International Power Hour: Recent Episodes
Horizon Radio
The International Power Hour is an international affairs program from Indiana University Southeast’s Horizon Radio. The show is co-hosted by professors of political science and international studies, Drs. Jean Abshire and Cliff Staten. Listen each week for an informative discussion about timely issues of global importance.
Bonus content from our conversation with Katherine Clark and Wayland Dietrich last week. Hear more about how building homes also builds relationships and impacts lives, in this special bonus episode!
This week, we welcome guests Katherine Clark and Wayland Dietrich to talk about an organization that builds homes for people in Central America. Join us to hear how this couple from Southern Indiana are helping make a global impact, and more!
We welcome guests Dr. J. Alse from the Department of Economics at IU Southeast, and Ken Stammerman who is a retired foreign service officer and expert on Middle Eastern affairs, to discuss the basics and benefits of global trade. Join us for this special episode, which is a dual production with the IUS Global Civic […]
We welcome guest Sharon Kutz-Mellem to discuss the Louisville chapter of the organization Grannies Respond (Abuelas Responden). See how international issues affect us here at home, what we can do to help in our own community, and more!
Hosts Dr. Jean Abshire and Dr. Cliff Staten discuss what’s going on in the world besides social distancing. Discussion includes the North Korean missile tests, the low cost of oil, Afghanistan, the US & Venezuela, and more! (Image by Pixabay user Activedia, used under the Pixabay license)
We welcome guest Dr. Dauer, professor of History here at IU Southeast, to talk with us about the ten year anniversary of earthquakes in Chile and Haiti. Join us for this special episode, which is a dual production with the IUS Global Civic Literacy Initiative and co-sponsored by the American Democracy Project and World 101 […]
We welcome guest Dr. Steve Hess, a political scientist from Transylvania University, to talk with us about the Uighur people in China and the Chinese government’s policy of putting them in “re-education camps” and more. (Image by Pixabay user Cinya75, used under the Pixabay license)
We welcome guest Dr. Gregory Kordsmeier, Professor of Sociology, to discuss the novel corona virus, COVID-19; and its impact from a political and social perspective. (Image by Pixabay user Alexey_Hulsov, used under the Pixabay license)
Hosts Jean Abshire and Cliff Staten discuss and give updates on current developing international events; including President Trump’s Peace Plan, Brexit, and COVID-19. (Image by Pixabay user Geralt, used under the Pixabay license)
With our guest, Voice of America journalist Zaw Hlaing, we discuss developments in democratization, human rights, ethnic conflict, anti-corruption efforts, and more in the southeast Asian country of Myanmar. (Image by Pixabay user danielkirsch, used under the Pixabay license)
Chile, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, … There has been considerable protest activity around Latin America in recent months and years. With our guest Dr. Quinn Dauer, we discuss the themes unifying the protests and examine the diverse contexts surrounding them. (Image by Pixabay user Mauroperez, used under the Pixabay license)
Jean and Cliff discuss international trade regarding “new NAFTA” and developments at the World Trade Organization, NATO at 70, protest in Bolivia, and just a bit on Ukraine. (Image by Pixabay user Geralt, used under the Pixabay license)
Dr. Steve Hess of Transylvania University shared his research on protest in China and also his insights on the Hong Kong protests. (Image by Gratisography user Ryan McGuire, used under the Gratisography license)
Mr. Fish, the pen name of Dwayne Booth, is an internationally recognized political cartoonist. He is edgy, irreverent, and across-the-board scathing in his critiques of the powerful in the interest of advancing humanitarian concerns for the marginalized. We talk about his work, with specific reference to some of his major themes including war, the international […]
With guests, Dr. Michael Hutchins (German) and Dr. Robert Rennie (History), we talk about the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. We look at the context of the division of Germany and the importance and impact of The Wall and then how it came down. We also provide some comparative perspectives on […]
With our guest, Dr. Quinn Dauer, we talk about the massive protests in Chile and what is behind them, as well as the elections in Argentina that resulted in a change in leadership amid economic crisis
Our conversation with Dr. Muriel Schmid, administrative director of Christian Peacemaker Teams, on Kurdistan.
A special episode featuring our conversation with Abdulhamid Bilici, exiled editor of the newspaper Zaman, Turkey’s largest daily paper before it was closed down by the government.
Dr. Victor Waingeh, originally from Cameroon and now a biologist at IU Southeast shares his experiences coming to the US for his doctoral program but also excellent insights about Cameroon’s civil conflict between the Francophone-dominated government and the Anglophone region of the country which is seeking greater local authority.
This week is an International News Forum looking at Brexit (of course!), tariff updates, a Latin America Round Up (Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, and even a mention of Argentina), and a bit on the Israeli election.
We discuss the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure with guest Mr. Ken Stammerman, retired foreign service officer.
Our interview with Carolyn Forché about her amazing memoir What You Have Heard Is True about her experiences in El Salvador leading up to the 12-year civil war. It is a powerful read and gives valuable context for what is happening now in El Salvador that fuels asylum-seeking.
Back to a New Season: Big news of the summer – Hong Kong, tariffs, Brexit, & immigration.
This week we dive into China with Dr. Yu Shen, Professor of History and International Studies at IUS. We discuss the meaning of communism in China today, how global power has shifted between the U.S. and China, as well as recent changes under President Xi.
In this episode we explore disability policy in the international sphere with Dr. Elizabeth Lightfoot, an expert on the subject working out of Romania through a Fulbright scholarship. We apologize for the technical difficulties we experienced in this episode! (Image by Pixabay user Geralt, used under the Pixabay license)
Today we explore the Mueller report, Thai elections, a Brexit update, the situations in Golan Heights and Gaza, as well as lifting sanctions on North Korea. We end with another episode of Passports & Politics: Cuba – Beyond Havana! (Photo by Pixabay user geralt, used under Pixabay license.)
As part of our new occasional series “Passports and Politics,” Cliff shared tips for visiting Cuba beyond Havana (especially Santiago de Cuba) with your mind on political travel. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons user user Cvbr. Used under the Creative Commons Universal Public Domain Dedication license.)
Jean shares tips & some travel experiences about using public transit to get around while on a trip overseas. If political travel is, in part, about experiencing life like a local, a good way to get an introduction is to move through life in the same way as the people in the community you’re visiting. […]
We discuss the BDS Movement (Boycott, Disinvest, Sanction) targeting Israel and advocating for Palestinian rights, the recent summit between Trump & Kim Jong Un, the recent rise in tensions between nuclear powers India & Pakistan, political violence in Haiti, and a brief Venezuela update. We end with another episode of Passports & Politics: Trains, Trams, […]
Ambassador James P. Zumwalt of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA and Dr. Satu Limaye from the East-West Center in Washington join us to explore economic, security, and diplomatic issues in US-Japan relations! Thanks to the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA for making this possible!
We talk with Teagan Sage, an IU Southeast International Studies major who grew up in Germany. We talk about daily life in Germany, including the education system, as well as the experience of coming to college in the US after growing up overseas, and what it is like to be truly bi-cultural. (Photo by Pixabay user […]
France has been shaken by weeks of protests challenging the government of Pres. Macron and, most recently, showing ugly signs of right-wing extremism. Our guest, French professor Dr. Charles Pooser, helps us understand that background and context of protest in France and the Yellow Vests in particular. (Yellow vests photo by Wikimedia Commons user Thomas […]
Venezuela: With our guest, historian Dr. Quinn Dauer, we examine the dramatic political events in the country with the world’s largest known petroleum reserves! The dueling claims to the presidency, US interests and actions, the history of right-wing political control, and the rise of the left and Chavismo are all topics for discussion.
As part of our new occasional series “Passports and Politics,” Cliff shared tips for visiting Havana with your mind on political travel. (Photo via Pixabay user Falkenpost. Used under Pixabay license.)
We look at recent developments relating to peace efforts in Afghanistan, the US & then Russian withdrawals from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the situation with Chinese company Huawei and international relations implications thereof, as well as Nicaragua, Brexit quick updates. Then Cliff shared tips for visiting Havana with your mind on political […]
Our guest, physicist Dr. Kyle Forinash, explains what we know and how we know it about climate change in layperson’s terms and then we consider just a few of the ways that climate change will affect international politics, such as refugee flows, conflict over resources, and more.
With IU Southeast Chancellor and Northern Ireland native Ray Wallace, we discuss the latest developments in Brexit, the move of the United Kingdom out of the European Union and, especially, the challenges posed by and to Northern Ireland in that process. Dr. Wallace was recently in Northern Ireland and has first-hand insight as to the […]
Jean introduces the new occasional series. Passports and Politics focusing on travel as a political act and shares an experience from her studies in East Germany to illustrate the idea.
We discuss what will surely be major news events to monitor in the coming year — immigration, Brexit, trade/tariffs, Russia, and Syria/Middle East. We also premier a new occasional feature, Passports & Politics. Jean introduces the ideas of travel as a political act and one of her own experiences from her time studying in East Germany. […]
We discuss the roots and major events and developments in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. If you are unclear about how this conflict came about or about major events in the history of the conflict, join us — our Middle East expert, Ken Stammerman helps clarify.
We talked about the G20 summit in Argentina, the increased conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the migrant caravan, Brexit, and the recently published US climate report.
Our occasional series featuring people from international backgrounds who are right here in our own community continues with Laura Rodriguez from Cuba. Laura grew up in Camaguey, Cuba. We chat about her life in Cuba and the challenges of adjusting to life in the United States.
Our guest is Kelsey Timmerman, author of “Where Am I Wearing?”, “Where Am I Eating?”, and his latest book “Where Am I Giving?” We talk about his journey tracing common items of food and clothing back to their sources, and the impact of our daily choices as consumers.
Our guest is Dr. Amy S. Patterson of the University of the South. Dr. Patterson is an expert on civil society and its contributions to democracy in Africa. In particular, she has looked at religious groups and their role in dealing with the AIDS and Ebola crises and how this contributes to the democratization process.
Dr. Linda Johannson and Dr. Susanne Johanneson from Jönköping University in Sweden join us to talk about Sweden: its political system, healthcare, and educational systems. We also touch on the issue of immigration and how it has affected the political system, as well as a bit on international education programs like those supported by the European Union’s […]
We talk about the migrant caravan, the “new” NAFTA agreement, Brazil’s newly elected president, an update on Brexit, the announced departure of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the latest on the re-education camps for Uyghurs in China.
A look at Saudi foreign relations & some internal politics since Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman increased his power: We discuss the murder of US-based journalist Khashoggi, the war in Yemen, the kidnapping of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and the blockade of neighboring Qatar with our guest, retired US Foreign Service Officer Ken Stammerman.
Our guest, journalist Zaw Hlaing, shared his experiences as a young democracy activist in Burma who had to flee to safety in India. He eventually came to the US – to Indiana! – and now works for the Burmese-language section of Voice of America, based in Washington, D.C. His work as a journalist takes him […]