{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Environmental Studies","slug":"new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644","podcast_index_feed_id":580644,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT4982261480","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/science-technology/environmental-studies/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/fd33bd66-ee6d-11e8-8e3e-93e6ce14a7dc/image/e5dc75adf8cdf02fb639d7831e4bb4a6.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":1246,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies","last_synced_at":"2026-06-26T10:18:44.101627+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644"},"episode":{"title":"Silvia Danielak, \"Peace Infrastructures: How UN Peace Operations Build Roads, Bridges, and Solar Farms in the Pursuit of Sustainability\" (MIT Press, 2026)","slug":"silvia-danielak-peace-infrastructures-how-un-peace-operations-build-roads-bridges-and-solar-farms-in-the-pursuit-of-sustainability-mit-press-2026","published_at":"2026-05-15T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644/silvia-danielak-peace-infrastructures-how-un-peace-operations-build-roads-bridges-and-solar-farms-in-the-pursuit-of-sustainability-mit-press-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9100767930.mp3?updated=1778661891","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9100767930.mp3?updated=1778661891","summary":"Roads, bridges, a renewable power plant, and an electricity grid: UN peacekeepers might be unusual infrastructure builders, but they’re certainly not unambitious. Since the beginning of the UN’s peacekeeping activities after the end of World War II, the Blue Helmets have cemented streets, constructed bridges, and dug wells in conflict zones. But how did the military arm of the world’s primary diplomatic forum become involved in such activities in its quest for peace, and with what consequences? Peace Infrastructures: How UN Peace Operations Build Roads, Bridges, and Solar Farms in the Pursuit of Sustainability (MIT Press, 2026) by Dr. Silvia Danielak analyzes the turn to ever-more-complex infrastructure projects, from early road building via urban community projects to the commissioning of entire renewable power plants, in the context of an evolving understanding of peace “problems” and solutions. Tracing the global travel of policies, technologies, and expertise, Dr. Danielak investigates how the shift toward risk management, legacy, and climate security was driven by, and materialized in, conflict zones, shaping the very idea of peace.The book critically engages with the UN’s ambition to insert itself in the sustainable development of the countries it seeks to assist, arguing that we need to consider peace operations’ spatial, urban, and material ways of engagement—especially in the face of mounting climate risks. Infrastructure is poised to take a more prominent position within peace operations, but a more nuanced understanding that recognizes its opportunities, as well as its potential for violence, is required. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implemen…","meta_description":"Roads, bridges, a renewable power plant, and an electricity grid: UN peacekeepers might be unusual infrastructure builders, but they’re certainly not unam…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2056,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644/episodes/silvia-danielak-peace-infrastructures-how-un-peace-operations-build-roads-bridges-and-solar-farms-in-the-pursuit-of-sustainability-mit-press-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-environmental-studies-580644/silvia-danielak-peace-infrastructures-how-un-peace-operations-build-roads-bridges-and-solar-farms-in-the-pursuit-of-sustainability-mit-press-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}