Global Insecurity: Is there Reason for Hope?

For the 50th episode of Trending Globally, we asked 10 scholars at the Watson Institute what they find most worrisome in the world today, and what keeps them going. For more information on this episode's experts and their work, read on: Peter Andreas [http://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/andreas], professor of international studies and political science, is an expert on transnational crime, smuggling, and immigration. He is the author of several books, including Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America [https://www.amazon.com/Smuggler-Nation-Illicit-Trade-America/dp/0199746885]. Narges Bajoghli [http://watson.brown.edu/people/postdocs/Bajoghli], postdoctoral fellow in international and public affairs, is a sociocultural anthropologist and filmmaker who writes [http://watson.brown.edu/news/2018/iran-will-never-trust-america-again-written-narges-bajoghli] often about Iran. Rob Blair [http://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/blair], professor of political science and international and public affairs, researches peacekeeping, statebuilding, and security sector reform, and designed a course on the erosion of democracy [https://news.brown.edu/articles/2018/05/democraticerosion] that has been adopted by more than 20 institutions in the U.S. and beyond. Mark Blyth [http://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/blyth], professor of political science and international and public affairs, is a an expert on international political economy [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2018-02-28/brown-university-s-blyth-on-brexit-populism-north-korea-video]. Chas Freeman [http://watson.brown.edu/people/fellows/freeman], senior fellow in international and public affairs and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, writes and speaks widely on statecraft and diplomacy. Jo-Anne Hart [http://watson.brown.edu/people/visiting/hart], adjunct professor of international and public affairs, is an expert on Iranian foreign policy and US-Iranian security, conflict resolution in the Middle East, and political literacy. Stephen Kinzer [http://watson.brown.edu/people/visiting/kinzer], senior fellow in international and public affairs, is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents. He is a regular contributor to the Boston Globe [http://watson.brown.edu/news/2018/nicaragua-brink-calamity-written-stephen-kinzer], and his most recent book is The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War. Catherine Lutz [http://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/lutz], professor of international studies and of anthropology, is co-director of the Watson-based Costs of War project [http://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/]. Nina Tannenwald [http://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty-fellows/tannenwald], senior lecturer in political science, is an expert on international security, arms control and nonproliferation, and human rights. She speaks and writes often on nuclear weapons and is co-editor, most recently, of Do the Geneva Conventions Matter? Ashutosh Varshney [http://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/varshney], professor of political science and international and public affairs and director of Watson's Center for Contemporary South Asia, writes often about Indian politics, ethnic conflict, and nationalism. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E50_Watson%2050th_REALLYFINAL.pdf]