Building The Future: Freedom, Prosperity, And Foreign Policy With Dan Runde

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Colombian Admiral Álvaro Echandía Durán, who discusses his career, his experiences with the FARC, the role of civil intelligence in a democracy, and why we should renew our commitment to counternarcotics. Throughout his career the Admiral has held various high level positions, including Chief of Naval Operations of Colombia’s National Armada, Chief of Staff of the Caribbean Naval Force, Chief of Naval Intelligence and Chief of Joint Military Intelligence and Counterintelligence of the Armed Forces, among others. Renovación del compromiso con la lucha contra las drogas: Una conversación con el Almirante Álvaro Echandía Durán En este episodio de Construyendo el futuro, Dan Runde habla con el Almirante Álvaro Echandía Durán sobre la carrera del Almirante, sus experiencias con las FARC, el uso de la inteligencia civil en una democracia y porque deberíamos reforzar nuestro compromiso en la lucha contra el narcotráfico. A lo largo de su carrera, Echandí

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by David Hoffman, a contributing editor and member of the editorial board of The Washington Post. In this podcast, they discuss Hoffman’s latest book, Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswaldo Payá and his Daring Quest for a Free Cuba, his motivation for writing this book, and predictions about the future of democracy in Cuba.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Cynthia Arnson, a distinguished fellow and former director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. Arnson is one of the country’s foremost experts on the Spanish-speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere. In today’s podcast, Dan and Cynthia discuss her impressive career in Latin American affairs, the challenges of entering a male-dominated industry, her predictions for the future of U.S. foreign policy in Latin America, and the trajectory of various Latin American countries.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan women's rights activist and the first woman in the Afghan Parliament to be elected Second Deputy Speaker. Fawzia reflects on the current state of human rights for women and girls under Taliban rule and the consequences of U.S. withdrawal from the country.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Harold Rosen, founder and Executive Director of the IFC’s Grassroots Business Initiative. They discuss Harold’s work at the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the Development Finance Corporation, as well as his newly published report, “18 Years of Blended Finance- Impact and Lessons Learned.” 

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan hosts Andrew Sady-Kennedy, a former research intern with the CSIS Americas Program. Andrew recently earned his Master’s in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), where he specialized in international and global affairs. During his time at HKS, Andrew completed a Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) for his client, the Bureau of Energy Resources at the US Department of State. This PAE addressed the topic of Ally-Shoring the Lithium Supply Chain in the Americas: A Strategic Model for U.S. Critical Mineral Policy. In this episode, Andrew shares his experience and discusses the importance of lithium and other critical minerals for the clean energy transition, and how cooperation between countries is essential for this transition.

In this week’s episode of Building the Future, Dan is joined by Dr. Evan Ellis, a CSIS non-resident senior associate for the Americas Program and a research professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. Dr. Ellis focuses on Latin American countries’ relationships with China and other non-Western Hemisphere actors as well as transnational organized crime and populism in the region. Additionally, Dr. Ellis previously served as a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, where he was responsible for issues pertaining to Latin America and the Caribbean, and international narcotics and law enforcement issues. In this podcast, they will discuss Dr. Ellis’ recently published book, “China Engages Latin America: Distorting Development and Democracy.”

On this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Shelly Stoneman, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for BAE Systems, Inc., and Co-chair of the Executive Committee for the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. Earlier in her career, Shelly worked in the Executive Branch and Congress. In this podcast, Shelly delves into her career trajectory in Washington, D.C., her passion for Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and gives insights from her work promoting women's inclusion in national security.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Dr. Matthew Kroenig and Dan Negrea. Dr. Kroenig serves as the Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and the director of the Scowcroft Center’s Scowcroft Strategy Initiative. Mr. Negrea serves as the Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center. In this podcast, they discuss Dr. Kroenig and Mr. Negrea’s recent report “Do Countries Need Freedom to Achieve Prosperity?” and the aims of the Freedom and Prosperity Center.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Ambassador John Simon to discuss sustainable water infrastructure financing. Ambassador Simon is the founding partner of Total Impact Capital. Prior to founding Total Impact Capital, Ambassador Simon held a variety of posts in the U.S. government, the most recent of which include ambassador to the African Union and the Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). In addition to exploring financing approaches for water, Dan and Ambassador Simon discuss Total Impact Capital’s partner and client, Azure Source Capital (ASC). ASC is an initiative that mobilizes capital and technical expertise to upgrade and expand water services for under-served urban and peri-urban communities in El Salvador.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Vladyslav Rashkovan, Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund, IMF, who is representing Ukraine and fourteen other states on the IMF Executive Board. Prior to joining the IMF, Mr. Rashkovan served as Deputy Governor and a Member of the Board of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), where he was responsible for the development and implementation of the strategy for the Ukrainian banking sector reforms and a turnaround transformation project within the National Bank of Ukraine. Dan and Mr. Rashkova discuss a possible future Reconstruction Plan in Ukraine and how it will be executed.

This week, CSIS research associate and friend of the pod, Sundar Ramanujam, takes over from Dan to host Mahfuz Sadique, Chief Communications Officer of bKash - a Bangladesh-based digital payments service provider that is rapidly changing how the financial sector engages with the Bangladeshi society. Sundar asks Mahfuz: is there a "secret recipe" which other developing countries can use to replicate bKash's success? Listen to the episode to find out his reply.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Bennett Freeman and Allison Gill from the Cotton Campaign, a coalition of human rights NGOs, independent trade unions, brand associations, responsible investors, and academics, united to end forced labor in cotton production. Bennett and Allison share key elements to the Cotton Campaigns' success, and the critical steps necessary to fight against forced and child labor in countries such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. 

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Co-Director of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project at Princeton University, Arizona Centennial Professor of International Affairs at Arizona State, and renowned author Dr. Ethan Kapstein. Dr. Kapstein has had an esteemed career at the OECD and has published books across all vectors of global affairs, from U.S. foreign policy to democracy, the AIDs crisis, national security, and more. This episode will feature a discussion on Dr. Kapstein's latest book, Exporting Capitalism: Private Enterprise and US Foreign Policy, which explores America’s attempts to promote international development by exporting private enterprise.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Global Environment & Technology Foundation's CEO and founding member Monica Ellis to discuss today’s most pressing challenges to global water security. Monica emphasizes water as a foundational issue that intersects with other development challenges such as climate change, COVID-19, women’s empowerment, and conflict – including Afghanistan and Ukraine. The two also consider the need for heightened investment and the role of the private sector in advancing the water agenda. 

Dan is out this week. But Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, Director and Senior Fellow for CSIS Africa, guest hosts to discusses the digital revolution in Africa with Togo’s Minister of Digital Economy and Transformation, Cina Lawson, and Better Than Cash Alliance’s Lead of Africa Policy and Partnerships, Nshuti Mbabazi. Cina shares the innovative digital strategies Togo employed to alleviate the poverty exacerbated by Covid-19, including how they used AI and partnered with UC Berkeley and Innovations for Poverty Action. Meanwhile, Nshuti stresses the importance of financial inclusion, public-private partnerships, and the hopeful prospects of Africa’s further digital innovation in upcoming years.

In this episode of Building the Future, Women’s World Banking President and CEO Mary Ellen Iskenderian joins Dan Runde to discuss women’s economic empowerment, opportunity, and inclusion. Mary shares insights from her new book There’s Nothing Micro About a Billion Women, which talks about women's financial inclusion and the different opportunities for empowerment and economic growth. FinTech, the actions of policymakers, financial institutions, and consumers all make a difference in facilitating gender-inclusive finance.

In this episode of Building the Future, Nazak Nikakhtar, former Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis at the Department of Commerce, joins Dan Runde to discuss her journey from her family's migration from Iran to the U.S. and how she lived the American dream to become a civil and public servant. As a key national security expert, Nazak forecasts the economic tools the U.S. should employ in an era of great power competition and how the U.S. could approach an economic distancing from China and Russia.

In this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Eddy Acevedo, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the President of the Wilson Center. Eddy shares insights from his recent National Review article “America Must Prioritize Trade Policy in its Global Competition with China.” The two talk about the importance of trade in the context of national security and address the common misconceptions of trade.

On this episode of Building the Future, Dan Runde is joined by Dr. Douglas Johnston. President Emeritus and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD). Dr. Johnston pioneered the discourse on religion, conflict, and peacebuilding, which he details in his new book Mountain Tops and Mai Tais: Scaling the Heights Toward a Higher Calling. In the wake of heightened secularism in the West, Dan and Douglas discuss today’s challenges to religion and statecraft, along with Douglas’s work reforming Pakistan’s madrasas.