U Thant was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations. He assumed the role following the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in a plane crash in the Congo in 1961, and soon became one of the most consequential players in international affairs for over a decade.

Thant's contributions to some of the key global challenges of the era were widely celebrated at the time but have since been overlooked—until now. A brilliant new biography, Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World, places the former Secretary-General at the heart of several crucial moments of the 1960s, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, post-colonial struggles in the Congo, and much more.

The book is written by Thant Myint-U, a historian who has worked at the United Nations—and who also happens to be U Thant's grandson. In our conversation, Thant describes how his grandfather went from being a schoolteacher in rural Burma to, just 15 years later, playing a key role in mediating the Cuban Missile Crisis as UN Secretary-General. We also discuss Thant's efforts to end the Vietnam War before it escalated, and his work confronting a fascist regime in a breakaway region of the Congo. More broadly, we explore the lessons that the current UN system and its Secretary-General can draw from U Thant's remarkable tenure.

Thant Myint-U is the author of Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World.

My interview guest today, Axel Marschik, is a veteran Austrian diplomat who has thought extensively about how the General Assembly can play a more robust role in peace and security when the Security Council fails to do so. In a paper that was widely discussed around the UN, Ambassador Marschik proposed that the General Assembly craft pre-authorized sanctions that would be automatically triggered if the Security Council is "unable or unwilling to act to confront some of the most serious violations of international law, including aggression and mass atrocity crimes."

Under his proposal, the General Assembly would design a suite of sanctions in the abstract that would become very real—and automatically imposed on the offending party—through a General Assembly vote should the Security Council fail to take meaningful action.

In our conversation, Ambassador Marschik fleshes out this idea, including what sorts of sanctions he has in mind and how to translate this concept into a General Assembly resolution creating such a mechanism. Ambassador Marschik currently serves as Austria's Ambassador to Germany and previously served as Austria's Permanent Representative to the UN from 2020 to 2025.

This episode of Global Dispatches is produced in partnership with Lex International Fund, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to strengthening international law to solve global challenges. It's part of our ongoing series highlighting the real-world impact of treaties on state behavior, called "When Treaties Work."

UNGA is over. But its legacy lives on. We recorded this episode as news broke of a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and so we look back at UNGA80 to trace the ways in which the world's largest diplomatic gathering may have provided some key momentum for a breakthrough on Gaza. Mark and Anjali also go deep on a new Gang Suppression Force that the Security Council just authorized for Haiti. But can this international intervention in Haiti succeed when so many before it have failed? Finally, Mark and Anjali make their Nobel Peace Prize picks. Spoiler alert — it ain't Donald Trump.

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Over the past few weeks, the situation in Haiti has gone from bad to worse. On November 10, the interim prime minister of Haiti, Gary Conille, was dismissed by the council that had appointed him in May. Since then, violence has surged throughout Port au Prince and in surrounding locals. A Kenyan-lead police mission has been powerless to stop this escalating security and humanitarian crisis.

In our conversation, Renata Segura of the International Crisis Group explains the shifting contours of this violence and what steps can be taken to enhance security in Haiti. She also delves into the ongoing debates about transforming the Kenyan-lead mission into a formal UN peacekeeping mission, discussing the potential advantages and disadvantages of such a move.

The UN Charter turns 70 years old on June 26. This is the founding treaty that created the United Nations and in this episode you will learn the fascinating and legitimately entertaining history of that document and of the 1945 San Francisco Conference that produced it.

Ban Ki Moon and a number of international dignitaries are visiting San Francisco this week to commemorate the occasion, so I caught up with the writer Stephen Schlesinger, author of Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations who tells some great stories about the ideas, inspirations and personalities that created the document we now know as the United Nations Charter.

This conversation is in part a historiography of the UN Charter and a history of the San Francisco Conference. You’ll learn the odd reason why San Francisco was picked to host the conference; hear the curious etymology of the term “The United Nations”; and learn some of the big drama that unfolded as delegates tried to put the final touches on the charter. At one point, you’ll even picture Winston Churchill in the buff (it’s an important part of the story. Trust me!)

UN nerds, history aficionados and international affairs enthusiasts will love this episode.

Paula Dobriansky served as Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs for pretty much the entire George W Bush administration. Prior to that she served in the Bush 41, Reagan and Carter administrations in various foriegn policy capacities. And prior to that she was a Sovietologist studying at Harvard.  She's now back at Harvard, and reflects on her time in government. We kick off with a discussion about the situation in Ukraine and then have a longer discussion about some fun highlights of her long career. 

Earlier this month, the African Union held a summit in South Africa. Among the attendees was Omar al Bashir, the president of Sudan. This was somewhat surprising because Bashir is wanted on charges of war crimes and genocide by the International Criminal Court. And South Africa, as a member of the ICC, is treaty bound to arrest fugitives like Bashir. 

It was a year ago this week that the Iraqi city of Mosul--the second largest city in country--fell to ISIS. The loss of Mosul sparked a re-examination of US policy toward Iraq and ISIS. And just this week, the White House announced that it was sending over 400 military advisers to an Iraqi base that is on the front lines of the fight. On the line with me to discuss the evolution of US strategy to counter ISIS in Iraq is Dr. Steven Metz. He does a very good job articulating that the White House is betting on a strategy of containment--and that this is probably their best option even though they wont publicly admit as such. Metz describes what this strategy looks like; and identifies the big drawbacksof this strategy 

Metz is a columnist for World Politics Review, which is sponsoring this episode. The good people at World Politics Review are offering Global Dispatches Podcast listeners a two week free trial and then a 50% discount on an annual subscription. To redeem this offer go to about.worldpoliticsreview.com/dispatches.  

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is a journalist and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who in April published the book Ashley's War, which tells the story of a group of female soldiers who accompanied special forces during missions in Afghanistan. In this conversation, Mark and Gayle discuss how these units were created and take a deep dive into the history of the role of women in the US military. Gayle has had a very interesting career as a journalist and as an MBA who studied entrepreneurship in the developing world. We discuss some of her big scoops and how she became so attracted to Afghanistan.  Enjoy! This was an interesting conversation. As always, feel free to send me an email via GlobalDispatchesPodcast.com or hit me up on twitter with your suggestions of people to interview or topics to cover. 

Here's a statistic that may surprise you: most foreign aid does not go to the poorest countries on earth. In fact, only about 30% of official development assistance from donor governments goes to the 47 least developed countries in the world. Why is that the case? What would be a more appropriate ratio of foreign aid to the poorest countries on earth? And what could these countries be doing to raise their own domestic sources of revenue so they are not as dependent on foreign aid?  

A dangerous game of human pingpong is underway in the Adaman Sea between Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim minority primarily from Myanmar, are adrift at sea. Not only is no country taking them in, but Navies have pushed back boats that have made it into harbor.

It is a wretched situation of almost unconscionable cruelty. And at the center of it all are human trafficking gangs who operate modern day slave camps from the jungles of Thailand. On the line today to discuss the Rohingya refugee-at-sea crisis is Sornata Reynolds of Refugees International. She discusses why discrimination and persecution of this group in Myanmar is the root cause of the crisis, and why the policies of neighboring countries like Bangladesh are making it work. She describes how criminal gangs sell these vulnerable people into slavery and what the international community--including you and I --can do to stop this situation from getting worse.  

The major UN climate conference, known as COP29, kicked off in Baku, Azerbaijan, last week. Tens of thousands of attendees are present, including members of civil society, the private sector, and delegates from every country on the planet.

This long-planned summit, however, takes place just a week after the world's largest economy and second-largest emitter elected as president a man who denies climate change and intends to pursue American withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. What impact is the U.S. election having on these negotiations and on climate diplomacy moving forward? Joining me to explore this question and much more is Ryan Hobert, Associate Vice President for Climate and Environment at the UN Foundation.

We begin with an extended conversation about this and another elephant in the room: the irony of a petrostate hosting a climate conference. We also spend much of our discussion focusing on the substance of this year's COP, particularly the effort to reach an agreement on funding for less-developed countries to help them adapt to climate change and mitigate its impacts.

 Jean-Marie Guéhenno is the president of the International Crisis Group and long serving head of UN Peacekeeping. He comes from an interesting background--his father was a well known French intellectual whose experience in World War I made him a pacifist. In this episode, Guéhenno discusses his experiences as the top French foreign policy planning official during the fall of the Berlin Wall; what it was like have Kofi Annan interview you for a job; and the future challenges facing international peacekeeping. 

Guéhenno is out with a new book that details these experiences and more. The Fog of Peace: A Memoir of International Peacekeeping in the 21st century was published this month by Brookings Press. Guéhenno is a true scholar practitioner.  This is a great episode.  

Burundi is in the midst of a deepening political crisis that has many observers extremely worried about the prospects of mass violence. Dozens of people have been killed and tens of thousands of people have fled in recent weeks. At time of publication, there's been a reported coup attempt. 

Journalist Jonathan Rosen is on the line from Kigali, Rwanda where he is reporting on the evolving situation. He explains the roots of the conflict, its proximate causes, and makes a compelling case that the main sources of tension are political and not ethnic. Still, given its bloody history the prospects of ethnic violence are not at all remote. If you have 20 minutes and want a deep and textured understanding of the crisis, why it matters for international relations, and what can be done to mitigate it, have a listen to this interview. 

This episode is brought to you by World Politics Review. The online magazine is offering Global Dispatches Podcast listeners a two week free trial and 50% off the price of an annual subscription. Go to http://about.worldpoliticsreview.com/dispatches/ to redeem this offer. 

Reza Aslan is arguably the most influential scholar of religion in America today. He's best known for mixing it up with the likes of Bill Maher and explaining the basics of the academic study of religion to ignorant Fox News hosts. His books "Zealot" about Jesus and "No God But God" about Islam were both best sellers. In this episode Reza recounts his family's escape from Iran during the Revolution and tells the story of his conversion to evangelical Christianity in high school. Reza and host Mark Leon Goldberg talk the academic study of religion, religious experiences and rituals. Reza describes how 9-11 inadvertently thrust him into the limelight; and how "new atheists" get religion wrong. This is a great episode with lots of wonky academic study of religion talk. 

The advent of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, sometimes called a Chinese-led rival to the World Bank, is one of the most genuinely interesting developments in global affairs. Thought not yet operational, it is being formed despite the strong opposition of the USA. The creation of the AIIB, with many US allies joining as founding partners, reflects the rise of China, waning American global influence, the declining relevance of international institutions created after World War Two, and the ways in which political polarization in the USA is influencing global affairs. Or does it? Scott Morris of the Center for Global Development is on the line to discuss the the new bank and why it matters to international development and international relations.  This is a super interesting conversation about a key development in global affairs. 

Albina du Boisrouvray is a French countess who sold her family heirlooms to start an anti poverty NGO. She was born into one of the wealthiest families in the world and was a successful film producer when her son, a rescue pilot, died in an helicopter accident in Mali. She then sold most of her possessions and devoted her fortune to fighting AIDS and extreme poverty. Her NGO, FXB International, uses an unconventional and holistic approach to fighting poverty village by village. In this episiode, Albina discusses her truly unique life story and describes why the methodology that FXB has used to uplift communities has been so successful. Albina's story is wild, heartfelt and inspiring. 

Two years ago, I asked a top UN expert in disaster to describe the one scenario that keeps him up at night. Without hesitation he said that an intense earthquake in Kathamndu would be a monumental catastrophe that could kill as many as 250,000 to 400,000 people. He was not alone in this estimation. I'd heard humanitarian relief workers say the same thing.

On Saturday, April 25 a massive earthquake struck Nepal. And while the damage and destruction is immense and tragic, it was not the cataclysm he predicted. Why was that? How was this nightmare scenario avoided?

This week, I caught back up with that same expert, Jo Scheuer of the United Nations Development Program, as he was on his way to Nepal to survey the damage. In the conversation below, he explains how a combination of good luck and preparation helped to limit the scale of the destruction. He further describes the lessons Nepal's experience can teach the international community about how to invest in sustainable development that takes into account a region's risk for natural disaster.

This is obviously a timely conversation for the fact that we focus on the events in Nepal. But the long term lessons of what happened are also exceedingly important to the international development community and beyond. Have a listen.

Fareed Zakaria shares stories about his upbringing in India and the influence of his die-hard pro-American mother and Indian nationalist father. He discusses his intellectual journey from a middle class childhood in India to getting getting a PHD at Harvard and becoming the editor of Foreign Affairs magazine at the age of 28. This is a great exploration of the intellectual development of one of the most prominent and oft-cited global affairs analysts of his generation. Fareed Zakaria is out with a new book, "In Defense of a Liberal Education" in which he writes a full throated paean to the values and virtues of the liberal arts. Mark and Fareed kick off with a discussion about his new book before discussing Fareed's own education, his family history and the big turning points of his life and career. Enjoy! 

An earthquake in Katmandu may become one of the terrible natural disasters of our era. 

In 2013, I spoke with Jo Scheuer of the United Nations Development Program. He is an expert in disaster risk reduction so I asked him what disaster scenario keeps him up at night? Without hesitating he said that an earthquake in Katmandu Valley could bring death and destruction even worse than the Haiti earthquake.  He was sure an earthquake would strike — and that the international community was racing the clock to prepare for it. He explained why that region is so vulnerable and what the UN, the local government and international NGOs were doing to mitigate the risk.

Humanity is winning the fight against Malaria, but we still have a long way to go. Since the advent of the Global Fund, the Millennium Development Goals and the President's Malaria Initiative, death and illness rates have dropped precipitously around the globe. Now, talk of total worldwide eradication is not as preposterous as it may seem. This is the message that Martin Edlund of Malaria No More has for the policy community ahead of World Malaria Day on April 25. Despite the progress, though, he argues that there are still big challenges ahead -- particularly the spread of drug resistant Malaria in the Mekong Delta. This is a great episode for anyone who wants to learn why a disease that haunted humanity for millennia is now on the ropes.

Juliette Kayyem is a practitioner and scholar of security studies. She's a former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, civil right attorney, Harvard Professor and self described "security mom." She even recently ran for governor of Massachusetts. In this episode, Kayyem discusses growing up the daughter of Lebanese immigrants in California and how she transitioned from civil rights law to terrorism and national security issues. Juliette Kayyem is also now a podcaster!

This is a great conversation with someone who has had a varied and distinguished career in public service.  

Today's episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. 

We are calling this series "From Fragility to Stability" and in today's episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts about how to escape the nexus of climate change, conflict and forced displacement

Ms. Jana Birner, Associate Partnerships Officer in the Office of the Special Advisor on Climate Action for the UN Refugee Agency

Barthelemy Mwanza, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of
Congo who works with the Global Refugee Youth Network  

Alessandro Craparo, a Bioclimatologist with CGIAR

When the Yarmouk refugee camp outside Damascus was overrun by ISIS, a bad situation got much worse. Ban Ki moon called it "the deepest circle of hell" and UN humanitarian agencies are struggling to help people escape from the encampment. On the line to discuss these efforts is Richard Wright of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which is a humanitarian agency for Palestinian refugees in the middle east. Wright relays the current situation in Yarmouk, describes the UN's ongoing efforts to navigate between warring factions and the government, and tells the story of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who have been caught up in the Syrian civil war. 

Yemen is the latest country in the region to collapse. Shi'ite rebels have taken control of much of the country and Saudi Arabia has launched a military campaign to re-install the ousted government. It's a complex mess, with regional rivalries and local grievances overlaid with sectarian strife. ISIS and al Qaeda are getting in the game, too. If present trends continue the situation could reach Syrian levels of depravity. 

On the line today to discuss the underlying causes of the conflict, help understand the exact nature of Iran's role in this crisis, and recommend ways that Yemen can avoid a death spiral is April Longley Alley of the International Crisis Group. If you have 15 minutes and want a textured understanding of what's happening in Yemen--and why--have a listen. 

Caryl Stern is the president and CEO of the United States Fund for UNICEF. This is the big fundraising arm (think "trick or treat for UNICEF") of one of the most important humanitarian organizations in the world. Caryl Stern's mother escaped the Holocaust at a young age and that experience loomed large over her childhood and eventual career trajectory. In this episode, Mark and Caryl discuss UNICEF's work and funding streams, the role of philanthropy in international development and how a woman with no background in international development became the leader of a $670 million international philanthropy.  

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are going to play a critical role in any final deal with Iran. But who are these inspectors? What do they do? What can't they do? Mark speaks with former IAEA inspector Thomas Shea who offers a grounds-eye view of what a robust inspection regime looks like. Dr. Shea also puts the potential inspections of Iran's program in the broader context of the IAEA's history of its work on behalf of international peace and security. We don't yet know what the Iran nuclear deal might look like. But if a deal is struck, the IAEA will be the lynchpin that holds it all together. This episode gives you an excellent perspective of how these inspections actually work. 

Victor Ochen grew up in displaced persons camps in Northern Uganda, fleeing from the Lord's Resistance Army. He emerged from that difficult situation to become a civic leader and peacemaker. And this year, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on behalf of war crimes victims in Uganda. Victor and Mark are old friends, and Victor opens up about growing up in a war zone, losing a brother, and becoming a self-taught social entrepreneur. This is one of the best episodes of Global Dispatches yet. 

Nigerians go to the polls on March 28 in consequential elections that could decide the future of Africa's largest democracy. Incumbent Goodluck Jonathan is facing a tight race with Muhammdu Buhari. Security, Boko Haram and a slugging economy are all dominating the campaigns. Meanwhile, Boko Haram and fear of election related violence abounds. Mark speaks with journalist Dayo Olopade about the significance of the elections, what ordinary Nigerians are thinking when they go to the polls, and why fears of violence may be overblown. If you have 15 minutes and want a sophisticated take on elections in one of the world's largest democracies, have a listen. 

Jessica Stern was a mid level National Security Council staffer when Hollywood literally came calling. Nicole Kidman portrayed a fictionalized version of her work as a nuclear security analyst in the Clinton White House in the film "The Peacemaker" (also starring George Clooney). Stern's academic and professional life have taken some interesting turns. In the 2000s she published groundbreaking research on what motivates individuals to commit violent acts of terror, and she did so by speaking to actual terrorists. Stern recently published a new book called ISIS: State of Terror that takes a deep dive into the historic origins of the so-called Islamic State. This is a great episode with fun and fascinating stories from a long time national security wonk. Enjoy. 

Benjamin Netanyahu secured a substantial victory in the Israel's elections this week. The consequences of this right wing victory will be profound both for Israeli politics and the prospects for a negotiated two state solution (which just became much dimmer).

On the line to discuss what happened in Israel and how it will affect Israel's future and the peace process is Joel Brunold of the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Brunold is an astute observer of Knesset politics and a powerful voice for an enduring peace between Palestinians and Israelis. He breaks down the election results and explains precisely how this will damage the Two State Solution. With the peace process stalled, Brunold offers one idea imported from Northern Ireland that supporters of the Two State Solution may rally around. 

If you have 15 minutes and want to understand what happened in Israel and what it means for the peace process, have a listen

Todd Moss is a true international development wonk. He's also the author of a critically acclaimed novel--a thriller called The Golden Hour that examines the dysfunction of the American foreign policy bureaucracy through riveting storytelling. In this episode, Moss discusses how fiction can be a useful tool for examining real-world truths about how US foreign policy is made. Moss also discusses his unique path from studying stock markets in West Africa to becoming a novelist, which includes stints at the World Bank and State Department. He has not quit his day job, though. Todd studies trade and economics of west Africa from his perch at the Center for Global Development while writing sequels to his novel. This is a fun episode that will satisfy policy nerds and fiction lovers a-like. 

Guinea Worm eradication is near. Guinea Worm is a waterborne disease that affects only the poorest of the poor people on the planet. But after millennia of inflicting pain and suffering in Asia and Africa, the disease is tantalizingly close to being wiped off the face of the earth. 30 years ago there were millions of cases worldwide. In 2014, there were just 126. This decline is thanks in large part to Jimmy Carter and the the work of the Carter Center, which launched a Global Eradication Program in the 1980s. On the line today is Adam Weiss of the Carter Center who discusses Guinea Worm Disease, how its transmitted, how this amazing decline has occurred, and what needs to be done to eradicate it once and for all. 

Republicans will soon control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and, of course, the White House. What does this Republican trifecta mean for the United Nations? Peter Yeo, Executive Vice President of the United Nations Foundation, explains the nuances of how Republicans have traditionally approached the United States's relationship to the United Nations, what we can expect from the second Trump Administration, the Senate and House moving forward. 

The ebola crisis demonstrated that countries with very weak health care systems are extremely vulnerable to a preventable disease outbreak. Now that the crisis is on the wane, organizations are taking stock of how to build better health systems--the nuts and bolts of how people access the care they need. To that end, Save the Children released a new report this week that ranks 72 poor countries based on the relative strength of their overall health system. Mark speaks with CEO Carolyn Miles about the new Health Access Index, what countries can do to move up it, and why universal healthcare for people in the developing world is a perfectly achievable goal. This is Miles' second appearance on the podcast. In episode 16 she tells Mark about her remarkable life story and career path that lead her to Save the Children. 

Sarah Margon is the Washington director of Human Rights Watch. She's spent her career fighting for human rights in Africa and beyond, but took a somewhat circuitous path to get there. In this episode, Margon recounts a recent trip to Iraq to investigate abuses by militias aligned with the Iraqi Army; discusses her relationship with her former boss, Senator Russ Feingold; and describes how she landed a key post with Human Rights Watch. 

How good are the data that drives international development policies? It turns out, not that great. This week's episode comes in two parts. In part 1, Mark speaks with Morten Jerven, author of "Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about it?" who offers an excellent overview of the situation. Next, Mark speaks with one person who is actively trying to solve this problem in one discreet way. Mayra Buvinich is a senior fellow with the United Nations Foundation who helped start Data2X, which is a collaboration that seeks to improve the quality of data and statistics about women and girls in the developing world.  

Sri Lankans stunned the world--and probably themselves--when they voted to oust a quasi-autocrat from power. In January, a politician named Maithripali Sirisena engineered a surprise electoral upset against Mahinda Rajapaksa, an authoritarian and probable war criminal whose family long held a tight grip on power. In this episode,  human rights lawyer and political scientist Kate Cronin-Furman explains how this upset occurred, what it might mean for other quasi-dictators around the world, and how this move might effect ethnic Tamils' long quest for justice and accountability for crimes against humanity.  

Leila Zerrougui is the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. It's her job to help free child soldiers and ensure that children are spared from the worst effects of war and conflict. In this episode, Zerrougui describes how she recently helped secure the release of child soldiers in South Sudan and reflects on her work to protect children around the world. Zerrougui was born in conflict: she grew up in Algeria during the war for independence and served as a juvenile court judge during Algeria's civil war in the 1980s and 1990s before moving to a career with the United Nations. This is a great conversation. 

There is a tragedy unfolding in the Mediterranean sea. Migrants trying to reach an Italian island off the coast of Libya are dying by the boatload, and Europe is turning a blind eye. Just this week, the UN Refugee Agency estimated that over 300 people have died already this year taking this perilous journey. Meanwhile, an Italian search and rescue operation that saved thousands of people last year has been shelved. John Dalhuisen of Amnesty International is on the line to discuss this crisis, what Europe and Italy could be doing to stop it, what is compelling these migrants to make this dangerous journey, and why this ongoing tragedy is about to get much worse. 

The measles outbreak in the United States is an aberration. Since 2000, measles cases have declined substantially around the world thanks to a worldwide effort known as the Measles and Rubella Initiative. Its goal is to eliminate measles all together by 2020. But is that realistic? And what would that entail? Mark speaks with epidemiologist Dr. Rebecca Martin of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who puts the US outbreak in a global context. She discusses why epidemiologists are so concerned about the American outbreak; what accounts for the overall decline globally; and what needs to be done to reach that 2020 target. 

The Boko Haram insurgency is intensifying precisely as Nigerians prepare to go the polls in hotly contested elections. Earlier this month, the group pulled off their deadliest attack to date (though the media was consumed by the Charlie Hebdo attacks). So why is Boko Haram stepping up their attacks now? What effect might it have on the prospects of another term in office for President Goodluck Jonathan? What can the international community do to help beat back this insurgency? And what are the other big campaign issues on the table in Africa's largest democracy?  Alexander Thurston of Georgetown University answers these questions and more. 

Trita Parsi is the founder of the National Iranian American Council. He tells Mark the story of his family's escape from Iran to Sweden during the revolution, and how he eventually came to Washington, D.C.  Parsi is a scholar, activist, and media personality who has written extensively on middle east affairs.In this episode, he discusses some of the domestic barriers to a nuclear deal facing Iranian moderates; his amazing personal story; and how he came to found America's only organization dedicated to the political mobilization of Iran's diaspora in the USA. 

It was neither a surprise nor an upset: Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the United States Presidential Election. Republicans will also control the United States Senate, while control of the House of Representatives remains undecided.

Joining me less than 24 hours after this election is Robbie Gramer, national security correspondent for Politico and host of Politico's excellent NatSec Daily newsletter. Few people are as connected to both the political and foreign policy worlds as Robbie Gramer, so I thought it would be valuable to hear what he is learning from his sources about the foreign policy implications of a second Donald Trump term and the potential Republican control of Congress.

President Obama visits India this week. This means that for the first time in history, a US President will visit India twice while in office. Tanvi Madan of the Brookings Institute discusses the symbolic importance and concrete policy outcomes that this trip may bring. She argues that Obama's decision to travel to India for its Republic Day celebrations could lift a profound psychological barrier that has prevented closer ties between the world's two largest democracies. Have a listen! 

In September delegates at the United Nations will decide upon a set of Sustainable Development Goals to replace the Millennium Development Goals, which are expiring. The SDGs will almost certainly set an audacious goal: to totally of eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. Is that even possible? And what will it take to get there? In this episode, host Mark Leon Goldberg gets two distinct perspectives on the substance and process behind the Sustainable Development Goals. First up is John McArthur of the Brookings Institution and United Nations Foundation who discusses the big picture of why we need a common international development agenda. Next is Amina Mohammad, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General in charge of spearheading the UN system around setting these goals. This is a great episode, published in conjunction with a day of social media action to raise awareness about the SDGs and big stakes ahead in 2015.