Winston Churchill is alleged to have written that "A free press is the unsleeping guardian of every other right that free men prize; it is the most dangerous foe of tyranny.” Thus, it should be no surprise that at a time when clear majorities of people in most...

Over the last several years Palestinians felt abandoned and ignored by Arabs, Americans, and Europeans. The people in Gaza and the West Bank seemed to have become almost invisible to everyone except themselves and the Israelis with whom they engaged in a...

Two hundred and fifty years ago the Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote, "Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn." He obviously wasn't talking about the tragedy of modern mass migration, but he could have been. Today thousands, indeed, millions of people...

Once again, Americans are getting ready for a presidential election that is widely described as the most important in their lifetimes. That may or may not be true, but two things are certain: the two candidates, former President Trump and current Vice President...

Israel is at war, and not just with Hamas, Iran, the Houthis, and their fellow travelers. Israeli’s most dangerous war may be with itself. That was certainly true before October 7th, and it’s still true. Back then the streets were full of protesters opposing Prime...

Politics in Mexico has long been a blood sport: not only “winner takes all,” but also incredibly violent. Last month’s national elections—when the country's first female president won with a record number of votes and by a record margin of victory—demonstrated both...

Much to everyone’s surprise, France’s President Macron recently decided that—like much of the rest of the world—his country ought to have national elections this year. The outcome of the first of two rounds was devastating for his political project to govern from the...

Like everything else about India, its democracy is complicated. Recent parliamentary elections—more than 640 million people voted (roughly two-thirds of eligible voters)—produced a contradictory, confusing outcome. On the one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP...

We live in an era of mass migration. Millions of people and families are on the move, driven by conflict, natural disasters, insecurity, and lack of opportunity. The human cost of migration is high, especially for children who often lose access to regular schooling,...

Terrorists and Afghanistan were back in the headlines because of the recent murderous ISIS-K attack on a concert in Moscow. No one should be surprised, since terrorism seems to be one of that benighted country’s few reliable exports. But, shouldn’t we all be worried...

Mass migration is once again in the headlines around the world. This is less because of the numbers of people on the move than because it is an intensely political year—and fear of migrants is grist for politicians’ fear-mongering. The United States is the exception...

One of the many challenges facing the United States today is an education system that seems to be rotting from the bottom: while graduate and professional schools are still world-class, elementary, middle and high schools are widely criticized for failing to prepare...

European politicians talk endlessly about the rule of law, justice, human dignity and freedom of movement. But those words fade fast when the issue of migration pops up, replaced by endless efforts to stop migrants and refugees at the border or, failing that, strand...

During 2024 more than 50 countries, including seven of the world’s most populous nations, will vote in national elections. While many thousands of names will appear on ballots, what’s really at stake is the future of democracy itself. Can democracy cope with the...

Why not? The country's inflation rate is approaching 150%. 40% of its people live in poverty. The currency is practically worthless. And Argentina is the IMF’s largest debtor because practically no one else will lend it money. By any definition, the country is an...

It’s commonplace today to bemoan the erosion of democracy almost everywhere. Seemingly endless polls document citizens’ complaints; even more academic books and papers seek to explain the problem. But maybe we are overthinking this. Maybe the “democracy” problem is at...

Guest host Michael Niconchuk looks for answers with experts Juncal Fernandez-Garayzabal and Noah Tucker. Violent extremism is growing globally. It doesn't know religion or creed. Where once it was confined to specific ideology or identity groups, at least in public...

The United States seems to be on the verge of some kind of Judgement Day. Extreme partisanship, a past (and future?) president facing seemingly endless indictments and legal entanglements, a profound loss of trust in institutions and leaders, citizens who tell...

"If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.” Karl Popper in The Open Society and Its...

Shahidul Alam is many things: world-class photographer, Bangladeshi human rights activist, teacher, and author. He is also a provocateur, whose words and pictures force one—sometimes gently, sometimes less so—to confront reality. Alam is also part of the Tällberg...

Donald Trump continues to make history: he is the only American president (serving or former) ever to have been criminally indicted. He already faces two separate indictments and trials, with the strong possibility of one or two more before the end of the year. That...

Samah Salman, a Sudanese businesswoman and civil society leader shares her insights on the situation and efforts for peace. Sudan is at war with itself. The revolution that drove Omar al-Bashir from office after 30 years has produced coups, conflict and military rule...

Macron’s dilemma: European sovereignty or alienating allies? Former French politician Pierre Lellouche analyzes Macron’s blunders and their impact on France on New Thinking for a New World. French President, Emmanuel Macron, has had a complicated few weeks. On the one...

Anthropologist Amelia Frank-Vitale discusses what it takes to walk from Honduras to Texas, and the tragedies along the way. Human history is a long and continuing story of migration. People have always moved out of fear or out of opportunity—and other people have...

Debt and mismanagement are hindering Africa's enormous potential despite its young, optimistic population and growing middle class. Hear from researcher and policy activist Bright Simons on why debt cancellation is not the solution and what new approaches may be...

Listen to a conversation with Neri Zilber is, journalist and analyst who focus on Israel's - and more generally Middle Eastern - politics and culture, on a situation that seems destined to go from bad to worse. *** Israel seems to be on the verge of exploding. Prime...

Sam Muller and his colleagues at HiiL are in the business of building “people-centered justice” that works for everyone. 2023 looks likely to be a year of recession, inflation, social and labor unrest, war, the ravages of climate, food insecurity, rising inequality....

On this podcast episode, Richard Gephardt and Scott Miller sift through the evidence and speculate on the future of democracy in America. Is the absence of wild allegations of fraud too low a bar for a country that likes to think of itself as the gold standard of...

Isabel Aninat is fundamentally optimistic that Chilean democracy is headed in a good direction. She is the Dean of the Law School of the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, in Chile and has been a keen observer of the constitution-writing process and, more generally, of...

Diane and Tom, are in the business of thinking about converging crises and they help corporate leaders not only peer around the corner, but formulate strategies that make sense in our changing world. *** We live in a world of converging crises. War in Europe, food and...

Jorge Castañeda thinks Mexico is in trouble, but almost half of all Mexicans say their country is on the right path. Mexicans, not known for being optimists, apparently are optimistic. Why? *** Winston Churchill famously described the Soviet Union as "A riddle wrapped...

What President Biden calls leadership Michael Sahlin, a former Swedish diplomat with deep experience in Turkey thinks is more like a cat landing on its feet after falling out a window. *** At the recent NATO summit in Madrid, US President Joe Biden made a joint...

Listen as Lars Åberg explains what Sweden has done right, but also what it has done wrong. We live in the age of the refugee. Arguably, no country in the West has been more welcoming to refugees over the years than Sweden has. Progressive, secular, social democratic,...

Leopoldo López, a Venezuelan patriot, explains how the fight to save Ukraine reflects a much bigger, existential fight for freedom everywhere. As Russia's war grinds on with no end in sight, what's at stake may be changing. It's becoming about how the world works,...

Marta Górczyńska is a human rights lawyer from Poland specializing in the protection of migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking. Conducts monitoring missions to the borders and detention facilities for migrants and reports on human rights violations....

Janine di Giovanni has spent much of her celebrated career witnessing the worst of what mankind can do to itself, but also the best that people under extraordinary circumstances can do for others. Listen as she discusses her experiences and, in particular, the work...

Joel Kotkin argues that the withering of democratic process and institutions reflects the deeper transformation of American and European societies: the emergence of a ruling technocracy; the use of the pandemic and the environmental crisis to constrain individual...

  The Taliban's surge to power in Afghanistan is one of those events that will have repercussions for years to come. Listen as Jamila Afghani talks about escaping the Taliban, and what she expects for her country. Jamila Afghani, president of Women’s...

  Why hasn't liberal democracy developed deeper roots in Latin America? Why are institutions under pressure in so many places? Why do many Latins seemingly embrace “strong man” rather than democratic solutions to their social, economic, and political problems?...

Can Bolsonaro bully his way into reelection? Will the country’s democratic institutions be so badly damaged by him that Brazil’s future stability could be at risk? Most importantly, what do the Brazilian people actually want? Ambassador Sergio Silva do Amaral was born...

here do they go and who will take them? What rights do migrants seeking safety have? Who worries about them in a world that is focused on coping with Covid? Becca Heller is the co-founder and Executive Director of the International Refugee Assistance Project. IRAP...

By any measure, Latin American democracy is in trouble. Will things get worse before they get better? Patricio Navia, Eduardo Amadeo, Sergio Guzmán, all think (and certainly hope) that democracy will survive in their countries and in their region. Eduardo Amadeo has...

  How is Africa doing? Can Africa produce the food, energy, economic activity, education, and social and political stability that all those people, especially all those young people, need and deserve? And is democracy the best means to that end? Michela Wrong has...

Youth is the hope of our future. When it comes to governance, is that a good thing in a world where there is a growing body of evidence that youth's satisfaction with democracy is declining in many countries? Listen as Cristóbal Marín Rojas and Julien Richard discuss...

Dr. Maliha Khan, one of the leaders of the Malala Fund, talks about how the pandemic has made the goal "all girls, everywhere should have free, safe, quality education", even more difficult to achieve. The global pandemic affects almost everyone on the planet—but it...

"All children of all ages and in all countries are being effected in particular by the socioeconomic impacts and in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. This is a universal crisis. And for some children, the impact will be...

Even as the pandemic, like some giant glacier, slowly and unevenly recedes, the world seems frozen in place as it deals with the mess left behind. But is this crisis or opportunity? This week’s guests are dedicated to the latter proposition. They both are trying to...

Europe is increasingly divided: between the frugal North and the Club Med South; between the illiberal East and the progressive West. In many ways, the latter is more profound at a time when democracy is under pressure almost everywhere. Listen as our guests discuss...

Venezuela has been in a death spiral for years. The country have been devastated by political repression and economic depression; its people suffer from hunger, malnutrition, shortages of food, medicine and, perhaps worst of all, opportunity. David Smolansky is the...

There is mounting evidence that the pandemic is generating a global mental health crisis. How do we cope with the results? Dr. Jonathan DePierro and Michael Niconchuk try to answer questions about our mental health in this episode. Jonathan DePierro, PhD is an...

Congressman Gephardt, a Democrat, firmly believes America needs bipartisanship to cope with the divisive spirits that are tearing at the country. Listen as he talks about some of the things that urgently need to be done, not just in the United States, but everywhere...

Pascal Lamy is arguably one of the most prominent, thoughtful and enthusiastic supporters of a global leadership role for Europe. Pascal Lamy served two terms as Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from September 2005 to September 2013. Mr. Lamy...

2020 will probably be remembered as the year of COVID. Our guest has long worked at the intersection of science, politics, and policy. Dr. Ali Nouri, a molecular biologist, is the President of the Federation of American Scientists Dr. Ali Nouri, a molecular biologist,...

The U.S. election has come, but not quite gone as President Trump continues to resist the otherwise apparent victory of Joe Biden. Notwithstanding that drama, what did the voting tell us about America, Americans, and democracy? Scott Miller is a leading strategic and...

  The United Nations turned 75 this year—but the pandemic overwhelmed its birthday party. The UN, built in a different world, has succeeded in its core mission: preventing World War III.  But is the UN, as it is now constructed, relevant to the problems of the...

Like a great magician, the pandemic has drawn our attention away from things that are hiding in plain sight. One of those has been the plight of millions of refugees and migrants who are in refugee camps or trying to escape from war, violence, poverty or other...

In this episode we're going to explore why democracy and good governance are so rare in East Africa and what leaders like Peter Biar Ajak can do to change that reality. Peter Biar Ajak is the Chairman of the South Sudan Young Leaders Forum, Senior Advisor to the...

Ana Palacio, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Magnus Schöldtz, former Ambassador at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, talk about Europes challenges in this week's podcast. Ana Palacio is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain and...

Cardinal Czerny argues that any approach to Covid-19 that does not include those most vulnerable among us is a non-solution. Who then seems to have overlooked these people? Card. Michael Czerny S.J. was born on 18 July 1946, in Brno, Czechoslovakia (today the Czech...

How can Africa cope? Are solutions—or, at least, possibilities—to be found at the local, national or regional level? Listen to Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, and Carole Wainaina, a leader of Africa50. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was sworn in...

Why do nations, rich and poor, tolerate widespread slavery, human trafficking and even the buying and selling of young children in the 21st century? This episode explores the darkness of slavery—which consumes even very young children—with India’s Sunitha Krishnan....

Why has America stopped investing in itself? We speak with Christine Loh who is a Hong Kong-based academic, environmentalist, and former government official with deep ties to the United States Professor Christine Loh is Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the...

What kind of institutional change does the United States need and can that change be achieved without revolution? Castañeda talks about some of the ideas from his latest book, “America Through Foreign Eyes” and explains why he thinks the United States is heading in...

American Carnage or American Dream? It matters to everyone everywhere whether or not the United States is in terminal decline or (painfully) resetting the basis of its democracy and its society. If the former, the global order will change in incalculable ways, for...

Like everywhere else, Morocco must cope with the potentially overwhelming health, economic and political consequences of the pandemic.  But unlike most places, the country has a well-designed, focused strategy to mitigate the worst of what is happening and, possibly,...

The global Covid-19 pandemic has exposed deep fissures in the global political and economic fabric. For democracy to survive, the social contract needs to be reimagined; economies needs to be re-engineered and climate change – that is now accelerating at a pace that...

In this week’s podcast episode, Scott Miller and Josh Steiner explore the potential impact of the pandemic on longer term trends shaping the United States. What is the state of the Union? Has the American dream become American carnage? Covid-19 has laid bare many...

Democracy is under huge pressure everywhere, made worse by the global pandemic. Too many governments in too many places are failing to deliver on the basic social contract with their citizens. In this podcast, celebrated photographer and human rights activist Shahidul...

Democracy and democratic institutions were under severe pressure well before the novel Coronavirus appeared. Could the added burden of the pandemic break the back of democracy as we have known it? How worried should we be by governments proclaiming wartime powers and...

In our second episode of the Tällberg Foundation Podcast, we listen in on a panel conversation addressing these questions. Panelists: Kenneth Lusaka (The Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Senate, Parliament of the Republic of Kenya), David Sperling (Research Professor and...