WorldAffairs

In May 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions against Tehran. Iran responded by restarting elements of its nuclear program and sponsoring militant attacks against US interests and allies in the Middle East. Trump claims he will keep the pressure on until Iran agrees to a better nuclear deal, while Iranian leaders insist they will not negotiate under duress. Colin Kahl, Steven C. Házy senior fellow at the...

Globally, social media is playing an increasingly important role in politics. Not only does it determine our political discussions, it has transformed the way politicians communicate with both the public and each other. On this week’s episode, we’re discussing leadership and governance in 280 characters or less with Matthias Lüfkens, founder of Twiplomacy, and Charlie Warzel, op-ed journalist for The New York Times. They're in conversation with Markos Kounalakis, WorldAffairs co-host and...

Protesters have flooded downtown Hong Kong over the last six months, winning concessions and even adding to their demands. Experts say protests like these have proliferated around the world in recent years. But can they lead to lasting change? On this week’s episode of WorldAffairs, Richard Youngs, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and and the author of “Civic Activism Unleashed: New Hope or False Dawn for Democracy?,” discusses what the explosion of civic activism says about the state of...

Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world. By 2050, it will have a population greater than China and up to a quarter of the world’s workforce. More than half of its population will be under 25 – presenting tremendous growth potential with the right opportunities in place and posing significant risks without them. Governments and businesses from all over the world are scrambling to have a strong footing in Africa by strengthening ties and making investments. In this...

Susan Rice worked for the US State Department during some of the most challenging periods this country has ever faced, from Black Hawk Down in Somalia to the Iran Nuclear Deal. In her new book, “Tough Love, My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For,” she describes the family struggles, ancestral legacies, and personal experiences that led her to the White House and the United Nations. Susan Rice joins Jane Wales, Vice President at The Aspen Institute, to share her experiences, and offer her...

The withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria has had grave repercussions for the security and stability of the entire region. The Turkish military has invaded northern Syria, killing dozens of Kurdish civilians and forcing over 200,000 Kurds to flee. In the absence of US troops, Russian and Syrian troops have rushed in to fill the power vacuum. Meanwhile, hundreds of ISIS fighters have escaped detention. Brett McGurk, distinguished lecturer at Stanford University and former special...

At the age of 22, Amaryllis Fox became one of the CIA’s youngest female officers. After training, she was deployed as a spy, under non-official cover, working throughout the Middle East to stop acts of extreme terrorism and the illegal sale of arms and explosives. Fox joins KQED's Mina Kim to share her story of life undercover and talk about her new career working to promote peace around the world. We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve...

Escalating tensions between the US and China, driven by an ongoing trade war, technological competition and unrest in Hong Kong, may have long-term consequences for both countries along with the entire global economy. David Lampton, fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University and director of China Studies at Johns Hopkins University, joins WorldAffairs co-host Markos Kounalakis to discuss how Beijing and Washington could diffuse the disruptive tensions of this growing...

Every minute, an estimated one million dollars of public money is funneled toward farm subsidies around the world. Critics say these payouts pervert the economies of supply and demand, hide the true cost of foods and harm the health of both us and the planet. Jeremy Oppenheim, founder and managing partner of SYSTEMIQ, and Dr. Ann Thrupp, director of the California Food Is Medicine Coalition and founder of Down-to-Earth Innovations, join WorldAffairs co-host Ray Suarez to discuss how...

While the US has moved away from the term “colony,” the legacy of its colonial rule endures. In this week’s episode, we’re talking about America’s covert history of expansion and how that has impacted the people who live in those places. Daniel Immerwahr, professor of history at Northwestern University and author of the book, How to Hide an Empire, A History of the Greater United States, and Ed Morales, journalist and author of the new book, Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation, and the...

What started in June as protests against a controversial extradition law has grown into something much larger and more formidable. On this week’s episode of WorldAffairs, David Rennie, columnist for the Economist, Illaria Maria Sala, a freelance journalist based in Hong Kong, and a Chinese reporter who has asked to remain anonymous join WorldAffairs co-host Ray Suarez to discuss what the protests mean for Hong Kong, China, and the pro-democracy movement. We want to hear from you! Please...

Democracy is in retreat worldwide. In his new book, "Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency," Larry Diamond argues that we are at a pivotal point where a new era of tyranny could upend the established order of liberal democracy. On this week’s episode, Diamond, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins WorldAffairs co-host Markos Kounalakis to discuss what it will take to save American democratic values abroad. We want to hear from...

Guyana is the latest country where a major oil discovery has been made. With ExxonMobil set to begin oil production next year, the small, impoverished nation is on the path to become one of the richest in the world. But with oil production brings risk. Next door Venezuela offers a cautionary tale of the “resource curse,” a spiral of political corruption and economic mismanagement that has driven commodity-rich nations into crisis. But it doesn’t have to happen that way. In some places...

A burning Amazon rainforest. Thinning ice sheets. Sea level rise. Wildfires in California. Thawing Arctic permafrost. It’s no surprise that many of us have anxiety about our planet’s future. The mental health impacts of climate change are increasing distress about the future while intensifying the trauma of natural disasters already happening. On this week’s episode of WorldAffairs, Caroline Hickman, Executive Committee member of the Climate Psychology Alliance and teaching fellow at the...

By 2030, up to 800 million global workers may lose their jobs to automation. Technological advancement in an ever-globalized economy is changing both service-sector and professional jobs at a staggering pace. How can governments help workers remain vital to the global economy? Richard Baldwin, author of the new book, The Globotics Upheaval: Globalization, Robotics, and the Future of Work, is in conversation with WorldAffairs co-host Markos Kounalakis. We want to hear from you! Please take...

While the Islamic State no longer has any territory in the Middle East, its ability to recruit soldiers and engage in violence remains. In fact, its newly decentralized nature may make it even more effective in carrying out terrorist attacks. On this week's episode, Ali Soufan, former FBI special agent and author of “The Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State,” and Robin Wright, contributing writer to The New Yorker and fellow at the Woodrow Wilson...

Today’s elites are some of the more socially concerned individuals in history. But do their philanthropic missions really make a difference, or do they perpetuate the system of inequality they’ve profited from? Anand Giridharadas, author of the new book “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” talks with Markos Kounalakis, visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, about how philanthropists are preserving the very structures at the root of societal inequity. We...

Recent tragic events in Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton have forced a painful reckoning amongst Americans across the country as kitchen table conversations turn to the issue of gun violence. While mass shootings have also happened in characteristically peaceful societies like Canada, Norway and New Zealand, those governments, unlike in the US, have been swift and decisive in enacting meaningful gun control. The question is: how do we do that here? New York Times columnist Max Fisher and Chelsea...

In the modern age of Facebook, Google, and smart devices, most of us are under 24-hour surveillance. These data points are collected by large tech companies and are in turn sold to and used by governments and businesses alike to influence our behavior. On this week’s episode, Dr. Shoshana Zuboff discusses her new book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, which explores what can be done to protect democracy and free thought against these new threats. She is in conversation with Jim...

In May 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions against Tehran. Iran responded by restarting elements of its nuclear program and sponsoring militant attacks against US interests and allies in the Middle East. Trump claims he will keep the pressure on until Iran agrees to a better nuclear deal, while Iranian leaders insist they will not negotiate under duress. Colin Kahl, Steven C. Házy senior fellow at the...