Listen as Redi Tlhabi speaks with political scientist and PARI executive director Sithembile Mbete about the United Nations at a moment of deep, deep strain. They talk through why decades of debate on Security Council reform have led nowhere, how the veto entrenches global inequality, and what this paralysis means for Africa and the global South. It is a conversation about privilege, stalled change, and the kind of crisis that may be required to finally force reform.
Listen as Redi Tlhabi speaks with political scientist and PARI executive director Sithembile Mbete about the United Nations at a
moment of deep, deep strain. They talk through why decades of debate on Security Council reform have led nowhere, how the veto entrenches global inequality, and what this paralysis means for Africa and the global South. It is a conversation about privilege, stalled change, and the kind of crisis that may be required to finally force reform.
This episode was made possible thanks to The Friedrich Naumann
Foundation for Freedom: https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa
Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi
Guest: Sithembile Mbete
Edited by: Joel Seboa
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze
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00:45 US House of Representatives Passes AGOA Bill
01:38 South Africa's Uncertain Inclusion in AGOA
02:12 US Lawmakers Push for Stricter Reviews
02:54 Bilateral Relations Review Act
04:22 Political Scientist Joins the Discussion
05:01 AGOA as a Diplomatic Initiative
05:50 South Africa's Diplomatic Importance
06:48 Historical Tensions in US-South Africa Relations
09:18 Neglect in US-South Africa Relations
13:32 The Role of the United Nations
14:50 Expectations vs. Reality of the UN
24:30 Reforming the United Nations