"You can't escape it and if you are not able to escape it, you ought to understand it; you ought to participate in it; you ought to try and shape it." This quote comes from Craig Snyder, outgoing President of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, when asked about why people should learn about international issues. This episode looks at the importance of global understanding to the larger society and how it works to make the world a better place. We also talk with Adjunct Professor of African (Security) Studies for the Naval War College, Richard Lobban, about the national security threats that disease poses in Africa.