The Worry List
New Thinking for a New World - a Tallberg Foundation Podcast
01/16/25
•33m
About
Comments
Featured In
The start of 2025 is burdened with no shortage of things to worry about. The war in Ukraine; conflicts throughout the Middle East; tensions around Taiwan; the Los Angeles inferno; the possibility of Chinese and Russian financial or economic collapse. And, of course, the biggest known unknown that preoccupies the whole world: what will Donald Trump actually do when he's president after all of the noise he’s made on his way to the White House?
The list is almost endless—and quite scary.
Somewhat surprisingly, the global threat of ideological extremism and terrorism doesn't appear on most such lists. After all, we all know Al-Qaeda has been degraded; Islamic State defeated; the Taliban struggling to govern. Most importantly, Iran, the sponsor of so many terrorist groups operating in so many countries, at the least has been wrong-footed by the Israelis.
But, what if that benign assessment is wrong?
In fact, that’s the well-informed view of today’s guest on New Thinking for a New World. Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, a Singapore academic, is a widely recognized expert on global terrorism who believes that the threat of terrorism is rising—and is urging the great powers to develop a coherent anti-terrorism strategy as they did after 9/11, before it is too late.
What do you think? Should we fear a new wave of fundamentalist terror assaults?
Previous Episode
Welcome to the Year of Trump
January 9, 2025
•38m
When Donald Trump becomes the 49th President of the United States, the whole world will be watching, with people holding their breath in expectation of almost Biblical levels of chaos and confusion. Ironically, it seems that his return to power may be seen as less dramatic by many Americans: after all, he made his way back to the White House by somewhat unexpectedly (at least at the time) winning the Republican primaries, gaining complete control of the Republican Party, and then winning a majority of the national presidential vote.
For many Americans, Trump never went away.
The fact is that Donald Trump has dominated American and global politics like no one since Franklin Roosevelt. That’s rare company and undoubtedly will be considered outrageous by many who think Trump is no more than a lucky, narcissistic sociopath. While he may be all that, he is also incredibly powerful. In any event, the corollary is that, like FDR, Trump's power is a function, not just of his own personality, but of his unique bond with a majority of the American people.
In other words, if you want to understand what's likely to happen during Trump II, you need to understand the voters.
This episode of New Thinking for a New World aims to shed light on what drives the soon-to-be re-inaugurated president, at least partly by answering a simple question: why did a majority of American voters choose Trump?
Scott Miller has answers. He is a seasoned political and corporate consultant who has had a successful career electing (or sometimes defeating) political candidates and helping to build some of the most successful global American corporate brands. Miller knows Trump; so what does he think?
And, what do you think:how will Trump change America or the world? (But please tell us after you listen to the podcast!)
Next Episode
Leaders Leading
January 30, 2025
•41m
When leaders fail, democracy fails—and too many leaders in too many places are failing. That’s exactly why the Tällberg Foundation has sought out and honored great global leaders over the past decade. Leaders who are innovative, courageous, dynamic, with global worldviews, and whose leadership is rooted in universal values.
The three winners of the 2024 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize recently came together at a seminar on leadership at the Collegio Cairoli, University of Pavia in Italy. Kristian Olson (medical innovator and educator developing global healthcare solutions), María Teresa Ronderos (champion of press freedom and collaborative journalism across the Americas), and Fernando Trujillo (marine biologist and conservationist working to protect Amazonian ecosystems) discussed how they evolved as leaders, learned from failure, and imagine their future challenges.
Listen to how successful leaders cope with some of the great issues confronting our societies today. Then tell us what you think.
Website: tallbergfoundation.org/podcasts
Hashtags: TallbergFoundation, newthinking, TallbergPodcast
Instagram: tag us with @TallbergFoundation
Twitter: tag us with @Tallberg
Facebook: tag us with @TallbergFoundation
LinkedIn: Tällberg Foundation
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted