Spicy World

This week we discuss the arrest of Sergei Furgal, the governor of Khabarovsk, on 15-year-old murder charges. The arrest is conveniently timed with Putin's move to serve as leader for life. It also raises questions about identity in the Far East and how to maintain rule over such a vast nation as Russia. We also ask why Eesti is not winning the digital transition amid COVID. The nation that developed Skype, Transferwise, and E-residency should be perfectly positioned to export solutions at a time of remote work and closed borders. Is Eesti winning behind the scenes or is this a missed opportunity?

We interview PhD student Andres Pertierra (@ASPertierra) on the history of the sugar industry in Cuba. We discuss how the role of sugar in the Cuban economy has evolved over time. We also talk about its implications for economic development in modern Cuba, as well as tourism, investment and migration.

Hildegard Titus (IG and @aafrobeat) discusses colonial history in Namibia and that of Curt von Francois, whose statue stands in Windhoek. Hildegard is leading the initiative "A Curt Farewell," which seeks to remove and replace that statue. We discuss the context as to why the statue is hurtful to Namibians. We also discuss the many challenges of dealing with various stakeholders to accomplish the removal of the statue in a democratic way. 

This week we interview Mohamed Hegazy (Director of Transport for Cairo) on mapping an informal public transport network in one of the most densely populated cities on Earth and why active transport might be the future of how people move locally.

We interview Thomas Wier (Linguist & Caucasologist, Professor at Free Uni Tbilisi, author of a book on Tonkawa, @thomas_wier) about the languages of the Caucasus, how they compare with others in the world, and interactions with the neighbor to the north.

Did Kim Jong Un fake his death? What constitutes an unhealthy political family dynasty? We also bring up a topic to watch: the ongoing conflict in Cabo Delgado. Last, we wonder if Dmitry Medvedev is the Mike Pence of Russia?

We interview Sukirti Vinayak (Agriculture Consultant in Ethiopia, Aam Aadmi Party India, SIPA) about two areas. First we talk about his work in agriculture consulting in Ethiopia and what it is like living and working in Ethiopia during Covid-19. Second we talk about his experiences working with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. We also cover some of the basics of Indian national politics.

We talk to Olga Khvostunova (Director, Editor in Chief at the Institute of Modern Russia) about the organization's new project 20 Years Under Putin (putin20.imrussia.org). We bust myths about Putin as an all-powerful entity and hear about being a journalist in Russia in the naughts.

We interview Jennifer Ginsburg (Harriman Institute + Peace Corps Kosovo) on North Macedonia joining NATO. We also talk about Russia's role in the Balkans, beer selection in Sarajevo and Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari.

It would be disingenuous to predict what the world will look like after the public health challenges of Covid-19 are mitigated. Instead, we identify existing trends and patterns in migration, education, and developing nations that could be exacerbated by the pandemic. Shoutout to Jonas Salk, pictured in episode artwork, developer of the polio vaccine.