Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Eliana Johns hunts for nuclear weapons. She’s a senior research associate at the Federation of American Scientists, where her team uses open-source intelligence — or OSINT — to uncover secrets about countries’ nuclear capabilities and intentions. In fact, much of what we know today about China’s nuclear arsenal comes from her colleagues’ work, which used commercial satellite imagery to reveal that China is undertaking a massive nuclear buildup — at a pace far exceeding publicly available estimates from U.S. intelligence agencies. In our conversation, Johns explains where OSINT has worked best and why greater transparency around nuclear weapons is essential for a more stable and peaceful world. We recorded this live at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference. 

The race to succeed António Guterres is unofficially underway. His term as UN Secretary-General ends in December 2026, but the backroom jockeying has already begun.  In this episode, Mark and Anjali are joined by Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group to break down the early contenders, how shifting geopolitics could shake up the selection process, and the daunting mess the next Secretary-General is likely to inherit. But first, they react to Trump’s eyebrow-raising pick for UN Ambassador: recently fired National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Unlock the full episode by getting a paid subscription --> https://www.globaldispatches.org/ 

The legendary international relations scholar Joseph Nye passed away on May 7th at the age of 88. He’s best known, of course, for developing and advancing the idea of “soft power”—the ability to influence others and shape outcomes through attraction, persuasion, and cultural or ideological appeal rather than coercion or force. But over his singularly illustrious career, he authored hundreds of scholarly articles and dozens of books on international relations. To honor is legacy and memory, I wanted to share our conversation from way back in 2014. We began our conversation talking about Russia’s (then recent) annexation of Crimea and occupation Ukraine, and what it suggests about long held ideas in international relations theory. We then pivot to his personal story, including his childhood in New Jersey and how his entry into the world of international relations was as an Africanist—he wrote an award-winning thesis as a Rhodes Scholar on decolonization in East Africa. Of course, we also discussed at length how he came up with the idea of “soft power,” which, as he explains, stemmed from an “a-ha!” moment while sitting in his kitchen.

In just the first four months of the Trump administration, several pillars of American foreign policy have been upended — USAID dismantled, most foreign aid frozen, and the rules-based international trade system thrown into disarray. Could nuclear policy be next? To find out, I spoke with Alexandra Bell, President and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and a former senior State Department official on nuclear issues. She breaks down the key decisions facing the administration — and the risks tied to some of the options on the table, particularly around missile defense. We also unpack the state of nuclear diplomacy with Russia and China, and why forcing trilateral arms control talks is likely a dead end. This conversation is a clear-eyed look at the current state of play in Trump’s nuclear policy — and where it may be headed next. We recorded this live at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference. More conversations are coming soon. To catch them live, subscribe below or get the Substack app.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, better known as the CTBT, expressly prohibits its signatories from testing nuclear weapons. It was opened for signature in 1996 and is now one of the most widely adopted treaties in the world.  Since the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signature in 1996, there have been ten nuclear tests conducted worldwide. These include two tests by India and two by Pakistan in 1998, and six tests by North Korea between 2006 and 2017 .​ This limited number of tests since 1996 stands in stark contrast to the more than 2,000 nuclear tests conducted in the preceding five decades, highlighting the CTBT's significant role in establishing a global norm against nuclear testing My guest today, Robert Floyd, is the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization, which—as the name suggests—is the international body responsible for monitoring and facilitating the implementation of this treaty. It does so, in part, through a sophisticated global monitoring system capable of detecting a nuclear test anywhere in the world. I sat down with Robert Floyd on the sidelines of the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference in Washington, DC, earlier this month, where he explained why the CTBT has been so successful in constraining nuclear testing—and what challenges the treaty now faces amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. This episode is produced in partnership with Lex International Fund, a philanthropic fund dedicated to strengthening international law to solve global challenges. It is part of a series that demonstrates the impact of Treaties on state behavior that we are calling "when treaties work"

Ankit Panda’s new book delivers a stark message: we’ve entered a new nuclear age. This one is shaped by rising U.S.–Russia tensions, China’s emergence as a major nuclear power, and a wave of tech breakthroughs — including AI — that are transforming the nuclear landscape. The result? A world where nuclear security is more complicated, and more dangerous, than ever. In The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon, Panda breaks down the key trends driving this shift. In our conversation, he explains why this moment is so perilous — and how we might avoid stumbling into a new nuclear war. We recorded this live at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference. More conversations are coming soon. 

The escalating trade dispute between the United States and China has, in the view of my guest today, unofficially crossed the threshold into a full-blown trade war. Wendy Cutler is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a longtime diplomat and negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. We spoke on Friday, April 18, as both countries were rapidly imposing tariffs and counter-tariffs, measures and countermeasures. In our conversation, Wendy explains which of these actions may prove particularly damaging to both the U.S. and Chinese economies. She also breaks down China’s diplomatic response, including a recent trip by Xi Jinping to three Southeast Asian countries aimed at shoring up regional trade alliances. Finally, Wendy offers insight into how bad this trade war could get—and identifies potential offramps that might help prevent the worst-case scenarios.`

The crisis in Sudan is taking another devastating turn. Over the past several days, a genocidal paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has attacked a sprawling refugee camp in Darfur. As I write this, nearly 400,000 people have fled the camp and are now traversing the desert in search of safety. Meanwhile, the RSF is mounting an offensive on the last major city in Darfur not under its control. This escalation comes as the world rather quietly marked the second anniversary of Sudan’s civil war. In April 2022, two rival generals vied for control of the country, plunging it into chaos. Two years on, Sudan has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 12 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. One of them is Dalia Abdel Moneim. She fled her home in Khartoum shortly after the war began and is now living in Cairo. She joined me for a conversation about the unfolding catastrophe in Sudan.

"Nobody wins in trade wars," said António Guterres as he left a UN Security Council meeting this week. But it’s clear there’s at least one big loser: American diplomacy. This week, Anjali and Mark break down how the Trump tariffs are rippling through the UN — and how they’re complicating diplomacy on issues that have nothing to do with trade. We also speculate on who Trump might tap as his next envoy now that Elise Stefanik is out. Plus, we dig into the UN’s role in Gaza as both diplomacy and humanitarian aid grind to a halt, and what’s next for the World Food Program after a stunning announcement — and sudden retraction — from a senior DOGE official. Get the full episode with your paid subscription. https://www.globaldispatches.org/  

Heather Hurlburt is a former chief of staff in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Biden Administration and now a fellow at Chatham House. She is also someone I've routinely turned to over the years for insights into broader geopolitical trends. In our conversation today, we dig into the real geopolitical fallout from Donald Trump’s escalating trade war — and how the global balance of power is already shifting in ways that most people aren’t paying attention to. She explains why the trade war is about much more than tariffs, who the real winners and losers are likely to be, and what ripple effects we’re already seeing across Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond. Get a discount subscription to Global Dispatches at this link: https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PercentOff   

A few months ago, the Canadian Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, was cruising toward a massive victory in the upcoming Canadian elections, with most polls showing him holding a 20-point lead over his Liberal Party opponent. But what a difference an American election makes! Since Trump’s musings about annexing Canada and his sweeping trade war against the country, polls have shifted decisively in favor of the Liberal Party, now led by Prime Minister Mark Carney. It seems Canadians are poised to soundly reject the so-called “Maple MAGA.” With Canadian elections just a few weeks away on April 28th, I knew I wanted to speak with one of my favo(u)rite explainers of all things Canada: journalist Justin Ling. He’s written for numerous outlets, created some amazing podcasts, and is the author of the Bug-Eyed and Shameless newsletter here on Substack. We spoke one day after Trump’s latest global tariff announcements, which hit Canada hard. In our conversation, Justin explains the current state of Canadian politics in the Trump era, and more broadly, how Trump’s moves against Canada are rallying Canadians in unexpected ways—sparking a surge of national pride and solidarity in defiance of the threat from their powerful neighbor to the south. It’s a fascinating conversation that reveals how Trump’s bluster is reshaping Canadian politics in real time—and why this moment might mark a turning point for Canada’s political identity.

On March 28th, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar—the strongest to hit the region in a century. The epicenter was in the Sagaing region, near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, in the northwest of the country. Sagaing is also the epicenter of Myanmar’s civil war and the humanitarian crisis caused by the brutal conflict that has raged for the past four years. In other words, this earthquake created a crisis on top of a crisis. And it struck just as the main backer of global humanitarian relief—the United States—has suspended nearly all foreign aid and emergency humanitarian assistance programs. Joining me to discuss the damage caused by the earthquake and the ongoing local and international response is Bob Kitchen, a veteran humanitarian official and the Vice President for Emergencies at the International Rescue Committee. We begin by discussing the scope of the damage and the complexities of mounting a response in the midst of Myanmar's civil war, before delving into how the response to this sudden-onset natural disaster is being shaped by the absence of American leadership, which has long played a central role in global emergency relief efforts. Use this link to get a 40% discounted subscription to Global Dispatches and all we have to offer! https://www.globaldispatches.org/40PecentOff Use this link if you'd like to support us at full price https://www.globaldispatches.org/ 

Effectively and efficiently responding to humanitarian crises is one of the things the United Nations and its partners in the NGO community do best. Over the years, they have gotten very good at saving lives. This system is now under unprecedented strain due to the Trump administration's decision to freeze foreign aid and dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. These cuts are being felt across hundreds of NGOs. So, for today’s episode, I wanted to dig deep into what these funding cuts mean for one long-standing humanitarian organization: the NGO Relief International. I'm joined by Relief International's CEO, Craig Redmond, who explains the difficult choices his organization is making as it responds to massive funding cuts. He details how these cuts are impacting not only the people Relief International serves and the organization itself, but also the broader global humanitarian system—of which NGOs like Relief International are a key part.

The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration are two entities now squarely in the crosshairs of their once-strongest backer. Both agencies rely heavily on American funding—but with that funding now cut, they’re laying off staff by the thousands. In this episode of our UN-focused podast, To Save Us From Hell, Anjali Dayal and Mark Leon Goldberg discuss the impact of these cuts on the agencies themselves, as well as the broader question: What does it mean to live in a world where the two global agencies most responsible for supporting refugees and displaced people can no longer operate anywhere near full capacity? We also examine massive cuts hitting a lesser-known entity: the UN Department of Safety and Security. This is the UN’s risk management arm, which typically works behind the scenes to ensure the rest of the UN can carry out its work safely. Finally, we zoom in on Cox’s Bazar—the world’s largest refugee camp, located in Bangladesh and home to around a million Rohingya refugees who fled genocide in Myanmar. Because of these funding cuts, that camp is now on the verge of collapse. Get the full episode at a 40% discount by following this link:  https://www.globaldispatches.org/124f4694 

Trump is serious about his intention to seize the Panama Canal. He discussed it in his inauguration address and has dispatched Marco Rubio to Panama to put a plan in motion. But what do Panamanians think about this? My interview guest is Ed Price, a political economist at New York University and a columnist for the Financial Times. We begin by discussing the general mood on the streets of Panama City before turning to a broader conversation about how political and policy elites in Panama are responding to this assault on their sovereignty. We also examine the wider geopolitical implications of Trump’s ambitions for territorial expansion, including annexing the Panama Canal, acquiring Greenland, and making Canada the “51st state.”

Imagine a world in which companies could secretly export toxic waste and dump it in unsuspecting communities. Until the 1992 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, there were no rules governing the international movement of toxic waste. Today, this convention ensures that such waste cannot be sent to unsuspecting recipients, particularly in the Global South. What makes this treaty so interesting to me is that it was inspired by an environmental scandal in the late 1980s, when an Italian company dumped toxic waste in the Nigerian town of Koko. The discovery of the waste sparked international outrage and led to stricter global regulations, including the Basel Convention. Joining me today to explain the impact of the Basel Convention is one of the world’s foremost experts on environmental treaties, Maria Ivanova. She is the director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University and a professor of public policy. We kick off by discussing how this scandal led to a treaty on the international movement of hazardous waste, followed by a longer conversation about its lasting impact on the world today. This episode is produced in partnership with Lex International Fund, a philanthropic fund dedicated to strengthening international law to solve global challenges. It is part of a series that demonstrates the impact of treaties on state behavior, which we are calling "When Treaties Work."  

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country—and it has been troubled from the start. After decades of struggle, the country broke free from Sudan in 2011, gaining independence with the support of the United States, Europe, and most Western powers. But soon after independence, the turmoil began. Political rivalries intensified, as did competition over oil resources. Meanwhile, vain political leaders prioritized their personal fortunes over the good of the country. South Sudan was soon torn apart. A brutal civil war killed some 400,000 people from 2013 to 2018, when a peace agreement was signed. But that peace agreement is now rapidly unraveling. Last week, the International Crisis Group issued a rare alert, warning that the country was on the precipice of a renewed, full-blown civil war. This is partly a consequence of the conflict north of the border in Sudan, which is spilling over into both the territory and the fraught politics of South Sudan. Joining me for an in-depth conversation about what is happening in South Sudan is Daniel Akech Thiong, an analyst at the International Crisis Group. https://www.globaldispatches.org/

The Trump administration has turned the United Nations into a battleground in its war on gender equality. At the Commission on the Status of Women this week, the U.S. sought to block references to gender equality…in a conference dedicated to that very cause! Meanwhile, at the Security Council, the U.S. refused to join a statement condemning the Taliban’s treatment of women, signaling a broader retreat from the “Women, Peace, and Security” agenda. In this episode of To Save Us From Hell, Anjali Dayal and Mark Leon Goldberg break down how Trump’s anti-DEI crusade is playing out at the UN and what it means for global diplomacy. Get a discounted subscription and unlock the full episode by following this link. 

Water is indispensable - and also irreplaceable. There are no substitutes for its most crucial uses. Yet rising demands, mounting environmental pressures, and unsustainable management practices increasingly strain global water systems. Many major rivers and groundwater aquifers have reached or surpassed the limits of their renewable supplies.  Where countries and communities rely on the same resources, frictions over the availability of, access to, and decision-making about shared waters are growing.  Around the world, water systems and water supplies increasingly figure as deliberate tools or collateral targets of war, and as contributing triggers of violent conflict.  Hidden Depths is a new, six-part podcast series from CSIS – the Center for Strategic and International Studies in which David Michel, Senior Fellow for Water Security at CSIS, talks with policy specialists, academics, and practitioners to understand the drivers of rising water tensions and the tools of water diplomacy.   Learn more about Hidden Depths

When a man-made or natural disaster strikes, aid agencies must turn to donors, hat in hand, to fundraise for the response. This includes UN agencies like the World Food Programme and UNICEF, as well as international NGOs like the International Rescue Committee and Save the Children. Over the years, the UN has established a mechanism to consolidate these appeals through the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It’s a relatively straightforward and streamlined process: agencies outline their needs, and donors pledge funds to support the response. Historically, the United States has been the largest single donor, accounting for about 40% of all emergency humanitarian relief funding. But now, that funding has been abruptly cut. The consequences of this decision have been profound, both for the people who rely on humanitarian assistance and for the professionals who have dedicated their careers to relief work. As my guest today, Thomas Byrnes, explains, the freezing of U.S. foreign aid and the dismantling of USAID have triggered a collapse of the global humanitarian system, with ripple effects we discuss in detail. Thomas Byrnes is the director of Market Impact, a humanitarian and development consultancy firm. We begin by exploring how the global humanitarian system functions, why the United States was its lynchpin, and the near- and long-term implications of the near-total upheaval of the world’s approach to humanitarian crises. Get 40% Off a Subscription using this link: https://www.globaldispatches.org/124f4694