Orion Talks

In this episode of Orion Talks, Marta Furlan is joined by Dr. Angela Robinson for a discussion on human trafficking, one of the most widespread yet least talked about human rights violations. After sharing her considerations on the moral and economic cost of human trafficking for our societies, Dr. Robinson discusses how her research has utilized participatory methods to identify strategies for improving the services available to survivors of human trafficking and reflects on the importance of incorporating survivor input into case management and prevention work. She shares some of the most interesting findings that emerged from a cross-country data collection process and reflects on the policy implications of her findings. She concludes with some encouraging thoughts on how our collective fight against human trafficking can be advanced.

In this episode of Orion Talks, our podcast host, Suat Cubukcu, is joined by Dr. Jenny Schell and Dr. Linda Geven. With their multinational research team, including Dr. Teresa Schneider (who could not join the conversation), they have been documenting wrongful convictions and exoneration cases across Europe. Drs. Schell and Geven delve into their methodology, explaining how they conceptualize and operationalize wrongful convictions, gather data, and ensure the accuracy and reliability of the EUREX database amidst various challenges. The conversation extends to preliminary data analysis, highlighting common factors contributing to wrongful convictions. They also share compelling stories from exonerees in their database and compare their findings with similar studies in North America, noting similarities and differences. Finally, they discuss suggested reforms and practices to mitigate wrongful convictions.

In this episode of Orion Talks, Suat Cubukcu is joined by Travis Moran, a renowned expert in electric infrastructure security. Travis provides an in-depth overview of what constitutes critical infrastructure within the realm of electric energy, highlighting essential assets beyond nuclear power plants. He sheds light on the major threats facing U.S. electric infrastructure, discussing their vulnerabilities and the extent to which they are exposed. The discussion extends to the proliferation and expansion of unmanned systems, such as drones, and the additional risks they pose to the infrastructure. Travis explains the legal and policy challenges in countering unmanned aerial systems (UAS) threats. He concludes with strategic measures that policymakers should take to mitigate these risks.

In this episode of Orion Talks, Marta Furlan is joined by Dr Rahul Verma to discuss and explain India’s latest elections. Dr Verma reflects on some of the reasons - economic anxiety, unemployment, disaffection - that may explain why the BJP (the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi) fared worse than expected and lost a number of seats. He then explains in great detail some of the specific factors that may have contributed to the BJP's loss in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra, which are the three electorally most important states in the country. Reflecting on the election results, Dr Verma also guides us through some of the reasons why Congress Party (the party led by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi) improved its result with respect to previous elections. Finally, he shares his thoughts on how the election results and the BJP's need to form a coalition government may affect - or not - the Prime Minister's capacity to push for the wanted policies.

In this episode of Orion Talks, Marta Furlan is joined by Prof Min Ye to discuss President Xi Jinping's recent visit to France, Serbia, and Hungary - his first visit to Europe in five years. Prof Ye sheds light on the overall objective of this trip and explains how this trip situates itself within China's foreign policy objectives and China-EU relations. From there, Prof Ye guides us through the climate that has characterized China-EU relations in the past few years and shares her valuable thoughts on how Xi Jinping's visit can be expected to impact EU-China relations and intra-European relations, specifically relations between EU countries that have a more sceptical and restrained approach to China and EU countries that are much more open and willing to engage with Beijing. She also discusses the positive way in which this European trip was received in China. Finally, she concludes with her reflections on how the United States reacted to the visit.

In this episode of Orion Talks, Marta Furlan is joined by Dr Joseph Siegle. Dr Siegle sheds light on the relations between Ethiopia and Somalia over the past few months, following a surprise MoU between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland whereby the latter would lease coastal land to Addis Ababa in exchange for recognition of statehood. After outlining the main events and the positions of Mogadishu and Addis Ababa, Dr Siegle explains the significance that this move by Ethiopia may have for the wider Horn of Africa region. He also shares considerations on the international actors' perspective - and possible concern - on those developments. Finally, he concludes with some reflections on how Ethiopian-Somali relations, and broader regional dynamics, may evolve from here.

In this episode of Orion Talks, Suat Cubukcu is joined by Professor Hussain Shaheed Soherwordi. Professor Soherwordi delves into the current economic and political landscape of Pakistan, shedding light on its relations with the Taliban government in Afghanistan and the tense dynamics between the two nations. He discusses the recent surge of terrorist attacks targeting Pakistan, as well as Pakistan's cross-border strikes into Afghanistan. Additionally, he explores potential cooperation and collaboration with the Taliban government to deal with the issue of the TTP (Tehriki-Taliban in Pakistan) and explores solutions for more humanitarian approaches related to the deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Furthermore, Professor Soherwordi offers policy recommendations for both Pakistan and the international community to alleviate these tensions and foster stability in the region.

In this episode of Orion Talks, Suat Cubukcu is joined by Dr. Ardian Shajkovci. Dr. Shajkovci discusses the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and terrorism, exploring its harmful potential in the hands of malicious actors. The conversation touches on the prevalence and tactics of AI-enabled terrorism with specific examples such as the use of deep fakes for disinformation and terrorist propaganda methods. The discussion also examines the utility of AI in counter-terrorism efforts, including content moderation, and discusses the importance of balancing the use of technology with the rights of privacy and freedom of expression. Dr. Shajkovci concludes his arguments with policy recommendations on how to mitigate the risks associated with AI and ensure responsible use to identify and disrupt harmful extremist intentions.

In this episode of OrionTalks, host Suat Cubukcu is joined by Dr. Meike Ramon, an Assistant Professor at the University of Lausanne. Dr. Ramon's research, situated at the intersection of Cognitive Neuroscience and practical applications, takes center stage as she discusses the intriguing realm of super-recognizers and facial recognition technology. Dr. Ramon shares her research findings and insights into key questions, ranging from the intricacies of face recognition processing and the accuracy of this technology for various applications, including law enforcement, to the potential consequences of false positives and negatives. Dr. Ramon also sheds light on the ethical considerations surrounding the increasing use of facial recognition in public and private spaces, offering her insights into ensuring responsible and ethical implementation.

In this episode of OrionTalks, Karl P. Kadon, the Chief of the Criminal Division at the United States Attorneys' Offices, joins to discuss the far-reaching implications of the Israel and Hamas conflict and delves into the spillover effects of this conflict. The conversation explores the surge of hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim communities and the increasing risk of home-grown extremism in the United States stemming from the tragedy in Israel and Gaza. Mr. Kadon provides his insights into how law enforcement agencies can take steps to counter such challenges and offers recommendations for intergovernmental cooperation. He also shares his perspective on the role of community leaders and how to protect vulnerable populations.