Worldly

Zack and Jenn talk about the horrifying discovery of the remains of 215 children at a so-called “residential school” in Canada. They talk about the history of these schools, which were a centerpiece of Canada’s long-running effort to wipe out Indigenous culture and identity, and how the discovery of the children’s bodies is forcing a political reckoning with this history among white Canadians. Then they compare how Canada is handling this issue to the way that other countries like the US, Germany, and Japan have dealt with their own histories of atrocity — and how that shapes both politics inside those countries and their relations with other states today.

References:

You can read the final report from Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission here or on the Commission’s website, where you can find additional information and resources on the commission and the residential school system, including more about the Missing Children Project.

And here are the 94 “calls to action” from the report, if you want to check those out in particular. 

This is the op-ed by Jody Wilson-Raybould that Zack mentioned.

This is the infamous 1892 “Kill the Indian...save the man” speech by Richard Pratt, the US military officer who founded the Indian Industrial School at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which became a model for similar forced-assimilation schools in the US and Canada.

Here’s more on the lawsuit seeking reparations for the cultural impact of the residential schools, which the Canadian government is currently fighting against.

And here’s more on the Pope’s comments about the discovery at the Kamloops school, which notably do not include an apology for the Catholic church’s role in running that and many of the other residential schools.

Jenn mentioned the “birth alerts” that were only ended in British Columbia in 2019. You can read more about that here. 

This is a good article contrasting Germany’s and Japan’s national approaches to reconciling with their past atrocities. 

And here’s more about the ongoing tensions between Japan and South Korea over Japan’s wartime use of Korean sex slaves known as “comfort women.”  

You can read the full text of the bill apologizing “to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States,” which President Barack Obama quietly signed into law in 2009, here, and read more about why many were disappointed by it here and here. 

And you can read the report from the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission here. 

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

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Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the political earthquake happening in Israel that could soon see longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ousted from power by a shaky coalition of far-right, centrist, leftist, and Islamist parties. They explain how this unlikely coalition came together, why it could easily fall apart, and what the possible end of the Netanyahu era means for the future of Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians.

References:

Zack wrote a piece for Vox in 2020 about the war on Israeli democracy.

You can find the Yair Lapid quote Alex read over at Foreign Policy.

The Times of Israel has a good (and short!) profile of Naftali Bennett.

The Associated Press reports the coalition wants a quick vote to confirm the government.

Haaretz has a smart piece on how Netanyahu unwittingly sowed the seeds of his political demise.

Politico featured a piece by experts detailing what the new Israeli government could mean for US President Joe Biden.

The Jerusalem Post features the comment Jenn mentioned, where Bennett talks about killing Arabs.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex explain why WWE wrestling superstar John Cena issued an apology to China this week over a comment he made about Taiwan while promoting his new Fast & Furious 9 movie — and what it says about China’s increasing efforts to use its economic might to censor statements it doesn’t like from American celebrities and companies. In the second half of the show, the gang answers listener questions about global shipping, Iran, and book recommendations about international affairs.

References:

The Los Angeles Times explains why John Cena had to apologize after his Taiwan comment.

The Guardian has the Weibo video of Cena’s apology in Mandarin.

Alex wrote a longer feature for Vox on the historical tensions between China, Taiwan, and the US.

The Council on Foreign Relations has an easy-to-read guide on Hollywood censorship in China.

The Wall Street Journal reported on LeBron James’s Hong Kong comments from 2019.

The Council on Foreign Relations also has a good primer on US-Iran relations.

The OECD has statistics on shipping and trade.

You can find Jenn’s book recommendation here, Zack’s here, and Alex’s here.

Here’s Today, Explained’s episode on Belarus.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

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Newsletter: Vox Sentences

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex take a look at how, after more than a week of fighting, the war between Israel and Hamas is already reshaping the contours of the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict — deepening entrenched political realities, shaking up alliances, and reframing how the various players view their roles in the fight and the prospect of finding a peaceful solution to the decades-long conflict.

References:

Zack wrote for Vox about whether the US-Israel alliance is doomed.

Alex’s Vox story is on why Biden won’t push Israel harder on Gaza.

Alex also has Vox pieces on why the Abraham Accords didn’t solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the growing Democratic Party split on Israel.

The New York Times has a smart piece on the Palestinian strikes.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the ongoing fighting between Israelis and Palestinians — the worst violence the conflict has seen in seven years. They explain how the fighting arose out of tensions in Jerusalem, how the militant group Hamas escalated things, and the cycle of violence that keeps pushing Israel and Hamas toward war. Then they discuss what, if anything, could be done to improve the situation — and why the US seems so impotent despite all of the leverage it has over Israel.

References:

Read Zack’s great piece on Vox about the Gaza doom loop.

Alex detailed for Vox on the split between Democrats and Biden on Israel.

Alex also wrote on Vox about how the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a test for Biden.

Neri Zilber penned a good summary of the conflict’s dynamics for Newlines Magazine.

Anshel Pfeffer explains how rudderless the conflict is for Haaretz.

The Guardian made clear the conflict caught the Biden administration by surprise.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a special bonus Worldly, Zack interviews Rep. Ro Khanna — the vice-chair of the House’s India Caucus — on the covid crisis in that country. They talk about how things got so bad in India and what it says about the state of India’s political institutions and democracy. Then they talk about the US response, where Rep. Khanna gives an inside view of how the Biden administration decided to increase its commitment to India — and makes the case for doing even more. They also reference a whole lot of political philosophy.

References:

Vox's Kelsey Piper wrote a piece about vaccine patents

Amartya Sen's book Development as Freedom

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Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the political implications of the ongoing Covid-19 catastrophe in India, where cases are skyrocketing, overwhelming the country’s health care system. They look at how much Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is to blame for the crisis and the degree to which it’s creating political problems for Modi both at home and abroad. In the second half, they talk about the recent local election in West Bengal, how it does and doesn’t relate to the Covid-19 outbreak, and the complex story it tells about the direction of Indian politics right now.

References:

Here’s Zack’s piece for Vox on the West Bengal elections.

Vox’s Jen Kirby and Umair Irfan wrote about what more the world could do to help India.

And this is Alex’s Vox story on what seemed like a looming India crisis last year.

The New Yorker had an excellent piece on India under Modi back in 2019.

The Diplomat reports on Modi’s political predicament.

The Associated Press notes how India’s outbreak is ruining Modi’s image.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zack, Jenn, and Alex are joined by special guest Julia Belluz, Vox's senior health correspondent, to talk about how Vietnam has managed to keep its total coronavirus deaths to just 35 — yes, you read that right, 35 — in part by completely sealing its borders with one of the world’s strictest travel bans. The gang discusses what led Vietnam to take such drastic measures, why they seem to have worked so well, and whether replicating that approach in other countries currently experiencing outbreaks is feasible now that the virus is so widespread. Then they zoom out to look at whether we can take lessons from Vietnam’s experience when thinking about how to deal with the next pandemic.

References:

Here’s Julia’s excellent piece for Vox on how Vietnam handled Covid-19.

Vietnam has long been a Covid-19 success story. Vox wrote about it here and here.

Check out Vox’s “Pandemic Playbook” series, featuring work from friend-of-the-show Jen Kirby on Senegal.

The Hindustan Times notes that the farmers’ protest didn’t lead to India’s second wave.

Here’s Kirby’s piece for Vox on India and its second wave.

The Atlantic published a piece in 2020 about why the pandemic meant the post-9/11 era was over.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

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Twelve of Europe’s richest soccer teams tried, and failed, to create their own elite tournament in a naked money grab. Worldly’s Alex Ward, arguably Vox’s top soccer fan, explains why the move angered basically everyone and the scheme failed — for now.

References:

Alex wrote an explainer on the Super League and how the fans killed it.

Support Worldly by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

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In a very special Earth Month episode, Zack, Jenn, and Alex use Nigeria as a case study to uncover the deep reasons why it’s so hard for the world to quit fossil fuels. Nigeria is a country deeply threatened by climate change, but it’s also one with a major oil industry that hopes to lift millions out of poverty — a feat that has never been done without some degree of reliance on dirty energy. The team explains how these barriers affect the prospects for mitigating climate change in both Nigeria and globally, and talk about what solutions might help overcome these barriers.

References:

Check out all of Vox’s Earth Month podcasts.

This is Nigeria’s national climate action plan.

Reuters reports on how Nigeria’s minister of environment said the country must be ready for oil’s decline.

Science magazine explains how fighting poverty makes it harder to fight climate change.

Amnesty International details the Shell controversy Zack mentioned.

Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò wrote about the African case for carbon capture for Africa Is A Country.

Zack read from this smart paper on home energy needs in Nigeria.

Here’s Private Empire, the book on ExxonMobil by Steve Coll that Alex referenced.

Learn about the problem with “degrowth.”

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

Consider contributing to Vox:

If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

More to explore:

Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

About Vox:

Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.

Follow us:

Vox.com

Newsletter: Vox Sentences

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices