WTF is Going on in Latin America & The Caribbean

EPISODE: Ecuador’s Presidential Election heads to a Second Round in OctoberGUEST: Pilar TroyaPilar is an Ecuadorian feminist anthropologist. Her main areas of interest are social public policies, especially concerning gender equality and the feminist movement. She has served as an advisor to the Ministry of National Planning and as an advisor and Deputy Minister to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of Ecuador. She is a researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.BACKGROUND:Luisa González, of the Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana party, on Sunday took a lead in the first round of Ecuador’s presidential and legislative elections, which have been marred by political assassinations as the Andean nation struggles with a wave of violence that has brought homicide rates, under the Lasso administration, to record levels.Gonzalez is set to face the surprise second-place finisher Daniel Noboa in a run-off election in October, according to the National Electoral Council of Ecuador (CNE), as neither candidate won more than 50% of the ballot.González has promised to enhance public spending and social programs and wants to address the security crisis by fixing the root causes of violence, such as poverty and inequality. A former tourism and labor minister in Correa’s government, González has also called for the judiciary to be reinforced to help with prosecutions, analysts say.Daniel Noboa is the son of banana businessman Álvaro Noboa – who himself has run for the presidency at least five times. The 35-year-old was a lawmaker before outgoing President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the legislature and called for early elections.FOLLOW OUR GUEST: TwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Ecuador’s President Dissolves National Assembly Triggering Early ElectionsEcuador: The Lasso Government Post-National StrikeEcuador Erupts Against NeoliberalismTriContinental: Institute for Social ResearchOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with: Alliance for Global Justice, Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action, Task Force on the Americas, and Venezuelanalysis

EPISODE:Nicaragua, A History of US Intervention & ResistanceGUEST:  Author, Activist and Labor Attorney, Daniel KovalikBACKGROUND:  The latest book by labor and human rights attorney, Daniel Kovalik, Nicaragua: A History of US Intervention & Resistance (2023, Clarity Press, 292 pages), is a worthy addition to the author’s collection of works on countries targeted by U.S. imperialism, such as Venezuela, Russia, and Iran. While giving readers a thoughtful and much fuller picture than one can glean from the corporate media, this volume tells an engaging tale based on personal experience and extensive research.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:FacebookTwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Nicaragua: A History of U.S. Intervention & ResistanceBook Review: Nicaragua, A History of US Intervention & Resistance, by Daniel KovalikOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action, Task Force on the Americas, and Venezuelanalysis 

EPISODE:Sandinistas Speak. Nicaraguans Defend their RevolutionThis episode is bi-lingual with subtitles.PRODUCER and HOST: Ramiro Sebastian FunezFriday, June 30, WTF returned to Managua, Nicaragua to do follow-up study of Caribbean Coast government funded infrastructure projects and to celebrate the 44th Anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution on July 19. While on assignment, each week we will share with you segments of the documentary Nicaragua Against Empire. The film journals our March 2021 Sanctions Kill / Friends of the ATC, Nicaragua delegationIn this episode, you hear directly from working-class Nicaraguans who support their socialist government. You also hear their thoughts about U.S. sanctions and regime change. These are perspectives rarely shared in mainstream media.WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action; Task Force on the Americas; and Venezuelanalysis.com 

EPISODE: Nicaragua against Empire - Part II Managua Against Empire, an inside look at Managua, Nicaragua, from a revolutionary socialist perspective.PRODUCER and HOST: Ramiro Sebastian FunezFriday, June 30, WTF returned to Managua, Nicaragua to do follow-up study of Caribbean Coast government funded infrastructure projects and to celebrate the 44th Annivesrary of the Sandinista Revolution on July 19. While on assignment, each week we will share with you segments of the documentary Nicaragua Against Empire. The film journals our March 2021 Sanctions Kill / Friends of the ATC, Nicaragua delegation. From film producer and delegate Ramiro Sebastian Funez:"In March of 2021, I traveled to Nicaragua as part of a 13-member delegation. The trip was organized by the Sanctions Kill coalition and the Friends of the Rural Workers’ Association, known as the ATC.We traveled to Nicaragua to understand the effects of imperialist sanctions on ordinary Nicaraguans and how they're fighting back. We also witnessed the wide range of social advancements carried out by the Sandinista Revolution.For eleven days, we traveled across diverse parts of Nicaragua. We visited the urban sprawls of Managua, the rural countryside of Estelí, and the tropical Caribbean coastline of Bilwi.We met and spoke with locals and grassroots activists to see the reality of Nicaragua. What we saw was completely different from what we see on imperialist mainstream media."WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.This week we are excited to welcome Venezuelanalysis.com into our broadcast partner family!

EPISODE: Mexico: Expanding Democracy and Defending SovereigntyGUEST:  José Luis Granados Ceja, journalist with Venezuelanalysis and The Mexico Solidarity ProjectBACKGROUND:  The international press is again bludgeoning Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, this time accusing him of attacking the country’s democratic institutions. It’s a baseless charge intended to undermine a government that refuses total obedience to US hegemony.On February 23, an electoral reform bill received its final approval in the Mexican Senate en route to being signed into lawThe National Electoral Institute (INE) is widely recognized to be riddled with excess expenditure and a top-heavy bureaucracy. The new law simply mandates similar cost-saving measures to those that the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has applied to other governmental departments. It eliminates duplicate functions at the local and district level, and fuses certain higher-level job descriptions. It also reins in eye-catching top salaries.The law also facilitates voting rights for the disabled, those held in pretrial detention, and the millions of migrants living abroad. It provides tougher sanctions for the endemic practice of vote-buying and enshrines in law the inclusion of minorities and members of vulnerable groups on candidate listsFOLLOW OUR GUEST:FacebookInstagramTwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:No, AMLO Is Not Undermining Mexican DemocracyVenezuelanalysisOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Alex Saab, Three Years as a Kidnapped DiplomatGUEST:  Fiorella Isabel of The Convo CouchBACKGROUND:The case is a terrifying example of the US’s continuing commitment to illegal, unilateral intervention and ‘regime change,’ where no country is truly safe, writes FRANCISCO DOMINGUEZ (link to full article below)From his article: “June 12, 2023 was the third anniversary of the illegal kidnapping and imprisonment by the US of Alex Saab.Because the brutality and cruelty of the US blockade was wreaking havoc on the economy and millions of the most vulnerable in Venezuela were being deliberately denied their human rights to the most basic necessities of daily life, President Nicolas Maduro tasked Saab with traveling around the world procuring food, medicines and fuel for his country.Breaking every treaty, protocol, law and norm of international diplomacy, the US plotted to have Saab arrested while in transit to Iran to fulfill his diplomatic mission, by pressing the Cape Verde government to illegally arrest him on June 12 2020.”The plane Saab was traveling on was denied refueling in Morocco and Senegal thus being forced to land in Cape Verde. In his book, Never Give An Inch (2023), Donald Trump’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo admits as much: “No other nation has the global reach to interrupt an Iran-Venezuela plot in real time and convince a small island nation to hold a wanted man.”FOLLOW OUR GUESTFacebook InstagramTwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Alex Saab, hostage of the hybrid war against VenezuelaWTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Alex Saab, Sanctions & the Extra-Judicial Reach of the U.S. (September 16, 2021)WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Film Screening + Discussion, Alex Saab A Kidnapped Diplomat (October 20, 2022)WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Saab Oral Argument Focuses on Legitimacy of Maduro Government (December 31, 2022)Free Alex Saab CampaignOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Resigns to Run for PresidentGUEST: Independent journalist Alina Duarte who joins us from Mexico CityBACKGROUND:Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard, one of the leading contenders to be the country's next leader, said on Tuesday he will resign to focus on winning the presidential nomination of the ruling MORENA party for the 2024 election.Ebrard, a former mayor of Mexico City, wants to succeed President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as the standard-bearer of the left of center National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), which now dominates national politics.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:Alina DuarteFacebookInstagramTwitterEn Re PodcastFacebookInstagramTwitterYouTubeADDITIONAL LINKS:Una jugada maestra, Lopez Obrador resuelve la sucesiónMexico’s Fourth Transformation and Why the U.S. Wants to Stop ItVI Cumbre de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), Desde Palacio Nacional (Septiembre 2021)238 Aniversario del Natalicio de Simón Bolívar, desde el Castillo de Chapultepec (Julio 2021) OUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Isolationism Ends: Maduro Visits BrazilGUEST: Ricardo Vaz, political analyst and editor at Venezuelanalysis.comBACKGROUND:  Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro traveled to Brazil as part of an official visit to meet with his counterpart Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva where the pair discussed regional and international cooperation, including the potential entry of Venezuela into the BRICS bloc.The high-level meeting comes as part of joint efforts to strengthen their bilateral ties following the restoration of diplomatic and economic relations after years of tension under Lula’s predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who embraced Washington regime change plots against Maduro, backing the so-called “interim” government of opposition figure Juan Guaidó.Monday’s bilateral meeting also focused on reactivating trade between the two countries, which fell precipitously after Bolsonaro’s recognition of Guaidó, severely impacting populations on both sides of the border. The pair also discussed efforts to advance regional integration.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:Ricardo Vaz:  FacebookVenezuelanalysis:FacebookTwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Venezuela's Maduro Floats BRICS Entry in "Historic" Bilateral Meeting with Lula in BrazilToward a new UNASUR: Pathways for the Reactivation of South America IntegrationOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance (Stop the Machine! Create a New World) broadcast in partnership with:  Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team; CODEPINK: Women For Peace; Common Frontiers; Council on Hemispheric Affairs; Friends of Latin America; IRTF - The InterReligious Task Force on Central America; Massachusetts Peace Action; and Task Force on the Americas

EPISODE: Ecuador’s President Dissolves National Assembly Triggering Early ElectionsGUEST: Author and Journalist Joe Emersgerger. You can find his work published at CounterPunch, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), MintPressNews and more. Also, be sure to read his book Extraordinary Threat: The US Empire, the Media and Twenty Years of Coup Attempts in VenezuelaBACKGROUND:Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by decree on May 17 bringing forward legislative and presidential elections and heading off an attempt by opposition politicians to impeach him.Opposition politicians wanted to impeach Lasso over accusations he disregarded warnings of embezzlement related to a contract at state-owned oil transportation company Flopec, charges the president denies.A majority of lawmakers had backed a resolution accusing Lasso of allowing the corrupt contract to continue after taking office in 2021, although a congressional oversight committee, which heard testimony from opposition lawmakers, officials, and Lasso's lawyer, said in its report it did not recommend impeachment.Lasso says the impeachment process - the first against an Ecuadorian president in decades - is politically motivated and has sparked a grave crisis that has threatened democracy. The dissolution was necessary, he said.Citing the crisis and inability to govern, Lasso invoked the constitution's so-called "two-way death" (Muerte Cruzada) provision, which allows the president to call elections for both his post and the assembly under certain circumstances, including if actions by the legislature are blocking the functioning of government.According to the constitution, he will now remain in office and rule by decree.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:FacebookTwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Ecuador’s “Democratic Backsliding” Has Been Ongoing Since 2017, With US SupportElections in Ecuador Unmask Western Media DishonestyWTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Ecuador Erupts against NeoliberalismWTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: The Lasso Government Post-National StrikeOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE:   Whatever Happened to that Plane? U.S. Unilateral Sanctions and the Saga of Venezuela’s Emtrasur Cargo 747GUEST: Orlenys Ortiz, citizen journalist joining us from VenezuelaTRANSLATION: Carmelo Valasquez, Velasquez Translations, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaBACKGROUND:On May 3, 2023, the Argentinian press reported a US prosecutor requested the US Justice Department to order the definitive execution of the seizure order of Emtrasur’s Boeing 747-300. (Empresa de Transporte Aerocargo del Sur). The plane arrived in Argentina in June 2022 in what was supposedly a routine cargo flight. Nonetheless, the aircraft, its cargo, and its crew quickly raised the alarms across Argentina, and it was seized by local authorities. Shortly after, US authorities got involved claiming the sale of the aircraft by the Iranian state carrier Mahan Air to Venezuela’s Conviasa was a clear violation of the US Export Control Laws. Conviasa deployed the 747 on its cargo subsidiary Emtrasur.Almost a year has passed; the crew has been released, but the plane remains grounded in Buenos Aires. Venezuela’s government has repeatedly requested the return of Emtrasur’s Boeing 747. In the meantime, the US government has conducted a process to seize the aircraft. Argentina’s Ministry of Justice has received a letter sent by the US Justice Department requesting that the aircraft be handed over to it.Argentina is now in a complex geopolitical spot. On the one hand, it can support the US’ claims and deliver the aircraft. On the other hand, it can choose not to pick a fight with Venezuela and Iran, which is said to be closely watching the development of the crisis.Emtrasur acquired the aircraft in 2022. It operated a few cargo services across Latin America in 2022 before its grounding in Buenos Aires. According to the Department of Justice, Mahan Air violated the temporary Denial Order and US export control laws when it sold the aircraft to Emtrasur without the US Government's authorization. Other violations of US laws occurred between February and May 2022 when Emtrasur flew the aircraft between Caracas, Venezuela; Tehran, Iran; and Moscow, Russia, without US Government authorization.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:FacebookInstagram:TwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Emtrasur’s 747 Detained in Buenos Aires: U.S. Attorney Requests Immediate Execution of SeizureUS Official Requests Seizure of Emtrasur’s Grounded Boeing 747Diosdado CabelloOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: The Country is Not for Sale-Economic Development & Employment Zones (ZEDEs) versus National SovereigntyGUESTS: Beth Geglia, anthropology PhD, and Melinda St. Louis, Director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade WatchBACKGROUND:On May 3, Democratic U.S. lawmakers urged the U.S. Trade Representative and State Department to eliminate investor-state dispute settlement provisions from current and future trade deals and to intervene on behalf of Honduras against a U.S. company's nearly $11 billion claim against the country.In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Trade Representative Katherine Tai, 33 lawmakers said that investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) systems in trade deals constitute a "problematic corporate handout" that violates countries' sovereignty and democratic rights.ISDS mechanisms enable multinational corporations to sue the governments of foreign trading partners for profits they claim have been forfeited as a result of domestic policies designed to protect workers, consumers, and ecosystems. Such lawsuits challenge meaningful labor, product safety, and environmental standards, and the mere threat of them can even preempt the enactment of robust regulations, placing ISDS at the heart of what critics have called neoliberal globalization's "race to the bottom."ADDITIONAL LINKS:Senator Warren, Representative Doggett Call for Elimination of Investor-State Dispute Settlement System, Action on Behalf of Honduran GovernmentWarren Leads Call to End Dispute System “Weaponized” by Corporations Amid Honduras CaseCenter for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR)Honduras Solidarity NetworkInstitute for Policy Studies (IPS) Latin America Working Group (LAWG)Public Citizen/Global Trade WatchOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Guatemalan Political Crisis-June 25 Elections Set as Critics Slam DisqualificationsGUEST: Frank with The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISQUA)BACKGROUND:Campaigning began in earnest last month for Guatemala’s general elections, with political messaging filling the streets, local broadcasts and social media. But less than three months before the June 25 vote, concerns are mounting among national and international observers over the integrity of the process.At least 30 political parties are set to contest the upcoming elections, with more than 22,000 candidates registered to run for the presidency, congress, regional parliament and councils across the country. But Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which governs elections, has blocked several opposition candidates from running on “dubious grounds."FOLLOW OUR GUEST:Facebook: InstagramTwitter ADDITIONAL LINKS:The Network in Solidarity with the People of GuatemalaThelma Cabrera: “El sistema nos quiere sacar de la jugada, pero ya estamos en la cancha”OUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Visits BrazilGUEST: Camila Escalante, Kawsachun News-BrazilBACKGROUND:Russia’s minister of foreign affairs, Sergei Lavrov, arrived in Brasília on Monday for talks with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, in the latest of a series of bilateral encounters likely to ruffle the US.Lavrov arrived just as Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, returned from a state visit to China, and both missions are part of a diplomatic reset Lula has pursued since returning to power this year, as he strives to recover Brazil’s international reputation after his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, dismantled Brazil’s established tradition of cooperation. For Brazil, that means rebuilding and maintaining ties with all partners, regardless of geopolitical tensions elsewhere.Lavrov and Vieira said their talks had also focused on energy and trade. About a quarter of agricultural powerhouse Brazil's fertilizer imports come from Russia, while the two countries engaged in a record $9.8 billion in bilateral trade last year.Brazil was Lavrov's first stop on a weeklong Latin American tour that will also include Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:FacebookInstagramTwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Kawsachun NewsLula Cozies Up to America’s EnemiesOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Burying 200 Years of The Monroe DoctrineGUEST: Carlos Ron, Venezuela Vice Minister of Foreign Relations for North AmericaBACKGROUND:The Monroe Doctrine, first articulated by U.S. President James Monroe on December 2, 1823, is a United States foreign policy position that opposes European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It holds that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers is a potentially hostile act against the United States. The doctrine was central to American foreign policy for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The doctrine remains in place today as a pillar of U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America & the Caribbean and no longer exclusively applies to European powers.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:FacebookInstagramTwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Latin America Policy Forum: Burying 200 Years of the U.S. Monroe DoctrineSimon Bolivar InstituteOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Reject U.S. Imperialism! Make Our Americas a Zone of PeaceGUESTS:  Ajamu Baraka, Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas TeamMargaret Flowers, Co-Founder and Director of Popular Resistance & Host of the podcast Clearing the FogBACKGROUND:On Tuesday, April 4, The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), along with key partner organizations, launched an effort to activate the popular movements in our region in support of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) 2014 call to make the Americas region a “Zone of Peace.” This campaign will be informed by the Black Radical Peace Tradition. With its focus on the structures and interests that generate war and state violence—colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism and all forms of imperialism—the fight for a Zone of Peace is an attempt to expel all of these nefarious forces from our region.FOLLOW OUR GUESTS:Ajamu Baraka: Facebook TwitterBlack Alliance for Peace: Website Facebook TwitterMargaret Flowers: Facebook TwitterPopular Resistance: Website Facebook TwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:Black Alliance for Peace Zone of Peace CampaignBlack Alliance for Peace Zone of Peace Press Conference and Campaign LaunchCELAC/Zone of Peace (2014)OUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Argentina Celebrates 40 Years of Democracy and Human RightsGUEST: Franco Metaza, Director-General for Foreign Affairs of the Argentina National Senate.BACKGROUND:Last week, Argentina celebrated 40 years of democracy and human rights by hosting the Third World Forum of Human Rights (March 20-24) scheduled in tandem with its National Day of Remembrance for Truth & Justice. The Forum closed with a march and rally on March 24 which marked 47 years since the US-backed military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government on March 24, 1976, and installed the bloodiest dictatorship in the history of #Argentina remained in power until 1983.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:Franco Metaza: TwitterADDITIONAL LINKS:III Foro Mundial de Derechos HumanosDay of Remembrance for Truth & JusticeArgentina commemorates victims of military dictatorship on the 47th anniversary of US-back CoupOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Mexico’s Fourth Transformation and Why the U.S. Wants to Stop It We thank The Mexico Solidarity Project for participating in this episode as a special broadcast partner.GUEST: Kurt Hackbarth, Writer, Journalist and ActivistBACKGROUND:"Although the 4T has not fulfilled everyone’s expectations, it has, in four years, created a governing movement that is taking control of its energy resources (including the nationalization of lithium) and is adopting a role of regional leadership in Latin America: two sins the United States has not historically forgiven anywhere." No, AMLO Is Not Undermining Mexican Democracy by Kurt HackbarthYou can find this article and many others on Mexico by Kurt at Jacobin.comFOLLOW OUR GUEST:Kurt HackbarthADDITIONAL LINKS:The Mexico Solidarity ProjectTwitter: WebsiteNo, AMLO is Not Undermining Mexican DemocracyWTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Challenging the US Narrative on Mexico (April 13, 2022 with journalist Alina Duarte)OUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Colombia-Total Peace and the Fight to Free All Political PrisonersGUESTS:  Anthony Dest, Colombia Freedom CollectiveAjamu Baraka, Black Alliance for Peace National Organizer & BAP Haiti/Americas TeamBACKGROUND:In April 2021, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Colombia to demand change. They rejected decades of state violence and deepening inequality. Over the course of three months, the largest protest in Colombian history spread to over 800 municipalities throughout the country. The months-long protests played a huge role in creating the conditions for the election of Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez.Changes are afoot in Colombia, and the inauguration of President Gustavo Petro and Vice President Francia Marquez on August 7, 2022 marked an important shift away from decades of political repression. However, more than 300 people accused of participating in the 2021 protests still remain incarcerated and/or are facing harsh sentences on trumped-up charges.Political prisoners from the 2021 National Strike are currently on a hunger strike in four prisons around the country. Despite numerous promises from the Petro administration to address their situation, the prisoners continue to face dire conditions. The only demand that would bring an end to the hunger strike: a response from the national government regarding the December 2022 proposal emerging from political prisoners in Palmira for the creation of a “Table for Dialogue” (mesa de diálogo).Last week, two hunger strikers in Jamundí sewed their mouths shut to refuse even water. As the strike enters its eighth day, various other hunger strikers are facing health complications.FOLLOW OUR GUESTS:Anthony Desthttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089157999945https://twitter.com/AnthonyDestAjamu Barakahttps://www.facebook.com/ajamu.barakahttps://twitter.com/ajamubarakaADDITIONAL LINKS:Black Alliance for PeaceColombia Freedom CollectiveColombian Peace Caravan: Bringing the Hope of “Total Peace” to Afro-Colombian and Indigenous TerritoriesHunger Strike by Political Prisoners Enters Eighth DayDecember 2022: Political Prisoners in Palmira Go On Hunger Strike WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Colombia Erupts Against NeoliberalismOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: The Devastating Effects of Militarization on Puerto Rico and Her People. How One Activist is Promoting Health Justice for Vieques & Culebra.  GUEST: Monisha Rios, Puerto Rican psychologist, social worker and disabled US veteran. Founder and director of Centro Solidario de Puerto Rico.NOTE: Full visual presentation can be viewed here:BACKGROUND:The U.S. has been overtly and covertly intervening in Puerto Rico's internal affairs since 1898. Like the Spanish, British, Dutch, and the French, the U.S. understood the strategic value of the Puerto Rican archipelago, which would give their expanding empire a military advantage toward enforcing the Monroe Doctrine, thereby securing its established intent to dominate the Western Hemisphere. A new wave of militarization began soon after the change of colonial ownership, the implications of which would devastate the island municipalities of Culebra and Vieques. Culebra was militarized in 1901 and expelled the Navy in 1975. Vieques was militarized in 1941 and expelled the Navy in 2003.FOLLOW OUR GUEST:Monisha Rios - https://www.facebook.com/monishaamieADDITIONAL LINKS:Episode illustration by Indi MaverickCentro Solidario de Puerto Rico is a fiscally sponsored project of Alliance for Global Justice Make a tax-deductible donation here:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Ending US Colonialism of Puerto RicoWTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: The War Against Puerto Rico ContinuesOUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.

EPISODE: Peru - More than StatisticsIn today’s episode, WTF host Teri Mattson shares some of the key findings of the Preliminary Report of the International Mission of Solidarity and Human Rights Delegation which arrived in Peru on February 7, 2023 and deployed its work in the country until the 13th of the same month. Teri was one of 19 human rights observers comprising the delegation.Episode photo courtesy of Manuel Ortiz (@manuortize)Links to the photo albums mentioned in the episode can be found belowFOLLOW:Teri Mattsonhttps://www.facebook.com/teri.mattson.3/https://www.instagram.com/terimattsontoo/https://twitter.com/hey_terDerechos Humanos sin Fronteras-Cuscohttps://www.facebook.com/derechossinfronteras.pehttps://www.instagram.com/derechossinfronteras/https://twitter.com/dhsfcusco Misión de Solidaridad Internacional y Derechos Humanoshttps://www.facebook.com/MisionDdhhhttps://www.instagram.com/misionddhh/https://twitter.com/MisionDdhhADDITIONAL LINKS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Peru National Protest Advances to Lima  WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean: Live from Peru-National Strike, Day 40Plaza 2 de Mayo, Lima (February 9, 2023 - Marcos Sierras, Photographer)Juliaca to Cusco - Manuel Ortiz, Photographer (@manuortiz and @globalexchange)Short Delegation Synopsis (Lima & Cusco Visits)Mision de Solidarida Internacional y Derechos HumanosPreliminary Report: Peru February 2023 (Spanish)OUR BROADCAST PARTNERS:WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean is a Popular Resistance broadcast in partnership with Black Alliance for Peace Haiti/Americas Team, CODEPINK, Common Frontiers, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Friends of Latin America, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas.