Global Review – January 2023
What is the state of the world in this first month of the new year and where are things going? This global review of January 2023 looks at the key events and indicators across...
The Rise in Scale and Frequency of Natural Disasters
Older readers will remember a time when natural disasters were significant events. Today, they seem all too common. Does it feel like it is getting worse? It is! As the global economy stretches beyond...
The Age of Polycrisis
Welcome to the age of polycrisis. This is the age when what we once imagined as topics of dystopian fantasy has become the present daunting reality. It is where the predictable outcomes and arrangements...
The Recurring Debt Limit Crisis – Kicking the Can Down the Road
On Friday, the US Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, warned the US must take “extraordinary measures” to avoid defaulting on its debt as soon as January 19. Yellen explained she would impose those...
The Belgian Congo – History of Africa Part 19
In an earlier episode in our History of Africa podcast series,we looked at the Congo Free State. This was the ruthless and murderous regime under King Leopold of Belgium in the Congo. Public outcries...
The History of Ethiopia – History of Africa Part 18
As this podcast was being recorded, Ethiopia is entering its second year of brutal civil war that launched on November 3, 2022, when Ethiopian forces invaded Tigray province. This terrible war is the latest...
Africa and World War I – History of Africa Part 17
When most of us think of World War I, we rarely consider the continent of Africa. But Africa and World War I are important stories in the histories of both. This episode looks at...
French Colonial Empire in Africa – History of Africa Part 16
This episode on the French Colonial Empire in Africa is part of our ongoing series in the History of Africa podcast series. This is the last episode on the period covering the era of...
The Wagner Group – The Russian Bad Guys Coming Out of the Shadows
The Russian mercenary organization, the Wagner Group, is no longer hiding in the shadows. A recent Washington Post report detailed the acknowledgment and accolades poured upon the Wagner Group by Russian state media for...
German Southwest Africa – History of Africa Part 15
Compared to other European powers like the French, the Belgians, and the British, the Germans were late to the great scramble game on the continent. Nevertheless, the Germans left their imprint on the continent...