As Obama's adviser on Russian affairs, Michael McFaul helped craft the United States' policy known as "reset" that fostered new and unprecedented collaboration between the two countries. Then, as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012-2014, he had a front-row seat when this fleeting moment crumbled with Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency. "It's tragic," he says. "How is it that we have come back to something close to the Cold War?"
May 14, 2018•59 min
"I'm not making an argument that Maoism is coming back; we're very far away from that. But the crucial thing to recognize is just what we had known as characterizing the reform era is going away, and China is shifting into a more personalized authoritarian regime and one which is more closed with respect to outside influence. For me, I think when you see those things happening it makes you worried about what's the next norm that starts to break."
May 10, 2018•25 min
Over six years, Julie Chernov Hwang conducted over 100 interviews with current and former leaders and followers of radical Islamist groups in Indonesia to find out why some terrorists finally quit. What did she learn? The key is life skills training, family and community support, and personal development, she says. "If you are going to focus on deradicalization, focus it narrowly on use of violence. Don't try to overhaul someone's worldview."
May 09, 2018•39 min
"What happens when a predator drone has as much as autonomy as a self-driving car, moving to something that is able to do all of the combat functions all by itself, that it can go out, find the enemy, and attack the enemy without asking for permission?" asks military and technology expert Paul Scharre. The technology's not there yet, but it will be very soon, raising a host of ethical, legal, military, and security challenges.
May 08, 2018•58 min
In the 1930s during the run-up to WWII, many argued that arms manufacturers and bankers--"merchants of death"--had conspired to manipulate the U.S. into entering WWI. What is or should be the role of the profit motive in preparing for war? "This is a debate that is no less important now," says MIT's Christopher Capozzola, "but we are not having it, and we are not including all the people in that debate who need to be participating in it."
May 08, 2018•41 min
Unlike Trump, Duterte came to the presidency with a history in public service and he knew how to run a government, says John Gershman. "I would relate him in some ways more to the anti-democratic populist movements of Eastern Europe: authoritarian, a very heavy morality dimension to his vision of nationalism, with a focus on things like drugs, and with a healthy dose of misogyny in his rhetoric."
May 07, 2018•35 min
Are we witnessing a new era of cosmopolitan justice or are the old principles of victors' justice still in play? Economic and political theorist Daniele Archibugi discusses his new book, "Crime and Global Justice," which examines the history of global criminal justice and presents five case studies: Augusto Pinochet, Slobodan Milošević, Radovan Karadžić, Saddam Hussein, and Omar al-Basheer.
May 07, 2018•39 min
Professor Qin Gao, director of Columbia's China Center for Social Policy, explains the workings of the Chinese "Dibao" (limited income guarantee) system. "Dibao is doing relatively better than many other similar programs in developing countries," says Gao, yet it has limitations and some negative aspects. She also discusses Xi Jinping's ambitious goal to eradicate poverty by 2020, and the benefits of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) system.
May 03, 2018•45 min
Next time on Global Ethics Forum, "Atlantic" contributing editor Gregg Easterbrook looks beyond the headlines and makes the case for optimism in an age of fear. In this excerpt, Easterbrook shares some positive statistics about the global food supply and economics in the United States.
May 03, 2018•3 min
Growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa, Robert Bank cared about social injustice from an early age. Today he travels the world for AJWS, working with local activists on a range of issues such as women's rights in India and LGBT rights in Uganda. "My job—very much like a conductor of an orchestra in some way—is to ensure that every instrument has its beautiful voice heard and that this melody is given the opportunity to really soar."
May 02, 2018•46 min
What are the qualities and conditions that enable people to become successful peacemakers? At a time when peace seems elusive and conflict endemic, Bruce Jentleson makes a forceful and inspiring case for the continued relevance of statesmanship and diplomacy and provides practical guidance to 21st-century leaders seeking lessons from some of history's most accomplished negotiators, activists, and trailblazers.
May 01, 2018•1 hr 18 min
"What you stopped seeing after World War I was great power conflict involving chemical weapons, and what you started seeing was asymmetric conflicts or regional conflicts that involved chemical weapons. That actually disturbed me even more because what I started realizing was that as time went on the weaker you were, the more likely that another state would use chemical weapons against you or your people."
May 01, 2018•43 min
"The failure of globalism [an ideology of bringing people closer together] is very different than the failure of globalization," says Ian Bremmer. "I don't think globalization has failed. It has led to a lot more wealth. It has taken a lot of people out of poverty." But in many Western countries the losers have not been taken care of, so the backlash is hardly surprising. What about the Chinese approach? Is it more successful?
Apr 25, 2018•30 min
"What distinguished Addams from other peace advocates was her strong emphasis on the crucial role of marginalized people, such as women, immigrants, and workers, in the peacemaking process," says Seiko Mimaki. Her views are highly relevant today, when people see themselves as abandoned by global elites. Unlike that of Woodrow Wilson, her vision of cosmopolitanism "pursued freedom and opportunity for everyone, not just for a privileged few."
Apr 24, 2018•41 min
Harvard's Yascha Mounk argues that liberalism and democracy are coming apart, creating new forms of illiberal democracy (democracy without rights) and undemocratic liberalism (rights without democracy). Populist leaders are flourishing; indeed, Hungary is on the verge of descending into dictatorship, with shamefully little criticism from the Europe or the U.S. What are the causes of this phenomenon? What can we do about it?
Apr 23, 2018•57 min
Next time on Global Ethics Forum, Nexus Institute founder Rob Riemen delivers a stark warning about the rise of fascism in the United States and Europe. In this excerpt, Riemen discusses the features of fascism in the 21st century and why it needs to be called out.
Apr 19, 2018•4 min
Although it has been written about for centuries, post-traumatic stress was not officially recognized as a medical condition until the 1980s. However World War I "was really a turning point in terms of acknowledging and starting to identify and treat what we call today post-traumatic stress," says Tanisha Fazal of the University of Minnesota, whose project on treating PTS will make the connection between World War I and current times.
Apr 17, 2018•44 min
Are there such things as timeless principles of grand strategy? If so, are they always the same across epochs and cultures? What can we learn from reading the classics, such as Thucydides, Sun Tzu, and Clausewitz? "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing," according to Isaiah Berlin. Which type makes better strategists, or do you need to be a bit of both? John Lewis Gaddis has some wise and thoughtful answers.
Apr 13, 2018•1 hr
Next time on Global Ethics Forum, Institute for Policy Studies’ Chuck Collins discusses extreme inequality in America. In this excerpt, Collins tells journalist Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson what the one percent needs to do to build a more equitable society.
Apr 12, 2018•3 min
"World War I was the beginning of what we now consider to be one of the cornerstones of the ways in which we engage in war," says Major Caruso. "At that time air power was relatively new, it was a nascent technology, but now most countries have some form of air force. There are recent conflicts that have been fought almost entirely via air power." He goes on to discuss the evolution of international humanitarian law with respect to air power.
Apr 10, 2018•1 hr 1 min
With rich and varied coral reefs, Indonesia and the Philippines are critically important for marine biodiversity, says Brett Jenks of Rare, a conservation organization. Overfishing could result in millions losing their livelihoods and leads to degradation of coastal habitats, making them less resilient to climate change. But there is hope. In marine reserves started as pilot projects, fish populations are increasing by as much as 390 percent.
Apr 05, 2018•25 min
Next time on Global Ethics Forum, the UN's Philip Alston discusses poverty in the United States and the dark side of American exceptionalism. In this excerpt, Alston tells journalist Stephanie Sy about a shocking example of extreme poverty in Alabama and why it persists in 21st century America.
Apr 05, 2018•5 min
China experts Cunningham and Wasserstrom start by talking about the small, mainly campus-based #MeToo campaign in China--to avoid internet censorship young people often use emojis of a rice bowl and a rabbit, which sound the same as "me too" in Chinese, but now the censors have figured that out--and go on to consider more general issues of censorship, repression, and the ups and downs of gender equality in China.
Apr 04, 2018•26 min
The revelations about the misuse of Facebook data have started a pushback against the top five big tech companies: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. How do approaches to privacy and data use differ in the U.S., Europe, and China? What kind of transparency should we demand? How will AI affect workers? All this and more in a lively and informative discussion with author and "Financial Times" columnist Rana Foroohar.
Apr 03, 2018•38 min
Katherine Akey is researching "gueules cassées," soldiers who suffered facially disfiguring injuries on WWI battlefields, focusing on those who were treated at the American Hospital in Paris. Though many of their stories have been lost, haunting photographs of these servicemen remain. Akey's research will delve into complicated questions about caring for the wounded, the ethics of war photography, and how Americans learn about World War I.
Apr 03, 2018•37 min
Populist leader President Duterte has killed thousands in his "war on drugs," idolizes Putin, and openly uses fake news and excessive nationalism to consolidate his power. And it's working: he has an 82 percent popularity rating right now. What happened to the nation's liberal democratic heritage? Author and historian Lisandro Claudio discusses the situation and how he is using Youtube videos, articles, and a new book to fight back.
Apr 02, 2018•25 min
"Indonesian civil societies and academics are very good at collecting cases of discrimination," says Sandra Hamid, author of "Normalizing Intolerance." "But what we don't have is the ethnography of the everyday life of discrimination, things that are not necessarily discrimination with a capital D; this is like your daily experience." Today we see myriad examples of the gradual normalization of belittling and isolating non-Muslims.
Mar 29, 2018•30 min
Some unpleasant truths for liberals, from William Galston: The rise of anti-pluralist populist movements is caused by a combination of economic factors and migration; we need to take these concerns seriously, instead of feeling morally superior. In the U.S., this will require reintegrating our economy so that small towns and rural areas thrive again; breaking through government gridlock; and purging the "poison" of our immigration policies.
Mar 29, 2018•59 min
Are there differences in political, social, and economic attitudes among Indonesians--and Indonesian Muslims in particular--based on their levels of religious piety? Intriguingly, Tom Pepinsky and his fellow researchers found that the answer is no; piety is not the deciding factor. Pepinsky also examines Indonesia's approach toward minority rights, which he defines as tolerance for group rights but not for individual rights.
Mar 22, 2018•32 min
Next time on Global Ethics Forum, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Elizabeth Economy discusses China’s complicated relationship with environmentalism. In this excerpt, Economy tells Stephanie Sy how Chinese leadership’s approach toward climate change has evolved in the last few decades.
Mar 22, 2018•3 min
