The world’s eyes turned to the Philippines this week after President Rodrigo Duterte made disparaging remarks about President Obama during his visit to Asia. It’s not the first time Duterte’s comments have made international news since he took office in June, previously criticizing the U.S. and U.K. response to violence in the Middle East, and using a homophobic slur against the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines. University of Oklahoma anthropologist Noah Theriault, who studies the Philippines

An Olympic hallmark since the 1932 games, the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro hosted University of Oklahoma men’s gymnastics coach Mark Williams and his team this summer. Of all the spectacles he saw in Brazil, Williams found the facility one of the most striking. “The Olympic village is just an amazing place. You can sit down and have lunch and have five different languages in your ear,” Williams said. “One day I just started to count, and I think I got up to 35 different countries

As the United States gears up for the 2016 presidential election, voters must tackle the ever-present concerns of foreign policy and international engagement. In an era of globalization, increasingly open channels of information, disputes over land and growing trans-national trade, Americans are trying to figure out America’s role in the world. U.S. involvement in the Middle East is the “turning point in our engagement with the world,” according to Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for

Suzette Grillot checks in with Erika Larkins. She just returned from a year-long assignment in Brazil, and she'll offer her takeaways from the 2016 Summer Olympic games, which wrapped up Sunday. But first, Rebecca Cruise and Joshua Landis join the program to discuss Turkey's recent military moves in Syria, and North Korea's testing of a submarine-launched missile.

In the years since its selection as the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro has drawn strong opinions both domestically and abroad about the sustainability and feasibility of the global sporting event. Despite security concerns and health issues - and even a fabricated robbery by American swimmer Ryan Lochte that generated international headlines - University of Oklahoma anthropologist Erika Larkins says the games went off without a hitch. “A lot of people were complaining that the

Editor's Note: This conversation originally aired Sept. 13, 2013. Between 2010 and 2012, Oklahoma City native Erielle Reshef reported twice from Gaza during instances of cross-border violence between Israelis and Palestinians. She stood next to an Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system covering the firefight for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA). But even as the Katyushsa rockets headed toward the country, she told KGOU’s World Views she never once felt unsafe. “I know that may sound

Rebecca Cruise and Suzette Grillot talk about the ethical issues of China’s use of prisoners for organ transplants. The country says the practice has ended, but doctors and non-governmental organizations question whether or not that’s true. They also discuss political strife in South Africa. Later, we'll revisit Suzette's 2013 conversation with Oklahoma City television journalist Erielle Reshef. Earlier in her career she spent several years working for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. Two

Beyond the athletic competition, feats of strength, and patriotic triumph, the Olympics serve as a moment where countries can come together and put their differences aside. But politics has played out during the first week of competition. Russia’s athletes haven’t received the warmest welcome in Rio de Janeiro after widespread allegations of state-sponsored doping that nearly saw the entire team banned from the 2016 Summer Games. The tensions has been noticeable in the Aquatics Stadium,

In the early 1900s, opponents of the Shah wrote a constitution and established a parliament in Iran. Suzette Grillot talks with Boston University historian Houchang Chehabi about Iran’s brief 20th century experiment with democracy. But first, Rebecca Cruise joins the show to talk about some of the positive and negative moments of sportsmanship in the Olympics.

Editor's Note: This interview originally aired June 3, 2014.. A week before the 2014 FIFA World Cup begins in Brazil, soccer’s international governing body has expressed concern that three of the stadiums won’t be ready, and legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo says he’s “appalled” by his country’s preparations for the sport’s biggest event.