Encounter - Voice Of America

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected all regions of the world, including Latin America. Host Carol Castiel speaks with Benjamin Gedan, deputy director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center and Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and the Americas Society about the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the politics of lifting of two controversial US border policies which affect migration at the southern US border.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Joshua Meservey, senior policy analyst for Africa & the Middle East at the Heritage Foundation, and Susan Stigant, director of Africa Programs for the U.S. Institute of Peace, join host Carol Castiel to discuss the perils of the Wagner group, Russian mercenaries operating at the behest of the Mali junta. They also give an update on and assessment of the civil war in Ethiopia and the resilience of the Sudanese people in the face of the military takeover in Khartoum which disrupted the transition to civilian rule.

Michael Newton, Law professor and former Senior Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, and Visiting Harvard Law professor, Alex Whiting who is also deputy specialist prosecutor at the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, join host Carol Castiel to discuss potential war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine and the important ongoing process of documenting evidence, which is needed to hold perpetrators, up to and including Russian President Vladimir Putin, accountable at the ICC or any other national or international venue.

Host Carol Castiel talks with Jim Kessler, vice president for policy at Third Way, and John Fortier, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute about critical issues dominating the US political landscape from the seven hour and 37-minute gap in former President Donald Trump’s phone log on January 6, 2021, the day a violent mob attacked the US Capitol, US President Joe Biden’s decision to release more oil from the US strategic petroleum reserve to mitigate rising fuel prices, the politics surrounding the confirmation of the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court and headwinds for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.

Jennifer Cafarella, Chief of Staff and Inaugural National Security Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War and Colin Clarke, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Research at the Soufan Center talk with host Carol Castiel about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has adversely affected its influence abroad, from sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East and beyond. Moscow’s violations of international law and human rights have sullied its reputation; its use of mercenaries from the Wagner Group further expose Russia’s battlefield losses and undermine the country’s reputation as a global military power.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is exacerbating the conflict in Yemen which is dependent on wheat which is grown in both countries. Katherine Zimmerman, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Nadwa Al Dawsari, non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, review the military, political and humanitarian state of play in Yemen as the civil conflict which began in 2014, has morphed over the last eight years into a proxy war between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. They are pessimistic that the stalemate can be broken any time soon, even for a truce during the holy month of Ramadan.

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and Melinda Haring, Deputy Director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council, analyze with host Carol Castiel the current state of play of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the extraordinary unity of NATO and the European Union in coordinating the provision of defensive weapons to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, the leadership and courage shown by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the increasingly isolated Russian President Vladimir Putin who has wrought untold devastation in Ukraine, hurt the Russian people and Moscow’s standing in the world.

After almost one year of intense negotiations in Vienna, Russia has temporarily scuttled the revived nuclear deal with Iran. Barbara Slavin, Director of Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, and Andrea Stricker, resident fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, spar over the merits and drawbacks of the revived deal, originally brokered by the Obama administration in 2015, from which the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew in 2018. Drawing the ire of the United States and Iran, Russia has made what are seen as unacceptable last-minute demands, which have impeded the finalization of the deal meant to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief

Jim Kessler, Vice President for Policy at Third Way, and John Fortier, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute analyze with host Carol Castiel US President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address which underscored his successful efforts in unifying the EU, NATO, and other allies in condemning Russia and imposing severe sanctions on Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, his historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court, and what can be achieved between now and the November 2022 midterm elections.

On the 50th anniversary of former US President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing, China experts Bonnie Glaser, Director Asia program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute talk with host Carol Castiel about the evolution of U.S. China relations. They also analyze the relationship through the lens of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the growing geostrategic rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing.

Michael Kugelman, from the Wilson Center and Elizabeth Threlkeld, from the Stimson Center joins Carol Castiel to discuss the political, economic, and humanitarian state of play in Afghanistan six months the Taliban takeover of Kabul.

Jennifer Cafarella, Director of Intelligence Planning at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), and Brian Katulis, Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute discuss the significance and ramifications of the US raid on ISIS leader, Hajji Abdullah.

Eric Farnsworth, Council of the Americas and the Americas Society and Benjamin Gedan, Woodrow Wilson Center discuss the significance of the inauguration of the first woman president of Honduras and challenges facing Chile’s young, president-elect who recently named a majority female cabinet.

Will Pomeranz, deputy director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center, and Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow, and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) discuss with host Carol Castiel the latest developments, including the placement of 8,500 US military personnel on “high alert” and considering the imposition of draconian sanctions on the Kremlin for its malign actions against Ukraine and Eastern European NATO members.

Ambassador Rama Yade, Senior Director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, and Mvemba Dizolele, Director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), discuss with host Carol Castiel African efforts and prospects for ending the civil war in Ethiopia, reversing the military coup in Sudan, and addressing the threat posed by violent extremists in the Sahel region.

John Fortier, resident scholar at The American Enterprise Institute, and Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, spar over the merits and politics of US President Joe Biden’s forceful push for voting rights legislation as well as a modification of the filibuster, a parliamentary procedure requiring 60 of the 100 senators to agree to advance most legislation. Given united Republican opposition to the voting rights bills and to changing filibuster rules, analysts say the chances of passing the legislation are very slim.

On this annual edition of Encounter, Kori Schake, senior fellow and the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and Brian Katulis, Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute talk with host Carol Castiel about the most pressing national security and foreign policy challenges that face the second year of the Biden Administration as midterm elections loom.

From the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and constant Covid-19 challenges to military coups in Myanmar and Sudan, host Carol Castiel reviews the stories that dominated the 2021 headlines with Linda Feldmann, Washington Bureau Chief for the Christian Science Monitor and Michael Williams, Washington correspondent for Project 10 TV Australia.

On this year-end edition of Encounter, host Carol Castiel presents excerpts from our most memorable programs in 2021. From the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States of America to the ongoing struggle with the coronavirus pandemic and much more, we present key domestic and international highlights from 2021.