And Now The Hard Part

Heat of the Moment: Youth Climate Activists Are Suing Big Oil and Winning Dec 20, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that, like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

Youth-led movements across the globe are getting bigger, louder, and more effective. Now, young people are even taking fossil fuel companies to court. In the Netherlands, they’ve just successfully argued and won concessions from Shell, one of the world’s biggest multinational corporations. On today's episode we hear from youth activist Jesse van Schaik on how youth movements are fighting back.

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Heat of the Moment: How Debt Relief Can Help Developing Countries Go Green Dec 09, 2021

This year at COP26 in Glasgow, developing countries were clear: wealthier countries need to do more to help finance the world’s movement away from fossil fuels. And their argument is gaining traction: debt is holding countries back from adapting to climate change.

Leading off this episode of Heat of the Moment, we hear from Mamadou Honadia, one of the lead climate negotiators for Burkina Faso, who shares how his country's response to the climate crisis has been stymied by debt. We then hear from Julie Robinson, Program Director from the Nature Conservancy, on an innovative new debt restructuring program called a Blue Bonds program which will help Belize protect its oceans and reduce CO2 emissions.

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Heat of the Moment: The Godmother of Climate Security Dec 03, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that, like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

The United States military is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels in the world. What is less known is that when it comes to the climate crisis, the U.S. military is also a place for innovation and strategic thinking.

And that’s thanks in no small part to our guest -- Sherri Goodman, who is considered to be the godmother of Climate Security. Goodman is currently a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and Senior Strategist at the Center for Climate and Security. Previously she served as the first ever U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security. On this episode of Heat of the Moment, she discusses why the U.S. military is helping to solve the climate crisis.

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Heat of the Moment: Climate Migrants Nov 29, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that, like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

We are in the midst of one of the greatest moments of human migration in recent history. Wars and unrest in the Middle East, political tensions in Latin America, and ethnic clashes in places like Myanmar have caused millions of people to flee their homes looking for safety and security for themselves and their families. But there’s also another set of migrants: those who are fleeing because they’ve determined their homes are no longer safe from the massive forces of climate change.

On this episode of Heat of the Moment, how one woman and her family made the difficult decision to move. We hear from Jamie Beck Alexander who has spent her career helping others deal with the effects of climate change, only to realize that she needed to change her own living situation.

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Heat of the Moment: From Oil Worker to Climate Activist Nov 26, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that, like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

On this episode of Heat of the Moment, we meet former oil worker Allen Hubbard. Hubbard spent most of his professional career as a geologist working on oil rigs in Louisiana trying to calculate the best spots to drill. Since leaving the industry Hubbard began learning more about the climate crisis from people like Al Gore and decided he needed to do a complete 180. Now in his 80s, Hubbard has made it his duty to speak out and try to motivate people to curb their consumption of fossil fuels.

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Heat of the Moment: A Just Transition Nov 24, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that, like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

Moving away from coal is a top priority in the fight against climate change. But how should local economies, who depend on coal, ensure that workers and their communities are protected? On this episode of Heat of the Moment, we hear first from Shannon Anderson, Staff Attorney at the Powder River Basin Resource Council. She's lived in Powder River Basin coal country for most of her life and has seen it go from boomtown to bust. We then hear from Tasneem Essop, the Executive Director of the Climate Action Network. She shares her experience promoting a just transition away from fossil fuels.

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Heat of the Moment: How A Regenerative Ocean Farmer is Rethinking the Way We Eat Nov 22, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that, like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

In this episode of Heat of the Moment, we take a look at one of the most innovative ways we can cut greenhouses from our global food production: kelp. Our guest, Bren Smith, a regenerative ocean farmer in Connecticut, is leading the way on rethinking how we might farm our oceans by developing polyculture practices for farming shellfish, seaweeds, and kelps.

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Heat of the Moment: Tinkering with Tuk Tuks Nov 19, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that, like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

Converting to electric vehicles is an important part of the quest to eliminate carbon pollution and stabilize the atmosphere. In this episode of Heat of the Moment, we hear from an engineer in Sri Lanka who is transforming the way his community gets around. FP Studios presents Tinkering with Tuk Tuks: How One Sri Lankan Engineer is Transforming his Community and Local Economy.

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Heat of the Moment: Paris' Promises and Glasgow's Gutcheck Nov 17, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that like And Now The Hard Part, tells stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest challenges: the climate crisis.

Now that COP26 has wrapped up, we wanted to take a second look at our episode Paris' Promises and Glasgow's Gutcheck: Assessing the impact of the UN Climate Change Conference.

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FP Studios recommends: Heat of the Moment Nov 09, 2021

We introduce the second season of Heat of the Moment, a podcast that like And Now The Hard Part, hears stories from the front lines of one of the world's biggest problems: the climate crisis.

As world leaders convene in Glasgow and with President Biden’s recent announcement that the U.S. will double aid to developing countries hit by climate change, we wanted to recommend one episode in particular: What Developing Countries can Teach the Rest of Us About Climate Resiliency.

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GR: Dr. Bernice King on Racial Justice Jul 15, 2021

Last year’s Black Lives Matter protests seemed to be an awakening for some, but for many black and brown communities it exposed a truth that has always been painfully clear.

On this episode of Global Reboot, Foreign Policy Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal interviews Dr. Bernice King on how to ensure racial justice in a post-COVID world.

Global Reboot is a FP Partner Podcast with the Doha Forum.

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GR: Rachel Vogelstein on Gender Equity Jul 15, 2021

On this episode of Global Reboot, FP Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal interviews author Rachel Vogelstein on how to ensure gender equity in a post-COVID world.

Global Reboot is a FP Partner Podcast with the Doha Forum.

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GR: Preventing Islamophobia With Irshad Manji and Shadi Hamid Jul 01, 2021

On this episode of Global Reboot, FP Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal interviews authors and scholars Irshad Manji and Shadi Hamid on how to prevent Islamophobia around the world.

Global Reboot is a FP Partner Podcast with the Doha Forum.

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GR: US China Relations With Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd Jul 01, 2021

How the Biden administration steers the relationship between Washington and Beijing could have more impact on the rest of the world than just about any other American policy in the coming years.

On this episode of Global Reboot, FP Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal interviews former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd on the U.S. - China relationship. Rudd is also a fluent Mandarin speaker, and one of the world’s pre-eminent China scholars.

Global Reboot is a FP Partner Podcast with the Doha Forum.

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GR: Is Capitalism Broken? With Mariana Mazzucato & Raghuram Rajan Jul 01, 2021

Behind every protest, and every election debate around the world, an underlying theme seems to be rising anger about inequality, and a sense that capitalism itself is broken. But what can be done to fix it? What can societies do to reverse some of its inherent problems? And how should this inform governments and policymakers as they shape the recovery from the pandemic.

On this episode of Global Reboot, FP Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal interviews Mariana Mazzucato, a Professor at University College London and the author of Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, and Raghuram Rajan, a Professor at the University of Chicago and the former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and former Chief Economist of the IMF.

Global Reboot is a FP Partner Podcast with the Doha Forum.

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GR: Big Tech, What's Next? With Marietje Schaake and Vivian Schiller Jul 01, 2021

On this episode of Global Reboot, FP Editor in Chief Ravi Agrawal interviews Marietje Schaake, former Member of the EU Parliament, and Vivian Schiller, former President and CEO of NPR as well as the former Head of News at Twitter, on Big Tech's expansive role in our civic lives. Is high-tech a tool to further democratization or for greater oppression? And what solutions should be considered as governments look to regulate big tech?

Global Reboot is a FP Partner Podcast with the Doha Forum.

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GR: COVID-19 and Global Health with Dr. Ashish Jha and Dr. Hanan Abdul Rahim Jul 01, 2021

On this episode of Global Reboot, FP Editor-in-Chief Ravi Agrawal interviews Dr. Ashish Jha and Dr. Hanan Abdul Rahim on how COVID-19 will shape health care systems in the future. What lessons have we learned on how to respond to global health challenges and what can we do to prepare for the next pandemic?

Global Reboot is a FP Partner Podcast with the Doha Forum.

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John Kerry on Climate Change: Introducing Global Reboot Jun 02, 2021

We introduce Global Reboot, a new podcast that like And Now The Hard Part, looks to tackle the world's biggest problems. In the premiere episode, FP's new Editor-in-Chief Ravi Agrawal speaks with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry about strategies for reducing global carbon emissions. For more on Global Reboot please subscribe.

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How to Reverse the Global Drift Toward Authoritarianism Nov 11, 2019

Autocrats and populists are on the march around the world, including in European countries that were seen until recently as firmly in the democratic camp. The phenomenon, coupled with the deepening of authoritarian tendencies in already-repressive Russia and China, has prompted worries that liberalism itself may be waning.

This week on And Now the Hard Part, we trace the roots of the problem and talk about how to fix it.

“As we emerged from the Cold War, I think there was a legitimate reason for us to believe that … democracy would be institutionalized around the globe,” said John Allen, a retired four-star general and the president of the Brookings Institution.

“[But] in the last few years, we have seen a real slip … in the context of both the attractiveness of democracy and the endurance of democratic institutions.”

Allen is our guest on the podcast this week.

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How to Boost the Economies of Africa Nov 04, 2019

Despite recent improvements in the economies of many African countries, the continent as a whole continues to underperform when it comes to trade.

Africa represents only about 2.4 percent of total global exports. Internal trade is also low—some African countries trade more with Europe or Asia than with other nations on the continent.

This week on And Now the Hard Part, we trace the roots of the problem and talk about how to fix it.

“The limitations in traffic and trade have effects on industrial development, poverty levels, job creation, especially for the youth population,” says Landry Signé, a Brookings fellow and our guest on the podcast this week.

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How to Manage North Korea Oct 28, 2019

For decades, the United States has been trying to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons, using both engagement and sanctions at different times (and sometimes at the same time). President Donald Trump’s approach has been to alternate between threats and insults and embracing and flattering North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. None of it has worked. Analysts now predict that by next year North Korea could have as many as 100 nuclear bombs.

This week on And Now the Hard Part, we trace the roots of the problem and talk about how to fix it.

“North Korea’s … a disruptive entity in East Asia, where we have most of the world’s economic growth. And we have leading that country a 35-year-old who is paranoid, power-obsessed, and has nuclear weapons,” said Jung H. Pak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former CIA analyst.

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How to Repair Venezuela’s Shattered Economy Oct 21, 2019

Venezuela was once the envy of Latin America, an oil-rich country whose people enjoyed both democracy and prosperity. But in recent years, it has become the region’s basket case, with a repressive government, soaring hyperinflation, a 60 percent drop in GDP, and deadly shortages of food, medicine, and other essentials.

This week on And Now the Hard Part, we trace the roots of the problem and talk about how to fix it.

“Venezuela is probably home right now to the largest humanitarian crisis that this hemisphere has seen, perhaps the world, in modern history,” said Dany Bahar, a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

“This is a man-made crisis. It was manufactured by those in power for the past 20 years as a result of many things including, perhaps, [Venezuela] being one of the most distorted economies in the world.”

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How to Heal the NATO Alliance Oct 14, 2019

The alliance between the United States and rest of NATO has begun fraying in recent years—at the very moment when the threat posed by both Russia and China is surging. NATO was founded in 1949 on a promise of mutual self-defense. But U.S. President Donald Trump has raised new questions about America’s commitment to that promise, heightening fears across the alliance.

This week on And Now the Hard Part, we trace the roots of the problem and talk about how to fix it.

“My concern is simply that if we ever had a catastrophic moment or a security crisis, do the rest of the members of NATO feel secure enough in the way the United States supports them that they would support us if we needed them?” said the Brookings Institution scholar Victoria Nuland, a former assistant secretary of state and the guest on our show this week.

“It depends on how long this seeding of doubt about our own reliability continues.”

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Fixing the U.S. Relationship With China Oct 07, 2019

Relations between the United States and China have reached their lowest point since ties were first established 40 years ago, with the two countries sparring over trade, technology, and Beijing’s military action in the South and East China Seas. U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies have brought the tensions to a head—but the problems predate his term in office.

This week on And Now the Hard Part, we trace the roots of the crisis and talk about how to fix it.

“Areas of cooperation have essentially evaporated, channels of communication between Washington and Beijing have largely atrophied below the presidential level, and areas of competition have intensified,” says Ryan Hass, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and our guest this week.

“It’s costly, it’s dangerous, and it’s self-isolating.”

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Fighting Russian Disinformation Sep 30, 2019

Russia’s attempt to swing the 2016 U.S. election campaign for Donald Trump was just one of dozens of such operations Moscow has waged in the West in recent years. Assessing the specific impact of each act of political interference is exceedingly difficult. But analysts increasingly point to a general trend that serves Russia's interest: The operations are eroding Western voters' overall trust in democracy.

This week on And Now the Hard Part, we trace the roots of Moscow's political interference and talk about how countries can fight back.

“You have to send the message to those that try to undermine our democracies that there will be consequences for their actions,” says Alina Polyakova, the director of the Global Project on Democracy and Emerging Technology at the Brookings Institution and our guest this week.

Listen to the episode on this page or subscribe and download wherever you get your podcasts.

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Resetting the U.S. Relationship with Saudi Arabia Sep 23, 2019

The U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia has rested for decades on an unwritten agreement that benefited both sides: The United States provides security and access to global markets, while the Saudis ensure that the oil keeps flowing. But the rise of the United States as a leading energy producer and the increasing recklessness of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are forcing a rethinking of that contract.

In the first episode of our new podcast, And Now the Hard Part, we tackle the question: How can Washington reset its relationship with Riyadh?

And Now the Hard Part is a partnership between Foreign Policy and the Brookings Institution. Each week, we look at one vexing problem in the world, trace its origin, and then offer a way forward. Our host is Foreign Policy’s editor in chief, Jonathan Tepperman, and the guests are some of the smartest analysts around—all scholars at the Brookings Institution.

This week Jonathan sits down with Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at Brookings and and a former CIA analyst.

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Trailer: Introducing And Now The Hard Part Sep 10, 2019

The world is a particularly confusing and daunting place these days: Russian bots, North Korean nukes, trade wars and climate emergencies. To understand it better, Foreign Policy and the Brookings Institution are teaming up for an 8-part podcast series. On each episode, host Jonathan Tepperman and a guest from Brookings discuss one of the world’s most vexing problems and trace its origins. And then, the hard part: Tepperman asks the guest to focus on plausible, actionable ways forward.

Jonathan Tepperman, Foreign Policy’s editor in chief, hosts the podcast. The guests are some of the smartest and most experienced analysts around—all scholars from the Brookings Institution, including former government and intelligence officials.

The first episode of And Now The Hard Part drops later this month. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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