Tallberg Foundation Podcast

Hostile troops massing on the border of a Central European democracy. Russia's threats against Ukraine and its demands for new security and arrangements in Europe sound all too familiar. Of course, the huge difference today is that Germany is not only firmly anchored in the West but is a cornerstone of the European Union. What will Germany do? Constanze Stelzenmüller—an expert on Germany, geopolitics and trans-Atlantic relations who is based at the Brookings Institution in Washington—is deeply knowledgeable about all aspects of the crisis. Listen as she shares her views on what is at stake.

The Middle East is changing. New investment and trade relationships are emerging based on economics, not religion. In December more than 700,000 Saudi kids participated in a four-day rave in the Saudi desert with regular intermissions for Islamic prayers. What's going on? Has the Middle East of strict Islam suddenly turned into something more modern? Have the Arabs figured out how to move beyond religious conflict? Neil Quilliam is a deeply knowledgeable, experienced expert in the region. He has been engaged with the politics, economics, and societies of the Middle East and North Africa for decades: today from Chatham House and earlier through his service in the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Whether we like it or not, global politics today is defined by the confrontation between autocracies and democracies. Not surprisingly, as historian and journalist, Anne Applebaum wrote in the Atlantic in November: “The Bad Guys are Winning.” As she put it, "If the 20th century was the story of slow, uneven progress toward the victory of liberal democracy over other ideologies—communism, fascism, virulent nationalism—the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse.” Listen as Applebaum discusses how this new world (dis) order might evolve.

We live in a digital society. Unfortunately, some of the results include cybercrime, illegal spying, intimidation and identity theft. It’s bad enough when these activities are aimed at you or me; much worse when they target dissidents, crusading journalists, etc. Ronald Deibert and his colleagues at the Citizen Lab are in the business of fighting back, using cutting-edge technologies to protect citizens and civil society from digital predators. Listen as he explains how they do the voodoo they do so well.

The Taliban's surge to power in Afghanistan is one of those events that will have repercussions for years to come. Jamila Afghani succeeded in getting out with her family. Jamila is an educator and an activist. Her work to elevate the rights and improve the education of women and girls is based on her studies of Islamic law, which she believes is typically misinterpreted to give them second-class status. Listen as she talks about escaping the Taliban, and what she expects for her country.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has shown a growing willingness to act outside the accepted geopolitical, economic and even diplomatic global framework and practices. Australian Kevin Rudd has spent a considerable part of his life thinking about, working on, and negotiating with China — as a diplomat, twice as his country's prime minister, and currently as president of the Asia Society. Arguably no other western leader knows China better. Listen as he assesses where China is today, and where it wants to be tomorrow.

Great leaders may or may not be born that way, but their skills and abilities certainly evolve and mature over time. That is why we established an Emerging Leader category for the TSEGL Prize. The jury selected two leaders. Pashtana Durrani, an Afghan activist and educator. Christian Ntizimira, a Rwandan who champions palliative care in central Africa. Listen as two jurors—Shahidul Alam, photographer and human rights activist and Gouri Mirpuri, a social entrepreneur—discuss leadership with the two winners.

The only hope for a world awash in troubles is that leaders with vision, universal values, and determination will seize the moment. But just bemoaning the lack of leaders accomplishes nothing. That’s why we established the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize. This year, our global jury selected two amazing leaders: Asha de Vos, a Sri Lankan marine biologist and Tero Mustonen, a Finnish climate scientist, fisherman and community leader. Listen as two jurors—David Kiernan and Marthe Reinette—discuss leadership, challenges and hope with the winners.

The Middle East of today is significantly different than the region that has been such a locus of conflict over the past 50 years. Key actors seem to be refocusing their political and diplomatic efforts. In this context Jordan is playing a major role and their diplomacy has kicked into high gear in this search for a new, positive future. Ambassador Dina Kawar, Jordan's ambassador to the United States, is both an observer and participant in this transformation. Listen as she parses the possibilities, good and bad, of this rapidly changing region.

Do you care about the future of the oceans? Seventy percent of the earth is covered by water. If we want a livable planet, we need livable oceans. Can we save the oceans? If failure is not an option—and it should not be—who needs to do what? Oceanographers Sylvia Earle from the United States and Asha de Vos from Sri Lanka talked about water, the oceans, threats, and solutions. Both are explorers, educators, and activists and both are winners of the Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize.

We live in a digital society. Unfortunately, some of the results include cybercrime, illegal spying, intimidation and identity theft. It’s bad enough when these activities are aimed at you or me; much worse when they target dissidents, crusading journalists, etc. Ronald Deibert and his colleagues at the Citizen Lab are in the business of fighting back, using cutting-edge technologies to protect citizens and civil society from digital predators. Listen as he explains how they do the voodoo they do so well.

Rapidly accelerating climate change is uniquely modern — but climate change is not. Can indigenous people who understand nature differently than most of us teach us how to cope with today’s terrifying challenges? Tero Mustonen is a climate scholar who combines indigenous knowledge with academic research. He is also a leader of the SnowChange Cooperative and is currently the head of his town of Selkie in North Karelia, Finland. Listen to his insights on how to promote positive change on a damaged planet.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has shown a growing willingness to act outside the accepted geopolitical, economic and even diplomatic global framework and practices. Australian Kevin Rudd has spent a considerable part of his life thinking about, working on, and negotiating with China — as a diplomat, twice as his country's prime minister, and currently as president of the Asia Society. Arguably no other western leader knows China better. Listen as he assesses where China is today, and where it wants to be tomorrow.

The disastrous impacts of climate change are evident. Do we have the technologies in hand to decarbonize economies in ways that are compatible with how people want to live? Can we do this? Saul Griffith, the Australian inventor and engineer, insists that the answer is emphatically yes. We have all the technology we need to transform the United States from laggard to leader in the effort to change the arc of the warming climate. And, if the United States can do it, everyone can.

What is actually being done about climate change? The gap between rhetoric and action is critical. Santiago Gowland, CEO of the Rainforest Alliance has spent years working with businesses, NGOs and citizens around the world to mitigate some of the biggest impacts of climate change. Listen as he discusses urgent efforts to reverse the degradation of rainforests and to create truly sustainable supply chains that are good for people as well as for the planet.

As we in the West become more conscious of inequalities that have been part of our societal fabric for a long time, we're becoming less sure of our identities. If art is a window on the soul of a nation, what does ours look like? Who do we think we are in the sense of identity? What's our mood? Of course, these are questions without answers or, at least, unique answers. Shirin Neshat, an acclaimed Iranian visual artist, and Jonathan Burnham at HarperCollins, discuss our evolving zeitgeist.

Listen as Tomas Anker Christensen, Denmark’s Climate Ambassador, and Daniel Martinez-Valle, Chief Executive Officer of Orbia, a Mexico based global company, discuss the need to develop effective partnerships between government and corporations, to find a better balance between globalism and nationalism, and to innovate solutions that assure the transformation to a low carbon economy creates, rather than destroys, jobs, growth and economic opportunity.

The Taliban's surge to power in Afghanistan is one of those events that will have repercussions for years to come. Jamila Afghani succeeded in getting out with her family. Jamila is an educator and an activist. Her work to elevate the rights and improve the education of women and girls is based on her studies of Islamic law, which she believes is typically misinterpreted to give them second-class status. Listen as she talks about escaping the Taliban, and what she expects for her country.

Rapidly accelerating climate change is uniquely modern — but climate change is not. Can indigenous people who understand nature differently than most of us teach us how to cope with today’s terrifying challenges? Tero Mustonen is a climate scholar who combines indigenous knowledge with academic research. He is also a leader of the SnowChange Cooperative and is currently the head of his town of Selkie in North Karelia, Finland. Listen to his insights on how to promote positive change on a damaged planet.

Over the years Latin America has seen more than its share of coups, dictators, autocrats, and stolen elections. Why hasn't liberal democracy developed deeper roots in Latin America? Why do many Latins seemingly embrace “strong man” rather than democratic solutions to their social, economic, and political problems? Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and a journalist who has covered the region for twenty years, has some answers—but also lots of worries.