Trending Globally: Politics And Policy

On April 20, 2021, Derek Chauvin was found guilty in the death of George Floyd. But despite the overwhelming evidence -- including the infamous video of him kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes -- that verdict was hardly a foregone conclusion. On this episode Sarah talks with Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, associate professor of sociology at Brown, about why convicting police officers of crimes in the U.S. is so incredibly rare. Her 2016 book, “Crook County,” explores this question, and paints a picture of the overlapping forces that keep justice from being served when it’s directed at the police themselves. You can learn more about and purchase Crook County https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=23968 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode, Sarah and Dan talk with scholars across Watson about the climate issues they think aren’t getting enough attention. The answers range from how climate change will affect warfare to the role international bribery might play in maintaining a habitable earth. Hopefully these conversations will leave you with lots to think about and underscore just how much our politics, policies, and futures depend on a healthy planet. Guests on today’s episode: Jori Breslawski, Jeff Colgan, Mark Blyth, and Patsy Lewis. You can learn more about Watson’s Climate Solutions Lab https://watson.brown.edu/climatesolutionslab/ (here). You can learn more about the Rhodes Center https://watson.brown.edu/rhodes/ (here). You can learn more about the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies https://watson.brown.edu/clacs/ (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

In February, a colleague at the Watson Institute forwarded the team at Trending Globally an email from a former student. The subject line read: “I write to you in desperation and with my life at risk.” The email was sent from Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. The man who sent it was not exaggerating. Myanmar is in the midst of violent unrest, which started when the country’s military staged a coup on February 1, 2021. Min (that's not his real name) has been part of the protests against the coup, and he’s been trying to get word out to the rest of the world about what’s happening in his country. On this episode: a conversation with Min about life during military coup, and a message from Myanmar. You can learn more about Watson's other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

This is the fourth and final part in a special series from Trending Globally exploring the housing crisis in the United States, and in Rhode Island in particular. The crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as we’ll show, it’s a problem that has been with us for much, much longer. In this episode, we delve into Brown University's complicated relationship with the residential communities it touches. We explore the idea of housing not as a commodity but as a basic human right, and talk with people who are working to make that idea a reality. And we recommend ways that activists, politicians, and residents everywhere we can work toward equitably and affordably housing all Americans. Contributors to this podcast include students from Brown University and the media collective Signs of Providence. You can learn more about their organization http://evicted-in-ri.com/#/ (here). You can listen to Parts 1, 2, and 3 here. You can learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts here.

2020 was a year defined by loss. Loss of life, of jobs, of opportunities. On this episode Sarah talks with Juliet Hooker, a political theorist and professor at Brown who has been thinking a lot about how feelings of loss affect not just our psyches, but our politics. Her newest book project, tentatively titled “Black Grief/White Grievance,” aims to shed light on how exactly these feelings intersect with matters of race, class, and history, and how they ripple out to our politics (for both good and bad) today. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ep0OFfCll8LbajR2ITb8x_b2cFVW2dd9/view?usp=sharing]

So many people have suffered as a result of the pandemic. But there’s one group who may pay the price for an especially long time: America’s children. As schools start to reopen this spring, and federal funds begin to flow into states and municipalities, what can we do to make up for kids’ social, emotional, and academic loss? Susanna Loeb, director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown, has some ideas. At the top of the list? Tutoring. To help spread what she and her team call “high-impact” tutoring to a wider range of communities, they’ve created The National Student Support Accelerator, a one-stop resource for schools and teachers to develop effective, long-term tutoring infrastructure in schools. On this episode, Sarah talks with Susanna about the definition of “high impact tutoring,” how to make it scale, and why it’s exactly what America’s students need right now. You can learn more about the National Student Support Accelerator https://studentsupportaccelerator.com/ (here). You can re

Scientists have developed vaccines for Covid-19 in record time. Now how do we convince enough people to take them? To get a better understanding of the roots and causes of "vaccine hesitancy," Sarah spoke with political scientist and Watson Institute Associate Professor Prerna Singh. In studying the history of mass vaccination, Prerna has come to a troubling conclusion: skepticism (and at times, outright rejection) is an inescapable part of modern vaccination efforts. But by looking at successful vaccination programs of the past, Prerna also explains why this kind of skepticism exists, and what can be done to overcome it. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode Watson’s Director Ed Steinfeld talks with Deborah Seligsohn as part of Trending Globally’s ongoing series on contemporary China. Deborah’s an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, where she focuses on the relationship between business interests and environmental issues in China. Ed and Deborah explore how China’s economic transformation has changed the country’s views towards environmental issues, and how the US and China might cooperate (and, at times, compete) to address global issues like climate change. You can learn more about and listen to the Watson Institute's other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

India and the US have both struggled with anti-democratic forces the last few years. What lessons do these countries' struggles have for each other — and for us? There’s no better person to talk with about these issues than Ashutosh Varshney, Professor of International Studies at Watson and the Director of Watson’s Center for Contemporary South Asia. He has a way of explaining familiar politics in unfamiliar ways, and in the process making connections that usually go unnoticed. On this episode, he and Sarah do just that as they discuss democratic erosion in the US and India, and how both countries might change during a Biden Administration. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

What can one of America’s smallest states teach us about US politics? A lot, it turns out. On this episode Sarah talks with the Boston Globe’s Dan McGowan, a political reporter who covers Rhode Island. Sarah and Dan discuss the pandemic response in Rhode Island, the leftward tilt of the Rhode Island State House in the 2020 elections, and what Americans should expect from their new Commerce Secretary (and former RI governor) Gina Raimondo. You can subscribe to Dan McGowan’s newsletter from the Boston Globe, ‘Rhode Map,’ https://mailchi.mp/bostonglobe.com/rhode-island?p1=SectionFront_Utility (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode Sarah talks with Watson Senior Fellow and member of Watson’s Climate Solutions Lab Deborah Gordon. Deborah is an expert on one of the most destructive greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere: methane. Thanks to the work of people like Deborah, the Biden Administration recently made methane reduction one of its top climate priorities. But as Deborah explains, methane has some peculiar physical and financial characteristics that make curbing it much easier said than done. (Originally broadcast in October 2019.) You can learn more about Watson's Climate Solutions Lab https://watson.brown.edu/climatesolutionslab/ (here). You can learn more about Watson's network of podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode, the shocking history of one of history’s most toxic relationships. Sarah talks with Peter Andreas about his book ‘Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs.’ In it, he explores the role drugs have played in human warfare - not just as vices, but as commodities, and even as weapons. After hearing this conversation you'll see drugs, war, and the relationship between the two in a new light. (Originally aired February 2020.) You can learn more about and purchase 'Killer High' https://www.amazon.com/Killer-High-Histo%E2%80%A6ugs/dp/0190463015 (here). You can see the Watson Institute’s panel discussion about the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH3hagImY08&feature=youtu.be (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

The Biden Administration has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, paused deportation of immigrants, and mandated the wearing of masks on Federal property. But there’s one arena that the administration has avoided putting in the spotlight: the future of US military intervention. On this episode Sarah talks with anthropologist and Watson Professor Cathy Lutz about ‘The Costs of War,’ an interdisciplinary project she co-founded 10 years ago that aims to uncover the economic, political, and human costs of America’s foreign interventions since 9/11. As we enter into a new presidency and approach a full two decades since the US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, Sarah asks Cathy: what are the true costs of these military interventions, and is there hope that maybe they'll be addressed in a more permanent way? You can learn more about Costs of War https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/ (here). You can join the Costs of War email list https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001lsPQNDPeCJ7X_jtnMz0n8IfbM7g

Between the presidential election, spikes in the coronavirus pandemic, and the beginning of mass vaccination, you might have missed this other world-historical event: China landed on the moon. On this episode, Watson’s Director Ed Steinfeld talks about China’s lunar mission with Watson Faculty Fellow Jim Head. Jim is a Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown, and a leading expert on interplanetary exploration. They discuss the science and politics of China’s growing space program, and what it means for human space exploration in the 21st century. They also look at why this next generation of space travel will be nothing like the Cold War ‘space race,’ and a little bit about where exactly Elon Musk fits in, too. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode Sarah talks with Jori Breslawski, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Watson and expert on one type of organization that’s been on the front lines in the fight against Covid-19: armed non-governmental groups. That means groups like Boko Haram, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State, as well as gangs in countries like Brazil, El Salvador, and South Africa. While ‘emergency healthcare provider’ might seem like a surprising role for these types of groups, Jori explains how, once you understand how they operate in society, it's not surprising at all. You can read Jori's article about how armed groups are responding to Covid in 'The Conversation' https://theconversation.com/terrorists-militants-and-criminal-gangs-join-the-fight-against-the-coronavirus-135914 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

This is the third part in a special series from Trending Globally exploring the housing crisis in the United States, and in Rhode Island in particular. The crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as we’ll show, it’s a problem that has been with us for much, much longer. On this episode, we follow one Rhode Island family's story in order to understand the psychological and economic costs of eviction, and we examine the state-level policies that make the experience so much more punishing than it has to be. We look at the long-term causes of housing insecurity, and explore what it would actually mean to make housing a human right. Contributors to this podcast include students from Brown University and the media collective Signs of Providence. You can learn more about their organization here: [evicted-in-ri.com/#/] You can listen to Parts 1 and 2 here: [https://soundcloud.com/watsoninstitute/sets/less-to-lean-on-housing] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google

How does a President’s health affect their ability to lead? Do Presidential candidates deserve any privacy in terms of their medical history? How do we define what health issues ‘matter’ for a role as all-encompassing as President of the United States? On this episode Sarah looks for answers with the help of Watson Professor Rose McDermott. McDermott’s 2010 book ‘Presidential Leadership, Illness, and Decision Making,’ explores the history of health issues faced by US Presidents, and the effects they’ve had on the country and the world. As we prepare for the inauguration of a 78-year-old President amidst a global pandemic, there’s no better time to understand the complex relationship between a President’s health and health of the nation. You can learn more about and purchase Rose McDermott's book https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/presidential-leadership-illness-and-decision-making/9A5FE725BE2C9156E6A82554B3E50705 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/po

On this episode Sarah talks with Watson Senior Fellow and former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp. As the Democratic Party faces a divided government and nation, Senator Heitkamp is someone many people are turning to for ideas on how to move forward. Sarah and the Senator discuss the fallout from the Presidential election, as well as the strategic and philosophical debates that are happening right now within the Democratic Party. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode Sarah talks with Watson Visiting Associate Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies Erica Durante about her new book ‘Air Travel Fiction and Film: Cloud People,’ which explores the role air travel plays in modern storytelling, and by extension, our culture. By looking at how air travel manifests itself in film, literature, and our everyday lives, Erica makes clear: whether you used to fly regularly or you’ve never gotten on a plane, we’re all cloud people now. You can learn more about and purchase Erica's book https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030526504 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode Dan talks with Watson Faculty Fellow and Chair of the Political Science Department at Brown Wendy Schiller about the state of the race in its closing days: who has already voted, who is left to sway, and what we’ve learned so far from this unprecedented election season. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).