World Politics Review

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'To Act Alone When Necessary': Nathalie Tocci on European Strategic Autonomy Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

If the European Union were a country, it would have the second-largest GDP in the world, ahead of China and just behind the United States. But it has consistently struggled to leverage its economic heft into geopolitical clout, at times due to internal divisions among member states over strategic priorities, but also because of their reluctance to relinquish control over sensitive questions of foreign and defense policy to Brussels. The debate over whether the EU should embrace a global role, how it can do so and what role it should play if it does has taken on greater urgency in the context of an international landscape increasingly characterized by strategic competition, particularly between the U.S. and China, but also on Europe's periphery—in Ukraine, the Caucasus, Northern Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.

In today's big picture Trend Lines interview, Dr. Nathalie Tocci joins WPR editor-in-chief Judah Grunstein to discuss Europe's role in an increasingly multipolar world. Dr. Tocci is the director of the Rome-based Institute of International Affairs and an honorary professor at the University of Tubingen in Germany. She is special adviser to the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell. While serving in the same role under Borrell's predecessor, Federica Mogherini, Dr. Tocci wrote the EU Global Strategy and worked on its implementation.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

For Macron, Being Right on European Strategic Autonomy Isn't Enough

In a Multipolar World, Will the EU Be Seated at the Table—or Served on It?

Europe Wants 'Strategic Autonomy,' but That's Much Easier Said Than Done

From Naive to Realist? The EU's Struggles With China

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

Boko Haram's Worrying Expansion Jan 06, 2021

Show notes

Nigeria's ongoing battle with the violent extremist group Boko Haram took a worrying turn last month, when more than 300 young schoolboys were abducted from their boarding school in Katsina state, in northwestern Nigeria. Thankfully, the students were freed and reunited with their families a week later. But the attack carried chilling echoes of another mass abduction from 2014, when 276 female students were kidnapped from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok. More than 100 of those girls are still missing.

While Boko Haram has taken credit for last month's raid, experts and Nigerian officials say the true culprits were local "bandits" that have formed alliances with Boko Haram, which appears to be partnering with criminal gangs to expand its reach beyond its traditional base in the country's northeast. This week on Trend Lines, WPR's Elliot Waldman discusses the resurgence of Boko Haram with Bulama Bukarti, an analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Follow him on Twitter @bulamabukarti.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

Another Mass Abduction in Nigeria Raises Fears of a Resurgent Boko Haram

'Year of the Debacle': How Nigeria Lost Its Way in the War Against Boko Haram

In Partnering With Nigeria's Abusive Military, the U.S. Is Giving Boko Haram a Lifeline

How Counterinsurgency Campaigns Are Fueling Human Rights Abuses in the Sahel

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

Rerun: How Trump Damaged U.S. Civil-Military Relations—and How to Repair Them Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

The U.S. military has played a prominent role in Donald Trump's presidency, at times serving as a prop to flatter his ego, at others as a tool for political gain, but also often as a punching bag to deflect blame. In the early days of his administration, Trump filled his Cabinet and White House staff with retired generals, only to successively fire them or watch them resign over policy differences. Later, his repeated pardons of U.S. soldiers convicted by military courts of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan drove a wedge between himself and a military leadership committed to upholding discipline and the international laws of war. Most recently, his attempt to deploy the military to quell protests against racism and police brutality in cities across the U.S. ultimately led to the firing of his third defense secretary, Mark Esper.

It is perhaps no surprise that Trump's disregard for norms and the rule of law would extend to his approach to the military, with serious implications for the relationship between the military and the civilian leadership at the top of the chain of command. This week on Trend Lines, Risa Brooks joins WPR editor-in-chief Judah Grunstein for a discussion on the damage Trump's presidency has done to civil-military relations and what it will take to repair them. Dr. Brooks is the Allis Chalmers associate professor of political science at Marquette University, a nonresident senior associate in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and an adjunct scholar at West Point's Modern War Institute.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

The Many Questions Trump's Pardons Raise About Civil-Military Relations

Could America's Senior Military Leaders Ever Revolt Against Trump?

America's Political Turmoil Is Threatening the Norms of Civil-Military Relations

Is There Trouble Brewing for Civil-Military Relations in the U.S.?

U.S. Civil-Military Relations' Neglected Component: Congress

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

A Scandal at Google and the Future of AI Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

Earlier this month, Timnit Gebru, the co-leader of a team of researchers at Google specializing in the ethical implications of artificial intelligence, was unceremoniously ousted from her position. Some of the circumstances that led to her departure are disputed, but Gebru—a Black woman in a field that is overwhelmingly white and male—claims she was forced out for drawing unwelcome attention to the lack of diversity in Google's workforce. She also claims she was "silenced" for her refusal to retract a paper that she had co-authored on ethical problems associated with certain types of AI models that are central to Google's business.

The episode has sparked a fierce backlash across Silicon Valley and beyond, including among current and former Google employees. This week on Trend Lines, WPR's Elliot Waldman is joined by Karen Hao, the senior AI reporter for MIT Technology Review, to discuss the reaction to Gebru's dismissal and the troubling issues she has raised around the ethical implications of recent advances in AI. To learn more about this topic, check out Karen's weekly newsletter, The Algorithm, and the podcast she co-produces, In Machines We Trust.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

It Will Take More Than an Antitrust Case to Fix the Problems of Big Tech

The Troubling Rise of Facial Recognition Technology in Democracies

Are Governments Sacrificing Privacy to Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic?

Can New Norms of Behavior Extend the Rules-Based Order Into Cyberspace?

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

'They've Got to Be Visionary': Dambisa Moyo on Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery Dec 18, 2020

Show notes

In addition to its human toll, the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked economic havoc around the world. Entire economies ground to a virtual standstill as governments implemented strict lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus. The impact on individual countries has only been exacerbated by the disruptions to global trade caused by the pandemic, and uncertainty still surrounds the shape of the economic recovery that will come in its aftermath.

But even before the pandemic, the developed economies of Western democracies faced structural obstacles to growth that have called into question their models of governance, even as China's high-growth development path offers a competitive alternative.

For this week's big picture Trend Lines interview, Dr. Dambisa Moyo joins WPR editor-in-chief Judah Grunstein for a look at the challenges facing the developed economies, and how the pandemic will affect them and the global economy more broadly. Dr. Moyo holds a Ph.D. in economics from Oxford University and a master's degree from Harvard University. She worked at the World Bank and Goldman Sachs for nearly a decade, and she is the author of four New York Times bestselling books, most recently, "Edge of Chaos: Why Democracy Is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth—and How to Fix It," published in 2018. Her upcoming book, "How Boards Work—and How They Can Work Better in a Chaotic World," is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2021.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

Governments Acted Fast to Save the Economy. Now Too Many Have Pandemic Fatigue

How the Pandemic Is Accelerating a 'Splintering of the Internet'

Zambia's Looming Default Is Only the Start of a Global Reckoning With Debt

Trump's Trade Wars, and Now COVID-19, Are Unraveling Trade as We Know It

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

What's Worth Salvaging From Trump's Foreign Policy Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

During his four years in office, President Donald Trump has worked methodically to tear up just about any foreign policy initiative or multilateral treaty that had Barack Obama's fingerprints on it, from the Paris climate accord to the Iran nuclear deal to the policy of so-called "Strategic Patience" with North Korea. While President-elect Joe Biden is understandably promising a completely different approach in some areas, there are some aspects of his presidency that are worth preserving and building on.

This week on Trend Lines, WPR's Elliot Waldman is joined by Emma Ashford for a conversation about what to keep and what to throw out from Trump's foreign policy. Ashford is a senior fellow with the New American Engagement Initiative at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, as well as a columnist for Foreign Policy.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

What to Keep From Trump's Foreign Policy After He's Gone

Can Biden Really Bring America 'Back' After Trump?

Why Trump's Trade Agenda Is Here to Stay

How Biden Should Approach U.S.-Mexico Relations

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

The Future of U.S.-Mexico Ties Under Biden Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

In contrast with Donald Trump's single-minded focus on immigration, President-elect Joe Biden has promised a return to a more conventional, multidimensional approach to the United States' relations with Mexico. But if President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's reluctance to congratulate Biden on his victory is any indication, a return to normalcy may not be what Mexico wants.

This week on Trend Lines, WPR's Elliot Waldman is joined by Duncan Wood, the director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, to discuss the challenges ahead for U.S.-Mexico ties and how Biden might be able to use some of Trump's aggressive tactics to steer the relationship in a beneficial direction.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

Mexico's Water Dispute With the U.S. Is a Symptom of Its Governance Crisis

In Mexico, Corruption Scandals Leave No Politician Untouched—Not Even AMLO

How Biden Would Change U.S. Policy in Latin America

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

Why Jordan Is Relieved to See Trump Go Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

The usually warm relationship between the United States and Jordan has come under strain during President Donald Trump's time in office. Jordanian leaders have criticized many of Trump's policies in the region, especially his support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his one-sided proposal for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

It was no surprise, then, that Jordan's King Abdullah II was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Joe Biden for his victory over Trump in last month's presidential election. And in a phone conversation with Abdullah last week, his first with an Arab leader, Biden told the king that he hopes to cooperate on pursuing "a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." It remains unclear, though, just how much of a priority that will be for Biden as he enters office with a herculean to-do list.

This week on Trend Lines, WPR's Elliot Waldman was joined by Marwan Muasher, a former foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Jordan who's now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They discussed the implications of Biden's presidency for Jordan, for the Israelis and Palestinians, and for U.S. policy toward the Middle East writ large.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

Israel-Gulf Normalization Sends Palestinians Back to the Drawing Board

Is Jordan on the Verge of an Economic Reckoning?

'The Path of Negotiations Has Failed.' Where Annexation Leaves Palestinians

Trump's 'Deal of the Century' Will Doom Peace Between Israelis and Palestinians

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

How Trump Damaged U.S. Civil-Military Relations—and How to Repair Them Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

Relevant Articles on WPR:

The Many Questions Trump's Pardons Raise About Civil-Military Relations

Could America's Senior Military Leaders Ever Revolt Against Trump?

America's Political Turmoil Is Threatening the Norms of Civil-Military Relations

Is There Trouble Brewing for Civil-Military Relations in the U.S.?

U.S. Civil-Military Relations' Neglected Component: Congress

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

How Russia and Turkey Won the Nagorno-Karabakh War Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

In late September, the frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh rapidly heated up. The six weeks of full-scale war that followed left thousands dead and tens of thousands more displaced. Unlike previous rounds of fighting that resulted in little exchange of territory, however, Azerbaijan's well-armed and well-prepared military was able to make substantial gains on the battlefield, with significant support from neighboring Turkey.

Just as Azerbaijani forces looked poised to advance deep into Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia brokered a deal between the two sides to bring the fighting to an end last week, under terms that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called "unbelievably painful." The agreement requires Armenia to relinquish much of the territory it controlled in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, and for Moscow to dispatch 2,000 peacekeepers to the region.

According to Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow and the chair of the Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, the deal is a win for the Kremlin, which has successfully reasserted its influence in the South Caucasus, independent of Western powers. But will the peace hold? Gabuev joins WPR's Elliot Waldman on the Trend Lines podcast this week to discuss the aftermath of the recent fighting and the outlook for Nagorno-Karabakh.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

Can Russia Steer the Endgame in Nagorno-Karabakh to Its Advantage?

How Russia's Putin Is Viewing the Crises in His Backyard

Why the Long Conflict Over Nagorno-Karabakh Could Heat Up Again

Despite High-Level Diplomacy, Old Obstacles Still Block Peace in Nagorno-Karabakh

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.

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