The CSIS Podcast

In this Careers in Development session, Margaret Zeigler discusses her extensive experience working to address global hunger, focusing on steps that the U.S. government and private sector can take to increase the long-term effectiveness of food security programs. She also offers specific tips for young professionals who are interested in working in foreign assistance and food security.

David Mathieson, senior researcher on Burma for Human Rights Watch, discusses the ongoing peace negotiations in Myanmar, the Rohingya conflict, prospects for constitutional reform, and the interplay between these issues and the upcoming 2015 elections. .

Mr. Andrew White, managing director of the United States Chamber of Commerce in Jakarta, discusses the effect of the Indonesian raw-export ban, what the February 11 trade bill means for investors, Jakarta's general trend towards resource nationalism, and the challenge in getting Indonesia to move forward with the TPP. .

CSIS counselor and trustee Zbigniew Brzezinski published an important commentary in the February 23 edition of the Financial Times entitled " Russia needs a 'Finland option' for Ukraine." Dr. Brzezinski voiced his piece here.

H.E. Dato' Sri Dr. Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysian Special Envoy to the United States, discusses the importance of U.S. president Barack Obama's visit to Malaysia, what the country hopes to achieve as a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, its priorities as ASEAN chair in 2015, and the status of its economic and political reforms.

In this Careers in Development session, Karma Lively will discuss her experience working with the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) at USAID. OTI is a unique office within USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs (DCHA). OTI supports U.S. foreign policy objectives by helping local partners advance peace and democracy in countries experiencing crisis. Seizing critical windows of opportunity, OTI works on the ground to provide fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeting key political transition and stabilization needs in order to create and foster the political space that leads to longer term development. Ms. Lively will speak on her experiences with OTI in the field and in Washington and share her advice for breaking into and succeeding in a large bureaucracy such as USAID. She will also offer specific tips for young professionals who are interested in working with OTI.

Now that the homeland security appropriations bill has been passed, Stewart Verdery, founding partner at the Monument Policy Group, discusses the impact on various aspects of DHS and the outlook for this year's budget process in Congress.

In this Careers in Development session Thomas H. Staal discussed his career working with USAID, focusing on his experience working to improve health and food security outcomes in Ethiopia. As USAID's mission director in Ethiopia, Staal oversaw a budget totaling $800 million annually to help Ethiopians strengthen their democratic institutions, promote economic growth, and improve education and health services. He spoke on lessons learned throughout this assignment and also offered advice for young people entering the field of international development today. Staal began work with USAID in 1988 as an emergency program officer in Sudan. In the early 1990s, he worked in USAID's regional office in Kenya, managing food aid and doing project development throughout eastern and southern Africa. In 2009, he returned to East Africa as mission director for Ethiopia. He has also served as Director of the Office of Iraq reconstruction and Mission Director for Iraq. Prior to joining USAID, Staal worked for World Vision International as their representative in Sudan and in the government relations department for ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia. He holds a Master's Degree in Comparative Politics (Middle East focus) from Columbia University, and a M.S. in National Strategic Security Studies from the National Defense University. Thomas H. Staal, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, Office of the Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development

In this October 2, 2013 interview, Mr. Simon Put, defense advisor to the New Flemish Alliance of the Belgian Federal Parliament, discusses how many Belgians—and Europeans in general—have taken the U.S. presence in Europe for granted. Now, he suggests, European policymakers must consider how to mitigate the effects of the U.S. force restructuring amidst while facing their own fiscal challenges.

In this October 2, 2013 interview, Mr. Simon Put, defense advisor to the New Flemish Alliance of the Belgian Federal Parliament, discusses the difficulty of predicting Belgium's future role in NATO.

In this October 2, 2013 interview, Mr. Simon Put, defense advisor to the New Flemish Alliance of the Belgian Federal Parliament, discusses the U.S. capabilities that are important to Belgian forces. Specifically, Mr. Put refers to the 2011 operations in Libya as an example of the kind of support Belgians—and others—require from the U.S.

In this October 2, 2013 interview, Mr. Simon Put, defense advisor to the New Flemish Alliance of the Belgian Federal Parliament, discusses the impact of budgets on military strategy, both in general and specifically in Belgium.

In this October 2, 2013 interview, Mr. Simon Put, defense advisor to the New Flemish Alliance of the Belgian Federal Parliament, suggests that because Belgian ground forces use different weapons platforms from the U.S., the most interesting and valuable joint training opportunities for Belgium are those which are man-power intensive, such as basic infantry and special forces.

Interview with Stewart Verdery on the State of Homeland Security Appropriations

COL Tom Goss, Army Cyber Command, on the role of cyber in Strategic Landpower