Encounter - Voice Of America

Katherine Zimmerman, a fellow for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Elana DeLozier, the Rubin Family Fellow in the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, assess with host Carol Castiel state of the civil war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. DeLozier and Zimmerman say this proxy war between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran is exacerbated by the dearth of political will from within: the internationally-recognized Hadi government and the Houthi movement, which currently has the upper hand. Can Washington make a difference?

On this edition of Encounter, Ambassador Michelle Gavin, senior fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and former Ambassador to Botswana, and Frans Cronje, CEO of the Johannesburg-based Institute of Race Relations, analyze with host Carol Castiel the political, economic and social situation in South Africa following the arrest and detention of former South African president Jacob Zuma given the protests, looting and violence which this incident triggered. How did the celebrated multiracial democracy led by Nelson Mandela reach this critical juncture point, and what does the future hold for South Africa?

Professor William LeoGrande, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs in the Department of Government at the American University, and Professor of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University, Eduardo Gamarra, analyze with host Carol Castiel the roots and ramifications of twin crises in the Caribbean: the assassination of Haiti’s President, Jovenal Moïse, and ensuing power struggle and the largest and most widespread protests in Cuba in decades. How does the turmoil affect US policy toward the region? Given the large Cuban and Haitian Diaspora communities in the United States, how does the Biden Administration deal with both domestic and international dimension of policy?

On this Africa edition of Encounter, Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Joshua Meservey, senior policy analyst for Africa and the Middle East at the Heritage Foundation, discuss with host Carol Castiel the state of play in Ethiopia after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared a unilateral ceasefire civil in Tigray, the detention of former South African president Jacob Zuma, political turmoil in Eswatini and the multiple impacts of Covid-19 on the continent.

On this U.S. politics edition of Encounter, John Fortier, resident scholar at The American Enterprise Institute, and Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, discuss with host Carol Castiel the politics of President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal. Will Biden be able to garner at least 10 Republican Senators to pass the smaller, traditional bill and at the same time satisfy the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which intends to pass a more expansive human infrastructure package through budget reconciliation?

As the United States grapples with the legacy of slavery and centuries of racial discrimination, host Carol Castiel talks with Jennifer Oast, professor and chair of the Department of History at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, and Noah Millman, political columnist for the Week, about the merits and drawbacks of reparations for descendants of slaves and why the debate has been revived in recent days.

Ian Lesser, Vice President at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and director of GMF Brussels office, and Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, discuss with host Carol Castiel the ramifications of US President Joe Biden’s first overseas trip as president and the outcome of summits with the G7, NATO, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, Director of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Program at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Natan Sachs, Director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, discuss with host Carol Castiel the new “Change Government” comprised of eight Israeli political parties from the far left to the far right and one Islamic party who united to oust long-serving Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Can these strange political bedfellows agree on other vital internal and external policies and manage to govern?

On this US politics edition of Encounter, John Fortier, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and Jim Kessler, senior vice president for policy at Third Way, discuss with host Carol Castiel the status of US President Joe Biden’s ambitious agenda and the challenge of passing at least part of it, like infrastructure legislation or police reform, with bipartisan support.

Ambassador David H. Shinn and CSIS Africa Program Director Judd Devermont take a look at new developments in volatile East Africa, where insurgencies continue despite an ongoing concerted multinational effort to stop them, along with strong words between Washington and Addis Ababa. Encounter host Jeffrey Young also looks at China’s growing presence in East Africa – generosity, but what is the ultimate price?