Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Boko Haram is in the news for all the wrong reasons. A series of audactious attacks, including the kidnapping of hundreds of school girls, has provoked international outrage. But why would Boko Haram launch such an attack? Who are these people, what do they want, and how can they be defeated? Mark Leon Goldberg catches up with Jacob Zenn of the Jamestown Foundation who offers insight, context and an explanation for the Boko Haram insurgency. Have a listen.

The scion of Ted Turner is forging a new philanthropic path, focusing on reproductive health and environmental issues. She talks to Mark Leon Goldberg about growing up a Turner, her focus on reproductive health issues, and how Captain Planet shaped a generation of environmentalists.

Iraq is in the midst of an unrelenting descent into violence. Every day brings news of another bombing or attack that leaves scores of people dead. This has been the case for the past several months, and it only seems to be getting worse. I speak with Douglas Ollivant of the New American Foundation who helps put this current wave of violence in context. Ollivant served as a military officer in Iraq, then served on the Iraq team at the National Security Council under both President Bush and Obama. Ollivant offers an indepth analysis of what is driving this violence, what can be done to stop it and the regional implications (read: Syria) of it all. Have a listen.

The historian Gary Bass has penned a new book that is getting rave reviews. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide tells the story of the muted American response to a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe that befell Bangladesh in the wake of its separation from Pakistan in the early 1970s. Gary and I talk about his story, what made this particular genocide "forgotten", and how one goes about researching history like this. Have a listen!

Mark Leon Goldberg speaks with the demographer and economist Mark Montgomery about global population trends. It turns out that adolescent girls in the developing world hold a tremendous amount of demographic power.

Doing things a little differently this week. Mark conducts a series of back-to-back-to-back interviews with experts from around the United Nations. Interesting, wonky discussions were had! Here are the interviewees in order of appearance. Sarah Crowe, UNICEF Jo Scheuer, UN Development Program expert on disaster risk reduction Dan Sheppard, Department of Public Information, specializing on climate issues. Randy Rydell, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Andrew Rudd, UN Habitat Roland Rich, UN Democracy Fund Mahar Nasser, Creative Community Outreach Boaz Paldi, UN Development Program

In this special edition of Global Dispatches, Mark Leon Goldberg interviews Shelly Pitterman of the UN Refugee Agency. Today, June 20th, is World Refugee Day and earlier this week the UN High Commission for Refugees released a report showing that the global number of displaced persons has reached a 20 year high. Pitterman discusses this report, describes the UN Refugee Agency's work in Syria, and explains how the Syria emergency is complcating other humanitarian efforts around the world.

Mark Leon Goldberg speaks with Suzanne Nossel, author of the influential Foreign Affairs article "Smart Power." Nossel served as a deputy assistant secretary of state during president Obama's first term, and has served in leadership roles in high profile human rights NGOs. Suzanne tells Mark about how familty connections to South Africa shaped her dedication to human rights; how a cold call to Richard Holbrooke lead to a career in public service; and what American leadership can accomplish at the United Nations.

We are doing something a little different today. Instead of one in depth interview, Mark chats with several experts who work for various arms of the United Nations. Here's the set up: The UN Foundation invited a number of talk radio hosts to broadcast from inside the United Nations headquarters in New York and arranged for UN experts to stop by the broadcast room. I couldn't fit every single interview into one podcast, so look out for a future "Live from the UN Volume 2." On this program, in order of appearance, we have: Paul Heslop from UN Mine Action Service--the real life Hurt Locker. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict on her remarkable career fighting for women's rights. George Papagiannis, UNESCO. On the USA's self-defeating policy toward UNESCO Jos Vandaveer, Chief of Immunizations, UNICEF. Why vaccines can save the world. Khalid Malik, UNDP. What the New Human Development report tells us about the Global South; and why China's remarkable rise is not going to end anytime soon.

On the line this week is PJ Crowley, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. Mark and PJ talk about the role of public diplomacy in US foreign policy, PJ's long career in the Air Force, and how speaking out against the treatment of accused Wikileaker Bradley Manning marked the end of his public service.