Carnegie Council Audio Podcast

Today's discussions about immigrants and refugees are focused on the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on the U.S.-Mexico border and the "migration crisis" in the Mediterranean. Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Kavitha Rajagopalan explores the history of these debates, what it means to be undocumented in Europe versus the United States, and why many still view immigration through the prisms of terrorism and crime.

"I think it's important to contrast what China is doing with what Russia is doing," says Asia Society's Isaac Stone Fish. "Russia influence operations and Russia influence is much more about sowing chaos, it's about destabilization, it's about making America weaker. China is much more about making China stronger. The United States is a vector and a way for China to become stronger." Elon Musk, Alibaba, and China's internal power structures are also discussed in this wide-ranging talk.

As China's middle class grows, Hollywood is making films with this audience in mind, says the Wilson Center's Robert Daly, previously a producer for the Chinese version of "Sesame Street." How is this different from filmmaking in the World War II and Cold War eras? And why did the Chinese government have a problem with Cookie Monster and Grover?

In this new podcast series, we'll be connecting current events to Carnegie Council resources through conversations with our Senior Fellows. This week, Devin Stewart discusses how his essay defending the Singapore Summit holds up a month later. Plus, he and host Alex Woodson speak about Mike Pompeo's strange and unproductive trip to Pyongyang, what a "peace regime" could look like, and the prospects for a unified Korean Peninsula.

As part of our new Information Warfare podcast series, University of Connecticut historian Alexis Dudden looks at the propaganda efforts coming out of Northeast Asia, with a focus on China's Confucius Institutes at American universities. Is China trying to spread its communist ideology through these centers or just teach its language to college students? Are the U.S. and Japan "guilty" of similar efforts?

Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks at some basic questions Trump is asking about the post-Cold War alliance structures. Referencing a recent panel with George Mason's Colin Dueck and International Institute for Strategic Studies' Kori Schake, should Germany and other NATO allies spend more on defense? And what exactly are we defending when we say the "liberal international order"?

What are the challenges that will have the most impact on India's future? Award-winning author Mira Kamdar puts climate change and environmental degradion at the top of the list, including rising sea levels and scarcity of resources. Next is the problem of poverty and unemployment--India has to generate nearly a million new jobs a month for young people joining the workforce. Kamdar also discusses the rise of Hindu nationalism and much more.

As Viktor Orbán continues to enact illiberal policies in Hungary, some, including Harvard's Yascha Mounk, have called for the state to be expelled from the European Union. Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev puts this idea in a geopolitical and historical context and discusses what it could mean for the future of the EU. Is it possible to have an alliance of nations without shared values?

The Vietnam War ended over 40 years ago, but the U.S. and Vietnam are still coming to terms with the legacy of the toxic herbicide Agent Orange. Yet there is some good news: The cleanup is continuing and the U.S. Congress is committed. Bailey, who led Agent Orange programs at the Ford Foundation and the Aspen Institute, shares the inspiring story of the cooperation between former enemies, across multiple U.S. presidential administrations.

On the Global Ethics Forum series finale, best-selling author Robert Kaplan discusses China's global ambitions in an increasingly connected world. In this excerpt Kaplan discusses some of the underreported aspects of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Thanks for watching!

It's important to understand that Russia and France have had a centuries-long relationship which is mostly positive, say French scholars Marlene Laruelle and Jean-Yves Camus. Today there are layers of close economic and cultural ties, as well as common geopolitical interests, and the French extreme right and Russia share many of the same conservative values. Thus the remarkable strength of Russian influence in France is not surprising.

Thomas Weiss, a leading expert on the history and politics of the United Nations, gives incontrovertible evidence of the UN's achievements, such as the eradication of smallpox, but also details where the organization has fallen short. This is a critical time for all multilateral organizations and treaties, he stresses, as Trump has no regard for international cooperation.

In the wake of the countless Western media takes on Trump-Kim, Senior Fellow Devin Stewart defends the Singapore summit and the president's negotiating style and U.S. Air Force veteran Phil Caruso gives an inside perspective of what a freeze of military drills means. Did Trump give up too much? What are the next steps? And most importantly, are South Korea and Japan safer today than they were one week, six months, or a year ago?

Next time on Global Ethics Forum Yale Law School’s Amy Chua details the effects of tribalism and group identity on American society. In this excerpt Chua discusses why the United States, after the 2016 election, is acting more like a developing country than one of the richest nations in history.

There is a huge divide in the way Americans assess U.S. foreign policy. Take for example, the June G7 meeting, which ended in a clash between Trump and some of America's closest allies: Some say it was a disaster; others say Trump did the right thing. Where do we go from here to restore trust in expertise and government? Don't miss this fascinating conversation with two leading commentators, Colin Dueck and Kori Schake.

Why is democracy under siege around the world? Economist Dambisa Moyo cites a host of reasons, such as short-term thinking, low voter turnout, the huge sums spent on lobbying, and growing economic challenges. To fix these problems, she has 10 proposals for countries to choose from. They include compulsory voting and paying politicians more in order to stop corruption while also forcing them to be accountable for their policies.

Nadine Strossen gives a rousing, detailed, and convincing defense of free speech as it is laid out in the First Amendment. "American law really is nuanced and makes a great deal of common sense," she says and while censorship of 'hate speech' in other countries is certainly well-intended, in practice the laws have proven to do more harm than good.

Next time on Global Ethics Forum, 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang makes the case for universal basic income in the United States. In this excerpt Yang tells journalist Stephanie Sy how he would pay for $1,000 a month for every American adult.

There is a global surge in "golden visas" for the super-rich, who often have "no connection to the country other than a wire transfer, the ability to press a button, and pass a significant sum of money across borders," says Ayelet Shachar. Countries offering these include the U.S., the UK, and Malta. Yet in the U.S. the "dreamers," who grew up in America, are being denied citizenship. Do we really believe these visas are fair?

"Mexico is very present in our daily lives, sometimes even in ways we don't realize," says Andrew Selee. Did you know, for example, that some of America's most famous baked goods, such as Sara Lee, are owned by a Mexican company and made in Pennsylvania? From manufacturing and trade to film, food, and sports, plus the large number of Americans with Mexican heritage, the economies and cultures of Mexico and the U.S. are woven tightly together.