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Network 20/20’s Global Insights is a series of moderated conversations that brings together a curious global audience to dig deeper into macro-level and region-specific trends shaping our world.
117 Episodes
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This episode is part one of two of our conversation on U.S. migration. Over the past few decades, migration from Central America’s Northern Triangle has more than tripled. Millions in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are in the process of uprooting their lives to take on the dangerous journey to the U.S. in the hope of a better life. Despite President Biden’s early commitment, submitting a $4 billion plan on his first day in office to tackle the root causes of migration, the approval of t...
Under the rule of President Xi Jinping, China has become a 21st century power, and a formidable competitor to the United States. Having consolidated greater power in his person than any other leader since Mao and abetted by a loyal cadre that make up China’s top leadership, Xi’s global ambitions for China has led him to abandon decades of Chinese restraint in favor of a muscular approach designed to restore China’s historical status as a leading power. Join us for the fifth episode in our Dee...
In late 2022, mass demonstrations broke out in China against the Zero Covid Policy. In a rare move, the Chinese government acknowledged these acts of dissent by relaxing Covid restrictions. However, despite this concession, there were many reports of protesters being tracked down with the help of an advanced state surveillance system and severely punished, with aggressive interrogations and threats to families. What are the politics of human rights and dissent in contemporary China, given the...
Compared to his predecessors, Xi Jinping is more focused on military modernization, which he views as a prerequisite for achieving the “China Dream” of national rejuvenation by the midcentury. China also intends to be entirely independent in its defense sector and compete with other well-established military industries such as Russia and the United States. What are the current capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)? What are China’s short-term and long-term goals for the PLA? What...
On March 5th, Chinese outgoing Premier Li Keqiang opened the National People’s Congress meeting with his annual Work Report and revealed a growth target of “around 5%”, the lowest since 1976. For decades, the country had expanded by more than 10% annually. Even though China missed its target last year by a wide margin due to its zero-Covid policy, not many people expected this low of a target from Xi Jinping’s government. What kind of economic policy will China need to adopt to revive its eco...
Tension between the United States and China has intensified, and the U.S. is expressing growing concerns over China's relationship with Russia. Given the current political climate, is it still possible for the two nations to cooperate, and what could be the consequences of a deteriorating relationship? Join us for a discussion with former U.S. diplomat and Fellow at Yale School of Law's Paul Tsai China Center, Susan Thornton, to analyze the recent developments in the U.S.-China relationship. ...
Visit us at Network2020.org. The global economy has entered an age of confusion, roiled by trade wars and technology as it gained its post-pandemic footing. The global rise of populism and an AI-fueled market surge further complicate the story. The result? A world that feels less predictable, less secure, and far harder to govern. What explains the breakdown of the old order? Can the U.S. and China coexist without destabilizing the global system? What is the future of democratic capital...
Visit us at Network2020.org. On January 3rd, U.S. forces launched a military strike on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and flying him to New York to face federal narco-terrorism charges. President Trump announced the U.S. would "run the country" until a transition of power could take place. This episode was recorded before those events—but the conversation helps explain how we got here. Venezuela was once the wealthiest country in Latin America. Between 2012 and 2020, it e...
Visit us at Network2020.org. Africa sits at the center of the global energy transition. From cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of Congo to major infrastructure initiatives like the Lobito Corridor, the continent’s mineral wealth—an estimated 30% of the world’s supply—is now indispensable to green-energy supply chains. As global powers compete for influence and investments, African governments, private-sector leaders, and human rights organizations face mounting pressure to en...
Visit us at Network2020.org. The Arctic is rapidly moving to the center of global politics. Melting ice is opening new shipping lanes and granting access to vast, untapped natural resources. Russia has expanded its military footprint along its Arctic coastline and deepened regional cooperation with Beijing, while the United States and its allies are bolstering their strategic presence through joint drills and upgrades to security infrastructure. Greenland, with its valuable minerals and...
For the context of this conflict, see our earlier episode here: Revisiting Sudan’s Conflict: Context and Implications Sudan is in the midst of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, a catastrophe that has become both a moral and political failure. More than 12 million people have been displaced and over 150,000 lives lost as violence, famine, and chaos engulf the country. Since 2010, using satellite imagery and open-source data, Nathaniel Raymond and his team have uncovered evidence of...
Visit us at Network2020.org. The architecture of international engagement is shifting, and subnational diplomacy is taking center stage. As federal governments scale back traditional foreign policy and funded diplomacy, cities and states are emerging as more prominent actors on the global stage, forging direct international ties to address global issues such as climate change, migration, trade, and public health. As local leaders are increasingly shaping the frameworks of cooperat...
Visit us at Network2020.org. Over the past decade, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras have experienced a resurgence of authoritarian practices. Leaders have expanded executive power, undermined judicial independence, curtailed press freedom, and increased the use of mass incarceration and militarized policing—all under the banner of security and stability. These developments echo past dictatorships but take on new forms in today’s political and technological context, connecting local ...
Visit us at Network2020.org. U.S. higher education is more than just a domestic institution— it is a pillar of the country’s foreign policy and global engagement. By attracting students, scholars, and researchers from around the world, American universities have helped shape generations of leaders, built lasting international networks, and boosted the U.S. economy and labor market. Yet, recent immigration and visa policies under the Trump administration have caused a 15 percent drop in intern...
Visit us at Network2020.org. The United States has long been recognized as the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), a technology transforming trade, foreign policy, and military strategy. China, once seen as years behind, is rapidly closing the gap, most recently with the launch of DeepSeek. With competition heating up in both chip technology and AI innovation, Washington has sought to maintain its edge through export controls and a recently unveiled AI Action Plan. As the wor...
Visit us at Network2020.org. In June, strikes by the U.S. and Israel against Iran’s nuclear facilities reignited one of the most dangerous questions in global security: how do you stop a country determined to keep its nuclear options open? What followed has tested not only Iran’s willingness to abide by international limits, but also the credibility of the entire nonproliferation system. In this episode, Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Associat...
1Visit us at Network2020.org. Sudan’s war—between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, sparked in April 2023—has entered a deadlier phase. Recent attacks on the Abu Shouk camp near El-Fasher, a widening cholera outbreak, and aid blockages that leave much of the country in need have pushed the crisis to a breaking point. We’re re-running this episode to explain how a promised transition to civilian rule unraveled into open war, how Darfur’s past atrocities and broader questions of accou...
Visit us at Network2020.org. The U.S. has slapped a 25% tariff on most Indian exports and threatened further measures over India’s continued oil and arms deals with Russia. India isn’t backing down—defending those ties as “time-tested” while rejecting an American offer of F‑35 fighter jets. To make sense of this standoff, we’re revisiting a 2023 conversation on India’s foreign policy dilemma: Can the world’s largest democracy maintain strategic autonomy while deepening ties with the U.S...
Visit us at Network2020.org. The EU’s Readiness 2030 plan marks a significant shift in European defense, with €800 billion in planned spending driven by the war in Ukraine and growing doubts about U.S. security guarantees. As the bloc moves to strengthen its military capabilities and reduce reliance on external powers, key questions emerge: Could shared threats finally unify national defense strategies? Will common borrowing transform how Europe finances its security? And how might a mo...
Listen to part one on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your audio. In part two of our special series on the Israel-Iran conflict, we turn our attention to the Iranian perspective—one often lost amid headlines. Nearly two weeks have passed since Israel launched preemptive airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, pulling the two nations into open conflict and prompting U.S. involvement. While a fragile ceasefire is now in place, its future remains uncertain. But beyond geopoli...
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