The Global Cable: Recent Episodes
Perry World House
Welcome to the Global Cable, a brand new podcast at Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. In it, we discuss the world's most pressing challenges and the people who work on them!
You should listen to this show if you: - Find foreign affairs and international politics interesting. - Want great career advice from experts. - Want to sound smart at your next dinner party.
With Labor Day behind us and the weather cooling down, summer is very nearly over - but there's still time for one more episode of our special Summer Reading List podcast series.
Our last episode features Barbara Elias, an Assistant Professor of Government at Bowdoin College specializing in international relations, insurgency warfare, U.S. foreign policy, and the relationship between Islam and politics. Her new book, Why Allies Rebel: Defiant Local Partners in Counterinsurgency Wars, was released by Cambridge University Press in June.
In our conversation, Professor Elias explains why local forces in war-torn countries may choose to cooperate with - or defy - a foreign intervening power; what the stories she tells in her book, from Vietnam to Afghanistan, mean for the future of U.S. foreign policy; and how to approach research in archives.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
The new semester might be getting started, but the weather still feels like summer here in Philadelphia, and we hope you find time to enjoy a few more books on your summer reading list before the fall truly sets in.
Our latest guest on our Summer Reading List podcast is Ambassador Capricia Marshall, who served as Chief of Protocol of the United States from 2009 to 2013, overseeing the details of democracy during countless state visits and global summits. Her new book is titled Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy and How to Make It Work For You.
In our conversation, Marshall explains what protocol is, and why people often best understand its importance only when it goes wrong; whether shifts in the international order are affecting protocol practices; and how COVID-19 has changed her rules for good protocol.
The Summer Reading List is a special edition of our podcast, The Global Cable. Throughout the summer, we're releasing new conversations with authors, discussing their latest books and the inspiration behind them.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Our guest this week is Eric Cervini, an award-winning historian of LGBTQ+ politics and culture. A former Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where he received his Ph.D., he is an authority on 1960s gay activism. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus, and on the Board of Advisors of the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C., a nonprofit dedicated to preserving gay American history. Cervini’s new book, The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America, is a history of the fight for gay rights that began a generation before Stonewall.
In our conversation, Cervini tells the story of World War Two veteran Frank Kameny, whose security clearance was rejected because he was gay and who became an important figure in the American gay rights movement; what the absence of some gay activists from the public narrative says about who we remember and why; and how the United States should honor its LGBTQ+ heroes.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Our latest guest on the Summer Reading List is Daniel Markey, a senior research professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the academic director of SAIS’s Global Policy Program. From 2003 to 2007, Markey held the South Asia portfolio on the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff at the US Department of State.
In this week's episode, Markey talks to our host John Gans about his book China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia. He explains China's landmark Belt and Road Initiative; why China’s rise won’t necessarily be on its own terms; why he’d like to meet China's President Xi Jinping; and what he learned on a research trip to Kazahkstan.
The Summer Reading List is a special edition of our podcast, The Global Cable. Throughout the summer, we'll release new conversations with authors, discussing their latest books and the inspiration behind them.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This summer, we've launched a special edition of The Global Cable - our 'Summer Reading List.' Every other week, we'll release a new conversation with an author, discussing their latest book and the inspiration behind it.
This week's guest is Melissa Lee, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and our next Lightning Scholar at Perry World House. She talks to our host John Gans about her new book, Crippling Leviathan: How Foreign Subversion Weakens the State. She explains why not all nation-states are created equal, how the Internet has become a space for foreign subversion, and how the fight against COVID-19 has impacted her thinking on state capacity in recent months.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This summer, we're launching a special edition of The Global Cable - our 'Summer Reading List.' Every other week, we'll release a new conversation with a writer, discussing their latest book. We want to hear what inspired them, what they learned during the writing process, and more.
Our first guest is renowned journalist and author James Mann, talking about his book The Great Rift: Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and the Broken Friendship that Defined an Era. He shares what he learned about these two famous figures in U.S. politics, and why their story matters at a moment when the United States is so divided at home and diminished on the world stage.
This week, Season 3 of The Global Cable comes to a close. Our final conversation of the 2019-20 academic year is with Michael Horowitz, Professor of Political Science and incoming Director at Perry World House.
In this episode, Michael talks to us about what COVID-19 means for great power competition and global politics; whether war could be a likely outcome of the pandemic; and the complex issues surrounding the development of a vaccine, which he calls a 'global Manhattan Project.'
Thank you for listening to our third season, and stay tuned for more from The Global Cable this summer!
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This week's episode features Charlie Dent, who spent seven terms representing the 15th Congressional District of Pennsylvania on Capitol Hill. Alongside being a Visiting Fellow at Perry World House, he serves as a senior policy adviser at DLA Piper and as a political analyst for CNN.
On The Global Cable, Dent talks to our host John Gans about his own recent bout with COVID-19; how Congress is responding to the crisis, and the prospect for further bipartisan collaboration between Democrats and Republicans as the U.S. looks at how to hold a presidential election during a pandemic.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
This week's episode of The Global Cable features Koko Warner, a Visiting Fellow at Perry World House. Warner has been Manager of the Climate Impacts, Vulnerability, and Risks Subprogram at the United Nations Framework on Convention on Climate Change since 2016.
Warner talks to us about coronavirus exposing how ill-prepared the world is for a global crisis like climate change; how we get the public to take the enormous risks of climate change seriously; and what gives her hope for the future.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This week's episode of The Global Cable features Erik Lin-Greenberg, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Perry World House researching how the military adopts new technologies.
On today's episode, Erik talks about how his own military service has shaped his life and informed his research; what it was like to set up war games with national security experts to test how they'd react to new technologies being deployed on the field of battle; and the biggest challenges for the U.S. military as it attempts to harness the power of A.I.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This week's guest on The Global Cable is Elena Chachko, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Perry World House this year. She is a legal expert who has worked with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Supreme Court.
On today's episode, Elena talks to us about what was the biggest foreign policy issue of the year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit - the assassination of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. She explains how international and U.S. law have evolved to allow for targeted killings like this, and shares her insights into the ongoing political crisis in Israel.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This week's episode of The Global Cable features Professor Erik Jones, Director of European and Eurasian Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is based at the university's Europe campus in Bologna, Italy, and is therefore on the ground in one of the places hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He talks to us about what daily life has been like in Italy during the crisis, what the U.S. and other nations should learn from the Italian experience, and what the economic ramifications of COVID-19 will be across Europe and around the world.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
In this week's episode of our podcast, The Global Cable, Governor Martin O'Malley talks to us about the three things every citizen needs to hear from government during a pandemic; how policymakers can use data to tackle society's biggest problems, from coronavirus to climate change; and his dream of meeting Bruce Springsteen.
Martin O'Malley served as Governor of Maryland and Mayor of Baltimore. Throughout his time in office, Governor O'Malley championed new ways of thinking about city and state government. He introduced systems called 'CitiStat' and 'StateStat' to improve performance management in government, and 'BayStat' to help turn around a 300-year decline in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. He recently published his second book, Smarter Government: How To Govern for Results in the Information Age.
In the Franklin Few, Governor O'Malley recommended what he's been reading recently:
'White House Warriors' by John Gans: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40180107-white-house-warriors
'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' by Yuval Noah Harari: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
This week's episode of The Global Cable features Andrew Moravcsik, this year’s Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Perry World House. He is Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, and an expert on European integration, international relations, human rights, and international law.
Andrew talks to us about the rise of right-wing populist parties across Europe, and what’s behind this trend; why populists’ bark might be worse than their bite; and why we need a serious social shift around the role of men in caregiving to truly achieve gender equality.
On today’s episode, we speak to Otto Sonnenholzner, current Vice President of Ecuador and this year’s Global Leader-in-Residence at Perry World House. An economist, businessman, and broadcaster, Vice President Sonnenholzner was appointed just over a year ago, and coordinates Ecuador’s sustainable development strategy.
Vice President Sonnenholzner talks to us about why he chose to enter politics; how the crisis in Venezuela is impacting Ecuador; and protecting his country’s incredible biodiversity.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
This week's episode of The Global Cable features Lama Mourad, a Postdoctoral Fellow here at Perry World House. Lama's research focuses on refugees and human rights. She recently co-authored a piece for The Atlantic, examining the limitations of the UN Global Compact on Refugees, that prompted an official response from UNHCR.
Lama talks to us about how she would change UN policy on refugees; balancing the need for activism with the demands of research on refugee issues; and countering dangerous narratives about migration.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Our latest episode of The Global Cable features Randall Schriver, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Indo-Pacific. Prior to this, he worked in several senior roles shaping U.S. defense and foreign policy in the Pacific, and served as a Navy intelligence officer.
Assistant Secretary Schriver talks to us about whether the U.S. perceives China as a competitor, or an adversary; why the notion of a “free and open” Pacific is so important to American foreign policy; and how India’s role in the region is growing and changing.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Our latest episode of The Global Cable features Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Perry World House Professor of the Practice of Law and Human Rights. From 2014 to 2018, he served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, working to protect people from abuses around the world.
Zeid talks to us about why human rights abuses appear to be worsening, how advances in technology could have a severe impact on our rights, and how he teaches Penn students about courage.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Our latest episode of The Global Cable features our Distinguished Visiting Fellow Beatrice Fihn. Fihn leads the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). In 2017, she received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of ICAN, recognizing its work towards the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Fihn talks about whether it's more naive to work for a ban on nuclear weapons or live in a world with thousands of them; why governments don't always want the public to engage with national security issues; and how we've so far avoided a nuclear war not by good judgment, but by dumb luck.
Our latest episode of The Global Cable features our Visiting Fellow Derek Chollet, Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor for security and defense policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He served in senior positions during the Obama administration at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon, most recently as the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
As the historic impeachment trial against President Donald Trump continues in the Senate, Chollet reflects on the impact for the United States and its role on the global stage.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
The Global Cable is back for the new year with a conversation with Michael Weisberg. He is the Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, and this year he’s the inaugural Penn Faculty Fellow at Perry World House.
Professor Weisberg is currently working on initiatives in the Galápagos Islands, educating local communities about their unique environment and how to conserve it.
He talks to us about taking part in the COP25 climate negotiations in Madrid; how a better understanding of science shapes public attitudes to major issues like climate change; why Charles Darwin inspires him; and whether we can still be optimistic about saving the world from the coming climate emergency.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This week on The Global Cable, John Gans talks to Trudy Rubin, legendary foreign affairs columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and one of our Visiting Fellows at Perry World House. She has spent her career reporting on the world's biggest stories, from the breakdown of the Soviet Union to the Iraq War.
Trudy shares her experiences with protestors on a recent reporting trip to Hong Kong; how the concept of truth is being corrupted; and what that means for democracy; and how she finds the facts in complex situations.
The Global Cable is taking a break over the holidays, and we'll see you next month!
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Sarah Bush, Perry World House Lightning Scholar and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Yale University, is this week's guest on The Global Cable. An expert on democracy promotion, Professor Bush studies how international actors work to support free and fair elections, and promote women's representation, in developing countries. She is currently working on a book exploring election interference.
Professor Bush talks to us about the threats facing even established democracies like the United States; whether protests can achieve regime change, and the upcoming centenary of women's suffrage in 2020.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
On this week’s episode of The Global Cable, we take a deep dive into cybersecurity with two experts in the field – Duncan Hollis, Professor of Law at Temple University and a Perry World House Visiting Fellow, and Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Estonia’s first ever Ambassador for Cybersecurity.
Professor Hollis’ scholarship engages with issues of international law and cybersecurity. Before joining Temple, he worked at the State Department, where he was the attorney-adviser for treaty affairs, working on the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of U.S. treaties, and legal counsel for the Department’s Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
Ambassador Tiirmaa-Klaar was named her country’s first ever Ambassador-at-Large for Cybersecurity in 2018. As the victim of one of the first major cyberattacks in 2007, Estonia has pioneered cybersecurity policy at the international level. Tiirmaa-Klaar was Estonia’s National Cyber Coordinator from 2007 to 2010, where she developed the world’s first whole-of-government cybersecurity. She later worked in cybersecurity strategy for NATO, and the European External Action Service.
On The Global Cable, they talk about how cybersecurity has changed in the last twenty years; why the Estonia attack in 2007 was the forerunner of modern hybrid warfare; the role for private sector companies in cybersecurity; and more.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This week's episode of The Global Cable features Ambassador Alexander ('Sandy') Vershbow, one of our Distinguished Visiting Fellows this year. A career diplomat since 1977, Vershbow was U.S. Ambassador to Russia and the Republic of Korea, and served in a range of senior roles in Washington, including the White House’s National Security Council. He was the first American to hold the position of Deputy Secretary General of NATO, from 2012 to 2016.
On The Global Cable, Ambassador Vershbow talks about why alliances are still valuable and powerful in a fractured world, what it was like to work with Vladimir Putin, and what NATO can do to meet its biggest challenges in the months ahead.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
This week's episode of The Global Cable features Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School. One of the country's leading experts in international law and human rights, he served for many years in government under presidents of both parties, most recently as the 22nd Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State from 2009 to 2013.
On The Global Cable, Professor Koh talks to us about his new book, The Trump Administration and International Law, why 'America first' so often means 'America alone', and his perspective on impeachment proceedings against the President.
On this episode of The Global Cable, we sit down with Ambassador William Lacy Swing, who has served as an American and United Nations diplomat for half a century. He was Ambassador to six countries under four U.S. presidents, serving in countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, and Haiti.
After retiring from the State Department in 2001, Swing worked in diplomacy and peacekeeping for the United Nations. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he headed the largest peacekeeping operation in the UN’s history. Swing then went on to serve as Director General of the International Organization for Migration, expanding its membership and overseeing its transition to becoming a UN agency in 2016.
In conversation with our host John Gans, Swing talks about how diplomacy and diplomats have changed since he joined the Foreign Service in 1963, why he believes there is a ‘perfect storm’ around the issue of migration, and what it was like to meet Nelson Mandela.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
On this episode of The Global Cable, we sit down with Zaina Erhaim, an acclaimed Syrian journalist who is this year’s Perry World House and Kelly Writers House Writer at Risk.
After writing for The Economist, The Guardian, and the BBC, Erhaim currently works as communications manager for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in London. Over the last decade, she has trained over a hundred media activists in Syria – many of them women. She has also contributed to three books on journalism and the conflict in her home country, and produced two films narrated by Syrian women.
In conversation with host John Gans, Erhaim talks about what it’s like studying journalism based on the Soviet model, what objectivity means in war, what citizen journalists need to learn, and what is happening in Syria right now.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
On this episode of The Global Cable, we sit down with Ash Carter, U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2015 to 2017. A Philadelphia native, he trained as a physicist before starting his career with government. As Secretary of Defense, he built bridges between the military and Silicon Valley, opening Pentagon outposts in American tech hubs and establishing the Department’s first Defense Innovation Board.
In conversation with our host and his former chief speechwriter John Gans, Secretary Carter shares his thoughts on how to make decisions about new technology, what he’s learned about management from running the world’s biggest organization, and what he’s reading right now – the answer might surprise you.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Welcome to Season 3 of The Global Cable, a podcast from Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. We’re starting out on our new season with a new host in John Gans, our director of communications and research, a new format inspired by Penn’s own founding father Ben Franklin, and an exciting new lineup of guests.
Our first episode is a conversation with John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. Kerry shares his thoughts on the dangers of a changing world order and how technology has changed the nature of diplomacy; tells us what he packs in his suitcase when he’s traveling around the world; and reveals who in history he’d most like to meet.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
Welcome to another year of The Global Cable. In this special episode, we mark the launch of the Great Powers and Urbanization Project (GPUP for short).
GPUP is a new international initiative, in which Perry World House, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the University of Melbourne's Connected Cities Lab, and the Argentine Council for International Relations are looking at the evolving role of cities on the world stage.
Perry World House’s John Gans and Jocelyn Perry sit down with leaders from three major cities, and an expert on urbanization:
- Ian Klaus, Senior Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
- Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner for International Affairs, New York City
- Henri-Paul Normandin, Director for International Relations, City of Montréal, Canada
- Mauricio Rodas, Mayor of Quito, Ecuador (2014-2019)
Due to a range of factors, cities and city leaders are increasingly active in international diplomacy, something that was traditionally the preserve of the nation state. This special episode explores what cities can do, what they can't do, and what this means for a changing world.
Music and produced by Tre Hester.
While it is often presented as an issue of the future, climate change is already having an immense impact on our environment. On this episode of The Global Cable, our Director William Burke-White talks to Aromar Revi and Irina Marinov about how the international community can mitigate the impact, and adapt in the face of climate change.
Aromar Revi is the Director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, and was a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s recent report on the devastating potential effects of just 1.5°C change in temperature. Irina Marinov is an Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, researching the impact of climate change on the world’s oceans.
Together with Burke-White, Revi and Marinov discuss the problems climate change is already causing, from migration of species to ocean acidification. They look at how the international community, local governments, and businesses will need to come together to transform the way we live, and find innovative solutions to address climate change.
This is the final episode of Season 2 of The Global Cable, and we’ll be taking a break over the summer. Thank you for listening!
Is the threat at the Southern Border really as severe as President Trump claims it to be? On this episode of ‘The Global Cable’, our Director Bill Burke-White sits down with national security expert Richard Clarke to find out.
A University of Pennsylvania graduate, Clarke served in the federal government for 30 years, rising to become National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-Terrorism and a member of the National Security Council. He is currently the Chairman and CEO of Good Harbor Security Management, working with governments across the world to advise them on risk.
While in recent months the migration crisis at the United States’ Southern border has dominated the news agenda, Burke-White and Clarke discuss the new developments that Clarke feels actually put the United States at risk. In a world where data can cross borders more easily than people – with espionage in the tech sector, and the threat of cyber-attack – the two talk about ways the United States can ensure its security.
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House’s Director William Burke-White sits down with Bruce Jentleson, Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University, to discuss his book ‘The Peacemakers: Leadership Lessons from Twentieth-Century Statesmanship.’
As a seasoned scholar with extensive real-world policy experience –on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s policy planning staff, he looked for ways to prevent atrocities around the world – Jentleson brings a unique perspective to the stories of 14 people who worked for peace at different moments in the 20th Century.
Each of the book’s chapters profiles a peacemaker – exploring what they set out to accomplish, what influenced them, and where they succeeded and failed. 'The Peacemakers' draws important lessons from the lives and work of yesterday’s leaders that can help today’s leaders.
Burke-White and Jentleson also explore some of the challenges for those trying to make peace in the twenty-first century. Any would-be peacemakers must contend with major challenges, including climate change and the United States’ complex relationship with China. As a result, Burke-White and Jentleson consider whether there can ever be such a thing as a perfect peacemaker in today’s dynamic world.
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Deputy Director LaShawn Jefferson is joined by Edith Kahbang (‘Kah’) Walla, our 2018-2019 Global Shifts Visiting Fellow.
Kah is a Cameroonian political leader, activist, feminist, and entrepreneur with 20 years' experience working on political, economic, and social issues in Africa.
Cameroon is facing serious conflict, with tensions high between the English-speaking and French-speaking parts of the country. In this episode, Kah and LaShawn discuss how Cameroon can start to bridge this divide – a legacy of its colonial past – and begin the transition from autocracy to a democratic, inclusive state.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Inaugural Director and University of Pennsylvania Law Professor William Burke-White and Global Shifts Program Manager Jocelyn Perry are joined by Dr. Victoria Herrmann, President & Managing Director of the Arctic Institute, a center for circumpolar security studies. They'll discuss Victoria's research on climate change, community adaptation, human development, and resource economies, the role of the United States & Canada in protecting communities in the far north and the impact climate change is having on the Arctic region as a whole.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Inaugural Director and University of Pennsylvania Law Professor William Burke-White is joined by Penn Alumnus & Mayor of Quito, Ecuador, Mauricio Rodas to discuss the role of cities in climate change adaptation and mitigation, the importance of city and government collaboration to act on climate change and the significance of the U20!
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Associate Director and University of Pennsylvania Professor of Political Science Michael Horowitz is joined by Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and Director of Harvard's new climate science center, C-CHANGE, Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment, Gina McCarthy to discuss the role of federal agencies in climate change adaptation and mitigation, the importance of individual actions to act on climate change and which Boston sports team will be the next champion.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Associate Director and University of Pennsylvania Professor of Political Science Michael Horowitz is joined by Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and Director of Harvard's new climate science center, C-CHANGE, Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment, Gina McCarthy to discuss the role of federal agencies in climate change adaptation and mitigation, the importance of individual actions to act on climate change and which Boston sports team will be the next champion.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Inaugural Director William Burke-White is joined by Penn Presidential Professor of the Practice and Former Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush to discuss the role of states in climate change adaptation and mitigation, the state of American politics today and the importance of being active in local politics.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
On Today’s Global Cable, Perry World House Deputy Director LaShawn Jefferson will be talking with Veronica Gago, a professor at the National University of San Martin in Argentina, Joanne Smith, the founding president and CEO of Girls for Gender Equity, an advocacy group committed to the physical, psychological, social, and economic development of girls and women, and Veronica Avila, the national campaign co-manager with Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a restaurant workers’ center committed to improving wages and working conditions for the nation’s restaurant workforce about important issues facing women and girls in the world today and the importance of grassroots organizations in the #MeToo movement across the world!
LaShawn Jefferson is Perry World House’s Deputy Director. She brings to Perry World House over two decades of legal and policy advocacy, strategic planning and communications, and research and writing on women’s international human rights through civil-society organizations and philanthropy. She joined Perry World House after almost seven years at the Ford Foundation, where she worked to advance women’s human rights globally and in the U.S. through field building and investments in the areas of rights advocacy; strategic communications and engagement; intersectional leadership and analysis; research; and capacity building. For fourteen years, she also held several leadership positions at Human Rights Watch, a global human rights organization, where she led their women’s rights research and advocacy work, providing strategic and intellectual guidance to the work on women’s international human rights, crafting and executing long-term advocacy strategies, and representing HRW at the highest level of national and international fora. She is the author of many reports on a variety of issues confronting women around the world, and has written op-eds and articles that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The International Herald Tribune. She received a BA from Connecticut College and an MA in International Relations and Latin American Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS.
Veronica Avila is currently the National Campaign co-manager with the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United), a restaurant workers’ center committed to improving wages and working conditions for the nation’s restaurant workforce. Previously she served as a researcher with ROC-United and as the Director of ROC Chicago. In addition to supporting ROC-United's campaign work, she is currently a fellow with Data and Society, looking at the cross section of tech and restaurants. Prior to her work with ROC-United, Avila worked a labor rights organizer with service worker unions, Unite Here Local 1 and SEIU 32BJ. Avila holds an MSc in Inequalities and Social Science from the London School of Economics.
Verónica Gago is a professor at the Instituto de Altos Estudios at the National University of San Martín, in Argentina, and a visiting scholar at the University of Buenos Aires, in its International Consortium of Critical Theory Programs. Gago teaches Political Science at the University of Buenos Aires and is a professor of Sociology at the Instituto de Altos Estudios, National University of San Martín. She is also an Assistant Researcher at the National Council of Research (CONICET). Gago is the author of Neoliberalism from Below: Popular Pragmatics and Baroque and of numerous articles published in journals and books throughout Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. She is a member of the independent radical collective press Tinta Limón. She was part of the militant research experience Colectivo Situaciones, and she is now a member of Ni Una Menos, which is a Latin America grassroots, feminist movement that works to eradicate gender-based violence.
Joanne N. Smith is the Founding President and CEO moves Girls for Gender Equity (GGE), an intergenerational advocacy organization committed to the physical, psychological, social, and economic development of girls and women. Smith advances GGE’s mission through strategic advocacy, development, and leadership cultivation. A staunch human rights advocate, Smith co-chaired the nation’s first Young Women’s Initiative, a cross-sector Initiative coordinating government, philanthropic, and community efforts to create the conditions for cis, trans girls of color and GNC youth to thrive. Smith’s leadership helped to facilitate a $30M commitment from government and philanthropy to invest in community-driven recommendations. Smith is a steering committee member of Black Girl Movement and member of Move to End Violence -a 10-year initiative designed to strengthen the collective capacity to end gender-based violence in the United States. Smith is an alumna of Hunter Graduate School of Social Work and Columbia Institute for Nonprofit Management. GGE challenges structural forces - racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, economic inequality - that work to constrict the freedom, full expression, and rights of girls and young women of color (trans and cis) and gender non-conforming/non-binary youth.
Music & Produced by Tre Hester.
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Inaugural Director William Burke-White is joined by Perry World House Distinguished Scholar, Former Assistant Secretary-General and special adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan & Columbia University Law Professor Michael Doyle to discuss the Model International Mobility Convention, which aims to create a model set of rules and standards for mobility, considered as a whole.
Michael Doyle specializes in international relations theory, international security, and international organizations. Doyle previously served as assistant secretary-general and special adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 2001 to 2003. His responsibilities included strategic planning (Millennium Development Goals), outreach to the international corporate sector (the Global Compact), and relations with Washington. Doyle has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1992 and is the former chair of the Academic Council of the United Nations System. He has also been a senior fellow and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Peace Institute since 1996. In 2001, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; in 2009, to the American Philosophical Society; and in 2012, to the American Academy of Political and Social Science. He served as chair of the board of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) from 2006–2013. In 2015, Doyle helped develop the Model International Mobility Convention which represents a shared framework among over 40 academics. It serves the ambitious goal of creating a holistic, rights-respecting governance regime for all aspects of international migration, filling in the gaps in the existing international legal regime and expanding protections where needed. Doyle holds a BA from Harvard College (1970), and an MA (1972) and Ph.D. (1977) from Harvard University.
00:10 - Introduction with Inaugural Director Prof. Willian Burke-White and Global Shifts Program Manager Jocelyn Perry
03:20 - The Model International Mobility Convention
05:15 - Framing Mobility as a Broader Concept
08:02 - Human Movement - Human Right or Economic Benefit?
13:05 - The Role of the Changing Political Landscape
16:50 - Previous Conventions & Reasons for Optimism
19:20 - Doyle's Role as Assistant Secretary-General and special adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
23:40 - The Biggest Challenges faced by the World
27:20 - Career Advice
28:30 - Outro
Music & Produced by Tre Hester
In honor of International Woman's Day, on this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Deputy Director LaShawn Jefferson is joined by Claire Sliney, a University of Pennsylvania Sophomore and an Academy Award-winning producer of Period. End of Sentence, a documentary short that explores a group of women in a rural Indian village, which fights the stigma surrounding menstruation and begin manufacturing sanitary pads.
In a rural village outside Delhi, India, women lead a quiet revolution. They fight against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation. “Period. End of Sentence.” -- a documentary short directed by Rayka Zehtabchi -- tells their story. For generations, these women didn’t have access to pads, which lead to health problems and girls missing school or dropping out entirely. But when a sanitary pad machine is installed in the village, the women learn to manufacture and market their own pads, empowering the women of their community. They name their brand "FLY," because they want women "to soar."
Their flight is, in part, enabled by the work of high school girls half a world away, in California, who raised the initial money for the machine and began a non-profit called "The Pad Project."
Music & Producer by Tre Hester.
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Inaugural Director William Burke-White and Global Shifts Program Manager Jocelyn Perry are joined by Perry World House Visiting Fellow, former President of Refugees International and advisor to UNHCR, Michel Gabaudan, to discuss the scope and scale of the refugee crisis in Venezuela.
Michel Gabaudan is the former President of Refugees International, an independent advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. Refugees International advocates on behalf of forcibly displaced populations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. Prior to his appointment to lead Refugees International, his career with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spanned twenty-seven years. During this time, he acted as the Charge de Mission in Guatemala; the Regional Representative for Mexico, Cuba and Central America; the Head of Donor Relations and Resource Mobilization Service; Regional Representative for the Pacific; Regional Representative for China and Mongolia; and the Regional Representative for the United States of America and the Caribbean. He has most recently served as Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ecuador, supporting the government’s efforts in responding to the mass outflow of Venezuelans in the region. He graduated with an M.D. from the University of Bordeaux in 1975 and received his Master of Public Health from the University of London in 1999.
00:10 - Introduction with Inaugural Director Prof. Willian Burke-White and Global Shifts Program Manager Jocelyn Perry
02:10 - The Venezuelan Refugee Crisis
08:50 - Changing Responses to Refugee Crises
11:00 - How the Refugee Challenge changed over the past 30 years
15:20 - Refugees International
18:55 - The relationship between Refugees & Migration
26:10 - Interesting Global Fact: Sinking Islands & Long-Run Climate Change
28:30 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Inaugural Director William Burke-White and Global Shifts Program Manager Jocelyn Perry are joined by former U.S. Ambassador William Lacy Swing, former Director General of the International Organization for Migration, to discuss migration, displacement, and the age of humanitarian crises, including how the global community might ensure “safe, orderly, and regular” migration in a disorderly world.
Ambassador William Lacy Swing led the International Organization for Migration (IOM) from 2008-2018. Previously, he was the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo and for Western Sahara, as well as Chief of Mission for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. He was also a six-time ambassador with the U.S. Department of State.
00:10 - Introduction with Inaugural Director Prof. Willian Burke-White and Global Shifts Program Manager Jocelyn Perry
04:40 - The International Organization of Migration
07:28 - The Global Compact on Migration
10:08 - The Role of Policy & The Press
12:30 - Ambassador Swing's Career in Africa
15:30 - The UN'S Preventative Action against Forced Migration
17:23 - The Importance of American Diplomacy
21:50 - Restoring Trust in our Alliances
23:00 - Population Growth & Distribution
25:15 - Interesting Global Fact: International Migrants
26:30 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, we are joined by the Hon. Paolo Gentiloni, the Former Prime Minister of Italy, to discuss, with Perry World House Inaugural Director Prof. William Burke-White, the rise of populism & nationalism in Italy, and Europe, and the future of the European Union. The hon. Paolo Gentiloni is the Former Prime Minister of Italy. He is a professional journalist and has a degree in Political Sciences. Since 2001, he is a Member of Parliament and was Chairman of the Broadcasting Services Watchdog Committee. He was one of the founding members of the Italian Democratic Party. Between 2006 and 2008, he served as Minister for Communications in Prime Minister Romano Prodi’s government. In 2014, he became Italian Foreign Minister in the government led by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. In December 2016, he was appointed Prime Minister of Italy, serving until June 1, 2018. In 2018, he was re-elected for the fifth term to the Chamber of Deputies and he is currently a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. His most recent book is “La sfida impopulista,” Rizzoli, 2018.
0:10 - Introduction with Inaugural Director Prof. Willian Burke-White and Director of Research & Communications Dr. John Gans
03:15 - The State of Italian Politics
05:35 - Shifting Migration Flows in Europe
12:00 - Populism & Nationalism Across Europe
17:45 - The United States on the Global Stage
25:50 - Interesting Global Facts: Internal African Migration
27:40 - Career Advice: Public Commitment
30:00 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, we are joined by Ambassador Thomas Pickering and Suzanne DiMaggio to discuss, with Perry World House Inaugural Director Prof. William Burke-White, the future of U.S. Diplomacy, Global Security, and the current state of American Foreign Policy.
Ambassador Pickering has had a career spanning five decades as a U.S. diplomat, serving as undersecretary of state for political affairs, ambassador to the United Nations, ambassador to Russia, India, Israel, Nigeria, Jordan, and El Salvador. He also served on assignments in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He holds the personal rank of Career Ambassador, the highest in the U.S. Foreign Service. He has held numerous other positions at the State Department, including executive secretary and special assistant to Secretaries Rogers and Kissinger and assistant secretary for the Bureau of oceans, environmental and scientific affairs.
Suzanne DiMaggio is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she focuses on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East and Asia. She is one of the foremost experts and practitioners of diplomatic dialogues with countries that have limited or no official relations with the United States, especially Iran and North Korea. DiMaggio is an associate senior fellow in the Disarmament, Arms Control, and Nonproliferation Program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). She holds a BA from New York University and an MA from City College of New York (CUNY).
0:10 - Introduction with Associate Director Prof. Mike Horowitz and Director of Research & Communications Dr. John Gans
05:30 - The State of the World Today
13:20 - The U.S. & North Korea
16:00 - The Importance of the Iran Deal
20:20 - The State of American Foreign Policy
23:25 - The Biggest Threats to the U.S. & the World
28:00 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, we are joined by Perry World House Global Order Distinguished Visiting Fellow and Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work, to discuss the future of the U.S. military, artificial intelligence and the importance of American defense leadership.
Robert O. Work served as Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2014-2017. He is currently Senior Counselor for Defense and Distinguished Senior Fellow for Defense and National Security at the Center for a New American Security, where he was previously the Chief Executive Officer. From 2009 to 2013, Secretary Work served as the Undersecretary of the Navy. In 2008, he was on President-elect Barack Obama’s Department of Defense Transition Team as leader of the Department of the Navy issues team. Prior to the Obama administration, after spending 27 years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and retiring as a colonel, Work spent time first as a Senior Fellow and later as Vice President for Strategic Studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the U.S. Naval Institute, and the Marine Corps Association. Secretary Work received his B.S. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, an M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California, an M.S. in Systems Technology (Space Systems Operations) from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Masters in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
00:43 - Introduction with Associate Director Prof. Mike Horowitz and Inaugural Director Prof. William Burke-White
06:25 - Deputy Secretary Work's Post-Government Career
07:50 - The Future of the U.S. Military & Necessary Adaptations
11:40 - The Importance of American Defense Leadership and Artifical Intelligence
16:14 - The Relationship between DoD & U.S. Companies: "Project Maven"
26:20 - Global Challenges between China & U.S.
31:25 - Interesting Global Facts & Career Advice
34:22 - Outro
On this episode of The Global Cable, Perry World House Inaugural Director, and University of Pennsylvania Law Professor William Burke-White is joined by Dr. Yoram Hazony, President of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem, and Director of the John Templeton Foundation‘s project in Jewish Philosophical Theology, to discuss the global rise of nationalism and populism across the world and a new Perry World House report explaining this New Age of Nationalism.
Read the report HERE!
Yoram Hazony is President of the Herzl Institute. He is the founder and past President of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, now Shalem College. His books include The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, The Jewish State: The Struggle for Israel’s Soul, and God and Politics in Esther. Hazony is director of the John Templeton Foundation’s project in Jewish Philosophical Theology, and a member of the Israel Council for Higher Education committee on Liberal Studies in Israel’s universities. He holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Political Theory from Rutgers University.
00:28 - Introduction with Associate Director Prof. Mike Horowitz
10:22 - "The Virtue of Nationalism" by Yoram Hazony
13:08 - Nationalism as a glue to support the Global Order
17:40 - Brexit as a Reassertion of Nationalism
22:25 - Nationalism's role at the domestic level
25:15 - The Politicization of Nationalism
29:10 - Nationalism Looking Forward
33:50 - Outro
Producer & Music by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable, Inaugural Director and Penn Law Professor Bill Burke-White discusses the results of the Perry World House report on the status of the global order with Inaugural Lightening Scholar and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota, Cosette Creamer, and Visiting Fellow and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, Peter Harrell.
Read the full Perry World House report on the Status of the Global Order HERE!
00:11 - Introduction with Associate Director Prof. Mike Horowitz
08:10 - Findings of the Perry World House Report
11:30 - The Changing Economic Order of the World
14:15 - The Health of the International Trading System
16:10 - The Lack of Domestic Political Leadership
19:30 - The Impact of Renewed Great Power Competition
23:25 - Takeaways from the G20 Meeting
26:00 - Favorite Moments from the G20 Summit
27:45 - Outro
Produced & Music by Tre Hester
On this episode of The Global Cable Deputy Director Professor Michael Horowitz is joined by former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy Dr. Nadia Schadlow, to discuss the National Security Strategy under President Trump, working at the National Security Council and the biggest threats to the United States and the World.
Nadia Schadlow is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Perry World House. She was most recently U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy. Prior to joining the National Security Council, Dr. Schadlow was a Senior Program Officer in the International Security and Foreign Policy Program of the Smith Richardson Foundation, where she helped identify strategic issues which warrant further attention from the U.S. policy committee. She served on the Defense Policy Board from September 2006 to June 2009 and is a full member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her articles have appeared in Parameters, The American Interest, the Wall Street Journal, Philanthropy, and several edited volumes. Dr. Schadlow holds a B.A. degree in government and Soviet studies from Cornell University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the John Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
00:12 - Intro
01:05 - Working On National Security
02:25 - The National Security Strategy
06:35 - U.S. - China Competition
09:10 - Foreign Aid & Development Policy
11:50 - Challenge Moments at the National Security Council
12:45 - The Most Important Global Challenges
16:40 - North Korea
20:10 - The Gap Between Academia & The Policy World
22:05 - Interesting Global Facts
24:25 - Career Advice
26:20 - Outro
Music & Producer by Tre Hester
With us on this Episode of the Global Cable is Perry World House Distinguished Visiting Fellow and Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood Randall to discuss a range of issues, including Iran, Nuclear Proliferation and Climate Change with Professor William Burke-White, the Inaugural Director of Perry World House.
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall served as the U.S. deputy secretary of energy from 2014 to 2017 and as special assistant to the President at the National Security Council where she was White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Arms Control from 2013-2014 and Senior Director for European Affairs from 2009-2013. Sherwood-Randall is currently a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a distinguished professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology with a joint appointment at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and at the Strategic Energy Institute. Earlier in her career, Sherwood-Randall served as Chief Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Joe Biden. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and her doctorate at Oxford University, where she was among the early ranks of female Rhodes Scholars.
0:28 - Introduction
1:25 - The Iran Deal
06:55 - The Consequences of Abandoning the Deal
09:50 - North Korea's Nuclear Problem
16:00 - Climate Change & Energy Start-Ups
17:50 - The Development of New Technologies to Combat Climate Change
21:30 - The Dangers Facing the U.S. & The World
23:10 - Interesting Global Facts
24:15 - Getting Involved in Global Affairs
25:40 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
With us on this Episode of the Global Cable is Perry World House Fellow and Former U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district, Congressman(R) Charlie Dent to discuss Congress's role in foreign policy, the current set of trade issues around the world and the upcoming U.S. election on November 6th, with Professor William Burke-White, the inaugural director of Perry World House.
0:28 - Introduction
1:15 - Charlie Dent's Decision to Step Down after 28 years in Elected Office
2:20 - Being a Moderate Republican In Congress
5:38 - Congress's Role in Foreign Policy
10:35 - Trade & Washington Politics
17:30 - Overcoming the Partisanship in America
18:40 - The Failing of the US Dominated Order
20:20 - Automation and the Security of Jobs
21:45 - Interesting Global Facts
23:00 - How to get Involved in Electoral Politics
25:20 - Outro
With us on this Episode of the Global Cable is Former President of Mexico and Distinguished Global Leader-In-Residence Felipe Calderón to discuss important issues facing the world, the US-Mexico relationship, climate change and his time with us at the University of Pennsylvania, with Professor William Burke-White, the inaugural direct of Perry World House.
Perry World House Distinguished Global Leader-In-Residence Felipe Calderón served as President of Mexico from 2006 to 2012. Prior to his presidency, Calderón was Secretary of Energy (and in that capacity Chairman of the Board of Pemex and CFE) and director of BANOBRAS (Public Works Bank). He was also a Congressman, leader of the National Action Party (PAN) in the Congress, and Secretary General and National President of PAN.
0:28 - Introduction
1:10 - President Calderón's visit to PWH and Philadelphia
3:12 - The U.S. - Mexico Relationship and Trade
8:30 - Immigration Issues
15:30 - The Economic Case for Tackling Climate Change
27:00 - How to Embark on a Career in International Affairs
29:00 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
As part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Project on the Future of China, Perry World House brought together a range of scholars and policymakers in Beijing on September 7, 2018 to discuss China’s vision for the global order and how those ambitions complement and clash with the interests of other countries, particularly of the United States.
In this episode of The Global Cable, Inaugural Director Bill Burke-White discusses China's role in The Global Order and it's policy implications here in the United States with Executive Director of Penn Global and of Penn China Initiatives Amy Gadsden and Perry World House Global Order Program Manager John Gans.
Episode Overview:
1:35 - Intro
7:30 - US-China Relationship
12:40 - Trade Tensions
17:20 - Re-strengthening the Relationship
26:50 - The Role of Universities and Academic Institutions
31:00 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
With us on this Episode of the Global Cable is former National Security Advisor and Distinguished Perry World House Visiting Fellow H.R. McMaster to discuss his time in the Trump White House and his views on the current state of the global order with Professor William Burke-White, the inaugural director of Perry World House, and Associate Director Professor Michael Horowitz. McMaster was at the University of Pennsylvania to take part in Perry World House’s Colloquium on “Competing Visions of the Global Order” that brought a who’s who of former government officials, diplomats, journalists, and academic experts to Philadelphia.
Episode Overview:
0:18 - Intro
5:10 - H.R. McMaster's Current Academic Projects
7:42 - His Proudest Moment in the Trump Administration
10:00 - Challenges as a National Security Advisor
11:20 - Russia's Role in the Global Order
14:48 - The Civil-Military Relationship in Government
20:05 - The Benefits of Service
21:10 - The Biggest Threats to the World
29:40 - Interesting Global Facts
31:30 - Career Advice
33:00 - Outro
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Helsinki, on Monday, July 16th, a day after the World Cup final in Moscow, in what will be their first ever bilateral summit. Amongst the numerous issues at hand, the agenda will likely include Russian election meddling, Syria, North Korea, Iran and the current price of oil. What should we expect from this meeting and how will US domestic political sensitivities might affect the agenda? Listen to a discussion between Russia and international law expert Professor William Burke-White, the Director of Perry World House, and Perry World House Associate Director Michael C. Horowitz.
Episode Overview:
0:55 - Intro
2:05 - Russia and The World Cup
2:55 - What’s on the agenda for the Helsinki Summit?
4:45 - What are the potential areas for cooperation?
6:05 - How might US political sensitivities might shape the agenda?
7:28 - Russia: Friend, Foe or Competitor?
9:27 - What might Trump concede to Putin?
11:25 - What can the US gain from Russia?
13:10 - How might the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty play into the current situation?
15:02 - What possible mistakes might President Trump make?
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
In July 2018, a high-level political forum on sustainable development will undertake a review of several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As this high-level forum explores the theme of "transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies," we have taken a step back to connect current research on sustainable urban development to global policy on and responses to some of today's most pressing global issues. How are mayors responding to refugee crises? How can cities have a voice in international climate agreements? What does this all have to do with the US policy of separating illegally entering families at the border? Listen now to find out.
This episode features William Burke-White, the Inaugural Director of Perry World House and an expert on international law and global governance; Eugenie Birch, the Director of Penn Institute for Urban Research (IUR) and an expert on global urbanization and the implementation of the UN's New Urban Agenda; and Anne C. Richard, former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration and Perry World House Visiting Fellow.
Read the papers discussed in the episode here: http://penniur.upenn.edu/wuf9
Music and produced by Tre Hester.
In January 2018, two very sanguine scholars wrote an article for The Washington Post on why nuclear war is not very likely with North Korea. Six months later, it is clear that this article has stood the test of time and tweet alike. This episode dives into the core argument of this article with its authors, Perry World House's Michael Horowitz and The George Washington University's Elizabeth Saunders.
Reading: Michael Horowitz and Elizabeth Saunders, "Why nuclear war with North Korea is less likely than you think," Washington Post's Monkey Cage Blog
0:20 - Intro Segment
4:35 - Saunders' background
5:35 - How do world leaders influence military interventions and international affairs?
7:30 - Did experts exaggerate the threat of war with North Korea?
9:30 - What are the factors that mitigate the threat of war with North Korea?
13:00 - Saunders' secret tip to analyze whether or not a leader matters to world events
14:50 - What is the most important challenge that the United States must face over the next two and twenty?
17:00 - Interesting Global Fact segment
18:15 - Career advice
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Looking for more foreign policy commentary on the 2018 World Cup? Look no further than Part II of our special episode featuring an all-star line up of global affairs and football experts. As nations compete for glory in Russia, our guests discuss what the World Cup has to do with foreign policy. They also share their thoughts on the potential winners and losers of this year's tournament. Will they be caught offside in their predictions, or will they score a spot in the Punditry Hall of Fame? Listen to find out!
Andrew Bertoli is a postdoctoral research fellow at Dartmouth's Dickey Center for International Understanding. Kirk Bowman is the Jon Wilcox Term Professor of Soccer and Global Politics at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. Sarah Kreps is an Associate Professor of Government and Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell University. Christopher McIntosh is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Bard College. Stephen Rodriguez is a senior fellow with New America's International Security program and the founder of One Defense.
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Who will win the 2018 World Cup? What is the economic impact of hosting the tournament? How does a country's playing style reflect international politics more broadly?
This episode features an all-star line up of global affairs and football experts. As nations compete for glory in Russia, Burke-White and our guests discuss what the World Cup has to do with foreign policy. They also share their thoughts on the potential winners and losers of this year's tournament. Will they be caught offside in their predictions, or will they score a spot in the Punditry Hall of Fame? Listen to find out!
Cristian Rodríguez Chiffelle is currently the Head of Trade and Investment Policy at the World Economic Forum. Sozi Tulante is a Visiting Fellow at Perry World House and Lecturer in Law at Penn Law. Jon Wolfsthal is director of the Nuclear Crisis Group, a Global Zero initiative to prevent the use of nuclear weapons.
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
The South China Sea is heating up. What are the implications of China’s militarization of the region? What does it mean for the United States and its interest in freedom of navigation? To answer these questions, we gathered four leading experts to discuss the absence of a meaningful U.S. strategy in the South China Sea, the objectives of China and other regional players, and the prospects of a diplomatic solution to the tensions in the area.
William Burke-White, the Director of Perry World House and an expert on international law and global governance; Jacques deLisle, a Professor of Law and director of Penn’s Center for East Asian Studies, whose research and teaching focuses on Chinese law and politics; Lindsey Ford, the Director of Political-Security Affairs for the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former official in the U.S. Department of Defense; and Mark Nevitt, a Sharswood Fellow at Penn Law and former navy aviator with extensive operational experience.
Episode Overview:
- 0:20 – Intro
- 2:36 – Overview of the dispute in the South China Sea
- 4:45 – What undergirds China’s claim to the South China Sea?
- 6:40 – What are U.S. operational priorities in the area?
- 7:42 – How does China’s activity in the South China Sea comport with its broader ambitions?
- 10:45 – How are regional nations dealing with China’s behavior?
- 15:00 – What are the origins of China’s Nine-Dash Line?
- 16:10 – What are the Chinese military assets in the South China Sea?
- 18:30 – How effective are legal tools in resolving this conflict?
- 21:10 – What military options are available to the United States?
- 22:55 – What are the diplomatic and political tools available to the United States?
- 26:00 – What are the principle issues in the South China Sea over the next two and twenty years?
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
What are political tribes, and how do they influence domestic and international politics? How has blindness to group instinct led to follies in U.S. foreign policy? How can nations deal with groups as basic political units? Find out in this episode, featuring Professors Amy Chua and Bill Burke-White!
Amy Chua is the John M. Duff Professor of Law at Yale Law School. She is an expert in ethnic conflict, and globalization and the law. Her most recent book, "Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations," studies how tribalism causes problems at home and abroad. She is also the author of the 2011 memoir, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother."
0:20 – Intro conversation between Mike Horowitz and Bill Burke-White
8:25 – Chua's biographical background.
12:00 – What are political tribes?
14:54 – What are the defining characteristics of a tribe?
17:10 – How can the U.S. better understand tribalism abroad.
22:05 – What can be done about tribalism, both domestically and internationally?
28:40 – How should international law, which traditionally focuses on the state, integrate the realities of tribal politics?
30:30 – What is the most important challenge that the world must face over the next two years?
31:40 – What is the most important challenge that the world must face over the next twenty years?
32:35 – Interesting Global Fact.
33:45 – Career advice for students.
35:10 – Cause for optimism.
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Have you ever wondered what UNESCO is? Or what the rest of the world thinks about the United States’ role in the United Nations? In this episode, former Director-General Irina Bokova answers these questions and more with Perry World House’s Bill Burke-White. Listen and learn about the interesting work that UNESCO does, the politics and intrigue behind international organizations, and the career of a seasoned diplomat.
Irina Bokova served as the Director-General of UNESCO between November 2009 and November 2017. She is the first woman and the first Eastern European to lead the Organization. Before that, she served as acting-Minister for Foreign Affairs, as well as Ambassador of Bulgaria to France, Monaco, and UNESCO.
Episode Guide:
00:40 – Bill and Mike discuss the U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO following Palestine's ascent to the organization
07:20 – Interview with Bokova begins, discussion of her professional background
09:00 – What is UNESCO? What does it do?
15:25 – What tools does UNESCO have to protect cultural heritage?
19:25 – What is the argument for U.S. financial support of international institutions?
22:15 – What will it take to bring the U.S. back to UNESCO?
24:30 – Reform efforts and the United Nations
29:30 – How to break through political log jams in international institutions
32:00 – What is the greatest challenge facing the world over the next two years? Next 20?
34:20 – Bokova shares an interesting fact
35:30 – Career advice for students interested in global affairs
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
What are the various ways to integrate refugees? What does Albert Einstein have to do with migration? What are the differences between economic migrants and refugees? Find out in this episode of The Global Cable, featuring Samer Saliba and Perry World House Director Bill Burke-White.
Samer Saliba is an Urban Technical Specialist at the International Rescue Committee.
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
How do cities learn from one another? What can national governments do to improve living conditions? Which nations are leading the way in building "smart" cities? Find out in this conversation, featuring Dr. Kyung-Hwan Kim and Perry World House Director William Burke-White.
Kyung-Hwan Kim is a professor of economics at Sogang University and Visiting Fellow at Perry World House. Prior to that, he served as vice minister for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea.
Music and Produced by Tré Hester
Less than 1% of refugees return to their country of origin. What does it take to humanize refugees? What the various ways that governments can integrate refugees? How do you provide employment opportunities to displaced people? Find out in this episode of The Global Cable, featuring Robert Barr, Cindy Huang, and Perry World House Deputy Director LaShawn Jefferson.
Robert Barr is the Founder and CEO of Jobs4Refugees. Cindy Huang is the Co-Director of Migration, Displacement, and Humanitarian Policy at the Center for Global Development.
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
What does A2AD have to do with the Philadelphia Eagles defense? And what does the hubris of great powers have to do with Bill Belichick’s Patriots?
Perry World House Associate Director Michael Horowitz quarterbacks this episode, which features an all-star line-up of national security experts. In advance of this Sunday’s Super Bowl, Horowitz and our guests discuss what the Super Bowl has to do with global affairs and foreign policy. They also share their thoughts on the Eagles vs. Patriots matchup. Will they fumble in their predictions, or will they soar towards the Punditry Hall of Fame? Listen to find out!
David Edelstein is Associate Professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. David Larter is the Naval Warfare Reporter for Defense News. Aaron Mehta is the Senior Pentagon Correspondent with Defense News. Joshua Rovner is an Associate Professor at American University’s School of International Service. Lara Seligman is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week.
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
What does the Cold War and Power Transition Theory have to do with Tom Brady’s dietary regimen and the Eagles defense?
Perry World House Associate Director Michael Horowitz quarterbacks this episode, which features an all-star line-up of national security experts. In advance of this Sunday’s Super Bowl, Horowitz and our guests discuss what the Super Bowl has to do with global affairs and foreign policy. They also share their thoughts on the Eagles vs. Patriots matchup. Will they fumble in their predictions, or will they soar towards the Punditry Hall of Fame? Listen to find out!
Frank Gavin is the Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor and the inaugural director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Rita Konaev is a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Strategic Studies in The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (and formerly a post-doctoral fellow at Perry World House). Vipin Narang is associate professor of political science at MIT. Erin Simpson is the host of the Bombshell podcast.
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Stewart Patrick is a senior fellow in global governance and director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program at the Council on Foreign Relations. In this podcast, he sits down with Perry World House Director Bill Burke-White to discuss international engagement in an era of isolation, U.S. foreign policy, and the biggest threats to the world over the short- and long-term. Come for the foreign policy, stay for the statistics about tigers left in the wild.
Is President Trump’s new National Security Strategy doomed to fail? How important are principles in guiding foreign policy? What are the merits of Judy Blume’s adult novels? These are the hard-hitting questions that Perry World House’s Rebecca Friedman Lissner and Michael Horowitz answer in the latest episode of The Global Cable.
Rebecca Friedman Lissner is a Perry World House Postdoctoral Fellow whose research focuses on national security decision-making and nuclear issues. Prior to this, Dr. Lissner was the Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and worked as Special Advisor to the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy.
- (1:00) – Dr. Lissner’s interest in foreign policy, research focus, and work on policy issues.
- (3:10) – The gap between writing and rhetoric in President Trump’s new National Security Strategy.
- (7:20) – What is Principled Realism?
- (9:45) – Is there a Values Deficit in U.S. Foreign Policy?
- (15:05) – What are the two most important challenges that the United States will face in 2018?
- (16:45) – The probability of war with North Korea.
- (18:35) – What are the two most important challenges that the United States will face in the long-term?
- (20:45) – What is the future of nuclear proliferation in countries under the United States security umbrella?
- (24:20) – What are you reading?
- (26:00) – Career advice for university students.
Episode Reading:
- “The National Security Strategy Is Not a Strategy,” Rebecca Friedman Lissner, Foreign Affairs https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2017-12-19/national-security-strategy-not-strategy
- National Security Strategy of the United States of America, White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905.pdf
- Trump Speech on “America First” National Security Strategy, Donald J. Trump, CNN (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlXL4nUHM1Y
-
The Middle Eastern Roots of Nuclear Alarmism Over North Korea,” Rebecca Friedman Lissner, War on the Rocks https://warontherocks.com/2017/10/the-middle-eastern-roots-of-nuclear-alarmism-over-north-korea/
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Derek Chollet, author most recently of “The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World”, was an Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Obama administration. He’s now Executive Vice President at the German-Marshall Fund. In this podcast with Perry World House Director Bill Burke-White, Chollet discusses strategy differences between Obama and Trump, what makes for a great Secretary of State, and the most important challenges facing the world.
- (1:00) – Chollet’s background and entry into foreign policy.
- (3:15) – What is the role of academia in solving global challenges?
- (6:00) – How did Obama change America’s approach towards the world?
- (9:30) – Is there coherence to President Trump’s “America First” strategy?
- (12:35) – What makes a great Secretary of State?
- (16:19) – What are the two most pressing issues facing the United States in the short- and long-term
- (21:00) – Career advice for students
Episode Reading:
- “Russians, guns and Mosul,” Derek Chollet & Tommy Vietor, Pod Save the World (Podcast)
- “Donald Trump Has Made America a Back-Row Kid,” Derek Chollet, Foreign Policy, http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/07/donald-trump-has-made-america-a-back-row-kid/
- “Trump’s First 6 Months Were Terrible, But He Got 3 Things Right,” Derek Chollet, Foreign Policy, http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/21/trump-first-6-months-mattis-defense-diplomacy/
- “Jesse Helms + Hugo Chávez = Donald Trump,” Derek Chollet, Foreign Policy, https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/09/20/jesse-helms-hugo-chavez-donald-trump/
- “The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World,” Derek Chollet, PublicAffairs, https://www.amazon.com/Long-Game-Washington-Redefined-America%C2%92s/dp/161039660X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513109713&sr=8-1&keywords=derek+chollet
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Adotei Akwei is the Managing Director for Government Relations for Amnesty International USA. In this conversation with Perry World House Deputy Director LaShawn Jefferson, Akwei discusses his work in human rights, advocating for important issues, and engaging the next generation of noisemakers.
- (1:10) – Akwei’s path towards a career in human rights.
- (3:40) – How diplomacy can advance human rights.
- (7:30) – The role of advocacy, and Amnesty International’s work in the United States.
- (13:00) – How universities can support human rights and international advocacy work.
- (16:05) – The art of influencing policymakers to affect change.
- (19:30) – The two most important challenges that Africa faces over the near-term.
- (21:44) – The most important global challenge in the long-term.
- (23:00) – Interesting fact about the world.
- (25:42) – Advice for college students interested in engaging the policy world.
Episode Reading:
- “States worldwide failing to prevent killings and disappearances of human rights defenders,” Amnesty International https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/12/states-worldwide-failing-to-prevent-killings-and-disappearances-of-human-rights-defenders/
- Adotei Akwei, “Love Is a Right, Hate Is a Crime,” Huffpost https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/love-is-a-right-hate-is-a-crime_b_4866712.html
- Chris Tognotti, “The Libyan Slave Trade Didn’t Just Happen – It’s Been Enabled For Years,” Bustle https://www.bustle.com/p/the-libyan-slave-trade-didnt-just-happen-its-been-enabled-for-years-6659275
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Loren DeJonge Schulman and Bob Scher sit down with Perry World House's Michael Horowitz to discuss careers in national security, global threats, and the blue whale.
Ms. Schulman is the Deputy Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security. Before that, she served as Senior Advisor to National Security Advisor Susan Rice. Mr. Scher is the head of International Affairs, BP America. Prior to that, Scher served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities in the Department of Defense.
- (0:50) – How did you get interested in international affairs?
- (5:00) – Transitioning from government service to the private sector.
- (5:50) – What is the role of academics and academic institutions in the policy world?
- (8:50) – What skill or trait has made you successful in the policy world?
- (12:50) – What are the two biggest challenges that the world will face over the next year?
- (15:20) – What the two biggest challenges that the world will face over the next 20 years
- (17:10) – Mike forecasts the implications of weaponized AI through the prism of Wall-E getting a gun.
- (20:50) – Interesting global facts segment
- (22:25) – Advice for college students interested in engaging the policy world
Episode Readings:
- Bombshell (Podcast), Loren DeJonge Schulman, Radha Iyengar, & Erin Simpson, War on the Rocks, (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bombshell/id1195698408?mt=2)
- Washington Is Never Quite Sure Where It Is at War, Loren DeJonge Schulman, The Atlantic, (https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/11/niger-aumf-war-terrorism/544652/)
- The Necessity of Questioning the Military, Loren DeJonge Schulman, The Atlantic, (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/10/necessity-of-questioning-military/543576/)
- The Winds of War, Herman Wouk, (https://www.amazon.com/Winds-War-Herman-Wouk/dp/0316952664)
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Dr. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira is the Deputy Executive Director and Assistant Secretary General for UN-Habitat. Before this, Dr. Kacyira served as the mayor of Kigali and Member of Parliament in Rwanda. In this conversation with Perry World House Deputy Director LaShawn Jefferson, the two discuss Sustainable Development Goals, issues of urbanization, and the role of the United Nations in driving development.
- (1:30) Dr. Kacyira’s describes her role as Deputy Executive Director of UN Habitat
- (3:00) The legacy of Habitat III and the role of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals
- (9:30) What is the New Urban Agenda, and why it matters
- (13:20) How to make urbanization- and city-issues accessible to the public
- (16:45) What success looks like in 2030 following the implementation of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals
- (19:00) Career advice for students
Music and Produced by Tre Hester
Dr. Oriana Skylar Mastro is an expert on the Chinese military, Asia-Pacific security issues, and coercive diplomacy. When Dr. Mastro is not teaching or researching at Georgetown University, she serves as an officer in the United States Air Force Reserve as a Political Military Affairs Strategist. In this podcast, Dr. Michael C. Horowitz and Dr. Mastro discuss China, threats to the United States, and career advice for university students.
- 2:20 – The role of academics in policymaking and politics
- 4:52 – How nationalism and domestic political factors shape China’s approach to the world
- 8:55 – The most important short-term global threats facing the United States
- 13:55 – The most important long-term global challenges facing the United States
- 15:04 – Mike admits that he “doesn’t know about most things”
- 15:55 – Career advice for college students interested in engaging the policy world
Episode Reading:
- Is the United States Still the Predominant Power in the Pacific? http://www.chinafile.com/conversation/united-states-still-predominant-power-pacific
- China’s Evolving North Korea Strategy https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/PB231-Chinas-evolving-north-korea-strategy.pdf
- The Vulnerability of Rising Powers: The Logic Behind China’s Low Military Transparency https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/d769ce_72e210e13d3b48cfaeacc79e4182a35c.pdf
Produced and Music by Tre Hester
Professor Michael Horowitz from Perry World House sits down with Professor Hal Brands and Dr. Alina Polyakova to figure out where the Global Order is going in an era of populism, nationalism, and retrenchment. In this conversation, they discuss:
- 2:25 – The role of academia in policymaking and politics
- 5:30 – The influence of nationalism and populism on the global order
- 7:40 – The future of German foreign policy following the 2017 German Elections
- 9:00 – The future of great power relations
- 11:43 – The most important global issues over the next year
- 14:45 – The most important global issue over the next 10 years.
- 18:08 – Career advice to students interested in going into policy
Hal Brands is Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He specializes in American Defense and Foreign Policy and Grand Strategy. Alina Polyakova is the David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Brookings institution’s Center on the United States and Europe. She specializes in European politics, far-right populism and nationalism, and Russian foreign policy.
Produced by Tre Hester
Music by Tre Hester
Drum roll please... Welcome to the first episode of The Global Cable, a brand new podcast from Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania! In it, we will discuss the world's most pressing challenges and the people who work on them.
In our first episode, Kori Schake, William Wohlforth, and Michael Horowitz discuss the future of the global order in an era of nationalism and populism. You should listen to this podcast if you:
- Find conversations on grand strategy to be interesting.
- Want good career advice.
- Need to sound smart at your next dinner party.
Kori Schake is a distinguished research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. William C. Wohlforth is a Professor of Government at Dartmouth University. Michael C. Horowitz is Perry World House's Associate Director and Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Produced by Tre Hester.
Music by Tre Hester