Best E International Relations Podcasts (2024)

1
S4E9 The Fragility of China: A Conversation with Dennis Unkovic 59:10

40m ago59:10

59:10

In this episode of Madison's Notes, we sit down with Dennis Unkovic to discuss his latest book, The Fragility of China (Encounter Books, 2024). Unkovic delves into the complex forces shaping China's political, economic, and social landscape. From the country's rising internal challenges to its evolving role on the global stage, Unkovic offers a nua…

1
Teaching Sociology - Of the Meaning of Pedagogy: W. E. B. Du Bois, Racial Progress, and Positive Propaganda 16:48

1d ago16:48

16:48

Author Freeden Blume Oeur discusses the article, "Of the Meaning of Pedagogy: W. E. B. Du Bois, Racial Progress, and Positive Propaganda," published in the October 2024 issue of Teaching Sociology.

1
Libertarian US Presidential Nominee, Chase Oliver On US Foreign Policy 38:02

2d ago38:02

38:02

Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party US Presidential Nominee - @ChaseForLiberty @LPNational) speaks with the Thinking Global team about Libertarian US Foreign Policy, Non-intervention, trade, climate change and more. Chase Oliver chats with Edward (@edwarddcurry5) and Kieran (⁠⁠⁠@kieranjomeara⁠⁠⁠) about what his Libertarian foreign policy for the US wou…

1
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity - Affirming Blackness in a “Colorblind” Anti-Black Nation: How Brazilians Negotiate Police Killings of Afro-Brazilians 19:30

7d ago19:30

19:30

Author Demetrius Miles Murphy discusses the article, "Affirming Blackness in a “Colorblind” Anti-Black Nation: How Brazilians Negotiate Police Killings of Afro-Brazilians" published in the October 2024 issue of Sociology of Race and Ethnicity.

1
Sociology of Education - Pink Slips (for Some): Campus Employment, Social Class, and COVID-19 19:13

7d ago19:13

19:13

Authors Anthony Abraham Jack and Becca Spindel Bassett discuss the article, "Pink Slips (for Some): Campus Employment, Social Class, and COVID-19," published in the October 2024 issue of Sociology of Education.

1
Amos C. Fox, "Conflict Realism: Understanding the Causal Logic of Modern War and Warfare" (Howgate, 2024) 1:31:23

9d ago1:31:23

1:31:23

If you seek a compelling exploration of contemporary armed conflict, then Conflict Realism: Understanding the Causal Logic of Modern War and Warfare (Howgate Publishing, 2024) by Amos C. Fox is for you. It delves into the intricate web of causation to unveil five pivotal trends shaping the landscape of war and warfare - urban warfare, sieges, attri…

1
Jeff Schuhrke, "Blue Collar Empire: The Untold Story of U.S. Labor’s Global Anticommunist Crusade" (Verso, 2024) 1:09:00

12d ago1:09:00

1:09:00

How the CIA used American unions to undermine workers at home and subvert democracy abroad. Blue Collar Empire: The Untold Story of U.S. Labor’s Global Anticommunist Crusade (Verso, 2024) tells the shocking story of the AFL-CIO's global anticommunist crusade--and its devastating consequences for workers around the world. Unions have the power not o…

1
Andreas E. Feldmann, "Repertoires of Terrorism: Organizational Identity and Violence in Colombia's Civil War" (Columbia UP, 2024) 42:18

17d ago42:18

42:18

Why do armed groups employ terrorism in markedly different ways during civil wars? Drawing on more than a decade of fieldwork, Dr. Andreas E. Feldmann examines the disparate behaviour of actors including guerrilla groups, state security forces, and paramilitaries during Colombia’s long and bloody civil war. Analysing the varieties of violence in th…

1
Felia Allum, "Women of the Mafia: Power and Influence in the Neapolitan Camorra" (Cornell UP, 2024) 53:20

19d ago53:20

53:20

Women of the Mafia: Power and Influence in the Neapolitan Camorra (Cornell UP, 2024) by Dr. Felia Allum dives into the Neapolitan criminal underworld of the Camorra as seen and lived by the women who inhabit it. It tells their life stories and unpacks the gender dynamics by examining their participation as active agents in the organisation as leade…

1
Jack Margolin, "The Wagner Group: Inside Russia’s Mercenary Army" (Reaktion Books, 2024) 52:59

22d ago52:59

52:59

The Wagner Group: Inside Russia’s Mercenary Army (Reaktion, 2024) exposes the history and the future of the Wagner Group, Russia’s notorious and secretive mercenary army, revealing details of their operations never documented before. Using extensive leaks, first-hand accounts, and the byzantine paper trail left in its wake, Jack Margolin traces the…

1
Seth J. Frantzman, "The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza" (Wicked Son, 2024) 39:03

23d ago39:03

39:03

A harrowing account on the frontlines of the war between Israel and Hamas, The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (Wicked Son, 2024) War tells the story of how Hamas surprised Israel with its deadly attack, killing more than 1,000 people and kidnapping more than 250. With unparalleled access to the Israeli soldiers and units that f…

1
101: What to make of Britain’s new Labour government? 37:04

22d ago37:04

37:04

After 14 years of frankly horrendous Conservative rule, millions celebrated Labour’s decisive victory. But since that fateful July day the new comms team at Number 10 has kicked into action. Their aim it seems is a simple one: to get you to put your hopes and dreams away and be as miserable as possible. So what do we make of it all? And what do we …

1
Marsha Henry on The End of Peacekeeping 49:29

25d ago49:29

49:29

Marsha Henry (Queen’s University Belfast - @mghacademic @QUBelfast) speaks with the Thinking Global team about her new book The End of Peacekeeping: Gender, Race, and the Martial Politics of Intervention (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024). Prof. Henry chats with Kieran (⁠⁠⁠@kieranjomeara⁠⁠⁠) and Marianna (@Faloulah) about peacekeeping, resear…

1
Greg Eghigian, "After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:01:45

30d ago1:01:45

1:01:45

Roswell, 1947. Washington, DC, 1952. Quarouble, 1954. New Hampshire, 1961. Pascagoula, 1973. Petrozavodsk, 1977. Copley Woods, 1983. Explore how sightings of UFOs and aliens seized the world's attention and discover what the fascination with flying saucers and extraterrestrial visitors says about our changing views on science, technology, and the p…

1
Socius - “Replika Removing Erotic Role-Play Is Like Grand Theft Auto Removing Guns or Cars”: Reddit Discourse on Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Sexual Technologies 17:28

30d ago17:28

17:28

Authors Ken Hanson and Hannah Bolthouse discuss the article, "“Replika Removing Erotic Role-Play Is Like Grand Theft Auto Removing Guns or Cars”: Reddit Discourse on Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Sexual Technologies" published in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World.

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Journal of Health and Social Behavior - Extending Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants: Comparing Perinatal Outcomes Following This Policy Shift 12:46

30d ago12:46

12:46

Authors Margot Moinester and Kaitlyn K. Stanhope discuss the article, "Extending Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants: Comparing Perinatal Outcomes Following This Policy Shift," published in the September 2024 issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

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Terrence G. Peterson, "Revolutionary Warfare: How the Algerian War Made Modern Counterinsurgency" (Cornell UP, 2024) 49:23

1M ago49:23

49:23

The Algerian War of Independence constituted a major turning point of 20th century history. The conflict exacerbated divisions in French society, culminating in an unsuccessful coup attempt by the OAS in 1961. The war also launched the Third Worldist movement, delegitimized colonial rule because of its brutality, and it gave us one of the towering …

1
Social Psychology Quarterly - Happiness Scholarship and Redistributive Preferences 12:09

1M ago12:09

12:09

Author Tamkinat Rauf discusses the article, "Happiness Scholarship and Redistributive Preferences" published in the September 2024 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly.

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100: Anti-racism after the fascist riots: what do we do now? 54:53

1M ago54:53

54:53

With white supremacist riots targeting Muslims and peoples of colour, this was a summer to forget for many of our communities in the UK. Building on the work that Another Europe has undertaken for several years on challenging anti-Muslim racism across Europe, Luke Cooper spoke to Shaista Aziz, a co-director of the anti-racist campaign group, Three …

1
David H. Price, "The American Surveillance State: How the US Spies on Dissent" (Pluto Press, 2022) 56:34

1M ago56:34

56:34

When the possibility of wiretapping first became known to Americans they were outraged. Now, in our post-9/11 world, it's accepted that corporations are vested with human rights, and government agencies and corporations use computers to monitor our private lives. In The American Surveillance State: How the US Spies on Dissent (Pluto Press, 2022), D…

1
Contexts - Talking about Race in a Race-Taboo Land 15:39

1M ago15:39

15:39

Author Beiyi Hu discusses the article, "Talking about Race in a Race-Taboo Land" published in the Summer 2024 issue of Contexts.

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Andy Clarno et al., "Imperial Policing: Weaponized Data in Carceral Chicago" (U Minnesota Press, 2024) 1:18:38

1M ago1:18:38

1:18:38

Chicago is a city with extreme concentrations of racialized poverty and inequity, one that relies on an extensive network of repressive agencies to police the poor and suppress struggles for social justice. Imperial Policing: Weaponized Data in Carceral Chicago (University of Minnesota Press, 2024) examines the role of local law enforcement, federa…

1
Jonathan Butler, "Join the Conspiracy: How a Brooklyn Eccentric Got Lost on the Right, Infiltrated the Left and Brought Down the Biggest Bombing Network in New York" (Fordham UP, 2024) 45:17

1M ago45:17

45:17

In the shadow of recent turmoil, Join the Conspiracy: How a Brooklyn Eccentric Got Lost on the Right, Infiltrated the Left and Brought Down the Biggest Bombing Network in New York (Fordham University Press, 2024) transports readers to a pivotal moment of division and dissent in American history: the late 1960s. Against the backdrop of the Vietnam W…

1
The Laid-Back Book Club - Kosta Kambouris, Jennifer Engl and Romanos Orpheas Tofis 36:10

1M ago36:10

36:10

This week on the Thinking Global Podcast, Jennifer Engl (@JenniferEngl), Romanos Orpheas Tofis (@rmnorph), and our new co-host, Kosta Kambouris, chat with Kieran (⁠⁠⁠@kieranjomeara⁠⁠⁠) about what they've been reading in the fourth instalment of The Laid-Back Book Club. Thinking Global is affiliated with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠E International Relations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -…

1
Laura Robson and Arie Dubnov, "Partitions: A Transnational History of Twentieth-Century Territorial Separatism" (Stanford UP, 2019) 52:11

1M ago52:11

52:11

The practice of Partition understood as the physical division of territory along ethno-religious lines into separate nation-states is often regarded as a successful political "solution" to ethnic conflict. In their edited volume Partitions: A Transnational History of Twentieth-Century Territorial Separatism (Stanford University Press, 2019), Laura …

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Sociological Theory - Rights Projects: A Relational Sociology of Rights in Globalization 22:18

1M ago22:18

22:18

Author Minwoo Jung discusses the article "Rights Projects: A Relational Sociology of Rights in Globalization," published in the September 2024 issue of Sociological Theory.

1
Christian Bueger and Timothy Edmunds, "Understanding Maritime Security" (Oxford UP, 2024) 40:27

1M ago40:27

40:27

Whether it is pirates, smugglers, illicit fishing, or disputes in the South China Sea, the oceans are of increasing importance in international security. In Understanding Maritime Security (Oxford UP, 2024), Christian Bueger and Timothy Edmunds provide a concise introduction to the history of security at sea and explain the core frameworks of analy…

1
Robert Vitalis, "Oilcraft: The Myths of Scarcity and Security That Haunt U.S. Energy Policy" (Stanford UP, 2020) 1:08:25

2M ago1:08:25

1:08:25

We've heard and rehearsed the conventional wisdom about oil: that the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf is what guarantees access to this strategic resource; that the "special" relationship with Saudi Arabia is necessary to stabilize an otherwise volatile market; and that these assumptions in turn provide Washington enormous leverage over …

1
Robin E. Möser, "Disarming Apartheid: The End of South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Programme and Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 1968–1991" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 45:05

2M ago45:05

45:05

South Africa remains the only state that developed a nuclear weapons capability, but ultimately decided to dismantle existing weapons and abandon the programme. Disarming Apartheid: The End of South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Programme and Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 1968–1991 (Cambridge University Press, 2024…

1
Eyck Freymann, "One Belt One Road: Chinese Power Meets the World" (Harvard UP, 2020) 1:07:44

2M ago1:07:44

1:07:44

China’s One Belt One Road policy, or OBOR, represents the largest infrastructure program in history. Yet little is known about it with any certainty. How can something so large be so bewildering? In One Belt One Road: Chinese Power Meets the World (Harvard East Asian Monographs, 2020), Eyck Freymann, a DPhil Candidate in China Studies at the Univer…

1
Phil Haun, "Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War: Explaining Effectiveness in Modern Air Warfare" (Cambridge UP, 2023) 43:07

2M ago43:07

43:07

Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War: Explaining Effectiveness in Modern Air Warfare (Cambridge UP, 2023) introduces a much-needed theory of tactical air power to explain air power effectiveness in modern warfare with a particular focus on the Vietnam War as the first and largest modern air war. Phil Haun shows how in the Rolling Thunder, Command…

1
Marilou Bayard Trépanier on Oil Kills and Climate Activism 28:10

2M ago28:10

28:10

Marilou Bayard Trépanier of Last Generation Canada (@lastgencanada) speaks with the Thinking Global team about the current Oil Kills uprising (@_oilkills). Marilou chats with Kieran (⁠⁠⁠@kieranjomeara⁠⁠⁠) and Daniel McDaid about the aims of Oil Kills, the practice of direct non-violent global civil disobedience, the impact of their action, the subs…

1
Jeremy Black, "Rethinking Geopolitics" (Indiana UP, 2024) 41:37

2M ago41:37

41:37

Amid the bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2021 and the escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait, the geopolitical balance of power has changed significantly in a very short period. If current trends continue, we may be witnessing a tectonic realignment unseen in more than a century. In 1904, Halford Mackinder delivered a seminal lecture en…

1
Marc Ambinder, “The Brink: President Reagan and the Nuclear War Scare of 1983” (Simon & Schuster, 2018) 1:00:09

2M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

The Brink: President Reagan and the Nuclear War Scare of 1983 (Simon & Schuster, 2018), by Marc Ambinder, is a history of US-Soviet Relations under Ronald Reagan and an exploration of nuclear command and control operations. Ambender weaves together accounts of military exercises, false alarms, and espionage to tell the story of how close the U.S. a…

1
Sociological Methodology - Polygenic Indices (aka Polygenic Scores) in Social Science: A Guide for Interpretation and Evaluation 15:13

2M ago15:13

15:13

Author Callie Burt discusses her article, "Polygenic Indices (aka Polygenic Scores) in Social Science: A Guide for Interpretation and Evaluation," published in the August 2024 issue of Sociological Methodology.

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Petra Goedde, "The Politics of Peace: A Global Cold War History" (Oxford UP, 2019) 57:04

2M ago57:04

57:04

Earlier histories of the Cold War haven’t exactly been charitable toward the peace activists and pacifists who led peace initiatives. Pacifists in the United States were either simplistic and naïve, or they were fellow travelers of the Soviet Union. Peace proposals coming from the Soviet Union were nothing more than propaganda. Activists in Europe,…

1
Mitchel P. Roth and Mahmut Cengiz, "Murder by Mail: A Global History of the Letter Bomb" (Reaktion Books, 2024) 42:46

2M ago42:46

42:46

Murder by Mail: A Global History of the Letter Bomb (Reaktion, 2024) by Dr. Mitchel P. Roth and Dr. Mahmut Cengiz unfolds the gripping history of weaponized mail, offering the first ever comprehensive exploration of this sinister phenomenon. Spanning two centuries, the book unveils the history of postal bombs, describing the evolution of both explo…

1
American Sociological Review - The Avoidance of Strong Ties 10:52

2M ago10:52

10:52

Author Mario L. Small discusses the article, "The Avoidance of Strong Ties," published in the August 2024 issue of American Sociological Review.

1
Tim Sweijs and Jeffrey H. Michaels, "Beyond Ukraine: Debating the Future of War" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:14:05

3M ago1:14:05

1:14:05

War in the 21st century will remain a chameleon that takes on different forms and guises. Beyond Ukraine: Debating the Future of War (Oxford University Press, 2024) edited by Tim Sweijs and Jeffrey H. Michaels offers the first comprehensive update and revision of ideas about the future of war since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It argues that …

1
David Burke, "The Puppet Masters: How MI6 Masterminded Ireland's Deepest State Crisis" (Mercier Press, 2024) 1:13:09

3M ago1:13:09

1:13:09

In The Puppet Masters: How MI6 Masterminded Ireland's Deepest State Crisis (Mercier Press, 2024), David Burke uncovers the clandestine activities of Patrick Crinnion, a Garda intelligence officer who secretly served MI6 during the early years of the Troubles. As the Garda Síochána launched a manhunt for the Chief-of-Staff of the IRA, Crinnion found…

1
Ebony Nilsson, "Displaced Comrades: Politics and Surveillance in the Lives of Soviet Refugees in the West" (Bloomsbury, 2023) 40:14

3M ago40:14

40:14

Displaced Comrades: Politics and Surveillance in the Lives of Soviet Refugees in the West (Bloomsbury, 2023) by Dr. Ebony Nilsson explores the lives of left-wing Soviet refugees who fled the Cold War to settle in Australia, and uncovers how they adjusted to life under surveillance in the West. As Cold War tensions built in the postwar years, many o…

1
Anne Applebaum, "Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World" (Doubleday Books, 2024) 45:24

3M ago45:24

45:24

"Everyone assumed that in a more open, interconnected world, democracy and liberal ideas would spread to the autocratic states. Nobody imagined that autocracy and illiberalism would spread to the democratic world instead". So writes Anne Applebaum in Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World (Double Day Books, 2024). Applebaum's new b…

1
Arie Perliger, "American Zealots: Inside Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism" (Columbia UP, 2020) 1:03:56

3M ago1:03:56

1:03:56

In an unsettling time in American history, the outbreak of right-wing violence is among the most disturbing developments. In recent years, attacks originating from the far right of American politics have targeted religious and ethnic minorities, with a series of antigovernment militants, religious extremists, and lone-wolf mass shooters inspired by…

1
Alessandra Montalbano, "Ransom Kidnapping in Italy: Crime, Memory, and Violence" (U Toronto Press, 2023) 52:00

3M ago52:00

52:00

For over thirty years, modern Italy was plagued by ransom kidnappings perpetrated by bandits and organised crime syndicates. Nearly 700 men, women, and children were abducted from across the country between the late 1960s and the late 1990s, held hostage by members of the Sardinian banditry, Cosa Nostra, and the ’Ndrangheta. Subjected to harsh capt…

1
An Inside Look at Policymaking with Susan E. Rice 34:47

3M ago34:47

34:47

Susan E. Rice served as domestic policy advisor to President Joe Biden. Previously, she was President Barack Obama's National Security Advisor and U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and a member of the Cabinet. During the Clinton Administration, Rice was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, as well as Special Assi…

1
Socius - Medical Authority, Trans Exceptionalism, and Americans’ Willingness to Believe Claims of Inadequate Training as Justification for the Denial of Care to Trans People 13:11

3M ago13:11

13:11

Author Matt Grace discusses the article, "Medical Authority, Trans Exceptionalism, and Americans’ Willingness to Believe Claims of Inadequate Training as Justification for the Denial of Care to Trans People" published in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World.

1
Alfred Peredo Flores, "Tip of the Spear: Land, Labor, and US Settler Militarism in Guåhan, 1944–1962" (Cornell UP, 2023) 49:44

3M ago49:44

49:44

In Tip of the Spear: Land, Labor, and US Settler Militarism in Guåhan, 1944–1962 (Cornell University Press, 2023), Dr. Alfred Peredo Flores argues that the US occupation of the island of Guåhan (Guam), one of the most heavily militarised islands in the western Pacific Ocean, was enabled by a process of settler militarism. During World War II and th…

1
Maya Pagni Barak, "The Slow Violence of Immigration Court: Procedural Justice on Trial" (NYU Press, 2023) 49:29

3M ago49:29

49:29

Each year, hundreds of thousands of migrants are moved through immigration court. With a national backlog surpassing one million cases, court hearings take years and most migrants will eventually be ordered deported. The Slow Violence of Immigration Court: Procedural Justice on Trial (NYU Press, 2023) by Dr. Maya Pagni Barak sheds light on the expe…

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