Trending Globally: Politics And Policy

On this episode, something you might not be getting a lot of these days: a story to raise your spirits. The second in a special series co-produced with Watson’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), guest host Dr. Pablo Rodriguez talks with Mohamed Malim, founder of Epimonia. Epimonia is a Minnesota-based apparel company that’s fighting to help refugees around the world: 50% of their proceeds go to charities supporting refugees, they employ recent refugees in their factory, and their products are designed to raise awareness of refugees’ stories. It’s social entrepreneurship in every sense of the word. On this episode they discuss Mohamed's story, his vision for Epimonia, and why everybody wins when refugees are allowed to thrive.(Record in March 2020.) You can learn more about CLACS https://watson.brown.edu/clacs/ (here). You can learn more about Epimonia https://epimonia.com/ (here). You can watch Mohamed’s talk at Watson https://watson.brown.edu/events/2020/changing-refugee-narrative-th

On this episode, Watson's Director Ed Steinfeld talks with film music supervisor Randall Poster '83. Randall has worked with many of Hollywood’s most distinguished filmmakers on a wide variety of projects, including on the hit Netflix series Tiger King. On this live-streamed podcast taping, Ed and Randall talked about the craft of documentary filmmaking, and the role of music in telling stories on film. They also discuss the inspiration for the JFK Jr. Film Initiative, and what to expect from the Initiative going forward. And, of course, they talk Tiger King. This event is part of the John F. Kennedy Jr. Initiative for Documentary Film and Social Progress. You can learn more about the Initiative https://watson.brown.edu/filminitiative (here). You can watch a video of Ed and Randall's Trending Globally conversation https://watson.brown.edu/events/2020/live-trending-globally-podcast-randall-poster-83-tiger-king (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podca

What role do photo ops play in diplomatic negotiations? How much do changing US Presidential administrations affect US-China relations? What’s it like to have dinner with Yao Ming? On this episode, Watson’s Director Ed Steinfeld talks about all this and more with James Green, former official at the US Embassy in China and senior research fellow with the Initiative for US-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University. James and Ed go from the big picture to the nuts and bolts of China-US diplomacy, and explore what lifelong diplomats learn that political leaders too often miss. There’s never been a more important time to understand the relationship between these two governments, and this discussion will help you do just that.  (Note: this interview was recorded in February of 2020.) You can subscribe to James’s podcast ‘US-China Dialogue Podcast’ on your favorite listening app. You can also find all the episodes https://uschinadialogue.georgetown.edu/series/u-s-china-dialogue-podcast (here

Adam Levine is the director of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies at Watson and associate professor of emergency medicine at Brown. Much of his work has grown out of an essential fact about epidemics that many of us are just now learning: as Adam explains on this episode, “our global public health system for detecting outbreaks is only as good as the remote nurse working in a rural village in Africa or Indonesia or anywhere else in the world.” To address this interconnectedness, Adam and health care professionals at Brown have partnered with the healthcare NGO Project HOPE to remotely train health care workers on how to safely identify and combat COVID-19 and the coronavirus. On this episode Adam talks with Sarah about this partnership and the role high-quality training plays at all levels in stopping the spread of a pandemic. They also discuss what Adam’s learned from treating Ebola in active war zones, and why this likely won’t be the last pandemic we see. You can learn more about Watson

Peter Maurer is the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. In early March he came to Watson, and Sarah talked with him about the challenges of humanitarian aid in the 21st century. Shortly after they spoke, Coronavirus travelled the globe, and everything seemed to change. But surprisingly, for all that's different now, so much of what Peter had to say still resonates -- maybe now more than ever. It's not a light conversation, but but Peter's wisdom, kindness, and clarity of purpose might actually leave you feeling a little more hopeful about this scary, uncertain time. You can learn more about Maurer's recent talk at Watson https://watson.brown.edu/events/2020/better-outcomes-exploring-new-responses-fragility-conflict-and-violence (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

Mark Lurie is an epidemiologist and expert in infectious disease at Brown University's School of Public Health. On this episode he talks with Sarah about the underlying issues of the coronavirus pandemic: how the virus spreads, what can be done to slow it down, and the different ways it's being treated by countries around the world. They also discuss lessons we can learn from previous public health crises in fighting this one, and how the pandemic is interacting with other social and economic issues. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

The spread of the coronavirus, and global effort to contain it, have quickly upended every aspect of our lives. We at Trending Globally are going to bring your more conversations and insights about this pandemic in the coming weeks from our community of experts at Watson and Brown. On this episode: how the coronavirus is affecting US politics, and how US politics are affecting the development of this public health crisis. Guest host Dan Richards talks with Wendy Schiller, Watson Faculty Fellow and Chair of the Political Science Department at Brown University. They discuss the wide-ranging affects of this crisis on American politics, from the Democratic Primaries to voting reform to how might it affect the concerns and considerations of voters going into the general election. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

This is the first episode in a special series that Trending Globally will be producing this semester with Watson’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (also known as CLACS). Each episode will focus on a different aspect of society in Latin America and the Caribbean. To start: the politics of natural disasters and emergency management. Storms like Maria and Dorian have done more than cripple islands in the Caribbean; they've brought up important questions of politics, power, and social justice in the region. We're excited to welcome as a special guest host for this series Dr. Pablo Rodriguez. Dr. Rodriguez is Chair of the Women & Infants Health Care Alliance, Associate Professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown, and the former Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island. He’s also a radio host here in Rhode Island, and one of the most trusted voices covering politics and Latin-x issues in the state. He spoke with two experts on the Caribbean who are based here at Brown

Historians have explored warfare through just about every lens imaginable. But leave it to political scientist and Watson Faculty Peter Andreas to use the lens you haven’t considered: drugs. On this episode Sarah talks with Peter about his newest book ‘Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs.’ In it, he writes how these drugs - from coffee to opium -- have affected how, and why, we fight. You can see the Watson Institute’s recent panel discussion about the book https://watson.brown.edu/events/2020/peter-andreas-killer-high-history-war-six-drugs (here). You can learn more about and purchase 'Killer High' https://www.amazon.com/Killer-High-History-War-Drugs/dp/0190463015 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On January 31, the UK formally left the European Union. But ‘Brexit’ is far from over. On this episode guest host Dan Richards talks with political economist and Watson Professor Mark Blyth about the next steps in this process, and what they’ll mean for Europe and the UK. Mark’s never been Brexit’s biggest fan, but on this episode he explains to Dan why he has some reasons for hope, and what it might look like to ‘get Brexit done right.’ You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

This past January marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. On this episode, Sarah talks with Watson Faculty Fellow and historian Omer Bartov about the intimate tragedies that occurred within the massive, industrialized murder of the Holocaust. In his book 'Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz,' he vividly illustrates how the residents of one small town went from co-existing to committing mass murder in a matter of years. It’s both an important piece of history and a cautionary tale about how quickly neighbors can turn against each other. You can learn more about and purchase Omer's book https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Anatomy-of-a-Genocide/Omer-Bartov/9781451684544 (here). You can watch Omer discuss the book at the Watson Institute https://watson.brown.edu/events/2018/omer-bartov-anatomy-genocide-life-and-death-town-called-buczacz (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

Tensions between China and the US are at a level not seen in decades. But as Chas Freeman, former Assistant US Secretary of Defense and Watson Senior Fellow believes, the tension between these countries is larger than a tit-for-tat trade dispute. Everything about this relationship is being called to question, and it has implications around the world. On this episode Edward Steinfeld, Director of the Watson Institute and Director of Watson’s China Initiative, sits down with Chas to discuss what may be the biggest story of decades to come: the fast-changing relationship between the US and China. You can read Chas’s paper ‘A World Dividing: The International Implications of the Sino-American Rift’ https://quincyinst.org/2019/12/04/quincybrief-01-a-world-dividing/ (here). You can learn more about Watson’s China Initiative https://watson.brown.edu/china/ (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode: why protests have erupted across India in the last few months, and why these protests have been, in many ways, a long time coming. Guest host and producer Dan Richards talks with Sara Shneiderman, associate professor in anthropology and the School of Public Policy & Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia, and Sahana Ghosh, postdoctoral fellow at the Watson Institute, about what they call the “weaponizing of citizenship" in India. You can read more of their analysis in their recent op-ed for The Conversation https://theconversation.com/new-laws-weaponize-citizenship-in-india-129027 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

Observers in the West too often have a one-dimensional view of women in Muslim-majority countries; as subjugated, and in need of help in their liberation. On this episode, Sarah sits down with three leading experts on gender politics in the Middle East and South Asia to break down that myth. Anthropologist and Professor at Watson's Center for Middle East Studies Nadje Al-Ali, along with her colleagues Deniz Kandiyoti and Kathryn Poots, coedited the anthology 'Gender, Governance, and Islam,' which explores the complex politics of gender in the Middle East and South Asia. Their conversation with Sarah -- and even more so, their book -- will change how you view the lives of women in this part of the world. You can learn more about and purchase 'Gender, Governance, and Islam' here: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-gender-governance-and-islam.html You can read more about their visit to the Watson Institute, and find links to their lectures, here: https://watson.brown.edu/events/2019/gender-governance-an

This episode is a co-production between Watson's China Initiative and the Center for Middle East Studies at Brown University. This fall, the Center brought to Watson Adeeb Khalid, Director of Middle East Studies at Carleton College, to discuss the history and future of the Uyghurs in Northwest China. Adeeb and Sarah discuss how this minority group ended up as part of China in the first place, and how China’s economic development plan -- known as the ‘Belt and Road initiative’ -- might be connected to renewed tensions we're seeing today. You can watch the presentation Adeeb Khalid gave at Watson here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGWOoaePJZg&feature=youtu.be] You can learn more about the China Initiative here: [https://watson.brown.edu/china/] You can learn more about the Center for Middle East Studies here: [https://watson.brown.edu/cmes/] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bc6dHNv_ZgRyBDZNPb1wQJns5KBxRrSW/view?usp=sharing]

On this episode, public health scientist and Brown Associate Dean Caroline Kuo talks with Watson Fellow Matthew Gutmann about his newest book ‘Are Men Animals? How Modern Masculinity Sells Men Short.’ They explore how what we think of as ‘male behavior’ -- from displays of aggression to mansplaining -- can only be explained by understanding the complex relationship between our culture and our biology. You can learn more about and purchase Matthew's book here: [https://www.amazon.com/Are-Men-Animals-Modern-Masculinity/dp/1541699580] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q-KtxqQuWWoJ4dHTIir6VuW1ofvlNiu7/view?usp=sharing]

On Trending Globally's 100th episode, Sarah talks with author and Watson Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer about secret agents, the Cold War, and mind-altering drugs. Stephen's newest book, 'Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control', pulls back the curtain on MK-Ultra, a top-secret CIA project that tried to learn how to control the human mind. Gottlieb ran sinister experiments on human subjects across the globe, and in the process helped spread the use of psychedelic drugs like LSD. It’s one of those stories that if it wasn’t true, you’d never believe it. But it is. You can learn more about and purchase 'Poisoner in Chief' here: [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250140432] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZcfdnJce5Zb6A9cM4HRmoFFFlTYjbha3/view?usp=sharing]

In 1979 a group of young rebels, calling themselves the Sandinista National Liberation Front, overthrew a brutal dictatorship in Nicaragua. 40 years later, Nicaraguans are again living under an oppressive authoritarian regime. The current leader? Sandinista Daniel Ortega. In the Spring of 2019, the Watson Institute held an unprecedented conference exploring the history and legacy of this unfinished revolution. Out of that conference came this four-part special series from Trending Globally, telling the story of the Sandinista Revolution from the people who lived it. Part IV: How a country that went through a revolution, a civil war, and a miraculous transition to democracy...found itself under the control of a dictator again today. But like in 1979, young people are taking to the streets, and the world is watching. For more information about the conference this podcast was based on, including recorded lectures and a short film featuring many of the voices from this podcast, visit [watson.brown.edu/nicaragu

November 11 was Veterans Day, a time to honor and turn our attention to the veterans and service members in our community at Watson. On this special episode, guest host Carrie Nordlund talks with three of them: Aileen Teague is a former Marine Officer and currently a postdoctoral fellow at Watson; Bryan Brown is an active duty Special Forces Officer in the U.S. Army, and currently getting his MPA at Watson; Michael Muir is a prior enlisted Officer in the Marines, and a senior at Brown. It’s a candid and enlightening conversation, and whether you have personal connections to the military or not, we think you’ll learn a lot from what these folks have to say. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VgsQW1NWQ_lLaRkHjpyTvK-Mnx8g53Mw/view?usp=sharing]

In 1979 a group of young rebels, calling themselves the Sandinista National Liberation Front, overthrew a brutal dictatorship in Nicaragua. 40 years later, Nicaraguans are again living under an oppressive authoritarian regime. The current leader? Sandinista Daniel Ortega. In the Spring of 2019, the Watson Institute held an unprecedented conference exploring the history and legacy of this unfinished revolution. Out of that conference came this four-part special series from Trending Globally, telling the story of the Sandinista Revolution from the people who lived it. Part III: The Contra War. How a CIA-led insurrection against the Sandinista government turned into a genuine, massive civil war by the mid 1980s. We hear from people on different sides of the struggle, as well as from those involved in it's surprising resolution.  For more information about the conference this podcast was based on, including recorded lectures and a short film featuring many of the voices from this podcast, visit [watson.brown.e