Public Affairs

Overview

Public Affairs hosted speakers who are prominent people in the world of international affairs, from acclaimed authors, to Nobel laureates, to high-ranking UN officials.

MAR 10, 2014 Podcast

The Struggle for Iraq's Future: How Corruption, Incompetence and Sectarianism Have Undermined Democracy

In this bleak and revealing talk, Iraqi lawyer Zaid al-Ali provides an insider's analysis of Iraq's many failures of governance, from creating a constitution to ...

The Global War for Internet Governance

MAR 4, 2014 Podcast

The Global War for Internet Governance

Who controls the Internet? Internet governance is so technically and institutionally complex that it takes place mostly out of public view. But Internet control points ...

The Fog of Peace: The Human Face of Conflict Resolution

FEB 25, 2014 Podcast

The Fog of Peace: The Human Face of Conflict Resolution

The courageous Gianni Picco played a central role in negotiating the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, met with Saddam Hussein to bring an end to the ...

By All Means Necessary: How China

FEB 18, 2014 Podcast

By All Means Necessary: How China's Resource Quest is Changing the World

As China's urban middle class expands, China's government--and private companies--are traveling the globe in pursuit of fuel, ores, water, and farmland. And the government has ...

The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the 21st Century

FEB 10, 2014 Podcast

The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the 21st Century

Sochi, Snowden, and Syria--these are just a few of the issues complicating the U.S.-Russian relationship, says Georgetown's Angela Stent in this dynamic and ...

The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters

FEB 2, 2014 Podcast

The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters

Thanks to fracking and the unlikely characters who made this revolution happen, the United States is now the biggest energy producer in the world. The ...

The Second Arab Awakening and the Battle for Pluralism

JAN 28, 2014 Podcast

The Second Arab Awakening and the Battle for Pluralism

Jordanian diplomat and scholar Marwan Muasher surveys the situation across the Arab world. He sees reasons for optimism in the long run, particularly in Tunisia, ...

The Confidence Trap: A History of Democracy in Crisis from World War I to the Present

DEC 18, 2013 Podcast

The Confidence Trap: A History of Democracy in Crisis from World War I to the Present

Democracy is petty, trivial, and short-termist, says David Runciman. But having survived world wars and financial shocks over the last 100 years, it's also the most ...

Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late

DEC 17, 2013 Podcast

Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late

The threat of a nuclear nightmare is still real, says Joe Cirincione. With unsecured stockpiles in Russia, the ever-present threat of terrorists getting hold of ...

DEC 13, 2013 Podcast

Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy

Why did Japan recklessly attack the United States in 1941, launching a war that most of the nation's leaders knew they were almost certain to lose? ...