Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

The longest running independent international affairs podcast features in-depth interviews with policymakers, journalists and experts around the world who discuss global news, international relations, global development and key trends driving world affairs. Named by The Guardian as "a podcast to make you smarter," Global Dispatches is a podcast for people who crave a deeper understanding of international news.

Episodes

October 16, 2025 27 mins

A ceasefire is holding in Gaza. Aid is beginning to flow. The remaining Israeli hostages have been released, as have nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Israeli detention.

This has been a truly remarkable day in the Middle East. But can this positive momentum be sustained?

I recorded this conversation with Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy just moments after Donald Trump met with an impressive array of world leaders in Sh...

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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 int...

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October 8, 2025 30 mins

On September 16th, Morocco became the 60th country to ratify the High Seas Treaty, triggering a countdown to January, when the treaty will officially enter into force.

The High Seas Treaty establishes a kind of “rules of the road” for international waters that lie beyond the jurisdiction of any single country—particularly ar...

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A genocidal militia called the Rapid Support Forces has been laying siege to the city of El Fasher, in Darfur, for nearly 500 days. But in recent weeks, the situation has grown far worse. Some 250,000 people are now trapped in the city and are enduring relentless bombardment from drones and artillery. Food is scarce, and an untold number of people are starving to death. To make matters worse, recent moves by the Rapid Support Force...

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In 1995, there was a landmark meeting on gender equality in Beijing: the Fourth World Conference on Women. The conference produced the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a highly influential blueprint for advancing women’s rights. It was at this conference that then–First Lady Hillary Clinton famously declared,

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September 28, 2025 22 mins

Over the last two weeks, the United States has at least twice bombed boats in the Caribbean that the White House claims were smuggling drugs to the United States, killing an unknown number of people on board. This is extraordinary. Under normal circumstances, the United States Navy or Coast Guard would interdict alleged drug smugglers and turn them over to law enforcement for prosecution. But the Trump administration is apparently ...

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It was Donald Trump’s fifth speech before the United Nations General Assembly.

It was also his most rambling.

For 55 minutes, the President of the United States riffed: on migration, windmills, hot air, London’s mayor, offshore oil in Aberdeen, even the flooring and décor of UN headquarters. At one point, Trump told the assembled world leaders: “Your countries are going to hell!”

But was there a method to this madness? What can we ...

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Immunization has transformed the health trajectory of millions in Africa — but the job is far from done. This discussion moves beyond vaccines as a medical intervention, framing them instead as a trust-building exercise between communities and health systems. You’ll come away with a clear sense of what it will take to protect Africa’s health gains and prepare for future threats.

Helen Clark offers high-lev...

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Africa’s future will be written by its girls and women — if they have the resources and rights to lead. Graça Machel calls for a generational shift in how girls’ education and leadership are supported, while Françoise Moudouthe challenges donors and policymakers to back feminist movements with flexible, sustained funding. Satta Sheriff brings the voice of a new generation, connecting women’s leadership to ...

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Hundreds of presidents and prime ministers are coming to the UN for the annual opening of the General Assembly. UNGA officially kicked off on September 9, but the big events—including the parade of speeches from world leaders—begin on September 22.

In this special episode of To Save Us From Hell, Mark and Anjali preview the key storylines, speeches, events, and encounters that will shape the agenda at this...

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A few weeks ago, my To Save Us From Hell co-host Anjali Dayal and I joined Tammam Aloudat, CEO of The New Humanitarian, for an episode of their podcast ReThinking Humanitarianism. The questions Tammam posed—and the topics we explored—were big-picture ones: how can the UN, a fundamentally li...

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Education in Africa must do more than keep up — it must leap ahead. Vimbai Masiyiwa champions entrepreneurship education that sparks job creation, while Minister Serigne Mbaye Thiam draws lessons from reforming Senegal’s school system for a digital future. Tina Muparadzi links skills development directly to economic transformation, making the case for public–private partnerships that align learning with la...

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When people don’t trust their institutions, the social fabric of a society is weakened.

But that “trust deficit” can — and must — be closed.

In this episode of our Future of Africa series, we explore innovative and practical approaches to enhancing trust and cooperation between people and their institutions -- from grassroots communities to global multilateral forums. Featuring Samson Itodo, a renowned adv...

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A new study out of Kenya shows that one of the most impactful ways to reduce infant and child mortality is to provide cash—no strings attached—to pregnant women. A randomized controlled trial by economists from UC Berkeley and Oxford University found that unconditional cash transfers reduced infant mortality by 48% and under-5 child mortality by 45% in rural Kenya. These results suggest that this ...

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Making promises on financing for development is the easy part. Following through on them is hard. Ambassador Chola Milambo speaks frankly about turning global financing commitments into tangible benefits for African communities. Chidi Okpala highlights the role of innovative private-sector partnerships, while Tumi Mkhizi Malebo offers a youth perspective on making finance work for the next generation and N...

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In 2023, the United Kingdom hosted the world’s first major international summit on the risks of advanced artificial intelligence. That Bletchley Park gathering kicked off a series of high-profile summits — in Seoul in 2024, in Paris earlier this year, and with India set to host the next in 2026.

But here’s the big question: are these summits actually building the...

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What does it mean to make peace with nature — and why could that be the key to lasting peace between people? Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos shares the extraordinary indigenous mandate that shaped his leadership, while Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim explains how climate shocks in Africa are driving conflict and migration. Khouloud Ben Mansour brings in the youth, peace, and security lens, stressing that climate j...

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The past week has seen a frenzy of diplomatic activity on Ukraine, culminating in Donald Trump’s extraordinary announcement that he will host Vladimir Putin in Alaska for talks on the war. Setting aside the propriety of Putin visiting the United States (he launched this war of aggression and is wanted by the ICC for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children) what could such a summit actually achieve? ...

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Africa is the world’s youngest continent — and its future is everyone’s future. By 2030, 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population will be under the age of 30. By century’s end, one in three people on the planet will be African. What happens in Africa will shape the course of the 21st century.

That’s why Global Dispatches is proud to launch a bold new podcast series: The Future of Africa. Produced in partners...

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