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About Christian Peterson

NBN Episodes hosted by Christian:

World Affairs September 16, 2016

America Abroad

The United States' Global Role in the 21st Century

Stephen G. Brooks and William C. Wohlforth

Hosted by Christian Peterson
A decade and a half of exhausting wars, punishing economic setbacks, and fast-rising rivals has called into question America's fundamental position and purpose in world politics. Will the US continue …
World Affairs September 2, 2016

Crimea

A History

Neil Kent

Hosted by Christian Peterson
In 2014 Crimea shaped the headlines much as it did some 160 years ago, when the Crimean War pitted Britain, France and Turkey against Russia. Yet few books have been …
World Affairs July 1, 2016

Chinese Nuclear Proliferation

How Global Politics is Transforming China's Weapons Buildup and Modernization

Susan Turner Haynes

Hosted by Christian Peterson
While the world's attention is focused on the nuclearization of North Korea and Iran and the nuclear brinkmanship between India and Pakistan, China is believed to have doubled the size …
World Affairs June 23, 2016

Empowering Revolution

America, Poland, and the End of the Cold War

Gregory F. Domber

Hosted by Christian Peterson
As the most populous country in Eastern Europe as well as the birthplace of the largest anticommunist dissident movement, Poland is crucial in understanding the end of the Cold War …
World Affairs May 13, 2016

The Democracy Promotion Paradox

Lincoln A. Mitchell

Hosted by Christian Peterson
In book his new book The Democracy Promotion Paradox (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), Lincoln A. Mitchell (Political Correspondent for the New York Observer) raises difficult but critically important issues by …
World Affairs April 30, 2016

Realpolitik

A History

John Bew

Hosted by Christian Peterson
Since its coinage in mid-19th century Germany, Realpolitik has proven both elusive and protean. To some, it represents the best approach to meaningful change and political stability in a world …
World Affairs April 8, 2016

Humanitarian Invasion

Global Development in Cold War Afghanistan

Timothy Nunan

Hosted by Christian Peterson
The plight of Afghanistan remains as relevant a question as ever in 2016. Just what did the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the international occupation of this country accomplish? Will …
World Affairs December 30, 2015

Empires and Colonies in the Modern World

Heather Streets-Salter and Trevor R. Getz

Hosted by Christian Peterson
Heather Streets-Salter's and Trevor R. Getz's new book Empires and Colonies in the Modern World (Oxford University Press, 2015) takes on world history 1450-present through the sweeping events and human …
Religion December 7, 2015

The Modern Spirit of Asia

The Spiritual and the Secular in China and India

Peter van der Veer

Hosted by Christian Peterson
What are the differences between religion, magic, and spirituality? Over time, these categories have been articulated in a variety of ways across differing cultures. However, many assume that the multiple …
World Affairs December 4, 2015

Of Limits and Growth

The Rise of Global Sustainable Development in the Twentieth Century

Stephen Macekura

Hosted by Christian Peterson
Today, sustainability is all the rage. But when and why did the idea of sustainable development emerge, and how has its meaning changed over time? Stephen Macekura's new book, Of …
World Affairs October 29, 2015

Open Wounds

Armenians, Turks, and a Century of Genocide

Vicken Cheterian

Hosted by Christian Peterson
The assassination of the Armenian-Turkish activist Hrant Dink in 2007 raised uncomfortable questions about a historical tragedy that the leaders of the Turkish Republic would like people to forget: the …
World Affairs October 6, 2015

Degrees of Freedom

Liberal Political Philosophy and Ideology

Edwin van de Haar

Hosted by Christian Peterson
"What exactly is liberalism?" The independent scholar Edwin van de Haar tackles this important question in his new book Degrees of Freedom: Liberal Political Philosophy and Ideology (Transaction Publishers, 2015) …
World Affairs June 20, 2015

Religion and Post-Conflict Statebuilding

Roman Catholic and Sunni Islamic Perspectives

Denis Dragovic

Hosted by Christian Peterson
The subject of statebuilding has only become a more visible issue since the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the 1990s, the world has …
World Affairs May 18, 2015

The Summit

Bretton Woods, 1944

Ed Conway

Hosted by Christian Peterson
The functioning of the global economy remains as relevant a topic as ever before. Commentators continue to debate the causes and consequences of the financial crisis that hit the United …
World Affairs March 11, 2015

The United States, Italy, and the Origins of Cold War

Waging Political Warfare

Kaeten Mistry

Hosted by Christian Peterson
In the annals of cold war history Italy is rarely seen as a crucial locale. In his stimulating new book, The United States, Italy, and the Origins of Cold War …
World Affairs December 12, 2014

Why We Lost

A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

Daniel Bolger

Hosted by Christian Peterson
During the past several years, numerous books and articles have appeared that grapple with the legacy and lessons of the recent U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This development should …
World Affairs November 28, 2014

Conservative Internationalism

Armed Diplomacy under Jefferson, Reagan, Truman, and Polk

Henry R. Nau

Hosted by Christian Peterson
The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have raised important questions about the future direction of U.S. foreign policy and how Americans can best exercise power abroad in the coming …
World Affairs November 3, 2014

The Limits of Partnership

U.S.-Russian Relations in the Twentieth-First Century

Angela Stent

Hosted by Christian Peterson
In 2005, the Comedy Central Network aired an episode of "South Park" in which one of the characters asked if any "Third World" countries other than Russia had the ability …
World Affairs October 10, 2014

Shifting Sands

The United States and the Middle East

Joel Migdal

Hosted by Christian Peterson
Any person who turns on CNN or Fox News today will see that the United States faces a number of critical problems in the Middle East. This reality should surprise …