Global Minnesota

Saving the Majestic Rhino: Conservation Challenges and Successes Across South Africa

Home to more than 20,000 rhinoceroses, South Africa has one of the largest rhino populations in the world. However, threats from poaching, habitat loss, and political conflict continuously endanger the rhino species, pushing them toward extinction.

As we continue our yearlong focus on South Africa, join us for a special discussion with Nicole Benjamin-Fink, wildlife biologist and founder of Conservation Beyond Borders, on the work being done across political and geographic boundaries to engage communities in the socioeconomic implications of policies that endanger the rhino.

Global Conversations: Women in International Development -panel discussion

Listen to a panel presentation by international women entrepreneurs from around the world including Afghanistan, Italy, Jamaica, and Serbia, who will share their stories and experiences. These visitors will be in Minnesota as part of our Professional Exchanges program and participants in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

Global Conversations: Women in International Development

Listen to a discussion with Lauren Hendricks, Executive Vice President for Program Strategy and Institutional Relations at Grameen Foundation, on how we can create new opportunities for women around the world by closing gender gaps in access to financial services, digital technology, and productive assets, and by strengthening women’s decision-making power in their homes and communities.

Global Conversations - The Middle East - Regional Disorder

As the presidency of Donald Trump passes the halfway point, the Middle East remains a region in turmoil. The Trump administration has aligned itself with strongmen in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, which along with Israel have a common goal of frustrating Iranian expansion. What will be the fallout from policy reversals such as withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear accord and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem?

JListen to a discussion with Paul R. Pillar, Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University, on the United States' path forward in the Middle East and the possibility of war with Iran.

Discussion - Minnesota Responds to Climate Change: A Report from COP24

Listen to a panel discussion with other local experts who attended the UN climate change summit, including

• Gayle Schueller, Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer at 3M
• Dr. Corrie Grosse, sociologist at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
• Jia Zeng from Chengdu, China, a senior communication major at the College of Saint Benedict

Minnesota Responds to Climate Change: A Report from COP24

Listen to a discussion with J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director at Fresh Energy, on developments from the most recent global climate summit and to share ideas about productive next steps in Minnesota.

US Foreign Policy Update 2019

Listen to the ever-popular annual U.S. Foreign Policy Update with Diplomat in Residence and former career Foreign Service Officer, Tom Hanson. Tom will explore and explain the latest foreign policy developments, trends, and challenges facing the U.S. in the upcoming year, including the rise of populism in Europe, The Middle East, nuclear negotiations, trade with China, and the U.S.-Mexico relationship. This timely and thought-provoking presentation is recommended for anyone interested in international relations.

Global Conversations:- North Korea - Fire and Fury or Dialogue and Diplomacy?

Less than a year after threatening to unleash “Fire and Fury” on North Korea, President Trump became the first U.S. President to meet with a North Korean leader, speaking warmly of the “special bond” he shared with Kim Jong Un and expressing their mutual desire to “leave the past behind.” Does this new diplomatic opening represent a real opportunity for a denuclearized North Korea and for an official end to the Korean War? Or is the U.S. being played by Kim Jong Un in an attempt to permanently establish North Korea as a nuclear power with the ability to threaten the U.S. at will? And what role do our allies and other great powers – including China and Russia – have to play in this high-stakes diplomatic overture?

Listen to a conversation with former Cultural Affairs Officer Mark Canning as he discusses the future of U.S.-North Korea relations.

Global Conversations: U.S. Global Engagement and the Military

The global power balance is rapidly evolving, leaving the United States at a turning point with respect to its level of engagement and the role of its military. Some argue for an “America First” paradigm, with a large military to ensure security, while others call for a more assertive posture overseas. Some advocate for a restoration of American multilateral leadership and a strengthened role for diplomacy. Still, others envision a restrained U.S. role, involving a more limited military.

Listen to a conversation with retired U.S. Navy Commander Jon Olson on how the military functions in today’s international order, and how might it be balanced with diplomatic and foreign assistance capabilities.

Global Conversations: The Waning of Pax Americana

The U.S. has begun a historic shift away from Pax Americana, the liberal international order that was established in the wake of World War II. Since 1945, Pax Americana has sought peaceful international relations and an open economy, buttressed by U.S. military power. In championing “America First” isolationism and protectionism, President Trump has shifted the political direction toward selective U.S. engagement, where foreign commitments are limited to areas of vital U.S. interest and economic nationalism is the order of the day.

Listen to the conversation with former U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Tom Hanson, as he examines what this shift means for U.S. geopolitics and foreign policy.