New Frontiers

Mar 18 2024

New Frontiers Podcast artwork

New Frontiers brings together scholars, experts, and practitioners to discuss issues of international and global importance. Produced by the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs at Middlebury College, the podcast tackles a wide range of topics— from big tech, environmental conservation, global security, and political economy to culture, literature, religion, and changing work patterns—that, when examined as a whole, offers a comprehensive survey of the world's most pressing issues.

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India Today: One Question, Three Perspectives

Mar 18 2024 43 mins

“What’s the one thing about India, that isn’t getting enough attention?” That’s the question we put to three India experts; and not surprisingly, we got three different responses. In August 2023, India celebrated its first successful moon landing. However, while this achievement made headlines around the world, other developments of equal or greater significance may be g

Race, Empire, and Policing in Paris

Jan 08 2024 36 mins

In June 2023, French police killed 17-year-old Nahal Merzouk during a traffic stop outside of Paris. The killing led to days of street protests, widespread condemnation of racialized police practices, and over 1,300 arrests. This was particularly significant in a country like France, where discussions about race are often avoided or rejected. To gain a deeper understanding of Frenc

After the Insurrection: Assessing American Democracy

Oct 30 2023 36 mins

On January 6, 2021, supporters of US President Donald Trump—spurred on and energized by the defeated president himself—launched a violent attack on the US capital to stop the peaceful transfer of power to president-elect Joe Biden. What are we to make of the January 6 insurrection? What does it tell us about ourselves as Americans and the state of our democracy? And with anothe

INTL' NGOs: What You Need to Know

Sep 12 2023 33 mins

International nongovernmental organizations (INGO’s) like Amnesty International, Care, Oxfam, or World Vision operate independently of governments around the world. But what do we really know about these organizations and their operations, behavior, effectiveness or limitations? What might they be doing or be unable to do, in a country like Ukraine, where many people are sufferin

Israel in Crisis

Jun 21 2023 38 mins

For months, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have taken to the streets to protest government plans to overhaul the judiciary—including plans that would vitiate checks on executive power, allow a simple majority of 61 in the 120-seat Knesset to override almost any ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court, and permit politicians to appoint most of the Court’s justices. Both th

Why We Need Environmental Justice Part 2 of 2

Mar 23 2023 26 mins

Part 2 of 2What is meant by such terms as environmental injustice or environmental racism? What is the environmental justice movement and how is it manifest—in the United States and beyond? In this episode of New Frontiers, political scientist Kemi Fuentes-George discusses these topics and what achieving environmental justice for marginalized populations might actually entail.SHO

Why We Need Environmental Justice Part 1 of 2

Mar 23 2023 28 mins

Part 1 of 2What is meant by such terms as environmental injustice or environmental racism? What is the environmental justice movement and how is it manifest—in the United States and beyond? In this episode of New Frontiers, political scientist Kemi Fuentes-George discusses these topics and what achieving environmental justice for marginalized populations might actually entail.SHO

Whatever Happened To "Essential" Workers

Feb 15 2023 41 mins

How did the COVID pandemic affect America’s workers—especially those deemed “essential” who often were poorly paid, nonunionized, lacked meaningful benefits, and were required to continue working while most other workers stayed home? How did these workers respond to the health risks they encountered on the job, and how did their struggle for labor justice transform—at lea

Understanding Slavery in Medieval China

Nov 29 2022 35 mins

Slavery lasted for centuries in China, and yet its particulars are not well known. In this episode of New Frontiers, historian Don Wyatt takes us back to help us understand how the institution thrived during imperial times and the roles it played in Chinese culture.

Why Did Turkish Democracy Collapse

Nov 02 2022 32 mins

After decades of democratic governance, Turkish democracy has not just declined, but collapsed. How? Why? In this episode Mark speaks with Sebnem Gumuscu, who traces the rise and decline of Turkey’s democratic system and provides insights into the forces by which Turkey has slid ever deeper into autocracy.