PODCAST

The Scholars" Circle

Insight into Today"s Most Pressing Issues

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58:00

Scholars’ Circle – State and Nature, the effects of...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2026/02/08

Under what circumstances might climate change lead to negative security outcomes? Over the past fifteen years, a rapidly growing applied field and research community on climate security has emerged. While much progress has been made, we still don’t have a clear understanding of why climate change might lead to violent conflict or humanitarian emergencies in some places and not others. Busby develops a novel argument – based on the combination of state capacity, political exclusion, and

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Trump’s Board of Peace & Gaza’s...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2026/02/02

In support of the US peace plan for Gaza, President Trump proposed a “Board of Peace” as a transitional governmental authority to ensure Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. It was empowered by the UN Security Council to act on the organization’s behalf as a presumably neutral body to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance, rebuild the region that has been physically devastated from war, and oversee security in the return of refugees who have fled the conflict. But as introduced

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – US threat to own Greenland is...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2026/01/26

One of the most notable international initiatives of the Trump Administration has been its pursuit of Greenland. Recently the President has declared that the island is a national security issue and the US needs sovereignty over Greenland. It is currently an autonomous territory under the Danish flag. As of this recording, the US has stated it will not use military force to seize the island and there is a “concept of a deal” over the island. But this is an issue that is far from resolved. What is the

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – ICE the organization, terrorizing...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2026/01/19

The killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross reflects increasingly aggressive and violent immigration & customs enforcement and policing in the US. What’s behind this growing violence in law enforcement?Has ICE become more violent or are we just paying closer attention? What has changed with the organization under Trump? On January 7, 2026, 37 year old Renee Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Since the killing, protests have surged in the Minnesota

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Impact of the US attack on...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2026/01/12

What is the impact of the US invading Venezuela and kidnapping its president and first lady? How might it affect international law, regional security and the American reputation?President Trump has declared he is the “Peace President” and claims to have ended 8 wars. While this is a dubious claim, he did become the first President to bomb 8 different nations in his first year in office. He then started 2026 with an invasion of Venezuela and a kidnapping of its President Nicolas Maduro as well as

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Book Author Interview – Exit...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2026/01/09

Beyond asylum seekers heading north, the problems of US/Mexico Border are also about the flow of guns and drugs. How can we understand the totality of problems related to the US southern border? What are the solutions?We speak with Ieva Jusionyte the author of a new book Exit Wounds: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border. [ dur: 58mins. ] Ieva Jusionyte is a legal and medical anthropologist and associate professor at Brown University. She is also the author of award-winning

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Story of Christmas Truce during...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/12/29

Why did soldiers on the front line ( in Flanders on 1914 ) of one of the deadliest wars lay down their arms and play soccer with the very men they were supposed to shoot?We’ll revisit the Christmas truce of 1914 with Stanley Weintraub, author of, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce. [ dur: 23 mins. ] Stanley Weintraub is a Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Penn State University. He is the author of more than 50 books including “Silent Night: The Story

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Border war between Cambodia and...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/12/21

Although President Trump claimed that he negotiated a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, the border wars are continuing. What is causing this conflict?How does history and national identity impact this war? Why did the war breakout again in 2025? And who might have the greatest influence for bringing the countries to peace? [ dur: 58mins. ] Michael G Vann is Professor of History at California State University, Sacramento. He is the co-author of The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empire, Disease,

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – What happened at COP30 in Brazil?...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/12/14

The recent UN COP (Conference of Parties) climate summit revealed fissures about how to solve the problem of climate change. What are the divisions? How can states and people help mitigate climate change? [ dur: 58mins. ]Pamela Chasek is Professor of Political Science at Manhattan College. She is the co-founder and Executive Editor of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin. She is the author of Transforming Multilateral Diplomacy: The Inside Story of the Sustainable Development Goals, Global

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Book Author interview : Policing...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/12/07

We interview Aileen Teague author of Policing on Drugs - The United States , Mexico and Origins of Modern Drug War, 1996 - 2000 . Why has war on drugs fails to address overdose deaths in the United States. [ dur: 35mins. ]Aileen Teague is Assistant Professor of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University. She is the author of Policing on Drugs - The United States , Mexico and Origins of Modern Drug War, 1996 - 2000. Is humanity the most

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – A Promise Kept: The Muscogee...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/11/29

In 2020, the Supreme Court surprised many observers by holding up the rights of the Muscogee (Creek) nation. In McGirt v Oklahoma, the Court held that the Creek Nation retained its sovereign rights over a very large part of Eastern Oklahoma. The decision began with a poetic line: “At the end of the Trail of Tears is a promise.” The case raises further interest in issues of Indian law, which includes a very important case on the docket this year on the issue of the adoption of Indian children without

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Book Author interview – North :...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/11/24

Climate change will lead to climate migration. There has been a renewed interest in adaptation strategies. Mitigation efforts seek to limit the amount of greenhouse gases in the environment to slow climate change. But adaptation recognizes that the climate has changed and we as a society and as a planet must adapt to these rising temperatures and the changing ecosystem. We will explore some of the challenges for adaptation. We Interview Jesse M.Keenan author of the book North: Future of Post

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Nuclear war an imminent threat to...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/11/16

What is Donald Trump trying to accomplish by resuming nuclear testing? And what impact will this decision have on nuclear non-proliferation? It seems that Trump doesn't understand either nuclear testing or the basics about nuclear weapons. Does this undermine US policy for non-proliferation? Also, the US is unique in that a single person controls the decision to use nuclear weapons? Could the international response to the US announcement of resuming nuclear testing change this command structure? [

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Brazil’s militarized police &...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/11/09

Violent policing and "disappearing" people is continuing in Brazil, even today in 2025. How is Brazilian civil society responding? [ dur: 33mins. ]Erica Resende is an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Security Studies at the Brazilian National War College in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is the co-editor of Defending Memory in Global Politics Mnemonical In/Security and Crisis, Memory and Trauma in International Relations: Theories, Cases and Debates and Crisis and Change in Post

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58:00

Scholars’ Circle – Known Environmental impact of the...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/11/02

We spend the hour looking at the environmental impact of the US military. How much does the US military pollute the environment? What is their role in climate change causing green house emissions? The military has taken some measures to reduce its impact on the environment and green gas emissions, but our guests say these measures do little to assuage the military's bigger effects on climate change. What are these effects and what can be done about them?[ dur: 58mins. ] This interview was recorded

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Consequence of Trump’s Gun boat...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/10/26

Are the US Navy attacks on ships off the coast of Venezuela and Colombia legal? And are they unprecedented? On today's show we explore the legality of these attacks and the precedents for them under the global war on terror and the war on drugs. [ dur: 58mins. ]Marten Willem Brienen is associate professor of Global Studies at Oklahoma State University. He is the author of book chapter Coca, Organized Crime, and (Non-)Violence in Bolivia and the book Prisons in the Americas in the Twenty-First

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Trump’s anti-green energy policies...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/10/23

Green energy shunned by the Trump Administration, we examine how this affects US economy, energy costs and green technology leadership. [ dur: 22mins. ]Shannon Gibson is Associate Professor of Political Science, International Relations, and Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California. She's also the author of Climate Change or Social Change? Environmental and Leftist Praxis and Participatory Action Research and State-led social boundary change: Transnational environmental

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Recruiting Informers For The...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/10/16

Autocratic regimes often use people throughout the population to serve as informants. Why do people choose to become an informant and collaborate with autocracies? And what constitutes justice against these informants once the state democratizes? We discuss a new book on the topic Informers Up Close with its authors Mark Drumbl and Barbora Hola. [ dur: 58mins. ]Mark Drumbl is Professor at Washington and Lee University, School of Law, and Director of the University's Transnational Law Institute

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – President Trump’s use of...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/10/08

Donald Trump has asserted himself with the power of the US into multiple ceasefires and conflict negotiations. How does this comport with US policy historically? What might be his motivation? [ dur: 58mins. ]Amy Skonieczny Professor at San Francisco State University in the International Relations Department. She is the author of a book chapter titled The Trump Shock: Populism and Changing Narratives of US Foreign Policy and author of Globalization and The Occupy Movement: Media Framing of

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58:01

Scholars’ Circle – Impact of Independent Films on...

The Scholars" Circle ·

2025/09/30

Robert Redford's passing reminds us that perhaps his greatest legacy is his support for independent film. So on today's show, what is the impact of independent film on the industry? How has independent film changed in recent years. How has the major shift toward streaming affected our access to independent films? [ dur: 58mins. ]Cynthia Baron is a Professor of Arts in Department of Theater & Film at Bowling Green State University. She is the author of Modern Acting: The Lost Chapter of American

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