Nuclear Threats: Life After Death After Life

Nuclear Threats: Life After Death After Life

In this episode, Stephen Herzog [https://stephen-herzog.com/] of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies [https://nonproliferation.org/] joins Mark Williams to discuss his co-edited book Atomic Backfires. [https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262051859/atomic-backfires/] Drawing on extensive research and case studies, Herzog examines renewed global fears surrounding nuclear weapons and proliferation, pointing to Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling during the war in Ukraine, the proliferation incentives created by the experiences of Iraq, Libya, and Ukraine, and concerns over weakening U.S. security assurances under the Trump administration. He also explores the unintended—and often counterproductive—effects of policies designed to reduce nuclear risks, including sanctions, military threats, counterproliferation strikes, and arms control agreements. New Frontiers [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn/new-frontiers-podcast] (from the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn] at Middlebury College [https://www.middlebury.edu/#]) is a higher education podcast series bringing scholarly research and expertise to bear on national, international, and global affairs. Produced and edited by Margaret DeFoor and Mark Williams, director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Intro by Charlotte Tate, associate director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Edits by RCGA intern Mehr Sohal. Music Credits Forte by Kestra - Summer with Sound Album Soul Zone by Kestra - Light Rising Album Transitions by Mark Williams

US Terrorist Lists: Who Decides, and Why It Matters

How does the U.S. government determine who gets designated a terrorist and belongs on the official “terrorist list”? What consequences could arise as a result of being put on the terrorist list, and what procedures are followed to ensure this designation—and the penalties that come with it—are justified? Explore these topics with Mark Williams and counterterrorism expert Jason Blazakis [https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/people/jason-blazakis]. A former director of the State Department’s Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, and founding director of the Center for Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism [https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec], Blazakis explains how making the terrorist list can lead to a range of negative consequences: asset freezes, criminal penalties, immigration issues, etc., the slow, evidenced-based procedures traditionally followed to ensure any terrorist designation was legally justified, and his concerns that recent changes in those procedures by the Trump administration could lead to their abuse. New Frontiers [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn/new-frontiers-podcast] (from the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn] at Middlebury College [https://www.middlebury.edu/#]) is a higher education podcast series bringing scholarly research and expertise to bear on national, international, and global affairs. Produced and edited by Margaret DeFoor and Mark Williams, director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Intro by Charlotte Tate, associate director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Edits by RCGA intern Mehr Sohal. Music Credits Forte by Kestra - Summer with Sound Album Soul Zone by Kestra - Light Rising Album Transitions by Mark Williams

High Seas Research: Decoding Earth's Climate Past

In this episode, Rohatyn Center director Mark Williams talks with climate scientist Allison Jacobel about how researchers reconstruct the Earth’s climate history without a “time machine,” why the oceans and seafloor hold richer continuous climate records than land, and what understanding the past can tell us about contemporary climate change and our climate future. Listen as Professor Jacobel describes life on an international research team, and the high-stakes reality of oceanographic fieldwork — weeks or months at sea, working 12-hour shifts and navigating storms — while collecting water, plankton, and sediment samples to uncover chemical clues to Earth’s past. Jacobel also reflects on her recent 30-day North Atlantic research, describing shipboard life, collaboration with fellow scientists (including her Middlebury student research assistant), and how the data collected supports student learning back on campus.  Dr. Allison W. Jacobel [https://www.ajacobel.com/] is Assistant Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences at Middlebury College and a faculty fellow at the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs.  Her work focuses on understanding the climate system through the application of geochemical, sedimentological, and micropaleontological techniques. Specifically, she is interested in the reconstruction of abrupt and orbital-scale climate change and the carbon storage mechanisms that amplify insolation forcing. New Frontiers [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn/new-frontiers-podcast] (from the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn] at Middlebury College [https://www.middlebury.edu/#]) is a higher education podcast series bringing scholarly research and expertise to bear on national, international, and global affairs. Produced and edited by Margaret DeFoor and Mark Williams, director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Intro by Charlotte Tate, associate director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Edits by RCGA intern Mehr Sohal. Music Credits Forte by Kestra - Summer with Sound Album Soul Zone by Kestra - Light Rising Album Transitions by Mark Williams

Big Tech and Its Populist Critics

Besides working in Washington, DC, what do American politicians like Elizabeth Warren, Donald Trump, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Josh Hawley, and Bernie Sanders all have in common? As political scientist Gary Winslett [https://www.middlebury.edu/college/people/gary-winslett] observes, at least one thing is their strong, populist critiques of “Big Tech”. Whether it’s Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, or Google, American populist politicians from the Left and Right find much to criticize: Leftwing populists typically stress economic concerns and monopolistic practices, while their Rightwing counterparts focus on free speech issues. But how valid are these critiques? How useful (and accurate) are the historical analogies used to support them? And how might the populists’ view of Big Tech affect America’s capacity for technological advancement and innovation down the line? Based on the research conducted for his new book—“Big Tech and its Populist Critics”—Winslett explores these issues, questions the validity of populist critiques from both political sides, and advocates for a 'dynamist' approach to public policy that promotes risk-taking, innovation, and a positive outlook towards technological progress. Gary Winslett is a Johnson Fellow in Modern Political Thought and associate professor of Political Science at Middlebury College. New Frontiers [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn/new-frontiers-podcast] (from the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn] at Middlebury College [https://www.middlebury.edu/#]) is a higher education podcast series bringing scholarly research and expertise to bear on national, international, and global affairs. Produced and edited by Margaret DeFoor and Mark Williams, director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Intro by Charlotte Tate, associate director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Music Credits Forte by Kestra - Summer with Sound Album Soul Zone by Kestra - Light Rising Album

Are Madagascar’s Marine Biodiversity Programs Working?

Are Madagascar’s marine biodiversity programs protecting the ocean—or leaving coastal communities behind? Mez Baker-Médard explores the promise and pitfalls of “feminist conservation.” With 90% of its plants and 85% of its non-flying animals found nowhere else in the world, Madagascar—with its extensive coral reefs—is home to incredible biodiversity. It’s also the site of multiple international projects whose aim is to preserve its biodiversity treasure.  How might we assess the efficacy of these international conservation efforts? In this episode of New Frontiers, environmental scientist Mez Baker-Médard [https://www.mezmedard.com/mezmedard] discusses her new book Feminist Conservation: Politics and Power in Madagascar’s Marine Commons [https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300265415/feminist-conservation/]. Drawing on two decades of research, she explores how Madagascar’s internationally-funded marine conservation programs often marginalize local fishers—especially women—by excluding them from traditional fishing areas. Employing the concept of feminist conservation, which emphasizes local knowledge, traditions, and equity in environmental conservation decision-making, she critiques “top-down” conservation models and calls for a model that “trusts local knowledge, resists enclosure, and addresses the root causes of ecological and social harm. New Frontiers [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn/new-frontiers-podcast] (from the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs [https://www.middlebury.edu/rohatyn] at Middlebury College [https://www.middlebury.edu/#]) is a higher education podcast series bringing scholarly research and expertise to bear on national, international, and global affairs. Produced and edited by Margaret DeFoor and Mark Williams, director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Intro by Charlotte Tate, associate director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Music Credits Forte by Kestra - Summer with Sound Album Soul Zone by Kestra - Light Rising Album