Dangerous conflicts – all connected?/Land Conservation funding in jeopardy?

What to look for on Smart Talk Monday, August 20, 2018:? 

Each day, newspaper headlines recount conflicts happening in countries around the globe. The civil wars in Syria and Yemen, the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, and the never-ending sectarian violence in Iraq.  

What newspapers rarely say, though, is that these modern-day conflicts are, in many ways, connected. An Associated Press report observed that never in the last 70 years have conflicts seemed as interconnected as they are now.   

The big players on the global stage are, of course, the United States and Russia, but also Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Powerbrokers and nation-states, vying for influence throughout the world, often far away from their own borders, play a role in most of the world’s current struggles.  

A nation-state must balance many factors before engaging in a proxy relationship with another nation or opposition group. The stakes are high, and the cost of intervening could set the condition for a larger proxy war.  

Joining Smart Talk on Monday to discuss the ethics of proxy relationships and global trouble spots is Dr. Tony Pfaff, Research Professor, Strategic Studies Institute.  

Dr. Tony Pfaff

Also, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund is scheduled to expire September 30 unless Congress reauthorized funding.  For more than 50 years, the fund has provided money to preserve and maintain parks, open spaces, forests, wetlands, and historic sites and improve access for hunters and those who enjoy the outdoors.

The Conservation Fund is using a portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments.

Ed Perry of the National Wildlife Federation appears on Monday’s Smart Talk to discuss renewing the fund.