PMPI is a project that came out of The University of Auckland to provide a space for scholarly discussions about issues in society today. The premise behind it is to provide information to the public without the influence of larger corporations that may have other interests at play.
95bFM News is part of a content sharing agreement with the site as a means of supporting more space for critical investigations.
While President, Donald Trump regularly complained that a deep state was undermining his policies and his decisions. He painted a picture of a conspiracy that unelected government officials were seeking to overthrow his Presidency. What is the so-called deep state? What are its historic roots? Doug Becker speaks with the authors of a new book Phantoms of a Beleaguered Republic: Deep State and the Unitary Executive.
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Presidents are often historically judged based on the accomplishments of their first 100 days in office. US President Joe Biden has just passed his 100 day mark. How does his record compare to historical records? How likely are President Biden’s proposals to be adopted? Doug Becker speaks with Jeremi Suri.
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After mass atrocities and crimes against humanity, how can societies reconcile? How is justice performed and how should we recognize these crimes? And what of the clash between international interests and local needs when dealing with the punishment and acknowledgment of atrocities? Doug Becker speaks with Elazar Barkan, Mark Drumbl and Jeremy Sarkin.
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After a genocide event, there are voices of remembrance by generations of past survivors. The victims live with the trauma of the experience which is passed on to following generations of survivors. How does this affect individuals, groups, and nation-states? What does acknowledgement and commemoration mean for genocide awareness and justice? Doug Becker speaks with Stephen D. Smith, Dovile Budryte, and Maria Armoudian.
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Since 2014, Yemen has been embroiled in an ongoing civil war. In the process, it has become the salient battleground for the ongoing rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran and has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster by the UN. What are the causes of the war? What has been the impact of foreign intervention? What is the pathway for peace? Doug Becker speaks with Hamoud Salhi and Charles Schmitz.
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Violence against Asian people has largely gone unreported in places like the United States. This changed this week with the murder of eight people, including six Asian-American workers in Atlanta. What are the roots of these crimes? What is the nature of hate crimes against Asian people during COVID? Why have these crimes increased? Doug Becker speaks with Brian Levin.
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On February 22, 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force. However, the treaty’s purpose of a nuclear-weapons-free world has faced opposition from the states who have nuclear weapons stockpiles. What does this mean for the future of nuclear armament? Can an international treaty lead to the removal of the nuclear threat to the planet? Doug Becker reviews the treaty and discusses the next steps in nuclear disarmament with Ira Helfand.
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The COVID-19 pandemic in America has exposed distinct economic divides throughout the country. But much of the issue of poverty in the US is based on public images rather than empirical evidence. What are the myths about poverty in the US? Can a better understanding of the nature and causes of poverty help change public policy preferences? Doug Becker spoke with Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard and Peter Edelman.
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After the electoral defeat and impeachment of Donald Trump, the Republican Party is at a crossroads. Parties that lose presidential elections frequently reconsider their trajectories and their political messaging. How much will the party be determined by the politics and policies of the last four years? How much will it try to reconceptualize and rebrand itself for the 2022 and 2024 elections? Doug Becker discusses the future of the Republican Party with Geoffrey Kabaservice, Paul Djupe, Brian Conley, and Marcus Witcher.
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Former US President Donald Trump has made history by becoming the first president to be impeached twice. He has also made history by having his trial take place after he has left office. What is the constitutionality of Trump’s second impeachment trial? What is the future of impeachment as a political tool as a result of this trial? Doug Becker speaks with Frank Bowman III and Eric M. Freedman.
For more stories like this head to www.thebigq.org