Global Inquirer

What if we connected the whole world to the Internet? Launched in 2013, Facebook's Free Basics platform promises to do just this. Stemming from an altruistic vision to expand access to information, Free Basics provides affordable Internet access to remote areas in developing countries. What else is behind Facebook's vision to expand Internet access, and why are some communities rejecting the platform? What are the implications of Facebook being the primary Internet service provider in a community or country?

Joined by Professor of Media Studies Christopher Ali, researchers Dom Giovanniello, Balthazar Merrin and host Niko Marcich, we dive into these topics in our live episode this Wednesday at 7pm at OpenGrounds.

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at UVa. We are also affiliated with TEEJ, UVa's podcasting network.

Music: College Electric Youth

Anywheres have taken the streets. Somewheres remain complacent. What's at stake in Poland as the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) make sweeping changes to the judicial system, and how has the media in the West and East portrayed these changes? Is the media exacerbating tensions in Europe and the US, or simply conveying increasingly divergent perspectives?

Host: Niko Marcich

Researcher: Nicholas Mortensen, Derrick Wang

Guest Interviews: History Professor Kyrill Kunakhovich

Producer: Geoff Keating

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at UVa. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, UVa's undergraduate podcasting network.

Music: Audissey, The End of the Ocean, The American Dollar

It promised to turn the desert green. Billions of dollars and almost two decades later, not only have these promises not been realized, but the continued obsession with similar projects has diverted important resources. In this episode, we look at the New Valley development project in Egypt and other White Elephant projects. Why do governments continue to pursue wasteful projects with dubious benefits? How can our generation change the development paradigm?

Host: Niko Marcich

Researcher: Dominick Giovanniello and Balthazar Merrin

Guest Interview: Professor of Development Politics at UVa, Robert Fatton

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at UVa. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, UVa's podcast network.

Music: Talkdemonic, The Flashbulb

As the Trump administration works through NAFTA renegotiations, we discuss the costs and benefits of a tariff placed on Canadian lumber, the goal of NAFTA renegotiations and why trade deals are becoming so hard to implement in the 21st century. Does it simply reflect increasing levels of protectionism, or is it the nature of 21st century trade deals themselves?

Host: Niko Marcich

Researcher: Katya Sankow

Guest Interviews: International Economics Professor, Kerem Cosar and Lumber Salesman, Chris Boyd

Producer: Geoff Keating

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at UVa. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, UVa's undergraduate podcasting network.

Music: Audissey and The Flashbulb

Cheap commercial drones are carving out a unique space in warfare and challenging some of the norms in the US tactical playbook. What's the best viable solution? Can $80 drones turn conventional warfare on its head?

Host: Niko Marcich

Researcher: Nicholas Mortensen

Guest Interview: Dan Brown, Assistant Professor of Sciences at UVa

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at UVa. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, the UVa undergraduate podcasting network.

Music: Audissey and Talkdemonic

A new rail line connecting Addis Ababa to Djibouti, built by China. Estimates of over 1 million Chinese workers in Africa. China has been expanding infrastructure and investment projects in Africa. What is driving this expansion, and how is it affecting life in Africa? Should we be concerned?

Host: Niko Marcich

Researchers: Derrick Wang and Kay Khosbayar

Guest interview: Senior Brookings Fellow, David Dollar

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at UVa. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, the UVa undergraduate podcasting network.

Music: Audissey and Getachew Degefu

A new rail line connecting Addis Ababa to Djibouti, built by China. Estimates of over 1 million Chinese workers in Africa. China has been expanding infrastructure and investment projects in Africa. What is driving this expansion, and how is it affecting life in Africa? Should we be concerned?

Host: Niko Marcich

Researchers: Derrick Wang and Kay Khosbayar

Guest interview: Senior Brookings Fellow, David Dollar

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at UVa. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, the UVa undergraduate podcasting network.

Music: Audissey and Getachew Degefu

Black and white. Charlottesville and UVa. Townies and Students. Following the August 12th white supremacist march in Charlottesville, we take a step back from our global perspective to talk about race relations in Charlottesville from both a historical and modern perspective. Furthermore, we sit down with a local Black Lives Matter activist and discuss the disconnect between UVa, its students and the community around us, and what students can do moving forward.

Hosted by Niko Marcich. Research by Katya Sankow, Tyler Hinkle and Balthazar Merrin. Produced by Geoff Keating and Niko Marcich. Special guest: Leslie M. Scott-Jones

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at the University of Virginia. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, the podcast network of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville.

In the final episode of the semester, our host Niko Marcich and researchers Saajid Hasan and Tyler Hinkle explore the Universal Basic Income debate in India. We also host a special guest interview with International Economics Professor Kerem Cosar and the Software and Information Industry's (SIIA) David LeDuc, where we discuss the economic effects of automation, and learn how this global trend is changing the socio-political climate across the world.

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at the University of Virginia. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, the podcast network of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville.

In this week's episode, Niko Marcich explores the intricacies of refugee integration within the Charlottesville community. With guest interviews from the director of the International Rescue Committee and an Iraqi refugee, we take a deeper look into what happens to refugees after they've arrived in the U.S. Joined by Kay Khosbayar and Katya Sankow, we address the resources, challenges, and personal difficulties that come with being a refugee or immigrant.

Global Inquirer is a production of the International Relations Organization at the University of Virginia. We are also affiliated with TEEJ.fm, the podcast network of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville.