Future Tense

Thursday 18 March 2010

Carne Ross is the founder and Executive Director of an organisation called Independent Diplomat. He used to be one of Her Majesty's men abroad. Mr Ross believes the traditional institutions of diplomacy have lost their way and it's time to overhaul the way we conduct international relations. Read Transcript

21st century state-building

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The concept of nation-building has lost its shine in recent years, with international efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan slow to bring about significant change. Despite a massive effort, and billions in aid, both nations still struggle to be effective states. In this program we hear from Clare Lockhart, co-founder and CEO of the Institute for State Effectiveness. The ISE estimates around 40 to 60 countries aren't able to perform the functions of a state in the 21st Century and Ms Lockhart says what's needed is a 'citizen-centric' approach. Read Transcript

Re-grouping in Latin America

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Is a new age dawning for Latin America? Thirty-two Latin American and Caribbean countries have agreed to form a new regional grouping in direct competition to the US-dominated Organisation of American States (OAS). Read Transcript

Thursday 11 March 2010

Listen Now - 2010-03-11 | Download Audio (13.4 MB) - 11032010

The 'Deep' Web

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Think of an iceberg, the bit you see is only a small part of the total amount - it's the same with the Internet. On this program we explore the so-called 'Deep' Web, the part of the internet that evades most of us and our search engines. Read Transcript

Age of Metrics

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We've fashioned computers to think like us, but are we now starting to think like them? Anand Giridharadas says 'welcome to the Age of Metrics'. Read Transcript

Mesofacts

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The whole idea of a fact has a certain permanency about it. But in an era of rapid change do we need to re-think when a fact is a fact? Read Transcript

Thursday 04 March 2010

Listen Now - 2010-03-04 | Download Audio (13.6 MB) - 04032010

Money - Part Two

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In part two of this series we look at the changing nature of currency. Is traditional state-issued tender now losing its monopoly? And how widespread is the use of alternative currencies - be they digital or virtual, or both? Read Transcript