Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

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 [https://www.globaldispatches.org/124f4694] by following this link:  https://www.globaldispatches.org/124f4694 [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/