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Somalia is ground zero for an emerging trend in global affairs-- the nexus between climate change and conflict. My guest today, journalist Laura Heaton spent years reporting on how climate change and conflict feed off each other in profoundly destabilizing ways in horn of Africa.
She's the author of a feature story in Foreign Policy magazine that uses the work and life story of a British Scientist named Murray Watson to explain how climate change in Somalia has exacerbated conflict -- both local and international -- and how that conflict and insecurity has inhibited policies to mitigate the destabilizing effect of climate change. Watson went missing on 2008 after being kidnapped in Somalia, and it was assumed that his trove of ecological research went missing with him -- until Laura uncovered its existence in an attic in the British countryside.On July 17 a very rare thing happened in the world of humanitarian relief. Eight organizations that typically compete for donor dollars joined forces to launch a joint appeal to raise funds and awareness around a global food crisis.
Some 20 million people in four countries— South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia — face acute food scarcity. South Sudan even experienced a famine for a period of time this year. Facing funding shortages and relatively little popular awareness of this crisis, these NGOs formed that they are calling the Global Emergency Response Coalition.
On the line with me to discuss the reasons that this coalition formed is Deepmala Mahla, the country director for Mercy Corps in South Sudan. (Mercy Corps is one of the eight members of the coalition.) She explains the food crisis across these four countries and discusses at length the situation in South Sudan. Deepmala also describes in detail her work delivering humanitarian relief to vulnerable populations in South Sudan.
This is a valuable and timely conversation about an issue that is far too overlooked in the mainstream media.
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Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolOn June 27th, FARC rebels turned over the last of their weapons to the United Nations in a ceremony attended by both the leader of FARC and President Juan Manuel Santos. This officially marked the end of a over 50 year civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more.
So how did we get to this point? And what are some of the big challenges that lay ahead for Colombia as peace takes hold? I put these questions and more to Kyle Johnson of the International Crisis Group. I reached him in Colombia a couple weeks after the laying-of-arms ceremony, which he attended. And we have an interesting conversation about this peace process and the conflict that lead to it.Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolWendy Pearlman is an academic who studies the Middle East, but also writes popularly focused narratives that examines everyday life of people caught in the chaos of the region.Her latest book, We Crossed a Bridge and it Trembled: Voices from Syria, is a collection of interviews of Syrians displaced by the war. That book was published by Harper Collins in June, but she used some of the research in that book for peer reviewed academic papers, that among other things examine the role of fear in revolutionary protests. And in this conversation we alternate--much like Wendy-- between her social science work and her narrative storytelling.
We get wonky, but also personal. Wendy describes how she got interested in the Middle East and how her fascination with Morocco morphed to a passion for researching and studying the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and, of course, the Arab Spring.Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolEric Schwartz served as the top refugee policy official in the Obama administration as the Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration between 2009 and 2011. He was recently appointed the president of Refugees International, an advocacy organization in Washington, DC. We kick off this conversation discussing US refugee policy in the wake of President Trump's attempts to sharply curb the number or refugees allowed into the United States.
Eric has had a fascinating career. He worked in the NGO sector helping to establish Human Rights Watch's Asia branch; and also for both the United States government-- including in Bill Clinton's national security council -- for the United Nations, under the high commissioner for human rights and under the special envoy for Tsunami recovery to help countries affected by the massive 2004 indian ocean Tsunami. (That special envoy was Bill Clinton.) We also discuss at length about Eric's relationship with Sergio Vieira de Mello. He was a well known figure around the United Nations who served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees before working for a stint as the top UN official in Iraq immediately following the US invasion and occupation of the country. de Mello was killed in a bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, along with 21 others, and Eric discusses how that impacted him personally and professionally.Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolConflict is escalating in one region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and this conflict has the potential to become one of Africa's next big crises. At issue is a brewing situation in a region of DRC called Kasai. Now, if this is unfamiliar to you, it is with reason. This was not a region heretofore that had experienced much violence or conflict that caught international attention. (Indeed it is the far away eastern part of the country -- and this is a very large country, about the size of western Europe -- that has experienced the bulk of violence in the last several years.) To be honest, Kasai was totally off my radar until earlier this until two UN workers, including an American and Swede went missing there and were later found murdered and mutilated. On the line with me to discuss the situation in the Kasai region is Ida Sawyer, the Central Africa director of Human Rights Watch. She does a very good job of explaining how the conflict started, how it is changing and also the broader political context in which this conflict has erupted. If you have 20 minutes and want to learn why this local conflict could metastasize into something bigger, have a listen Leave a review on iTunes!
You can EMAIL Mark by clicking here.
Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolThe Supreme Court has issued a preliminary decision on Trump's travel ban–and this decision could have a profound impact on refugees around the world.
The court upheld key portions of the travel ban pending a final ruling by the court in October. This includes a 120 day ban on all refugees coming to the United States from everywhere in the world — though with some exceptions.
On the line with me to talk through the Supreme Court ruling, including its implications for US refugee resettlement policy is Rachel Landry a Policy and Advocacy Officer for Global Protection and Resettlement with the International Rescue Committee, which is one of the largest refugee resettlement agencies in the United States. (Like me, Rachel is also a Humanity in Action Senior Fellow).
Rachel discusses the ways in which this ruling could impact how the United States takes in refugees from around the world. She also discusses the US refugee resettlement process more broadly; that is, how it works, it's history and background.
I promise that after listening to this conversation you will learn a lot about US refugee policy and why it matters.
Rachel is speaking in her personal capacity as an expert on these issues and is not speaking on behalf of the International Rescue Committee. Leave a review on iTunes!You can EMAIL Mark by clicking here.
Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolMy guest today Jeffrey Smith helps topple dictators for a living. His organization, Vanguard Africa, is very new but they already have one success under their belt--the peaceful transition of power from The Gambia's longtime ruler. He now has his sites set on Africa's second longest ruling leader, Paul Biya of Cameroon.
We kick off with a discussion of the situation in Cameroon and have great digressions about the Zimbabwe, some deficiencies of the NGO community in DC and, of course, the Gambia. Jeff discusses how and why he came to focus on issues of democracy and human rights in Africa and how he found inspiration from the hero of an anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Leave a review on iTunes!You can EMAIL Mark by clicking here.
Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolPop Quiz: do you know how many people are in the world right now? The answer is 7.6 billion. That data point and much more are contained in a report called "World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision," which was recently published by the UN. The report contains all sorts of facts and figures that are both interesting on its own, but also extremely consequential to understanding the future of our species in a very literal sense. On the line with me to talk through some of the demographic trends of the world's population, is John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. We discuss the trajectory of the world's population including where the big population centers of the future will be. We also have a fascinating conversation about the relationship between contraception, child survival and population growth and why, from a policy perspective one of the more useful things you can know is the age distribution of a population -- and here, Europe and Africa represent two extremes that we discuss at length. I promise after listening to this interview you will about the world demographics and why it matters. Leave a review on iTunes!
You can EMAIL Mark by clicking here.
Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate SchoolGregory Stone once lived underwater for 30 days. He is an ocean scientist and author who has spent a career studying and advocating on behalf of our oceans. He's now with an executive vice president with Conservation International and is one of the world's leading authorities on ocean health and ocean conservation. We caught up just as a big UN conference on oceans was wrapping up in New York. This was the first-ever UN conference on Oceans and ocean health and we kick off discussing some of his takeways from that meeting. We of course discuss his life and career and where his love for the oceans all began. And we have some great digressions along the way about scuba diving in the antarctic, the first time he saw up close the effect of climate change on coral reefs and why plastic is such a nemesis for our oceans. Leave a review on iTunes!
You can EMAIL Mark by clicking here.
Become a premium subscriber to unlock bonus episodes, earn other rewards, and support the show!
Bonus episodes for premium subscribers include:
#1: International Relations Theory, explained.
#2: A Brief History of Nuclear Non-proliferation
#3: A Brief History of NATO
#4: The Syrian Civil War, explained.
#5: Meet the Kim family of North Korea.
#6: Better Know Vladimir Putin
#7: How to Get a Job at the United Nations #8: How to Pick the Right International Relations Graduate School
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