Gordon Peake on COP28 and Climate Financing

Gordon Peake on COP28 and Climate Financing

Monday, December 4, 2023

By: Gordon Peake, Ph.D.

As COP28 continues, it’s estimated that the world needs to invest $5.9 trillion to stave off climate change. “The big question now is … who’s going to pay for all this,” says USIP’s Gordon Peake, adding that “we also need to tamp down the use of fossil fuels” to prevent the bill for growing even more.

Type: Podcast

Environment

Priscilla Clapp on the Recent Success of Myanmar’s Resistance

Priscilla Clapp on the Recent Success of Myanmar’s Resistance

Monday, November 20, 2023

By: Priscilla A. Clapp

Increased coordination between various elements of Myanmar’s resistance has sparked massive gains, says USIP’s Priscilla Clapp: “In just a few weeks, the opposition forces have managed to dislodge the military from their bases and encampments” along many parts of the borders with China, Thailand, India and Bangladesh.

Type: Podcast

Heather Ashby on How the Israel-Hamas War Affects Russia and Ukraine

Heather Ashby on How the Israel-Hamas War Affects Russia and Ukraine

Monday, November 6, 2023

By: Heather Ashby, Ph.D.

The conflict in the Middle East is helping divert attention away from Russia’s war in Ukraine. And despite rumors of peace talks, USIP’s Heather Ashby says neither side seems willing to budge: “I don’t think people should be optimistic that there will be negotiations … even with a third party trying to bring the sides together.”

Type: Podcast

Andrew Scobell on China’s Aggression in the South China Sea

Andrew Scobell on China’s Aggression in the South China Sea

Monday, October 30, 2023

By: Andrew Scobell, Ph.D.

In asserting its claims in the South China Sea, Beijing “recognizes that international law is not on its side,” says USIP’s Andrew Scobell. Instead, China has resorted to gray-zone provocations against the Philippines and others that “are deliberate, on China’s part, to keep [the situation] below the threshold of war.”

Type: Podcast

Carla Freeman on China’s Belt and Road Initiative at 10

Carla Freeman on China’s Belt and Road Initiative at 10

Monday, October 23, 2023

By: Carla Freeman, Ph.D.

When the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced, developing countries were eager to partner with Beijing on infrastructure projects. But a decade later, “a lot of these countries are saddled with immense debt … now that the hype is over, there’s a lot more international scrutiny” of the BRI, says USIP’s Carla Freeman.

Type: Podcast

Mary Speck on Guatemala’s Protests

Mary Speck on Guatemala’s Protests

Monday, October 16, 2023

By: Mary Speck, Ph.D.

President-elect Bernardo Arevalo’s electoral victory in August “has not sat well with the political establishment” in Guatemala, says USIP’s Mary Speck, and their attempts to undermine the transition have been met by popular protests led by Indigenous leaders advocating “on behalf of democracy.”

Type: Podcast

Global Policy

Donna Charles on Ghana’s Democracy Amid West Africa’s Instability

Donna Charles on Ghana’s Democracy Amid West Africa’s Instability

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

By: Donna Charles

Ghana represents a “bastion of democracy” in a region beset by political instability. With Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo visiting Washington, D.C., this week, the United States can deepen cooperation in a way that “really supports the U.S. message of bringing peace through democracy,” says USIP’s Donna Charles.

Type: Podcast

Keith Mines on the New Multinational Security Force for Haiti

Keith Mines on the New Multinational Security Force for Haiti

Thursday, October 5, 2023

By: Keith Mines

The U.N. Security Council approved a multinational security force to address Haiti’s rampant gang violence — but another major challenge will be the volatile political environment. “There’s a lot of work just on government capacity,” says USIP’s Keith Mines. “It would behoove the international community to buckle down and build that capacity.”

Type: Podcast

Global Policy