Deep Dish on Global Affairs

Latest Episodes:

Japan Unveils Ambitious Military Plans Ahead of Biden-Kishida Meeting Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

This Friday, Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida will make his first visit to Washington, DC for a summit meeting with President Biden. On Deep Dish, Council on Foreign Relations' Sheila Smith and Hudson Institute's Masashi Murano explore what is behind Japan's new security vision, how the changes are viewed generationally by the Japanese public, and what this means for the future of the US-Japan security alliance to address rising threats from China.

Reading List:

How Japan Is Doubling Down on Its Military Power, Sheila Smith, Council on Foreign Relations, December 20, 2022

How to Be a Global Optimist in 2023 Dec 27, 2022

Show notes

From Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the climate crisis, to soaring food and energy prices, headlines in 2022 have been tough. If this barrage of negative news has made you want to switch off, you're not alone. On Deep Dish, behavioral science expert Dr. Kris Lee and former Foreign Policy editor-in-chief Jonathan Tepperman share tips for how to reframe your global outlook and navigate anxiety in 2023. Plus, Deep Dish listeners comment on how the heavy news affects their mood and how they cope as global citizens.

Reading List:

The Fix: How Countries Use Crises to Solve the World's Worst Problems, Jonathan Tepperman, Crown; Reprint edition, July 25, 2017
Worth the Risk: How to Microdose Bravery to Grow Resilience, Connect More, and Offer Yourself to the World, Kristen Lee, Sounds True, June 14, 2022

China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty Using Your Data Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

As digital technologies and social media have evolved to dominate our everyday lives, governments and businesses – at home and abroad - have been able to collect vast troves of our personal information. On Deep Dish, author Aynne Kokas explains why China has been so effective at collecting and "trafficking" the data of United States and other foreign citizens, and how this data could give them a geopolitical advantage. Plus, we hear from data privacy attorneys on the state of regulation protecting user data.

Reading List:

Trafficking Data: How China Is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty, Aynne Kokas, November 1, 2022, Oxford University Press

Qatar 2022 and the Risks and Rewards of Sportswashing Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

FIFA World Cup 2022 has reached its nail-biting knock-out stage. For big-spending hosts Qatar, the tournament has provided an opportunity to bask in the international spotlight, but it has also drawn scrutiny of human rights and the treatment of migrant workers in the Gulf state. On Deep Dish, Jules Boykoff & Minky Worden discuss the growing phenomenon of sportswashing, why sport appeals to autocratic governments, and how businesses, athletes, and fans can respond. Plus, we spoke to sports writers and analysts to understand how fans perceive accusations of sportswashing.

Reading List:

Qatar 2022: China and Iran Confront the Political Power of the World Cup, Chris Morris, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, November 28, 2022
NOlympians: Inside the Fight Against Capitalist Mega-Sports in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Beyond, Jules Boykoff, Fernwood Publishing, April 01, 2020
The World Cup is Exciting, Lucrative, and Deadly, Minky Worden, Newsweek, August 23, 2022

Will Protests in China Against COVID Lockdowns Succeed? Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

As protests have erupted throughout China, in response to lockdowns imposed from the government's zero-COVID policy, some protesters have broadened their criticisms of the government, including even calls for President Xi to step down. On Deep Dish, journalist Lizzi Lee reports on what is transpiring, and author Teresa Wright discusses the frequency and nature of protest in modern China and why this latest wave could destabilize China's political system.

Reading List:

Popular Protest in China, Teresa Wright, Polity, July 2018
The Perils of Protest: State Repression and Student Activism in China and Taiwan, Teresa Wright, University of Hawaii Press, March 1, 2001
Handbook of Protest and Resistance in China, Edited by Teresa Wright, Edward Elgar Publishing, June 18, 2019

Thanksgiving Break – November 24, 2022 Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

Deep Dish is taking this week off for the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, but we'll be back next week with a new episode! In the meantime, here' a quick note about Giving Tuesday. We're able to make this show because of the support from our community of listeners —people like you!

Would you consider making a tax-deductible gift this upcoming Giving Tuesday so that we can keep bringing you Deep Dish each week? To make a gift, visit our website.

Thank you for your support and join us next week for another slice of Deep Dish when we discuss sportswashing. With the Qatar World Cup underway and mired in controversy, we'll examine how governments use major sporting tournaments to burnish their image at home and abroad and ask whether the global exposure that comes with these events can be used to advance issues like human rights.

-The Deep Dish team

Europe's Cost-of-Living Crisis as Winter Approaches Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

Winter is coming, temperatures are dropping, and people in Europe and elsewhere face a cost-of-living crisis that would have seemed unimaginable only a year ago. On Deep Dish, young people across Europe share how they are coping with the rising costs. Then, the European Council on Foreign Relations' Susi Dennison unpacks how overlapping economic, climate, and geopolitical crises are shaping people's lives and could alter the continent's politics.

This episode is in collaboration with our wider organization's listening project, the Winter Diaries. Are you a young person living in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, or the United States? We want to hear from you and will share and amplify your stories. We hope you'll engage with us by posting on Instagram, tagging @globalaffairscouncil, and using #WinterDiaries.

This episode is sponsored by Horizon Therapeutics.

New Dangers and Responses to North Korean Missiles Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

North Korea fired over 80 missiles last week, triggering evacuation alerts in parts of Japan and South Korea. On Deep Dish, a Japanese citizen shares a firsthand reaction and their concerns for nuclear risks from North Korea. Plus, Stimson Center's Jenny Town discusses what Kim Jong-un is trying to achieve and how the United States and its regional allies can reduce the risk of escalation.

Reading List:

Americans Focused Elsewhere as Tensions Rise on the Korean Peninsula, Karl Friedhoff, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, November 6, 2022
Thinking Nuclear: South Korean Attitudes on Nuclear Weapons, Toby Dalton, Karl Friedhoff, and Lami Kim, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, February 21, 2022
Preventing Nuclear Proliferation and Reassuring America's Allies, Ivo H. Daalder, Chuck Hagel, Malcolm Rifkind, and Kevin Rudd, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, February 10, 2021

Lula's Victory and Latin America's Leftward Shift Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory in Brazil's presidential election is part of a larger leftward shift in Latin American politics in recent years that stretches from Mexico to Chile. On Deep Dish, Brazilian students share some of the issues facing their country as they went to the polls and the challenges the new president will face. Plus, expert Yannik John discusses what the world should expect from this new wave of Latin American leaders and whether this leftward shift represents a new "pink tide".

Reading List:

Latin America's Second Pink Tide Looks Very Different from the First, Oliver Stuenkel, Americas Quarterly, July 18, 2022
Pink Tide 2.0? The same trap awaits, Yannik John, Global Americans, September 22, 2022

This episode is sponsored by UL Solutions.

Microchips and the US-China Battle for the Future Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

From microwaves to missiles, smartphones to the stock market, microchips are essential to modern economies and future technological advancements. On Deep Dish, we hear from a representative of a manufacturing sector on how critical chips are to businesses and consumers and the effects of a global shortage. And Chip War author Chris Miller argues that microchips – not data - are the new oil and discusses what this means for the geopolitical contest between the US and China.

Reading List: