United Nations Audio

Show summary: Indecency over the air and the man who created the infamous Daisy Girl ad

Show summary: Indecency over the air and the man who created the infamous Daisy Girl ad

The world’s weakest and failed states can disrupt the stability of other countries all over the world. The Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine have released their fourth annual Failed States Index . Patricia Taft , senior associate at the Fund for Peace, joins us to talk about where the worst failed states are, and how instability spreads from one country to another.

According to Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier , the period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 fundamentally shaped the world we live in today. Their new book, America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11 , argues that the post-Cold War world we live in is chaotic and complex; filled with challenges posed by globalization, nonstate actors, weapons of mass destruction, and inefficient international institutions. Event : Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier will be speaking and signing books Tuesday, June 24 at 7 pm Barnes & Noble Upper West Side 2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street)

Last week, Nepal officially abolished its 240-year-old monarchy. Now Nepal’s ex-king is vacating his palace, and the country’s political parties are squabbling over power-sharing in the new government. Journalist and photographer Thomas Laird has reported on Nepal for both Time and Newsweek ; he lived in Nepal for more than 30 years. He’s the author of several books including The Story of Tibet . Social and political activist Dr. Tara Niraula is the immediate past president of America-Nepal Friendship Society and the current Senior Vice President of the Nepalese Americas Council , an umbrella group for 28 Nepali American groups in North America.

Albania is fledgling democracy with a tumultuous political climate and a controversial prime minister. It’s also a strategic ally of the United States, yet we rarely hear about it in the American media. Erion Veliaj is a recipient of the United Nations Civil Society Award and was director of Albania’s leading watchdog group, MJAFT , from 2003 to 2007.

On June 3rd, New Jersey will hold a primary for elected offices. Three candidates are vying for the Democratic party's U.S. Senate nomination. We talk with one of them, Congressman Robert Andrews , about his candidacy.

Who would have thought that Puerto Rico would play such a key role in the Presidential race? In anticipation of this Sunday's Democratic primary, Juan Manuel Garcia Pasalacua , journalist and talk show host at WUNO San Juan , and Angelo Falcon , professor at Columbia and President of the National Institute for Latino Policy , look at complex political relationship Puerto Rico and its citizens have with the U.S. and New York.

Fareed Zakaria says that post-Cold War America needs to accept that the rest of the world doesn’t revolve around us, and that our world will be re-shaped in the near future as other countries like China, India, Brazil and Russia become more and more powerful. His new book is The Post-American World .

Former U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee , a moderate Republican, reviews the first six years of the Bush presidency from an insider’s perspective. He says the Republican party needs to change dramatically if it is to survive and succeed. His new book is Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President .