Global Governance Podcast
The Global Governance Podcast, hosted by Augusto Lopez-Claros, explores the future of governance and the role of international institutions in addressing global challenges. Each episode focuses on a different issue such as climate change, gender equality, corruption, or peace and security, and looks at how governance affects its solution. The show convenes experts to engage in a thought-provoking game of “what if?” and “why not?”, imagining a world marked by deeper international cooperation. It is produced by the Global Governance Forum.
Episodes
Michael Mandelbaum on America's Foreign Policy and the Future of the International Order
Michael Mandelbaum reflects on American foreign policy, mounting nuclear dangers, geopolitical fragmentation, and whether today's international institutions can adapt before another global crisis compels reform.Learn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Juan González-Barba on Europe's Future: Values, Unity, and Leadership in a Fragmented World
As geopolitical fragmentation deepens, Ambassador Juan González-Barba reflects on Europe's future, the power of shared values, and how principled cooperation can help shape a more stable international order.Learn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Allan Rock on Fighting Grand Corruption and Renewing Global Governance
As grand corruption erodes democracy, security, and public trust, Allan Rock explores the case for an International Anti-Corruption Court, the future of UN reform, and the stronger global institutions needed to uphold the rule of law.Learn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Adam Lupel on Reforming Global Security, Reviving Multilateralism, and the Future of the UN
In a recent podcast conversation with Adam Lupel, we explored the growing mismatch between today’s global risks and the United Nations’ capacity to respond effectively. Our discussion ranged from Security Council paralysis and the corrosive effects of veto use, to the UN’s limited ability to address contemporary threats such as civil conflict, state fragility, and transnational risks. We also exam
Jojo Mehta on Making Ecocide a Crime: Rewriting the Rules for Planetary Protection
In this episode, Jojo Mehta, CEO of Stop Ecocide International, explores the growing global movement to recognize ecocide as an international crime. Building on the vision she developed with the late Polly Higgins, Mehta explains why criminal law—alongside regulation—is essential to closing accountability gaps in a fragmented world. She reflects on the milestones that have moved ecocide from the m
Julia Haas on Safeguarding Media Freedom and Democratic Integrity in the AI Era
Artificial intelligence is transforming the global information ecosystem at breathtaking speed. In this timely conversation, Julia Haas, Head of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media’s AI & Freedom of Expression project, examines what this means for journalism, democratic governance, and human rights.We discuss the rise of deepfakes and AI-driven disinformation, the concentration of
Peter J. Hoffman on Rethinking the UN at a Constitutional Moment
In this wide-ranging discussion, Professor Peter J. Hoffman argues that the United Nations’ current paralysis reflects a deeper crisis of legitimacy rather than a temporary political impasse. He examines why incremental reform is no longer sufficient, probing core questions of Security Council authority, democratic representation beyond states, the governance of planetary risk, and the constitutio
Reimagining Global Governance: Augusto Lopez-Claros on the Movement for a Second UN Charter
In this excerpt from CBC Ideas, Augusto López-Claros reflects on a rapidly changing world and the civic movements demanding that the UN evolve with it. From the failures of the current system to the rising pressure from civil society, he outlines why the UN Charter’s original architects left behind a little-known pathway — Article 109 — designed to ensure periodic review. Nearly 80 years later, th
Martin Kreutner on the Perils of Strongman Diplomacy
Martin Kreutner, Dean Emeritus of the International Anti-Corruption Academy and a distinguished former member of the Austrian Federal Appeals Tribunal traces the historical roots of our present global order and compellingly argues that the shift to various forms of strongman diplomacy currently under way, in the spirit of the 1945 Yalta conference that established the key political parameters of t
Guy Sinclair on why the UN needs to adapt to 21st century realities
Professor Guy Sinclair explains how the UN has, over time, diverged from its original Charter, adapting in response to global shifts—sometimes enhancing its relevance, but at other times straining its legitimacy. Sinclair outlines four key factors driving institutional change: external shocks, internal dynamics, legal mechanisms, and shared narratives. As new technologies like AI and autonomous we
Cecelia Lynch on the Links between Inclusion, Peace and Prosperity
Cecelia Lynch, a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, is a leading thinker on the importance of inclusion as a catalyst for promoting sustainable, peaceful, social transformations. The idea is that inclusion should not just be limited to nation states but should from the outset involve those directly impacted by conflicts, so that they play a leading role in the resoluti
Sundeep Waslekar on Our Civilizational Crises
Sundeep Waslekar eloquently explains why current nationalisms and our obsession with the primacy of the nation state are not able to deliver practical solutions to the problems that threaten our future as a human family. In addition to reforms to our current UN-based global governance architecture we also need a new philosophical and ethical framework that is consistent with the idea that we are o
Sonia Sanchez Diaz on the Crisis in the Middle East
Professor Sonia Sanchez Diaz is a highly regarded analyst of the crisis in the Middle East, widely respected for her objectivity, impartiality and incisive analysis, which builds on a deep understanding of the region´s troubled history, its institutions, and peoples. In this podcast she examines developments over the past couple of years and what it means for regional stability and security. Her p
Ambassador Gerardo Bugallo on our Post-Cold War World
Gerardo Bugallo was Spain's Ambassador in Ukraine during the critical years 2013-17, a crucial period that spanned from the Euromaidan to the first years after the annexation of Crimea. In this podcast interview he shares fascinating insights on the end of the Cold War, the origins of the current conflict, the possibilities of a fair settlement that would permit Ukraine to develop as a sovere
Michael Mandelbaum on Titans of the Twentieth Century
Michael Mandelbaum has written a fascinating book examining the role of major political leaders in shaping our recent history, for better or for worse. He is a highly regarded author with an insightful understanding of the factors that have shaped conflict and progress over the past century. Some of the titans featured in this podcast based on his book operated within democratic settings and left
Wendy Broadgate: Deep into Danger Zone on Climate Change
Wendy Broadgate is a distinguished scientist who has worked in Earth system science and the science-policy interface for two decades. She is therefore singularly well-qualified to address the question of the dangers we face because of inadequate action to set our climate system within safe and just boundaries. Public support for more robust action to put the Earth on a more sustainable path is bro
Anthony Annett on The Elements of a More Just Economy
Anthony Annett is an economist who spent two decades at the International Monetary Fund, including as speechwriter to the Managing Director. In an insightful podcast based on his book Cathonomics: How Catholic Tradition Can Create a More Just Economy he argues that we need to take a fresh look at the policies, priorities, and institutions that underpin our current economic system. These are no lon
Soumya Swaminathan on Why we Need Stronger Global Health Governance
As the most recent Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization Soumya Swaminathan was on the forefront of the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of her distinguished background in policymaking spanning more than 30 years of experience bringing science and evidence into the formulation of effective actions to address fundamental issues of public health, Dr Swaminathan bri
Daniel Perell on Why We Need to Rethink our Global Governance Architecture
Daniel Perell currently serves as a co-chair of the Steering Group of the Coalition for the UN We Need, an umbrella group of civil society organizations that are collaborating to modernize the UN system, to better adapt it to the needs of the 21st century. He is thus extremely well-qualified to share insights into the forthcoming UN Summit of the Future and the extent to which it might become a ca
Sandrine Dixson-Declève on The Need for a New Economic Paradigm
As co-president of the Club of Rome Sandrine Dixson-Declève is singularly well-qualified to speak to the major challenges we confront today and on which, in the search for solutions, we need much stronger levels of international cooperation. Widening income disparities have started to undermine social and political stability, the needs of the extremely poor are not being met, and we are failing to
Sundeep Waslekar on A World Without War
Sundeep Waslekar is a distinguished social scientist who has thought a great deal about the causes and the instruments of war and the risks they pose to the future of humankind. He is the recent author of A World Without War, a book published by HarperCollins in which he argues that while the risks of nuclear holocaust have perhaps never been higher, we can reverse course and not commit collective
Arunabha Ghosh on Mapping our Path to a Green Future
Arunabha Ghosh, an internationally recognized public policy expert, author and columnist is the founder-CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia's top climate think-tanks. In numerous reports, articles and speeches, Dr. Ghosh has convincingly argued that confronting the challenges of climate change will require better policies at the national level and massive l
Rebecca Shoot on Global Solutions to Global Problems
Rebecca Shoot, Executive Director of Citizens for Global Solutions, a US-based organization closely aligned with the ideals of the world federalist movement, is an international lawyer and democracy and governance practitioner with extensive experience supporting human rights, democratic processes, and the rule of law on five continents. In a wide ranging interview, she discusses our climate emerg
Andrew Strauss on the Desirability of a Global Parliament
Andrew Strauss, Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Dayton School of Law, and a graduate of Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs discusses why setting up a global parliament, perhaps initially by a core group of 20-30 countries, would significantly strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the system that underpins our mechanisms of international cooperation.
Michael Mandelbaum on Our Brittle Global Security Landscape
Michael Mandelbaum, a distinguished author with seminal contributions to a better understanding of some of the world´s most intractable problems, discusses why we are failing in our efforts to protect the planet from the calamities of climate change and what to do about it. He also analyzes our unsettled global security situation and the risks for an acceleration of nuclear proliferation and the i
Steven Phelps on the Interconnectedness of Science and Religion
Steven Phelps is an American physicist, philosopher and translator holding a Ph.D. in Physics, with a specialization in cosmology, from Princeton University. For over a decade he held a research position in the Physics Department at Technion University in Israel and published original research on the masses of nearby galaxies. He is thus singularly well qualified to explain why science and religio
Fernando Iglesias on the Fight Against Organized Crime in Latin America
Fernando Iglesias is a member of Parliament in Argentina and the Director of the Campaign for a Latin American and Caribbean Criminal Court Against Transnational Organized Crime (COPLA). Pervasive organized crime in the region is a huge drag on social and economic development, has led to sky-high levels of violent crime, as the mafias that fuel drug trafficking, money laundering and bribery operat
Cedric Ryngaert on Why the World Needs an International Anti-Corruption Court
Cedric Ryngaert is the Chairman of the Department of International and European Law at Utrecht University and the Editor-in-Chief of the Netherlands International Law Review. In this podcast he explores the role of an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC) as a potentially powerful innovation to our global governance architecture. The IACC would be an enforcement mechanism for laws which are
Michael Penn on Human Rights and the Development of Human Capabilities
Michael Penn, a professor of psychology and a trained clinical psychologist, explores the evolution of the concept of human rights over the past century and discusses why the unfoldment of a culture of respect for the dignity of the individual is essential to catalyse the creation of conditions in societies that will contribute to human development. Why should the primary role of government be lin
Kerstin Carlson on the Evolution of International Criminal Law
Kerstin Carlson is a professor of international law in Denmark at Roskilde University, as well as The American University of Paris. In this podcast she addresses a number of vital questions for the future of international criminal law. Can international criminal justice institutions remain broadly apolitical bodies? How does one reconcile a paradox at the center of the practice of international cr
Jeffrey Knopf on the Unraveling of Our Nuclear Order
Professor Jeffrey Knopf, with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California and with the Center on International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University explains why we can no longer rely only on deterrence, the nuclear taboo, arms control agreements and good luck. He argues that we must examine the psychological and
Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Susana Malcorra and Jody Williams on Rethinking Global Affairs to Confront Global Challenges
Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Susana Malcorra and Jody Williams have decades of combined experience in enriching the global debates on how to enhance the effectiveness of our mechanisms of international cooperation and innovate in ways that contribute to buttress our tottering global order. In this wide-ranging interview, before an audience of some 600 students and faculty at one of Spain´s leading uni
Daniel Deudney on Humankind’s Nuclear Predicament
In an insightful interview Daniel Deudney, a distinguished author and teacher, likens the possession of nuclear weapons to owning a house in which we have placed boxes of dynamite with short fuses and given someone the authority, under some circumstances, to blow up the house. Except that, in the nuclear age, with much better knowledge about the lethal environmental consequences of the use of nucl
Lisa Palmer on Our Hot and Hungry Planet
In her book Hot, Hungry Planet: The Fight to Stop a Global Food Crisis in the Face of Climate Change, Lisa Palmer analyzed the challenges we face in global food security as they relate to climate change. Over the next decade we are likely to see continued population growth, an acceleration in global warming, the intensification of a water crisis, and an increase in the incidence of civil unrest as
Frank Van Gansbeke on Financial Innovations for Climate Change Mitigation
There is an urgent need to think imaginatively about changing incentives and channeling financial resources to fund the transition to a renewable energy economy. We are falling short although we have the instruments to do it. Much is at stake if we fail.Learn more on GlobalGovneranceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Tad Daley on the Idea of a Global Republic
Dr. Tad Daley has been thinking about some of the greatest challenges of our time and his first book, Apocalypse Never, was a trenchant analysis of how to rid the world of nuclear weapons and the accompanying mechanisms of international cooperation that would make that goal achievable within our lifetimes. Like Dante more than 700 years ago, he believes that we need to set aside centuries of viole
Maria Joao Rodrigues: The EU as a Template for International Cooperation
Maria Joao Rodrigues, the current President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies in Brussels, made the transition from Employment Minister in Portugal in the government of Antonio Guterres to the European Council and the European Parliament. For the past two decades she has taken part in some of the key debates within the European Union about the process of integration, from enlargem
Margarita Konaev on the Changing Nature of Warfare
Dr. Margarita Konaev is Deputy Director of Analysis and a Research Fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). She is interested in military applications of AI and Russian military innovation. She has written extensively on international security, armed conflict, non-state actors and urban warfare in the Middle East, Russia and Eurasia. In a broad-ranging
Olga Tokariuk on Russia’s Unprovoked War on Ukraine
Olga Tokariuk is a distinguished independent journalist and researcher based in Kyiv, Ukraine. She writes mainly about Ukrainian politics, international affairs, and the role of disinformation and its impact on democracies worldwide. In a compelling interview with our host Augusto Lopez-Claros, Ms. Tokariuk talks about life in war-torn Ukraine, why Russia sees Ukraine and the West as security thre
Michael Mandelbaum on War and Peace and the Lessons of History
Michael Mandelbaum has spent several decades thinking about the major global problems that we face, and his writings and opinions have been an invaluable source of insight, understanding and wisdom. Whether it is the future of war as an instrument of state power, the role of the UN in providing peace and security, how to patch up our crumbling nuclear order or the role of technology in acceleratin
Thomas G. Weiss on Rethinking Global Governance and the UN’s Founding
Thomas G. Weiss is a distinguished scholar at the CUNY Graduate Center who as past president of the International Studies Association, chair of the Academic Council on the United Nations System, editor of the journal Global Governance, and Research Director of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty has written extensively about global governance, international peace and
Johan Rockström on the Climate Challenges We Face
Johan Rockström is one of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of climate change. In a broad ranging interview with Ambassador Amanda Ellis, he highlights the importance of the removal of energy subsidies and the introduction of a carbon tax, the need for accountability and the development of monitoring mechanisms for emissions reductions promises, which should become legally binding. We
Professor Robert Klitgaard on Corruption, Heroes and the Purpose of Life
Drawing on a lifetime of experience advising governments on tackling corruption our guest addresses some of the critical questions of development, from poverty, education and opportunity to the question of life’s purpose and the development of human potential.Robert Klitgaard is a distinguished academic and educator and a sought-after adviser to governments on issues of corruption and other vital
Sweden's Ambassador Johanna Lissinger on our Climate Emergency
Our response to the challenges of climate change needs a significant boost; we need to do more and move more rapidly if we are to forestall its calamitous consequences. Stockholm+50 later this year will provide a unique opportunity to do so.Learn more at GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Maria Fernanda Espinosa on Why This is no Time for Incrementalism
The world faces multiple crises across different fronts. Climate change and the associated temperature rise will interact in noxious ways with biodiversity, pollution, and the global economy. This is no time for incremental change; indifference is not an option.Learn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Hans Corell on UN Security Council Reform and the Rule of Law
We need to think creatively to enhance the effectiveness of the UN Security Council, to boost its ability to deal with threat multipliers like climate change, and to empower it to become a catalyst in the emergence of mature democracies governed by the rule of law.Learn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Nik Gowing on the Climate Emergency and Thinking the Unthinkable
Massive changes will be needed over the next several years, to our policies, institutions and way of thinking to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. Lack of action will imply the hollowing out of social stability and national security.Learn more on globalgovernanceforum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Jody Williams on the Need to Rethink the Concept of National Security
Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, surveying the many catastrophic risks that threaten our future, makes a powerful case to redefine national security in terms of human welfare rather than the maintenance of military establishments. For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Daniel Kaufmann on the Destructive Effects of Corruption
Corruption has emerged as not only a destroyer of human prosperity but also a threat to our economic, social and political order. This podcast casts light on the causes, the impact and what to do about this malignant force in the 21st century. For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Susana Malcorra on the Future of the UN and Why Gender Equality is Vital
A former UN Under-Secretary General and Chief of Staff to the Secretary General explains why women´s empowerment is a vital force for transformation, from UN reform to the future of multilateralism, the response to a global pandemic and global prosperity.For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
The Vatican's Dicastery on the Promotion of Human Development
The Vatican has played a central role in past decades in drawing the attention of the international community to a range of issues which address fundamental questions of human development. Alessio Pecorario provides fascinating insights into the latest thinking.For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum
Richard Goldstone and the Need for International Enforcement
Few people have a better understanding of the power of the law to engender changes for the better in our troubled world. Whether it is the end of apartheid in South Africa or the establishment of a court to bring criminals to justice, the need for international enforcement mechanisms is vital in a globalized world.For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit Global
Katherine Marshall on Ethics, Values and Faith in Human Development
Exploring the link between ethics and values and good governance is vital as we endeavor to find practical solutions to a whole range of unresolved problems currently threatening our future, from climate change to widening income disparities and extreme poverty.For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum
Gender Equality as a Driver of Human Prosperity
In a broad ranging discussion Amanda Ellis discusses the progress made over the past quarter century in achieving greater gender equality and why empowering women is the key to a more secure and prosperous world.For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Toward World Parliament with Andreas Bummel
The 75th anniversary of the UN Charter in 2020 unleashed broad- ranging debates about the future of an organization that rose from the chaos and destruction brought about by World War II and was meant to establish a basis for peace, security and prosperity, for a world weary of violence and bloodshed. Despite some achievements, the UN is struggling to find relevance in the 21st century, amidst a p
Carolina Sanchez-Paramo on the Impact of COVID-19 and the State of Global Poverty
In this episode we sit down with Carolina Sánchez-Páramo to discuss the state of poverty in 2021, inequality of opportunity, the role of women in development, who is shouldering the economic impact of the pandemic, and more. For more information about this episode and the Global Governance Forum visit GlobalGovernanceForum.orgLearn more on GlobalGovernanceForum.org
Richard Falk on the Future of International Cooperation
In the effort to contribute to the creation of a more peaceful, just and secure world there are few voices that have been as compelling and pioneering as that of our guest today, Richard A. Falk. In this episode, Richard and I will discuss why international cooperation is vital today, COVID-19, and the future of the UN, the EU and global governance as a whole.For more information about this episod
Branko Milanovic on the Dangers of Income Inequality
Today, we are pleased to welcome a thinker and scholar who is a master at communicating the complex in a simple and relatable way. Branko Milanovic served as lead economist in the World Bank's research department for twenty years and has had teaching appointments at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins and currently is a Visiting President Professor at City University of New York. Branko
The UN Turns 75: What Next? with USG Fabrizio Hochschild
The year 2020 marked a very important milestone for the United Nations— its 75th anniversary. Overshadowed in many ways by the catastrophic effects of the global pandemic and an apparent backstep in global cooperation, this momentous occasion served as a stark reminder of the need for increased multilateralism. A reminder that, while the 75 years of accomplishments by the UN have been noble and gr
Does the World Need an International Anti-Corruption Court?
A kleptocracy is a form of government in which the leaders use their power to steal money and resources from the country that they rule. In many countries around the world this type of mass corruption goes almost completely unchallenged. But what if it didn’t? What if in the not too distant future, there was a high court tasked with prosecuting the kleptocrats of the world in the same way the Inte
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