The much anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive began in earnest in June and certainly made some gains, but nothing approaching expectations. Ukraine's top military commander admitted the conflict was a stalemate, likening it to the trench warfare of World War One. Meanwhile the world's attention has shifted to the Middle East and the future of American support for Ukraine is uncertain.  Joining me from Kyiv is journalist Tim Mak. He's been in Ukraine for most of the last two years to report on the war, first for NPR ans now on his substack publication called The Counter-Offensive with Tim Mak. We kick off discussing the current state of the war in Ukraine and the significance of the top commander's remarks. We then discuss how this seemingly bleak moment for Ukraine is impacting the lives of Ukrainians and the domestic political implications of a future in which an outright Ukrainian victory is looking less and less likely. 

The War in Ukraine Has Entered a New Phase

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 The Parliament of the United Kingdom has passed a controversial new law that would allow the government to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. Under the so-called "Safety of Rwanda" bill, the Rishi Sunak government has pledged to send migrants from the UK to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed. However, is Rwanda actually safe? My guest today, Sally Hayden, is a journalist who has reported extensively on migration and refugee issues. Last month, she was barred from entering Rwanda due to her prior reporting on the plight of refugees who had been sent to Rwanda as part of a separate, but similar, European Union program. Sally Hayden is the author of "My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route," which won the prestigious Orwell Prize. In our conversation, Sally Hayden discusses her previous reporting on refugees in Rwanda and explores how this new UK bill fits into Europe's increasingly harsh policies towards refugees and asylum seekers.

The United Kingdom and Rwanda Enter a Dangerous Pact for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

American aid is on its way to Ukraine. This week, Congress passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill that includes about $60 billion for Ukraine. This aid had been stalled for months, mostly due to Republican intransigence in the House of Representatives. But now, the funding is being released, and according to my guest today, it will have a significant impact on the battlefield in Ukraine.  Evelyn Farkas is the Executive Director of the McCain Institute and served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Ukraine, Russia, and Eurasia during the Obama administration. We discuss the influence this new aid package will have on the trajectory of the conflict and why its timing is critical. Farkas recently returned from Ukraine, where officials told her they were bracing for a new summer offensive by Russia. 

How The New American Aid Package for Ukraine Will Impact the War

Diplomats are gathering in Ottawa this week for the latest round of negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution. Back in 2022, 175 countries agreed to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by 2024. This meeting in Ottawa is the penultimate round of negotiations and a critical moment in the long effort to curb the environmental damage caused by the rampant production and use of plastic today. On the line with me to discuss what these negotiators hope to achieve and some of the key obstacles in the way of a robust treaty on plastic pollution is Erin Simon, Vice President and Head of Plastic Waste and Business at the World Wildlife Fund. We kick off discussing the problem of plastic pollution before having a broader conversation about these treaty negotiations. This includes a conversation about some key diplomatic stumbling blocks preventing the adoption of a treaty on plastic pollution. 

Can A United Nations Treaty to Curb Plastic Pollution Make it to the Finish Line?

On April 1st, Israel launched airstrikes on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, killing seven Iranian officials, including a very senior general. Iran responded with a massive drone attack on Israel, marking the first time that Iran directly attacked Israeli soil. All this is happening, of course, in the context of the conflict in Gaza. My interview guest Dalia Dassa Kaye is a Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations and a Fulbright Schuman Visiting Scholar at Lund University. She has done extensive research and writing on the mechanics of armed conflict escalation in the Middle East, which we discuss in the context of this current crisis. We kick off discussing the recent series of events since April before having a broad conversation about the dynamics of escalation between Israel and Iran. This includes the potential that the United States becomes more deeply dragged into this conflict in the Middle East.

Iran, Israel and A Perilous Moment in the Middle East

On the one year anniversary of the outbreak of civil war, Sudan is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today. On April 15, 2023, fighting spread from Khartoum to other parts of the country, including Darfur, where the conflict took on ugly ethnic dimensions, potentially leading to genocide. Over 8 million people have been displaced, and the UN is warning of famine in parts of the country. My interview guest today, Kholood Khair, is the founder and director of Confluency Advisory, a think-and-do tank formerly based in Khartoum. She explains how the conflict has evolved over the last year and why the humanitarian crisis is as dire as ever. In our conversation, we spend a lot of time discussing potential ways out of this crisis, which thus far have been elusive. Kholood Khair explains:   How the conflict in Sudan began.   How the conflict has changed over the last year.   Why the conflict is becoming more complex and harder to solve the longer it lasts   What the international community, including the United States, can do to better support a peace process.   Please support our ongoing efforts to cover undercovered global stories by becoming a paid supporter of Global Dispatches on Substack or Apple Podcasts https://www.globaldispatches.org/

The War in Ukraine Has Entered a New Phase

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