Global in the Granite State

As one of the most important geopolitical relationships in the world, the United States - China relationship has the opportunity to set the course of a number of issues that would ripple across the world. Unfortunately, it seems that misperceptions, misunderstandings, and missed opportunities abound in this vital relationship. In this month's episode, we speak with Sarwar Kashmeri, a leading international relations scholar, academic, business leader, and host of the Polaris Live program, about his recent trip to China and what insights he gathered during his travels. During his two weeks in China, a country he has not visited in over 20 years, he became confident that both sides of this relationship do not understand each other and that the only solution is exchanges, travel, and everyday interactions which can lead to a better path forward. He outlines the worldview that many in China hold and what their government seems to want from engagement with the world. This certainly is not a relationship free of critical challenges, but we can all do our part to solve them by accurately understanding what each side wants from the other.Sarwar Kashmeri is an international relations specialist, author, and commentator, noted for his expertise on U.S. global strategy and national security.He speaks frequently before business, foreign policy and military audiences. He is the founder and host of Polaris-Live. com, “United States and China in the world,” a live internet video program featuring 30 minute conversations on the business and geopolitical impact of China’s rapid rise to superpower status.Kashmeri is author of the Foreign Policy Association’s report “The Telegram: A China Agenda For President Biden“ (2021); “The Telegram II: The Business of America and China is Business“(2022); “China’s Grand Strategy: Weaving a New Silk Road to Global Primacy,” (Bloomsbury), his third book, was published in July 2019. It is a centennial book of the Foreign Policy Association where Sarwar is a Senior Fellow. The book was released at a Washington D.C. launch featuring Kashmeri and former U.S. Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel.He is also an Applied Research Fellow of the Peace and War Center of Norwich University, Vermont, USA and served a four year term as a non-residential Senior Fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center for International Security of the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C.Kashmeri has hosted “China Focus,” a podcast series for the Carnegie Corporation of New York and discussed China’s Belt and Road Initiative on television with Deutsche Welle, the German news network, and in a series of interviews with Xinhua, China’s global news agency.

Founded in its modern form in 1932, Saudi Arabia continues to play an important role in the world today, shaping many different regional and global issues. The country also shares a long history of engagement with the United States on various issues, from economic development, military support, and geopolitical goals. While not always in exact alignment, this enduring relationship has continued to strengthen since a historic meeting between U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1945. In light of President Trump's recent visit to the Kingdom, we spoke with Fahad Nazer, Official Spokesperson for the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC, to gain his insights on this historic relationship, break down some of the deals that were struck during President Trump's visit, and to outline the future for this country. We acknowledge that a lot has changed in the region since the start of the current kinetic war between Israel and Iran, however, we want to note that this interview was completed prior to these attacks. We will continue to watch the ongoing war closely, as tensions in the region continue to rise. Fahad Nazer is the official spokesperson for the Embassy of Saudi Arabia to the United States. He was appointed to this role on January 18, 2019. Prior to this appointment, Nazer was a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and served as an International Fellow at the National Council on U.S. Arab Relations. Additionally. He was also a columnist for the daily newspaper Arab News. His publications have appeared in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, CNN, Foreign Policy, YaleGlobal Online, The National Interest, and Newsweek. Nazer earned his BA in political science from New York University and an M.A in political science from Saint John's University in New York City. He has also completed the credit and examination requirements of the PhD program in political science at the Catholic University of America in Washington.

As the Trump Administration works to re-envision, revise, and rewrite the ways in which the United States engages with the world, it remains important that people understand the why and the how of U.S. foreign policy. Whether you want to make America safer, more prosperous, and more secure, or you take a broader look at the importance of global engagement, understanding the goals and limitations of U.S. power can inform your thinking of the U.S.' role in the world.Speaking with Andrew Albertson, Executive Director of Foreign Policy For America, this episode outlines what a principled approach to foreign policy looks like and how the current administration diverges from the traditional approach. From respecting human rights, building important alliances, and engaging the global economy, there is a lot about U.S. foreign policy that can be improved, but we must ensure we do not throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water. By listening to this month's episode you will gain insights into the state of U.S. global engagement, hear about why it remains important to U.S. prosperity, and how you can help shape the U.S.' approach to the world. Andrew Albertson is the founding Executive Director of Foreign Policy for America. He previously served at USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), where he was Deputy Regional Representative for OTI’s programs in South and Southwest Afghanistan. Prior to that, Andrew was the founding executive director of the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to examining how genuine democracies can develop in the Middle East and how the U.S. can best support that process. Andrew serves on the board of directors for Secure Families Initiative, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and the Middle East Democracy Center. He received a B.A. from Taylor University and a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from Georgetown University, where he was the Huffington Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.

As President Trump has implemented sweeping changes in how the government functions and continues to try and re-write the rules of the game, many people are feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up. In this month's episode, we speak with Jeffrey Thielman, President & CEO of the International Institute of New England, to unpack the various changes and enforcement actions implemented in the first couple weeks of the new administration. From a stated desire to remove up to 11 million undocumented people from the country, to activating the military and empowering them to directly engage in deportations, there is a lot to keep up with. There are long ranging implications for these efforts, many of which will be challenged in courts, and it remains important for people to know what is really going on and to hold their government accountable. Jeffrey Thielman - Since becoming the President and CEO of the International Institute of New England in 2015, Jeff has been a leader in the effort to preserve the U.S. refugee resettlement program and to protect the rights of immigrants in New England. Under his direction, IINE has expanded services to more refugees and immigrants, reinstated its legal services program, and expanded career services to more cities and towns in the region.Prior to joining IINE, he co-founded the national Cristo Rey Network and spent nearly two decades creating schools that today serve 13,000 low income and immigrant students in 24 U.S. states and boast of more than 21,000 graduates. Jeff oversaw the start-up of the first 24 Cristo Rey schools and served as President of Cristo Rey Boston High School.Early in his professional career, Jeff was a trial attorney in Boston and worked in the financial services industry. Between college and law school, he served as a Jesuit International Volunteer in Tacna, Peru, where he was a teacher and founder of a program for street children called the Center for the Working Child, which has been replicated in several cities in Peru. He is co-author of Volunteer: With the Poor in Peru, holds undergraduate and law degrees from Boston College, and is fluent in Spanish.Jeff lives with his wife and three children in Arlington, Massachusetts, where he serves on the town’s School Committee.View the Pew Research Center's Chart on Immigration Encounters since 2000.

For the past thirteen years, a bloody and terrible civil war has raged through Syria that has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions have been displaced, and yet the war still rages on. While many around the world have forgotten about the war in Syria, especially with other global issues taking precedence, we have all seen the fallout from this devastating war. Recently, however, the crisis has come back into focus for the world as the Syrian army collapsed in the face of an armed group attack, seeing the city of Aleppo fall in 24 hours, a stunning feat. In this episode, we speak with Charles Lister, the Director of Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, highlighting this global issue and reminding audiences of the need for a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis. Through these conversations, you will come away with a deeper understanding of the roots of this conflict, a clearer picture of the international implications, and a better vision for the future. As Charles points out in this episode, what happens in Syria doesn't stay in Syria and leaving the situation to fester is in no one's interest.Charles Lister is a senior fellow and the Director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute. His work focuses on all-things Syria and on issues of terrorism and insurgency across the Levant. Prior to joining MEI, Lister was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Qatar and a Senior Consultant to the multinationally-backed Syria Track II Dialogue Initiative, in which he managed nearly three years of intensive face-to-face engagement with the leaderships of over 100 Syrian armed opposition groups. He has previously held other positions at the Brookings Institution and at IHS Jane’s in London, UK. Lister is a Consultant to the United Nations' International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria and a regular consultant and expert witness in counter-terrorism prosecutions and with law enforcement bodies in the United States, Europe and Australia.

For time immemorial, various groups have been taking hostages, political prisoners, and illegally detaining people with impunity. This tried-and-true method of gaining leverage over a rival state or group continues today, despite the fact that is runs contrary to established international law. As of this posting 42 Americans are being illegally detained by foreign governments and the United States, after a long practice of not negotiating, is finally getting serious about bringing its citizens home. As this delicate dance continues to play out on the international stage, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation continues to lead the way on responses to these illegal and immoral actions taken by foreign governments, rebel groups, and terrorist organizations. In this month's episode, we speak with Diane Foley, mother of slain journalist James Foley, about the work of their family's foundation to help ensure no other family has to endure the pain they did back in 2012 when ISIS killed their son. We dive into what the research tells us about different responses, what is effective, what needs to change, and how we all can work to keep ourselves safe while traveling abroad. This important conversation provides audiences with key information and hope for the future. The more international attention we can bring to this practice, the more we can pressure governments to sign on to the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, a global initiative started by Canada in 2021, the less likely it is that people will continue to be used as political pawns, simply because of their nationality. 2024 Foley Foundation Hostage Report10th Annual James W. Foley Freedom RunDiane M. Foley is President and Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which she created in September 2014 less than a month after the public beheading by ISIS in Syria of her son James W. Foley, an American freelance conflict journalist.In 2015, she led JWFLF efforts to fund the start of Hostage US and the International Alliance for a Culture of Safety, ACOS. She actively participated in the National Counterterrorism Center hostage review which culminated in the Presidential Policy Directive-30, which created the current US hostage enterprise to free innocent Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. JWFLF was instrumental in the passage of the Robert Levinson Hostage Taking and Accountability Act.She has been a tireless hostage, wrongful detainee and family advocate within the US hostage enterprise, Congress, and every presidential administration since 2014. She has raised awareness of international hostage-taking and wrongful detention using the award-winning documentary, “Jim, the James Foley story”, opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today and media interviews.She co-authored the book “American Mother” which was published in 2024 with writer Colum McCann. Diane is also the author of a chapter called, “Life For A Voice: the Work of Journalist James W. Foley through the Eyes of his Family” in Living with Precariousness, edited by Christina Lee and Susan Leong, which was published in 2023.

It has long been said that the United States has benefited from its geography, when it comes to national security. This is attributed to vast oceans to the east and west, along with friendly neighbors to the north and south. The same can be said for Canada, with Santa being a pretty friendly neighbor to the north, one would assume. Do to this shared advantage, which might be less true today, Canada and the United States have long worked together to secure "Fortress North America". From the defensive structures of NORAD and NATO, to the continued force projection taking on some of the biggest challenges of the day, these two countries have collaborated in a number of military spaces.While it would take too long to dive into all the shared challenges that these countries face on the global stage, we did take a special opportunity to speak with the Canadian Defense Attaché to the United States about several of the biggest issues of the day. Major General Michel-Henri St-Louis of the Canadian Armed Forces graciously gave his time to talk about NATO, NORAD, Ukraine, and the current state of Canada's military and integration with American forces. With a thirty-plus year military career, the Major General has held many high level commands across multiple theatres, as he has helped to ensure Canada upholds its international security obligations. This episode tackles important questions, from what challenges do the armed forces face in terms of readiness, what support has the Canadian government provided to Ukraine, and how our adversaries actively work to undermine important foreign policy conversations here in the US and Canada. This fascinating and unique conversation provides access to top level military thinking, accessible for all.Major-General Michel-Henri St-Louis is an infantry officer from le Royal 22e Régiment, currently serving as the Defence Attaché to the United States. Born in Managua, Nicaragua, he and his family moved to the south shore of Montreal in 1978 during the time of the Sandinista Revolution. Before assuming his current responsibilities at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, MGen St-Louis was the Acting Commander of the Canadian Army. This followed his appointment as the Canadian Army’s Training Authority. Preceding this, he served as the Commander of Joint Task Force - IMPACT in the Middle East for more than a year (mid 2019 – mid 2020). Other previous commands and appointments include Deputy Commanding General for Operations of America’s First Corps (I Corps - US Army) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (2017-2019), command of 5e Groupe-Brigade Mécanisé du Canada (2015-2017), as well as commander of the last Canadian Battle-Group in charge of combat operations in Panjwai, Kandahar (2010-2011).Through his service he and his family have lived in Saint-Jean, Québec City, Oromocto, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Washington, D.C., Washington State and Kingston (Ontario). He has deployed on 6 different missions, to such places as Srebrenica (Bosnia), Rastevic (Croatia), Zgon (Bosnia), Kabul, Kandahar (Afghanistan) and the OP IMPACT Middle East area or operations (Kuwait-Iraq-Jordan-Lebanon).He has attended the US PINNACLE and CAPSTONE Leadership Programs, followed seminars at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NDU) and the US Army War College. He is a graduate of the National War College (Washington, D.C., U.S.A.), the Canadian Forces College, le Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean, the Royal Military College in Kingston, and the Canadian Army Command and Staff College. His three Masters degrees have focused on the study of war, defence and strategy. He served as chief of staff at the operational level in the 1st Canadian Air Division. In addition, he served three times at the strategic level with the Director General of Strategic Planning, within the Canadian Army Staff and with the Strategic Joint Staff.

For the past 77 years, since the founding of Pakistan at the partition of British held India, the United States and Pakistan have worked together to try and bring stability to this region of the world. As the fifth largest country in the world, as measured by population, and sitting at a geopolitical strategic crossroads, Pakistan remains an important partner on a wide range of issues of global, regional, and national interest. Whether it is managing their own relations with India, balancing the interests of the United States and China, or working on transnational issues such as climate change and terrorism, this country plays a key role in responding to the various challenges facing the world today. In this episode, we speak with Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, to explore the role that Pakistan would like to fill in the international system, to discuss where interests overlap, and to identify what Pakistan wants to see from its relationship with the United States. Through this conversation, we highlight the importance of understanding the deeper relationships than what is typically talked about. By discussing how the US-Pakistan relationship goes deeper than counterterrorism, we can better understand the ways this relationship can be leveraged to benefit both countries. Ambassador Masood Khan is currently serving as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, a role he has held since 2022. Prior to that he was the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from August 2016 to August 2021. Immediately before becoming the President he was the Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, one of the top think tanks in Pakistan.Ambassador Masood Khan had a distinguished diplomatic career. Most notably, he served as: Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2005; Pakistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2005 to 2008; Pakistan’s Ambassador to China from 2008 to 2012; and Pakistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Headquarters, New York, from 2012 to 2015. In his earlier diplomatic career, he held important diplomatic positions in China, The Netherlands, United Nations (New York) and the USA (Washington D.C. from 1997 to 2002).Over the years, he has also held leadership positions in the international community which include: President of the Conference on Disarmament, Chairman of the Committee on Internet Governance of the 2005 World Summit for Information Society. President of the Biological Weapons Review Conference 2006, President of the Governmental Group of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Chairman of the ILO Reform Committee, Chairman of the Council of the International Organization for Migration Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Geneva. Chairman of the Group of 77 and China. In New York, Ambassador Khan represented Pakistan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from 2012 to 2013 and became the President of the Security Council in January 2013.While in New York, he was also the Vice President of the Economic and Social Council, Vice President of the UN General Assembly and President of the Executive Board of UNICEF. Ambassador Masood Khan also remained Pakistan’s Chief Negotiator (Sherpa) for the US-led Nuclear Security Summits, from 2009 to 2015.