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The Global Citizen: a podcast by Katoikos.world

The Global Citizen: a podcast by Katoikos.world

By Jason Kyriakos

Welcome to the Earth!

The Global Citizen is an interview-based podcast focusing on the human world and its inhabitants.

With this podcast, we aim to shine the spotlight on the people engaged with some of the most fascinating goings-on in our human world, from UN officials to storytellers, and from grassroots activists to social justice advocates. We believe that big change comes one small step at a time, and we actively try to also provide a platform for the most underrepresented voices of the global community that are bravely taking these steps, in spite of the odds.

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#15 - Multilateralism and the UN in a post-Westphalian world | Rebecca Shoot

The Global Citizen: a podcast by Katoikos.worldJul 15, 2023

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28:31
#15 - Multilateralism and the UN in a post-Westphalian world | Rebecca Shoot

#15 - Multilateralism and the UN in a post-Westphalian world | Rebecca Shoot

🌎 Our modern multilateral system is based on a political concept that was born more than 300 years ago and underlies international relations to this day. During the negotiations of the peace of Westphalia, new rules defining the nature and rights of states, notably the principle of non-interference, were established in Europe. This came to be known as the Westphalian world order, an international system emphasizing the role of the sovereign state as the basic unit in the global political arena.

🗺️ Over the centuries, with humanity advancing into new paradigms of coexistence, the Westphalian world order seems to be transforming. Supranational power structures such as regional unions (EU, African Union) and the UN have embedded themselves into the international system, introducing new spaces for multilateral interaction.

🤝 With the need to cooperate more imperative than ever, and with multiple planetary crises brewing, we are at an injunction where in order to tackle the challenges ahead, we will have to change the way we relate to each other on all levels.

🗣️ Rebecca Shoot from the US-based world federalist organization Citizens for Global Solutions joined me on the show to shed some light into this subject. Citizens for global solutions is a US-based NGO advocating for a democratic world federation predicated upon peace, human rights, and the rule of law, active in coalition building and advocacy in order to promote its vision. We went over her organization's ideas for UN reform, how world federalism might inform the development of a post-Westphalian order, what being a world federalist is like in the US, and much more.

I hope you enjoy the full interview. Thanks so much for tuning in!


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Jul 15, 202328:31
#14 - The age of democratic decline | Stefanos Loukopoulos

#14 - The age of democratic decline | Stefanos Loukopoulos

🪙 The end of the second world war ushered in a new era of change for humanity. Having tested out all of their new, shiny weapons on each other, the nation states of Europe decided to tone things down for a while, and to focus on rebuilding their war-ravaged continent. A key factor for the success of this was, of course, the US. American financial aid was a major helping hand for Europe, especially in the years right after the end of the hostilities of WW2. Along with the US' money, however, came also their influence. Europe, holding the United States' hand, entered into an period of liberalism, urbanization, opening up of markets, systemic integration (🇪🇺), and increased laissez-faire in its economies and industries - a period often called by 20th century historians "the Golden Age".


🏙️ This changed Europe's demographic, sociopolitical and cultural characteristics to an incredible degree, and with great speed. A mostly agrarian and industrial collage of societies, Europe was being transformed - to its core - into a land of opportunity, bustling market economies and capitalist models of economic planning. Today, the situation remains the same, but even more intensified. This is the case not only in Europe anymore, but, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union, in the majority of the world's economies. Fukuyama said this was the end of history - however, the corrosive elements of our system are starting to bear their teeth. Scholars believe that late capitalism does not actually require democracy to function. Systems with healthy democratic elements hinder private enterprises' ability to make more profit by keeping them on an "institutional leash", regulating their activities in the name of public interest. Therefore, one could say that giving people power to decide for themselves isn't the greatest business decision. And this has started to become obvious.


🗣️ Today I was joined by Stefanos Loukopoulos, co-founder and director of Vouliwatch, a parliamentary watchdog NGO based in Athens. Greece is a prime example of the process I explained above, and Stefanos was kind enough to come on the show to help explain the situation better. We discussed a lot about Greece, the decline of its democratic institutions, and the disillusionment and apathy of people towards their political system. We also talked about his organization, Vouliwatch, and what kind of action it takes to tackle this phenomenon. Finally, we tied the local to the global aspect, touching on the phenomenon of democratic decline on a worldwide scale. I am so grateful to Stefanos for sharing his amazing insights on these topics, and I'm happy we got to dive deeper into the goings-on of my home country, Greece. I'm excited to share this episode so that all of you can also get a bit of a clearer picture about what's going on in my little sun-washed corner of the globe :)


Thanks for tuning in!

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May 15, 202338:56
#13 - Is climate change really a crisis of values? | Finnur Ricart

#13 - Is climate change really a crisis of values? | Finnur Ricart

🌍 The planet is metaphorically (and unfortunately, quite often literally) on fire. Being a young human in their mid 20s, I've slowly and painfully learnt, as I'm transitioning into adulthood, that the world on which I'm living, and one day maybe my children, is on a downhill spiral of environmental degradation, and that increasingly tougher times are ahead.

🏭 The causes of this might be simple to point our fingers to - namely, destruction of the environment, exploitation of natural resources past their breaking point, and radical disruption of very fragile planetary and biological systems. However, if we want to get out of this mess and stay out of it, it is important that we understand exactly why we have brought ourselves to this point of environmental breakdown in the first place.

🏛️ My guest, Finnur, thinks - and in my opinion, very rightly so - that the core of the climate crisis is related to our values as a society. It might be the case that the pillars upon which we base our human existence on this planet in this point in time, which are predominantly values like growth, expansion, individualism and consumption, are fundamentally incompatible with a planet that has finite resources and extremely delicate ecosystems. Maybe the solution for climate change doesn’t only lie in our technological capacities, but might also require that we rethink our relationship with life and nature in general.

🗣️ Finnur Ricart is Chairperson of the Icelandic Young Environmentalist Association, and Icelandic UN Youth Delegate on Climate Change. He’s in his early twenties but he’s already achieved so much, and from what I can tell he’s just getting started. Our conversation covered a range of topics, like the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, which he attended as youth delegate for Iceland, as well as in the role of representative of his organization, the Icelandic Young Environmentalist Association. Finnur gave me a comprehensive, first hand account of what it’s really like to attend the conference of the parties, that absolutely massive political forum, and especially what it’s like to be there as a youth delegate, so we talked a lot about what kind of impact the youth has on the diplomatic procedures of the conference. Of course, as I mentioned above, we also talked a lot about climate change being, at its core, a crisis of values. I'm very grateful that I got to hear his perspective on all of these things, and even more grateful that I get to share them on the podcast.

Thanks so much for tuning in!


Supported and published by:

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Apr 14, 202348:57
#12 - The problems and challenges of climate diplomacy | Richard Kinley

#12 - The problems and challenges of climate diplomacy | Richard Kinley

🤝 Since the beginning of our species, the one key factor that has allowed us to survive and thrive is the ability to communicate. With advanced communication comes advanced cooperation - enabling us to achieve feats much greater than any single human would be able to pull off alone. This critical skill has helped us with everything from surviving in prehistoric jungles, to repairing the ozone layer - and it is now more important than ever. 

💼 Today, our ability to communicate and cooperate is being put to the ultimate test, as we’re facing arguably the biggest challenge we’ve had to deal with so far: catastrophic climate change. Surviving this cataclysmic event requires effective teamwork. To figure out a collective solution, the international community has created the UNFCCC - the flagship UN agency for dealing with climate change. In the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC, the nations of the world confer with each other and make cooperative pledges to reduce emissions and transition to a sustainable future. But is that enough?

🗣️ My guest for today is Richard Kinley, a retired senior official of the UNFCCC with more than 25 years of experience. He kindly joined me on the show to give me an insider view of this quintessential global forum. We talked about his experience in the UNFCCC and the COPs, the biggest challenges he and his colleagues faced during their active years, and how multilateralism itself has evolved since the beginning of the COPs in the mid 90s. We also discussed whether the international community is doing enough to address climate change, the unfortunate lack of political will in national politics, and outlooks for the future of climate diplomacy.

🎙️ I’m super happy to share this episode, I had so much fun recording it! As a climate nerd and political scientist, this was right up my alley so I hope it’s as engaging and interesting to you as it was to me.

Thank you for tuning in!


Supported and published by:

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Feb 15, 202339:10
#11 - Dissecting the Alt-Right movement - Part 2 | Ipsita Chatterjee

#11 - Dissecting the Alt-Right movement - Part 2 | Ipsita Chatterjee

Part 1 here!

🔥Hatred, suspicion and prejudice is easier to spread than love, compassion and understanding. Fear is a strong driver for human beings and, in times of uncertainty and turmoil (such as our own), it takes hold of us. In the digital age, expressions of hatred and fear can interact with each other, connecting and forming ideological networks based on these root emotions. A prime example of this is the rise of the alt-right (alternative right), an online (initially) far-right, white nationalist movement, originating in the US.

🗣️  Today's guest is Ipsita Chatterjee, a human geographer interested in the economic, cultural and geopolitical impacts of globalization. Ipsita is also a prolific author, and her latest book "The Alt-Right Movement: Dissecting Racism, Patriarchy and Anti-immigrant Xenophobia" served as the basis of our discussion. To help me better understand this phenomenon, she took me through how the alt-right came to be, its rise, and its ideological basis. We also talked about the role of the internet as a driver of alt-right ideology, but also as a potential remedy against it. Overall a super interesting discussion that I really feel gave me a much better understanding of the subject, as well as new perspectives on it. Please enjoy part 2!

Supported and published by:

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Jan 15, 202336:38
#10 - The challenging present and future of global politics | Kerstin Leitner

#10 - The challenging present and future of global politics | Kerstin Leitner

Dec 15, 202257:33
#9 - Dissecting the Alt-Right movement - Part 1 | Ipsita Chatterjee

#9 - Dissecting the Alt-Right movement - Part 1 | Ipsita Chatterjee

🔥Hatred, suspicion and prejudice is easier to spread than love, compassion and understanding. Fear is a strong driver for human beings and, in times of uncertainty and turmoil (such as our own), it takes hold of us. In the digital age, expressions of hatred and fear can interact with each other, connecting and forming ideological networks based on these root emotions. A prime example of this is the rise of the alt-right (alternative right), an online (initially) far-right, white nationalist movement, originating in the US. 

🗣️  Today's guest is Ipsita Chatterjee, a human geographer interested in the economic, cultural and geopolitical impacts of globalization. Ipsita is also a prolific author, and her latest book "The Alt-Right Movement: Dissecting Racism, Patriarchy and Anti-immigrant Xenophobia" served as the basis of our discussion. To help me better understand this phenomenon, she took me through how the alt-right came to be, its rise, and its ideological basis. We also talked about the role of the internet as a driver of alt-right ideology, but also as a potential remedy against it. Overall a super interesting discussion that I really feel gave me a much better understanding of the subject, as well as new perspectives on it.

🎙️Our conversation was actually so interesting that we ended up talking for quite a while, so I split this recording up into 2 episodes. Please enjoy part 1 and stay tuned for part 2!

Supported and published by:

📰 katoikos.world 📰

🏛️ FOGGS 🏛️

Nov 15, 202228:26
#8 - Climate policy and activism in the MENA region | Neeshad Shafi

#8 - Climate policy and activism in the MENA region | Neeshad Shafi

🌍 Climate change is a global crisis that knows no borders. In consequence of that, climate activism is (thankfully) becoming a global storm that transcends borders, in order to collectively imagine and create a livable, sustainable future for our species, no matter which part of the world we're from. Today, I had the privilege of learning about climate activism specifically in the Middle East and North Africa region by one of the most important players in that space: Neeshad Shafi!

🗣️ Neeshad is an environmentalist, speaker and social change advocate from Qatar. He has over 5 years of experience in analyzing Global Environmental Politics and Climate Policies with a special focus on the Middle East. He's an active member of several global environmental youth groups and contributed actively in international summits, notably the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, the UN Youth Climate Summit, and more. He is also the co-founder of the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, which is the first, registered, Independent, youth led, grassroots, non-profit association in the State of Qatar.

🌳 In our conversation today, we went over the youth climate movement in the MENA region, namely how it functions, what its prospects are and what its future (and the future of global youth climate activism) might look like. Additionally, we explored topics around climate policy in the MENA region in general, touching on various subjects, from oil geopolitics to climate justice. Tune in for more!

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Oct 15, 202237:26
#7 - Grassroots activism and NGO-government interplay in India | Srishti Sharma

#7 - Grassroots activism and NGO-government interplay in India | Srishti Sharma

Policy is not (or better, should not be) a one-way process; effective policymaking requires feedback and adjustment, so that the ground reality actually corresponds to the policymakers' intentions. Unfortunately, the more layered and complex a governance system is, the harder it gets to make sure that policy is being implemented correctly and addresses the issues it set out to fulfill. This leads to laws not achieving their purpose, and problematic situations remaining as they are, even after being "mended" by legal means. Often, grassroots organizations and NGOs are implicitly tasked with picking up the slack, as governmental measures fall short of the task.

On this episode of the Global Citizen podcast I had the pleasure of interviewing Srishti Sharma, serial entrepreneur and social activist from India. Srishti has been extremely active not only in the world of business, but also in social activism through start-ups and non-profit organizations that aim to tackle problems ranging from protecting women and compromised workers, to getting children back into school. 

Our conversation revolved around her own experience in setting up and running these social projects, as well as what role the government plays in supporting (or obstructing!) the work of such initiatives. I was super happy to have her on, and I felt like I left the conversation much more knowledgeable about the interplay between grassroots organizations and the government, especially in the multi-layered and complex environment of India. Tune in to hear all about it!

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Sep 05, 202250:06
#6 - (Young) World Federalism | Eston McKeague
Aug 10, 202227:30
#5 - Inclusion and equitability in policymaking | Sudha S. Reddy

#5 - Inclusion and equitability in policymaking | Sudha S. Reddy

Policymaking is the art of rules. Handled correctly, it can be an incredible tool that has allowed us to organize ourselves in cells of millions (sometimes billions!) of people, as it orchestrates the rules of the game, ensuring a society with well oiled gears and robust functions. However, if mismanaged, policy can be a major driver of exploitation, inequity and injustice.

🏘️ Today, Sudha Reddy was kind enough to join me on the podcast to talk all about policy from the unique perspective of India, which serves as a great example of how extreme centralization and top-down solutions can lead to misguided decisions from policymakers. Our conversation revolved around the relationship between the local level, the grassroots level, and the top levels of governance, from local and regional governments to international bodies like the UN. India's power structure is deeply characterized by these bottom-up and top-down dynamics, as it is a massive country in terms of population with many different levels of government, from the local and regional governments up to the centralized power that resides with the government in New Delhi.

⚖️ So: how does one create effective and equitable policy within this context? Are all groups treated equally in the policymaking process, or is there preferential treatment? How could we ensure that the people actively take part in making the decisions that affect them? 

👩🏾 Sudha was kind enough to join me on the podcast to help me shed some light on these questions. She is Founder and Director of the Eco Foundation for Sustainable Alternatives (EFSA) based in Bangalore, India, focusing on the holistic empowerment and sustainable development of the underprivileged and marginalized rural, urban and indigenous communities, with an emphasis on women, children and youth at the grassroots through direct intervention. Sudha has more than 25 years of experience in social action and the development sector in India and worldwide, academic researching and teaching on capacity building and organizational development, advocacy and campaigning. Sudha is passionately striving for sustainable alternative models of governance, gender, environmental and social justice, eco-spirituality, human and nature interconnectedness, rights and responsibilities and nonviolent approach to peace and harmony. 

Thanks for tuning in!

P.S. our connection was not the best it's ever been, so we apologize if the audio quality is not optimal.

Jul 03, 202243:13
#4 - The power of storytelling | Jamie Oliviero

#4 - The power of storytelling | Jamie Oliviero

Today, I had the pleasure of exploring one of the most ancient ways we’ve bonded with each other since the beginnings of our species: stories.


🗣️ The function of storytelling for humans has been quintessential, especially for our transition from life as hunter gatherers to the new social environment of civilization. The stories we tell ourselves and the others around us shape the reality we live in, and ultimately work as the catalyst for our mutual understanding of the world. Stories show what’s real, what isn’t real, and where we fit in all of it.

⭐ In virtually all folklore, one can find stories shared by cultural communities over hundreds of years. These tales serve as a unifying force in the culture, keeping it coherent by offering a common explanation for the world and whatever happens in it. In time, as cultures merge and interact, stories are blended together into narratives that inhabit our collective mind. Especially with the hyperconnectivity of the internet, this process has accelerated massively. What’s for sure is that even in a globalized, post-national world, stories will continue to have the same function, but on a larger scale.

🧔🏻‍♂️ My guest for today was Jamie Oliviero, a storyteller from Canada. Jamie started telling stories early in his life and has been doing so for more than 45 years. His love of storytelling has led him to many places around the world, from Africa to Australia, in search of indigenous stories that contain fundamental lessons about the human experience. In our conversation, he was kind enough to share some of them, sharing their origins and offering beautiful insights into each of them. We also talked about the pacifying power of stories, how they promote and nurture understanding and compassion, and how the digital age is shaped by the power of sharing them with each other.


Thank you for tuning in, and I hope you enjoy!

Supported and published by:

📰 katoikos.world 📰

🏛️ FOGGS 🏛️

Jun 19, 202253:54
#3 - What's happening in Sri Lanka? | Rizvina de Alwis
Jun 09, 202247:38
#2 - Ukraine, geopolitics and the UN | Georgios Kostakos
May 29, 202230:26
#1 - The role of narratives in governance and politics | Yoriko Yasukawa
May 19, 202246:46