On Shifting Ground

“Economic sanctions” are frequently employed as a tactic in international negotiations, but is this strategy always effective? How have economic sanctions evolved to address the wide range of foreign policy challenges we face?

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez will discuss economic sanctions using case studies of on-going sanctions regimes in cases such as Libya, Iran, Syria, and Burma. He will review the evolution of U.S. policy on economic sanctions and current actions, as well as lessons learned in recent years.

Direct download: 7_25_12_Jose_Fernandez.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

Join Dr. Stephen Haber, specialist in Mexican politics and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, for a post-election review and discussion about the implications of the outcome during this interesting political season in Mexico.

Direct download: 7_23_12_Stephen_Haber.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

As the world’s most populous democracy, an emerging economic leader, and an increasingly influential global actor, India has become a critical partner in building America’s presence in Asia. However, a relationship of this size and scope can be a complex one that offers as many potential pitfalls as opportunities. Recently skeptics have questioned whether the importance of the bilateral partnership has been “oversold.” India’s ambassador to the United States has rebutted these suggestions, arguing that  such claims are more myth than fact.

Join Ambassador Karl Inderfurth, assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs from 1997 to 2001, to explore both the perceptions and misperceptions surrounding US-India ties. He will discuss the next steps both nations can take to overcome current obstacles and build, as President Obama put it, one of “the defining partnerships of the 21st Century.” Ambassador Inderfurth will share his views based on his extensive knowledge of the US-India relationship drawn from his distinguished career in public service.

Direct download: 7_18_12_Karl_Inderfurth.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

The rogue nation of North Korea is known for its many secrets, from its nuclear program to the living conditions of the majority of its population. One of the most closely guarded secrets is that of its ill-fated labor camps. Until recently, the conditions of those living in these labor camps, often referred to as forms of modern day slavery, have scarcely been documented.

Blaine Harden, author and former East Asia bureau chief for The Washington Post, will discuss one person’s experience in a North Korean labor camp and what it tells us about living within the North Korean regime. In his new work, Escape From Camp 14, Harden documents two years of interviews with Shin Dong-hyuk in which he describes Shin’s experiences and his determination to adjust to a new life of freedom in the West. Shin is the only person born and raised in one of North Korea’s camps known to have escaped, and his story is one of intense hardship and survival. Shin’s account provides a unique perspective on the desperate conditions in these labor camps where up to 200,000 prisoners are estimated to live, and which the regime claims do not exist.

Direct download: 7_11_12_Blaine_Harden.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

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