Shows
PassBlue UN PodcastsSeptember: Slovenia Wants the Council to Figure Out How It Can Get AlongSamuel Zbogar, ambassador of Slovenia to the UN, leads the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month. In an interview, he tells PassBlue that his country will use its signature debate, on Sept. 25, to ask Council members to reflect on how their countries can work more for peace rather than war. A daunting challenge, he admits.
The country is back in the Council for the first time since 1999.
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2024-09-0412 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAugust: Sierra Leone Hopes to Rectify African Historical InjusticeDr. Michael Imran Kanu, Sierra Leone's envoy to the UN, says his country's presidency of the Security Council this August will focus on Council reform and making the case for a permanent seat for the African continent.
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2024-08-0215 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJuly: 'We Didn't Start That War' - Russia Still Twists the Truth About UkraineAs UN Security Council rotating president for July, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia says that the West is using the "Kyiv regime" as "puppets" to fight the war in Ukraine and that there will be "certain political consequences" for doing so.
Nebenzia was speaking to the media on July 1 as he detailed his country's agenda in the Council for the next four weeks. Besides the topic of Ukraine, he fielded questions on the budding closeness between North Korea and Russia, including the gift of a luxury car.
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2024-07-0513 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJune: South Korea Thinks the World Should Wake Up More to Threats of CybersecurityJoonkook Hwang, the ambassador of South Korea to the UN, says his country will highlight the threats of cyberspace to global peace and security. This is a new topic for the Security Council agenda, so why does it matter to the East Asian nation?
Find out in this month's episode of UNSCripted.
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2024-06-0313 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsInterview with Hala Rharrit, Why She Left the State Dept.Welcome to a special episode of PassBlue podcast series UNSCripted. I’m Jessica Le Masurier, and I’m joined by Hala Rharrit, the Arabic language spokesperson for the Mideast-North Africa region for the United States State Department who recently resigned in protest over US policy on the war in Gaza. (The text part of the interview has been edited for clarity.)
2024-05-1016 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMay: For Mozambique, The UN Security Council is ImperfectMozambique's permanent representative to the Security Council, Pedro Comissário, says that vetoes, divergent priorities and other imperfections can severely limit the productive work of the UN's crucial peacemaking body. On this episode of UNScripted, we find out what Comissário plans to do as rotating president in May, despite these challenges, such as reinforcing international law on protecting civilians.
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2024-05-0211 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsApril: For Malta, a Ceasefire in Gaza Is the Beginning of EverythingVanessa Frazier, Malta’s envoy to the UN, explains why the new Ramadan ceasefire isn't holding in Gaza and says that her country is counting on the ICC to hurry up its inquiry into whether war crimes are being carried out in the enclave.
GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/
2024-04-0213 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMarch: Japan Says the UN Security Council Is Struggling Every DayJapan's dual focus for its UN Security Council presidency – preventing conflicts as well as nuclear disarmament – align with its foreign policy and history of nuclear disasters but as it leads the Council for this month, Ambassador Yamazaki says the Security Council is struggling with its main job of building peace and preventing violent disputes.
Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
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2024-03-1211 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAct of Creation - A Question of FaithThe UN CHARTER: A Question of Faith
“The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
SAN FRANCISCO -- Our third and final episode of the podcast series “Act of Creation” is ready for your ears. It’s a fitting end to a great journey. Episode 1 looks at the years leading up to the famous San Francisco Conference of 1945, when the Charter was signed and the United Nations was born; the episode then moves up to the Conference’s opening day on April 24. Episode 2 dives into the Conference itself, showing the intense diplomatic maneuvering as well as the ambitiou...
2024-02-1736 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsFebruary: Guyana Is Not Giving Up on a Ceasefire in GazaGuyana may not not want a permanent seat in the UN Security Council but it definitely wants a ceasefire in Gaza "as soon as possible." As rotating president for February, the country's ambassador to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, tells PassBlue that another top priority for the month is impressing on the world how climate change affects food security and, ultimately, global peace. She also touches on Guyana's territorial disputes with Venezuela.
Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
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2024-02-0213 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJanuary: Palestine's Desire for Statehood Can't Be Ignored, France SaysFrance, a permanent member of the Security Council, is president of the body in January. Ambassador Nicolas de de Rivière says his country will headline Gaza this month, where the number of civilian casualties incurred by Israel's "broad and massive military operation" is "way way too high."
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Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
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2024-01-0410 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsDecember: Ecuador Aims to Keep Mum on Gaza, but It'll Be Hard to AvoidAs Ecuador’ assumes the leadership of the United Nations Security Council this month, the country wants to focus on the broader peace and security issues in the Mideast rather than the Israel-Hamas war, even as it devastates civilians in the Gaza strip.
Listen to our podcast to find out what it hopes to do about transnational organized crimes in Latin America and UN peacekeeping in the Central Africa region.
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Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
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2023-12-0608 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsNovember: Meet the Uyghurs Preserving Their Culture in the USIn this episode, we meet a family who fled Xinjiang Province, or what they prefer to call East Turkestan, to the US and are now teaching a new generation in the diaspora about Uyghur language and culture. We also meet a New York City restaurateur who is keeping Uyghur cuisine alive.
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Seton Hull link: https://www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
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2023-11-1511 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsOctober: How Will Brazil Uphold Human Rights Globally?Brazil recently won a sixth term in the Human Rights Council. Before the election, we spoke to the country’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Norberto Moretti, on the country’s candidacy. We also talked about the reversal of deforestation in the Amazon and the lack of debate on migration in the UN Security Council. With context provided by Prof. Gustavo Macedo at Ibmec in Sao Paulo.
Seton Hall: https://www.shu.edu/
Global Connection Television: https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/
2023-10-1321 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsSeptember: Tiny Albania Stands Up to the Russian BearIf you want to join the European Union, make sure you are at peace with Athens. But Ferit Hoxha, Albania’s envoy to the UN and rotating president of the UN Security Council for September, is unperturbed about possible obstacles Greece may put in Albania's way, regardless of certain disputes. PassBlue interviewed Hoxha and Engjellushe Morina, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, for this month's episode of UN-Scripted. We discuss how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has helped Albania stand out in the Security Council in its two-year term as well as the country's push to jo...
2023-09-0423 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAugust: How Long Can Biden Keep Putting Up With Israel?As the US takes over the Security Council, famine and human rights are the banner themes for August. We chat with foreign affairs analyst Jeffrey Laurenti about the Black Sea Grain deal, perennial Israel and Palestine fracas and Afghanistan’s foreign reserves. Laurenti, who is American, says Israel’s extreme right-wing government is alienating its Jewish support in the US. Would that be enough to push the Biden camp to be firm with its longtime ally in the Mideast?
Tweet us at Pass_Blue to share your views.
Seton Hall Link: https://www.shu.edu/
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2023-08-0115 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAct of Creation - Hammering Out the UN CharterOur latest episode of “Act of Creation” takes listeners deep into conversation with Stephen Schlesinger, author of the book of the same name, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this September and chronicles the birth of the United Nations through the signing of the UN Charter. That is arguably the moment when the UN was born, at the end of a two-month conclave that began on April 25, 1945, most famously referred to as the San Francisco Conference.
The second episode of our three-part series moves from the human flavor of the first episode, where we put the conference into historical context, setting the...
2023-07-2833 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJuly: The UK Says Its Policy of Migrant Returns Is NormalWith UK’s presidency of the Security Council underway, PassBlue used its interview with Ambassador James Kariuki, the country’s deputy permanent representative, to ask about one of the most controversial pieces of UK foreign policy – a bill that could allow British government ministers to ignore injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights to suspend deportation of illegal migrants. We also heard directly from the ambassador why the UK and the United States blocked the airing of Russia’s Arria formula meeting in April.
The meetings are an informal way for Council members to brief one another and the world vi...
2023-07-0519 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJune: The UAE Is Putting Its Own Interests FirstIn March, the Taliban opened a consul in the UAE. There are two possible results proffered by Dr. Mira Al Hussein, a Mideast expert, on the move: the militants gain international legitimacy or the US could be tempted to bolster the Taliban to attack Iran. Both parties have clashed over water rights this year. On this episode of UN-Scripted, we also reflect on how well the UAE has been at building economic relationships globally, as it leaves its military interventionist policy of the post-Arab Spring days behind.
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2023-06-0412 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMay: Switzerland Aims to Regulate the Use of the VetoOn April 26, the Security Council held a historic meeting on the use of Veto power. At that meeting, an initiative by France and Mexico to stop Council members from using veto in cases of atrocities was re-echoed.
Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, Switzerland’s first Security Council president, told PassBlue her country is actively pushing for the motion to become a resolution. Will it happen? So far, only two permanent council members support the initiative, which will be ten years in the making by 2025. Ambassador Baeriswyl also told PassBlue why Switzerland joined the EU in sanctioning Russia and gave a tale of ca...
2023-05-0417 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAct of Creation - Setting the SceneThis is the first part of our three part podcast series about the founding of the United Nations, featuring Stephen Schlesinger, author of the book "Act of Creation." The series was created by Dan Becker, a composer, educator and board member of UNA-USA in San Francisco.
It is focused through the prism of the San Francisco Conference, where for two months beginning on April 25, 1945, the UN Charter was hammered out and signed on June 26 1945. It's important to emphasize that this historical story is not only fascinating in its own right, but it's especially relevant to events occurring right now. There...
2023-04-1733 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsApril: Should Russia Be Kicked Out of the Security Council?Stephen Schlesinger, Fellow at the Century Foundation New York, author, International Affairs analyst, and a few other caps, told PassBlue why the multilateral system is best served with Russian in it.
At the end, dealing with erring Permanent council members, a position all five have occupied in history, comes down to moral suasion.
2023-04-0426 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMarch: Mozambique Recalls When the West Abstained on Banning ColonialismSitting president of the Security Council, Pedro Comissario chatted with PassBlue on Feb. 24, 24 hours after abstaining again on a UN resolution demanding Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine. He said that certain Western countries, including the US and UK, did the same on Resolution 1514, outlawing colonialism, but he denied that historic ties with the Soviet Union have any bearing on Mozambique's foreign policy today. Ryan Cummings at the Center for Strategic and International Studies differs. And as Mozambique battles a cholera outbreak triggered by tropical storm-induced floods, Comissario shares his painful brush with global warming. Enjoy our 25 minutes of consenting and dissenting...
2023-03-0325 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsFebruary: Malta Faces Rising Sea LevelsRemember Atlantis? The mythical city gobbled up by the ocean? This is happening to islands and villages in the Pacific.
Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Malta's emissary to the UN and president of the UN Security Council for February, tells PassBlue that international law has no cover for the rights of islanders who could lose their home to the water in our lifetime. Malta will raise the matter of rising sea levels to the Council on Feb. 14. We also discuss with the ambassador the tetchy topic of irregular migration in the Mediterranean as well as her love for judo. All in UN-Scripted.
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2023-02-0616 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJanuary: Japan Wants the Security Council to Help Manage North KoreaNorth Korea pushed pacifist Japan to the edge in 2022, launching over 90 cruise and ballistic missiles, several of them landing in Japanese waters. Tokyo responded in kind, announcing a security strategy that would see it become the ninth-most militarized economy in half a decade. The Japanese are also wary of possible Chinese threats. Journalists at Japan’s press briefing earlier in the month wanted to know if Japan would discuss North Korea in the Council. One reporter was concerned about Japan’s intent to “counterstrike” in apparent renunciation of Article 9 of its constitution. Naoko Kumagai, director of the Japan Chair at the Univ...
2023-01-1720 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsDecember 2022: India Affirms Its Right to Buy Oil Wherever It WantsIndia has raised its oil purchases from Russia from about 0% at the beginning OF THE Year to an estimated 22% in October. As a large consumer, its buying from Russia is freeing up the market for other buyers, keeping oil prices down. On the 60th episode of UN-Scripted, we speak to the country’s first female permanent representative, Ruchira Kamboj. She says India has the sovereign right to meet the energy needs of its 1.34 billion citizens. We also speak to Shyama Venkateswar, a public policy expert and member of New York City’s Commission on Gender Equity. She wants India, who agre...
2022-12-0627 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsNovember 2022: For GHANA, the Jury Is Still Out on Sanctions Against RussiaGhana takes the presidency of the UN Security Council at a deep time of uncertainty. Russia has just suspended its role in the only concession it has offered since Putin invaded Ukraine, the Black Sea grain deal, upsetting the UN and the rest of the diplomatic community. Ambassador Harold Agyeman talks about whether Western sanctions on Russia have hurt Global South economies, but he says it's the war itself that is affecting individuals globally. Agyeman also discusses the future of Ecowas, the regional group in West Africa; Ghana’s fossil drive in a heating climate; and life in New York. We...
2022-11-0134 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsOctober 2022: Gabon: Africa Needs More Money to Deal With a Hotter PlanetGabon is in Central Africa, one of the few places in the world that absorbs more carbon than it emits. One month to COP27, in Egypt, we speak to the country’s ambassador to the UN, Michel Xavier Biang.
Africa, he says, needs outside financing to adapt to the hot earth, which is 0.4 degrees from the "at least" 1.5 degrees target agreed in the Paris climate pact. In this episode, we are also joined by Abdoulaye Ndiaye, an economics professor at New York University. Ndiaye wants African leaders to raise more private and multilateral capital without policy strings.
Some of the mo...
2022-10-0423 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsSeptember 2022: France Keeps Ukraine Front and CenterFrance leads the presidency of the Council this month, while down the hall at the UN, world leaders will gather for the General Assembly's annual high-level debate. We talk with French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière about Western sanctions on Russia, global fixation on Africa and enduring problems with the Council's "P5" veto power. We are also joined by Ashish Pradhan, the International Crisis Group’s senior UN analyst.
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2022-09-0526 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAugust 2022: CHINA'S Keeping "Cool" in the Security CouncilAs Council president in August, China wants to keep the UN body "cool" -- literally and figuratively -- by navigating the fine line of maintaining its closeness to Russia while not souring relations too much with the West, discussing global "security" without mentioning any of its own human-rights problems and regional territorial claims and championing a no-tie look and distributing Chinese fans to Council ambassadors amid limited air-conditioning in UN headquarters . We are joined by Richard Gowan, the UN director of the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit organization.
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2022-08-0328 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJuly 2022: Brazil Says: No More 'Mud-Slinging' at the UNAs Brazil assumes the presidency in July, we talk with Ambassador Ronaldo Costa about his country's foreign policy priorities this month and how President Jair Bolsonaro's inflammatory rhetoric has affected its diplomacy at the UN. We also ask Costa and Adriana Abdenur, a climate change and policy expert based in Rio, about the shrinking Amazon rainforest.
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2022-07-0925 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJune 2022: ALBANIA Aims to Strengthen Global Justice for Past and Present AtrocitiesAlbania is a small, Sunni Majority country that has successfully kept religion out of its politics and allowed the practice of other faiths besides Islam. It is also a country scarred by invasions, autocracy and institutional breakdowns. But the NATO member and EU-hopeful has risen to become a strong voice in the Balkans. Its elected two-year term in the UN Security Council began in January, and in June, it is Council president, bringing a former communist voice that is strongly opposed to Putin’s war in Ukraine. On today's show, we talk with Albanian Permanent Representative Ferit Hoxha as well as...
2022-06-0127 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMay 2022: The US Continues to Keep Russia on the DefensiveThe United States assumes the Security Council presidency in May, as it also leads efforts to continue to isolate Russia in the UN for its war in Ukraine. On this episode, we hear from US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield about the country's signature events in the Council, and chat with Thomas G. Weiss, leading American academic on the UN and Presidential Professor of Political Science and Director Emeritus of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.
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2022-05-0924 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsApril 2022: The UK Leads a Security Council Handicapped by Russia's VetoIn April, the UK leads a Security Council that is inevitably prevented from taking meaningful action on Ukraine by Russia's veto. We are joined by UK Deputy Permanent Representative James Kariuki, who shares how the UK aims to minimize Russia's misinformation in the Council and the UK's signature events this month, on ending sexual violence in wars and on getting Covid-19 vaccines in conflict zones. We also chat with Mark Seddon, director of the Centre for UN Studies at the University of Buckingham in England, who suggests how Britain could help promote a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Welcome to our new...
2022-04-1323 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMarch 2022: The UAE Grows Up but It's Still UndemocraticThe United Arab Emirates assumes the Security Council presidency in March at a time when the body finds itself powerless to overcome Russia's veto and take any real action on Ukraine. We talk with Emirati Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh as well as Dr. Sanam Vakil, Deputy Head of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Program, about the UAE's foreign policy priorities as Council president, its abstention on the recent vote to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the relationship among the women ambassadors on the Council.
This was co-host and co-producer Stéphanie Fillion's last episode of UN-Scripted. We wish h...
2022-03-0430 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsFebruary 2022: Will RUSSIA Observe the Olympic Truce in Ukraine?As Russia assumes the Security Council presidency in February, international tensions are high over the country's military buildup at the Ukraine border. On this episode, we look at how Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea could offer insights into the Council's ability -- or inability -- to address the current crisis and whether China will choose a side: the West or Russia? We talk with Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy, who shares the country's plans for the Council this month; as well as Kadri Liik, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Russia expert; Richard Gowan, UN...
2022-02-0427 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJanuary 2022: Oslo Accords: The Real-Life Mona JuulNorway’s New Year's resolutions are to make an indelible mark during its only Security Council presidency of its 2021-22 term while monitoring emerging and existing conflicts that threaten international peace and security. We talk with Ambassador Mona Juul, whose pivotal role in the Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization was recently portrayed in the HBO movie "Oslo." We also chat with Niels Nagelhus Schia, senior research fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
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2022-01-0321 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsDecember 2021: Niger Ends Two Strong Years on the Security CouncilNiger ends its two-year term in the UN Security Council as president of the body for a second time. A lot has changed in the world, in the Sahel region of Africa and in Niger since the country joined the Council in January 2020. On today's show, we review Niger's tenure with UN Ambassador Abdou Abarry and expert Michael Shurkin, Director of Global Programs at 14 North Strategies, a Dakar-based consulting firm. On our radar for the month: a long-awaited climate resolution to be possibly tabled and the G5 Sahel force once more in the spotlight.
Just as you rely on UN-Scripted...
2021-12-0323 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsNovember 2021: MEXICO Uses an International Setting to Highlight its National PrioritiesMexico is at the helm of the Security Council in November for its only presidency in its two-year term. The county is prioritizing international issues of great domestic concern: small arms and migration. We talk with Mexican Deputy Permanent Representatives Alicia Buenrostro and Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, as well as the country’s Political Coordinator, Enrique Ochoa. We also hear from Andrew Rudman, the director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute.
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2021-11-0325 min
PassBlue UN Podcasts0ctober 2021: KENYA, Advancing the African Agenda on the Security CouncilAs president of the Security Council in October, Kenya is leading the Council on its first international trip since the pandemic began, to Mali and Niger. Kenyan Ambassador Martin Kimani joins us to discuss his country’s priorities for the month, including counterterrorism, small-arms weapons, and women, peace and security. We also speak with Dr. Geoffrey Lugano, a lecturer at Kenyatta University, based in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.
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2021-10-0526 minPassBlue UN PodcastsUNGA 76: New York City's Most "Fashionable" Event is Back:It is that time of year again: The UN General Assembly's meeting with world leaders returns in a hybrid format after being virtual last year. Which heads of state and government are coming? What should you watch for? We've got your guide to the 76th UNGA session. We speak with Nigerian Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, who was the 74th president of the General Assembly, about what to expect. We also spoke with Estonia’s Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets.
Disclaimer: Following the publication of this podcast, the President of the General Assembly has specified that the United Nations honor system for vaccination an...
2021-09-1721 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsSeptember 2021: How Tough Can IRELAND Be on Ensuring Women’s Rights in Afghanistan?Ireland takes over the presidency of the Security Council in September with Afghanistan still in crisis. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason discusses her country's commitment to Afghan women and girls as the Taliban assume control of the country, and she shares her plans for the month with the UN General Assembly high-level week fast approaching. We are also joined by Rory Montgomery of the Royal Irish Academy, a former diplomat.
MUSIC CREDIT: 'Morrison's Jig,' a traditional Irish folk song, is named for Irish-American fiddler James Morrison, who recorded it in the 1930's. The original composer is unknown. A jig is...
2021-09-0220 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAugust 2021: INDIA is Out to Prove it Deserves a Permanent Security Council SeatAs India assumes the Security Council presidency in August, it seeks to show the world that it deserves a permanent seat at the horseshoe table. On this episode, we are joined by Indian Ambassador to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, as well as foreign policy expert Mohamed Zeeshan. Zeeshan is a staff writer at the Diplomat, a foreign affairs publication, and has written a book called, "Flying Blind: India’s Quest for Global Leadership." Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN Instagram: @passblue ----- Are you thinking of a career working for the United Nations or it...
2021-08-0328 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsAugust 2021: INDIA is Out to Prove it Deserves a Permanent Security Council SeatAs India assumes the Security Council presidency in August, it seeks to show the world that it deserves a permanent seat at the horseshoe table. On this episode, we are joined by Indian Ambassador to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, as well as foreign policy expert Mohamed Zeeshan. Zeeshan is a staff writer at the Diplomat, a foreign affairs publication, and has written a book called, "Flying Blind: India’s Quest for Global Leadership."
Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
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Facebook: @PassBlueUN
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Are you thinking of a career working for the United Nations or it...
2021-08-0328 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJuly 2021: The Future of FRANCE in the SahelFrance takes over the presidency of the Security Council at a major turning point in its foreign policy: it has announced it is scaling down its long military presence in West Africa. Also this month: France hosts the final Generation Equality Forum, in Paris. We talk to French Deputy Permanent Representative Nathalie Broadhurst and a French political scientist, Franck Petiteville, of Sciences Po University, about what the change of the military mission means for France, the Sahel region and President Macron's political future. We also discuss France's commitment to gender equality at home and abroad. Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue...
2021-07-0125 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJuly 2021: The Future of FRANCE in the SahelFrance takes over the presidency of the Security Council at a major turning point in its foreign policy: it has announced it is scaling down its long military presence in West Africa. Also this month: France hosts the final Generation Equality Forum, in Paris. We talk to French Deputy Permanent Representative Nathalie Broadhurst and a French political scientist, Franck Petiteville, of Sciences Po University, about what the change of the military mission means for France, the Sahel region and President Macron's political future. We also discuss France's commitment to gender equality at home and abroad.
Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue...
2021-07-0125 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJune 2021: ESTONIA to Push the Security Council to Recommend UN’s Guterres to a Second TermOn this episode, we have a very special guest: Eva-Maria Liimets, Estonia's foreign minister, as well as Estonian ambassador to the UN, Sven Jurgenson, who assumes the Security Council presidency in June. Estonia is the only country in the world that is not a monarchy that is led by a woman president and a woman prime minister. We discuss how women have assumed top roles in Estonia's government, its agenda for the month of June and the winding up of the UN secretary-general selection process. Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN Instagram: @passblue ----- Are...
2021-05-3121 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJune 2021: ESTONIA to Push the Security Council to Recommend UN’s Guterres to a Second TermOn this episode, we have a very special guest: Eva-Maria Liimets, Estonia's foreign minister, as well as Estonian ambassador to the UN, Sven Jurgenson, who assumes the Security Council presidency in June. Estonia is the only country in the world that is not a monarchy that is led by a woman president and a woman prime minister. We discuss how women have assumed top roles in Estonia's government, its agenda for the month of June and the winding up of the UN secretary-general selection process.
Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
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2021-05-3121 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMay 2021: CHINA, Avoiding the Big Challenges in the Security CouncilChina assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council for May, trying to control the narrative around the Covid-19 pandemic, Myanmar and human rights all in one month, in a packed agenda. In this episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Rosemary Foot, an Oxford professor who has recently published a book titled "China, the UN, and Human Protection: Beliefs, Power, Image." We also talk with Peter Irwin, a program officer at the Uighurs Human Rights Project, a nonprofit defending the persecuted Muslim-minority Uighurs in the province of Xinjiang, China. And stay tuned for a surprising May 17 session on "emerging technologies," wh...
2021-05-0521 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsApril 2021: VIETNAM in the Security Council: 'We Try to Make Everyone Happy'As Vietnam assumes the UN Security Council presidency, harsh crackdowns by the Myanmar military continue in the country after the Feb. 1 coup d’état. And since Vietnam presented itself as a "bridge builder" when it joined the Council in January 2020, its ability to bring the 14 other members together on specifically preventing further atrocities in Myanmar will be rigorously tested this month. We talk about the challenges with Vietnam’s ambassador to the UN, Dang Dinh Quy, and experts Dr. Prashanth Parameswaran from the Wilson Center in Washington and Kyle Springer from the Perth USAsia Center, a think tank in Australia.
2021-04-0420 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsMarch 2021: The New US Ambassador Hits the Ground 'Sprinting'The newly arrived American ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, hits the ground sprinting as she assumes the presidency of the Security Council in March. On today's episode, we speak with retired Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, one of the ambassador's longtime mentors; Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign and Senior Vice President at the United Nations Foundation; and Mark Ballard, reporter for the Louisiana newspaper The Advocate, who has written an extensive profile of the ambassador.
MUSIC CREDIT: 'Zodico Stomp' by Clifton Chenier, the Grammy-award winning 'King of Zydeco' (1955). Zydeco is a music genre that blends blues, R...
2021-03-0527 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsFebruary 2021: The UK Tests Its 'Global Britain' Foreign Policy at the UNBritain assumes the Security Council in February with a new ambassador: Permanent Representative Barbara Woodward, who was most recently her country's ambassador to China. In this episode, she shares how her new job compares with working in Beijing and how staying fit helps her get through tense diplomatic negotiations, wherever she lives. Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the International Crisis Group and a popular, witty commentator in UN circles in New York, joins us on the show.
Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
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2021-02-0122 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsJanuary 2021: TUNISIA'S Delicate Diplomacy, a Decade After the Arab SpringIt has been 10 years since the Arab Spring, which started in Tunisia in 2011 and forced the exile of its president and strongman, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Now, a democratic Tunisia assumes the UN Security Council rotating presidency in January as an elected member. To discuss Tunisia's priorities and diplomatic strategy, we are joined by Tunisia’s ambassador to the UN, Tarek Ladeb, and Youssef Cherif, director of Columbia University’s Global Center in Tunis and a political analyst specializing in North Africa.
Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue
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2021-01-0624 minPassBlue UN PodcastsDecember 2020: SOUTH AFRICA on the Security Council: How'd It Do?PassBlue is a non-profit media site, and we depend on your generous donations to help us report on important stories about the UN. In December, PassBlue takes part in NewsMatch, a national matching-gift campaign that drives donations to nonprofit newsrooms. If you give today at https://www.newsmatch.org/organizations/passblue, NewsMatch doubles your donation, up to $5,000. For a nonprofit like us, this is a big deal and will help us continue to report exclusive stories at the UN throughout the year.
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South Africa wraps up its two-year term on the Security Council as Council president in December. On...
2020-12-0329 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 34: How Hard Will It Be for the Biden-Harris Team to Embrace the UN Again?“America is back”: In this episode, we detail the challenges the new White House faces to fully commit to the UN again, including rejoining all the UN entities and agreements it left, resigned from or defunded under the Trump administration, like the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization. To sort it all out, we ask three experts: Larry Johnson, a professor at Columbia Law School and a former legal affairs expert at the UN; a Franco-British climate change specialist, Paul Watkinson, who participated in the Paris accord’s negotiations; and Jordie Hannum, the head of the Better World Campaign, an org...
2020-11-1731 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsNovember 2020: The Smallest Country to Ever Lead the Security CouncilSt. Vincent and the Grenadines, an island nation in the Caribbean, is the smallest country ever elected to the Security Council, and this month, it assumes the Council Presidency for the first time. There is nothing conventional about the country’s ambassador, Rhonda King. On this episode, she shares with us her government’s sometimes confusing foreign policy; how getting cancer inspired her to leave her accounting career and become a writer; and how most of her top staff at the UN mission are women. Caribbean expert Jacqueline Braveboy-Wagner, a professor at the City College of New York and the City...
2020-11-0122 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 32: The Nobel Committee Awards Its 12th UN-Related Peace PrizeThe Nobel Committee awarded the World Food Program a Nobel Peace Prize this month, for 2020. This is the UN system's 12th time winning the world's highest recognition for peace, and it comes as the UN celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. PassBlue contributor Clair MacDougall shares with us how David Beasley, the Executive Director of the WFP, reacted to finding out about the win on his tour of the Sahel region of Africa, and the significance of Nobel Committee's choice amid a global pandemic and the decline of multilateralism.
Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
...
2020-10-1617 minPassBlue UN PodcastsOctober 2020: RUSSIA Names its First Female Deputy Ambassador in New YorkRussia has a new deputy ambassador at its UN mission in New York: Anna Evstigneeva, the first woman to hold the position there. Evistgneeva, who originally hails from St. Petersburg, gives us her take on Russia's Security Council presidency this month as the Council tackles high-stakes topics such as the expiration of the arms embargo on Iran and the aftermath of a military coup in Mali. We also chat with Anton Barbashin, the editorial director of Riddle, a Russian-focused think tank, and a fellow at the Atlantic Council. Based in Moscow, Barbashin describes the glass ceilings women still face in...
2020-10-0519 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 30: The Oscars of International Politics Goes DigitalOn Sept. 21, 2020, the United Nations opens the 75th General Assembly session. But this year's debate will be unlike any other. As the Covid-19 pandemic still rages and because travel restrictions remain in effect in New York City, the usual retinue of heads of state and their delegates will be mostly staying home –– sending video speeches instead. We chat with an e-diplomacy expert, Jovan Kurbalija, of the Maltese nonprofit organization Diplofoundation, about how world leaders can project themselves dynamically in the digital format; and with a NYC-based Mexican journalist, Maurizio Guerrero, on what Latin American leaders will be saying this year.
To r...
2020-09-1724 minPassBlue UN PodcastsSeptember 2020: NIGER Gives the Sahel Region a Voice on the CouncilNiger assumes the Security Council presidency this month, bringing the voice of Africa’s Sahel region to the body as it and its neighbors battle terrorism and chronic instability in the region. On the show, we talk with Ambassador Abdou Abarry about the country's plans for the Council, especially as the United States triggers the snapback provision of the Iran nuclear deal, and Michael Shurkin, an American expert on West Africa for the Rand Corporation.
Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue
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2020-09-0123 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 28: In Lebanon, a Crisis on Top of a CrisisAs the world unites to help Lebanon recover from a blast that decimated parts of its capital on Aug. 4 and killed nearly 200 people, some powerful members of the Security Council in New York are arguing over the mandate renewal of the UN's peacekeeping mission in the country, UNIFIL. On today's show, we talk to Ambassador Amal Mudallali, the ambassador of Lebanon to the UN, about her hopes for the relief effort and the future of her country. We also interview Karim Makdisi, a professor at the American University of Beirut, who explains the dominating tensions between the US and France...
2020-08-1626 minPassBlue UN PodcastsAugust 2020: ‘Independent’ INDONESIA Now Has to Pick SidesIndonesia assumes the Security Council presidency this month, and two big items are on its agenda: burgeoning its role as a 'bridge builder' between small and large powers on the Council, and transitioning the Council to in-person voting on Council resolutions. On today's show, we hear from Indonesian Ambassador to the UN, Dian Triansyah Djani, as well as Dr. Moch Faisal Karim, Assistant Professor in International Relations at Bina Nusantara University, located in the in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Although Indonesia is a regional power in Southeast Asia and the fourth most populated country in the world, Ambassador Djani describes...
2020-08-0318 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 26: How to Get a Job at the UNIt is no secret that the global economy has taken a major hit from Covid-19. While graduations from universities, colleges and other schools were canceled or moved online, there is still an entire class of young people entering the job market who are passionate about multilateralism, global development, human rights and sustainability. But how can they land a coveted, highly competitive entry-level job at the United Nations or a related agency, in a pandemic? On today's episode, we chat with Stephanie Playford, the founder of United Career Coalition, an organization that advises students and young professionals on their careers and...
2020-07-2116 minPassBlue UN PodcastsJuly 2020: Can GERMAN Diplomacy Thrive Without Chancellor Merkel?Germany is regarded as one of the most powerful defenders of multilateralism in the world right now and has largely resisted the current global wave of populism and isolationism. But Chancellor Angela Merkel, the face of Germany since 2005, is retiring in 2021. What role will the country play on the world stage without her? As Germany begins its last presidency of the Security Council in its two-year term in July, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen shares his plans for the month and his vision for Germany's future, promising that its light will not fade at the UN and in Europe. We also chat...
2020-07-0515 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 24: Elders and Youth Reflect on the UN's 75th BirthdayHappy Birthday, UN Charter! As the United Nations turns 75, UN-Scripted looks at the past, present and future of the organization through the sharp eyes of elders and youth. In this episode, you’ll hear from former heads of states, diplomats and United Nations officials on what they believe are the UN’s greatest accomplishments and the path ahead for the organization.
In this episode, you'll hear strong, controversial opinions: disillusioned UN youth delegates, elders desperate for international cooperation and pro-Asian scholars who believe the region is bound to lead the world soon. You’ll also hear from leading UN scholars who lo...
2020-06-2646 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 23: It’s French only in le Conseil de sécurité in JuneBonjour! If you want to learn a new language to add to your list of quarantine ambitions, now may be the time to learn some very basic French — at least diplomatic French. In June, France assumes the Security Council presidency and is insisting on leading its meetings in la langue de Molière. On the show, we're joined by two longtime French diplomats: France’s current ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Rivière, who played a key role in the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal, and a former French ambassador to the UN and to the US,Gérard Ar...
2020-06-0120 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 22: The UN’s Top Doc Checks Out, Returning to AustraliaDr. Jillann Farmer has managed her share of crises as United Nations medical director, such as the Ebola outbreak in 2014 in West Africa and the Syrian chemical attacks that occurred in the country soon after that epidemic. Last winter, Dr. Farmer was ready to move on to a new job after 7 years at the UN to return to her native Australia, when the coronavirus pandemic quickly incapacitated New York City, putting the thousands of UN employees working at the Headquarters at risk. In this exclusive interview, from Australia, Dr. Farmer shares her perspective on the UN's preparedness and response to...
2020-05-1827 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 21: Estonia, a Hip Tech Hub, Leads the Security Council in MayIn May, Estonia assumes the UN Security Council presidency for the first time ever, bringing with it global expertise in cybersecurity and digital governance, just when the world seems to need it most. On this episode, we are joined by Estonian Permanent Representative Sven Jorgensen, who has been representing Estonia abroad even before it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and Lauri Malksoo, an international law expert and professor at the University of Tartu, in Estonia.
Links:
PassBlue's live coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic at the UN: www.passblue.com/2020/03/15/the-u…s-rages-updates/
PassBlue's Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
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2020-04-3020 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 20: To Lift or Not to Lift: Will Covid-19 Shake Up Sanctions?The coronavirus pandemic could change dynamics in the global political landscape that seemed unchangeable only last month. Will sanctions regimes be one of its victims?
Many parties in the international community are debating whether to loosen sanctions in certain countries to help them fight the pandemic, but critics say that bad actors are using the pandemic as political opportunism to lift sanctions. On today's show, we welcome two experts: Hilal Elver, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food who is currently quarantined in the seaside Turkish town of Bodrum, and Loraine Rickard-Martin, a UN consultant specializing in international...
2020-04-2022 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 19: The Security Council's "New Normal"As the Dominican Republic assumes the Security Council presidency in April, Special Envoy José Singer Weisinger is inheriting a body fundamentally changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He's presiding over "informal" video teleconference meetings and a flexible schedule from his country's capital, Santo Domingo, instead of from the Security Council chambers in New York City. Still, Singer wants the world to know one thing: "the Security Council is engaged and completely transparent."
Links:
PassBlue's live coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic at the UN: www.passblue.com/2020/03/15/the-u…s-rages-updates/
PassBlue's Twitter: @pass_blue
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2020-04-0222 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 18: The Security Council Goes Silent as the Secretary-General Speaks Up**BONUS EPISODE**
Will the world's war against the coronavirus stop (at least temporarily) all other wars? Secretary-General Antonio Guterres certainly hopes so. Still working in a mostly-empty UN headquarters, Guterres has made a global call for cease fires of all conflicts...with mixed results. And if Guterres gets sick himself, who is in charge of the United Nations? PassBlue reporter Laura Kirkpatrick investigated the line of succession for the top position at the UN.
No one knows how long the pandemic will last, and it may be a problem for the 75th annual UN General Assembly meetings in New York...
2020-03-2831 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 17: Can Global Diplomacy Survive COVID-19?On March 13, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres ordered New York-based personnel to start working from home from March 16-April 13. In this episode, we explore the question: How is working remotely affecting diplomacy? To answer it, we talked to four diplomats from four countries, all based in New York, about how their respective missions to the UN are handling the crisis: Rodrigo Carazo, the Costa Rican ambassador to the UN, Deputy Permanent Representatives Dmitry Polyanskiy of Russia and Odd-Inge Kvalheim of Norway and Mohamed Ali Jalardi, a counselor for Lebanon. And, we look at how the UN itself is transitioning f...
2020-03-1918 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp.16 The Coronavirus and China in the Hot Seat at the UNThe coronavirus -- COVID-19 -- outbreak is on everyone's minds right now, and the United Nations is no exception. As China assumes the Security Council rotating presidency for March and tries to stay focused on its top priorities, we look at how the outbreak has affected Chinese diplomacy here in New York and how it led to limiting the biggest annual women's rights meeting in the world, the Commission on the Status of Women, to just one day, on March 9. A Hong Kong-based China expert, Dr. Courtney Fung, joins us to provide her insights on China's diplomatic handling of the...
2020-03-0629 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 15: US Foreign Policy: the President v. the Democratic Primary Candidates**DOUBLE FEATURE ALERT**
U.S. President Trump has made good on his campaign promises to redefine America's relationship with the rest of the world – for better or for worse, depending on perspectives -- and the United Nations has in many ways been the epicenter of his "American First" policy abroad. Most recently, his peace proposal for Israel and Palestine scraps decades of UN Security Council binding resolutions on the matter and even got one ambassador recalled. But what alternative visions to end the long conflict in the Middle East have been proposed by the Democrats hoping to unseat Trump in No...
2020-02-2140 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 14: Royalty, Brexit, Abbas, and Kushner: Belgium Presides Over a Busy Security Council AgendaThis month, A royal family comes to the UN, and it’s not Meghan and Harry on their first North American tour after Megxit. It’s the royal family of Belgium, making their first ever appearance before the UN Security Council. But that's not the only exciting event Belgian Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve has on the agenda for Belgium's presidency this month. In an exclusive interview, he opens up about his diplomatic experience, the European perspective on Brexit, and Belgium's top priorities in the Council. What we're watching: how US President Trump's Middle East Peace Plan plays out among the...
2020-02-0623 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 13: Melissa Fleming Wants to Reshape the UN’s Image: Can She Do It?What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words "United Nations"? Melissa Fleming, UN Under Secretary General for Global Communications, spends a lot of time thinking about how people all over the world answer that question. A newcomer to UN headquarters in September, with a big agenda ahead (like the UN's 75th anniversary), Fleming wants the UN to become synonymous with positivity and real solutions. In the process, can she improve what some see as the UN's image problem?
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Hey there! Did you know UN-Scripted is part of a publication called PassBlue? We're a women-led...
2020-01-2727 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 12: Vietnam: Bridge Builder at the UN?As the United Nations Security Council faces rising tensions between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, Vietnam assumes the Council presidency this month as well as the chairmanship of the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN)for 2020. On this week's show, we chat with two experts about how Vietnam may navigate the global crisis alongside its own priorities: Noeleen Heyzer, a distinguished fellow at the University of Singapore and former diplomat and high-level UN official, and Dr. Prashanth Parameswaran, a senior editor at The Diplomat and a fellow at the Carter Center.
CORRECTION: The UN ambassador from...
2020-01-0819 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 11: China's Playground at the UNChina's investments around the globe purportedly came with "no strings attached." But many countries on the receiving end of those investments are now declining at the United Nations to denounce China's human rights record, even as its treatment of the Uighurs becomes increasingly difficult to deny. Co-host Stéphanie Fillion brings us up to speed. Also, we bring you an exclusive interview with the highest-ranking US citizen at the UN: Rosemary DiCarlo. She shares with us what it’s like to be a female Under-Secretary-General as the UN strives for gender parity in senior posts, heading a brand new UN dep...
2019-12-2222 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEp. 10: Bourbon and Basketball: The Security Council Visits KentuckyBecause the UN is located in New York City, the ambassadors don't often get to see the rest of the US, let alone experience "Southern hospitality." No more. As Security Council President this month, US Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft is taking the council "home for the holidays" to her home state of Kentucky. PassBlue Editor Dulcie Leimbach travelled to the horse capital of the world to see what's in store for the ambassadors, and learn more about Knight Craft's hometown and family history. PassBlue Contributor Irwin Arieff also joins us to discuss Knight Craft's record since taking the UN post...
2019-12-0729 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 9: Vodka, Kalashnikovs and Power: Putin's Charm Offensive to AfricansAfrican summits may be in vogue, and Russia’s recent summit in Sochi is no exception. PassBlue correspondent Joe Penney traveled to to the Black Sea resort to report on Russian President Vladimir Putin's pitch to African leaders: promoting a second African independence, this time financial, including offers of major developments like nuclear power. Yet, Russia is the #1 supplier of weapons to Africa, and many Russian and African delegates didn't pass up a chance to hold and pose with Kalashnikovs at the summit. Also: highlights from our exclusive interview with former Swedish foreign mister and mother of feminist foreign policy, Ma...
2019-11-2121 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 8: Don't Say the "B" Word (Brexit)Amid Brexit turmoil at home and a looming election, the United Kingdom has assumed the November Security Council presidency with a mission: to remind the UN of its work serving ordinary people and civilians. As the UK hosts a series of meetings about conflicts in places it previously colonized or controlled, everyone is watching to see whether, post-Brexit, the UK will stick with Europe at the UN or carve out a position all its own.
2019-11-0724 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 7: The Cold War Returns to the UNYou read that correctly: tensions between Russia and the United States are overshadowing important work at the United Nations, á la the Cold War. Only this time around, Iran has joined Russia's efforts to disrupt routine committee work to protest US denials of visas to Russian and Iranian diplomats and foreign officials. Our very own Stéphanie Fillion broke the story. Also on our radar: the gap between feminists in the global North and South is widening thanks to the debate about decriminalizing sex work. PassBlue's Sonah Lee joins us to help talk through it all.
2019-10-2416 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 6: Can Mandela's Vision for Peace Work in 2019?South African Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila is not like other ambassadors: he doesn't shake hands, he does a fist bump, and instead of calling you Madam, he'll call you Sister. As a member of Nelson Mandela's party, he spent a decade in exile during Apartheid. Now, he's committed to carrying out Nelson Mandela's vision for peace in Africa by focusing his Security Council presidency on removing weapons from the hands of youth, reasserting the AU's presence on Libya, and taking the Council on a trip to Africa.
2019-10-1024 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 5: The Oscars of International PoliticsOur UN General Assembly recap with PassBlue journalists Sonah Lee and Laura Kirkpatrick, in less than 25 minutes. The divide between the "globalists" and the "patriots" defined the week. With President Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in the latter camp, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's nighttime lament of a bygone world without AI, French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the last bastions of multilateralism. Where did that leave Turkey’s President Erdogan? Somewhere in-between. Also worthy of your time: climate activist Greta Thunberg's call to action at the climate summit, and the women leaders who stood out this ye...
2019-09-2724 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 4: UNGA, According to the Press CorpsHeads of state are descending on New York City for the 74th season of the UN General Assembly, and there is so much going on it's hard to know what to pay attention to. With help from the UN press corps and veteran New York Times UN bureau chief Barbara Crossette, we tell you who and what to watch for and remember some touchstones from past UNGA's.
2019-09-1920 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 3: What the West Gets Wrong About RussiaFrom television shows like Chernobyl and Stranger Things to news coverage of in recent years of Russian interference in US elections, Americans remain ever-fascinated by Russia - but how Americans see Russia is not how Russia sees itself. In light of Russia’s September Security Council presidency, we take listeners inside Russia’s mission on the Upper East Side to find out what First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy thinks the West gets wrong about Russia - and what he thinks of life in New York City and the United States.
2019-09-0426 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 2: All Eyes on Kelly Knight CraftShe calls herself a homemaker, a consultant, a philanthropist, and recently acquired the title of "ambassador." But who is Kelly Knight Craft, the incoming US ambassador to the United Nations? Our columnist Irwin Arieff poured over her financial records and associates and examined her time as ambassador to Canada. He shares what he found, as well as highlights from her confirmation hearing.
2019-08-2122 minPassBlue UN PodcastsEpisode 1: Polish Ambassador Joanna WroneckaAugust is a traditionally slow month at the United Nations, but Ambassador Wronecka of Poland has other plans for her country's Security Council presidency. On this episode, she previews the biggest events and shares about her long diplomatic career, being a woman in a male-dominated diplomatic corp, and finding authentic Polish food in New York City.
2019-08-0618 minPassBlue UN PodcastsUN-Scripted: A PreviewAlong the East River in Midtown's Turtle Bay neighborhood, United Nations Headquarters looms over blocks of foreign missions and hotels, restaurants and shops whose main clientele are diplomats, UN staff and visiting dignitaries. But what goes on behind the UN's tightly-guarded gates? From PassBlue, a new podcast taking listeners inside the UN to hear from the diplomats themselves and the reporters covering them. Episodes out August 2019.
2019-07-3101 min
PassBlue UN PodcastsUKUN Ambassador Karen Pierce on Diplomacy with StyleIn this exclusive interview with PassBlue, Ambassador Karen Pierce of the United Kingdom explains the value of fashion in diplomacy, the challenges women diplomats still face, and offers advice to both other senior women and those coming up through the ranks.
For a print version of this interview, visit passblue.com.
2019-06-1206 min