New Frontiers Podcast

New Frontiers is the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs’ podcast series. Hosted by Mark Williams, RCGA director and Russell J. Leng ’60 Professor of International Politics and Economics, it offers a deeper view into global areas through one-on-one discussions with Middlebury College faculty and others.

New Frontiers topics—from big tech, environmental conservation, global security, and political economy, to culture, literature, religion, and changing work patterns—have global or international dimensions.

Subscribe to New Frontiers through most podcast apps including Amazon Music and Audible, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Google Podcasts.

Season 3 Ep. 4 - Israel in Crisis - PART TWO

March 18, 2025 | by With Tamar Mayer

Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s drive to reform Israel’s judiciary—which sparked intense, broad based opposition from Israeli society and sharply curtailed institutional checks on executive power—play a role in the timing of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel? Could the internal conflict between Israelis who support and oppose Netanyahu’s reform agenda pose an even greater threat to Israel than the external conflict between it and external adversaries?
Season 3 Ep. 3 - The Path to Autocracy: Venezuela and Beyond

December 13, 2024

In this episode, Mark Williams sits down with political scientist Javier Corrales, to discuss his latest book—‘Autocracy Rising: How Venezuela Transitioned to Authoritarianism’. Listen in to their discussion as they explore Venezuela’s political history, and the critical lessons its slide into autocracy might teach about the fragility of democratic governments worldwide.
Season 3 Ep. 2 - The East India Company: Commerce, Conquest, and Colonialism

November 1, 2024

Established in 1600 to secure trade relations between India, East and Southeast Asia, and Britain, the East India Company did this and much, much more. For nearly 300 years it ran a global trading network that operated for profit, politics, and eventually empire. In the process it not only became the world’s first multinational corporation, but — thanks to its own army, navy, currency, and legal system—came to rule territories far more extensive than its home base of the British Isles.
Season 3 Ep. 1 - Election 2024 and US Foreign Policy

September 17, 2024

Although foreign policy doesn’t usually play much of a role in US presidential elections, the consequences of those contests can have profound effects on American foreign policy, and by extension, on US interests, allies, and other countries around the world. In this episode, Ambassador Michael McKinley joins Mark Williams to discuss the foreign policy implications of the 2024 US presidential election.
Season 2 Ep. 6 - U.S. Militias: Guarding Tradition or Courting Chaos

May 30, 2024

In this episode of “New Frontiers,” sociologist Amy Cooter explores the rise, goals, and philosophies of American militia groups. She explains why their actions could mar the 2024 elections and highlights how a more thorough, accurate teaching of American history could address misconceptions and reduce societal tensions that fuel some of these groups’ strongest grievances.
Season 2 Ep. 5 - India Today: One Question, Three Perspectives

March 18, 2024

In this episode of “New Frontiers” three experts—an art historian, economist, and diplomat/political scientist—explore what’s going on in India today. Join host Mark Williams and co-host Arjun Kumar ’25.5 for three fascinating discussions about the world’s largest democracy, and find out why what’s happening on the political/diplomatic, cultural, and development fronts matters to India, Indians, and the world beyond.
Season 2 Ep. 4 - Race, Empire, and Policing in Paris

January 5, 2024

In June 2023, French police killed 17-year-old Nahal Marzouk during a traffic stop outside of Paris. The killing led to days of street protests, widespread condemnation of racialized police practices, and over 1,300 arrests. This was particularly significant in a country like France, where discussions about race are often avoided or rejected. To gain a deeper understanding of French police practices, Mark Williams sits down with historian Amit Prakash, whose new book—Empire of the Seine—explores how France’s colonial history helped shaped how French law enforcement policed North Africans living in Paris from 1925 to 1975.
Season 2 Ep. 3 - After the Insurrection: Assessing American Democracy

October 30, 2023

After losing the 2020 presidential election, President Donald Trump summoned supporters to Washington where—after listening to him speak of a “stolen election” at the Ellipse—they launched a violent attack on the US capital to stop the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden. What does the January 6 insurrection tell us about the state of American democracy?

In this episode, political scientist Bert Johnson reflects on the state of American democracy, the dangers it faces, and some of the ways Americans might preserve their democratic political system.
Season 2 Ep. 2 - INTL' NGOs: What You Need to Know

September 8, 2023

What do Amnesty International, Care International, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, or World Vision all have in common? They all are international nongovernmental organizations which operate around the world — independently of governments — which in broad terms, aim to provide services or influence governments with respect to specific goals. But what do we really know about such organizations or their operations, credibility, efficacy, and constraints? In this episode political scientist Sarah Stroup examines INGOs and explains what we need to know to understand their operations and limitations.