WorldAffairs

In the modern age of Facebook, Google, and smart devices, most of us are under 24-hour surveillance. These data points are collected by large tech companies and are in turn sold to and used by governments and businesses alike to influence our behavior. On this week’s episode, Dr. Shoshana Zuboff discusses her new book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, which explores what can be done to protect democracy and free thought against these new threats. She is in conversation with Jim...

While trade wars have been dominating headlines, globalization’s impact on labor has gone largely unnoticed. Global trade now favors more knowledge-intensive labor over low-cost, unskilled labor. How will this affect the future of work? Laura Tyson, distinguished professor and faculty director of the Institute for Business & Social Impact at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and Susan Lund, partner and leader of the McKinsey Global Institute, discuss why globalized economies are in...

In recent years, Hungary and Poland have become havens for alt-right movements that target human rights groups, feminists, and pro-immigration activists. But this rise of authoritarianism is not confined to Eastern Europe, and it has become a global phenomenon. In this week’s episode, we explore the forces fueling the erosion of democracies worldwide. Anna Grzymala-Busse, international studies professor at Stanford University andsenior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, and Jason...

By 2030, up to 800 million global workers may lose their jobs to automation. Technological advancement in an ever-globalized economy is changing both service-sector and professional jobs at a staggering pace. How can governments help workers remain vital to the global economy? Richard Baldwin, author of the new book, The Globotics Upheaval: Globalization, Robotics, and the Future of Work, is in conversation with WorldAffairs co-host Markos Kounalakis. We want to hear from you! Please take...

Despite decades of autocratic rule, Saudi Arabia has historically been a close ally to the US. This has been especially true under the Trump administration, which saw the transition of power to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, also known as MBS. Initially lauded as a social reformer, MBS’ international standing has since fallen as a result of arbitrary arrests, the proxy-war in Yemen, and the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle East...

The three-month-old yellow vest movement in France is the largest protest the country has seen in decades. While protesters hail from diverse backgrounds, what they do share is a deep resentment towards both their government and their nation’s elites. And here the French are not alone. The Italian and British governments have also been feeling the backlash as yellow vest-inspired protests continue to spread. Does the yellow vest movement represent an inflection point for the future of...

On January 23rd, millions of Venezuelans took to the streets in support of Juan Guiado, the president of the National Assembly, as he swore himself in as interim president. While Guiado has the support of many foreign governments, including the United States, President Nicolas Maduro insists that he is the rightful leader. How did Venezuela get to its current economic and political crisis? What happens next? Venezuelan columnist Moisés Naím discusses the future of the country with World...

As democracy declines around the globe and geopolitical competition grows, US sentiment increasingly appears to favor going it alone. But if we abandoned our long-term global commitments, what would happen to the current world order? Robert Kagan, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author, The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World, discusses the future of American foreign policy with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales. We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick...

In July 2014, Washington Post Tehran bureau Chief Jason Rezaian was arrested by Iranian police and accused of spying for America. What he initially thought was a political stunt became an eighteen-month prison stint with impossibly high diplomatic stakes. Jason Rezaian joins WorldAffairs Co-host Ray Suarez to share his story, as told in his compelling new book, Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison. We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can...

Artificial intelligence (AI) brings boundless possibilities. It can now drive our cars, diagnose our diseases, and even help us tackle climate change. But AI can also divide societies and drive nations to conflict. As we cede more of our fundamental decisions to machines, how do we ensure AI is designed with our best interests in mind? Fei-Fei Li, Co-director of the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute and co-founder of the non-profit AI4ALL, and Olaf Groth, founder of Cambrian AI and...

This program is a re-air from 2018. In today’s reality, democracy no longer ends with a revolution or military coup, but with a gradual erosion of political norms. As a growing number of countries are chipping away at liberally democratic values, are these institutions safe from elected, authoritarian leaders? Daniel Ziblatt, professor at Harvard University and co-author of How Democracies Die, discusses the future of liberal democracies with World Affairs CEO Jane Wales. We want to hear...

In the last fifty years, a doubling of the world’s population has contributed to substantial habitat loss and large-scale species extinction. What can we do, as individuals and societies, to fight back against environmental degradation and animal endangerment? In this week’s episode, Jonathan Foley, Senior Scholar at the California Academy of Sciences, and Peter Knights, Executive Director at WildAid, discuss how to curb climate change and the illegal wildlife trade with World Affairs CEO...

This program is a re-air from earlier in 2018. On December 12, British Prime Minister Theresa May faced a vote of no confidence in Parliament. May survived the test, but the lack of a Brexit deal still plagues her administration. The critical issue: how to avoid creating a hard border between The Republic of Ireland, remaining in the EU, and North Ireland, part of the UK. In this week’s episode, Fintan O’Toole, journalist for the Irish Times, talks about the high-stakes issues involved and...

This extended program is a re-air from earlier in 2018. The conflict in Afghanistan reached its 17th anniversary in October, and US involvement in Iraq will be 15 years. Americans are aware of these wars, but what about the almost 200,000 other US military personnel stationed around the world in over 130 countries? Where are American forces and what explains the large military footprint? Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts...

According to Stephen Walt, Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the past three decades of US foreign policy have led to unnecessary wars, tragic death and failed diplomacy. He shares his insights with Jane Wales, World Affairs CEO, about how to reorient US foreign policy and restore global trust. Next, WorldAffairs co-host Ray Suarez will turn to the recent election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, the newest member of a growing club of...

In international trade, many experts believe that China has not played by the rules. But tit-for-tat tariffs, while justified, harm American consumers and producers. Is the tension between the US and China simply about trade, or is it a battle for global economic supremacy? Yukon Huang is in conversation with WorldAffairs co-host Markos Kounalakis. We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Why do an estimated 90% of startups fail? And what separates those that get disrupted and disappear from the startups that become successful global enterprises? On this week’s episode, we’re unlocking the secrets to these questions with Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and Greylock Partner. He is in conversation with James Manyika, director of the McKinsey Global Institute. We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast:...

The overuse of legal painkillers and the rise of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid which is easy to produce and transport across borders, has created a global opioid crisis. What do governments need to do to curb supply and combat addiction? Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, and German Lopez, senior correspondent at VOX, discuss the consequences of a global drug market flooded by opioids with WorldAffairs Co-Host Ray Suarez. We want to hear...

Cyberattacks against governments and private companies have skyrocketed in both volume and impact. From election interference to the Sony studio hacking, cyberattacks can now be "blended" to inflict even more widespread damage, including inspiring acts of terrorism. In this week’s episode we’ll discuss the new types of cyber threats and the ways in which governments and corporate leaders are responding. John Carlin, former assistant attorney general for the US Department of Justice’s...

As the US midterm elections play out in early November, politics are everywhere, but national security policy should be distinguishable from politics, according to Dr. Susan Rice, the National Security Advisor to President Obama and US Ambassador to the United Nations. It is well documented that Americans are ever more divided: along party, ideological, socio-economic and cultural lines; by geographic, demographic, racial and religious differences. Indeed, Rice suggests that the most...