Departures is a literary podcast featuring half-hour interviews with nonfiction authors covering a diverse range of subjects, from geopolitics to law, to histor...
A discussion on religious freedom with Robert Destro
Issues of religious freedom, in theory, should not be controversial or disputed - there is a general consensus among public opinion that all peoples should have the right to worship according to their beliefs. And yet, it seems that we are going backwards on this basic right, with governments and political parties all around the world seeking to weaponize divides among faith communities to their partisan advantages and dubious agendas. This week on Departures we are very privileged to have the special guest Robert Destro, law professor at the Columbus School of Law of Catholic University, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at State Department from 2019-2021. Destro discusses with host Robert Amsterdam many of the global challenges he faced in his official role in the previous administration, from China to the Middle East, as well as the Ukrainian government's campaign of persecution against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. (Disclosure: Robert Amsterdam is an international lawyer representing the UOC).
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29:12
Identities, Rivalries, and Schisms in the modern Middle East
The Muslim world, despite its sprawling and complex history, is largely understood by outsiders to fall within the Shia or Sunni category, or among the conflict between. This is not just misleading, but also obscures a much more fascinating and colorful human history of the Middle East which continues to shape events today. In this episode of Departures with Robert Amsterdam, we're pleased to feature Barnaby Rogerson, the author of "The House Divided: Sunni, Shia and the Making of the Middle East." Rogerson, who is a seasoned British author, television presenter and publisher explores these complex themes and history, sharing stories dating back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632, the accidental coup against his son, and fast forwarding right up to the Iranian revolution to draw insights on the religious cleavages which have taken root in the region in modern times.
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24:50
Why Sanctions Often Backfire
The imposition of economic sanctions has become Washington's preferred method of expressing disapproval over the conduct of other states. But how effective are sanctions in changing behavior or achieving desired outcomes? This week on Departures with Robert Amsterdam, we are pleased to feature the brilliant former diplomat Vali Nasr, the Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. Professor Nasr is a co-author, along with Narges Vajoghli, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, and Ali Velez, of the book How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare. In this insightful conversation, Nasr explores why Iran serves as a pivotal case study for understanding the role of sanctions in foreign policy, their limitations, and why they often fail to deliver the intended results. He also shares his expert perspectives on several critical geopolitical developments, including Israel's Gaza offensive, the fall of the Assad regime, and the internal dynamics within the Islamic Republic.
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24:20
Our relationship with the past is in big trouble
There's an old Soviet joke that goes something like "the future is certain; it's the past that is unpredictable" which continues to have an eerie resonance today, as revisionism seems to be on a constant assault against past events which are challenging or complex for some people to accept based on modern social mores and values. In his new book, "The War Against the Past: Why The West Must Fight For Its History," the renowned sociologist Frank Furedi takes aim at those commiting these acts of cultural vandalism and denounces, in quite strong terms, the damage and disservice they are doing to our society by projecting these modern sensibilities upon the historical record. In this conversation with Robert Amsterdam, Furedi expands on his thesis and delves into some of the examples of victimhood and "grievance entrepreneurs" surrounding the twisting of narratives from events more than two centuries ago. When the past is rendered toxic, Furedi argues, we begin to live in an inhumane society, one where time is divided into a bad past and a rightly engineered future, and which splits people into shamefaced identities and victim identities. The author makes a call to arms to fight back, to celebrate heroes, to stop apologizing, and to embrace history, warts and all.
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27:12
The ignominious track record of Africa's foreign saviors
Throughtout the post-colonial period in Africa, there has been no shortage of economists, non-governmental organizations, diplomats, and aid organizations flying in from the United States and Western Europe with an astonishing array of prescriptions and reform plans to dramatically transform the economies and governance structures of these young nations. With few exceptions, these interventions failed miserably, and arguably made things much worse in a number of countries. This is the focus of Bronwen Everill's new book, "Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance and African Economics," which explores the history of how the well intentioned foreigners often "enforced specifically Western ideas about growth, wealth, debt, unemployment, inflation, women’s work and more, and used Western metrics to find African countries wanting." In this discussion with Robert Amsterdam, Dr. Everill discusses the findings of her book, explores how new players such as China and Russia are now taking over influence in the region, and what the future role should be for collaborative economic development and trade with the region.
Departures is a literary podcast featuring half-hour interviews with nonfiction authors covering a diverse range of subjects, from geopolitics to law, to history, international affairs, and current events. Hosted by international lawyer Robert Amsterdam, founder of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, Departures brings listeners into casual but revealing conversations with our favorite authors, bringing light to new ideas, arguments, and issues deserving of consideration outside of the usual narratives of the news cycle.
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