Deep Dish On Global Affairs

After nearly 20 politically motivated arrests in the last month, Nicaraguan President Ortega’s crackdown on his opposition could shake the country’s democracy. Researcher Ryan Berg and journalist Cindy Regidor join Deep Dish to explain the field for November’s presidential election and whether we’re witnessing the rise of a “second dictatorship.”

Underneath the public face of unity at this week’s NATO meetings, potential disagreements and fissures between the United States and its European allies could significantly complicate the US’ return to the global stage. Council President Ivo Daalder and the New York Times’ Steve Erlanger join Deep Dish to analyze if President Biden has successfully reinvigorated the alliance and whether a shared agenda exists.

Researcher and practitioner Séverine Autesserre argues that traditional approaches to peacebuilding often fail because they follow a top-down formula: expert expatriates parachute in to solve a problem with big budgets, cut-and-paste solutions, and a return ticket home. She joins Deep Dish to explain why a new strategy is needed and how grassroots efforts offer hope for an end to violent conflict.

China announced families can now have three children as opposed to two — a reaction to new data showing shocking population growth slowdowns and mirroring global declines. Demographics expert Nicholas Eberstadt joins Deep Dish to explain why population size, capabilities, and characteristics matter more for competition between great powers than economic or military power. 

US Secretary of State Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to protecting American interests in the Arctic last week—but what does that mean, exactly? Arctic experts Eugene Rumer and Rebecca Pincus join Deep Dish to unpack the debate over the Arctic’s potential as a geopolitical flashpoint and possibilities for a very cold new Cold War.

After a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, former United States Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Martin Indyk joins Deep Dish to explain the pattern driving the latest violence, and implications for the peace process, regional stability, and President Biden’s desire to pivot away from the Middle East. 

Turkish President Erdoğan initially pursued “zero problems with neighbors” as a foreign policy strategy, but now relies on the country’s military might to achieve political goals. Brookings’ Kemal Kirişci and journalist Ayla Jean Yackley join Deep Dish to explain what Turkey’s approach means for neighbors, allies, and foes.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called the United States' decision to leave Afghanistan by September 11 a “moment of both opportunity and risk” this week. The University of Texas at Austin’s Aaron O’Connell and the International Crisis Group’s Andrew Watkins join guest host Elizabeth Shackelford on Deep Dish to examine whether the United States can withdraw without undermining regional stability.  

Vice President Kamala Harris urged world leaders at the United Nations this week to begin preparing for the next pandemic, even as COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise in some parts of the world. Abbott’s Gavin Cloherty and the Cary Institute’s Barbara Han join Deep Dish to explain their strategies for tracking infections and why collaboration is the key to preventing future outbreaks. 

Twenty-three years after the Good Friday Accords, sectarian violence in Northern Ireland is once again making headlines. The European University Institute’s Brigid Laffan and POLITICO Europe’s Shawn Pogatchnik join Deep Dish to explain why the trade fallout from Brexit could destroy the fragile peace.

After failing to hold elections in February, Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo passed legislation this week to extend his power for at least two more years, prompting global concern. Somali academic Abdi Aynte and former US diplomat Elizabeth Shackelford join Deep Dish to unpack the players in Somalia’s politics and what role the international community should — or shouldn’t— have in its future. 

Brazil’s daily COVID-19 deaths passed 4,000 for first time this week, while President Jair Bolsonaro focused on firing his defense minister; reshuffling congress to ward off impeachment; and replacing the top commanders of the army, navy, and air force. Oliver Stuenkel and Sarah Maslin join Deep Dish to examine whether the pandemic could cost Bolsonaro the 2022 presidential election—or if he will find another way to hold onto power. 

For six days, a ship as tall as the Empire State Building, the Ever Given, was lodged in the Suez Canal – launching memes and delaying 10 percent of global trade. Flexport’s Phil Levy and the Financial Times’ Claire Jones join Deep Dish to discuss if crises like this and COVID-19 show it’s time to rethink global supply chains. 

For decades, the United States has ensured peace for Taiwan through strategic ambiguity, but last week’s combative US-China meeting could be a signal to rethink that approach. Rand Corporation’s Michael Mazarr and the Council’s Commander Michele Lowe join Deep Dish to explore the options in a constructive debate on the benefits—and costs—of a shift in policy.

The changing security environment and decaying trust in the US nuclear guarantee could lead to nuclear proliferation among allies, a new report from a task force of defense and security experts argues. Task force cochairs and report authors Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Rifkind, Chuck Hagel, and Ivo Daalder join Deep Dish to discuss possible solutions and why this is so urgent.

New data shows women have borne the brunt of pandemic job losses, potentially undercutting decades of progress toward gender equality. To recognize Women's History Month, The Council on Foreign Relations’ Jamille Bigio joins Deep Dish to explain why women’s economic participation is not simply a matter of fairness—it’s a global prosperity and security imperative.   

President Biden halted US support for the conflict in Yemen, but “resolving the world’s worst humanitarian crisis will require a larger paradigm shift in foreign policy,” former World Food Programme head Ertharin Cousin writes for Foreign Policy. She joins Deep Dish to explain why hunger must be treated as an essential element of military and foreign policy, not just as a humanitarian issue.

Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting agriculture reform in India since last November, drawing global attention and celebrity support. Sumit Ganguly and Surupa Gupta join Deep Dish to explain the economic and social impact of the movement and what it might mean for Prime Minister Modi’s hold on political power.

Last week’s military coup in Myanmar has undone nearly a decade of progress toward democratic reform: Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been jailed, the public is protesting martial law across the country, and the military’s strategy to contain the situation is escalating. Christina Fink and Debra Eisenman join Deep Dish to explain Myanmar’s complicated politics and why the country’s transition toward democracy didn’t go as the West expected. 

Black History Month and recent US domestic political events highlight our historical struggles over freedom and race – how they have shaped our world and why they continue to influence our lives today. Historian Tyler Stovall joins Deep Dish to explain why our understanding of freedom has been fundamentally grounded in race and how understanding our past can give us the tools to move forward.