Global Affairs

Dr. Paula Newberg, of the University of Texas-Austin, on "Pakistan's Elections: What Happens Now?"

Scott Gregory — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:39:25 +0000

On this edition of ST, a discussion of Pakistan, that vitally important yet on-again-off-again U.S. ally --- or is "ally" even the proper term here? --- which saw an electoral "first" recently. That is, after its historic elections over the weekend, Pakistan's first elected government served its full term and then ceded power to a new government, to be headed by prime minister-elect Nawaz Sharif and president-elect Asif Ali Zardari. Our guest is the noted South Asian expert, Dr.

"Eight Cultural Conflicts That Make Us Who We Are"

Rich Fisher — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:09:45 +0000

On this installment of ST, we speak with Dr. Hazel Rose Markus, who is the Davis-Brack Professor in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of experimental cultural psychology.

Ambassador Molly Williamson, Formerly of the U.S. State Department, on "The Geopolitics of Oil"

Rich Fisher — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:02:40 +0000

Our guest on this edition of ST is Molly Williamson, a highly experienced former Foreign Service Officer who served six U.S. Presidents over the course of a long, far-flung career, eventually achieving the rank of Career Minister. Throughout the 1990's and early 2000's, she held important positions within the U.S. Departments of Energy, Commerce, State, and Defense.

"Pakistan and the United States: Future of a Reluctant Alliance"

Rich Fisher — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:50:12 +0000

On this edition of our show, we welcome back Husain Haqqani, who served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011. He's giving a free-to-the-public address tonight (Thursday the 28th) at 7:30pm in the Lorton Performance Center on the TU campus. Haqqani (who also addressed the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations last night) currently serves as Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University; he's also a Senior Fellow and the Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute.

"Oil Politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran"

Ricf Fisher — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:46:22 +0000

On this edition of StudioTulsa, we speak with Paasha Mahdavi, who is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at UCLA. As part of the University of Tulsa Collins College of Business Lecture Series, Mahdavi will deliver a free-to-the-public talk on "Oil Politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran" on Wednesday the 13th at 7pm in the Tyrrell Hall Auditorium on the TU campus. Mahdavi's ongoing research concerns the study of national oil company governance and the political consequences of oil nationalizations, and he joins us today by phone.

From Journalist Edward Humes, Compelling if Unsettling "Trash Talk" about America's Biggest Export

Rich Fisher — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:12:07 +0000

On this installment of ST, we speak by phone with the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes, whose previous books include "Force of Nature" and "No Matter How Loud I Shout," and whose latest book, just recently out in paperback, is "Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash." This book presents an unsettling yet fascinating and highly detailed profile of America's biggest export, its most prodigious product, and perhaps its greatest legacy: garbage.

"Behind the Scenes of American Diplomacy"

Rich Fisher — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:33:23 +0000

What does it take to be a successful diplomat? How does one best "train" or prepare for this type of work? And how, if at all, does the art of diplomacy differ from how it was, say, twenty or thirty years ago? A recent change of leadership at the U.S. State Department --- in the wake of last year's deadly attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens as well as three other Americans --- has reminded us, once again, of the serious challenges now facing the U.S. Foreign Service.

"The New 'Great Game:' Central Asia in Geopolitics Today"

Rich Fisher — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:36:56 +0000

How will U.S. relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan change once NATO forces start withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2014? It's a question (or a pair of questions) that's been widely discussed, and widely debated, of late. But what about, moreover, our relations with the so-called "stans" of Central Asia --- namely, the five republics of the former Soviet Union: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. On this installment of ST, we welcome Dr. Charles E. Ziegler, Professor of Political Science and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville.

"Foreign Policy Challenges for the New Administration"

Rich Fisher — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:19:26 +0000

On this installment of ST, we welcome Dr. Elizabeth Colton, who's still pursuing an active, long-running, and wide-ranging career in diplomacy, journalism, foreign-relations scholarship, and U.S. and international politics and education. Such work has taken her to more than 100 countries; she's taught and/or delivered lectures on six different continents. Last night, Dr. Colton addressed to the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations on the topic of "Foreign Policy Challenges for the New Administration" --- which will be, of course, in this case a second Obama Administration. Dr.

"The Revenge of Geography"

Rich Fisher — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:23:42 +0000

In this age of instant worldwide cell-phone communication, pervasive and incessant Internet connectivity, and 24-7 airline transport, geographical borders and topographical boundaries don't really hold us back anymore. People with the appropriate financial and legal ways and means can basically go wherever their passports might lead them, and those who blog about revolution or social change in one country might well help to trigger the downfall of a government in another country. So, does the old notion or subject (or field of study, for that matter) called geography still matter today?