Independent journalist Zaid Jilani joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss the political evolution of JD Vance and his transition from being a Never Trumper to Donald Trump’s running mate.

The Economist correspondent Tom Gardner discusses with host Arif Rafiq the enigma that is Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmed, who would preside over a civil war roughly a year after being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. The conversation is wide-ranging and covers Abiy's childhood, the role of religion in his life, his rise through the Ethiopian system, his transition from revered to reviled, and his relationship with great and regional powers, including including China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. Gardner is the author of "The Abiy Ahmed Project," newly published by Hurst: https://amzn.to/4cCBRsv (US); https://amzn.to/3xNK1iG (UK). LEARN MORE: https://globelynews.com/africa/meet-abiy-ahmed-ethiopia-pentecostal-putin/ CONNECT WITH US: Web: globelynews.com X: @GlobelyNews | @arifcrafiq Facebook: facebook.com/globelynewsweb

Juan David Rojas of Compact magazine and host Arif Rafiq discuss the historic victory of Claudia Sheinbaum in this month’s Mexican general elections. They take a deep dive into the record of her mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, and explore his heterodox, anti-neoliberal politics. They also assess what the future holds for Morena and Mexico under the leadership of Claudia Sheinbaum.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is returning to power for a third consecutive term, but with a slimmed-down mandate delivered by an electorate weighed down by economic precarity. India's surprising election results will have a profound effect on how Prime Minister Narendra Modi rules and who succeeds him.   LEARN MORE: https://globelynews.com/south-asia/india-elections-2024-modi-bjp/   CONNECT WITH US: Web: globelynews.com X: @GlobelyNews | @arifcrafiq Facebook: facebook.com/globelynewsweb YouTube: youtube.com/@GlobelyNews

It’s a new era in South Africa. In last week’s general elections, the African National Congress (ANC), which led the country’s freedom struggle, failed to win a National Assembly majority for the first time since the fall of apartheid in 1994. The party will now have to form a coalition government. Its choices may have profound effects not just on the ANC and South Africa, but beyond the country’s borders as well.

Venezuela is in the midst of a military buildup along its border with its smaller neighbor Guyana, a tiny South American country home to the world’s fastest growing economy — driven by oil.

Mexicans head to the polls on Sunday to choose their next president.  If the pre-election surveys are correct, their next president will be Claudia Sheinbaum — who would make history as Mexico’s first woman and first Jewish president.

Cobus van Staden of the China in Africa podcast and host Arif Rafiq discuss two competing corridors: the Western-backed Lobito Corridor and the China-constructed (and potentially soon-to-be revamped) TAZARA. They unpack the great power rivalry that is driving interest in these corridors and the interests and development strategies of regional states, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Guest Ali Hashem (@alihashem_tv) of Al Jazeera English and host Arif Rafiq (@arifcrafiq) discuss the prospects for a full-blown conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Khalil Sayegh of the Agora Initiative joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss conditions on the ground in Gaza, what kind of political future awaits the Palestinian people, and his views on the response of Christian Zionists in the U.S. to the mass killings of Palestinians.

India’s general elections begin this month and are likely to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party back to power for a third consecutive term. King’s College London Prof. Christophe Jaffrelot and host Arif Rafiq discuss the fundamental features of Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist project developed in the “laboratory” of the Gujarat state and applied nationally over his first two terms as prime minister. They explore how Modi commandeered India’s Hindu nationalist movement and refashioned it into a Modi-centric populism, backed by a vigilante-driven social surveillance regime and marked by crony capitalism. They assess what an India after Modi might look like and whether democracy and secularism can bounce back once his reign has come to an end.

University of Maryland Professor Michael Woldemariam joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss the recent maritime access agreement between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland. They address landlocked Ethiopia’s problem of geography, its regional aspirations, the challenges of federalism and fragmentation in Somalia and Ethiopia, and the contestation between great and regional powers, including the U.S. and China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey.

Uyghur activist Nury Turkel speaks with host Arif Rafiq on China’s persecution of the Uyghur Muslims; the systems of coercion, surveillance, and collective punishment directed at the Uyghurs; and how you, the listener, may be unknowingly consuming products made in part through forced Uyghur labor.

Jacqui Baker of Murdoch University joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss Prabowo Subianto’s victory in Indonesia’s presidential elections, the legacy and political future of Joko Widodo, and the durability of the economic and political status quo in this rising Southeast Asian power.

Jay Mandle, a professor emeritus of economics at Colgate University, joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss whether Guyana, now the world's newest petrostate and fastest-growing economy, can leverage its newfound oil wealth to change its destiny and avoid the "resource curse." By 2035, Guyana could become the world's fourth-largest producer of oil. But it faces a host of challenges in exploiting these resources for the benefit of its population. In this episode, Mandle and Rafiq these obstacles, including climate change, longstanding ethnic and racial divisions, and threats from neighboring Venezuela.   LEARN MORE: Guyana: Can the World’s Newest Petrostate Change Its Destiny?   CONNECT WITH US: Web: globelynews.com X: @GlobelyNews | @arifcrafiq Facebook: facebook.com/globelynewsweb YouTube: youtube.com/@GlobelyNews

Meredith Weiss, a professor of political science at the University at Albany, joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss the many political transformations of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over his political career.

Afshon Ostovar, an associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss how Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) transformed from being a ragtag militia to a preeminent outside force in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Ali Wyne, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group, joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss the implications of Taiwan’s recent elections, how China is responding to the results, the risks of a U.S.-China war over Taiwan, and the broader challenge of managing a rising China.

Journalist Emily Tamkin, author of "Bad Jews," joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss the evolving and often contentious debate over what it means to be an American Jew and how today's conversations about Jews, whiteness, and wealth fit into the broader historical, American Jewish experience. They also discuss the parallels between neoconservatism in the 60s and 70s and today's counter-progressivism — or anti-wokeism — among Jewish public intellectuals. The conversation concludes with Tamkin's thoughts on the crisis of American Zionism.   LEARN MORE: American Jews: Beyond the Tropes     CONNECT WITH US: Web: globelynews.com X: @GlobelyNews | @arifcrafiq Facebook: facebook.com/globelynewsweb YouTube: youtube.com/@GlobelyNews

Ali Riaz, a distinguished professor of political science at Illinois State University, joins host Arif Rafiq to discuss how deep and durable Bangladesh’s socio-economic gains are and whether they can be sustained under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian regime.