In this episode, Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly, senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, and Lemma Senbet, William E. Mayer chair professor of finance at the University of Maryland, explain why national debts in sub-Saharan Africa have risen in recent years, the challenges of sustainably financing economic development, and the role of multilateral development banks in solving Africa's massive infrastructure gap.  Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2UozLU9 This is the final episode of the Intersections podcast. Thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for all their support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, Brookings Vice President Darrell West and Senior Fellow Camille Busette discuss themes from West's new book, "Divided Politics, Divided Nation: Hyperconflict in the Trump era," including the economic, geographic, racial, and technological factors that have exacerbated U.S. political polarization to its current breaking point, and what's needed to build a healthier democracy. West and Busette also speculated how these pressures may affect the 2020 presidential race. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2YNXP67  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, Angela Stent and Keir Giles, authors of “Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest” and “Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia to Confront the West” examine the history of Russia's national identity and how the U.S. fundamentally misunderstands Russia's view of itself in conflict with the West. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2Jsi99B With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.  

The Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States recently released its recommendations, calling for a new strategy to prevent violent extremism from developing in fragile states. Brookings Senior Fellow George Ingram and President of the U.S. Institute of Peace Nancy Lindborg explain why the U.S. needs to change its priorities from defeating terrorists militarily and focus on addressing the economic, social, and political weaknesses in fragile states which lead to the rise of extremist groups. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2TgxOxk  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, David M. Rubenstein Fellows Andre Perry and Jenny Schuetz examine past policies and current attitudes that have devalued homes and business in majority-black neighborhoods and the opportunities to be gained by building on the assets in majority-black places. Full show notes: https://brook.gs/2IRBHnQ  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Quinn Lukas for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.

In this episode, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, founder of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership and distinguished fellow with the Center for Universal Education (CUE), and CUE Fellow Christina Kwauk discuss the current state of gender equality in leadership roles, the pipeline from quality education for girls to increased opportunities for women in leadership, and the expanding the evidence on what works to challenge gender stereotypes.  Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2EMcxDf  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and intern Tim Madden for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this episode, Todd Stern, senior fellow and former special envoy for climate change in the Obama administration, and David Victor, co-chair of the Cross-Brookings Initiative on Energy and Climate, discuss the key issues at stake at the COP 24 negotiations in Poland, the absence of U.S. federal leadership on climate, and the state of U.S.-China cooperation on climate and energy priorities. Show notes: https://brook.gs/2Euizt5  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In between spikes of violence, the people of the Gaza Strip live in a state of perpetual crisis—a man-made humanitarian disaster of severe urban crowding, staggering unemployment, and a dire scarcity of basic services, including electricity, water, and sewage treatment. In this episode, CNAS Middle East Security Program Director Ilan Goldenberg, Brookings Center for Middle East Peace Director Natan Sachs, and Brookings Visiting Fellow Hady Amr lay out the recommendations of high-level task force for changing U.S. policy toward Gaza to help bring an end to Gaza's continued state of crisis. Show notes: https://brook.gs/2FJowUo  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and interns Churon Bernier and Tim Madden for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Brookings Fellows Martha Ross and Elizabeth Mann Levesque discuss the important role that community colleges play in putting young adults on a pathway to higher-quality jobs and other strategies for improving economic outcomes for youth from lower-income and disadvantaged backgrounds. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2Dm3AQn  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews, Camilo Ramirez, and interns Churon Bernier and Tim Madden for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.  

In a conversation with Natan Sachs, fellow and director of the Center on Middle East Policy, Distinguished Fellow Salam Fayyad, former prime minister and finance minister of the Palestinian Authority, and Visiting Fellow Jeffrey Feltman, former U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and career foreign service officer throughout the Middle East and North Africa, reflect on their days working together in Israel and Palestine in the 1990s and early 2000s. In addition to looking back, Fayyad and Feltman examine the current political environments inside the US, Palestine, and Israel, and prospects for the future of peace. Full show notes available here: https://brook.gs/2AqiNOh  With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, Fred Dews and Camilo Ramirez for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.