On Shifting Ground

Today’s elites are some of the more socially concerned individuals in history. But do their philanthropic missions really make a difference, or do they perpetuate the system of inequality they’ve profited from? Anand Giridharadas, author of the new book “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about how philanthropists are preserving the very structures at the root of societal inequity.

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Direct download: 10_29_18_Anand_Giridharadas.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Chief among the trends threatening global peace and stability is the weakening of the US leadership role around the world. As the US withdraws from international accords and President Trump criticizes allies, the rest of the world is left to pick up the pieces. In this week’s episode, Nicholas Burns, former US ambassador and professor at Harvard Kennedy School, discusses how traditional American diplomacy can help ease today's global tensions. He is in conversation with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales.

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Direct download: 10_22_18_Nicholas_Burns.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

Over the past weeks, British Prime Minister Theresa May and EU leaders have been embroiled in a detail of the Brexit negotiations that was all but ignored since the referendum first passed. The critical question: how to avoid creating a hard border between Ireland, remaining in the EU, and North Ireland, part of the UK, the site of so much violence and upheaval a mere 20 years ago. In this week’s episode, Fintan O’Toole, journalist for the Irish Times, talks about the high-stakes issues involved and shares his thoughts on a possible way forward with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales.

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Direct download: 10_15_18_Fintan_OToole.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

American exceptionalism has long been a tenet of US foreign policy. Today, it’s taken the form of an isolationist, “America first” approach. In this week’s episode, world renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs shares his perspectives on how a century of exceptionalism has created false justification for countless wars while leading to an increasingly polarized, unjust world. Sachs argues that in order to meet the global challenges we face, America must adopt an internationalist view, one that “embraces global cooperation, international law and aspirations for global prosperity.” He discusses his new book “A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism” with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 10_08_18_Jeff_Sachs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

In the third part of a 3-part series on climate change, we focus on long-term, sustainable solutions. May Boeve, executive director at 350.org, and Nana Firman, Muslim outreach director at Greenfaith, discuss how the next generation of grassroots activists are combatting climate change with Ray Suarez, former chief national correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

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Direct download: 10_01_18_Youth_Engagement.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

In the third part of a 3-part series on climate change, we focus on long-term, sustainable solutions. While many have a grim outlook on the climate crisis, former Vice President Al Gore tells a different story. He argues that we are now in the early stages of a sustainability revolution, and he shares his vision with Laura Tyson, professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

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Direct download: 10_01_18_Al_Gore.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:00am PDT

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