International Power Hour

We discuss what will surely be major news events to monitor in the coming year — immigration, Brexit, trade/tariffs, Russia, and Syria/Middle East. We also premier a new occasional feature, Passports & Politics. Jean introduces the ideas of travel as a political act and one of her own experiences from her time studying in East Germany. […]

We discuss the roots and major events and developments in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. If you are unclear about how this conflict came about or about major events in the history of the conflict, join us — our Middle East expert, Ken Stammerman helps clarify.

We talked about the G20 summit in Argentina, the increased conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the migrant caravan, Brexit, and the recently published US climate report.

Our occasional series featuring people from international backgrounds who are right here in our own community continues with Laura Rodriguez from Cuba. Laura grew up in Camaguey, Cuba. We chat about her life in Cuba and the challenges of adjusting to life in the United States.

Our guest is Kelsey Timmerman, author of “Where Am I Wearing?”, “Where Am I Eating?”, and his latest book “Where Am I Giving?” We talk about his journey tracing common items of food and clothing back to their sources, and the impact of our daily choices as consumers.

Our guest is Dr. Amy S. Patterson of the University of the South. Dr. Patterson is an expert on civil society and its contributions to democracy in Africa. In particular, she has looked at religious groups and their role in dealing with the AIDS and Ebola crises and how this contributes to the democratization process.​

Dr. Linda Johannson and Dr. Susanne Johanneson from Jönköping University in Sweden join us to talk about Sweden: its political system, healthcare, and educational systems. We also touch on the issue of immigration and how it has affected the political system, as well as a bit on international education programs like those supported by the European Union’s […]

We talk about the migrant caravan, the “new” NAFTA agreement, Brazil’s newly elected president, an update on Brexit, the announced departure of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the latest on the re-education camps for Uyghurs in China.

A look at Saudi foreign relations & some internal politics since Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman increased his power: We discuss the murder of US-based journalist Khashoggi, the war in Yemen, the kidnapping of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and the blockade of neighboring Qatar with our guest, retired US Foreign Service Officer Ken Stammerman.

Our guest, journalist Zaw Hlaing, shared his experiences as a young democracy activist in Burma who had to flee to safety in India. He eventually came to the US – to Indiana! – and now works for the Burmese-language section of Voice of America, based in Washington, D.C. His work as a journalist takes him […]

This week we looked at Argentina’s economic and political crises, in particular looking at the background and the economic policies that paved the foundation for today’s problems. Our guest was historian Dr. Quinn Dauer, an expert in Argentine history who regularly spends time in Argentina.

With our guest, chemist Dr. Elaine Haub, we discuss chemical weapons – how they have been used in recent years, efforts to control their spread and use, and, in particular, the science behind how they work, how easy they are to produce and use, and the issues involved with responding to a chemical weapons attack, both in treatment of victims and cleaning up the site.

This week’s topic is microcredit/microfinance, a development model based on the work of Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus. With our guest, sociologist Dr. Veronica Medina, we looked at the microfinance model in general, as it originated and then developed over time, and then specifically about Dr. Medina’s work on microfinance in Pakistan.

Brexit update, trade relations with the EU, right-wing politics in Europe, update on sonic attacks in Cuba & China, update on the nerve agent attack in the UK, Brazil’s election, and a new peace agreement between Ethiopia & Eritrea.

Our occasional series on how the global is local: An interview with community member Lillian Rose about her work with the Hispanic Connection, a private, not-for-profit organization that offers assistance to our local immigrant community.

Latin American Focus: Mexico and NAFTA; Nicaragua and Venezuela in meltdown; and an update on Cuba.

We discuss the major international summit meetings of the summer with North Korea, Russia, and two with our European allies and look at the implications of the summits and the condition of the relationships.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS FORUM

We focus on Ireland’s upcoming abortion referendum, Venezuelan election results, more allegations of foreign support for the Trump campaign, and the British royal wedding and how it bumps up against issues of British national identity, race relations, and immigration policy.

Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, 70 years since the founding, 70 years since “the catastrophe” (Nakba) — lots of complicated issues here. We will delve into them this week — with the help of our favorite Middle East expert guest, Ken Stammerman.​