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This Monday, Barack Obama will be sworn in to serve his second term as President of the United States. The challenges he will face over the next four years are unlikely to be any easier than those he faced in his first term. These 14 talks dare to explore the domestic and international issues, problems, and crises that confront not just America’s leaders, but the leaders of every nation.

We know — it’s a lot of content. But at least skim through them, find topics you don’t know too much about and dive into those talks. And there’s a prize for anyone who watches all of them (hint: it’s your own sense of self-satisfaction).

I am an illegal immigrant: Jose Vargas at TEDxMidAtlantic

Immigration is a wildly complex subject with deep social, economic, and cultural implications and reforming America’s labyrinthine immigration policy is high on Obama’s second term agenda. In this frank and moving talk, Jose Vargas shares his experience as an illegal immigrant in today’s America — or as he calls it, a “walking uncomfortable conversation.”

A history of violence: Steven Pinker at TEDxNewEngland

Incidents of mass violence seem to be occurring more than ever before. But on the broad scale, are our intuitions about an uptick in violence valid? Harvard University psychologist Steven Pinker thinks not. In this talk, he breaks down the numbers showing an overall decline in violence worldwide and lays out his expectations for the future of conflict.

Hate speech beyond borders: Nazila Ghanea at TEDxEastEnd

In September, a virulently anti-Muslim video posted to YouTube sparked violent protests across the Arab world. Oxford professor of International Human Rights Law, Nazila Ghanea, gives us a look into the wider international picture of contemporary hate speech and the nature of the violence it sometimes provokes.

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