Carnegie Council Podcasts

No wonder the South China Sea is important to China, says Robert Kaplan. It's the Mediterranean of Asia, the center of international commerce, including energy shipments. Plus, if the Chinese control it and thus gain access to the Indian Ocean, China will have a two-ocean navy, transforming it in military terms from a regional power into a world power.

From Odessa, political scientist Dr. Nicolai Petro discusses the unrest in the eastern Donbas region and possibilities for a diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine crisis.

Climate change is impacting the globe in surprising ways. The Maldives might be submerged, but Canadian trade could benefit from new waterways. What's the best way forward--short-term responses or long-term solutions? Don't miss the next episode, which looks at the shift from climate change mitigation to adaptation.

Never at a loss for words, the inimitable, erudite, and very funny Simon Schama free-associates his way through Jewish history: the Old Testament, Jewish dancing masters in 16th century Italy, Passover recipes, the future of Israel--it's all here, and more.

The United States' problem is the presumption of individualism, which is deeply resented and resisted in most of the world, except in some parts of Western Europe. Until we get over that, we are not going to be able to engage with international issues, because we are unaware of how deeply unacceptable our default position is to all those other communities.

Discussions among the Iran and the P5 countries and Germany on the Iranian nuclear energy program are ongoing in Vienna. William O. Beeman, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, who has written extensively on these issues, discusses the current state of affairs and possible outcomes.

"There can be no choice between doing well financially and behaving responsibly in business," declares Barclays Group Chief Executive Antony Jenkins. "The last half-dozen years make it obvious that you cannot have long-term success without behaving responsibly. This has to be integral to how you operate a company."

What are the challenges facing the International Criminal Court? How can it be more effective? Former ICC prosecutor Moreno-Ocampo explains.

Sifton and Stern tell the story of two of the most courageous opponents of the Nazi regime, pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and lawyer Hans von Dohnányi. From the earliest days of Nazism, both men perceived the threats, documented them, and plotted to overthrow Hitler. And they paid with their lives.

Professor Nicolai Petro, currently in Odessa, Ukraine, discusses recent developments, including the secessionist vote in the Crimean peninsula and the subsequent annexation by Russia, outcomes for the rest of Ukraine, and two major speeches by President Putin on the situation and the impact on relations between Russia and the West.