The World Unpacked

Latest Episodes:

Barbecue Earth, Episode 3: How to Launder a Cow Feb 27, 2024

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What is cattle laundering—and how are big meat companies involved with it? Episode 3 explores the phenomenon of the smuggling and sale of illegal cattle throughout the Amazon and tells the story of how the meat industry uses its power to undermine climate goals.

Barbecue Earth, Episode 2: The Farmers Strike Back Feb 20, 2024

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Tractors blocking government buildings. Manure piled on highways. The birth of a populist political party. In the Netherlands, government regulations on agriculture’s nitrogen emissions have sparked backlash from Dutch farmers. In Episode 2 of Barbecue Earth, we tell the story of this quarrel. It holds lessons for all countries, in Europe and beyond, that are facing rising agricultural populism as they begin to implement stricter environmental regulations on farming.

Barbecue Earth, Episode 1: Hog Country Feb 20, 2024

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In the United States, agriculture plays by a different set of rules than other sectors. With its lax child labor laws and lack of environmental restrictions, the American farming industry operates in a uniquely under-regulated environment. Why? Episode 1 of Barbecue Earth explores the history of agricultural exceptionalism and how it impacts North Carolina residents living close to factory farms.

Behind Closed Doors, Episode 3: Trouble in the Blue House Jul 31, 2023

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The third episode, "Trouble in the Blue House," dissects the corruption scandal often called "South Korea's Watergate." When former President Park Geun-hye was first elected in 2013, she held widespread conservative support and was internationally celebrated as the country's first female president. No one could have predicted that just 5 years later, she would end up embroiled in a corruption case that would leave her disgraced, impeached, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Although not without its controversy, Park Geun-hye's impeachment shows how anti-corruption movements can pursue accountability and reform while protecting democratic norms.

Behind Closed Doors, Episode 2: Seeing the Monster Jul 27, 2023

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The second episode, "Seeing the Monster," explores what some call the biggest corruption scandal in history—Brazil's Lava Jato scandal. The story begins at a small gas station in southern Brazil, where a single arrest for bribery in 2013 unleashed a domino effect that would topple hundreds of business executives, imprison a former head of state, and impeach the sitting president. The aftermath of the scandal shows how important it is for anti-corruption movements to not only expose corruption, but also to provide constructive ways to address it.

Behind Closed Doors, Episode 1: If Men Were Angels, We Wouldn't Need Government Jul 18, 2023

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What is corruption in democracies? How has it changed over time? And, in what forms does it emerge in our society today? Episode 1, 'If Men Were Angels, We Wouldn't Need Government,' answers these questions through the lens of case studies in the United States, including the political scandal of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have eroded controls on influence-peddling, and other frequent tools used by leaders and groups to receive preferential treatment in the U.S. system of government.

The State of World Hunger Jul 13, 2023

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The global hunger crisis has reached unprecedented levels. Violent conflict, economic shocks from the war in Ukraine, and accelerating climate change have exacerbated food shortages in many parts of the world. According to the World Food Program, 828 million people—one in ten people on Earth—are unsure of where their next meal is coming from. More than 345 million face extreme food insecurity, a figure that is more than double the number in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CARE USA President and CEO Michelle Nunn joins Stewart on the show to discuss the many facets of the global hunger crisis and assess how NGOs and policymakers alike can best address food shortages worldwide.

Evading Sanctions 101 Jun 15, 2023

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Since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies have imposed tough global sanctions against Russia. Numerous sectors, individuals, and entities have been targeted for helping Russia’s war efforts. But despite these aims, the Kremlin has been successful in finding ways to evade these sanctions.

Joining the show to assess Russia’s sanction-evading strategies and how to counter them is Jodi Vittori, a nonresident scholar in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment, as well as the co-chair of the Global Politics and Security program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She's a leading expert on corruption, state fragility, illicit finance, and U.S. national security. Prior to joining Carnegie, she served in the U.S. Air Force, where she advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was assigned to NATO’s only counter-corruption task force.

Moldova’s Moment Jun 01, 2023

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Since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last year, the Eastern European nation of Moldova has been one of the countries most vulnerable to the war spilling over its borders. With the threat of Russia looming, the European Political Community, or EPC, will be holding its summit in that country this week, hoping to demonstrate its solidarity with the threatened nation, which includes the breakaway region of Transdniestria.

Philip Remler, a former US diplomat who served with the State Department and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) who is now a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment, joins Stewart to unpack the situation in Moldova and its relationship to the war in Ukraine.

Philip Remler. (2022, August 2). "Transdniestria, Moldova, and Russia's War in Ukraine." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Philip Remler. (2021, May 17). "Inventing Crisis in Moldova: All Geopolitics Is Local." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Türkiye’s Election: The End of Erdoğan? May 04, 2023

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On May 14th, Türkiye will have its presidential and parliamentary elections. It will be a pivotal moment in Turkish politics with implications for the world concerning NATO, the war in Ukraine, Syrian refugees, and more. The highly contested race between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will be one to watch.

Could this be the end of Erdoğan's two-decade rule?

Alper Coşkun, a senior fellow with Carnegie’s Europe Program who was a career diplomat in the Turkish foreign service, joins Stewart to discuss what factors will shape the election and what to expect from either leader.