The CSIS Podcast

Africas largest country, Sudan, is on the verge of breaking apart. The southern third of the country voted to secede back in January; that decision is given meaning on Jul 9th when the world newest nation – the Republic of South Sudan – is born. But beneath all the celebrations, there is a lot of anxiety about how this new nation will fare. Richard Downie, deputy director of our Africa Program, explores the challenges for the new country and its relationship with the North.

Interview with Ambassador Eric Goosby on the UN High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS. In this inteview, Ambassador Goosby lays out some of the notable accomplishments of the recent UN High Level Meeting and what the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) sees as the priorities going forward. Ambassador Goosby also reflects on the complexities of navigating the current HIV/AIDS environment and what ultimately inspires him in this field of work.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) urged Senate action on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea at a two-day conference on maritime security in the South China Sea hosted by Ernie Bower, director of the CSIS Southeast Asia Program. During his keynote address, Sen. McCain called Chinas aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea troubling. He warned, however, that the United States should continue working toward better relations with China.

Dan Runde, codirector of the U.S. Leadership in Development Project, spoke with Jennifer Cooke, director of the CSIS Africa Program, about changes in development assistance to Africa in the past 25 years.

On May 5, 2011, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a workshop attended by approximately forty experts in various disciplines and subject areas. Each was involved in work that in some way touched upon the understanding or utilization of social networks. This podcast is a summary of the findings from this conference.

Dan Runde, Director of the Project on U.S. Leadership in Development, speaks with Rob Mosbacher, Chairman of Masbacher Energy Company, about what the United States needs to do to catalyze private investment in developing countries and how the U.S. Government has utilized the private sector to help countries get back up on their feet and succeed.

Henriette Fore speaks with Dan Runde about the most effective development investments are and what recent changes and trends in development that she is most optimistic about.

Richard Downie, deputy director of the CSIS Africa Program, interviewed Reverend Daniel Mulunda-Nyanga, chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Democratic Republic of Congo about the DRC elections to be held in November, 2011.

Johanna Forman, Senior Associate with the CSIS Americas program, interviewed Julie T. Katzman, Executive Vice President, Inter-American Development Bank, about the IDBs efforts to invigorate small and medium enterprises in Haiti.

Dr. Olli Heinonen, a senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard, and former Deputy Director General at the IAEA, spoke with Max Entman, multimedia manager at CSIS, about nuclear safety after the Fukushima incident.

The CSIS Southeast Asia and Energy and National Security Programs were honored to host an event launching a new study that will address the complex set of questions that policy makers in Southeast Asia are facing as they chart the course for the future of energy use in their countries.

Andrew Kuchins, director of the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program, discusses his new report The North Caucasus: Russias Volatile Frontier, with Travis Mills, program coordinator.

Jeff Jonas, chief scientist of the IBM Entity Analytics group, spoke with Rick Ozzie Nelson, director of the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program, about the importance of information sharing in both the public and private sectors.

Richard Downie, deputy director of the Africa Program, interviewed Sebastian Elischer,of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, about the recent election and democratic transition in Niger.

Dan Runde speaks with Neville Isdell, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company on connected capitalism.