Carnegie Council Podcasts

With the deadly conflict in Ukraine spreading to this hitherto calm southern city, David Speedie speaks again with Dr. Nicolai Petro, professor of international relations at the University of Rhode Island, who is currently a Fulbright Fellow in Odessa.

Did you know that one in three U.S. women veterans has been sexually assaulted? In 2013, even with about 85 percent of the assaults going unreported, they occurred at an average of more than 70 per day. Yet only about 35 percent of the reports went to court-martial proceedings.

With the advent of new means of interaction from the TV remote to Twitter, the media became a two-way conversation, says Douglas Rushkoff. But who controls, shapes, and benefits most from these interactions--we the users, or big business?

For years, climate change activists avoided "adaptive" solutions because they thought it was admitting defeat. But with the reality of extreme weather and resource shortages, even the UN is calling for this strategy. This episode explores whether this increased focus on adaptation is equitable, and whether it distracts from mitigation efforts.

With balance and objectivity, seasoned Russian policy expert Tom Graham tackles the thorny question of Ukraine and the wider scope of U.S.-Russia relations across the board.

David Speedie discusses with Dr. Nicolai Petro, currently a Fulbright Fellow in Odessa, the recent outbreaks of violence in pro-Russia majority regions of Eastern Ukraine, the prospects for scheduled May elections, and the impact of the continuing crisis on U.S.-Russian relations.

In an unprecedented event this Spring, the Sunflower Student Movement occupied Taiwan's Legislative Yuan for over three weeks. The students finally withdrew after the government promised to postpone ratifying the trade agreement with China which originally sparked the protest. Two of its leaders discuss the Movement and Taiwan's future.

How can corporations work to prevent human rights violations on their watch, as well as disasters like the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion? Christine Bader discusses her time at BP, where she was part of the invisible army of people inside corporations who are pushing for safer and more responsible practices.

Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, discusses the status and prospects for the ongoing P5+1 talks in Vienna on Iran's nuclear program, and the importance of successful negotiations for the global nuclear nonproliferation agenda.

What if a group decides democratically that they don't want to be liberal--that they want an "illiberal democracy"? Shadi Hamid argues that repression originally compelled Islamists to moderate their politics. But ironically, democratic openings pushed them back to their original fundamentalism, leaving no space for liberal norms such as women's rights.