Adam Isacson - Podcast Details

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Latin America TodayGlobal Drug Policy: “Countries are being freed up to actually speak their minds”For the second year in a row, what had been an uneventful, consensus-driven United Nations meeting on drug policy saw unexpected drama and signs of real change. At the 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna in March 2025, governments approved the formation of an independent expert commission to recommend changes to the architecture of global drug policy, which has changed little since the early 1960s. Colombia again played a catalytic role, as it did in 2024. But this time, the United States—under the new Trump administration—tried to block nearly ever...2025-04-0358 min

Latin America TodayThe Alien Enemies ActOn March 15, 2025 President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for only the fourth time in U.S. history. The target, this time, is citizens of Venezuela. His administration sent hundreds out of the country on the merest suspicion of ties to a criminal organization, the Tren de Aragua. In this explainer episode recorded on March 21, with help from WOLA’s Venezuela Director Laura Dib and Central America Director Ana María Méndez Dardón, Defense Oversight Director Adam Isacson walks through what has happened over the past six dark days in U.S. history. The Alien...2025-03-2134 min

Latin America TodayA Tariff Threat Foreshadows U.S.-Mexico Relations During the Second Trump PresidencyOn November 25, President-Elect Donald Trump announced via social media that he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada unless migration and fentanyl trafficking ceased entirely. The announcement caused widespread alarm, spurring a flurry of responses and an unclear conversation between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The event was instructive about what we might expect after Trump assumes the presidency in January, observe WOLA Director for Mexico Stephanie Brewer and Director for Drug Policy John Walsh. Brewer explained the "tariff threat" incident, how it plays into the political agendas of...2024-12-051h 00

Latin America TodayWhat Trump’s Return Means for Latin America This episode was recorded three days after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. It brings together WOLA’s president, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, Vice President for Programs Maureen Meyer, and Director for Defense Oversight Adam Isacson. Together, they possess a combined seven decades of experience working on human rights, democracy, and U.S. policy toward Latin America. All worked on these issues, plus borders and migration, through the first Trump administration. Maureen, Carolina, and Adam discuss what Trump’s win means for democratic backsliding and relationships with authoritarian governments region-wide, as well as for migration policy...2024-11-0941 min

The Border ChronicleFix the Asylum System, Protect Human Rights: A Podcast with Adam IsacsonIn June, President Biden issued an executive order restricting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The new restriction was supported by many prominent newspaper columnists—few of whom offered alternative solutions or examined the order’s impact on human rights, says Adam Isacson, a longtime expert on Latin America and U.S. immigration policy. “The Biden administration made a choice to restrict asylum at the border,” he says, “instead of adding asylum judges and officers to fix the asylum system.” In this podcast, we discuss solutions to fix the asylum system, and Isacson shares insights from a recent trip t...2024-06-2540 min

The Border ChronicleFix the Asylum System, Protect Human Rights: A Podcast with Adam IsacsonIn June, President Biden issued an executive order restricting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The new restriction was supported by many prominent newspaper columnists—few of whom offered alternative solutions or examined the order’s impact on human rights, says Adam Isacson, a longtime expert on Latin America and U.S. immigration policy. “The Biden administration made a choice to restrict asylum at the border,” he says, “instead of adding asylum judges and officers to fix the asylum system.”At the very least, Isacson says, journalists such as the New York Times’ Nikolas Kristof should...2024-06-2540 min

Few & Far Between: Conversations from the Front Lines of Drug DevelopmentEpisode 38: Dr. Ole Isacson, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School"Artificial Intelligence is a tool that really levels up and creates almost like an equity for everybody to participate and, when used effectively, to really accelerate medicine's development." - Dr. Ole Isacson, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School. Welcome to the February episode of Biorasi's Few & Far Between podcast. Join host Chris O'Brien and Dr. Ole Isacson, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and Biorasi Scientific Advisory Board member, as they review the integration of AI into the world of neuroscience. Tune in today!2024-02-2238 min

Latin America TodayMigration and the Summit of the AmericasAdam, Stephanie Brewer, Maureen Meyer, and Lesly Tejada discuss regional migration and the Summit of the Americas, which took place Los Angeles earlier in June. The four analyze the political implications of the Summit and their recent travel to the border areas. 2022-06-2151 min

The Rational MiddleNarrativizing the border with Adam IsacsonAdam Isacson, Director for Defense Oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), discusses the U.S's competing narratives of the Southern border, their real effects on how Americans perceive migrants, and how the ideal of asylum is atrophying in the process.2022-02-1624 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 12: Horticulture, BabyIt's the season finale. Does Richmond get promoted? Does Sam stay? Does Ted deal with news of his panic attack? Is Kelsey outgrowing Roy? Does Nate go all the way to the dark side? Do they pick Macy Grayhound or Tina Feyhound? We "spoiler" most of these.2021-10-1254 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 11: Fuuuuuuuu---nDr. Fieldstone says an epistolary goodbye. Nate goes over to the dark side. Sam is courted by a billionaire. Roy and Keeley get honest. Trent Crimm gets a scoop. It's a big setup for the season finale, and we wonder: could that actually have been Banksy?2021-10-0338 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 10: We've known each other for so longIt's a funeral, and everybody's there. Ted finally tells Sharon about his dad. Rebecca and Sam go on hiatus, Rebecca and her mom talk it out. Every character, it seems, has something to do for a few seconds. We promise not to Rick-roll you (too much).2021-09-2835 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 9: An Evening With Coach BeardThis was another weird one-off tangent episode. We're usually fans of comedies that entirely happen in one night, but weren't wild about this one. Margaret, though, valiantly defends Coach Beard's difficult evening all around after-hours London.2021-09-2023 min

Latin America TodayFor Disappearances to End, Justice Must Begin: Justice for Disappeared MexicansIn this conversation, Adam and Stephanie discuss how Mexico's disappearance crisis grew to today's tragic scale, what has worked and has not worked for investigations into disappearances in the country, and some of the major findings of the WOLA's campaign on the issue. Please visit the campaign's website to see the in-depth findings and learn what you can do to support victims and family members of the disappeared in Mexico.2021-09-1346 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 8: Close Your Eyes, Look AroundOh this is a good one. Father-child issues come to the fore. Roy and Jamie. Sam and Rebecca. Roy and Phoebe. We finally get to know Dr. Fieldstone a bit. Is Jamie's dad a worse villain than Darth Vader? Can you drink a big glass of water in one take?2021-09-1335 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 7: Why Are You Jazz Scatting?Way more character development than story in this episode. In Nate's and Ted's cases, making them a lot less likeable than they were. Roy and Keeley have a spat that none of us found interesting. The writers are clearly teeing up some big plot twists.2021-09-0539 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 6: Oogleh Oogleh BoyThe pace picks up with "The Signal" (which refers to the episode's best plotline). Ted has a panic attack. We finally get some Jaime-Roy interaction. Lots of seeking, refusing, and offering unsolicited advice. And the promise of more Dr. Fieldstone soon.2021-08-3132 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 5: Dithering KestrelTed espouses rom-communism while the team goes through the dark forest. Nate spits in a mirror. Roy swears a lot. "She's a Rainbow" isn't a great song. Gen-X cultural references abound. Margaret has lots of notes.2021-08-2342 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 4: Christmas BreathIt's an episode about Christmas—in August—and we do not agree about it at all. Where some of us see lazy filler, others see a nice detour where you get to know the characters better. Listen to our analysis as we sip eggnog by the fire.2021-08-1719 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 3: Charles Edgar Cheeserton IIIA long podcast about a long episode. Lizard brains, Gen X, redemption arcs, boundaries and accountability. And lower back tattoos.2021-08-0744 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 2: Heavy Is the HeadEpisode 2, "Lavender," has sort of a transitional, world-buiding feel. Lots of character development and complexity. And evokes fears of a handsy Father Christmas.2021-08-0218 min

Lust Conquers All: a Podcast About Ted LassoSeason 2, Episode 1: Wise UpWe discuss the first episode of the new season, "Goodbye Earl." But we don't talk about the dead dog. Deep dives into girl talk, Magnolia, and being vulnerable in a coffee shop. Don't settle for fine: get vaccinated.2021-07-2432 min

Latin America TodayColombia After the Paro Nacional: A Report Back From CaliLisa Haugaard, director of the Latin America Working Group, is just back from accompanying a human rights delegation to Cali, Colombia, an epicenter of April-June protests. She conveys what witnesses told her about police brutality and new civic energy.2021-07-2048 min

Latin America TodayA New Wave of Political Unrest in HaitiFor those closely following Haiti, the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the chaos and political uncertainty following it have been years in the making, in a country tragically familiar with political and humanitarian crises.2021-07-1349 min

Latin America TodayAligning Policy with Reality at the U.S.-Mexico BorderFormer WOLA Director Joy Olson just carried out dozens of interviews along the Texas-Mexico border. She came back saddened by expelled migrants' suffering, perplexed by the Biden administration's halting measures, and calling for bold policy changes.2021-07-0956 min

Latin America TodayNicaragua's Exit from DemocracyThe condition of Nicaragua's democracy has steadily deteriorated over the course of President Daniel Ortega's regime. Recently, in anticipation of the country's coming elections, President Ortega and his wife/Vice President Rosario Murillo have arrested more than a dozen of their significant political opponents under a new law that labels them as "traitors to the homeland." To understand the current political crisis, and to understand what, if any, prospects there are for a solution, Adam is talking to Dr. Christine Wade.2021-07-0146 min

Latin America TodayWhat's at Stake in Peru's Coming ElectionsPeruvians vote on June 6 in a runoff between two presidential candidates who represent populist extremes, and who reflect growing divisions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt explains the tense pre-election moment.2021-06-0353 min

Latin America TodayA Snapshot of Human Rights and Democracy in BrazilBrazil is the second largest country in the hemisphere but its many complex issues rarely make news in the U.S. This week, Camila Asano, Director of Programs at the Brazilian human rights NGO Conectas joins Adam and Moses to paint a picture of attacks on human rights and democracy there.2021-05-2549 min

Latin America TodayUnderstanding Colombia's Latest Wave of Social ProtestProtests that began April 28 in Colombia are maintaining momentum and a broad base, despite a heavy-handed government response. Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, WOLA's director for the Andes, sees a movement coalescing—and a need for a more decisive U.S. approach.2021-05-1341 min

Latin America TodayThe Complexity of Engaging with Central AmericaTop Biden administration officials, including Vice-President Kamala Harris, are developing a new approach to Central America. The theme is familiar: addressing migration's "root causes." WOLA President Geoff Thale and Citizen Security Director Adriana Beltrán discuss.2021-04-2842 min

Latin America TodayThe Border Situation Viewed from MexicoThe Biden administration is asking Mexico to do more to limit or stop arrivals of asylum-seeking migrants from Central America and elsewhere. Several WOLA experts discuss Mexico's military deployments, expulsions of families, and the view from El Paso.2021-04-1546 min

Latin America Today"People coming from the Western Hemisphere have been perceived as inherently not refugees"Yael Shacher, senior U.S. advocate at Refugees International, is a historian of U.S. asylum policy. She offers an invaluable perspective on the current increase in asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and how the system should work.2021-04-0157 min

Latin America TodayCOMING SOON: Rebuilding Peace in ColombiaThis series from the Washington Office on Latin America will share the stories of social leaders in Colombia who, every day, under threat to their lives, search for truth and work toward reconciliation, fight for justice for victims of the Colombian conflict, and ensure the government lives up to the guarantees it made to ethnic and rural communities in the historic 2016 peace accord. Social leaders often face off with a Colombian government that refuses to admit its failures, and they stand up to armed groups terrorizing their communities. Hundreds of them have been killed, yet they persist. In this...2021-03-0202 min

Latin America TodayA Critical Moment for El Salvador's DemocracyEl Salvador's popular but authoritarian-leaning president, Nayib Bukele, may enjoy a congressional supermajority after February 28 elections. Mauricio Silva and José Luis Sanz discuss the many implications for Salvadoran democracy and U.S. policy.2021-02-191h 06

World Politics ReviewBiden Confronts Trump’s Disastrous Legacy on ImmigrationSince he took office last month, President Joe Biden has moved quickly to overhaul Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Among other measures, the new administration has moved to rebuild the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which had been gutted under Trump; ended the “safe third country” agreements that aimed to force asylum-seekers to first register their claims in other nations before traveling to the United States; stopped construction of the wall along parts of the U.S. border with Mexico; and issued a 100-day pause on deportations, although that order has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. Adam...2021-02-1033 min

Latin America TodayMexico: the meaning of the Cienfuegos caseWOLA's Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights, Stephanie Brewer, walks us through the late 2020 arrest and release of Mexico's last defense secretary, and what Mexico's handling of the case tells us about the military's power and U.S.-Mexican relations.2021-01-2242 min

Latin America TodayThe Transition: Authoritarianism, Populism, and Closing Civic SpacePopulist and authoritarian leaders have made important gains in Latin America, and the U.S. government has been inconsistent in its dealings with them, and in its support for civil society. WOLA's Geoff Thale and Geoff Ramsey outline a better way forward.2020-12-1143 min

Latin America TodayWhen your neighbor is a murderer: Sean Mattison on "escrache" in ArgentinaThe New York Times recently ran a short film by Sean Mattison about how victims of Argentina's 1976-83 dictatorship creatively called out the ex-military killers and torturers who, benefiting from an amnesty, were living in their midst.2020-12-0433 min

Latin America TodayThe Transition: The future of Latin America's anti-corruption fightCorruption is "endemic: a system, a network, a web of relations" that underlies many other problems in Latin America. Adriana Beltrán and Moses Ngong discuss how the US and other international actors can support the region's anti-corruption reformers.2020-12-0146 min

Latin America TodayThe Transition: A Rational, Region-Wide Approach to MigrationThe U.S. government is transitioning between two different visions of migration, while human mobility increases throughout Latin America. Adam Isacson and Maureen Meyer discuss what a humane and effective policy would entail, at home and region-wide.2020-11-2339 min

Latin America TodayThe Transition: U.S. Credibility, Cooperation, and a Changed ToneThe presidential transition means a shift between two very different visions of US relations with Latin America. A group of WOLA staff takes stock of the Trump years' impact on US credibility in the region, and challenges facing the Biden administration.2020-11-1635 min

Latin America TodayPeru Abruptly Removes Its PresidentPeru's Congress abruptly removed President Martín Viscarra from office this week. It looks like another example of an all-too-familiar recent pattern in Latin America: backlash against anti-corruption reforms. WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt explains.2020-11-1242 min

Latin America TodayBeyond the Wall: “It’s all about the families”, Eddie Canales on preventing deaths and identifying missing migrants in Texas borderlandsA discussion with Eduardo “Eddie” Canales, founder and director of the South Texas Human Rights Center in Falfurrias, Texas. Website: https://southtexashumanrights.org/ Falfurrias is in Brooks County, an area of ranchland 80 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is also one of the deadliest places for migrants. Dozens each year get lost while trying to walk around checkpoints that Border Patrol has placed on highways, and end up dying of dehydration and exposure in the south Texas heat. The South Texas Human Rights Center works to prevent this, putting out dozens of water and aid stations. This involves n...2020-10-3048 min

Latin America TodayPeru: "If we do not succeed against this plague, then anything can happen"Even as it has been hit very hard by COVID-19, Peru has just gone through an “express impeachment” and other corruption turmoil, while elections approach. We discuss Peru with IDL Reporteros journalist Gustavo Gorriti and Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt.2020-09-2555 min

Latin America TodayBeyond the Wall: Reflections from a Former Border Patrol AgentThis month, Adam Isacson, WOLA's Director for Defense Oversight, interviews Francisco Cantú, author of The Line Becomes a River (2018) who spent four years in the Border Patrol. They discuss the often toxic culture of CBP and the current impact the agency has on the United States' approach to migration. Cantú currently lives in Arizona, is a full-time writer and teacher of creative writing, and that a volunteer with the Kino Border Initiative’s migrant accompaniment program, which provides support to asylum seekers detained in the ICE contracted/for-profit (CoreCivic) Eloy Detention Center. Beyond the Wall is a...2020-08-1958 min

Latin America TodayCivil-Military Relations at a Crossroads in the AmericasThe effort to assert democratic civilian control over armed forces is not over, Kristina Mani of Oberlin College reminds us. Latin American civilians, she points out, often use militaries for non-defense purposes, even more so during the COVID-19 crisis.2020-08-1344 min

Sin Código con César Miguel RondónEl Coronavirus como excusa para militarizar América Latina.Un artículo publicado en la web de WOLA, (Washington Office of Latinoamérica) titulado; “En América Latina, los riesgos de COVID-19 perturban permanentemente las relaciones entre civiles y militares”, escrito por Adam Isacson quien ha trabajado en defensa, seguridad y consolidación de la paz en América Latina desde 1994 y ahora dirige el programa de Supervisión de Defensa de WOLA , muestra una mirada interesante de una tendencia perturbadora en la región. Se trata de cómo el COVID-19 ha acelerado la recurrencia de la región a sus f...2020-07-2321 min

Latin America TodayDemining sacred space in Colombia's Amazon basinAn exchange with Bogotá-based filmmaker Tom Laffay, whose documentary work with the Siona people of Putumayo, Colombia, supported by the Pulitzer Center, is featured by The New Yorker. Laffay portrays Adiela Mera Paz, who is leading demining efforts to allow displaced Siona to return.2020-06-2549 min

Latin America Today"If you're an Afro-descendant LGBT person… your priority is not to be killed."Carlos Quesada, director of the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights, explains how laws, treaties, and the Inter-American system offer tools for change—or survival—for the LGBT community and other marginalized groups in Latin America.2020-06-2345 min

Migrant VoicesEpisode 4: Sara, 46 years old & Roque, 51 years old, HondurasSara and her partner Roque, both small business owners, received gang threats for refusing to meet extortion demands and sell drugs out of his shop. Readers: Lisa Kirchbichler & Adam Isacson. Reader bios: Lisa Kirchbichler holds a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Utrecht University. For her thesis, she researched the self-organization of families in northern Honduras to find missing migrants. She now works in the coordination of support for refugees and asylum seekers in Munich. Adam Isacson holds an M.A. in International Relations from Yale University and leads the Defense Oversight Program of the Washington Office on La...2020-06-2218 min

Latin America TodayBeyond the Wall: A Roundtable Discussion on Border and MigrationThis month, WOLA premiered an animated video for our Beyond the Wall campaign and recorded a panel discussion. Our panelists discuss the challenges and solutions on a rights-respecting approach to migration. The panel is moderated by Mario Moreno, WOLA’s Vice President for Communications, and includes Geoff Thale, the President of WOLA, Maureen Meyer, WOLA’s Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights, Adam Isacson WOLA’s Director for Defense Oversight, and Adriana Beltran, WOLA’s Director for Citizen Security. Beyond the Wall is a bilingual segment of the Latin America Today podcast, and a part of the Washingto...2020-06-1842 min

El Washington Post¿Derribar más estatuas en Europa y EE UU? Efecto de la cuarentena: cae el precio de la hoja de cocaOpinan el columnista Ishaan Tharoor del Post y el historiador Carlos Malamud del Real Instituto Elcano. Hablamos con dos cultivadores de coca en Colombia y con Adam Isacson de WOLA 2020-06-1215 min

Latin America TodayA Crucial Moment for Guatemala's Fight Against ImpunityGuatemala is selecting a new slate of Supreme Court justices. The country must not get this wrong, because a nexus of corrupt and powerful people could end up choosing their own judges. We talk to 3 people leading Guatemala·s anti-corruption charge.2020-06-1038 min

El Poder, podcast de Ariel ÁvilaTropas de EE. UU. llegan a Colombia sin permiso del Congreso: ¿Abuso de poder?Ariel Ávila conversó con el senador Antonio Sanguino y con el especialista norteamericano Adam Isacson. Ambos analizaron el impacto de estos militares en la lucha contra las drogas y las posibilidades de que estos tengan que ver con Venezuela y el impacto político.2020-06-0626 min

Latin America Today“If they can kill Berta Cáceres, they can kill anybody”: Nina Lakhani on the Danger to Social LeadersNina Lakhani, a veteran correspondent for the Guardian in Mexico and Central America, discusses her new book about Honduran indigenous activist Berta Cáceres, her 2016 murder and its aftermath, a corrupt system, and a badly misdirected U.S. policy.2020-06-021h 06

Latin America TodayVenezuela: COVID-19, Sanctions, Outside Powers, Florida Politics, and the Search for a Political SolutionWOLA Director for Venezuela Geoff Ramsey and Senior Fellow David Smilde offer a situation report on Venezuela. While the picture is unavoidably grim, they offer a rare nuanced view of Venezuela's search for a political solution and the state of US policy.2020-05-2843 min

Latin American IntersectionsMultisector Collaborations in ColombiaAdam Isacson joins us today to help us understand the challenges, successes, and pitfalls of local, US, and international aid and security programs in Colombia. We discuss lessons learned and how leveraging multi sector partnerships (private, government, academic, military, NGO), and developing the right leaders, may improve the results of security and humanitarian aid efforts and accelerate development goals in Colombia and across the region.2020-05-211h 14

Latin America TodayRep. Jim McGovern: "What if I was in Colombia? Would I have the courage to say what I believe?"Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) has traveled often to Colombia, the subject of this episode. A leading voice on human rights in Congress, he has a lot to say about recent espionage scandals in Colombia's military, attacks on social leaders, and U.S. policy.2020-05-2031 min

Latin America TodayBeyond the Wall: The Human Consequences of ICE Detention CentersIn this episode of Beyond the Wall, Mario Moreno, VP for Communications conducts two interviews regarding the harrowing conditions migrants face in ICE detention centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is with Sarah Sanchez and Isabel Ribe, two advocates at the Santa Fe Dreamers Project working with detained migrants. In the second interview, Mario talks with Dr. Tracy Green, a Brandeis University professor and Dana Gold, senior council on the Government Accountability Office, on how a pair of Homeland Security whistleblowers spoke out against conditions of ICE detention facilities during COVID-19 pandemic, and about their mathematical model study...2020-05-1949 min

Latin America Today"How do we define success?" Jonathan Rosen on governments' approaches to organized crimeJonathan Rosen of Holy Family University is the author of, or collaborator on, a large body of recent scholarly work on security policy, drug policy, organized crime, and corruption in the Americas. Here, he lays out what governments keep getting wrong.2020-05-1254 min

Latin America TodayPracticing Asylum Law in El Paso: "MPP is just—it's utterly insane"Since "Remain in Mexico" began, Taylor Levy, an El Paso-based immigration attorney, has done much of her work across the border in Ciudad Juárez. Her account of the obstacles asylum-seekers face—both before and during the COVID-19 crisis—is maddening.2020-05-0739 min

Latin America Today"These moments of social resistance are never moments. They have long histories."A conversation about Colombia, U.S. policy, human rights advocacy, and social struggle with anthropologist Winifred Tate of Colby College, whose more than 30 years of work as both a scholar and an advocate give her a very unique perspective.2020-05-0543 min

Latin America TodayMonitoring Anti-Democratic Trends and Human Rights Abuses in the Age of COVID-19Five WOLA program directors talk about how COVID-19—and governments' response—are hitting Latin America. We discuss dangers to democracy, rights, economics, and marginalized people, focusing especially on Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Bolivia, and Brazil.2020-05-0154 min

Latin America TodayDemocracy and Displacement in Colombia’s Civil WarAbbey Steele of the University of Amsterdam is an expert on the dynamics of conflict and violence. She has worked extensively in Colombia, and in 2017 published a book about displacement and "political cleansing" based on fieldwork in the Urabá region.2020-04-1652 min

Latin America Today"This is patently illegal": The undermining of asylum at the U.S.-Mexico borderAaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel at the American Immigration Council, walks us through how the asylum system is meant to work. He then explains how the Trump administration has steadily decimated the right to seek protection at the US-Mexico border.2020-04-1448 min

Latin America TodayProtecting Civilians from Harm in Armed ConflictThe Center for Civilians in Conflict works to minimize harm done to civilians in armed conflicts. What should this work look like in Latin America, where traditionally defined armed conflicts are rare? Annie Shiel and Mike Lettieri of CIVIC explain.2020-04-1344 min

Latin America TodayCoronavirus and Communities in Post-Accord ColombiaWOLA's director for the Andes, Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, explains what Colombia·s response to the coronavirus means for communities affected by its conflict. As a new WOLA urgent action documents, the situation for social leaders remains very serious.2020-04-1037 min

Latin America TodayLatin America and the Crisis of Globalization and MultilateralismThree experts with long experience in defense and security collaborated on a new paper for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation that takes stock of geopolitics, the crisis of democracy, and emerging threats and trends across the hemisphere.2020-04-0847 min

Latin America Today"I Wrote This Book for People Like You": Lars Schoultz on "In Their Own Best Interest"In his latest book, "In Their Own Best Interest," Lars Schoultz of UNC Chapel Hill takes to task U.S. policymakers and advocates who seek to "uplift" Latin American nations, finding them to be part of a very long tradition. This makes for a lively discussion.2020-04-071h 02

Latin America TodayBeyond the Wall: Seeking Shelter in the Age of COVID-19This month, Mario Moreno, WOLA's VP for Communications. interviewed Joanna Williams, the Director of Education and Advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative. The Kino Border Initiative (KBI) is a binational organization in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. KBI works in the area of migration, providing direct humanitarian assistance and accompaniment with migrants. They discuss what is happening at the border, how shelters and service providers are adapting, and the repercussions of the virus and government actions on migrants and asylum seekers. Beyond the Wall is a bilingual segment of the Latin America Today podcast, a...2020-04-0627 min

Latin America TodayInvesting in Amazon Crude: Oil, Finance, and SurvivalWhen you think about environmental threats to the Amazon, you may envision illegal logging, cattle ranchers, and fires. But the western Amazon has oil, too, and companies are moving in. We talk about this with Andrew Miller and Moira Birss from Amazon Watch, which published a report in March.2020-04-0338 min

Latin America Today“I Wish I Did More Positive Reporting About Colombia Because I Love the Place”Since 1997 John Otis has been reporting from Colombia, covering the Andes, currently for NPR and the Wall Street Journal. He talks here about what has changed during his tenure, the peace process, and some places and people who've left strong impressions.2020-03-3144 min

Latin America TodaySoldiers and Civilians in Latin America TodayAfter 20-plus years of movement away from military rule and toward civilian democracy, Latin America's militaries are again playing larger, more political roles—a trend that COVID-19 is exacerbating. Here to talk about this is Greg Weeks of UNC-Charlotte.2020-03-3032 min

Latin America TodayUpheaval in Bolivia: Political Crisis, COVID-19, and the Run-up to New ElectionsAudio of a March 27 WOLA web discussion of events in Bolivia since the October 2019 general elections and the onset of COVID-19, with analyst Linda Farthing, Robert Albro of American University, and John Walsh, WOLA's director for drug policy and the Andes.2020-03-281h 33

Latin America Today"This is the Scenario the Trump Administration Would've Liked Since Day One"Daniella Burgi-Palomino, co-director of the Latin America Working Group, explains the devastating blows that the Trump administration has dealt to the right to seek asylum at the US-Mexico border—and how COVID-19 response has taken it to further extremes.2020-03-2730 min

Latin America TodaySearching for Mexico's DisappearedMore than 60,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 2006. The current government is taking some initial steps to address the crisis. Mariano Machain of SERAPAZ Mexico and Lucy Díaz of the Colectivo Solecito in Veracruz talk with WOLA's Mexico staff.2020-03-2634 min

Latin America Today"There are 15,000 people waiting without access to asylum"Savitri Arvey of the University of California at San Diego's U.S.-Mexico Center has co-written a series of reports documenting U.S. authorities' practice of "metering" asylum seekers along the Mexico border, keeping them in Mexican border towns for weeks or months at a time. With the current COVID-19 border closure, she says, U.S. authorities aren't letting anybody cross to ask for asylum.2020-03-2435 min

Latin America TodayBeyond the ‘Narcostate’ Narrative: Addressing Organized Crime and Corruption in VenezuelaAudio from a March 20, 2020 webinar about criminality and corruption in Venezuela, and the viability of a political exit to the crisis. With WOLA·s Geoff Ramsey and David Smilde, Jeremy McDermott of InsightCrime, and investigative journalist Bram Ebus.2020-03-231h 30

Latin America TodayPeru's Anti-Corruption ReformsCynthia McClintock of George Washington University gives an overview of the current political moment in Peru, where an ongoing anti-corruption drive, spurred by the good work of investigative reporters and prosecutors, has been a relative good news story.2020-03-2027 min

Latin America Today"Guerrilla Marketing" in ColombiaA conversation with Alex Fattal, whose 2018 book "Guerrilla Marketing," about the Colombian military's employment of ad campaigns to convince guerrillas to demobilize, explores the overlap between national security, capitalism, and "branding."2020-03-1943 min

Latin America Today"You're Capturing the Poetry of How Colombians Speak"Toby Muse spent almost two decades as a foreign correspondent in Colombia, where he traveled to dozens of places affected by the war on drugs and recorded innumerable conversation with everyday people. His book, Kilo: Inside the Deadliest Cocaine Cartels - From the Jungles to the Streets, comes out on March 24, 2020.2020-03-1850 min

Latin America TodayWomen Coca and Poppy Growers Mobilizing for Social ChangeSenior Fellow Coletta Youngers and Senior Program Associate Teresa García Castro talk about their new report, published with three other organizations, on women coca growers in Bolivia and Colombia. That report is at http://bit.ly/2WlA6vq.2020-03-1828 min

Latin America TodayBeyond the Wall: A Rights-Respecting Approach to MigrationMario Moreno, WOLA's VP for Communications, interviews Director for Defense Oversight Adam Isacson and Director for Mexico and Migrant Rights Maureen Meyer on current challenges the region faces from ineffective migration policies and protection of migrant rights and what might be done to change the situation. Beyond the Wall is a bilingual segment of the Latin America Today podcast, and a part of the Washington Office on Latin America's Beyond the Wall advocacy campaign. In the series, we will follow the thread of migration in the Americas beyond traditional barriers like language and borders. We will explore...2020-03-1026 min

Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia297: Adam Isacson of WOLA speaks to Colombia CallingAdam Isacson of WOLA (The Washington Office on Latin America) needs no introduction to the latin americanists amongst us, but, suffice it to say that it was an honour to invite him on the Colombia Calling podcast and hear his thoughts about recent events here in Colombia 2019-10-2942 min

Global InquirerThe Other Southern BorderSeeking to better their lives, thousands of immigrants pass through its southern border every day. The journey is never easy. Beatings, sexual assaults, murder, and other encounters with cartels await these immigrants on their journey north. This harsh reality not only occurs on the border that the United States and Mexico share, but also on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. In our last episode of the semester, we sit down with a Guatemalan migrant who has made this journey north and a Latin American policy expert to talk about this perilous journey, the relationship between police and organized crime...2017-12-0330 min

Latin PulseLatin Pulse: 11.12.2016 This special edition of Latin Pulse includes an opportunity to hear a Cuban perspective on politics and diplomacy, along with an analysis of what derailed the peace process in Colombia. A Cuban professor discusses the importance of continued exchanges between the United States and Cuba, while analyzing reactions to U.S. programs designed at political change and Cuban succession. The program also discusses the rejection of the peace treaty with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The news segment covers doubts about the sincerity of Venezuela's president during the papal negotiations to end the country's political crisis...2016-11-1209 min

Latin PulseLatin Pulse: 9.02.2016 The proposed peace treaty dealing with the FARC in Colombia and the deterioration of democracy in Nicaragua are the twin themes on Latin Pulse this week. First, the program dissects the proposed peace pact between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC by its Spanish acronym) and the Colombian government. Also, the program explores how President Daniel Ortega has manipulated the electoral system in Nicaragua. The news segment of the program covers the end of Dilma Rousseff's presidency as the Brazilian Senate found her guilty of shifting funds without Congressional approval and with misleading the Brazilian Congress.The program...2016-09-0209 min

Latin PulseLatin Pulse: 3.04.2016War and peace in Colombia and Mexico provide the themes on Latin Pulse. The program updates the status of the long-running peace talks in the 51-year-old civil war in Colombia. This discussion includes fears that different rebel groups will supplant the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (the FARC). The program also analyzes the problems of human rights and corruption in Mexico as that country tries to prosecute its part in the Drug War. The news segment of the program covers the feud between Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, over Trump's...2016-03-0509 min

Latin PulseLatin Pulse: 10.09.2015War and peace are the central themes on Latin Pulse this week. The program includes an in-depth discussion about breakthroughs in the peace process that could end 51 years of civil war in Colombia. The program also discusses tensions in the border regions between Venezuela and Colombia, and on Venezuela's border with Guyana and what those tensions mean in the current political climate. The news segment of the program covers new calls for impeachment to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office in Brazil.The program includes in-depth interviews with:Adam Isacson of the Washington...2015-10-0909 min

Latin PulseLatin Pulse: 2.27.2015Turmoil in Venezuela and the progress in the peace talks for the civil war in Colombia are the twin themes this week on Latin Pulse. The first half of the program analyzes the politics surrounding the arrest of Mayor Antonio Ledezma of Caracas and how that arrest has drawn international reaction. The second half of the program tracks the ongoing talks attempting to end the 51-year-old war in Colombia. The news segment of the program covers the latest in the case of Alberto Nisman in Argentina and how a judge has set aside an indictment against the country's...2015-02-2809 min

Latin PulseLatin Pulse: 1.23.2015The historic changes between Cuba and the United States are rolling out but the Obama administration is also making aggressive diplomatic moves throughout Latin America. That strategic shift provides the centerpiece for discussion on Latin Pulse this week. The program takes a wide-ranging view of the geopolitical situation in Latin America and provides a preview of the summit next week of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The news segment of the program focuses on the negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba and President Barack Obama's policy pronouncements on Cuba.The program...2015-01-2409 min

CHIASMOS: The University of Chicago International and Area Studies Multimedia Outreach Source [audio]"Militarization of U.S. Foreign Relations with Latin America: Prospects for Change" A panel discussion with: Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director of the Latin America Working Group; Joy Olson, Executive Director of the Washington Office on Latin America; Adam Isacson, Senior Associate at the Center for International Policy. From the Latin American Briefing Series. Co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies and the International House Global Voices Program.2007-04-171h 43

The Latin American Briefing Series"Militarization of U.S. Foreign Relations with Latin America: Prospects for Change" A panel discussion with: Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director of the Latin America Working Group; Joy Olson, Executive Director of the Washington Office on Latin America; Adam Isacson, Senior Associate at the Center for International Policy. From the Latin American Briefing Series. Co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies and the International House Global Voices Program.2007-04-171h 43

CHIASMOS: The University of Chicago International and Area Studies Multimedia Outreach Source [video]"Militarization of U.S. Foreign Relations with Latin America: Prospects for Change" (video) A panel discussion with: Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director of the Latin America Working Group; Joy Olson, Executive Director of the Washington Office on Latin America; Adam Isacson, Senior Associate at the Center for International Policy. From the Latin American Briefing Series. Co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies and the International House Global Voices Program.2007-04-171h 43