Global Currents

This week, Global Currents speaks with Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who discusses his new book “America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers.” Hagel, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, highlights the need for America to “reintroduce itself to the world” and offers his insight into the future of U.S. foreign policy.

Hagel call for greater bipartisanship in the creation of U.S. foreign policy and the need to move beyond the squabbles that have helped create negative perceptions of the U.S. around the globe.

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In this edition of Global Currents, host Sarwar Kashmeri speaks with Bill Emmott, Asia expert and former editor in chief of The Economist, about his new book, Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan Will Shape our Next Decade.

The interview is part of the ongoing examination of the rise of Asia on to the world stage, which Emmott calls “the biggest story of our times.” Find out more about the book and Mr. Emmott at his website.

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Global Currents host Sarwar Kashmeri speaks with Singapore’s former Ambassador to the United Nations and author of The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East, Kishore Mahbubani, about the rise of Asia as an economic and political powerhouse.

With a special focus on China and India, the two discuss challenges facing the rising powers, as well as the potential for collaboration and confrontation with Western countries.

Now the Dean and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, Mahbubani served for 33 years as a diplomat for Singapore and has written many articles on world affairs. His website will introduce you to his writings: you can learn more about his books and read some of his articles and interviews.
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This week, the new season of Global Currents kicks off with an interview with Madeleine Kunin, the first woman governor of the state of Vermont and the author of Pearls, Politics and Power. Kunin talks about her new book, which she calls a call to action for women in politics.

http://cdn3.libsyn.com/rnolan/18__032108_Kunin_WCOPY.mp3

The Foreign Policy Association and Sarwar Kashmeri, FPA Fellow and author of America and Europe after 9/11 and Iraq: The Great Divide are pleased to announce the launch of a special series of interviews celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which laid the foundations of the European Union. This unprecedented series kicks off with a discussion between Kashmeri and European Commission Vice President Margot Wallström. Wallström speaks of the evolution of the European Union, what it means to young Europeans today and the challenges presented by its complexities to U.S. policymakers. Click here to learn more about Celebrate Europe and the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

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This week, Global Currents speaks with Former U.S. Foreign Service Officer, David Grimland. Grimland has retired from a distinguished Foreign Service career in the Middle East and has been speaking to the people of Montana on Muslim culture. He was struck by the intense level of interest in the topic across a wide spectrum of people. Grimland believes the U.S. media’s portrayal of Muslims has been largely inaccurate and has in effect led to misunderstandings. He would advise the U.S. to concentrate on exchange based programs, believing that people, once having had actual experiences with one another are less inclined to fall back on stereotypes.

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This week, Global Currents speaks with Former E.U. Ambassador to the U.S., Hugo Paemen. Paemen, a highly experienced trade negotiator, discusses this year’s annual U.S. E.U. meeting to boost economic ties and examines why we need another trade relationship with the E.U.. The elimination of specific bilateral barriers to trade are also discussed along with the impact of bilateral trade agreements on the Doha round.

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Global Currents host Sarwar Kashmeri speaks with the North American CEO of the world’s largest business software company, SAP. Bill McDermott discusses the impact the global economy has had on the software industry, and the new demands it has placed on companies not just to “act global” but to “think global.”

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This week Global Currents speaks with Karen Rohan, Editor in Chief of the Foreign Policy Association. Great Decisions is the greatest contribution the Foreign Policy Association makes to improve general understanding of Foreign Affairs and the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. Karen Rohan discusses the role of Great Decisions and the lengthily process of picking topics. The discussion also sheds light on the National Opinion Ballots, and the National Opinion Ballot report which is compiled and delivered to decision makers in Washington each year.

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Sarwar Kashmeri speaks with Wall Street Journal Online Managing Editor Bill Grueskin. Grueskin outlines the strengths and weaknesses of online news, offers insight into new trends in blogging and search engines and discusses the thinking behind the recent redesign of www.WSJ.com

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