Podcast – Return Trip to Lebanon, Jordan & Syria
C. Eduardo Vargas returned from a 3 week assessment trip of the Iraqi refugee situation in the Near East and joined us this morning to share. Hear about Iraqi refugee families, their hardships and hospitality. Together with 9 other delegates from Intersections International he traveled to Lebanon, Jordan & Syria to meet with international aid groups and witness the humanitarian situations of Iraqi refugees. One brief encounter with Hezbollah, tales of torture and tea with Iraqis weave a complicated but monumental challenge for the U.S.
Download Podcast – Return to the Region, Iraqi Refugees 10.25.09
C. Eduardo Vargas is currently a project manager for conflict issues and political advocacy at Intersections International. Prior to this position, he worked on a variety of refugee issues with the Office of Caritas Internationalis at the United Nations. He holds an MA from The Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University.
refugee home
bedroom in Syria
UNHCR in Syria
Finally, a serious international evening newscast
This is not breaking news, but its worth a reminder. It is encouraging to see progress on cable news. Beginning Sept 27th, Christiane Amanpour will begin to host one of the few serious international newscasts. With..”her 25 years at CNN, Christiane Amanpour has hopscotched the world, the very model of a foreign correspondent, turning up at seemingly every war, genocide, famine and natural disaster, slipping through previously closed borders and interviewing even the most recalcitrant of foreign leaders.
Chistianne Amanpour
But there is one thing she has never done: anchored her own daily news show.
That will change {in September}, when she starts a nightly program on CNN International, which is retooling its lineup. An edited version of Ms. Amanpour’s show is expected to be shown on the weekends on CNN’s United States channel. Ms. Amanpour said she would continue to travel with the program, “because I’m a field person at heart, in my bones and in my DNA.” (Read Further: NY Times)
CNN deserves credit for going the route of quality and Amanpour deserves ratings for the years of courageous field reporting.
Podcast – The Color Revolutions
Filed under: Color Revolutions, Commentary, Democracy, Iran, Podcast
The Origins, Characteristics and Consequences of the Color Revolutions
In this podcast, Dr. Lincoln Mitchell, Arnold A. Saltzman Assistant Professor in the Practice of International Politics at Columbia University, discusses the foreign policy lessons of the color revolutions, their implications for US democracy assistance projects, and whether the recent protest in Iran qualify to be the “green revolution”.
Download Podcast - The Color Revolutions 6.28.09
Or Listen to the Streaming Audio Here
Protecting Darfur, UNAMID’s Mission
UN SG Ban Ki-moon (centre) confers with Jean-Marie Guéhenno (left), USG DPKO, and Michael Gaouette, DPKO, en route to Khartoum in 2007. UN Photo/Evan Schneider.
Peace remains elusive in the western Sudanese region on Darfur. To date close to 400,000 people have died in the crisis and almost 4 million have been displaced. The monumental task of maintaining peace and providing an environment for international NGOs to facilitate humanitarian assisance has fallen on the soldiers and civilian attachment of the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Force (UNAMID). UNAMID’s team leader at UNHQ, Michael Gaouette joins us for this week’s podcast to provide his insights on the mission’s logistical and political operations. In this 30 minute interview, he outlines the pragmatic issues facing the UN in Darfur and addresses key elements to an eventual peace agreement.
Download Podcast – Protecting Darfur 04.12.09
Egypt Today, its Future and US Relations
Egyptian society has long been fascinating to watch. With a rich cultural history and a present day autocratic government thats seeks to maintain control while the public tide of democratic forces grows, Egypt has become a country in transition. On this podcast, Robert Nolan, online editor at the Foreign Policy Association, and editorial producer of the Great Decisions Television Series on PBS discusses his recent documentary “From Pharaohs to Facebook: Egypt Today”. He identifies Egypt’s unique position in the Mideast peace process, its economic landscape and the prospects for democracy led by a vibrant youth movement.
Download Podcast – Egypt Today 04.05.09
To watch Robert Nolan’s PBS documentary, “From Pharaohs to Facebook: Egypt Today” Click Here
