On Shifting Ground

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

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