International Episodes
Aug. 1, 2022
Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan: Will she or Won't she ?
Will Speaker Pelosi be the most senior elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years ? And how will Beijing respond ?
May 13, 2022
Roe v Wade Overturn : In Canada abortion is a medical procedure, not a right. In conversation with Sean Fine, Justice writer for the Globe and Mail, Canada's largest daily newspaper.
Abortion in Canada was decriminalized in 1988, 15 years after the American Roe v Wade decision. While the Roe decision treated abortion as a woman's right, Canada treats it as a medical procedure to be discussed and agreed …
March 28, 2022
Origins of Russia's shifting political regime. In conversation with Professor Tomila Lankina of the London School of Economics.
The Estate Origins of Democracy in Russia: From Imperial bourgeoisie to Post Communist Middle Class.
March 21, 2022
The Ukrainian War Week Four - Russia's strategic mistakes and What role for NATO ? In conversation with retired British General Sir Chris Deverell.
Retired British General Sir Chris Deverell shares his insights on the Ukraine Russia War. A pivotal moment in 21st Century history.
March 9, 2022
Why the Russian Army is bogged down in Ukraine. In conversation with military analyst, Colonel Brendan Kearney, USMC, (Retired)
The Russian Army was under resourced when it launched the invasion of Ukraine.
March 4, 2022
Live Update from Lviv, Ukraine. Talking with Oleg Tolmachev, Head of Production, Naftagas, Ukraine's national Natural Gas Corporation.
Speaking to us from his office in Lviv, in Western Ukraine, Oleg gives us a sense of the nation's drive to maintain infrastructure and energy supplies to this Texas size, nation of 44 million, in the middle of Winter. Gas pr…
March 3, 2022
Live Interview from Karkhiv, Ukraine. A brave young woman on the frontlines speaks out.
Karkhiv is the second largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1.5 million in the North East of the country, 440 kilometers from Kyiv, the capital. Julia recounts what it's like to live day to day in the war zone that he…
Jan. 27, 2022
Tonga: the Volcano Eruption and Tsunami: Talking with Sia Akauola
Huge volcanic eruption triggered a tsunami that reached California 5000 mikes away. A moving account.
Dec. 17, 2021
Chile on the Brink: the Presidential Runoff Election. Talking to John Bartlett, The Guardian foreign correspondent in Santiago, Chile.
Chile faces a hotly contested and polarized runoff election Sunday, December 19, pitting the extreme right and left against each other. The country has not faced such a stark choice since the 1970 election of Marxist Salvado…
May 27, 2021
The Israel Hamas Conflict. A conversation with Professor Ron Hassner, UC Berkeley.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has entered an uneasy stand off with an Egyptian brokered cease fire. The US, EU and other countries have pledged billions in aid to re-build, but will the underlying tensions change ? P…
May 7, 2021
How will Putin test Biden ? A conversation with Professor Andrei Tsygankov, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, San Francisco State University.
There is a history of Russian leaders sizing up new American Presidents, starting with Krushchev and JFK, Gorbachev and Reagan and now Putin and Biden. But are they off on the wrong foot ? Biden sees Putin as a killer. Can t…
March 2, 2021
Brexit: The Establishment Civil War. A Conversation with author Josh Hamilton.
The 2016 vote by 52% of the UK electorate to leave the European Union came at the end of a contentious campaign where Social Media dominated. Targeted micro marketing crafted by firms like Cambridge Analytica foreshadowed ev…
Feb. 25, 2021
Is the Iran Nuclear Deal back on ? A conversation with Bill Boerum
The Biden Administration is seeking to revive negotiations with Iran on the 2015 Obama Administration deal. The Trump Administration abrogated the agreement in 2018. And since then Iran's foes in the Persian Gulf - Dubai, Ba…
Jan. 10, 2021
San Francisco and Bangalore: Is India the new China ?
Air India initiated a new nonstop flight from San Francisco to Bangalore - 17 hours nonstop - over the North Pole. The crew was all female, Captain, First Officer, Navigator. The new flight will link San Francisco's Silicon …
April 16, 2020
California versus France: a tale of two re-openings.
As California and France appear to have passed the peak of C-19 infection rates, when and how will society get back to normal, the economy start running again and shelter in place be lifted. --- This episode is sponsored by …