Opinion Has It

Throughout American history, “intelligence” has been a valuable commodity in politics and war, helping nearly every president since Washington gain an edge in global affairs. Donald Trump has proven the exception, and, as former CIA analyst Kent Harrington warns, that could have serious consequences for American security.

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The planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is one of the most anticipated bilateral engagements of the twenty-first century. But as Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations notes, the optimism, while warranted, should not overshadow the hard work that remains.

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Only three months into his presidency, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa has already earned high marks for his economic and political reforms. But, as the Financial Times’ Adrienne Klasa notes, Ramaphosa’s biggest tests lie ahead, as he seeks to maintain momentum ahead of next year’s national election.**Read more on the situation here --> http://bit.ly/2rxvKk2

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Nearly a century after women around the world began gaining the right to vote, their descendants are demanding an end to harassment and abuse, and governments and businesses are taking action. But as gender development specialist Quratulain Fatima notes, Pakistan is a troubling exception to the global trend.

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In March, China’s National People’s Congress rubber-stamped the elimination of presidential term limits, clearing the way for President Xi Jinping to lead for life. Sinologist Minxin Pei says while the move will centralize the Communist Party’s authority, the president’s strongman tactics could come back to haunt him.

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On January 1, Germany became a global test bed for efforts to police hate speech online. Alexandra Borchardt, a media expert and Director of Strategic Development at the Reuters Institute, says while the German approach isn’t perfect, it is an important first step in tackling a corrosive social problem.Listen to all episodes from your favorite podcast app, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, or RSS Feed.

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Syria's bloody stalemate enters its eighth year on March 15. Hundreds of thousands have died, and millions have been displaced. Solutions have evaded the international community, and as Syria descends deeper into despair, a dangerous proxy war is threatening to pull even more actors in.Our guest today spent much of his career bringing American diplomacy to some of the world's most intractable crises - from the Balkans to North Korea to Iraq. Today, Ambassador Christopher Hill is a professor at the University of Denver, and Chief Adviser to the Chancellor for Global Engagement.

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While smart people disagree on what artificial intelligence will mean for humanity, there is little question that AI will change how people work, relax, and relate to one another. Harold James thinks that some of these changes will be less welcome than others.In this episode, host Greg Bruno discusses a recent column by guest Harold James. Read it here --> http://bit.ly/2BjXY4u

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Surgeon and writer Atul Gawande interviews Katherine Semrau, an epidemiologist who leads the Better Birth program at Ariadne Labs, about how to improve maternal and newborn health worldwide in a special edition of PS Editors' Podcast.

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With President Vladimir Putin the only viable candidate in the presidential election in March, a fourth term is all but guaranteed. Yet, as The New School’s Nina Khrushcheva explains, what isn’t certain is what another six years of Putin’s rule will mean for Russia, Europe, and the world.

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