health Institute, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and Nathan Wolfe, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Metabiota.

The conversation is moderated by Larry Brilliant, Chair, Skoll Global Threats Fund.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1629

Direct download: 07_20_16_Global_Virome.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:40am PDT

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 2014 there were nearly 60 million refugees and IDPs worldwide — the highest number since World War II. What is the social sector’s role in meeting the immediate needs of the most vulnerable while at the same time, creating long-term strategies for ensuring the security and well-being of those forced to flee their homes?

JEANNE BOURGAULT CEO, Internews @InternewsJeanne

DEOGRATIAS NIYIZONKIZA Founder and CEO, Village Health Works @VHW

AMY RAO Founder and CEO, Integrated Archive Systems @11thhourproject

MODERATOR: SASHA CHANOFF Founder and Executive Director, RefugePoint @sashachanoff

For more information about this conference please visit: https://philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2016/

Direct download: 04_05_16_Meeting_Immediate_Needs.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:16am PDT

When President George W. Bush declared the war on terror after September 11, 2001, the United States was plunged into a global conflict with no clear objectives. Today, nearly fifteen years later, there is still no end in sight. In addition to the war’s original enemy, Al Qaeda, the US is in conflict with other jihadist and terrorist organizations, including ISIS. What has the investment of resources by the United States and its allies achieved in this ever widening conflict? Why has the United States, the most formidable military force in the world, so far failed to defeat its enemies? What freedoms have Americans sacrificed in the name of this endless war? Join World Affairs and Mark Danner, author of “Spiral: Trapped in the Forever War,” for a conversation about how the United States found itself on a “permanent war footing” and what that means for our role in the world.

Speaker Mark Danner is a Former Staff Writer at The New Yorker, and Professor at the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley.

Nancy A. Jarvis, Attorney, Farrand Cooper, P.C., moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/media-library/event/1628

Direct download: 07_28_16_Mark_Danner.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 5:36am PDT

Over the past fifteen years, the demand for humanitarian aid has increased dramatically. The world currently spends $25 billion to provide assistance to 125 million people, and according to a UN High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing, another $15 billion is required to adequately meet the needs of those affected by violent conflict, natural disaster, demographic shifts and rapid urbanization, among other circumstances. As a result, the humanitarian sector is undergoing a period of self-reflection with the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit to be held in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2016. What has been learned and where is the sector heading? What is the role of public, private and social sector actors in filling the gaps in aid? And what is the unique role of philanthropy in both addressing the root causes of humanitarian crises and increasing the pool of available resources?

GUY CAVE Managing Director, Geneva Global @GuyCave2

HADEEL IBRAHIM Executive Director, Mo Ibrahim Foundation @Mo_IbrahimFdn

LONA STOLL Acting Deputy Director for the Global Development Lab at USAID @lonastoll

MODERATOR: PETER LAUGHARN President and CEO, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation @peter_laugharn

For more information about this conference please visit: https://philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2016/

Direct download: 04_04_16_GPF_Filling_the_Gaps.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

People in fast growing economies are experiencing social and economic mobility for the first time, joining the middle class. Producers and makers are finding new markets for their commodities or wares, entrepreneurs are better able to access capital and customers, and job seekers are better able to connect with potential employers. Networks and knowledge are not only enabling economic growth and opportunity, but they are changing the very nature of work. Yet the “jobs challenge” remains so long as there is a short supply of the skills required for the jobs that await. What models exist for closing the skills gap? Moreover, how might employers better signal the skills they seek, and job seekers convey the skills they’ve attained, sometimes in non-traditional ways? How might each leverage networks to connect to one another?

KARAN CHOPRA Co-founder and Partner, Opportunity@Work @karchopra

JOSHUA OIGARA CEO, KCB Group @JoshuaOigara

SHAI RESHEF President and Founder, University of the People @ShaiReshef

MODERATOR: AN-ME CHUNG, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Mozilla Foundation @anmechung

For more information about this conference please visit: https://philanthropyforum.org/conference/gpf-2016/

Direct download: 04_08_16_GPF_The_Jobs_Challenge.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:57am PDT

The adoption of the Paris climate agreement in December 2015 sent a powerful signal about the global consensus over the urgent need to address climate change. Although the agreement was more ambitious than expected, it is still not enough. Now the world must continue to embrace the spirit of Paris and race towards not only implementation of the agreement, but also increasingly bold ideas for the future. One country whose very existence depends on this is the low-lying Marshall Islands, a tiny atoll nation located in the middle of the Pacific. The Marshall Islands spearheaded the 'High Ambition Coalition' of countries that has been credited with securing the most ambitious elements of the Paris agreement.

Former British diplomat Carne Ross is the Founder and Executive Director of Independent Diplomat - the world's first non-profit diplomatic advisory group - which has worked closely with the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the years leading up to Paris and now on its role with the High Ambition Coalition. Independent Diplomat helps to level the diplomatic playing field between the world's richest countries, which are often the most egregious polluters, and states like the Marshall Islands, which are both the world's most vulnerable states to the devastating effects of climate change and among the least likely to be heard at international negotiations.

How did a country of only 60,000 people become one of the most influential states at the UN climate talks? What's next for climate diplomacy and the High Ambition Coalition? What lessons can the success of the Paris Agreement teach us about global diplomacy more broadly? How can private and non-profit organizations like Independent Diplomat influence international relations, peace and world security? Join World Affairs and Carne Ross for a conversation that will answer these and other pressing questions about the global solutions to climate change.

Speaker Carne Ross is Executive Director of Independent Diplomat.

Aimee Barnes, Partner, Allotrope Partners, moderates the conversation.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1617

Direct download: 06_29_16_Carne_Ross.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

How are international war criminals brought to justice? Since the Nuremberg trials following World War II, international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) have fought to prosecute war criminals for egregious abuses of human rights. From South America to Russia and from Rwanda to Kosovo, scores of war criminals have been prosecuted for their misdeeds. But how can war criminals be held accountable if they can't be found? What happens when alleged war criminals or terrorists are being shielded from prosecution by states? How has human rights prosecution evolved since the early days of the ICC? Join us for a discussion with human rights experts Eric Stover, Alexa Koenig and Victor Peskin about the evolution of war crimes prosecution and what still needs to be done to protect victims of human rights abuses.

Speakers include: Alexa Koenig, Executive Director, Human Rights Center, Berkeley Law, University of California, Victor Peskin, Associate Professor, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University, and Eric Stover, Faculty Director, Human Rights Center, University of California Berkeley.

Rebecca Westerfield, Founding Member and Former Director, Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS), moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1598

Direct download: 05_26_16_Justice_Unjust_World.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

China and India have proven themselves indispensable in the first decade of the twenty-first century, which has been a remarkable period of economic growth and increased connectivity for both countries. Policy initiatives like the US Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that promote trade in these emerging markets provide exciting new opportunities for entrepreneurs around the globe to expand and develop their businesses and connect with potential consumers. However, in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, can the US continue to lead in both the political and economic spheres? How should the US engage with India and China in the future? Join World Affairs for a conversation with Anja Manuel, co-founder and principal of RiceHadleyGates, LLC, who will offer insights into how the US should work with China and India to face the twenty-first century's global challenges.

Speaker Anja Manuel is Co-Founder and Principal at RiceHadleyGates LLC.

Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs Council and Global Philanthropy Forum and Vice President, The Aspen Institute, moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1615

Direct download: 06_15_16_Anja_Manuel.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT