Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

One of the worst mass atrocities in recent times took place in Sri Lanka during the final days of that country's long civil war. In May 2009, tens of thousands of people were killed by Sri Lankan armed forces over the course of just a few days as the military sought to deal a final blow to an insurgent group known as the Tamil Tigers. In the process, they killed as many as 40,000 civilians. No one was brought to justice for this crime against humanity. And the lack of accountability for those crimes is a key factor in that my guest, Kate Cronin- Furman, argues is contributing to political instability in Sri Lanka today. Kate Cronin-Furman is an assistant professor of Human Rights in the Department of Political Science, University College London. In this conversation, she explains what happened during the final days of that civil war when this massacre occurred. We then discuss how the forces that carried out that crime against humanity are posing a big challenge to the political life of Sri Lanka, which entered an extremely tumultuous period this fall in which two people claimed to be prime minister at the same time. We kick off discussing the Sri Lankan civil war and its brutal end days before having a longer discussion about the ways in which the lack of accountability for those events are undermining the political stability of Sri Lanka today. This massacre of 40,000 people was second only to the genocide in Darfur as the worst mass atrocity event of the first decade of the 21st century. As you will learn in this episode, Sri Lankan politics is still defined by this atrocity in ways harmful to a healthy democracy.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert is Donald Trump's nominee to serve as the next US Ambassador to the United Nations. If confirmed, she will replace of course Nikki Haley, who served in the role for nearly two years. Heather Nauert is a former journalist and Fox News personality before joining the State Department in April 2017. As State Department spokesperson, Heather Nauert held regular briefings with the State Department press corps, so I thought it would be a good idea to invite a veteran member of that press corps on the show. On the line with me is reporter Matt Lee of the Associated Press. Matt Lee has covered the State Department for nearly 20 years and has seen many State Department spokespeople come and go. In this conversation, we discuss what distinguished Heather Naurert from her predecessors and what her performance as sState Department spokesperson might suggest about how she would approach the job of UN Ambassador. We also discuss the implications of a decision by the White House to downgrade the position of UN Ambassador from a cabinet level position, which is was during Nikki Haley's tenure. The UN ambassador will no longer serve on the National Security Council and we discuss what that means in terms of foreign policy decision making. Support the show!

Massive infrastructure projects like the building of ports, roads and railways are becoming more and more commonplace in the developing world. According to my guest today, the reason we are seeing more of these projects is a burgeoning global rivalry between China and the United States. Seth Schindler is a senior lecturer in urban development and transformation at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. He studies large scale infrastructure projects and as he explains were are on the cusp of an infrastructure "arms race" between the US and China for connecting the developing world. He predicts that geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States will be the key factor driving the development of these massive projects. In our conversation we talk through the implications of this trend, which has accelerated since China launched a massive global infrastructure-building strategy known as the Belt and Road Initiative. It was in response to this Chinese strategy that the US Congress passed a law known as the US BUILD ACT, which established a new International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) We kick off this conversation talking about both the Belt and Road Initiative and the new US International Development Finance Corporation, before having a broader discussion about the ways this rivalry will manifest itself around the world and its impact on global development. This episode is part of a content partnership between the podcast and the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. Experts from the Global Development Institute discuss their research and also the pressing news of the day as it relates to global inequalities and development.

A protest movement in France known as the Gilets Jaunes, or Yellow Vests, has become a political crisis for French President Emmanuel Macron. The protest movement began over a hike in a fuel tax, but has grown into something much more and is now threatening to further weaken Macron, who was already deeply unpopular in France. On the line with me to discuss the origins of this movement and its political significance both in France and throughout Europe is Arthur Goldhammer, a senior affiliate with the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. He is also a translator of French works into english. If you are one of the many people who read Thomas Picketty's book Capitalism in the 20th Century, you read Art Goldhammer's translation. We kick off discussing the origins of this protest movement, then have a wider discussion about the roots of Macron's unpopularity in France and the implications of his unpopularity for Europe, the European Project and liberal democracy more broadly. Become a premium subscriber!

Over 180 countries are endorsing what is known as the Global Compact for Migration. The text of this non-binding agreement was finalized over the summer, and countries are meeting in Marrakech Morocco on December 10th and 11th to formally launch the Compact. There is a great deal of misinformation being spread, mostly by right wing governments in Europe and here in the US, about what this agreement entails. This agreement is not a treaty. Rather, it is an agreed set of principles and creates a kind of platform for multilateral and bilateral cooperation around issues of international migration. On the line to explain the Global Compact for Migration, better known around the UN as the "GCM" is Alice Thomas of Refugees International. I caught up with Alice Thomas from Marrakech where she was participating in civil society forums around the Compact. We discuss both the content of the Compact and its potential impact on destination countries, origin countries and migrants themselves. We also discuss the impact of the non-participation of a few countries in this compact, including the United States and some countries in Europe. If you have 20 minutes and want to a primer on the Global Compact For Migration, then I think you will very much appreciate this conversation. Access Your Rewards By Becoming a Premium Subscriber

The Kingdom of Bahrain is the smallest country in the Middle East. It is an island in the Persian Gulf connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway. And it is home to a very large US naval base, that houses the Navy's fifth fleet. Bahrain is also in the midst of a years long crackdown in which political opposition figures, human rights defenders, journalists and bloggers have been languishing in jail. And it was in this context that last month Bahrain held elections that were a total sham, according to my guest today, Brian Dooley. Brian Dooley is a senior advisor at Human Rights First and as he explains, the politics and international relations of Bahrain can teach us a lot about broader trends in the Middle East. In our conversation, we discuss why these recent elections in Bahrain matter and what the international community can do to restore a semblance of representative democracy to Bahrain. Become a premium subscriber to the podcast and unlock a bucket of rewards! Click here

Diplomats, scientists, advocates and other concerned parties are gathering in Katowice, Poland for a major international climate conference that is serving as a followup to the Paris Climate Agreement. The meeting is formally called the 24th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is better known in UN lingo as COP24 and it stretches from December 2nd to the 14th. This conference is a big moment in international diplomacy and a key inflection point for the implementation of the goals set forth in the Paris Accord. On the line with me to discuss what is happening at this conference and why it matters is Yamide Dagnet, a senior associate at the World Resources Council. And as she explains there are three main tasks before delegates to this conference, which together are intended to facilitate global cooperation toward the Paris agreement goal of limiting the pace of global warming. We also discuss how the United States fits into these negotiations given that it is both a major emitter and that President Trump has decided the US will pull out of the Paris Agreement.

Michelle Gelfand is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland and author of the new book Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire our World. The book, which is written for a popular audience, is based on a scientific study conducted by Gelfand in 33 countries in which she examines cultural norms around rule following. As she explains, certain countries have a higher tolerance for norm and rules breaking behavior than others--and these discrepancies can have important consequences for international relations. Dr. Gelfand's study is a groundbreaking way to look at key cultural differences between countries. ****Become a Premium Subscriber and unlock a host of rewards and bonus content! **** https://www.patreon.com/GlobalDispatches

Diana Mitlin, a professor of global urbanism, discusses the challenges surrounding slums and how policies can uplift these informal urban settlements. The podcast explores the scale of the issue, living conditions in slums, and the importance of academic research in improving water supply.

Harold Hongju Koh is one of the America's leading scholars of international law. He is the Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School, where he formerly served as the dean. He's also served as the Legal Advisor in the State Department and was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Professor Koh is the author of the new book that examines the Trump administration's relationship with international law. His book, called "The Trump Administration and International Law" surveys issues in which the Trump administration has clashed with international law, including immigration and refugees, human rights, and climate change. Professor Koh concludes that forces of international law are far more resilient than we might expect, and in fact, Trump's power has been constrained by international law. Professor Koh explains the process through which international law has so far been able to blunt some of Trump's more aggressive impulses.