Columbia Global Reports

There was a time, and it wasn't that long ago when newspapers could easily have a 30% profit margin. Places like car dealers and grocery stores were able to get their message out. But then, the internet happened and kicked the legs out from under the entire business model. Washington Post media critic Margaret Sullivan… more

The second part of our interview with Krithika Varagur. In her new book, "The Call: Inside the Global Saudi Religious Project," Varagur traverses three continents to tell the story of the Saudi religious campaign from Indonesia, Nigeria, and Kosovo. She finds Saudi money in all kinds of places, from universities to political parties to extremist… more

Krithika Varagur's new book, "The Call: Inside the Global Saudi Religious Project," chronicles the House of Saud’s vast project to systematically transform the Muslim world in its own image by spreading abroad Wahhabism, its brand of ultraconservative Islam. Using billions of dollars, thousands of personnel, and institutions both governmental and unofficial, "Saudi money" is both… more

On the frontlines of the battle for democracy in China. Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink represents a rare example of deep historical, cultural, and political context produced on deadline about a major ongoing news event. Drawing on a rich store of knowledge and wisdom, and writing with literary power as well as analytic rigor, Jeffrey Wasserstrom… more

The Story of MS-13 and Its American Roots. State of War: MS-13 and El Salvador’s World of Violence makes vividly clear why Salvadorans are fleeing their country, and why Trump’s harsh immigration and asylum policies may only empower the gangs more. Writer and "Detours" podcast host William Wheeler discusses the process of reporting his new… more

Host Nicholas Lemann sits down with Columbia University law professor Tim Wu to discuss the politics of Louis Brandeis and Theodore Roosevelt as antitrust has reemerged this year as a major issue in the run-up to the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.            

Part two of Nick's conversation with acclaimed Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto. Her most recent book, New Kings of the World, examines the new arbiters of mass culture ―India’s Bollywood films, Turkey's soap operas, or dizi, and South Korea's pop music. Published with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.    

Acclaimed Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto joins the show. Her most recent book, New Kings of the World, examines the new arbiters of mass culture ―India’s Bollywood films, Turkey's soap operas, or dizi, and South Korea's pop music. Published with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.