Jackie Northam
Jackie Northam is NPR's International Affairs Correspondent. She is a veteran journalist who has spent three decades reporting on conflict, geopolitics, 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 fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, reported from Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and the rise of Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. She was in Islamabad to cover the Taliban recapturing Afghanistan
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 revealed the human experience behind the headlines, from the courage of Afghan villagers defying militant death threats to cast their vote in a national election, or exhausted rescue workers desperately searching for survivors following a massive earthquake in Haiti.
Northam joined NPR in 2000 as National Security Correspondent, covering defense and intelligence policies at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She led the network's coverage of the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal and the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Her present beat focuses on the complex relationship between geopolitics and the global economy, including efforts to counter China's rising power.
Northam has received multiple journalism awards, including Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow awards, and was part of the NPR team that won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for "The DNA Files," a series about the science of genetics.
Originally from 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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President Trump wants to bring shipbuilding back to the U.S., in large part to counter China's dominance. But turning that into reality will mean rebuilding an entire industry from the ground up.
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Leaders from several West African nations are in Washington this week as part of a three-day mini-summit the White House described as an effort to expand "commercial opportunities."
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The recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran has raised questions about who — or what — could replace Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when he dies.
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Many Iranians are confused and experiencing mixed emotions right now – some hoping the US strikes will bring an end to the hardline regime, others worry it'll start a broader war.
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Many Iranians are confused and experiencing mixed emotions right now – some hoping the US strikes will bring an end to the hardline regime, others worry it'll start a broader war.
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Israel and Iran continue to pound each other with missiles. Israelis sought shelter in bunkers in several areas. Many Iranians are trying to flee Tehran, while others have chosen to stay and risk it.
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Some iranians welcomed Israeli attacks on their leaders, but now fear for their own safety. Thousands are scrambling to get out of Tehran as the air war intensifies
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Many Iranians are surprisingly muted about Israel's attacks on their country because they do not support Iran's leadership.
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The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Iran is violating its obligations ahead of new round of talks with U.S.
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Trade talks between the U.S. and China are entering the third day in London. At the heart of the negotiations are rare earth elements, which are used in many pieces of sophisticated technology.