International Horizons

The existence of minorities has been an unavoidable reality of the creation of nation states that almost always have a dominant national group inscribed in their names. From this perspective, Germany is a country for Germans and Australia is a country for Australians. But there are invariably others who don't fit the heritage or the stereotype of German or Italian, or Australian, or whatever the country might be. So how do we deal with the reality that minorities are a normal feature of basically all countries of the world?

In this episode of International Horizons, UN Special Rapporteur for Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes discusses the job of special rapporteurs on the field, the conceptual evolution of the word minority, how the existence of minority groups in a state can provoke both political turmoil and peaceful coexistence. de Varennes also explains the role of international organizations in the protection of minorities and the new surge in populist nationalism in which minorities are targeted as the enemies of the society. Finally, he presents cases of countries that have embraced diversity and became stable and just societies.

International Horizons is a podcast of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies that brings scholarly expertise to bear on our understanding of international issues. John Torpey, the host of the podcast and director of the Ralph Bunche Institute, holds conversations with prominent scholars and figures in state-of-the-art international issues in our weekly episodes.

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The Western coalition supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia has so far been thought to be solid and reliable, but there may be vulnerabilities in that support. Even as Russia seems to be in disarray on the battlefield and elsewhere, it's been believed all along that Vladimir Putin would use his control over oil and gas resources on which Europe depends to assert leverage over the West in the conflict and heating costs are indeed rising just as the cold weather is descending. The US is less affected by the vicissitudes of energy supplies, but it is hardly immune to these concerns either.

This week on International Horizons, Marcus Stanley from Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft discusses the attitudes of Americans towards the war on Ukraine and how they seem to be more concerned with inflation than the war. Stanley also delves into the challenges of reaching an agreement between Russia and Ukraine and the possible solutions where mediation seems the only way out. He also warns about the need for intervention before an escalation with devastating consequences for Ukrainians and effects on the US and NATO, the prospects of winter without gas in Europe, and the consequences for Russia of the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.

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Italy has just held an election in which it appears that a far-right candidate from a post Fascist Party has won, and his leader will become the next prime minister of the country. What's happening in Italy? What does this election tell us about wider developments in Europe today?

In this episode of International Horizons, Andrea Mammone from Sapienza University of Rome explains the linkages of Giorgia Meloni's party, Brothers of Italy with Fascism and the dynamics of 2022 elections, marked by a generational shift from Berlusconi's leadership. Moreover, Mammone discusses how the victory for the far-right reflects the failure of the Center and Center-Left to consolidate durable coalitions, and the paradox that a more forward-thinking left has not been able to present a woman for elections. Finally, the author discusses the implications of this election for Europe, how the EU has legitimized with their speeches the extreme-right movements in Europe and the challenges that Meloni will face in the economic realm where immigrants can no longer be used as a scapegoat for the problems of Italy.

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The United Kingdom has experienced a number of epochal transitions of late, starting with its departure from the European Union in early 2020, and more recently, the replacement of the chaotic conservative leader Boris Johnson by former Foreign Minister Liz Truss, and soon thereafter the passing of Queen Elizabeth after some seven decades on the British throne. In the aftermath of these developments, questions have been raised about the coherence of the United Kingdom, its relationship to Europe, and indeed its standing in the world. Quo Vadis, Britannia? Where is Britain going?

This week on International Horizons, Adrian Favell discusses this transitional moment in British history and more specifically how the changing economy and demography of the UK help explain support for Brexit. Moreover, he challenges the assumption that Brexit support came from “the working class,” as it has more to do with identity politics. Finally, Favell explains the implications of Queen Elizabeth’s death for the future of British nationhood.

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Sri Lanka has recently endured tremendous political and economic turmoil with severe shortages of goods and fuel leading to the ouster of the sitting president. After Gotabhaya Rajapaksa fled the country in disgrace, he was replaced by another dynastic heir, Ranil Wickremesinghe. While much has changed in the once war-torn island nation, much has stayed the same.

In this episode, Farzana Haniffa, Professor of Sociology at University of Colombo, speaks with John Torpey, Presidential Professor of History and Sociology and Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at Graduate Center, CUNY, about the events that led to massive protests and a coup d'état in Sri Lanka, including the deterioration of the economy caused by COVID and Sri Lanka's reliance on tourism and remittances and the long reign of the Rajapaksas. Haniffa also discusses how the government is prosecuting and attacking protesters and incarcerating them without trial to instill fear as they did during the Civil War, and how Sri Lankans are responding with anti-polarization protests.

Sri Lanka has recently endured tremendous political and economic turmoil with severe shortages of goods and fuel leading to the ouster of the sitting president. After Gotabhaya Rajapaksa fled the country in disgrace, he was replaced by another dynastic heir, Ranil Wickremesinghe. While much has changed in the once war-torn island nation, much has stayed the same.

In this episode, Farzana Haniffa, Professor of Sociology at University of Colombo, speaks with John Torpey, Presidential Professor of History and Sociology and Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at Graduate Center, CUNY, about the events that led to massive protests and a coup d’état in Sri Lanka, including the deterioration of the economy caused by COVID and Sri Lanka’s reliance on tourism and remittances and the long reign of the Rajapaksas. Haniffa also discusses how the government is prosecuting and attacking protesters and incarcerating them without trial to instill fear as they did during the Civil War, and how Sri Lankans are responding with anti-polarization protests.

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Six months after Russia's attack on Ukraine, the country celebrated its Independence Day on August 24. The Russians seem to have expected that their conquest of Ukraine would be over quickly after a “shock and awe”-style assault, but instead, the Ukrainians have held out unexpectedly against Russian power. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has now lasted over six months, with many thousands of people, soldiers, and civilians, dead on both sides of the conflict, millions displaced, and no end in sight. What can we expect from the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict? We open this season of International Horizons with former US Ambassador to Ukraine Roman Popadiuk

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As was widely feared or hoped might happen, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe vs. Wade, reversing almost 50 years of a constitutional right to abortion. The major driver of attitudes on abortion turns out to be religion. How does religion shape the discussion about political issues worldwide? In this episode of International Horizons, sociologist Amy Adamczyk of CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice discusses the role of religion in determining people’s attitudes on a range of issues such as abortion and homosexuality. From a global perspective, we also discuss the peculiarities of religiosity in the United States, which is an outlier because of its relatively high levels of religiosity compared to other wealthy democracies.. Adamczyk also discusses the intersection between religion, abortion and LGTBQ+ issues, considering that the world has become widely accepting of sexual diversity in the past 20 years. Finally, the conversation revolves around Adamcyzk's most recent co-authored book Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation, which addresses the factors that make children religious.

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This is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the increased visibility, dignity and equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people around the world. There have been many advances in the rights of sexual minorities in recent decades such as decriminalizing same-sex relationships, banning discrimination in employment and housing and, of course, legalizing same-sex marriage. Yet there's also been a conservative backlash in many countries and growing controversy over care for transgender teens in the US and Europe. Where does the struggle for LGBTQ rights around the world stand today? In this episode, John Torpey, Presidential Professor of Sociology and History at the Graduate Center and director of the Ralph Bunche Institute, talks to LGBT activist Adrian Coman about the clashes between domestic laws and those of the European Union, the challenges of LGBT activism, how politicians instrumentalize homophobia to stay in power, the controversy over trans teens, and the key issues to be addressed in order to increase inclusion.

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The US women's soccer team recently reached a deal with the owners of American Professional Soccer for pay equity with the men. It was noted that the women's soccer teams in the United States were more successful on the international stage and were generating considerable revenue for investors, and yet women had been on the short end of the stick when it came to paying for their work. Meanwhile, international men's soccer has been plagued by scandal in recent years, undermining the image of the sport for many people. So what's going on out on the soccer pitch? This week, Andrei Markovits, Professor of comparative politics and German studies at the University of Michigan, talks with Ralph Bunche Institute Director and Graduate Center Presidential Professor John Torpey about the comparative history of sports in Europe and the United States and how soccer was crowded out from the hegemonic sports space in the U.S. The conversation covers the rise of soccer in the US, the way in which soccer is a "catholicized" institution and the implications that pay equity has for the sport.

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