The Divide 55592w

Although the United States and the European Union have implemented extensive sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia continues to find its ways to finance its military efforts. Why has it not depleted its funds for weapons acquisition, and who is sustaining the Russian economy? In this episode, Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt, an astrophysicist and energy security expert from the University of Pennsylvania, explores the difficulties of enforcing sanctions and discusses why it is important for countries to transition to renewable energy. 

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has served as a wake-up call for Europe. Countries are now recognizing the risks of depending heavily on Russia's energy exports, finding themselves constrained by Russia's dominance in their energy markets. In this episode, Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt from the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy discusses Europe's energy security vulnerabilities and addresses the unethical practices of many far-right politicians who prioritize their financial interests over those of Europe.

The deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system in South Korea in 2016 triggered a series of sanctions from China. Since then, Seoul has been cautiously avoiding a repeat of such incidents, even going so far as to arrest its own citizens on the charge of threatening national security. In this episode, Bethany Allen, author of 'Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World,' continues to discuss China's use of economic coercion and its impact on liberal democracies. 

When China imposed sanctions on Australian wine, meat, and lobster following Australia's inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in 2020, countries worldwide realized in horror that they had been held hostage by Beijing's use of economic coercion, a term popularized by China’s strategic application of economic measures to achieve its political goals. This week, journalist and author Bethany Allen discusses her book "Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World." She delves into her research on how the Chinese Communist Party manipulates global trade to force companies and governments to comply with its .  

When scholars, security experts, politicians, and activists all warn that "democracy is under threat," it's clear this is no longer merely a hyperbolic slogan. The situations such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, conflict in Gaza, and coercion threats in the Taiwan Strait illustrate the challenges states face in managing security risks and deterring hostile adversaries. Today, weapons of mass destruction still represent the ultimate form of deterrence. In this episode, Dr. Mariana Budjeryn, a researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center Project on Managing the Atom, discusses Ukraine's decision to relinquish its nuclear arsenal under the Budapest Memorandum, the effectiveness of nuclear deterrence, and the ongoing risks associated with nuclear armament.

As of July 2024, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in over 11,100 civilian deaths and at least 21,860 injuries. In a stark warning, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, a state without its own nuclear arsenal. But did you know Ukraine once held the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal? In this episode, Dr. Mariana Budjeryn discusses Ukraine's commitment to the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, the treaty that was meant to safeguard the country from military conflicts, and the uncanny resemblance of Ukraine and Taiwan's disarmament history.  

As athletes from around the world prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics with their nations' backing, Taiwan's athletes face challenges in competing and qualifying for the national team due to opaque selection processes managed by their sports associations.   In this episode of "The Divide," retired swimmer Mitzi Ting and host Iris explore the Chinese Taipei Swimming Association's alleged manipulation of rankings and interference in the Olympic selection process. They discuss how the lack of transparency and fairness has harmed the careers of Taiwan's athletes for decades and examine the difficulties and risks athletes face when speaking up.

American voters are becoming less enthusiastic about their choices after the first US presidential debate ended with President Joe Biden facing growing pressure to drop out of the race, while former President Trump is being criticized for false claims he made during the debate. Meanwhile, people in Taiwan are closely monitoring the race, anxiously waiting to see if the future US president will bring changes to US-Taiwan relations. In this episode, American journalist Chris Horton explores the potential policies of future US istration and the significance of Taiwan in American national security and foreign policy.

As AI continues to weave itself into the fabric of technological advancement, it brings with it a host of opportunities and challenges. Taiwan, home to the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer TSMC, is also navigating the delicate balance between fostering innovation and implementing regulations to ensure safety and public trust.  In this episode, Gareth Tan of the Coalition for Digital Prosperity for Asia talks about why small- and medium-sized businesses are easily marginalized in the AI and digital markets around the world, and what his organization is doing to change that. 

More than half of the world's population, 4.2 billion people, live in countries where freedom of expression is in crisis. Each year, Article 19, a British international human rights organization that works to defend and promote freedom of expression and freedom of information worldwide, publishes the "Global Expression Report" to track the changes in the right to free expression and information worldwide. This year, the organization found that freedom of expression is stagnant at a global level. In this episode of The Divide, Article 19's Senior Director of Programmes David Diaz-Jogeix talks about the findings from this year's Global Expression Report and highlights some concerning trends, including internet shutdowns, harassment of journalists, and hate speech that are contributing to the decline. Go to https://www.globalexpressionreport.org/ to find out how your country has performed when it comes to freedom of expression.  

On June 4 each year, Hong Kongers mourn the the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre who died on that day in 1989 together at the city's Victoria Park. But this year, the heavy police presence and subsequent arrests signaled a message to the citizens: "If you try to commemorate, you are breaking the law, and we will arrest you." Sophie Richardson, who served as the China Director at Human Rights Watch from 2006-2023 and is currently a visiting scholar at the Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University, speaks to Rti about Beijing's control over Hong Kong, collective punishment on the families of activists and dissidents, and whether the world is doing enough to hold Beijing able for their human rights violations.

On June 4, India concluded its 6-week election with a surprising outcome that leaves Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with no choice but to form a coalition government. This week, Indian journalist and representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists Kunal Majumder comes back to The Divide to talk about the implications of the election results, and why he feels hopeful about India's political and economic future. 

Last week, a court in Hong Kong convicted 14 people of conspiracy to commit subversion in the largest national security case, involving 47 pro-democracy advocates who organized an unofficial primary election for legislative council seats. Hong Kong officials, including Chief Executive John Lee, welcomed the convictions, emphasizing 'the scale and the seriousness of the criminal scheme.' In this episode, Carmen Lau, a former district councillor now living in exile, and Yaqiu Wang, Freedom House's Research Director for China, explore the scale and motivations behind the relentless efforts of the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to suppress the city’s pro-democracy movement.

On Tuesday, May 21, tens of thousands of people gathered outside the Legislature in Taipei to call for more transparency regarding controversial legislative reform bills. Inside the Legislature, lawmakers from the opposition parties Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) ed the second reading of parts of the bills with their majority votes. In today's episode, Vincent Chao, a Taipei City Councilor and former Director of International Affairs of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), speaks on why he thinks the bills are an infringement on Taiwan's democracy and, potentially, national security.     

As death tolls rise in Gaza, student protests have swept through US campuses in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Students are urging their schools and universities to divest from weapons manufacturers and companies profiting from Israeli military actions against Palestinians. But why do so many colleges and universities invest in companies involved in weapons manufacturing or connected to foreign states? Are these investments ethical? And what would happen to these education institutions if they divest from these entities?  In this episode, human rights activist Kafia Ahmed and senior editor Alex Shephard from The New Republic delve into why numerous US colleges and universities hold substantial endowments in the defense industry. 

The Constitutional Court convened a debate on abolishing the death penalty on April 23. Long-term polls consistently show that approximately 80% of the Taiwanese public s maintaining the death penalty. Against this backdrop, the question arises whether the Judiciary has the authority to override public opinion. In this episode, we are hearing from Professor Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu (許家馨), a constitutional law scholar invited to the Constitutional Court on April 23 to provide an expert opinion, about why he believes the bench should refrain from completely ruling out capital punishment. Meanwhile, Ms. Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡), Executive Director of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, argues that it is the right time for the Court to examine the constitutionality of the death penalty.  

On April 23, the Constitutional Court of Taiwan convened a hearing to assess the constitutionality of the death penalty. This came after 37 individuals on death row submitted a petition, contending that capital punishment violates their constitutional right to life. In this edition of The Divide, we sit down with Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡), the executive director of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, who has been a staunch advocate for abolition since the early 2000s. Lin sheds light on the prevalence of wrongful convictions and underscores the pervasive biases within the judicial system that often go unnoticed.

In 2017, shocking reports emerged from East Turkistan, or Xinjiang, revealing the harrowing reality faced by thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. They were forcibly detained in "re-education camps'' by Chinese authorities. There they endured unimaginable horrors such as forced disappearance, torture, and extra-judicial detention. The world grappled with the crisis while the number of victims climbed to a maximum estimate of 2 million.    I speak with Mr. Ilshat H. Kokbore, a courageous Uyghur rights activist whose own family has fallen victim to the atrocities perpetrated by the Chinese authorities in Xinjiang.    us as we delve into the heart-wrenching truths about the ongoing crisis and Mr. Kokbore's commitment to seeking justice for his people.  

us for an insightful interview with Kunāl Majumder, the representative for India at the press freedom organization Committee to Protect Journalists; and political journalist Amrita Madhukalya, who is covering the ongoing general election in India. In this episode of the Divide, Kunal and Amrita dive deep into the issues affecting journalists covering India's ongoing elections, including press freedom hurdles, safety concerns and the polarizing landscape.  

India kicks off what's essentially the world’s biggest election on April 19. It's a huge deal — possibly the most important one in decades — and it could really shape the country's future. Almost a billion people will get to decide if they want Prime Minister Narendra Modi back for a rare third term, which would extend his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), beyond their current 10 years in power. But what's at stake, and what do we need to know about this general election? On this week's The Divide, Iris speaks with two experts who are observing the election from their unique media perspectives: Amrita Madhukalya, a political journalist who is currently covering the ruling party BJP's election campaign; and Kunal Majumder, journalist and the India representative for the press freedom organization Committee to Protect Journalists.