Podcast
Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters
Hosted by Global Dispatches · EN
The longest running independent international affairs podcast features in-depth interviews with policymakers, journalists and experts around the world who discuss global news, international relations, global development and key trends driving world affairs.
Named by The Guardian as "a podcast to make you smarter," Global Dispatches is a podcast for people who crave a deeper understanding of international news.
64episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Helen Clark on Whether the World Is Ready for the Next Pandemic
4d ago00:25:31Tap to summarizeThe world promised to be better prepared for the next pandemic. But has it followed through? Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who co-chairs the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, joins me for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of global cooperation, diplomacy, and pandemic preparedness. We begin by discussing what the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reveals about the strengths and weaknesses of the global pandemic response system. We then turn to the political and practical significance of a Pandemic Agreement reached at the WHO and an upcoming United Nations High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, taking place in September.
Transcribe →Russia's War Economy Is Starting to Crack
1w ago00:28:48Tap to summarizeRussia's economy once seemed remarkably resilient in the face of international sanctions. But in recent months, a growing number of indicators suggest that Russia's war economy is coming under strains not seen since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The budget deficit, which had remained relatively stable, is beginning to balloon. Inflation is accelerating. Labor shortages are widespread. And banks are being compelled to offer preferential loans to military industries, crowding out lending to the civilian economy. Is Russia's economy finally approaching a breaking point? And what might that mean for Vladimir Putin's grip on power and his ability to sustain the war? I'm joined today by Charles Lichfield, director of economic foresight and analysis and the C. Boyden Gray Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center. He is the author of a new report showing how recent developments have intensified some of the Russian economy's underlying structural weaknesses. In our conversation, he explains why Russia's economy is beginning to crack after four years of war in Ukraine—and what those cracks could mean for the future of the war.
Transcribe →What are the "Causes of Peace" Today? | Live from the Aspen Security Forum with the International Crisis Group
2w ago00:31:58Tap to summarizeWhat can bring about peace in an era of geopolitical rivalry and persistent conflict? In an ambitious new report, the International Crisis Group takes a hard-nosed approach to this question, offering a realistic assessment of what is—and is not—possible when it comes to preventing and ending conflict today. I caught up with Crisis Group's Comfort Ero, Michael Hanna, and Ginger Jacobs at the Aspen Security Forum in July. They explain why a new approach to conflict resolution is needed—and why the old models are no longer suited to today's world.
Transcribe →
World Food Program Chief Carl Skau on the Perfect Storm Driving Up Global Food Prices
2w ago00:29:10Tap to summarizeWith humanitarian needs surging and resources increasingly scarce, how does the World Food Programme decide where to cut assistance? Our guest today is Carl Skau, acting executive director of the World Food Programme. We begin by discussing how renewed fighting between the United States and Iran—and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a key Red Sea transit corridor—is driving up food prices and worsening food insecurity around the world. Carl Skau also responds to Israeli criticism of a recent food-security report on Gaza, explains the operational challenges facing the WFP in Afghanistan and Sudan, and discusses why, on top of everything else, the organization is bracing for the possible arrival of a powerful El Niño.
Transcribe →What Is the Future of US-China Relations? | Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Live from the Aspen Security Forum
3w ago00:19:19Tap to summarizeNicholas Burns is a veteran diplomat who served as President Biden's ambassador to China during a crucial period in U.S.-China relations. We caught up at the Aspen Security Forum in July for a wide-ranging conversation about Chinese foreign policy, including Beijing's evolving diplomatic role in the conflict with Iran, what Xi Jinping hopes to gain from upcoming summits with Donald Trump, and whether China is really seeking to supplant the United States in international institutions.
Transcribe →
UN Secretary-General Candidate María Fernanda Espinosa: The Interview
3w ago00:28:10Tap to summarizeThe race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General is heating up, with the Security Council preparing to hold its first straw polls to test the viability of the candidates. In this Global Dispatches exclusive, I speak with María Fernanda Espinosa, a former foreign minister, defense minister, and UN ambassador for Ecuador who served as president of the UN General Assembly from 2018 to 2019. Espinosa discusses how her early work with Indigenous communities in Ecuador continues to shape her approach to diplomacy and problem-solving. She also explains her proposal to create a crisis-prevention and early-action hub at the UN and shares her views on the organization's role in conflicts involving Iran and Ukraine. We also discuss how the next Secretary-General can advance global health and development—and what should replace the Sustainable Development Goals after their 2030 deadline. It is a wide-ranging conversation with a leading international diplomat seeking to lead the United Nations at a particularly precarious moment in global affairs.
Transcribe →How Ukraine Turned the Tide of the War | Live from the Aspen Security Forum
4w ago00:20:41Tap to summarizeIn recent months, Ukraine has clearly seized the initiative against Russia. Its impressive use of drones and autonomous weapons systems has put Russia on the defensive, while strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are causing gasoline shortages for ordinary Russians. I speak with The Wall Street Journal's Yaroslav Trofimov about how and why Ukraine's fortunes have suddenly turned—and what comes next in the war. We caught up at the Aspen Security Forum on the same day that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, even though Fedorov had championed many of the tactics that made Ukraine's advances possible. We begin by discussing that dramatic turn of events before broadening the conversation to the current trajectory of the war. Buy Yaroslav's book about the Urkaine war from an indy bookseller here: Our Enemies Will Vanish
Transcribe →
How the Civil War in Myanmar Became the Deadliest Conflict in Asia
4w ago00:35:12Tap to summarizeThe civil war in Myanmar recently passed a grim milestone. According to the conflict-monitoring NGO ACLED, an estimated 100,000 people have been killed since the war broke out in 2021. Seventy percent of them were civilians. This civil war rarely makes headlines in the West. It erupted after Myanmar's democratic transition collapsed and the military seized power in February 2021. The junta then violently suppressed peaceful protests, prompting many demonstrators to take up arms. The front lines have shifted in recent months as neighboring China has intervened more decisively on behalf of the junta. I'm joined today by Kelley Currie, the new UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. We begin with a brief history of Myanmar's long-running conflicts before turning to an in-depth conversation about the current dynamics of the civil war, the geopolitical implications of China's intervention, and the particularly brutal military strategy that has resulted in so many civilian deaths.
Transcribe →Josh Rogin on Iran, NATO, and the Latest in Trump Foreign Policy
Jul 1300:40:09Tap to summarizeIt was a pleasure to welcome The Washington Post's Josh Rogin for a wide-ranging discussion of the foreign policy topics du jour — from Iran and NATO to Syria, Ukraine, and the latest moves from the Trump administration. We kick off by discussing the escalating retaliatory cycle between the United States and Iran, and whether it means the ceasefire brokered last month is effectively dead. Josh explains some of the concrete decisions that turned Iran into a foreign policy quagmire for the Trump administration, what this latest round of bombings reveals about the administration's strategy, and what might come next if the current escalation begins to wind down. We discuss much more than Iran. Josh helps unpack several of the biggest foreign policy including how Syria became an unlikely bright spot in Trump's Middle East policy, what actually mattered at the NATO summit, and how Trump came to adopt some new positions on Ukraine that are supportive of Kyiv. If you are trying to make sense of U.S. foreign policy in this chaotic moment, this conversation is a very useful guide. It is free for all listeners, but as always your support with a paid subscription goes a long way.
Transcribe →
The UN Just Held Its First-Ever AI Governance Meeting. Here's Why It Matters
Jul 900:30:24Tap to summarizeOn July 6 and 7, the United Nations convened its first major meeting on AI governance. The Global Dialogue on AI Governance, held in Geneva, was different from other global gatherings on artificial intelligence because it included significant participation from constituencies that are often left out of discussions about AI, including representatives from the Global South, civil society, academia, and communities most likely to be affected by the rapid deployment of AI technologies. Claire Melamed, the United Nations Foundation's Vice President for AI and Digital Cooperation Strategy, explains why this meeting marks a milestone in the global AI governance debate, what makes the UN's approach distinct, and how international cooperation can help ensure that AI is developed and deployed in ways that serve the public good. We discuss what happened in Geneva, why inclusive AI governance matters, and what role the United Nations can play as governments, companies, and civil society grapple with one of the most consequential technologies of our time. (Sorry for my mic issues on this one.)
Transcribe →