Refael Kubersky Podcast Transcript
Refael Kubersky joins host Brian Thomas on The Digital Executive Podcast.
Welcome to Coruzant Technologies, Home of The Digital Executive Podcast.
Brian Thomas: Welcome to The Digital Executive. Today’s guest is Refael Kubersky. Refael Kubersky has a background in foreign relations. He previously worked for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction and graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service with an M.S. degree in international relations. Rafael is passionate about migration technology in international affairs and a global rise of populism, among other issues. He has previously lived in Egypt, Jordan, and Italy and speaks fluent Arabic.
Well, good afternoon, Refael. Welcome to the show!
Refael Kubersky: Thank you so much, Brian.
Brian Thomas: You’re very, very welcome. Love doing these podcasts every day just about, and, and of course that’s what really gets me. Jazzed for the day and it’s kind of like my energy drink. So, Refael, let’s just jump right into the first question here with a foundation at Georgetown’s school of foreign service and roles that have taken you around the world.
What inspired you to pursue a career in international relations and how has your journey informed your current perspectives?
Refael Kubersky: Yeah. So, I always was really passionate about foreign affairs. I studied Arabic and undergraduate for my undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, I traveled a lot for that, and I decided that I wanted to work in the U.S. government. I was very passionate about public policy, and I got my master’s at Georgetown, and I ended up working at the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction and I really enjoyed it. Basically, I was assisting with. Oversight into all U. S. operations going or reconstruction operations going into Afghanistan.
And 1 thing that really stood out to me was this idea of government accountability, which is kind of what we were all about. And. When thinking about that more, I decided that while I really enjoyed working in government, and I really enjoyed the issues that I was working on, I wanted to kind of pivot to documentary filmmaking to really highlight some of the issues that are facing the U.S. and other countries and help kind of educate the public about issues going on. And so, one of the things that, you know, I was able to do for this documentary that we just released called Allies Left Behind was focused on Afghans who had assisted the United States during the 2 decade presence in Afghanistan who had essentially been left behind, you know, they were soldiers they were human rights activists.
They were media members, people who worked very closely with the United States. Who opposed kind of Taliban rule, but when we left, there was no real mechanisms for them to get visas to come to the United States. So, and the while the United States made certain assurances that they’d be able to come over here.
There was really this kind of extensive visa process. It was completely overwhelming that they weren’t really able to access, so we went to Pakistan me and my friends. My 2 cousins and my friend, and we wanted to tell that story and I think that it really. Highlighted to us, you know, the, the very real human impacts of public policy.
You know that that happened, you know, and that these, these things really have an effect on people. And we were just trying to bring that to the light. So, I think that’s one of the things that, you know, I’ve really enjoyed kind of digging deep into throughout these experiences.
Brian Thomas: Thank you. I appreciate that.
And obviously it all started with that passion. You had to get into this, you know, foreign relations business as we call it. And it’s a lot of hard work. It does take someone that’s really passionate about their work. And I appreciate you going over there and serving and doing the things that you did, because it’s obviously not a fun place. Sometimes during a war zone. I served in the Marines and lost some of my friends as well, in those theaters of operation. So, I know it’s a very hard job. And so, I thank you for all that you’ve done. And you bet Refael, you’ve expressed a keen interest in how technology impacts international affairs.
Can you discuss a particular instance or innovation that exemplifies technology’s potential to transform diplomacy or global governance?
Refael Kubersky: I think one of the things that I’m seeing right now is actually about monkeys. There’s actually a shortage of monkeys in the United States used for research.
So after, you know, COVID broke out, China blocked off exports of these research monkeys to the United States and that accounted for 60 percent of American imports of research monkeys a year. So, the national academies released this report in, you know, 2023 that said that the U. S. is At kind of a breaking point, almost like a crisis because of the lack of monkeys, researchers in biomedical fields and neuroscience fields need these monkeys to be able to conduct their research, or they say they need these monkeys to conduct their research.
And it’s become a huge issue, especially because monkeys are really critical to vaccine development. Monkeys were very critical to finding treatments for HIV. So, to not have them in supply, a lot of scientists are very concerned that going forward, the United States on the international stage might not be prepared to compete in certain scientific areas with China or other countries.
So, I think that there is room potentially for diplomacy between China and the United States in terms of mutual cooperation. Unfortunately, right now, the dynamics between the 2 countries isn’t so good. The United States has been looking at other options, other countries to try to get these monkeys.
And, you know, that’s come with its own difficulties and a huge illicit trade, but it’s definitely something that I’m keeping my eye out on and definitely an opportunity, even though it’s a crisis to potentially build, you know, great relationships with certain countries in Southeast Asia, even Africa, in order to ensure that the United States has a stable supply.
Brian Thomas: Thank you. I appreciate that. And, you know, you’ve highlighted just another challenge in the foreign relations area. Obviously, we need some help, and we need experts like you to help facilitate resolving some of these global issues. So, thank you. And Rafael, what are you currently working on or researching?
Are there new areas in international relations or global trends that you find particularly compelling or concerning? Thank you.
Refael Kubersky: I think, you know, right now, I’m really focused on the documentary that we released Afghan allies left behind. It’s a crisis that’s continuing. And it’s something that hasn’t.
You know, stayed in in the, in the public domain or the public attention for that long, just considering all that’s kind of going on in the world. I think it’s important, though, to for the public to kind of understand what’s going on right now. Pakistan is basically trying to evict to deport you know, thousands of Afghans who have found refuge in Pakistan.
And, you know, a lot of them are allies. A lot of them were working with the United States and they are waiting for the visas to be processed. And if they are sent back to Afghanistan, they’re going to face imminent threat from the Taliban. They’re going to potentially have, you know, their lives at stake.
And if the process system doesn’t speed up, this is going to potentially have impacted for thousands of Afghan allies who are trying to come to the United States. So, right now, I’ve been talking to the people that we’ve spoken with on the ground over there that we met. Who welcomed us into our into their homes were.
Hoping that this document really has an impact and spreading the word and also keeping tabs about, you know, the ongoing developments in Pakistan facing the Afghan community. And we’re hoping that hopefully the public will become. More aware of kind of the issues going on in Pakistan with the Afghan community to potentially create change.
Brian Thomas: Thank you. Again, love what you’re sharing with our audience this evening. There are concerns again, highlighting this one in Pakistan and folks that truly need our help, I guess, are hiding out from the Taliban, but are obviously needing some refuge somewhere. So, I appreciate that. You are being on the front lines and bringing this stuff to light.
And Rafael last question of the evening for those working to enter the field of international relations, especially in areas like technologies impact on diplomacy. What advice would you offer based on your own path and experiences?
Refael Kubersky: I think. I think it’s kind of a double edged. Sword per se, I think that getting a broad experience if you can is critical.
I think pursuing a foreign language, understanding a foreign culture really sets you apart in terms of being able to. Put yourself in different situations and understand how different people around the world think. And I think that’s. That’s critical to foreign affairs. There’s so many resources out there to, to understand how technology is forming our, you know, sphere, essentially even if you’re just looking at this information and, you know, everyone’s on Twitter, everyone’s on Instagram, but taking the time to think about not just what you’re seeing on these platforms, but also how these platforms are recommending information, what kind of information is being recommended to you and your friends.
How does that differ? Starting to really analyze all the ways in which, you know, technology is playing a role in terms of feeding us information shaping our lives understanding why technology companies are making decisions that they’re making. I think starting, you know, obviously there’s tons of resources, tons of courses to help illuminate that.
But I think 1 of the very unique things is that we have a great opportunity to you know, analyze what’s going on in front of our eyes and. That’s kind of how I got involved in the technology space. I’ve done a little bit work on of work on disinformation, and it’s been pretty cool. So, I think that having that curiosity in the beginning is definitely a great entry path.
And then from there. I think so many doors will open and once you start, like, getting those insights, I think that that it will just be a very natural progression for anybody trying to break into the field.
Brian Thomas: Thank you. That’s so helpful. And again, we’ve got a lot of. People in our audience are very curious, like you, and they have a lot of questions, they may like, like, to explore this particular.
Career path or get into this type of work. So, Raphael, I really do appreciate everything that you’ve shared tonight, and I look forward to speaking with you real soon.
Refael Kubersky: Sounds good. Thank you so much, Brian. I really appreciate it.
Brian Thomas: Bye for now.
Refael Kubersky Podcast Transcript. Listen to the audio on the guest’s podcast page.
