Matters of State - Underreported Issues in World News & International Relations

Emperor Akihito of Japan is not your traditional emperor. In light of Akihito’s unconventional remarks hinting at a poss... Read more

As we become more and more dependent on the internet, basic notions such a person’s country of residence are shifting. E... Read more

Do more nuclear weapons make the world a safer place? Since 1945, nuclear weapons have underpinned the global balance of... Read more

How far do the limits of modern society reach? What is “modern society,” and who belongs to it? What happens when states... Read more

The Ten Stages of Genocide is the first episode of our new series, Again and Again: A Series on Modern-Day Genocide. In ... Read more

What makes a country a country? In this episode, we look at Transnistria, Taiwan, and Somaliland while exploring competi... Read more

Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis represents the interests of the European Union in Washington, DC. Ambassador Lambrinidis ... Read more

We’ve heard a lot about the drug wars in Mexico. We’ve even become familiar with the cartels that wage them- their names... Read more

Al-Qaeda has pervaded international headlines for years, but how much do you really know about the Islamist militant gro... Read more

The disputed region of Kashmir and Jammu has endured persistent conflict since Indian and Pakistani independence in 1947... Read more

This episode explores the origins of the Meiji Revolution, how it changed the Japanese society, and how it shaped region... Read more

Tucked away in the northeast corner of South America, Guyana is often overshadowed by its larger neighbors Venezuela, Br... Read more

The Panama Canal’s opening in 1914 transformed global trade and fostered economic development in Panama. Today, Nicaragu... Read more

Professor Robinson joins us for a candid discussion about his book, ‘Why Nations Fail’. In it, he makes the case that th... Read more

What is universal basic income (UBI)? In this episode explore why people like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are advocati... Read more

In today’s episode, we put a spotlight on the island nation of Papua New Guinea. PNG, bordering Indonesia and Australia ... Read more

Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory on the northwest coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and ... Read more

The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest, covering 40% of South America and spanning eight countries and one territo... Read more

Cryptocurrencies from Bitcoin to Ripple were hot topics in 2017, but how much do you understand how they work? Blockchai... Read more

International relations are being conducted via digital communication more than ever. However, one aspect of internation... Read more