What in the World?

2019 marks the 70th Anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization better known as NATO. The US' participation in NATO has been scrutinized by President Trump as he has expressed some concerns about spending. Transatlantic experts, music lovers, and global trotters, Alex Johnson and Anthony Robinson explain NATO--what it is, how it operates, and how US-Europe relations matter to our every day lives.

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Houston, do we have a problem? President Trump announced the establishment of Space Force in February. Skeptics have asked, what could we possibly need a space military for when we haven’t found aliens to fight and what's the difference between NASA and Space Force?. Guest experts, Victoria Samson and Krystal Wilson, discuss space security, space technology's beneficial values, and the plans behind President Trump's Space Force.

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President Maduro, in late January, ordered diplomats in the American embassy in Caracas to leave the country. Since then, Venezuela's crisis has gained national attention here in America, sparking concern about what exactly is happening in the country. The international community has called for Maduro to step down and to allow opposition leader Juan Guiado to claim his position as the elected President. Claims of human rights abuses, severe corruption, and economic degradation have plagued Venezuela, the world's leading producer of oil. The real-life "Olivia Pope", Dr. Vanessa Neumann, breaks down the situation and provides clarity about what this crisis matters to America.

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February 15, 2019 was to mark the Presidential election day for some 84 million Nigerians. Nigerians from all over the world flew back to Nigeria to cast their vote in eager anticipation of a new chapter for the nation. But then about 5 hours before polls were about to open, the elections were postponed until February 23rd. Our guest, Chris Ogunmodede, a third culture kid, political risk analyst, and 90 Hip-Hop fan, explains what happened with the elections and why any of it is important to America.

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The United States has been immersed in the news of the trade war China and concerns about Chinese currency manipulation. But across the ocean in Africa, the Chinese have a different kind of relationship. Their presence has grown exponentially over several decades. Annually, trade between Africa and China has ballooned to $166B—China IS Africa’s largest trading partner.

China’s Africa strategy, though, raises a lot of concerns on the part of the West because of China’s human rights abuses--they aren’t particularly known to be champions of the many freedoms we have here in the states like press, speech, religion, etc, and many are concerned that their pivot towards Africa actually emboldens corruption and sets Africa back in terms of having more open, free, and industrialized societies—concepts we typically associate with democracy. This episode focuses on the role of the Chinese in African media. How are the Chinese using Africa media to connect with Africans? What are some of the regulatory concerns? And most importantly, why does any of this matter to us here in the U.S.? George Sarpong, Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy answers all of this and shares his thoughts on the debate of the century: Which country makes the best jollof rice?

The 116th Congress is in session and the Hill is buzzing with new faces, new agendas, and lots of global issues to tackle. Brian Greer, a Georgia boy, chess player, and Defense expert explains the ins and outs of the power of Congress when it comes to foreign policy and why your understanding of these issues matter.

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From hacked emails to questionable election results, Cybersecurity is often looked at as something outside of our control. Our Cyberhero, Tech policy expert, and advocate of digital smarts, Camille Stewart, shares every day cyber tips to protect users and the country. We talk about the basics of cybersecurity (the players, the issues, and challenges), her #EveryDayCyber campaign, and tech policies that impact our lives and issues like national security.

Brazil's elections, laden with controversy, hate speech, violence, and deep community divide, is reminiscent of America's 2016 Presidential elections. Like President Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, has promised to bring economic stability and an end to the status quo of democratic ideals. At what cost, though? And why should Americans pay attention? Jana Nelson, a Brazilian-born American and expert in Latin America and trade, explains. This episode was released in 2018 via WERA 96.7 FM in Arlington, VA.

Imagine what it's like to work alongside someone whose job is to orchestrate the cooperation of 190+ vastly different countries. Mihn-Thu Pham of the United Nations Foundation shares her experiences being led by the late Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Born in Vietnam and moving to America with her family, Minh-Thu was called to support Kofi Annan as he led a complicated world and addressed a skeptical American public. Find out what the role of the Secretary-General is, Mr. Annan's contributions were, and why the UN is still relevant to the United States. This episode was released in 2018 via WERA 96.7 FM in Arlington, VA. 

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A bus full of school children is bombed by Saudia Arabian war weapons purchased from the United States; Women negotiate food supplies for a country where 60% of the population lives in poverty; And a community tries to claim its sovereignty amid dueling powers and violent extremists. Yemen's silent war, for many Americans, is an unknown. Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini of ICAN Peace Network explains the crisis in Yemen and womens' attempts to use the power of the pen to bring about peace. This episode was released in 2018 via WERA 96.7 FM in Arlington, VA.

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