Listen Now

Alexandra Rose Howland (1990, US/UK) has lived in the Middle East over the last decade, creating work that aims to challenge and expand the ways that geopolitical events are communicated. Her background as an abstract painter informs her practice, resulting in multidimensional projects that use images, found objects, interviews and video. Through her work, she seeks to generate a more expansive understating of how conflict is portrayed. She has shown internationally with both solo and group exhibitions including Leave and Let Us Go (solo), FOAM Museum Amsterdam, Road to Mosul (solo), London, Textured to Only Us (solo), Los Angeles.  Leave and Let Us Go was published by GOST Books in 2021.

A Conversation with Erin Kamler, an award-winning writer, composer, musician, and academic researcher.

Retired Admiral Phil Davidson brings a wealth of experience in national security affairs, strategy development, and risk analysis, as well as regional security insights in the Indo-Pacific, in Europe, and in the Middle East.Admiral Davidson was the 25th Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) in Honolulu, Hawaii. In this capacity, he led the United States’ oldest and largest combatant command, consisting of nearly 380,000 personnel, and held the responsibilities for all U.S. military activities across the Indo-Pacific, covering half the globe, from 2018 to 2021.In his nearly 39 years of active service, he previously commanded U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, VA, U.S. SIXTH FLEET and STRIKFORNATO in Europe, as well as a carrier strike group, a cruiser and a frigate, and held assignments in the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon and every major geographic fleet in the U.S. Navy.In addition to private sector work, Admiral Davidson now serves on Military Advisory Groups at both the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA and the U.S. Institute of Peace. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mark N. Katz is Professor of Government and Politics at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government and has held numerous fellowships with prestigious institutions.  He has done immense research on Russian foreign policy and shares his knowledge and expertise given this leader’s history. Links to many of his publications can be found at www.marknkatz.com 

A Mix of Observation, Activism and Understanding the Immigrant Community Living Amongst Us. Dr. Julie Goodman-Bowling completed her Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Biola University and certification in TESOL. She earned her master’s degree in Anthropology from California State University, Fullerton and doctorate from the University of Nevada. A cultural anthropologist, her experience includes travels to countries such as Paraguay, Ukraine, Israel, and Mexico. Her professional background includes training students of all ages for short-term, cross-cultural work and socio-cultural awareness. Her most recent research considers the cultural effects of day-labor among (im)migrant workers in urban Los Angeles. Dr. Goodman-Bowling’s core interests deal with issues of globalization, trans-migration, and transnationalism. Additionally, she has developed a background in medical anthropology, particularly as it relates to globalization, inequalities, and healthcare access. Dr. Goodman-Bowling also highlights the importance of qualitative and quantitative social science research. Finally, Dr. Bowling is certified in Gender, Race, and Identity (GRI) studies from UNR and seeks to incorporate discussion of such important topics of culture in each of her courses. Dr. Goodman-Bowling serves as Associate Professor of Anthropology for undergraduate students in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and works with the masters and doctoral programs of social work at California Baptist University.

Dr. Ash Melika is a Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at California Baptist University.  He is very knowledgeable on the diversity of the Middle East and touches on some of the most interesting cultures and people on the planet.  Dr. Melika is a recognized authority on the minority cultures in the Middle East with over 25 years of research. 

Dr. Minton-Ryan is a Professor of Sociology at Cal Baptist University.  Her current research is on the impact of trauma-informed educational support groups for young women in the central region of Malawi.  Among all her travels, Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, has become her main focus in providing access to education and much needed resources to the often times forgotten trauma victims.  

Dr. Maria Armoudian talks about her new book, Lawyers Beyond Borders. Dr. Armoudian is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, the host and producer of the radio program, The Scholars' Circle, and the author of three books. She has published widely on human rights, environmental politics, communication, and good governance. Before coming to Auckland, she served as a commissioner in the city of Los Angeles for six years and worked in the California State Legislature for eight years, working on many issues ranging from environmental sustainability to good government and corporate reform.

Tara Kangarlou is an award-winning journalist who has previously worked for NBC-LA, CNN, and Al Jazeera America. Her writing and reporting has also appeared in TIME, Vanity Fair, Al Monitor and the Huffington Post. Tara has spent much time in the Middle East covering the ongoing Syrian conflict - in particular the Syrian refugee crisis and the MENA region at large. As a result of her work in the field, in 2016 Tara founded Art of Hope - the first US nonprofit that's strictly focused on providing trauma-relief and mental health support through Art Therapy for Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in Lebanon. After nearly four years of reporting and writing, her debut book The Heartbeat of Iran was released on June 1st 2021.

Author, Sharlene Hayton, tells the story of Kangaroo Kay, a historical biography about Chip Cathcart Kay, a tea planter from Malawi.You can purchase her book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Kangaroo-Kay-Historical-Biography-Triumph/dp/B08NWZBKMJ

Happy 60th anniversary to Peace Corps!A year after its global evacuation, Peace Corps plans for a return to countries around the world as conditions allow. What will that post COVID-19 presence look like for Peace Corps? Kate Raftery currently serves as an expert consultant in the Office of the Director. Prior to that she was the Director for Service Innovation at Peace Corps. Kate has been the Peace Corps Country Director in Paraguay, Peru, Eastern Caribbean and Honduras. Among the other roles she has held at Peace Corps include the Sexual Assault Risk Reduction and Response Program Team Lead and Chief of Operations in the InterAmerica and Pacific region. Kate served as the Director of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). NCCC engages 2,800 young people 18-24 years of age in a 10 month national service experience. She also served as the Vice President for Learning and Citizenship at the International Youth Foundation where she worked with young people across the globe to increase their participation in political dialogue and community service. Kate began her journey with Peace Corps and international development and service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay in the early ‘70s.

Dr. Ron Mataya is currently Professor of Global Health in the Center for Leadership in Health Systems at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health. He is also a senior lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Malawi College of Medicine where he helped start the residency program in obstetrics and gynecology. He is currently the co-director of the Global Health Women’s Initiative Baylor College of Medicine Malawi Project which continues to support the training of the residency program with funding from USAID and private donors. As an obstetrician/gynecologist, he developed an interest in public health early in his carrier. In 1996, he won a one-year US government scholarship, the Hubert Humphrey Research Fellowship, which allowed him to study for a non-degree program in health policy, planning and management at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta. More information and to help support Dr. Mataya's work with Baylor University: https://www.texaschildrensglobalhealth.org/maternalhealth

Taroub Harb Faramand, MD, Founder of WI-HER, is dedicated to serving the underserved through projects on Justice, Women’s Empowerment, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in over 35 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.  

Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Efforts in an Era of Climate ChangeDr. Dunbar has been a Marine Biologist for 23 years and works in the Department of Earth and Biological Sciences (EBS) at Loma Linda University (LLU).  He is a Professor of Biology and continues to direct the Graduate Biology (MS and PhD) programs in EBS.  This provides many opportunities to carry out field and lab research in the area of marine biology, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Ryan Sinclair, PhD is an environmental microbiologist who manages several water projects in the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley.  His research includes several projects with local partners in wastewater management, water quality, and household hygiene, as well as a project funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts investigating the risks of infectious disease for children who live near failed on-site wastewater systems in California.  He also has worked on water issues in Cambodia and Peru.

Fascinating interview with Paul D’Anieri, PhD, on Russia, the Ukraine, and the West, providing a brief historical perspective on relations between Russia and the Ukraine and the relevance of this relationship for the incoming Biden Administration and US foreign policy.  Dr. D’Anier is a Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, University of California, Riverside who has written extensively on this subject.  He helps answer questions and provides background on how and why Putin tries to eliminate his opponents by poising.  In 2019 he published Ukraine and Russia:  From Uncivilized Divorce to Uncivil War.  

Ambassador Ron Neumann, current President of the American Academy of Diplomacy sat down with Ron Osborn to talk about his decades long career in the Foreign Service, and to provide us with a glimpse of what challenges the incoming Biden Administration will face in January in the international arena.  He is articulate and explains the complexities of foreign affairs in an easy to understand style that is refreshing.   

Our host, Ron Osborn talks with Dr. Netteburg an OBGyn about her life as a missionary doctor in Bere, Chad—one of the more remote places in West Africa.  Dr. Netteburg has found her calling working at a 100-bed hospital where she offers hope and surgically treatment to women who suffer from vesicovaginal fistulas.  Her work is amazing and the results are life changing for her patients.   

In this episode, Ron Osborn explores with Dr. Scott Nelson what it is like to practice medicine in a resource depleted country like Haiti in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

Michael Auslin, PhD, is a historian by training, specializing in U.S. policy in Asia and geopolitical issues in the Indo-Pacific region.  He is the inaugural Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow in Contemporary Asia at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, a senior fellow in the Asia and National Security Programs at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and a senior fellow at London’s Policy Exchange. Auslin is the author of six books, including Asia’s New Geopolitics: Essays on Reshaping the Indo-Pacific and the best-selling The End of the Asian Century: War, Stagnation, and the Risks to the World's Most Dynamic Region.  He is a longtime contributor to the Wall Street Journal and National Review, and his writing appears in other leading publications, including The Spectator, Financial Times, and Foreign Policy.  He comments regularly for U.S. and foreign print and broadcast media.