In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we highlight the Wilson Center’s Sudans Working Group with Oge Onubogu, Director of the Wilson Center’s Africa Program and co-chairs Ambassador Nureldin Satti and Ambassador Donald E. Booth. Established in 2009, the Sudans Working Group (SWG) “engages US, African, and international policymakers and stakeholders in inclusive and forward-leaning policy dialogue aimed at advancing the prospects for peace, security, and development between and within Sudan and South Sudan. The SWG serves as a space for key stakeholders to share analyses and perspectives and provide policy options for addressing critical issues related to the two countries.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we are joined by Rebecca Pincus, Director of the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute. She highlights the recently announced Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE-PACT) by the US, Canada, and Finland. The collaboration is intended to “strengthen shipbuilding and maritime industrial capacity through closer cooperation on polar icebreakers and counter Russia and China in the Arctic and Antarctic.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we are joined by William Drozdiak, Global Fellow with the Wilson Center’s Global Europe Program and author of “The Last President of Europe: Emmanuel Macron's Race to Revive France and Save the World.” He discusses the recent legislative election in France in which, contrary to pre-election projections, left wing alliance New Popular Front candidates won a plurality of seats after the second round. Drozdiak discusses what’s next in President Macron’s efforts to form a coalition government and what the fractured election results could mean for the second largest economy in Europe going forward.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we are joined by Michael Collins, Executive Director, The Americas at the Institute for Economics & Peace. He highlights the 18th edition of the annual Global Peace Index (GPI), produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP).  The index is the world’s leading measure of peacefulness, and “reveals that the world is at a crossroads and without concerted effort, there is a risk of a surge in major conflicts.”

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW,  we are joined by Arnaud Kurze, Wilson Center Global Fellow and Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Montclair State University, Liana Almony, Deputy Director at UNANIMA International, and Franz Baumann, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations. They highlight the concept of climate justice, the idea of putting equity and human rights at the core of decision-making and action on climate change. They discuss ideas for bringing marginalized communities, including women and populations in the Global South, into the multilateral decision-making processes when seeking solutions to climate change.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we are joined by Sung-Yoon Lee, Fellow with the Wilson Center’s Indo-Pacific Program, Former Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies and Assistant Professor, the Fletcher School, Tufts University. He discusses his project at the Wilson Center, “The Pyongyang Playbook:  North Korea’s Provocations, Peace Ploys, Propaganda, and Unification Policy.” Lee explains that while many in the West often mock North Korea and the Kim regime, we need to take the self-isolated, totalitarian state much more seriously.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we speak with Nader Nadery, Senior Fellow with the Wilson Center’s Indo-Pacific Program.  He discusses the new report, “Human Rights Under Siege Salvaging the International Rights Regime in a Turbulent World Order.” The report examines how, 75 years after the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “the past two decades have witnessed a dramatic shift in the geopolitical landscape, characterized by the erosion of multilateralism, the rise of nationalism, the resurgence of authoritarian regimes, and the discernable retreat of US leadership in global human rights advocacy.” The report outlines a concise set of recommendations to bolster international accountability for rights violations, reviving US leadership in human rights advocacy, enhancing multilateral collaboration, and boosting the effectiveness of global institutions such as the UN.

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we focus on the latest edition of the Wilson Quarterly, Understanding Russia, with the help of editor Stephanie Bowen and contributor Izabella Tobarovsky.   Tobarovsky’s article, Antisemitic Propaganda and Disinformation in Putin’s War Against Democracies, examines how “Russia’s long history of exploiting antisemitism for political purposes is benefiting its larger strategy to destabilize democratic societies and the West.”  

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we speak with Robert Daly, Director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute. He highlights Secretary Blinken’s recent trip to China and examines whether a new Cold War has developed between the two nations.  Daly also discusses how the Biden administration’s goal of “managed competition” with Beijing is playing out with continued tensions over the South China Sea, Ukraine conflict, and China’s attempts to leverage the ongoing Israel-Hamas War for improved relations with the global south. 

In this edition of Wilson Center NOW, we highlight the Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI) Working Group Report, “US Leadership Matters in Addressing Forced Displacement Crisis,” with co-authors, John Thon Majok, James Hollifield, and Susan F Martin.  The report “seeks to provide guidance and actionable recommendations for the US government and other actors on ways to protect, assist, and find sustainable solutions for refugees and other displaced people.” The report identifies six major policy and programming issues that require effective US leadership, consistent global response, and multilateral collaboration.