Policy People

Latest Episodes:

Policy People Podcast: Tracking Rail Diplomacy with Chitresh Shrivastva May 11, 2021

Show notes

In this conversation, I discuss the rise of railway diplomacy with Chitresh Shrivastva. We discuss the implications of railway diplomacy, compare China and Japanese railway competition, consider at India’s rail interests, look at how rail facilitates socio-economic integration, consider the global challenges to railway diplomacy and the impact of the pandemic, among many more topics.

You can listen to the episode right away in the audio player embedded above, or right below it you can click “Listen in podcast app” — which will connect you to the show’s feed. Alternatively, you can click the icons below to listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If you enjoy this conversation and would like to help the show, sharing this episode’s LinkedIn post is the easiest way to do so. I will personally thank you for sharing at the start of the next episode.

Thank you to Thalia Spartali, Chris Kremidas-Courtney and Dimitrios Kantemnidis for sharing our last episode.

Chitresh Shrivastva is the Founder of the Transport Review Forum, an emerging think-and-do-tank that provides interdisciplinary solutions to policymakers and stakeholders on public transport policy. He is also Head of Railway Policy at Youth Policy Review and an Adjunct Professor at Christ Deemed to be University in Delhi. Chitresh is a independent railway policy analyst and a prolific writer who has published analysis on the topic for Harvard Economics Review, Oxford India Forum, Global Railway Review and many other publications. You can find out more about his work at chitreshontrack.weebly.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Exploring Environmental Security with Dimitrios Kantemnidis May 08, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the Policy People Podcast. In this conversation, I explore the world of environmental security with Dimitrios Kantemnidis. We explore emerging maritime threats in the Mediterranean sea, how naval officers may deescalate standoffs at sea, the implications and real world scope of environmental security, how climate change amplifies conflicts, the difference between nature and the environment, the culture gap between the environmental and security policy communities, Dimitrios’ vision for an integrated European environmental security policy, and many more topics.

Thank you to Rasheed Griffith, Jordan Schneider, Ernest Doc Gunasekara-Rockwell, Ana Sofia Cabral and the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs for sharing our last episode.

Dimitrios Kantemnidis currently serves as lieutenant commander in the Greek navy and is an expert on environmental security. He is also a Fellow at the European Security and Defense College where he is concluding his research for his PhD thesis on how environmental security relates the EU’s Common Security and Defense and Security Policy. Dimitrios has produced numerous academic publications and has a forthcoming article to be published by the Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe titled, “Environmental security and the EU’s Strategic Compass: Realizing Solana’s Vision”. You can connect with Dimitrios on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter at the handle @dkantemnidis.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Watching the China Watchers with Jordan Schneider May 05, 2021

Show notes

In this conversation, I discuss the power of podcasting and the challenges of China watching with Jordan Schneider. We discuss what has made his ‘pod-letter’ a success, the personal and career benefits of podcasting, why think tanks struggle to build great podcasts, common blind spots in the China watcher community, tech competition between the US and China, Biden’s China strategy and many more topics.

Thank you to Nizar Farsakh, Merissa Khurma, Nikola Ilic, ChangeLab Global, Talking with the Experts and Neha Singh for sharing our last episode.

Jordan Schneider is a China tech policy analyst and editor of the newsletter and host of the podcast China Talk. Jordan is currently a senior analyst at the independent research firm, Rhodium Group, and an adjunct fellow at the Center for New American Security. Jordan was previously a research analyst at Bridgewater Associates and a research intern at the Brookings Institution. You can subscribe to his newsletter at chinatalk.substack.com, connect with him on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter at the handle @jordschneider1.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Universal Leadership with Nikola Ilic May 02, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the Policy People Podcast. In this conversation, I dive into the digital disruption of leadership training with Nikola Ilic. We discuss how he got addicted to activism as a young rebel in Yugoslavia, his vision to make leadership training universally accessible, how power changes people, the moral risks of public persuasion training, the tensions between chosen identities and tribalism, tribalism as a political tool, and many more topics.

Thank you to Neha Singh, Arpit Chaturvedi and Km Sulekha for sharing our last episode.

Nikola Ilic is the Co-Founder and CEO of Change Lab, a consultancy that plans to deliver leadership development and coaching at scale to millions around the world. He is also a Co-Founder of Serbia on the Move - a grassroots, citizen engagement NGO based in Serbia. Formerly, Nikola was an International Development Consultant and the World Bank Group and a teaching fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, where he taught the course ‘Organizing: People, Power, Change’. You can discover his consultancy and its work at changelab.global. You can also connect with Nikola on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter at the handle @NikolaIlic7 or on Clubhouse at @nikolailic7.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Serial 'Policy Entrepreneur' with Arpit Chaturvedi Apr 29, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the Policy People Podcast. In this conversation, I talk about policy entrepreneurship with Arpit Chaturvedi. We discuss post-grad degree choices for policy entrepreneurs, how entrepreneurship works in the policy sector, the importance of mentorship for policy innovation, how to use systems thinking to identify new opportunities, the shortcomings of traditional policy schools, how to design research programs that address the global commons, the fate of developing countries within superpower competition, India’s coming demographic crisis and it’s aged care policy, as well as many more topics.

If you enjoy this conversation and would like to help the show, consider sharing this episode with a friend. Getting the word out about the show really helps us to grow and keep new episodes coming your way.

Arpit Chaturvedi is the Founder of Global Policy Insights, a multi-national think tank, and Co-Founder of Envipol, an environmental policy consultancy. After completing an MBA at the Symbiosis Centre for Management & Human Resource Development, Arpit went on to complete a Masters of Public Administration at Cornell University, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell Policy Review. He is now a lecturer at San Francisco State University, where he teaches Comparative Perspectives in Public Administration. He also heads the GPODS Fellowship Program as an educational extension of his Global Policy Insights tank. You can find out more about the fellowship program at gpods.org or discover his tank’s research at globalpolicyinsights.org. You can connect also with Arpit on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter, where his handle is @arpitchtr.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Myanmar's Mayhem with Azeem Ibrahim Apr 24, 2021

Show notes

This episode was produced in partnership with Peace for Asia, a non-profit think tank researching security issues and documenting human rights violations taking place across Asia. To find out more about their work, head to peaceforasia.org

Welcome to the Policy People Podcast. In this conversation, I discuss the current political crisis in Myanmar with Azeem Ibrahim. We discuss what the likely conclusion of the current standoff would be, how the Rohingya are faring amid the chaos, the international context of the crisis, the Biden administration’s response, China's Myanmar policy and its geopolitical interests in the country, and many more topics.

Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, and the Director of Special Initiatives at the Newlines Institute in Washington, D.C. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge after which he completed fellowships at the universities of Oxford, Harvard and Yale. He has advised over half a dozen world leaders on strategy and policy development, his most recent role being the Strategic Policy Advisor to the Chairman of Pakistan’s PTI party, Prime Minister Imran Khan. Azeem is an expert in genocide studies and in 2019, received the International Association of Genocide Scholars Engaged Scholar Award for his research on the Rohingya genocide. He is the author of several books, including “The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar’s Genocide”, in which Azeem chronicles the events leading up to the current, final cleansing of the Rohingya population, and issues a clarion call to protect Myanmar’s vulnerable, little known Muslim minority. You can discover his work at newlinesinstitute.org, follow him on Twitter @AzeemIbrahim or follow his tank’s handle @NewlinesInst.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Think Tanking Under Lockdown with Adriana Abdenur Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the Policy People Podcast. In this conversation I learn about the process of starting a digital think tank when in lockdown with Adriana Abdenur. We discuss her personal encounter with COVID, the drama of setting up a tank virtually, the benefits of remote hiring, the importance of institutional networks for new tanks, how tank funding is secured in the global South , the causes behind the lack of female leadership in tanks, the plight of NGOs in Bolsonaro’s Brazil, how climate change is reconfiguring security policy, and many more topics.

Adriana Abdenur is Co-Founder of Plataforma CIPO, a Brazil-based, women-led think tank focusing on the intersection of climate, peace-building and conflict policy. Before starting her own tank, Adriana worked at other tanks in Brazil, where she headed climate and safety projects as well as peace-building operations in Latin America and elsewhere in the Global South. She is now also a Senior Fellow at the UN’s University Center for Policy Research, where she works on climate governance and innovation. In addition to her professional commitments, Adriana is also a proud mother of two. You can reach Adriana on LinkedInand on Twitter. Her Twitter handle is @aabdenur.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Think Tanking Under Lockdown with Adriana Abdenur Apr 17, 2021

Show notes

Adriana Abdenur is Co-Founder of Plataforma CIPO, a Brazil-based, women-led think tank focusing on the intersection of climate, peace-building and conflict policy. Before starting her own tank, Adriana worked at other tanks in Brazil, where she lead climate and safety projects as well as peace-building operations in Latin America and elsewhere in the Global South. She is now also a Senior Fellow at the UN’s University Center for Policy Research, where she works on climate governance and innovation. In addition to her professional commitments, Adriana is also a proud mother of two. You can reach Adriana on LinkedInand on Twitter. Her Twitter handle is @aabdenur.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Dissecting Disinformation with Chris Kremidas-Courtney Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the Policy People Podcast. In this conversation I take a deep dive into disinformation with Chris Kremidas-Courtney. We discuss how to anticipate emerging hybrid threats, new digital vulnerabilities born from the pandemic, disinformation across human history, 5G and COVID conspiracies, the psychological appeal of disinformation, group identity and conspiracy communities, how disinformation erodes economic competitiveness, and many more topics.

Chris Kremidas-Courtney is a Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at Friends of Europe in Brussels. He’s also lecturer at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, the Institute for Security Governance in Monterey, California and the StratCom Hybrid Program at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. Chris has worked for over three decades advising various parts of the US government on security threats. He has been posted as a policy and political advisor at the Commander of NATO’s Training Mission in Iraq, NATO’s Joint Force Headquarters in Naples and at the US Mission to the European Union. Most recently, he served as the Multilateral Engagement Coordinator for the US European Command and as the first Director of Training and Exercises for the Hybrid Center of Excellence in Helsinki. You can find out more about Chris and his work at the Friends of Europe website or connect with him on LinkedIn.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com

Policy People Podcast: Dissecting Disinformation with Chris Kremidas-Courtney Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit policypeople.substack.com