Were the riots in Brazil on January 8, 2023, a January 6 copycat, or a situation all their own? Ambassador Michael McKinley weighs in (hint – he’s far too subtle and informed to toss off a slapdash comparison). Factors affecting coutries worldwide incluide the usual suspects - resentment politics, fear, economic crises, COVID, changing trade norms - but polarized politics are everywhere. Leaders are old these days. Have they talked to 20-year-olds? 40-year-olds? Today's challenges are different than the old days and politcs as usual are not delivering. Plus, you get to hear Laura's dear friend and Brazilian jazz pianist Helio Alves – or watch him play here. Enjoy!

Brazil – January 8

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Lieutenant General (Ret.) Fred Rudesheim unpacks the complexities of Gaza. Much is said of the very real moral outrages committed by Israel and Hamas. But what now? In the near term, how viable is a two-state solution? First let's look at what is and how we got here. Hint: what exactly does Biden mean when he speaks of a "revitalized Palestinian Authority"?  

Two State Solution - Is the Perfect the Enemy of the Good?

Out with Wagner, in with the Africa Corps. What will happen as mercenaries continue to offer attractive alternatives to vulnerable democracies like Niger, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali? Ambassador Hank Cohen, whose new book "Africa, You Have a Friend in Washington", offers a vision of hope via economic self-determination.  For added context, we append our earlier episode on the Wagner Group's activities in the Central African Republic.

Russian Mercenaries' Regime Survival Kit

Tom Yazdgerdi, President of the American Foreign Service Association reaches back to illustrate how far the Foreign Service has come in the last 100 years and charts how it will meet the complex challenges of the next decades.

100 Years old and Still Kicking It: The US Foreign Service

Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, author of “Our Woman in Havana”, unpacks the dire circumstances in Cuba driving hundreds of thousands to flee the island and parses the impacts of South Florida exile politics on US diplomacy: the hammer is the only tool left in the box.

Shakespearean Tragedy: Cuba

What does it mean when open-source data show that huge populations have moved?  Natural disaster?  An attack?  Relocation of children, forced passportization?  Non-classified satellite imagery, cell phone photos, video, GPS and other puiblicly available information is critical to modern diplomacy and democracy. Susan Wolfinbarger, geographer, data scientist and the vision behind the Conflict Observatory at State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, walks us through her dream: big data saves lives.  Welcome to 21st Century diplomacy's newest tool.

Brazil – January 8

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