To Save Us From Hell

Global Dispatches
undefined
Oct 22, 2025 • 21min

Will the Security Council Back a Gaza Stabilization Force? | Trump vs. the International Maritime Organization | Plus: Heba Aly on a New Push for UN Charter Reform

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgThe ceasefire in Gaza is hanging by a thread. One idea on the table: an International Stabilization Force made up of troops from around the world. The Security Council is deep in negotiations over a resolution to authorize it — but even if it passes, will the mission ever deploy? Mark and Anjali have their doubts.Meanwhile, the Trump administration just blew up a global deal to put a price on carbon in international shipping — a move that would have pushed the industry toward zero emissions. Mark and Anjali break down this latest clash between Washington and the U.N.Those conversations are behind the paywall for our subscribers. Up first, they sit down with Heba Aly, director of a new coalition called Article 109, which is taking on a bold mission: reforming the U.N. Charter itself. Get a discounted subscription: https://www.globaldispatches.org/40percentoff
undefined
Oct 9, 2025 • 18min

Did The Gaza Ceasefire Emanate From UNGA? Plus: A New "Gang Suppression Force" for Haiti and our Nobel Predictions

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgUNGA is over. But its legacy lives on. We recorded this episode as news broke of a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and so we look back at UNGA80 to trace the ways in which the world’s largest diplomatic gathering may have provided some key momentum for a breakthrough on Gaza. Mark and Anjali also go deep on a new Gang Suppression Force that the Security Council just authorized for Haiti. But can this international intervention in Haiti succeed when so many before it have failed? Finally, Mark and Anjali make their Nobel Peace Prize picks. Spoiler alert — it ain’t Donald Trump.Unlock full access to this episode with a 40% discount https://www.globaldispatches.org/40percentoff
undefined
Sep 24, 2025 • 40min

“Your Countries Are Going to Hell”: Trump’s UNGA Speech, Unpacked | Live From UNGA

Maya Ungar, a UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, shares her insights immediately after Trump's chaotic UNGA speech. She discusses the speech's meandering nature and its implications for U.S. foreign policy, noting the absence of major threats to the UN despite its bizarre anecdotes. Maya evaluates global reactions, particularly to Trump’s critique of various nations, and highlights a potential collaborative point in AI for biosecurity. Overall, the conversation illuminates a significant shift in America’s traditional multilateral leadership role.
undefined
Sep 11, 2025 • 16min

These are the Stories that Will Drive the Agenda at UNGA This Year

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgHundreds of presidents and prime ministers are coming to the UN for the annual opening of the General Assembly. UNGA officially kicked off on September 9, but the big events—including the parade of speeches from world leaders—begin on September 22.In this special episode of To Save Us From Hell, Mark and Anjali preview the key storylines, speeches, events, and encounters that will shape the agenda at this, the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. This is always one of our most popular episodes because we bring you a true insider’s account of what to watch for at UNGA80. And this year, we’re offering a special 40% discount off our regular subscription price so that as many of you as possible can access one of our most anticipated episodes of the year.https://www.globaldispatches.org/40percentoff
undefined
Aug 29, 2025 • 20min

US Nixes UNIFIL and Denies Famine in Gaza | Plus, is Antonio Guterres Too Timid?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgThe United States this week pulled the plug on UNIFIL, the decades-old UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. Every other member of the Security Council—and Lebanon itself—wanted it to stay. But Israel has long bristled at the mission, and Washington was happy to do its regional ally a favor. At another Council meeting, the U.S. stood completely alone — literally — in denying that famine is underway in Gaza. And in the Guardian, former top UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths blasted a lack of “courage” at the UN. Was that a veiled jab at his old boss, António Guterres?Mark and Anjali break it all down and more in this episode of the smash hit podcast To Save Us From Hell — which really does have a cult following at the UN these days! Super discount link: https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff
undefined
Aug 15, 2025 • 12min

States Are Lining Up to Recognize Palestinian Statehood at the UN | Tammy Bruce Tapped as Deputy US-UN Amb

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgTrump’s latest UN pick is not a diplomat. He’s tapped conservative firebrand Tammy Bruce — a Fox News personality–turned–State Department spokesperson — as Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN. We break down what this shock appointment could mean for US diplomacy.Plus, in our subscriber-only deep dive: a diplomatic earthquake looms. Several Western countries, including two UN Security Council heavyweights, plan to recognize Palestinian statehood at next month’s General Assembly. We explain the path to UN membership — and why the politics are shifting now.https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff
undefined
Jul 31, 2025 • 19min

A UN Expert on Enforced Disappearances Investigates the U.S. Detention of Venezuelan Migrants in El Salvador

We have a special (and timely) conversation today with Grazyna Baranowska, Vice Chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Anjali Dayal and Dr. Baranowska discuss the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the kinds of investigations the Working Group has undertaken — in particular, the Working Group’s critical efforts to uncover details about the detention of Venezuelan migrants by the United States in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globaldispatches.org/subscribe
undefined
Jul 17, 2025 • 20min

What We Learned From Mike Waltz's Confirmation Hearing

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgTrump’s pick for UN Ambassador, Mike Waltz, faced questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. You may recall he previously served as National Security Advisor before being sidelined by Trump after “Signalgate.” But Waltz was never officially fired — he was banished to the United Nations instead. For over two hours, he fielded questi…
undefined
Jul 6, 2025 • 18min

Searching for Compromiso in Seville | Is Rafael Grossi Radioactive?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgThe major Financing for Development Conference wrapped up in Seville last week with the so-called Compromiso de Sevilla, which commits countries to accelerating efforts to fund the Sustainable Development Goals and support economic and social development in lower-income countries. In our first segment, we are joined by Michael Sheldrick, co-founder of G…
undefined
Jun 19, 2025 • 17min

What the UN is Doing about the Iran-Israel War | Plus: The US walks out of a key UN conference, and why the UN might abandon its historic building in Geneva

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.globaldispatches.orgBombs are dropping in Iran and Israel, with no end in sight and the very real prospect that the United States might imminently join the fight. As a hot war unfolds in the Middle East, frantic diplomacy is also underway at both the United Nations and the IAEA.In the first (and free) segment, Mark and Anjali take a deep dive into a parallel diplomatic process on Iran’s nuclear program that is unfolding alongside the escalating war. After the jump, they discuss the implications of the Trump administration’s decision to walk out of a major UN conference on financing for development and the Sustainable Development Goals.Mark and Anjali then react to breaking news that the United Nations is poised to abandon its lease at the historic and stately Palais Wilson in Geneva, which once housed the League of Nations and is now the headquarters of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff https://www.globaldispatches.org/20PercentOffOr, you can support us at full price: https://www.globaldispatches.org/

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app