Big World

Viruses are supposed to be the ultimate equal opportunity offenders–they’re just looking for a host. Why, then, have inequities become magnified during the coronavirus pandemic?

SIS professor Nina Yamanis joins Big World to discuss how COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequities in the United States. She discusses how foreseeable the pandemic was (1:42) and explains how the social determinants of health impact people’s health care experiences on a normal basis (2:54) versus during the coronavirus pandemic (5:59). Professor Yamanis also showcases how COVID-19 has brought income inequality issues to the forefront (7:05).

In the US, how have the effects of COVID-19 been experienced differently by different populations (9:06), and have other pandemics or epidemics followed the pattern of amplifying access and health care inequities (15:03)? Professor Yamanis answers these questions and reveals the policies that could get to the roots of inequity in the US (18:16). We end our podcast with Professor Yamanis describing why health care providers need to recognize and address the impacts of institutionalized racism on peoples’ health (20:32).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Yamanis shares the five policies she would institute to improve health care access and equity in the US (12:27).

Though Fidel Castro was an authoritarian leader with no tolerance for dissenting views and little regard for human rights, Cuba under his rule developed and maintained robust public education and healthcare programs. This seeming contradiction exemplifies some of the challenges that understanding Cuba presents. In short, Cuba’s governance in the past and today is complicated.

SIS professor Philip Brenner joins Big World to discuss what Cuba has gotten right. He shares his thoughts on Senator Bernie Sanders’ surprisingly controversial remarks about the country earlier this year (2:22) and reveals what we may not know about present-day Cuba when our perceptions are colored by attitudes toward Castro (5:00). Professor Brenner also breaks down the impact of Cuba’s investment in public health after the revolution, including its medical diplomacy efforts before and during the coronavirus pandemic (7:41).

What has led to Cuba’s modern-day emergence of entrepreneurship (12:30), and how different is life in the country today for the average school kid than it was under Castro (18:43)? Professor Brenner answers these questions and describes the current state of the US’s bilateral relationship with Cuba (21:10). We end our podcast with Professor Brenner recommending what US-Cuba relations should be like going forward (25:24).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Brenner shares the five practices he would change to improve the US’s policies toward Latin America (15:07).

According to Amnesty International’s 2018 review of human rights in the Middle East and North Africa, this is not a great time for human rights activists and defenders in the Middle East. That year saw an increased crackdown on civil society in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. In 2019, massive protests took place in Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran.

Against this backdrop, SIS professor Shadi Mokhtari joins Big World to discuss human rights in the Middle East. She shares the current state of human rights in the region (1:35) and dives into the relationship between human rights and political change (5:38). Professor Mokhtari also hones in on the rights of Middle Eastern women and their involvement in protest movements (7:41).

How do US actions toward the Middle East affect protest movements in some Middle Eastern countries (13:51)? Professor Mokhtari answers this question and challenges the perception that people in the Middle East have a resistance to the human rights framework (18:50). Lastly, she discusses the impact of Middle Eastern protest movements on the rest of the world (23:41).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Mokhtari shares the five policies she would institute to help Middle East protest movements achieve their aspirations (10:24).

Over the past two decades, the roles of social media and other digital technologies have evolved. What started as a means of communication among friends quickly snowballed into tools for business, activism, and more. But these new technologies have also been used by terrorists for malicious purposes.

Professor Audrey Kurth Cronin, founding director of SIS’s Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology, joins Big World to discuss how the Internet and social media have impacted terrorism and counterterrorism strategies. She gives us the background on new technology developments during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (1:45) and tells us why this new technology is unprecedented (2:46).

How have digital technologies affected the strategies of terrorists and other rogue actors (5:43)? Cronin explains how terrorists use tactics similar to those used by online marketers (9:00). She also provides insights on whether the trend of social media organizing helps or hurts democracies and democratic interests (16:12) and how governments use social media and digital technologies to combat rogue actors (18:16).

Is social media good or bad for people and society? We end the podcast with Cronin’s response to this existential question that social media tends to provoke (24:00).

During our “Take Five” segment, Cronin shares what five policies she would institute to influence the future of digital technologies and security (13:18).

To say the president's foreign policy agenda has been an item of interest lately is a dramatic understatement. The American president traditionally sets foreign policy priorities for the country, but can the modern president do whatever they want? When the subject is the US presidency, what is normal?

SIS professor Jordan Tama joins Big World to discuss the role of the US president in foreign policy. He explains how the American system is supposed to work regarding foreign policymaking, including the differences in authority between the president and Congress in conducting foreign affairs (2:11).

What is an “imperial presidency” (4:27), and how has the modern US presidency exceeded its constitutional limits (7:35)? Professor Tama answers these questions and reveals how far recent presidents—including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush—have deviated from established norms regarding foreign policymaking (13:57).

Finally, Professor Tama breaks down the role of Congress and partisan gridlock in foreign policymaking (17:06) and suggests ways to move away from an imperial presidency and back to normalcy (21:11).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Tama lists the five steps the president and Congress should take to improve US foreign policy (11:08).

Every minute in 2018, 25 people were forced to flee their homes. That's according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which also revealed in their 2018 annual report that there are currently more than 70.8 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, including 25.9 million refugees.

SIS professor Tazreena Sajjad joins Big World to discuss where refugees go. She reveals which countries are producing and taking in the most refugees (1:34) and explains why most of the world’s refugees are hosted by countries in the developing world (4:21). Professor Sajjad also discusses her research in Bangladesh, which opened their borders to more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees (7:34), and the complexities that have emerged from the country’s decision to take in a large number of refugees (9:56).

Why are Western countries increasingly closing their borders to refugees (16:47), and what measures do these wealthier nations take to control and prevent migration (20:51)? Professor Sajjad answers these questions and notes the far-reaching implications of the current migration narrative in countries of the Global North (24:34).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Sajjad lists the five things she would do to reduce the number of forcibly displaced people around the world (13:33).

On December 31, 1999, Vladimir Putin became acting president of Russia. Twenty years later, he is still the country’s president and will be for the foreseeable future—at least until 2024. But how exactly did he come to occupy such a prominent global role?

SIS professor and former dean James Goldgeier joins Big World to discuss the rise of Vladimir Putin. He relays the historical context of Russia in the 1990s (2:09) as well as what defines a Russian oligarch and why they hold such power in the country (4:06). Professor Goldgeier explains why Putin was picked to be the successor of Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia (6:28), pointing out that free and fair elections were not part of that process (8:37).

What was the international community’s reaction to Putin’s initial rise to power (10:12) and its expectations of his presidency (12:08)? Professor Goldgeier answers these questions and discusses when it became clear that Putin was going to become a more influential figure than he was originally predicted to be (16:41).

He also explains the president’s views of the liberal international order (19:25) and reveals the word that he would use to best describe Putin’s time in power (21:19). Looking to the future, Professor Goldgeier shares his thoughts on if and how Putin might transition out of power in 2024 (23:25) and how his government may impact our 2020 presidential elections (26:40).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Goldgeier lists the five big moments in Russia-US relations since the collapse of the Soviet Union and explains why they were important. (13:52).

How effective is US foreign assistance, and why is it offered in the first place? In this episode of Big World, SIS professor Jessica Trisko Darden discusses foreign aid and how it can be more thoughtfully implemented.

Professor Trisko Darden provides background on how US foreign aid got started in the years after World War II (1:23) and explains why the US became one of the largest providers of assistance (3:28). She discusses whether exporting American values plays a role in US foreign aid (4:32), and how the United States balances serving populations at home and abroad (5:54).

Based on research she conducted for her book Aiding and Abetting: US Foreign Assistance and State Violence, Professor Trisko Darden gives us a glimpse into both the positive and negative effects of US foreign aid (8:59). She also expands on how the United States should strategize to provide aid (12:17), reveals how US foreign assistance impacted her mother’s family in the Philippines (15:10), and shares how foreign aid is viewed in the age of social media (16:52).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Trisko Darden tells us the five major global issues with which foreign assistance can play a role (7:09).

Authoritarianism and corruption are on the rise in Latin America, while democracy may be receding. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor Matthew Taylor joins us to discuss politics and corruption in Brazil, which is a bellwether because of its status as the largest democracy in Latin America, the ninth-largest economy in the world, and a member of the G20.

Professor Taylor breaks down what the Lava Jato, or “Operation Car Wash,” scandal has revealed about money laundering and corruption in Brazil (3:14) and how former president Dilma Rouseff’s impeachment in 2016 was related to the corruption investigation (7:08).

He shares the role that corruption played in President Jair Bolsonaro’s rise to power (10:39) and how Brazil’s expensive and inefficient civil service is often incorrectly labeled as simply corrupt (16:54). Finally, Professor Taylor discusses the extreme polarization in Brazilian politics (19:04) and how Bolsonaro fits into the larger trend of countries electing right-wing, nationalist leaders (21:47).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Taylor lists the top five lessons that countries interested in fighting corruption can learn from Brazil’s “Car Wash” investigation (13:26).

International affairs education is changing. From teaching, learning, and administrative perspectives, the curriculum continues to evolve alongside a transforming world.

In this episode of Big World, SIS professor and Assistant Dean for Masters Education Mike Schroeder joins us to discuss the changing nature of international affairs education. He talks about how introductory world politics courses have changed since he took them (1:21) and how the ideas of interdependence and globalization affect international affairs education (6:18).

Professor Schroeder also relays how he works to make his SIS courses more inclusive (10:21) and the new emphasis on interdisciplinarity and experiential learning in international affairs education (15:47). Finally, he discusses how universities can best prepare undergraduate and masters students for careers in international affairs (19:54).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Schroeder lists the top global forces that should be included in every introductory international studies course (13:14).