On Shifting Ground
975 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★ - 163 ratingsGeopolitical turmoil. A warming planet. Authoritarians on the rise. We live in a chaotic world that’s rapidly shifting around us.
“On Shifting Ground with Ray Suarez” explores international fault lines and how they impact us all.
Each week, NPR veteran Ray Suarez hosts conversations with journalists, leaders and policy experts to help us read between the headlines – and give us hope for human resilience.
A co-production of World Affairs and KQED.
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Episodes
The Future for Sudan through Sudanese Eyes
April 27, 2009 16:45 - 1 hour - 28.9 MBValentino Achak Deng fled his native Sudan in the late 1980’s during civil war, when his village was destroyed by the murahaleen— the same type of militia which currently terrorize Darfur. After nine years in Ethiopian and Kenyan refugee camps, where he worked for the UNHCR as a social advocate and reproductive health educator, he resettled in Atlanta. Since then, Deng has toured the country speaking about Sudan, his experience as a refugee, and his collaboration with author Dave Eggers on l...
R2P: Ending Mass Atrocity Crimes Once and For All
April 13, 2009 16:33 - 1 hour - 33.7 MBFrom the killing fields of Cambodia to the ongoing nightmare in Darfur, why has the world traditionally stood by as governments fail to protect their own people from genocide, ethnic cleansing, or other crimes against humanity? Gareth Evans explains why mass atrocities continue to go unchecked and how the emergence of new international norms, such as the Responsibility to Protect, can guard citizens from falling victim to mass crimes. A former Australian Foreign Minister and leading internat...
WorldAffairs 2009: Responding to Humanitarian Emergencies: Zimbabwe, Sudan, Congo, Gaza
April 07, 2009 10:21 - 1 hour - 30.1 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
WorldAffairs 2009: New Tapestry of Economic Players: US, Emerging Economies, China, India, and Sovereign Wealth Funds
April 07, 2009 10:21 - 1 hour - 33.2 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
WorldAffairs 2009: Russia, Europe, NATO and the Near Abroad
April 07, 2009 10:21 - 1 hour - 34.8 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
WorldAffairs 2009: State Failures: A Fragile Pakistan and Afghanistan
April 07, 2009 10:21 - 1 hour - 32.5 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
WorldAffairs 2009: The Middle East Regional Crises: Israel-Palestine, and Iran
April 07, 2009 10:21 - 1 hour - 35.3 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
WorldAffairs 2009: Addressing Global Poverty: Economic Development, Health, Hunger and Education
April 07, 2009 10:20 - 1 hour - 34.5 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
WorldAffairs 2009: The Impact of a Global Recession: Globalization, Trade and Protectionism
April 07, 2009 10:17 - 1 hour - 33.8 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
WorldAffairs 2009: Developing Clean and Efficient Alternative Energy Strategies
April 07, 2009 10:16 - 1 hour - 37.3 MBThe economic, military and political challenges for the new administration and for each of us as citizens are enormous. Explore the discussions and debates from the 2009 Annual Conference that reveal the key global issues to be addressed at this historical moment.
Breeding Bin Ladens
March 19, 2009 19:08 - 1 hour - 29.5 MBWhile much of American foreign policy is focused on fighting extremists in the Middle East and South Asia, many American leaders have lost sight of a growing threat closer to home: the growing ambivalence of Europe’s Muslims. Until the United States and Europe adopt new strategies to attract the hearts and minds of moderate Muslims living in the West, Shore argues, Europe will increasingly become the incubation ground for breeding new Bin Ladens. Shore asserts that “No one is born a terroris...
The Power of Political Foresight in Global Economics
March 13, 2009 19:06 - 1 hour - 28.5 MBCivil wars, acts of terror, large scale economic failure, seizures of private industries—the world can be a very dangerous place for investors. And because of the growing importance of emerging and frontier markets in recent years, too many companies and financiers have learned the hard truth that in the international economy and these tough financial times, politics often matters as much as economic fundamentals. From the impact of great power rivalries, terrorist groups, government takeove...
Tibet and the Future of China-India Relations
March 10, 2009 19:01 - 1 hour - 30.5 MBAs China and India continue their ascent as emerging powers, how does the Tibet issue affect the relationship between these two economic giants? On the 50th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day, join Tenzin Tethong for a look at what Tibet means for China-India relations. Tibetan Uprising Day commemorates the 1959 Tibetan demonstrations against the People’s Republic of China presence in Tibet. This uprising was followed by a crackdown on Tibetan independence movements, and the flight of the 1...
France Approach to Current International Challenges -- with French Ambassador Pierre Vimont
March 09, 2009 15:49 - 1 hour - 30.6 MBFrom the accomplishments of the French Presidency of the European Union in responding to the recent turmoil in financial markets and the Georgian crisis to France’s leadership in attempting to resolve the current crisis in the Middle East, the Council is honored to host Ambassador Pierre Vimont to discuss the active and influential role that the French Republic is playing on the European continent and across the globe. Ambassador Vimont has had a distinguished career in France’s Ministry of ...
Our Power to Help the Poor
March 05, 2009 10:57 - 1 hour - 32.2 MBAccording to Peter Singer, the ordinary American has an obligation to the world’s poor. He suggests that for the first time in history we, as individuals, are in a position to end extreme poverty. Yet with the death of more than 10 million children each year from avoidable, poverty-related causes, Singer argues that our current minimal response is ethically indefensible. Through thought experiments and examples, Singer examines our concept of giving and personal responsibility to the poor. H...
The Godfather Doctrine: Understanding American Foreign Policy
March 05, 2009 07:53 - 1 hour - 30.8 MBThe three leading schools of American foreign policy today: the left-of-center liberal institutionalist, the Bush-era neocon, and the realist, are likened to the major characters of the infamous film, The Godfather. Hulsman and Mitchell offer a cogent analysis of foreign policy using the themes of the film as parable. Given the present changes in the world’s power structure, the movie is a startling and useful metaphor for the strategic problems of our times, and an assessment of cold-war Am...
Fixing Global Finance
February 18, 2009 12:19 - 1 hour - 35.5 MBDescribed by former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers as the world preeminent financial journalist, Martin Wolf joins the World Affairs Council to explain what has happened to the global financial order and what can be done to avoid the shocks of global finance. Martin Wolf was one of the first to warn and write about the problems in the financial markets, in large part predicting the current financial turmoil. Offering a prescription for fixing global finance, Martin Wolf will discuss the...
Turning Pain to Power -- with Eve Ensler and Denis Mukwege
February 18, 2009 07:46 - 1 hour - 30.4 MBJoin Jane Wales, President CEO of the World Affairs Council and Global Philanthropy Forum, for a powerful conversation with two dynamic agents of change: Denis Mukwege, founder of the Panzi Hospital in Eastern Congo and winner of the 2008 UN Human Rights Prize, and Eve Ensler, founder of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls. Dr. Mukwege and Ms. Ensler will discuss Dr. Mukwege’s work with survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),...
Facing up to Guantánamo
February 11, 2009 21:12 - 1 hour - 30.9 MBHaving denounced the Guantánamo Bay detention camp as a “sad chapter in American history,” President Obama has vowed to restore our nation’s moral stature by closing the controversial facility. As the world awaits definitive action, the Council welcomes Laurel Fletcher and Eric Stover, co-authors of Guantánamo and its Aftermath, an in-depth study of former detainees. In a conversation led by Elizabeth Farnsworth, Fletcher and Stover discuss the implications of their study’s findings, explore...
Sharing Values Across Generations - Madeleine Albright and Daughters
February 07, 2009 21:45 - 1 hour - 30.8 MBWe honor former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and her daughters, Alice, Anne and Katie, in conversation with Jane Wales, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Northern California and the Global Philanthropy Forum. All four Albright women devote their lives to bettering our world. Together, we will explore how the ideals of community and service are shared across generations.
The Aftermath of Mumbai
February 03, 2009 07:43 - 1 hour - 36.2 MBAfter the startling attacks on Mumbai the world is focused with even greater apprehension on the relationship between India and Pakistan. Rafiq Dossani, Neil Joeck and Daniel Sneider join the Council to examine India and Pakistan’s responses to the November terrorist strikes. Will the two nations continue to confront each other through diplomacy or will mutual distrust escalate to armed conflict? What potential does the US have as peacemaker? What are the implications of what is predicted to...
Outlook for US-EU Relations Under the Obama Administration -- with EU Ambassador John Bruton
January 30, 2009 16:17 - 1 hour - 27.8 MBWith a new administration in the White House, what will political change in Washington mean for transatlantic relations between Europe and the United States? From the turmoil in closely-linked financial markets to greater engagement with international institutions to combating terrorism and climate change, how can governments on both sides of the Atlantic turn a series of separate problems into a chain of interlinked opportunities? The Honorable John Bruton, former Irish Prime Minister and c...
The Conflicts of Climate Change
January 27, 2009 16:14 - 1 hour - 27.9 MBFor many, the effects of climate change can appear far off—either geographically distant or isolated to the future. Stephan Faris joins the Council to reveal how climate change is at the root of many of the world’s current and impending crises. Reporting from Darfur to Napa Valley, Faris’ work linking the warming of our planet to local and global conflicts has been widely published and recently cited by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The CIA and the Culture of Failure
January 12, 2009 20:01 - 1 hour - 27.6 MBThe 9/11 attacks and the war in Iraq sprang in no small part from massive intelligence failures, that much is well understood. How the CIA got to a point where it could fail so catastrophically is not. John Diamond begins by looking at US intelligence during the dozen years from the end of the Cold War to the invasion of Iraq in early 2003 as a defining period in CIA history. Diamond argues that while the CIA had a role in the successful outcome of the Cold War, it also became a source of ri...
The Obama Administration: Dealing with the Global Economic Challenge
January 08, 2009 03:00 - 1 hour - 29.6 MBAs President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office, how will turmoil in the international financial markets impact the formulation of his economic and foreign policy agendas? Adam Posen joins the Council to shed light on the economic challenges and international implications facing the new Obama presidency. A widely cited expert on monetary policy from the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C., Posen has been a consultant to the Departments of State and Trea...