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Global Dispatches

The longest running independent international affairs podcast features in-depth interviews with policymakers, journalists and experts around the world who discuss global news, international relations, global development and key trends driving world affairs.

Named by The Guardian as "a podcast to make you smarter," Global Dispatches is a podcast for people who crave a deeper understanding of international news.

Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Rhetoric and actions from the Trump administration suggest that the United States is seeking to forcibly oust Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela Is the U.S. really going to attempt regime change in Venezuela, and what would that even look like? Joining me from Caracas is Phil Gunson, Senior Analyst for the Andes Region at the International Crisis Group. We kick off discussing the mood in Caracas right now amid this increasingly threatening American posture before having a longer conversation about whether the U.S. is indeed seeking regime change, what that might entail, and the profound risks of American intervention in Venezuela.

Is the US About to Attempt Regime Change in Venezuela? The View From Caracas

A ceasefire is holding in Gaza. Aid is beginning to flow. The remaining Israeli hostages have been released, as have nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Israeli detention.
 
This has been a truly remarkable day in the Middle East. But can this positive momentum be sustained?
 
I recorded this conversation with Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy just moments after Donald Trump met with an impressive array of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in a ceremony designed to cement his personal investment in this peace plan. We kick off by discussing the significance of the spectacle and ceremony in Sharm el-Sheikh, then have a longer conversation about how the ceasefire came together and the many pitfalls that remain.
 
This ceasefire is fragile. Hamas is reconstituting. And the Israeli government remains opposed to a viable Palestinian State. But this is nonetheless a significant inflection point after two years of brutal war.

What Comes Next For Israel and Gaza | With Matt Duss

UNGA is over. But its legacy lives on. We recorded this episode as news broke of a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and so we look back at UNGA80 to trace the ways in which the world’s largest diplomatic gathering may have provided some key momentum for a breakthrough on Gaza. Mark and Anjali also go deep on a new Gang Suppression Force that the Security Council just authorized for Haiti. But can this international intervention in Haiti succeed when so many before it have failed? Finally, Mark and Anjali make their Nobel Peace Prize picks. Spoiler alert — it ain’t Donald Trump.
 
Unlock full access to this episode with a 40% discount. 
 
https://www.globaldispatches.org/40percentoff

Did The Gaza Ceasefire Emanate From UNGA? Plus: A New "Gang Suppression Force" for Haiti and our Nobel Predictions | To Save Us From Hell

On September 16th, Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the High Seas Treaty, triggering a countdown to January, when the treaty will officially enter into force.
 
The High Seas Treaty establishes a kind of “rules of the road” for international waters that lie beyond the jurisdiction of any single country—particularly around conservation and the preservation of ocean biodiversity. At the core of the High Seas Treaty is the creation of Marine Protected Areas—think of them as national parks for the high seas. And even though the treaty has not yet entered into force, it is already influencing ocean conservation efforts, according to my guest today, Nichola Clark, a senior officer for ocean governance at the Pew Charitable Trusts.
 
We begin by discussing why the international community felt the need for a High Seas Treaty in the first place, and then trace the story of how this agreement came to life. We wrap up with a conversation about what the treaty has already accomplished—and what it may achieve in the near future.
 
This episode is produced in partnership with Lex International Fund, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to strengthening international law to solve global challenges. It’s part of our ongoing series highlighting the real-world impact of treaties on state behavior, called “When Treaties Work.”

When Treaties Work: The High Seas Treaty

A genocidal militia called the Rapid Support Forces has been laying siege to the city of El Fasher, in Darfur, for nearly 500 days. But in recent weeks, the situation has grown far worse. Some 250,000 people are now trapped in the city and are enduring relentless bombardment from drones and artillery. Food is scarce, and an untold number of people are starving to death. To make matters worse, recent moves by the Rapid Support Forces suggest they may be preparing for an all-out assault on the city.
 
This is a pivotal moment in Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023 when two generals—once allies in toppling a civilian-led government—turned their guns on each other, unleashing what is now the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
 
After two and a half years of fighting, the Sudanese Armed Forces control most of the country’s east, including Khartoum and a key port city. The Rapid Support Forces, meanwhile, hold much of the west, including resource-rich Darfur—with one critical exception: Darfur’s historic capital, El Fasher.
 
Joining me to discuss this precarious moment in Sudan’s war and what might finally bring an end to the conflict is Noaman Elwaleed Mousa, a PhD student in political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies civil wars in Africa. We begin with the situation on the ground in El Fasher and the broader significance of this battle for Sudan’s future.

Sudan's Civil War Takes an Even Deadlier Turn

In 1995, there was a landmark meeting on gender equality in Beijing: the Fourth World Conference on Women. The conference produced the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a highly influential blueprint for advancing women’s rights. It was at this conference that then–First Lady Hillary Clinton famously declared, “Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights, once and for all.”
 
Last week, at the United Nations General Assembly, there was a 30-year commemoration of this landmark conference, which has become a touchstone for advocates around the world — particularly from civil society. Today, I’m joined by two of those advocates: Bani Dugal and Liliane Nkunzimana, representatives of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. They explain why the conference 30 years ago was so significant, how it continues to influence debates on gender equality today, and how to keep advancing gender equality in a profoundly different geopolitical context three decades on.
 
This episode is produced in partnership with the Baha’i International Community, an NGO that represents the worldwide Baha’i community at the UN and other international forums, where it emphasizes that recognizing humanity’s interconnectedness is key to a shared global future. The Baha’i International Community recently released the book "In Full Partnership: Thirty Years of Women’s Advancement at the United Nations and Beyond, " which honors 30 years since the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the creation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. You can find the book at BIC.org.

"Women’s Rights Are Human Rights" — 30 Years On

Over the last two weeks, the United States has at least twice bombed boats in the Caribbean that the White House claims were smuggling drugs to the United States, killing an unknown number of people on board. This is extraordinary. Under normal circumstances, the United States Navy or Coast Guard would interdict alleged drug smugglers and turn them over to law enforcement for prosecution. But the Trump administration is apparently unleashing the full weight of the U.S. military against people it deems to be smuggling drugs. What’s more concerning, according to legal experts across the spectrum, is that these targeted killings do not seem to be operating under any apparent legal framework.
 
The administration is using the language of the War on Terror to justify these killings, but there has been no authorization for the use of military force against drug smugglers. Nor has the administration put forward a legal rationale for these strikes. And all this comes amidst an unprecedented American naval buildup in the Caribbean — a show of force against the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
 
“It’s truly extraordinary for the U.S. government to be conducting premeditated killing of individuals merely for suspected drug smuggling,” says my interview guest Brian Finucane, senior advisor at the International Crisis Group. We begin by discussing what is known about these two strikes, before turning to a longer conversation about the implications of using the language and tools of counterterrorism to kill alleged drug smugglers absent any clear legal constraint.
 
https://www.globaldispatches.org/40percentoff

Is America Suddenly at War With Venezuela?

It was Donald Trump’s fifth speech before the United Nations General Assembly.
 
It was also his most rambling.
 
For 55 minutes, the President of the United States riffed: on migration, windmills, hot air, London’s mayor, offshore oil in Aberdeen, even the flooring and décor of UN headquarters. At one point, Trump told the assembled world leaders: “Your countries are going to hell!”
 
But was there a method to this madness? What can we discern about U.S. foreign policy and Trump’s approach to the United Nations from this speech? Joining me for a timely conversation on these questions and more are Anjali Dayal and Maya Ungar—two seasoned UN watchers. Anjali Dayal, of course, is my To Save Us From Hell co-host and a professor of international relations at Fordham University. Maya Ungar is a UN analyst at the International Crisis Group.
 
We spoke just moments after Trump’s speech concluded, beginning with our knee-jerk reactions to a very odd address before turning to a longer conversation about what Trump’s UNGA remarks reveal about American foreign policy and its approach to the UN.
 
https://www.globaldispatches.org/40percentoff

“Your countries are going to hell” -- Trump Unleashes at the UN

Immunization has transformed the health trajectory of millions in Africa — but the job is far from done. This discussion moves beyond vaccines as a medical intervention, framing them instead as a trust-building exercise between communities and health systems. You’ll come away with a clear sense of what it will take to protect Africa’s health gains and prepare for future threats.
 
Helen Clark offers high-level insights on vaccine diplomacy, while Dr. Jamal Ahmed unpacks the operational and political hurdles to reaching every child. Dr. Esias Bedingar adds a front-line perspective on combating misinformation and delivering care in fragile settings. Vaccines have saved millions of lives across the continent — but more work remains. This episode explores both the progress made and the gaps that still need to be closed.
 Guests • 

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, former Director of UN Development Program and member of the Elders
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Dr. Jamal Ahmed, WHO Director for Polio Eradication
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Dr. Esias Bedingar, Program Manager at Big Win Philanthropy and former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Chad.
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 Background Materials 
Vaccination Progress in Africa – Millions of Lives Saved, WHO Africa

Immunizations Are One of Africa's Greatest Public Health Success Stories | Future of Africa, Episode 7

Africa’s future will be written by its girls and women — if they have the resources and rights to lead. Graça Machel calls for a generational shift in how girls’ education and leadership are supported, while Françoise Moudouthe challenges donors and policymakers to back feminist movements with flexible, sustained funding. Satta Sheriff brings the voice of a new generation, connecting women’s leadership to broader fights for climate justice, peace, and economic inclusion. This episode is full of hard truths about the barriers girls and women face, paired with inspiring examples of what happens when those barriers come down.
 Guests • 

Graça Machel, women’s and children's rights advocate; former freedom fighter and first Education Minister of Mozambique; co-founder of The Elders.
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Françoise Moudouthe, CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund
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Satta Sheriff, Human Rights Activist & African Union Panel of the Future Member
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 Background Materials • 

Women’s Rights in Review 30 years after Beijing, UN Women
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Futures Africa: Trends for Women by 2030, The African Women’s Development Fund
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African Young Women B+25 Manifesto, African Union
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Women and Girls Will Write the Future of Africa | Future of Africa, Episode 6

We are doing something a little different today. Instead of one in depth interview, Mark chats with several experts who work for various arms of the United Nations. 

Here's the set up: The UN Foundation invited a number of talk radio hosts to broadcast from inside the United Nations headquarters in New York and arranged for UN experts to stop by the broadcast room. I couldn't fit every single interview into one podcast, so look out for a future "Live from the UN Volume 2."

On this program, in order of appearance, we have:

Paul Heslop from UN Mine Action Service--the real life Hurt Locker.

Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict on her remarkable career fighting for women's rights.

George Papagiannis, UNESCO. On the USA's self-defeating policy toward UNESCO

Jos Vandaveer, Chief of Immunizations, UNICEF. Why vaccines can save the world.

Khalid Malik, UNDP. What the New Human Development report tells us about the Global South; and why China's remarkable rise is not going to end anytime soon.

Episode 7: Live from the UN, Vol I

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