Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Former White House chef Sam Kass joins the podcast to discuss the impact of climate change on foods like snow crabs, peaches, coffee, and wine. He explores the decline in snow crab and salmon populations due to warming oceans, the loss of peaches in Georgia, and the potential migration north of plants and animals impacting stone fruit production. The role of carbon markets and offsets in driving change towards regenerative practices is also discussed.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is holding national elections on December 20th. The DRC is a massive country, with some 100 million people. It is also one of the most resource-rich countries on the planet, particularly the kinds of metals required in consumer electronics and in the batteries used in electric vehicles. Needless to say, the politics of the DRC are an issue of global importance. Incumbent Felix Tshisekedi is seeking re-election, five years after the DRC's first peaceful transfer of power since the 1960s. However, there are serious doubts that this election will be free or fair; meanwhile in the Eastern part of the country an ongoing conflict may prevent millions of people from casting their votes. I'm joined today by Zaynab Hoosen, a political economist at Oxford Economics Africa in Capetown. We discuss the major candidates and several of the key issues that are dominating the debate as Congolese head to the polls.

The international climate change conference, COP28, concluded in Dubai on December 13th, one day later than its scheduled end-date. Negotiators went into overtime to hammer out an agreement that for the first time addressed the politically fraught question of phasing out fossil fuels. Joining me to discuss that key outcome and other significant results of COP28 is Pete Ogden, Vice President for Climate and Environment at the United Nations Foundation. We kick off discussing why this particular meeting in Dubai was an important moment for the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to at least 1.5 degrees celsius. We then discuss the contentious politics and diplomacy around an agreement to phase out fossil fuels and other key outcomes of this UN Climate Conference.

In February 2021, the Myanmar military toppled the civilian government of Burma, lead by Aung San Suu Kyi. Mass protests followed this coup and were brutally suppressed by the military junta. Soon, an insurgency sprang up. For much of this conflict, the Burmese military has had the upper hand. But things changed dramatically in recent weeks. Now, the Burmese military looks as weak as it ever has in its nearly 40 years of on and off again control of Myanmar. The Junta's defeat suddenly looks like a real possibility. Joining me to provide important context for understanding the civil war in Myanmar is Gregory Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. We kick off discussing the outbreak of conflict in Myanmar following the 2021 coup. Gregory Poling does a good job of breaking down the complexities of a civil war that involves a wide number of ethnic armed groups, many of which have now joined in an alliance to defeat Burmese military. We also discuss the role of China and the United States, and whether or not we can expect a collapse of the Myanmar Junta in the near future.

This episode of Global Dispatches was recorded as a live taping of the podcast, produced in partnership with CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Global Dispatches and CGIAR are partnering on a series of episodes about the nexus between climate and security. In our conversation today expert panelists discuss the path to resilient societies in a polycrisis era and soft launch CGIAR's new Climate Security Sensitivity Tool to assess the peace potential of climate adaptation The episode kicks off with some opening remarks from, Peter Laderach, Co-lead CGIAR Climate Security, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT I then moderate a panel discussion featuring : Carolina Sarzana – Climate Security Specialist with CGIAR, the Alliance of Bioveristy and CIAT Linda Ogallo – Climate Change Adaptation Expert at the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, Intergovernmental Authority on Development Suzanna Huber -- Climate and Energy Advisor World Food Programme, Regional Bureau Eastern Africa Erick Mariga -- Regional Fragility and Resilience Coordinator, at the Africa Development Bank Group Mana Farooghi -- Climate and Environment Adviser at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Raj Shah, former USAID administrator and current President of the Rockefeller Foundation, discusses his book on the importance of 'big bets' for systemic change in global development. He emphasizes the need for ambitious strategies to combat issues like hunger, health crises, and climate change. Through examples like Gavi and lessons from COVID-19, he illustrates the impact of high-stakes commitments. Shah advocates for transformational approaches, highlighting the role of innovation and local partnerships in achieving sustainable development goals.

I caught up with Estonia's top military commander General Martin Herem at the Halifax International Security Forum in November. Estonia is a NATO member that borders Russia and I was interested in drawing out General Herem's perspective on the conflict in Ukraine. We kick off with General Herem's military and strategic analysis of the current state of play of the war in Ukraine. We then have an extended conversation about the implications of a long and drawn out war for frontline countries like Estonia -- and for Europe more broadly. He explains what he believes Ukraine needs to break the current military impasse, and why a long war in Ukraine undermines Estonian security. https://www.globaldispatches.org/

There is a mounting humanitarian emergency on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since October, hundreds of thousands of Afghans living in Pakistan have fled back to Afghanistan. They are being forcibly repatriated by the Pakistani government which began a crackdown on so-called illegal immigrants, compelling the expulsion of over three hundred thousand Afghans in just the last few weeks. On the line to explain the unfolding humanitarian crisis is Samira Sayed-Rahman, director of policy advocacy and communications for The International Rescue Committee in Afghanistan. We kick off discussing the reasons for Pakistan's sudden crackdown and then discuss the crisis this is generating inside Afghanistan. We also discuss the complications of international humanitarian relief work in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

This episode of Global Dispatches was recorded as a live taping of the podcast, produced in partnership with CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Global Dispatches and CGIAR are partnering on a series of episodes about the nexus between climate and security. In our conversation today expert panelists discuss the multiple benefits of climate adaptation for disaster related displacement. The episode kicks off with some opening remarks from, Peter Laderach, Co-lead CGIAR Climate Security, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT I then moderate a panel discussion featuring : Michelle Yonetani, Senior Policy Officer, Office of the Special Advisor to the High Commissioner on Climate Action, UNHCR Sandra Ruckstuhl, Senior Researcher, International Water Management Institute and Co-lead, CGIAR Fragility, Conflict and Migration Initiative Tasneem Siddiqui, Professor, University of Dhaka Raphaela Shveiger, Yale World Fellow, Yale University

I caught up with Congressman Jason Crow at the Halifax International Security Forum, a major global security conference held each year in Nova Scotia that brings together military leaders, politicians, media and civil society groups from democratic countries. Congressman Crow is a Democrat from Colorado, first elected in 2019 and someone widely viewed as a rising star in national security and foreign policy circles. We discuss the Israel-Palestine crisis, kicking off with a question about the propriety of calling for a ceasefire. We then discuss the impact this crisis is having in the broader Middle East, on domestic politics in the United States -- and why Israel should not repeat the mistakes of the US War on Terror.