If the 2016 election changed the way America talks about trade, corporate taxation and immigration, economist Kimberly Clausing wants a reset. In her new book, “Open,” she tries to identify where our American discourse on trade, immigration and

Discrimination Based on Gender ID and Sexual Orientation

Jun 3rd, 2019 34m 1s

From adopting more conservative definitions of gender identity to instructing the State Department to spend more time focused on old-school 'natural law' rights, protections for the gay, lesbian and transgender communities appear to be under th

Can Maximum Pressure Work With Iran?

May 13th, 2019 30m 1s

The current U.S. effort to economically weaken and diplomatically subdue Iran seems like the very definition of a “maximum pressure” campaign. But maximum pressure doesn’t mean optimal pressure. If the U.S. wants Iran to engage in new talks to

'The Men Who Stole Africa'

May 2nd, 2019 26m 1s

Investigative reporting by Reuters has unearthed a multi-billion dollar African gold smuggling operation through the United Arab Emirates. That gold is one of many natural resources that leave Africa without any revenue making its way back to t

Arctic conflict isn't inevitable

Apr 23rd, 2019 26m 1s

Russian President Vladimir Putin presented his vision for Russia’s development of the Arctic earlier this month. He predicted commercial use of a northern sea route connecting Europe and Asia via the Arctic Ocean would increase four-fold by 20

The World is Alright, America

Apr 12th, 2019 26m

Read the headlines and you'd think the world is in chaos. American leaders have spent decades warning that the world is full of dangers, and that failing to address them – often at great expense in lives lost and dollars spent – could spell rui

America's Palestinian 'Blind Spot'

Apr 5th, 2019 26m 1s

Israelis head to the polls in closely-watched elections next week, and if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reelected the Trump Administration is reportedly prepared to unveil a long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan crafted by the pres

The EU's Controversial New Copyright Law

Apr 1st, 2019 26m

The E.U. passed sweeping new online copyright legislation this week known as Article 13, handing a victory to ‘content creators’ over platforms like YouTube and Facebook that monetize content. Big players in music, film and media love the law.

Understanding the Global Water Crisis

Mar 22nd, 2019 26m 1s

Seven western states agreed this week share the waters of the Colorado River, something that’s proved difficult after two decades of drought. Success of the deal hinges on dramatically cutting water usage, but at least there’s a pledge to coope

'Combat Obscura': An Unfiltered Look at the US at War

Mar 15th, 2019 26m 1s

The U.S. military has been at war in Afghanistan for more than 17 years. “Combat Obscura,” a new documentary out today offers a rare behind-the-scenes look of that war, mixing combat footage with glimpses of the more mundane daily efforts by y

Is an Arab Spring 2.0 Underway?

Mar 9th, 2019 26m 1s

Anti-government protesters are in the streets of Algeria and Sudan. In Algeria, they’re angry with 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s decision to seek fo fifth term in office, despite being too ill to even make a public appearance. To

Stopping the Weaponization of Space

Mar 1st, 2019 26m 1s

Outer space isn’t about to be militarized, it’s been militarized for decades, and as China, Russia and the U.S. race to outdo each other in a new domain of battle, the world is waking up to the risks that war in space pose for everyone back on

Should Terrorists Lose Their Citizenship?

Feb 22nd, 2019 26m 1s

“Banishment is back.” That’s the assessment by one prominent legal scholar as countries start to strip terrorists of their citizenship – sometimes rendering them stateless in refugee camps in Syria and the world’s other distant battlefields. Th

How (and How Not) to Reform the World Bank

Feb 15th, 2019 26m

President Trump has named his selection to lead the world bank. David Malpass is a veteran of Ronald Reagan’s treasury department and the George H. W. Bush's State Department, but it's his more recent criticisms of the World Bank’s size and mul

50: A Farewell to Arms Control?

Feb 9th, 2019 26m 1s

President Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from a key 1980’s nuclear arms control agreement this month, accusing Russia of violating the INF Treaty for years and saying there was no reason for the U.S. to keep playing by the rules. Trump sai

49: The Costs of Chinese IP Theft

Feb 1st, 2019 26m 1s

The U.S. indicated the Chinese telecom company Huawei this week, accusing the firm of stealing intellectual property from T-Mobile. That's part of a larger U.S. complaint that China’s economic rise has been aided by the systematic pilfering of

48: What's Next for Venezuela?

Jan 25th, 2019 26m 1s

It’s been a historic week in Venezuela, as opposition lawmaker Juan Guaidó claimed the title of Interim President and said Nicolás Maduro had usurped power and was illegitimate in the eyes of the Venezuelan constitution. Venezuela is on edge –

47: The Real Crisis South of the Border

Jan 20th, 2019 26m 1s

President Trump says the U.S. is facing a crisis at its southern border as tens of thousands of migrants wait to lodge asylum claims or attempt to pass into the U.S. illegally. But the real crisis driving that migration is thousands of miles so

46: Forecasting a US exit from Afghanistan

Jan 12th, 2019 26m 1s

President Trump wants out of Syria and his aides say the U.S. is keen to reassert itself as a liberating, not an occupying military force. Amid a push to wind down prolonged conflicts, should we expect an end to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan?

45: Living in an 'Age of Walls'

Jan 5th, 2019 26m

We’re living in an age of migration. The U.N. reports more than 25 million people are seeking shelter from conflict worldwide, as millions more uproot their lives in search of opportunities that don’t exist in their home countries. Many of us w

44: Bolsonaro In, Merkel Out and Populism on the March

Nov 2nd, 2018 44m 1s

The world witnessed two major leadership shakeups this week in Brazil and Germany, and both seem to signal personality politics are the flavor of the moment. This week we’ll talk to a Brazilian political scientists about that country’s new far-

43: The US Retreat on Refugee Leadership

Sep 21st, 2018 44m

The Trump Administration just lowered its refugee admissions ceiling for the next fiscal year to its lowest number in 40 years, and that’s not the only change afoot. Christian refugees also appear to be getting precedence over Muslims fleeing c

42: US-Iran Relations After the Nuclear Deal

Aug 17th, 2018 44m 1s

On the heels of meetings with the leaders of Russia and North Korea, President Trump says he’s open to talking with Iran’s leaders without precondition. Curiously, that offer of face-to-face dialogue came just days after Trump threatened Iran’s

41: Making Sense of the 'New' Russian Military

Jun 29th, 2018 44m 1s

Russian President Vladimir Putin bragged this week that a new generation of Russian nuclear weapons would be "years, and perhaps decades ahead of foreign analogues." Those comments follow a video presentation earlier this year in which new Russ

40: North Korea's Economic Future

Jun 22nd, 2018 44m 1s

Seated across from Kim Jong Un at a negotiating table in Singapore last week, President Donald Trump said he showed the notorious dictator a video of what a brighter North Korea could look like. The message of that video: there’s a prosperous e