For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. last year imported more from Mexico by value than from China. Why is that? In this Foreign Press Podcast, Keith Rockwell analyzes how much global trade patterns have shifted. In a conversation with journalist Patricia Vasconcellos, Board Member of the Club of Foreign Correspondents in the U.S. and White House Correspondent for SBT, Rockwell discusses the effects of war on global trade, US trade policy, and highlights the main issues in the upcoming WTO Ministerial meeting.   Rockwell is former director for the World Trade Organization (WTO) where he spent more than 25 years. He is now a Senior Research Fellow at the Hinrich Foundation. Rockwell is also a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center. In his former role as Director of the WTO’s Media and External Relations Division, Keith worked closely with the Director General and his office to reflect the objectives and activities of the WTO. He received his Masters in Business Administration from George Washington University and his Bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science from Tufts University. He is the author of “1992 and Beyond: How to Prosper in the World’s Biggest Market”.   This episode is developed in partnership with the Hinrich Foundation. The AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this episode.

In this educational program held in Washington DC, journalist Patricia Vasconcellos, a Board Member of the Club of Foreign Correspondents in the United States and White House Correspondent for SBT, Brazilian TV network, interviewed Mykola Kuleba, founder of 'Save Ukraine' NGO established in 2014 to give support to children and families affected by the war with Russia. Since the invasion of Ukraine started, in February 2021, 250 youths that were kidnapped by Russian forces had been rescued by the Ukrainian NGO. In Washington DC, AFPC-USA also moderated a talk with five ukranian youths recently rescued: Rostislav Lavrov, Lisa Batsura, Denys Berezhny, Ksenia Koldin and Diana Aripova.

The challenges impacting the World Trade Organization's decision-making are front and center as the organization prepares for its 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), whose success the East Asia Forum described as "critical to the liberal trading order." But why can't the organization find a path to consensus and how will the issues surrounding dispute settlement resolutions impact the multilateral trading system? Our special guest Dr. Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation, joined us for an insightful discussion on the hurdles WTO members face in reaching agreements while unraveling the significance of MC13 for the future of global trade.  This podcast is produced in partnership with the ⁠Hinrich Foundation⁠. The AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this podcast episode.

Author and Guardian Correspondent Chris McGreal gives a veteran journalist's view of the challenges foreign correspondents encounter in coving America. McGreal discusses the unique characteristics he found when he came to write about U.S. politics and policy in Washington, D.C., and how he strategized with his editors to find ways to go deeper into understanding the sentiments, outrage and grievance marking America’s political scene. International reporters facing similar challenges may learn valuable lessons on how he has overcome them. McGreal’s expeience coving Latin America, Africa and the Mideast helped prepare him for this assignment. After 15 years in the States, he has concerns about “the fragility of society” in America and Western Europe, but he also discusses “heroic countries” he has covered and what the world can learn from them. He even found some evidence of that in the U.S., where many individuals fight to do the right thing in various situaitons and for good causes. Observes McGreal: "America I do think has an ability to confront its past."

In this episode, the "Foreign Press Podcast" interviews Hugo Bachega, a Brazilian-born British journalist and currently a BBC Middle East Correspondent based in Beirut. Bachega spoke with journalist Patricia Vasconcellos, Board Member of the AFPC-USA and White House Correspondent for SBT, from Baghdad. Hugo Bachega talks about his successful professional journey and gives advice for professionals interested in expanding their horizons. He lived in the Middle East for the first time as a student, started his career as an intern for Reuters in São Paulo and has been based in Cairo, London, Washington DC, Kyiv and now in Beirut.  Bachega also commented on the actual situation in the Middle East with increased tensions in the past weeks.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, says the number of professionals arrested and held in prisons is near to a record high. Imprisonments of media crews covering the war in Israel and Gaza spiked. How to protect free expression and defend journalists at risk? In this episode, Patrícia Vasconcellos, Board Member of the Club of Foreign Correspondents in the USA and White House Correspondent for SBT talks with Bob Rowley, Vice President of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States and chair of the AFPC committee on press freedom and defending journalists. Rowley is an award winning American journalist with more than 30 years of experience as a writer, reporter, editor and correspondent. He is a contributing writer for Washington Monthly and writes commentary for the Chicago Tribune, among other outlets. Rowley is a former White House and Pentagon Correspondent and a former foreign correspondent covering Latin America, Canada and the Middle East for the Tribune. He also served as an editorial writer covering foreign affairs and defense issues, and as National Editor for the Tribune. With degrees granted by Harvard University and Northwestern University, Rowley now lectures in the Master of Science in Communication Program at Northwestern’s School of Communication and also teaches the global journalism class on Israel to undergraduates, as well as the politics seminar for graduate students, at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. He has covered wars, politics, elections, economics, human rights, religion and culture for stories in more than 50 countries. 

In almost two years of the war with Russia, land mines along with unexploded bombs and artillery shells have exposed millions of people in Ukraine who are in danger. Mitzi Perdue has seen and experienced this problem closely. An inspirational woman, war correspondent, author and writer holding degrees from Harvard and George Washington University, Mitzi spoke with "Foreign Press Podcast '' about her recent trips to Kiev and shared details on recent articles about Ukraine and Russia. In a conversation with journalist Patrícia Vasconcellos, Board Member of the Association and Club of Foreign Correspondents in the USA and US correspondent for SBT, Brazilian TV network, Mitzi Perdue also recalled the visit she made to a school when Kiev was under heavy bombing. She described an experience in a hotel in Warsaw that reveals the fragility of security for journalists covering the conflict and talked about future projects. The AFPC USA is solely responsible for the content of this program

The Semiconductor industry is projected by McKinsey to reach a trillion dollars by 2030. Figures from the Semiconductor Industry Association show that global industry sales amounted to 574 billion dollars in 2022. But the industry is increasingly at the mercy of the largest geopolitical contest in the world with the United States and China on opposing sides of the trade wars. Is the industry built for the kind of self-sufficiency both the U.S. and China appear to want for themselves? Senior Advisor and Managing Legal Counsel at Intel Corporation, Robb Gordon, joins Rob York, Director for Regional Affairs at the Pacific Forum and Akhil Ramesh, Director of Economic Statecraft Initiative at the Pacific Forum to discuss their research on de-risking semiconductor supply chains and the industry at large. This podcast is produced in partnership with Hinrich Foundation. The AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this podcast episode.

As climate change produces prolonged periods of drought, fresh water is gradually becoming a rare commodity in parts of the world. Since 2015, cities like Sao Paulo, Cape Town, and Montevideo have come close to running out of fresh water supply. This development could have a potentially negative effect on food and beverage production. Global food and beverage manufacturer, PepsiCo, has developed a suite of innovative solutions which include reusing process water on site. PepsiCo's Director of Global Water Stewardship David Grant talks to us about these innovations and how they benefit the communities in which they operate. The AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this podcast episode.

The record number of job cuts in the media industry so far this year has led to concerns about the fate of journalism at the local level. Local newsrooms provide important civic and educational services to their communities but many are struggling to stay in business. As a result, some local newspapers are either shutting down or being bought up by investors. With advertising revenue, a key lifeline for newspapers on the decline, what alternatives are available to local news media organizations struggling to stay above water? Vice President of Journalism at the Knight Foundation, Jim Brady shares some ideas and possible solutions with us. The AFPC-USA is solely responsible for the content of this podcast episode.