World Reframed 1: global power, soft influence, and population politics
From Burkina Faso’s wartime democracy pause to China’s student diplomacy, the world looks very different when reframed.
The first episode of World Reframed, co-hosted by Duncan Hooper in London and Ismail Akwei in Accra, sets a bold tone for what promises to be a weekly dive into the stories shaping our world, especially those overlooked by mainstream international media.
Here’s what they covered this week:
Burkina Faso Scraps Elections Oversight
They open with the striking move by Burkina Faso’s military leadership to abolish its independent electoral commission. With over a third of the state’s budget going to fighting Islamist insurgents, the junta claims democracy can wait until 2030. The conversation expands to Niger and Mali, forming a military-led Alliance of Sahel States that has pivoted away from France toward Russia and China.
China’s Car Crisis: Too Many Vehicles, Not Enough Buyers
They spotlight a strange problem: zero-mileage used cars. China’s auto dealers are flooding the market with unsold electric and display vehicles labelled as used, prompting questions about the country’s saturated market and looming export surge amid Western EV tariffs.
India's Hypersonic Missile Development
India’s growing defense capability, especially hypersonic weapons, comes into focus as a reaction to past humiliation with Pakistan and global military tech escalations fueled by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Trump’s Deportation Strategy and the Eswatini Puzzle
An eyebrow-raising move by Donald Trump sends migrants, unrelated to Eswatini, to the small African monarchy. The podcast explores why Eswatini might agree to accept criminals with no links to the country and what it signals about global migration deals.
Lula’s Swipe at Trump & the Rise of BRICS
Following a revitalised BRICS summit in Brazil, President Lula dares to say what many won’t: “Trump is not emperor of the world.” The episode explores how Global South leaders are beginning to reclaim narrative space on the world stage.
Presidents’ Pay vs Power
A segment from World Visualized highlights global disparities in leaders’ salaries, from monarchies like Saudi Arabia to low-paid presidents like Ukraine’s. African examples include Ethiopia and Egypt, where official pay doesn’t always reflect real wealth or public expectations.
Population Declines, Migration, and Africa’s Growing Role
With countries like Italy and China facing population crises, Africa's demographic boom to 2.5 billion by 2050 stands in stark contrast. The discussion links climate, migration, and soft power, especially China’s strategy of offering scholarships to African students to build long-term influence.
Listen to this and more on World Reframed, available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and everywhere you listen to your podcasts.
- World Reframed episode 5: Libya's kingmaker
- World Reframed episode 4: Bolivia's choice
- World Reframed episode 3: splitting BRICS
- World Reframed episode 2: old leaders, young voters
World Reframed is produced in London for Global South World, part of the Impactum Group. Its editors are Duncan Hooper and Ismail Akwei.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
