Why It Matters

Latest Episodes:

China's Starring Role in Hollywood Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

What does it take to make a Hollywood blockbuster? Movie stars? A great script? How about approval from the Chinese government? In this episode, two guests explore the surprising role of Chinese censorship and oversight in the production of U.S. films and ask what’s at stake as their presence increases.

Featured Guests:

Aynne Kokas (Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia)

James Tager (Deputy Director, Free Expression Research and Policy, PEN America)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/chinas-starring-role-hollywood

The Big Red Button (Flashback Episode) Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

The U.S. president can launch a first-strike nuclear attack at any time, and there’s no law mandating they seek advice first. Some experts think that’s too much power to put in one person’s hands.

Episode Page and Show Notes

Featured Guests:

Richard K. Betts (Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies)

Alexandra Bell (Senior Policy Director, Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation)

Abigail Stowe-Thurston (Program Coordinator, Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation)

The Future is African Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

Projections show that by 2050, Africa’s population will double. By 2100, one in three people on Earth will be African. This means that, by the end of the century, sub-Saharan Africa—which already has an extraordinarily young population—will be home to almost half of the young people in the world. In this episode, two experts examine whether Africa’s youth boom will be a blessing or a curse.

Featured Guests:

Michelle Gavin (Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations)

John Githongo (Inuka Kenya Trust, CEO and publisher of The Elephant)

A Climate Bomb in the Amazon Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

The Brazilian Amazon is burning, threatening the world’s largest repository of biodiversity. If the fires are not controlled soon, they could release a “climate bomb” of stored carbon that would accelerate climate change.

Featured Guests:

Monica de Bolle (Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics)

Stewart M. Patrick (James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program, Council on Foreign Relations)

Thomas Lovejoy (President, Amazon Biodiversity Center)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/climate-bomb-amazon

Let's Talk About Toilets Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

Fifty-five percent of the global population lacks access to safe sanitation, a deadly global health disparity that rarely finds its way into the spotlight. In this episode, we examine the scope of the problem, and the cultural challenges that have made it surprisingly difficult to fix.

Featured Guests:

Tom Slaymaker (Senior Statistics and Monitoring Specialist, WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH))

Sangita Vyas (Associate Director, Research Institute for Compassionate Economics)

Brooke Yamakoshi (WASH Specialist, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF))

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/lets-talk-about-toilets

Make America Vote Again Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

The United States trails far behind most advanced democracies when it comes to voter turnout, with just 55 percent of eligible voters participating in the 2016 election. What are other countries doing right, and what is the United States doing wrong?

Featured Guests:

David Becker (Executive Director, Center for Election Innovation & Research)

Kristen Clarke (President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law)

Rosalind Dixon (Professor of Law, University of New South Wales)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/make-america-vote-again

Season Three Trailer Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

What happens when the world runs out of fish? Does TikTok actually present a national security risk? Will Africa's population boom change the world as we know it? In season three, Why It Matters explores a new series of challenges that are gathering on the horizon.

For more information on our first two seasons, be sure to visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/why-it-matters

Dimming the Sky (Flashback Episode) Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

As climate change accelerates, some scientists are researching ways to alter our climate to slow down warming. But the method, called solar geoengineering, comes with some serious risks.

Featured Guests:

David Keith (Harvard University)

Shuchi Talati (Union of Concerned Scientists)

Gernot Wagner (New York University)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/dimming-sky

Treasures Looted in War Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

Works of art and cultural heritage sites are common casualties in war. In many cases, the sale of plundered treasures has helped finance ongoing conflict. In this episode, two experts examine the history of conflict-driven looting. Along the way, they trace the opaque, unregulated international art market that allows irreplaceable treasures to travel from strife-torn regions to the catalogues of prestigious auction houses.

Featured Guests:

Amr Al Azm (Professor of History and Anthropology, Shawnee State University)

Tess Davis (Executive Director, Antiquities Coalition)

For more information on this episode, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/treasures-looted-war

Why We Need International Students Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

For decades international students enjoyed bipartisan support in the U.S., with strong consensus that they fueled American innovation, job creation and competitiveness. But in recent years the pipeline of international students has come under threat, and other nations are seizing the opportunity to take in the world’s brightest students.

Featured Guests:

Esther D. Brimmer (Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA)

Edward Alden (Senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; the Ross distinguished visiting professor at Western Washington University)

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at cfr.org/podcasts/why-we-need-international-students

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