Jackie Northam
Jackie Northam is NPR's International Affairs Correspondent. She is a veteran journalist who has spent three decades reporting on conflict, politics, and life across the globe - from the mountains of Afghanistan and the desert sands of Saudi Arabia, to the gritty prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and the pristine beauty of the Arctic.
Northam spent more than a dozen years as an international correspondent living in London, Budapest, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, and Nairobi. She charted the collapse of communism, covered the first Gulf War from Saudi Arabia, counter-terrorism efforts in Pakistan, and reported from Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Her work has taken her to conflict zones around the world. Northam covered the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, arriving in the country just four days after Hutu extremists began slaughtering ethnic Tutsis. In Afghanistan, she accompanied Green Berets on a precarious mission to take a Taliban base. In Cambodia, she reported from Khmer Rouge strongholds.
Throughout her career, Northam has put a human face on her reporting, whether it be the courage of villagers walking miles to cast their vote in an Afghan election despite death threats from militants, or the face of a rescue worker as he desperately listens for any sound of life beneath the rubble of a collapsed elementary school in Haiti.
Northam joined NPR in 2000 as National Security Correspondent, covering US defense and intelligence policies. She led the network's coverage of the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal and the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Her present beat focuses on the complex relationship between international business and geopolitics, including how the lifting of nuclear sanctions has opened Iran for business, the impact of China's efforts to buy up businesses and real estate around the world, and whether President Trump's overseas business interests are affecting US policy.
Northam has received multiple journalism awards during her career, including Associated Press awards and regional Edward R. Murrow awards, and was part of an NPR team of journalists who won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for "The DNA Files," a series about the science of genetics.
A native of Canada, Northam spends her time off crewing in the summer, on the ski hills in the winter, and on long walks year-round with her beloved beagle, Tara.
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Trump put 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico on Tuesday. Markets tanked. And by Thursday, he had decided to broadly lift them. -
Trudeau's decision after almost a decade in power sets the stage for a succession fight to select a new prime minister. -
The 2 million bpd cut in oil production was backed by Saudi Arabia and could benefit Russia. The OPEC+ meeting took place as much of the world is battling soaring energy costs and rising inflation. -
President Trump has railed against Canada when it comes to trade. A particular point of criticism is the dairy industry. Canada slaps steep tariffs on imports of milk, cheese and butter from the U.S. -
"The brutality of American politics right now is something that is profoundly shocking to Canadians," says a former Trudeau adviser. "I think many people feel they do not recognize the U.S. anymore."
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Secretary of State John Kerry is touching on a number of complex foreign policy issues this week 鈥� from violence in Iraq, to political instability in Egypt and the conflict in Ukraine.NPR's Jackie Northam is on the trip and talks with All Things Considered.
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Oil prices have spiked since Sunni militants seized Baiji, home of Iraq's biggest refinery. The nation's production capability is under threat, but there's a broader geopolitical story unfolding. -
Gazprom, the energy company, has dramatically raised the price it charges Ukraine for natural gas. Despite its weak, ailing economy, Ukraine must now pay far more than any other Gazprom client. -
Perhaps you're well aware of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). But now there's MINT, CIVET and more. The emerging markets keep changing 鈥� and so do the letters. -
Secretary of State John Kerry is set to meet Thursday with officials from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union. They will discuss the crisis in Ukraine. While the Obama administration has said it has overwhelming evidence that Moscow is stirring up the unrest in eastern Ukraine, it says it wants to wait before expanding sanctions. Analysts say Washington has few other options.
