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.
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 1082
- Years Active
- 2013 - 2025
How the Return of Refugees to Syria Will Define the Next Phase of the Conflict
There's New Evidence of China's Brutal Repression of its Uighur Population
Remembering Princeton Lyman
Ambassador Princeton Lyman passed away on August 24th at the age of 83. In January 2017, he came on the podcast to discuss his remarkable life and career, which included serving as the US ambassador…
A Final Showdown Looms in Syria. The UN Warns it Could be a "Bloodbath"
This is How Nuclear War Breaks Out With North Korea
On March 21, 2020 North Korea shoots down a South Korean civilian airliner, mistaking it for a US bomber. This sets off a series of events that leads to the launching 13 nuclear armed ballistic missi…
Dr. Vanessa Kerry Strengthens Health Systems Against Ebola and Other Threats
Dr. Vanessa Kerry is the Co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health. This is an international NGO that works in five sub-Saharan countries to bolster the education of medical professionals.
We kick …
Fifteen Years Ago this Week, the UN Headquarters in Iraq Was Bombed
On August 19th 2003 the United Nations headquarters in Iraq at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, was hit with a truck bomb. At least 22 people lost their lives in this attack, including the UN's top offici…
Journalist Robin Wright from 2014
In 2014, I spoke with New Yorker writer Robin Wright about her life and career as a foreign affairs journalist.
The 1998 US Embassy Bombings, Twenty Years On
On August 7th, 1998 my guest today John Lange was the acting United States Ambassador to Tanzania when a truck bomb exploded outside the embassy in Dar es Salaam. He did not know it at the time, but …
977 Days as the Hostage of Somali Pirates
Michael Scott Moore spent 977 days as a hostage of Somali pirates. He is a journalist and in 2012 he set out for the Somali coast on a reporting trip when he was kidnapped. What followed was a two an…
How the World Regulates Twitter
David Kaye, is the author of the UN's first ever report on the regulation of user generated online content. That is, how governments and companies like Facebook and Twitter police their users.
David…
Colombia Has a New President Who is Opposed to the Peace Deal
The Inside Story of How the World Closed the Hole in the Ozone Layer
The year is 1985. Ronald Regan is president. Margaret Thatcher is prime minister of the United Kingdom. Michael Jackson, White Snake and George Michael are dominating the billboard charts. Back to th…
How Much Progress Are We Making Towards the Sustainable Development Goals?
At the United Nations in mid-July officials gathered for an annual checkup on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs, as they are known, are a set of 17 anti-poverty, health and…
Sunitha Krishan Rescues Girls from Sex Slavery
Sunitha Krishnan literally rescues girls from sex slavery. She is the founder of the Indian NGO Prajwala which both physically removes girls from sexual bondage and provides social, medical and psych…
Crisis in Nicaragua
Nicaragua is in the midst of a deepening political and security crisis. Over the last three months the government has been increasingly violent in its response to a growing protest movement.
Over 24…
An Interview with the Top UN Official in the Central African Republic
What We Know About Air Pollution Around the World
Peace Breaks Out Between Ethiopia and Eritrea
Something truly remarkable in African history and global affairs occurred on June 26 when Eritrean leaders flew to the capitol of Ethiopia for peace talks.
In the late 1990s the two countries fought…
Why Mary Robinson Fights For Climate Justice
Mary Robinson was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997. She then served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and has since undertaken a variety of roles at the UN …