Category Archives: Scholars’ Circle Interviews

Information and recordings from Schloars’ Circle radio show is posted here.

Scholars’ Circle – Military Coup snatches away young democracy from people of Myanmar-Burma – February 7, 2021

February 7, 2021 host

The Burmese military has again overthrown the democratic government in Myanmar. What is the future of the government and how should democracy advocates respond? We discuss how international actors committed to democracy in Myanmar should use their influence to counter the military coup. Also, Burma has been a nation of trauma. We look at how the coup continues this pattern. Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Seinenu M. Thein-Lemelson is Visiting Scholar in the Anthropology Department at UCLA and a senior research scientist for the Foundation for Psychocultural Research (FPR). She is the author of forthcoming book chapter Healing Our Sacrifice: Trauma and Translation in the Burmese Democracy Movement and her forthcoming book is entitled, Naingkyin: Body of Sacrifice, Spirit of Resilience.
Kosal Path is Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Master’s Program in International Affairs and Global Justice at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. He is the author of the book Vietnam’s Strategic Thinking During the Third Indochina War.
Jonathan Lijeblad is Senior Lecturer at Australian National University. He’s the author of the forthcoming book chapter The Prospects for Amending Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution in its Transition to Democracy and Democracy, Rule of Law, & Legal Ethics Education: Directing Lawyers to Support Democratization in Myanmar.

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Scholars’ Circle – Insight into the Abraham Accord between Israel and some Arab States – January 31, 2021

January 30, 2021 host

Several Arab states have signed normalization agreements with Israel. What do these “Abraham Accords” mean for security in the region and for the future of Palestinian people? What are the solutions to the Palestinian conflict? What are the alternatives to a two state solution and should the focus for Palestinians be on their civil rights? Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Laurie A. Brand is the Robert Grandford Wright Professor of International Relations and Middle East Studies at the University of Southern California. She is the author of Citizens Abroad: States and Migration in the Middle East and North Africa and Official Stories: Politics and National Narratives in Egypt and Algeria.
Mira Sucharov is Professor of Political Science and University Chair of Teaching Innovation at Carlton University. She is the author of Borders and Belonging: A Memoir and the co-editor (with Aaron J. Hahn Tapper) of Social Justice and Israel/Palestine: Foundational & Contemporary Debates.
Hamoud Salhi is a Professor of Political Science and Middle East, and Associate Dean of the College of Social and Natural Sciences at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is a political commentator for Arabic media. Hamoud is a host of SWANA Region Radio on KPFK, Los Angeles.

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Scholars’ Circle – US Rejoining the Paris Climate Accords and Vaccination as human right – January 24, 2021

January 23, 2021 host

The US has rejoined the Paris Climate Accords. What next steps should the US and the world take to mitigate the damage from the climate crisis? [ dur: 31mins. ]

Pamela Chasek is a Professor of Political Science at Manhattan College. Among many publications she is the co-author of Global Environmental Politics.
Shannon Gibson is Associate Professor of Political Science, International Relations, and Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California. She is the author of the forthcoming book Politics of Global Environment.
Larry Schweiger is a former president and CEO of National Wildlife Federation. He is the author of Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth.

Vaccine distribution for the Covid virus has begun. What human rights issues are raised with the process of distributing the vaccine? How much do wealth and privilege determine who gets vaccinated? We take a global approach to vaccine nationalism and equitable distribution of the vaccine. [ dur: 26mins. ]

Heather Wipfli is an Associate Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine and International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). She is the author of Investigating global mental health: Contributions from political science and Network influences on policy implementation: Evidence from a global health treaty.
Joanne Lin is National Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at Amnesty International, USA.

Amnesty’s report on this topic is Fair Shot: Ensuring Universal Access to Covid-19 Diagnostics, Treatments and Vaccines.
Amnesty’s report on Vaccine for Palestinians
Amnesty’s report on Human Rights Approach to Eradicating Covid-19.

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Scholars’ Circle – Prisoners Human Rights in times of COVID-19 pandemic and Insights into race to develop autonomous vehicles- January 17, 2021

January 16, 2021 host

Covid-19 has worsened prison conditions worldwide. This week we explore the human rights implications of the pandemic on prisons. [ dur: 32mins. ]

Steve Swerdlow is Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights in the Department of Political and International Relations at the University of Southern California. He was Senior Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. He has co-authored reports on violations of freedom of expression and the crackdown of media freedom in Azerbaijan and has conducted human rights field research in the region. His recent article for CABAR.asia is Rehabilitation Here and Now: Pursuing Transitional Justice in Uzbekistan
John Raphling is Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch. He is the author of the report Averting an imminent catastrophe: Recommendations to US Local, State, Federal Officials to Covid-19 in jails and prisons.

China is winning the race for autonomous cars, despite inherent advantages for the United States. We explore this race and why China is winning. [ dur: 26mins. ]

Phillip Wilcox received his M.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California. His expertise is in analyzing the economic, political, and security dynamics between U.S. and China. He is the author of The Future is Autonomus : The US and China Race to Develop the Driverless Car.

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Scholars’ Circle – The future of American Democracy and What is Trump’s legacy? – January 10, 2021

January 9, 2021 host

The mob seizure of the US Capitol this week has raised several concerns about the future of American democracy? Was this a coup attempt? Is this beginning an era of undemocratic actions against peaceful transitions following elections? And is the Trump Presidency an anomaly to American democracy? [ dur: 27mins. ]

Anne Meng is Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. She is the author of Constraining Dictatorship: From Personalized Rule to Institutionalized Regimes.
Naunihal Singh is Associate Professor at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the author of Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups and this analysis article on Washington Post: Monkey Cage Section.

The authoritarianism of the Trump Administration has lasting implications for the Presidency. We discuss this authoritarianism and his impact on the Republican Party. [ dur: 31 mins. ]

Andrew Rudalevige is Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government at Bowdoin College. He is co-author of Managing the President’s Program: Presidential Leadership and Legislative Policy Formulation and the author of The New Imperial Presidency.
George C. Edwards III is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies at Texas A&M University. His books include On Deaf Ears: The Limits of the Bully Pulpit , The Strategic President: Persuasion and Opportunity in Presidential Leadership and Predicting the Presidency: The Potential of Persuasive Leadership. He is the editor of Presidential Studies Quarterly.

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Scholars’ Circle – Privacy affects security, society and democracy – January 3, 2021

January 2, 2021 host

Is the age of privacy over? We spend the hour on technology, spying and privacy, exploring how privacy, and the lack of it, affects security, democracy and society. What exactly is at stake when we lose our privacy? [ dur: 58 mins. ]

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

Helen Nissenbaum is Professor of Information Science at Cornell Tech. She is the author of Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life, and co-author of Obfuscation: A User’s Guide for Privacy and Protest and Values at Play in Digital Games.
Michael Patrick Lynch is Professor of Philosophy & Director of the Humanities Institute at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of The Internet of Us: Knowing More and Understanding Less in the Age of Big Data, True to LIfe: Why Truth Matters and In Praise of Reason.
Bruce Schneier is Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School. He is the author of 14 books including the New York Times best-seller Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World, Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World, and The Electronic Privacy Papers: Documents on the Battle for Privacy in the Age of Surveillance. His blog is “Schneier on Security.”
Joshua A.T. Fairfield is William Donald Bain Family Professor of Law at Washington and Lee School of Law. He is the author of Owned: Property, Privacy and the New Digital Serfdom, Privacy as a Public Good , and Smart Contracts, Bitcoin Bots, and Consumer Protection.

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Scholars’ Circle – Adaptation by Agriculture and Food system for the 21st century – December 27 , 2020

December 26, 2020 host

We spend the hour on good food politics, the food revolution, and the movements to build equitable and sustainable food systems. First, we’re joined by Will Allen author of Good Food Revolution. Hosted by Maria Armoudian [ dur: 25 mins. ]

Will Allen is the author of Good Food Revolution and the founder of the non-profit Growing Power.

Then, our guests have studied the food system and what it means to have an equitable and sustainable system. What are the problems in the system and what are the solutions? [ dur: 33 mins. ]

Saru Jayaraman is Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley . She is the co-founder and co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United) which has more than 18,000 worker members, 200 employer partners, and several thousand consumer members in a dozen states nationwide. She is the author of Behind the Kitchen Door and her latest Forked: A New Standard for American Dining.
Raj Patel is a Research Professor in the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin. He is the author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy – a New York Times and international best-seller – and his latest, co-written with Jason W. Moore, A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things. He co-hosts the fortnightly food politics podcast The Secret Ingredient .

Raj Patel and Saru Jayaraman are contributors to The Nation magazine’s special issue, “The Future of Food: Setting the table for the next generation“.

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Scholars’ Circle – Western Sahara conflict towards peaceful resolution – December 20, 2020

December 19, 2020 host

Last month a nearly three decade cease fire in Western Sahara broke and the war raged once again. The United Nations is taking up the Western Sahara issue despite opposition from powerful countries. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration proposed a change the long standing US position on Western Sahara. What does this mean for the conflict? What is the likelihood of peaceful resolution? [ dur: 58mins. ]

R. Joey Huddleston is Assistant Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. He is the author of the articles The Roots of the Catalan Independence Crisis: And What Madrid’s Next Steps Should Be and Can John Bolton Thaw Western Sahara’s Long-Frozen Conflict?
Randi Irwin is a casual lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at The University of Newcastle. She is the author of the article Contested language in the making and unmaking of Western Sahara’s extractive economy.
Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of numerous publications including Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism, Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution co-authored with Jacob Mundy. His most recent article in Foreign Policy is The East Timor Model Offers a Way out for Western Sahara and Morocco.
Jacob Mundy is Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at Colgate University, New York. He is the co-author with Stephen Zunes of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution, author of article Performing the nation, pre-figuring the state: the Western Saharan refugees, thirty years later and the author of the forthcoming book chapter, A Theory of the Middle East: Oil for Insecurity, Permanent War, and the Political-Economy of Late Imperial America.

For news from Saharawi people you can visit http://www.saharawivoice.com , on facebook https://www.facebook.com/saharawivoice/, on twitter: https://twitter.com/saharawivoice?lang=en

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Scholars’ Circle – US and international response to Covid-19 vaccine & Decolonizing the language of arms control – December 13, 2020

December 12, 2020 host

Promise in a new Covid-19 vaccine is tempered by the huge spike in cases in the United States. What lessons will nations learn from the virus response and when can we expect to control the pandemic? [ dur: 27mins. ]

Mark Peterson is Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Legislating Together: The White House and Capital Hill from Eisenhower to Reagan and the editor of Healthy Markets? The New Competition in Medical Care and co-editor of the volume Institutions of American Democracy: The Executive Branch.
Heather Wipfli is an Associate Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine and International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). She is the author of Investigating global mental health: Contributions from political science and Network influences on policy implementation: Evidence from a global health treaty.

Arms control discourses are centered around western notions of modernity and civilization. What does it mean to decolonize the language around arms control? [ dur: 30mins. ]

Ritu Mathur is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is the author of Civilizational Discourses in Weapons Control.

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Scholars’ Circle – Will the Biden Administration Re-Join the Iran Nuclear Deal? – December 5, 2020

December 5, 2020 host

President Elected Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to return to normalcy. He has promised to return to the Iran Nuclear Deal. But what complications does he face to fulfill this promise? [ dur: 58mins. ]

Ervand Abrahamian is Distinguished Professor at Baruch College at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria.
Nader Hashemi is Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Associate Professor in Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, Colorado. He is the author of Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies and the co-editor of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and Iran’s Struggle for Democracy.
Wayne Glass is Professor Emeritus in the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is the former Senior Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingaman on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He has worked extensively with nuclear weapons policies.
Joseph Cirincione is the Director for Non-Proliferation at the Carnegie Institute and the past president of the Ploughsharers Fund. He is the co-author of Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats and co-author of Repairing the Regime: Preventing the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

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Category Archives: Scholars’ Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Military Coup snatches away young democracy from people of Myanmar-Burma – February 7, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Insight into the Abraham Accord between Israel and some Arab States – January 31, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – US Rejoining the Paris Climate Accords and Vaccination as human right – January 24, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Prisoners Human Rights in times of COVID-19 pandemic and Insights into race to develop autonomous vehicles- January 17, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – The future of American Democracy and What is Trump’s legacy? – January 10, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Privacy affects security, society and democracy – January 3, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Adaptation by Agriculture and Food system for the 21st century – December 27 , 2020

Scholars’ Circle – Western Sahara conflict towards peaceful resolution – December 20, 2020

Scholars’ Circle – US and international response to Covid-19 vaccine & Decolonizing the language of arms control – December 13, 2020

Scholars’ Circle – Will the Biden Administration Re-Join the Iran Nuclear Deal? – December 5, 2020

By Maria Armoudian