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The Looking Glass

The Looking Glass is the premier international relations podcast by The SAIS Review of International Affairs with support from The Foreign Policy Institute. Showcasing fresh, policy-relevant perspectives from professional and student experts, The Looking Glass is dedicated to advancing the debate on leading contemporary issues in world affairs. *The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are the speakers' own, and they do not represent the views or opinions of The SAIS Review of…

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Ballots, Ousters, Repeat: Peru’s Political Cycle

Peru’s 2026 election season is occurring amid a deepening crisis of political legitimacy. Public confidence in Congress has collapsed to some of the lowest levels in the Western Hemisphere, and Peruvians increasingly doubt whether their institutions can deliver stability, security, and responsive governance. Adding to this political unease, Keiko Fujimori, a polarizing figure and leader of the…

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A Stress Test for Democracy: Latin America’s Elections and U.S. Influence

2026 is a decisive year for Latin American democracy, as democratic institutions across the region are being tested by public distrust and upcoming elections in Colombia, Peru and Brazil. This year, however, it happens under a very different backdrop: The U.S.’s capture of Venezuela's dictator Nicolas Maduro and Washington’s renewed desire to maintain a regional sphere of influence. These…

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Lessons from the FSO Safer

Welcome to the SAIS Review’s The Looking Glass Podcast. This episode is part of our collaborative series with the Politics of Disaster class at SAIS. We explore how crises unfold at the intersection of conflict, governance, and environmental risk. My name is Andrea Majert Galera, and I am joined by my co-host Marcel Kolb. Today, we turn to the story of the FSO Safer. FSO Safer is a deteriorating…

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Designing Healing Spaces

Welcome back everybody to the SAIS Review’s The Looking Glass Podcast. This is a collaborative mini-series between the Looking Glass and the Politics of Disaster course at SAIS. My name is Nicole Ward and I am joined by my co-host Mira Tarabeine. Today’s episode explores how art, design, and public space shape the way societies rebuild after conflict. To frame our discussion, we focus on Burj El…

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Conflict and Cultural Heritage in Diyarbakır

Welcome back everybody to the SAIS Review's The Looking Glass Podcast. We’re your hosts, Maya Martin and Luc van der Linden. In this podcast, we’re unpacking the protection of cultural heritage in Diyarbakir, Turkey, and its recovery since the 2015 Kurdish insurrection. Diyarbakir is considered the unofficial capital of the Kurdish community in south-eastern Turkey. The historic heart of the city…

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After the Flood: Valencia’s Road to Recovery

Welcome back everybody to the SAIS Review's The Looking Glass Podcast. We are your hosts Duru Dogan and Isabella Manzione. With natural disasters becoming more frequent, resilience and recovery have moved to the center of global conversations on human security. These events have sparked important discussions about community preparedness, government responsibility, and what it truly means to build…

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Twin Threats of Extremist Violence and Authoritarianism in the Sahel

Welcome back to the SAIS Review’s The Looking Glass Podcast. We’re your hosts Aaryaman Shah and Jiwon Lim. On May 15, al-Qaeda affiliated militants claimed to kill 200 soldiers during an attack on an army base in Djibo, a village in northern Burkina Faso. This attack is emblematic of the extent to which violent extremism has found a foothold in the Sahel, a belt of semi-arid land straddling the…

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Japan’s Iron Lady: Takaichi Sanae

Last month, Japan set history by electing their first female prime minister: Takaichi Sanae. In this victory, she must be ready to face old and new issues, ranging from domestic political and social instability to international tariffs. To discuss who Takaichi is, her platforms, and how she will navigate the ever changing international field, joining us on the podcast today is Dr. Sheila Smith.…

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The GERD Water Dispute and its Impact on Egypt’s Water Security

Situated at the intersection of the Arab world, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southern Europe, Egypt remains a pivotal actor in the evolving geopolitics of the Middle East and North Africa. Under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Egyptian state has embarked on a sweeping agenda of transformation—redefining its political economy, reasserting its regional role, and confronting a host…

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Istanbul's Next Earthquake

Welcome back everybody to the SAIS Review’s The Looking Glass Podcast. I am your host Davide Donald. On today’s episode we are going to be talking about disaster management in Turkey. Istanbul lies at the heart of the Eurasian and Anatolian tectonic plate fault lines. The prospect of another major earthquake hitting the city of over 16 million people is a question of when, not if. The 6.2…

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