How is power linked to the way we eat? Has inequality boosted the amount of unhealthy food we consume? How have things changed since Diet for a Small Planet was first published in the early 1970s? This week on “International Horizons,” RBI Director John Torpey talks with Frances Moore Lappé about the politics of food and how the way we eat interacts with structures of power – and what we can do about changing that for the better.
Pragmatism or ideology? A Historical Perspective on the Russia-Ukraine crisis with Susan Smith Peter
How are Russia and Ukraine tied historically? What are the narratives around the national identity of Ukrainians in relation to Russia? How is contemporary Russian nationalism linked to the collapse of the Soviet Union and Putin’s perception of those events? Could the United States have prevented a revanchist Russia by adopting a less aggressive policy towards transition in the 90s?
Ibn Khaldun, the late 14th century statesman and historian, is regarded as one of the earliest social scientists on the strength of his classic, The
How has the human rights movement developed into the international force that it is today? What ideological and material factors shaped its development? How successful
Are we in the golden age of conspiracy theories? How can society respond to dangerous theories, such as COVID conspiracy theories and misinformation, that create
What is behind the current standoff over refugees trying to enter Poland from Belarus? Why is the EU supporting Poland’s position? Have asylum seekers become
Why would warring parties turn to the UN, even when they don’t have an interest in guaranteeing peace? Have rebel groups learned to manipulate the
What conditions led to the recent coup in Sudan? Has the international community’s response had a significant impact on the Sudanese regime? Will changing international
Is legally avoiding taxes a smart thing to do, or is it dodging one’s social responsibility? Does tax avoidance treat the law as a mere formality to circumvent, a tool to manipulate, or a shield of justification? How can we reform tax codes to prevent tax evasion while ensuring that those legal tools are still usable for legitimate purposes?
Katharina Pistor, Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law at Columbia Law School, talks to RBI director John Torpey about the Pandora Papers, what they reveal about international tax evasion, and how much tax reform we can expect in the foreseeable future.
Have efforts to make war ‘humane’ made it easier for the United States to undertake military action? How do those efforts balance with efforts that