The Scholars' Circle

By The Scholars' CircleNews Education News Commentary History Courses

The Scholars' Circle episodes

February 02Scholars’ Circle – Trump’s Board of Peace & Gaza’s future – February 1, 2026
In support of the US peace plan for Gaza, President Trump proposed a “Board of Peace” as a transitional governmental authority to ensure Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. It was empowered by the UN Security Council to act on the organization’s behalf as a presumably neutral body to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance, rebuild the region that has been physically devastated from war, and oversee security in the return of refugees who have fled the conflict. But as introduced by the American President at the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos in January, it has become a controversial body. Trump advanced a vision of the body, one which includes a payment of one billion dollars (to whom it is still unclear) that could challenge the UN. On today’s show we start with an exploration of this new vision for the organization advanced by the US. [ dur: 28mins. ]
Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham. His latest book is Ethnic Conflict: Critical Concepts in Political Science. His latest article in the Conversation Donald Trump’s ‘board of peace’ looks like a privatised UN with one shareholder: the US president.
Francesco Grillo is Professor at Bocconi University and Visiting Fellow at The European University Institute. His latest include Europe must reject Trump’s nonsense accusations of ‘civilizational erasure’ – but it urgently needs a strategy of its own and Donald Trump’s Board of Peace signed at Davos – key points I took away from my visit to the ski resort
The Board of Peace was initially and ostensibly created to govern Gaza in light of a peace agreement with the intention of removing Israeli military forces in exchange for a neutral transitional government. This was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 2803 with very specific tasks outlined, including aiding in the creation of Palestinian governance, the physical and economic reconstruction of the war-torn territory, the delivery of public services and humanitarian assistance, and the return of refugees. In this segment, we examine the Board’s ability to accomplish its defined set of goals. [ dur: 30mins. ]
John B. Quigly is a Professor of Law Emeritus at Ohio State University. He is the author of Palestine Is a State: A Horse with Black and White Stripes Is a Zebra and The International Diplomacy of Israel’s Founders: Deception at the United Nations In the Quest for Palestine.
Omar Dajani is Carol Olsen Professor in International Law at the University of the Pacific. He is the author of Negotiating Pluralism: Dilemmas of Decentralization in the Middle East (with Aslı Bâli) and A Two-State Solution That Can Work: The Case for an Israeli-Palestinian Confederation (with Limor Yehuda). He also was part of the Palestinian negotiation team at Camp David II in 2000 and has worked with the UN in peacebuilding initiatives, with a particular emphasis on building legal and judicial reforms in Palestinian governance.
This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, Middle East, Occupied Palestine
59 min
January 26Scholars’ Circle – US threat to own Greenland is causing Europeans to rethink its longtime alliance with US – January 25, 2026
One of the most notable international initiatives of the Trump Administration has been its pursuit of Greenland. Recently the President has declared that the island is a national security issue and the US needs sovereignty over Greenland. It is currently an autonomous territory under the Danish flag. As of this recording, the US has stated it will not use military force to seize the island and there is a “concept of a deal” over the island. But this is an issue that is far from resolved. What is the US interest in Greenland? How does this campaign to acquire the territory frame the potential for future competition and conflict in the Arctic region? And what do American threats against allies, specifically members of the NATO alliance, indicate about the relationship between the US and Europe? [ dur: 58mins. ]
Robert English is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is the author of Russia and the Idea of the West: Gorbachev, Intellectuals and the End of the Cold War and The Other Side: How Soviets and Americans Perceive Each Other.
Donald Heflin, Executive Director of the Edward R. Murrow Center and as Senior Fellow of Diplomatic Practice in the Center, Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is a former foreign service office for the US State Department, serving as Ambassador to Cape Verde between 2015-2018. He is also the author of “Trump’s Greenland quest threatens alliances that helped build the modern world order” in The Conversation
This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, Governance / Law, War / Weapons, North Atlantic, Greenland
59 min
January 19Scholars’ Circle – ICE the organization, terrorizing communities with its tactics. – January 18, 2026
The killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross reflects increasingly aggressive and violent immigration & customs enforcement and policing in the US. What’s behind this growing violence in law enforcement?
Has ICE become more violent or are we just paying closer attention? What has changed with the organization under Trump?
On January 7, 2026, 37 year old Renee Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Since the killing, protests have surged in the Minnesota city. The White House and supporters of ICE state that Good was a domestic terrorist who threatened the ICE officer. But numerous accounts, videotaped taken by residents on their phones, have shown a very different story of the altercation. Residents, as well as elected officials have demanded that ICE leave the city and allow local law enforcement to maintain control. In response the Department of Homeland Security has indicated they will send hundreds more ICE officers and the President has threatened to declare war on the city via the Insurrection Act. On today’s show we will explore the history, policing, and impact of ICE on American cities. And we will explore the narratives told about these killings and how increasingly the visibility and transparency of policing has altered the narratives. [ dur: 58mins. ]
Felicia Arriaga is Assistant Professor in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College. She is the author of “PolICE in Schools: Immigration Enforcement as a Racial Project and Opportunities for Resistance” and Behind Crimmigration: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America.
Greg Brown is Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology and the Department of Law & Legal Studies at Carleton University (Ottawa). He is the author of The blue line on thin ice: Police use of force modifications in the era of camera phones and YouTube, and Police body-worn cameras in the Canadian context: Policing’s new visibility and today’s expectations for police accountability
This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, Governance / Law, police, Civil Liberties, Police Brutality
59 min
January 12Scholars’ Circle – Impact of the US attack on Venezuela – January 11, 2026
What is the impact of the US invading Venezuela and kidnapping its president and first lady? How might it affect international law, regional security and the American reputation?
President Trump has declared he is the “Peace President” and claims to have ended 8 wars. While this is a dubious claim, he did become the first President to bomb 8 different nations in his first year in office. He then started 2026 with an invasion of Venezuela and a kidnapping of its President Nicolas Maduro as well as his wife Cilia Flores. They await trial in Brooklyn. The President has declared that the US will run the nation and will seize whatever oil it desires. The violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, the colonial approach to its resources, and the precedent this invasion is setting for the US throughout the Western Hemisphere is both significant and potentially quite threatening to peace. On today’s show, we will explore the legal, political and security implications of this brazen invasion. And we will explore what the future of US relations in the hemisphere as well as the President’s rampant use of the military means for the immediate future. [ dur: 58mins. ]
Gabor Rona is Professor of Practice at Cardozo Law School. He is the author of Venezuelan Boat Attacks: Utterly Unprecedented and Patently Predictable ,Is There a Way Out of the Non-International Armed Conflict Detention Dilemma? and State Responsibility to Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights Obligations in Cyberspace .
Carol Wise is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. She is the author of Dragonomics: How Latin America is Maximizing (or Missing Out) on China’s International Development Strategy and “Conceptualizing China-Latin America Relations in the 21st Century: The Boom, the Bust, and the Aftermath” (with Victoria Chonn Ching).
Jeremi Suri is Professor in the Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin. He holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is the co-author of “Problems with President Records are Not Just About Trump” with Kenneth Osgood. He is also the author of The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office. He is the host of the podcast This is Democracy.
This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, War / Weapons, Venezuela
59 min
January 09Scholars’ Circle – Book Author Interview – Exit Wounds : How Americas Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border – January 4, 2026
Beyond asylum seekers heading north, the problems of US/Mexico Border are also about the flow of guns and drugs. How can we understand the totality of problems related to the US southern border? What are the solutions?
We speak with Ieva Jusionyte the author of a new book Exit Wounds: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border. [ dur: 58mins. ]
Ieva Jusionyte is a legal and medical anthropologist and associate professor at Brown University. She is also the author of award-winning ethnography Threshold: Emergency Responders on the US-Mexico Border. She has been studying borders, violence, and security in Latin America and the United States for over fifteen years.
This interview was recorded May, 2024
This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, Arms Trade, Gun Lobby, Militarism, Mexico, United States, Borders
59 min
December 29, 2025Scholars’ Circle – Story of Christmas Truce during WWI in 1914 ; Science of Compassion, a sense of humanity – December 28, 2025
Why did soldiers on the front line ( in Flanders on 1914 ) of one of the deadliest wars lay down their arms and play soccer with the very men they were supposed to shoot?
We’ll revisit the Christmas truce of 1914 with Stanley Weintraub, author of, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce. [ dur: 23 mins. ]
Stanley Weintraub is a Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Penn State University. He is the author of more than 50 books including “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.“
Then, on the Scholars’ panel, we explore the Science of Compassion. What is it and how does it impact society? Can we learn to be compassionate? [ dur: 35mins. ]
Iain Wilkinson is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kent’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. He is the author of Suffering: A Sociological Introduction and Anxiety in a Risk Society
Dr. Paul Gilbert is the head of the Mental Health Research Unit as well as Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby. His books include Compassion-Focused Therapy: Distinctive Features and The Compassionate Mind: A New Approach to Life’s Challenges
Dr James R. Doty is a Clinical Professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University and Founder and Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. He is the co-author of Surgical Disorders of the Sacrum
This program was first broadcast on Dec. 2017.
This program is produced with contributions from the following volunteers: Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Anaïs Amin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.
Arts and Humanities, Spirituality / Religion, Peace / Nonviolence, War / Weapons
59 min
December 21, 2025Scholars’ Circle – Border war between Cambodia and Thailand – December 21, 2025
Although President Trump claimed that he negotiated a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, the border wars are continuing. What is causing this conflict?
How does history and national identity impact this war? Why did the war breakout again in 2025? And who might have the greatest influence for bringing the countries to peace? [ dur: 58mins. ]
Michael G Vann is Professor of History at California State University, Sacramento. He is the co-author of The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empire, Disease, and Modernity in French Colonial Vietnam. You can find his articles in Jacobin. His article on this topic is The Thailand-Cambodia War Was About Shoring Up Elite Power.
John D. Ciorciari is Dean of the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University. He is the author of The Limits of Alignment,Sovereignty Sharing in Fragile States, and Thailand and Cambodia: The Battle for Preah Vihear.
This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Doug Becker and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, War / Weapons, Cambodia, Thailand
59 min
December 14, 2025Scholars’ Circle – What happened at COP30 in Brazil? – December 14, 2025
The recent UN COP (Conference of Parties) climate summit revealed fissures about how to solve the problem of climate change. What are the divisions? How can states and people help mitigate climate change? [ dur: 58mins. ]
Pamela Chasek is Professor of Political Science at Manhattan College. She is the co-founder and Executive Editor of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin. She is the author of Transforming Multilateral Diplomacy: The Inside Story of the Sustainable Development Goals, Global Environmental Politics, and The Global Environment in the 21st Century: Prospects for International Cooperation.
Shannon Gibson is Associate Professor of Political Science, International Relations, and Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California. She is the author of the forthcoming book Politics of Global Environment. She’s also the author of a recent article in the Conversation How climate finance to help poor countries became a global shell game….
This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Doug Becker and Sudd Dongre.
Environment, Politics and Activism, Climate Change, Environmental Activism
59 min
December 07, 2025Scholars’ Circle – Book Author interview : Policing on Drugs – The United States , Mexico and Origins of Modern Drug War, 1996 – 2000 – December 7, 2025
We interview Aileen Teague author of Policing on Drugs – The United States , Mexico and Origins of Modern Drug War, 1996 – 2000 . Why has war on drugs fails to address overdose deaths in the United States. [ dur: 35mins. ]
Aileen Teague is Assistant Professor of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University. She is the author of Policing on Drugs – The United States , Mexico and Origins of Modern Drug War, 1996 – 2000.
Is humanity the most damaging predator on earth? Our guests say yes, and that its predatory practices may be disrupting evolution.[ dur: 23 mins. ]
For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ
Chris Darimont, is a Professor at the Department of Geography at University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. He has a PhD in Evolution and Ecology from the Biology Department at the University of Victoria.
Dr. Tom Reimchen, is a Professor at the Department of Geography at University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. Canada. Please visit the Evolutionary Studies Lab at University of Victoria, Victoria BC, Canada where you will find additional studies on this subject.
Heather Bryan, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Applied Conservation Science lab exploring the physiological mechanisms by which wildlife responds to environmental change at University of Victoria BC, Canada.
This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Doug Becker and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, Science / Technology, Governance / Law, Drugs, government policy, Drugs, Evolution, Human society
59 min
November 29, 2025Scholars’ Circle – A Promise Kept: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation and McGirt v Oklahoma – November 30, 2025
In 2020, the Supreme Court surprised many observers by holding up the rights of the Muscogee (Creek) nation. In McGirt v Oklahoma, the Court held that the Creek Nation retained its sovereign rights over a very large part of Eastern Oklahoma. The decision began with a poetic line: “At the end of the Trail of Tears is a promise.” The case raises further interest in issues of Indian law, which includes a very important case on the docket this year on the issue of the adoption of Indian children without the consent of the tribe.
Robert Miller and Robbie Ethridge have written a new book on the McGirt case, on the history of the Muscogee nation’s relations with the United States, and the details of the case itself. And the title of the book references that first line of the decision. It is called A Promise Kept: The Muscogee (Creek) Nation and McGirt v Oklahoma. Our guests are the authors of the book. [ dur: 58mins. ]
Robert J. Miller is Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. He is the author of Reservation “Capitalism”: Economic Development in Indian Country and Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny.
Robbie Ethridge is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Mississippi. She is the author of From Chicaza to Chickasaw: The European Invasion and the Transformation of the Mississippian World, 1540–1715 and Creek Country: The Creek Indians and Their World, 1796–1816.
This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin and Sudd Dongre.
Politics and Activism, Governance / Law, Courts, indigenous rights
59 min