World Policy On Air
World Policy On Air is a podcast from the pages and website of World Policy Journal featuring former Newsweek On Air host David Alpern and conversations with experts and journalists from around the globe.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 36: Problem is the Solution
Modern agriculture is rife with inefficiencies and environmentally destructive practices. With the globalization of food production and the damaging effects of climate change, innovation in this field is necessary, now more than ever. Louis Albert de Broglie, known in his native France and around the world as the “Gardener Prince,”…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 35: Providing for the Future
With the world’s population soaring past the 7 billion mark, a host of countries are finding it increasingly difficult to feed their people today, while laying the foundation for a future that promises to be even more crowded — and hungrier. On today’s podcast, World Policy Journal Managing Editor Yaffa…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 34: Extraordinary Entrepreneurship
On today’s show, World Policy Senior Fellow Elmira Bayrasli discusses her recently released book, Other Side of the World: Extraordinary Entrepreneur. Profiling seven entrepreneurs in seven countries, Bayrasli explains how the next Steve Jobs is just as likely to come from Lagos or Nairobi as he is from Silicon Valley.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 33: Food and Nationalism
On today’s show, chef-turned-political scientist Ronald Ranta examines the world through a “gastro-national” lens, where political differences arise in the form of cultural custody battles over a dish’s provenance. The food fights highlighted here stretch to some of the furthest corners of the international community, responding to disparate societal and…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 32: “Fear in Istanbul, Relief in Prague”
Turkey and the Czech Republic have long histories with their respective Jewish populations. Their approaches toward Jewish culture, however, have shaped disparate public perceptions of Jews. Aliza Goldberg compares how the two countries have formulated relations with their Jewish populations and suggests that the Czech case can stand as an example for…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 31: “India’s Right Turn”
On today’s episode of World Policy On Air, Jas Singh discusses how the Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide victory in the 2014 elections has precipitated a revival of Hindu nationalism in the world’s largest democracy. In the aftermath of the elections, Hindu extremists have directed hostilities toward Indian Christians and Muslims,…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 30: “Nicaragua’s Big Dig”
On today’s episode, Ted Andersen discusses the historical and environmental implications of the Nicaraguan Canal, the world’s largest civil engineering project.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 29: “In the Warming Arctic Seas”
The Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the globe. On today’s episode of World Policy On Air, Subhankar Banerjee details the plight of the Arctic’s indigenous population, who are witnessing the disastrous effects of climate change firsthand.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 28: A Light Bulb Goes Off
On today’s episode, Professor Hiroshi Amano, a member of the Nobel Prize-winning team that developed the blue light emitting diode, discusses the science behind his groundbreaking work and the future of global energy efficiency.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 27: “China’s Smoke-Smothered Sky”
On today’s podcast, Chinese novelist Qiu Xiaolong discusses the inspiration behind his short story, “China’s Smoke-Smothered Sky,” which was featured in the latest issue of World Policy Journal. Qiu explains how political corruption stands in the way of almost every effort to combat the pollution affecting Chinese citizens on a…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 26: To Deal or Not to Deal
On today’s podcast, Gary Sick, former National Security Council member under Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan, argues that a world without an Iranian nuclear deal far more dangerous than the alternative.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 25: Greek Confidence & Grexit
On today’s podcast, Peter Atwater returns to World Policy On Air to explain how lacking confidence in the Greek economy among Greeks and EU member states will make a “Grexit” from the eurozone a self-fulfilling prophecy.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 24: Kicking the Oil Addiction
The modern world’s addiction to fossil fuels has proven detrimental to our ecosystem, but renewable energy sources come at a high price and pose several major technological difficulties. On today’s episode of World Policy On Air, Israeli scientist David Andelman explains that nuclear energy may be the only viable near-term…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 23: “When the Mountains Shook”
On today’s podcast, editor of Nepali Times, Kunda Dixit tells host David Alpern about his hopes for major political change in his country following April’s earthquake.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 22: Climate Change and Its Victims
On today’s podcast, World Policy Journal Managing Editor Yaffa Fredrick discusses responses to the “Big Question” in our Summer issue: “Who has the most to lose from climate change in your country?”
World Policy On Air, Ep. 21: The Transition to Renewables
On today’s podcast, legendary environmentalist Lester R. Brown discusses the uphill battle to address climate change with host David Alpern, and how Pope Francis’s recent encyclical on the issue is helping to change minds.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 20: “Ending the European Refugee Crisis”
On today’s podcast, does solving the refugee crisis playing out in the Mediterranean Sea require a more holistic approach from EU member states? Host David Alpern asks Sophie des Beauvais of the Fondation Pour l’innovation Politique in Paris about this issue, which she wrote about in her most recent World…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 19: “Lettergate” and Other Scandals
On today’s podcast, Khadija Sharife of the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting details her investigations into South Africa’s “Lettergate,” which demonstrates how major corporations routinely thwart regulatory practices and propagate widespread government corruption across the continent.
World Policy On Air, Ep. 18: "The Next Step in Yemen's War"
David Alpern speaks with Fernando Carvajal, a Ph.D. candidate in Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, about the forthcoming UN peace talks to resolve the ongoing conflict in Yemen. Already on the brink of political and economic collapse, the country is currently serving as the stage of…
World Policy On Air, Ep. 17: The Iran Deal
As the deadline for a nuclear deal with Iran steadily approaches, leaders from across the world anxiously anticipate the results. Host David Alpern speaks with former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense William Beecher about the controversial role that Congress will play in finalizing the deal.