Best Middlebury Institute Podcasts (2024)

1
U.S. Militias: Guarding Tradition or Courting Chaos 28:08

3M ago28:08

28:08

America’s modern militia movement emerged in the 1990s, following armed stand-offs with government authorities at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas. After rising to 370 groups nationwide by 1996, the number of these militias diminished to 68 by 1999—only to surge again when Barak Obama was elected president in 2008. After Donald Trump lost the 2020…

1
India Today: One Question, Three Perspectives 43:14

5M ago43:14

43:14

“What’s the one thing about India, that isn’t getting enough attention?” That’s the question we put to three India experts; and not surprisingly, we got three different responses. In August 2023, India celebrated its first successful moon landing. However, while this achievement made headlines around the world, other developments of equal or greate…

1
Race, Empire, and Policing in Paris 36:35

7M ago36:35

36:35

In June 2023, French police killed 17-year-old Nahal Merzouk during a traffic stop outside of Paris. The killing led to days of street protests, widespread condemnation of racialized police practices, and over 1,300 arrests. This was particularly significant in a country like France, where discussions about race are often avoided or rejected. To ga…

1
Live Bonus Episode 49:11

10M ago49:11

49:11

The United States Library of Congress selected Dr. Strangelove as one of the first 25 films in the National Film Registry. As we approach the 60th anniversary of Dr. Strangelove (in Jan 2024), our live podcast panel takes a critical look at the dark comedy and reveals how the satire is uncomfortably realistic, even to this day. Using dialogue from …

1
After the Insurrection: Assessing American Democracy 36:25

10M ago36:25

36:25

On January 6, 2021, supporters of US President Donald Trump—spurred on and energized by the defeated president himself—launched a violent attack on the US capital to stop the peaceful transfer of power to president-elect Joe Biden. What are we to make of the January 6 insurrection? What does it tell us about ourselves as Americans and the state of …

1
Signs for the Future 39:53

10M ago39:53

39:53

Some questions fall far outside the scope of what governments are designed to answer. How will we explain ourselves to extraterrestrials? What can we say to warn humans 10,000 years in the future about the nuclear waste we’re leaving behind? Assuming we develop the proper technology, would it be beneficial to breed glowing cats? Two decades after N…

1
An Illegal Floating City 31:53

10M ago31:53

31:53

Fishermen dying mysteriously off the coast of Japan. Entire populations of sea animals disappearing. Despite decades of work by the international community, the high seas remain law enforcement’s biggest blind spot, and the site of environmental crimes whose effects reach around the world. But some people are attempting to stop these crimes: We fol…

1
The Leak from Compound 19 26:38

10M ago26:38

26:38

In February 2020, an elite group of biosecurity experts, worried about the threat of pandemics, plays a bizarrely prescient role-playing game. They run into an age-old pattern of secrecy and mistrust, one that thwarts their efforts to ‘beat’ the game. We travel back to a (real-life) period when dozens of mysterious deaths occurred in a closed Sovie…

1
Ground Control to Space Junk 28:24

10M ago28:24

28:24

There are no international laws against littering in space, which is a shame, because individual governments love to blow things up in low-Earth orbit. The result? A crisis of ricocheting debris that goes on forever. As private industry sends an unprecedented number of satellites into orbit, security experts find themselves in a race against the cl…

1
Windmills in a North Korean Cabbage Patch 35:59

11M ago35:59

35:59

An arms-control advocate accepts an invitation to the dacha of a hard-partying North Korean power broker. There, through a haze of smoke and propaganda, they identify some common ground and set out to test a hypothesis: That it’s possible for Americans and North Koreans to work together toward peace. The result is a tense but extraordinary moment i…

1
Skinny-Dipping in the USSR 27:43

11M ago27:43

27:43

As the Cold War draws to a close, a group of American scientists hatches a plan to board a Soviet warship with a nuclear weapons detector to prove to their own government that the USSR is open to nuclear arms verification. Meet the guys who brought a slug of depleted uranium through security at LaGuardia Airport, sat atop a Soviet nuclear device in…

1
You’re Welcome (A Prologue) 9:32

12M ago9:32

9:32

If you’re reading this, and you’re not in some sort of irradiated, post-apocalyptic hellscape… well, you can thank our host Jeffrey Lewis. He studies nukes—who has them, who wants them, and how to prevent them from going off—so that we’re less likely to die in a nuclear war. The thing is, lots of people have jobs like this. They’re not celebrities …

1
INTL' NGOs: What You Need to Know 33:00

12M ago33:00

33:00

International nongovernmental organizations (INGO’s) like Amnesty International, Care, Oxfam, or World Vision operate independently of governments around the world. But what do we really know about these organizations and their operations, behavior, effectiveness or limitations? What might they be doing or be unable to do, in a country like Ukraine…

1
Introducing: The Reason We’re All Still Here 2:46

12M ago2:46

2:46

With the Iran nuclear deal dead as a doorknob, Jeffrey Lewis set out to make a new podcast, one that tells stories of scientists, journalists and maybe a vigilante or two... private citizens who are working to solve diplomatic problems and prevent the next global catastrophe. Yes this podcast is about saving the world – one arduous, unlikely, under…

1
Israel in Crisis 38:17

1y ago38:17

38:17

For months, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have taken to the streets to protest government plans to overhaul the judiciary—including plans that would vitiate checks on executive power, allow a simple majority of 61 in the 120-seat Knesset to override almost any ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court, and permit politicians to appoint most of t…

1
Why We Need Environmental Justice Part 2 of 2 26:42

1+ y ago26:42

26:42

Part 2 of 2 What is meant by such terms as environmental injustice or environmental racism? What is the environmental justice movement and how is it manifest—in the United States and beyond? In this episode of New Frontiers, political scientist Kemi Fuentes-George discusses these topics and what achieving environmental justice for marginalized popu…

1
Why We Need Environmental Justice Part 1 of 2 28:09

1+ y ago28:09

28:09

Part 1 of 2 What is meant by such terms as environmental injustice or environmental racism? What is the environmental justice movement and how is it manifest—in the United States and beyond? In this episode of New Frontiers, political scientist Kemi Fuentes-George discusses these topics and what achieving environmental justice for marginalized popu…

1
Whatever Happened To "Essential" Workers 41:27

1+ y ago41:27

41:27

How did the COVID pandemic affect America’s workers—especially those deemed “essential” who often were poorly paid, nonunionized, lacked meaningful benefits, and were required to continue working while most other workers stayed home? How did these workers respond to the health risks they encountered on the job, and how did their struggle for labor …

1
S4 Ep82 Professors' impact on student mental health, Brain drain of Zimbabwean teachers 18:34

1+ y ago18:34

18:34

Topics in this episode: Professors' impact on student mental health Brain drain of Zimbabwean teachers Contributors: Nicole Irigoyen Casey Altamuro If you would like to learn more about international education management at the Middlebury Institute, please visit go.miis.edu/IEM

1
S4 Ep81 Caste protections at Ivy League schools, Technical and career education in Singapore 21:35

1+ y ago21:35

21:35

Topics in this episode: Caste protections at Ivy League schools Technical and career education in Singapore Contributors: Jelana Szymanski Soleil Turell If you would like to learn more about international education management at the Middlebury Institute, please visit go.miis.edu/IEMBy Middlebury Institute Marketing & Rectuiting class

1
S4 Ep80 College faculty diversity, student feelings about online learning, student protests in China 23:57

1+ y ago23:57

23:57

In this episode: Lack of college faculty diversity How students are feeling about online learning China's response to university student protests of the zero Covid lockdown Contributors are: Brandyn Solano Kristy Kerin Fazila Muradi If you would like to learn more about international education management at the Middlebury Institute, please visit go…

1
S4 Ep79 Intra-regional mobility in ed abroad, international students in UK changing to work visas 15:10

1+ y ago15:10

15:10

In this episode: Rise of intra-regional mobility in education abroad. UK students switching from study visas to skilled worker visas. Contributors are: Flora Wang Leilah Mouna If you would like to learn more about international education management at the Middlebury Institute, please visit go.miis.edu/IEM…

1
Understanding Slavery in Medieval China 35:23

1+ y ago35:23

35:23

Slavery lasted for centuries in China, and yet its particulars are not well known. In this episode of New Frontiers, historian Don Wyatt takes us back to help us understand how the institution thrived during imperial times and the roles it played in Chinese culture. Despite its long pedigree, Chinese slavery during medieval times has failed to attr…

1
S4 Ep78 UK reducing international student numbers, changes in importance of university rankings, mental health support in US universities 22:36

1+ y ago22:36

22:36

Panelists and articles referenced in this episode (in the order they presented): Chise Kerns - Limiting foreign student numbers may bankrupt universities – Government adviser https://apple.news/AV9yI3fIsRCGYTdRtlmlIKA Marissa Ruhno - Is this the Beginning of the End of the US News Ranking Dominance? https://www.chronicle.com/article/is-this-the-beg…

1
S4 Ep77 Career services for international students, proactive student guidance and counseling 15:05

2y ago15:05

15:05

Panelists and articles referenced in this episode (in the order they were shared): Subira Popenoe - Reimagining career services for international students https://monitor.icef.com/2022/11/reimagining-career-services-for-international-students/ Jacinda Higgins - US Universities must offer guidance 'proactively" https://thepienews.com/news/us-unis-mu…

1
S4 Ep76 What international students think of US elections, Asian universities draw more international students 21:32

2y ago21:32

21:32

Panelists and articles referenced in this episode (in the order they were shared): Rachel Bornstein - International Students Discuss Their Thoughts on Midterm Elections https://dailyillini.com/life_and_culture-stories/2022/11/02/international-students-midterm-elections/ Brandon Johnson - More international students are choosing Asian universities. …

1
S4 Ep75 Legacy admissions under fire, new graduate visa in Hong Kong 16:39

2y ago16:39

16:39

Articles referenced in this episode (in the order they were shared): Legacy College Admissions Come Under Fire in New Report - https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelltnietzel/2022/10/30/legacy-college-admissions-come-under-fire-in-new-report/?sh=109ac6c75f07 Hong Kong Launches New Graduate Visa - https://thepienews.com/news/hong-kong-visa-scheme/ Pan…

1
Why Did Turkish Democracy Collapse 32:51

2y ago32:51

32:51

After six decades of multiparty politics, Turkish democracy has collapsed. Yes, the trappings of democracy are still visible. Elections are held, parliament sits in session, the courts rule, and the elected executive leads. Yet, the substance of democracy moves ever further into the past. How did this happen? Why? And what implications does the unr…

1
S3 Ep73 Ties between New Zealand and China, COVID funds support first generation students, Germany increases university funding 20:33

2y ago20:33

20:33

Contributors and articles in this episode include: Helen Jiang - "NZ-China strengthen VET bilateral ties" in the context of China's 14th Five-Year Plan and the long-term impact of the plan's higher vocational education & transnational higher education priorities Kristen Tuttle - Nevada state lawmakers give millions in COVID-19 relief funding to sup…

1
S3 Ep74 Rankings fraud leads to conviction, support campaign for refugees 19:34

2y ago19:34

19:34

Contributors and articles in this episode: Annalea Kamplain Ex-Dean at Temple Convicted Quintessence Townsend - US: Presidents’ Alliance announces RESPONSE refugee campaign If you would like to learn more about international education management at the Middlebury Institute, please visit go.miis.edu/IEM…

1
What to do about Cosmic Garbage. 44:58

2+ y ago44:58

44:58

According to the US Space Force, only 2,000 of the 22,000 objects that have been tracked circling the Earth are fully operational, functioning satellites. Put differently, roughly 90 percent of the objects that can be tracked circling the globe is junk—space junk, or cosmic garbage. How did it get there, why does it keep accumulating, and how best …

1
What Made Russians Skeptics About Democratic Capitalism? 43:07

2+ y ago43:07

43:07

In this episode, Mark Williams talks with Will Pyle, the Frederick C. Dirks Professor of International Economics at Middlebury College, about recent findings he published in the journal Post-Soviet Affairs. Their discussion explores why Russians of a certain cohort—although liberated from the economic and political constraints of Soviet Communism—a…

1
China and the American Right 40:20

2+ y ago40:20

40:20

“Asia First was an insistence that Pacific affairs receive as much, if not more attention than European Atlantic relations in the cold war. Its proponents, its supporters, many of whom were very powerful, conservative voices in the Senate and in Congress felt like U.S. foreign policy after World War II was neglecting mainland Asia and therefore imp…

1
Should Corporations Govern Global Food Systems? 36:26

2+ y ago36:26

36:26

In this episode, Molly Anderson, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Food Studies at Middlebury College, joins Mark Williams, director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, to discuss her recent article titled “UN Food Systems Summit 2021: Dismantling Democracy and Resetting Corporate Control of Food Systems”. At issue is whether multinational co…

1
Episode 5: The Worst Case Scenario (Almost) 23:02

3y ago23:02

23:02

The Deal tells the story of the Iran nuclear deal: how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for the rest of us. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He tweets @armsc…

1
Episode 4: Stuxnet 17:26

3y ago17:26

17:26

The Deal tells the story of the Iran nuclear deal: how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for the rest of us. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He tweets @armsc…

1
Episode 3: Safeguards 18:15

3y ago18:15

18:15

If we held inspections and action-movie style violence to the same standard, we’d see that inspections do way more to stop the spread of nuclear weapons than assassinations or sabotage. But we don’t. Which is a shame, because inspections are, in their own understated way, really freaking cool. Featuring IAEA site inspector Sandra Munos. The Deal te…

1
Episode 2: Nuclear Rx 14:44

3+ y ago14:44

14:44

The Deal tells the story of the Iran nuclear deal: how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for the rest of us. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He tweets @armsc…

1
Episode 1: What Is Past Is Prologue 22:12

3+ y ago22:12

22:12

The Deal tells the story of the Iran nuclear deal: how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for the rest of us. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He tweets @armsc…

1
Episode 5: The Power to Hurt 23:09

4y ago23:09

23:09

It could happen again. Content warning: This episode refers to Islamophobic sentiments in the American public. Read: Revisiting Hiroshima in Iran: What Americans Really Think about Using Nuclear Weapons and Killing Noncombatants by Scott D. Sagan and Benjamin A. Valentino in International Security, Volume 42, Issue 1, Summer 2017. The Deal tells th…

1
The UN at 75 1:05:43

4y ago1:05:43

1:05:43

The United Nations emerged from the ashes of the worst war in human history to preserve global peace. Seventy-five years later, though the UN remains a leading global institution, there is increasing talk of it being in crisis and the necessity of reform. Can the UN return to relevancy amid the geopolitical realities of the 21st century? Here’s Yal…

1
After Europe, Before What? 1:06:07

4y ago1:06:07

1:06:07

When the Cold War ended, Russia joining a Greater Europe only seemed natural. Thirty years later, this idea has vanished without a trace. It is not that Russia’s participation in Europe has become irrelevant. Rather, Europeans are worried about the survival of the European Union project. What is in store for Russia-EU relations in a world increasin…

1
Episode 4: The Unraveling 23:43

4y ago23:43

23:43

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes the claim that “Iran lied,” and things quickly begin to fall apart. The Deal tells the story of the Iran nuclear deal: how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for the rest of us. Hosted by Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James …

1
Memory Wars as the New Reality 1:15:41

4y ago1:15:41

1:15:41

There’s a common joke that Russia is a country with an unpredictable past because it rewrites history to fit the present. Paradoxically, this joke is now becoming relevant for much of the world as well. What does the battle for history mean for the present and future? And where will memory wars lead us? Here’s Alexei Miller, Professor of the Europe…

1
Episode 3: The Scientists 27:19

4y ago27:19

27:19

American Secretary of Energy Dr. Ernie Moniz and Dr. Ali Salehi, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, are brought to the world’s highest-stakes negotiating table to do what the diplomats can’t. Read Richard Stone’s reporting on Ali Salehi in Science magazine. BONUS: Dr. Ernie Moniz on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart explaining the de…

1
Wither Liberal Democracy? 59:34

4y ago59:34

59:34

At the end of the 20th century, liberal democracy appeared to triumph. History as a story of political evolution was over. But today, many point to a crisis of liberal democracy and fret over whether liberal democratic has enough dynamism to shine again. Why has such a promising beginning turned into such a whimpering finale? Is liberal democracy r…

1
Episode 2: The Backchannel 23:09

4y ago23:09

23:09

An international crisis is a little like a relay race. In 2011, the baton passes into the hands of diplomats like American ambassador Wendy Sherman, who led the P5+1 team negotiating the Iran deal. The Deal tells the story of the Iran nuclear deal: how it came together, how it fell apart, and what that means for the rest of us. Hosted by Dr. Jeffre…

1
The Sino-American Rivalry 1:03:55

4y ago1:03:55

1:03:55

Just ten years ago, pundits predicted that a future Sino-American G2 would govern the world. Today, the relations between Beijing and Washington is more often described as Cold War 2.0. The disappearance of Chimerica—a symbiosis of China and America--represents, in fact, the ongoing crisis of globalization since the end of the 20th century. What do…

1
Episode 1: The Revelation 29:10

4y ago29:10

29:10

In 2002, Corey Hinderstein, a young research analyst, follows a hunch after a routine press conference in Washington, D.C. The results of her scavenger hunt sparked a diplomatic crisis that stretched more than a decade, lasted through two presidencies, and ended with a deal that, depending on whom you ask, either “makes our country, and the world, …

1
The Geopolitics of Nationalism 1:01:14

4y ago1:01:14

1:01:14

The era of universalism is receding; the time of fragmentation and selfishness has arrived. Nationalism, in the broad sense, has returned. This worldview is already widespread, and the COVID-19 pandemic has normalized it. What does international cooperation look like during the triumph of national interests? Is it possible to realize these interest…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Middlebury Institute Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide