WOLA Podcast

Launch of "Beyond the Border Buildup"

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:40:28 -0600

Audio from the launch of WOLA's new report on security and migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Featuring Adam Isacson and Maureen Meyer from WOLA and Jennifer Podkul of the Women's Refugee Commission.

Bolivia and U.S. Drug Policy: a conversation with Kathryn Ledebur

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:59:29 -0600

Bolivia is criticized in a recent State Department counter-drug report, while the country seeks an exemption from an international ban on coca leaves. Adam talks with Kathryn Ledebur of the Andean Information Network in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

10 years after the collapse of Colombia's FARC peace process

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:35:19 -0700

Talks between Colombia's government and the FARC guerrillas fell apart ten years ago, on February 20, 2002. Adam talks with Marc Chernick of Georgetown University and Virginia Bouvier of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

A report back from Cuba: security, ongoing reforms, and U.S. policy

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:38:22 -0700

WOLA staffers Geoff Thale, George Withers and Clay Boggs just returned from a week-long trip to Cuba. They talk to Adam about the island's maritime cooperation with the United States, oil, economic reforms, U.S. policy and the Republican primary debates.

The U.S.-Mexico Border: A report from Arizona

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:39:23 -0700

Adam, WOLA Senior Associate Maureen Meyer, and Senior Fellow George Withers are on a research trip to the Arizona-Mexico border region. They talk about what they are learning about spillover violence, the security buildup, and consequences for migrants.

State of Emergency in Peru: Jo-Marie Burt on the Cajamarca crisis

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:03:55 -0700

In response to protests against a large mining project, Peru's center-left government has declared a state of emergency. The situation, seen as a test for the new government, is at an impasse. Adam talks to WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt.

Elections in Guatemala and Nicaragua: A conversation with Adriana Beltran and Maureen Meyer

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:47:52 -0700

On Sunday, Guatemalans elected retired Gen. Otto Pérez Molina to be their next president, while Nicaraguans re-elected Daniel Ortega. Adam talks about the result, and what might come next, with WOLA Senior Associates Adriana Beltrán and Maureen Meyer.

Lecciones de la amnistía en Uruguay: Una conversación con Juan Raúl Ferreira

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:08:20 -0600

Geoff Thale, el director de programas de WOLA, conversa con Juan Raúl Ferreira, un periodista, escritor y activista uruguayo. Hablan de la experiencia de la amnistía que se otorgó a los militares en su país, y el esfuerzo de derogarla.

Migration and Border Security: Josiah Heyman on conditions in El Paso-Ciudad Juárez

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:14:59 -0600

Adam talks to Josiah Heyman, professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas at El Paso, about recent developments in U.S. border policy and their impact on migration and security in El Paso, Texas and the neighboring city of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

Timothy Dunn on Security and the Military on the U.S.-Mexico Border

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:35:21 -0600

WOLA Fellows George Withers and Lucila Santos have an animated conversation with Timothy Dunn, a professor at the University of Salisbury and expert on U.S. border security policy.

Protecting Mexican Guest Workers and Seeking a Saner Migration Policy: A conversation with Chuck Barrett

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:26:21 -0600

Adam and WOLA Senior Associate for Rights and Development Vicki Gass talk with Chuck Barrett, a consultant to Catholic Relief Services, about his work on rural development, migration, and protecting the rights of agricultural guest workers from Mexico.

Turning Point in Bolivia: An update from Kathryn Ledebur of the Andean Information Network

aisacson@wola.org — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:44:56 -0600

On 9/25 the government of Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, cracked down on indigenous protestors opposed to a highway project. Adam talks to Kathryn Ledebur of the Andean Information Network about the incident and its political fallout.

Politics and Security in Venezuela: A conversation with David Smilde

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:33:08 -0600

Adam talks with David Smilde of the University of Georgia about the political impact in Venezuela of Hugo Chávez's illness, public security concerns, and Venezuelan foreign policy.

The Week Ahead: Peru's New President, Press Freedom in Ecuador, U.S. Congress

aisacson@wola.org — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:43:23 -0600

Adam discusses challenges facing newly inaugurated President Ollanta Humala in Peru; Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's lawsuit against a newspaper; cuts in U.S. aid to Mexico and other ways that the U.S. Congress is affecting Latin America policy.

Bolivia and the international drug control regime: a conversation with Martin Jelsma

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:00:31 -0600

Bolivia has denounced the International Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which bans the traditional practice of chewing coca leaf. Adam talks with Martin Jelsma, who coordinates the Drugs and Democracy Program at the Amsterdam-based Transnational Institute.

Report Back from Central America's Security Conference

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:34:30 -0600

WOLA Program Director Geoff Thale and Senior Associate Adriana Beltran were in Guatemala City, where Central America's presidents and international donors were discussinging responses to Central America's severe citizen security challenges.

The Week Ahead: Free trade, drug reports, Hugo Chávez

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:56:46 -0600

Adam goes over the Colombia and Panama free-trade agreements currently stalled in Congress, UN and U.S. findings about cocaine production, and increasing uncertainty in Venezuela about Hugo Chávez's health.

The Week Ahead: U.S. weapons in Mexico, Central America security conference, Bolivia coca

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:18:01 -0600

Adam looks at a new Senate report on U.S. weapons' illegal flow into violence-wracked Mexico, next week's citizen security conference of Central American governments and donor nations, and security and coca-growing developments in Bolivia.

Trends in Latin American military spending: a conversation with SIPRI's Carina Solmirano

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:40:31 -0600

South America's military budgets rose 5.8% in 2010, faster than any other region, says the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's latest yearbook. Adam and WOLA Fellow Lucila Santos talk with Carina Solmirano of SIPRI about her findings.

The Week Ahead: Ollanta Humala, OAS Citizen Security, Mexico violence

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:49:23 -0600

Adam reviews Ollanta Humala's first moves as Peru's president-elect, the OAS General Assembly and upcoming Central American summit focused on citizen security, and trends in Mexico's violent organized crime.

The OAS talks citizen security: Adriana Beltrán and Victoria Wigodsky in San Salvador

aisacson@wola.org — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:20:36 -0600

The OAS General Assembly is meeting right now in El Salvador, and this year's theme is citizen security. WOLA's senior associate for citizen security, Adriana Beltrán, is there. Adam talks to Adriana and Victoria Wigodsky of the Argentina-based CELS.

Humala wins: Coletta Youngers on Peru's presidential election result

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:27:17 -0600

Peruvians voted June 5. The results indicate that Ollanta Humala, a center-left candidate, will be the country's next president. Adam talks to WOLA Senior Fellow Coletta Youngers about what Humala's victory means for Peruvian politics and U.S. policy.

The Week Ahead: Peru elections, Colombia working group, Brazil forestry law

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:30:36 -0600

Adam looks at Peru's presidential vote, which is four days away; the "high level partnership dialogue" that has many Colombian diplomats visiting Washington; and a bill before Brazil's Congress that may make it easier to cut down the Amazon rainforest.

Gustavo Gorriti on Peru's elections

aisacson@wola.org — Tue, 31 May 2011 08:49:26 -0600

The final round of Peru's hotly contested presidential election will take place on Sunday. Adam talks with renowned Peruvian investigative journalist Gustavo Gorriti, who runs the IDL Reporteros program in Lima, about what is at stake in the vote.

Citizen Security in Brazil: A conversation with Pedro Abramovay

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:36:38 -0600

Adam talks with Pedro Abramovay of the Rio de Janeiro-based Fundaçao Getúlio Vargas about the Rio goverment's ongoing effort to "pacify," or provide community police and social services to, the city's historically neglected and violent favelas.

The Week Ahead: Zelaya's return, Colombia's Victims' Law, PDVSA Sanctions

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:01:49 -0600

Adam looks at the Cartagena Accord allowing deposed President Manuel Zelaya to return to Honduras, the Victims and Land Restitution Law that passed Colombia's Senate, and the impact of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company.

Changes in Cuba: A conversation with Congressman David Bonior, Geoff Thale and Ashley Morse

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 26 May 2011 09:53:19 -0600

Congressman David Bonior, who represented Michigan between 1976 and 2002, took a trip to Cuba recently with WOLA Program Director Geoff Thale and Program Associate Ashley Morse. They share impressions of a nation undergoing significant economic change.

Cuba's TV Serrana: Community Video in the Sierra Maestra

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 26 May 2011 09:51:50 -0600

A conversation between WOLA Program Director Geoff Thale, Carlos Rodríguez of TV Serrana -- which has produced many documentaries about life in eastern Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains -- and Alex Halkin of the Americas Media Initiative-Cuba Media Project.

The Week Ahead: Massacre in Guatemala, Peru elections, is Colombia in an armed conflict?

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:35:25 -0600

Adam discusses what we know about an apparent Zetas massacre of 27 people in Guatemala's Petén, the campaign for Peru's June 5 presidential runoff, and an argument between President Juan Manuel Santos and former President Álvaro Uribe.

The Week Ahead: Changes at State Department, Ecuador Referendum, Mexico March

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:10:21 -0600

Adam discusses Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela's resignation, Ecuador's referendum results, and the anti-violence march in Mexico.

A March for Peace in Mexico

aisacson@wola.org — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:27:23 -0600

Adam talks with WOLA Communications Coordinator Kristel Muciño, who is in the Zócalo in downtown Mexico City just as thousands of participants in a rather large and unprecedented march against violence are arriving.

Security in Mexico: A conversation with Raúl Benítez Manaut of CASEDE

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:37:24 -0600

Adam talks with Raúl Benítez, who heads Mexico's Colectivo de Análisis de Seguridad con Democracia (CASEDE) think-tank, about the state of U.S.-Mexican security cooperation and the Mexican armed forces' role in public security.

The Week: Colombia free trade "Action Plan," Walid Makled, violence in Mexico

aisacson@wola.org — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:03:50 -0600

Adam gives an update on the Colombian FTA debate, the extradition of a Venezuelan narcotrafficker from Colombia to Venezuela, another mass grave in Mexico, Uruguay's amnesty law, and Peru's elections.

Cynthia McClintock on Peru's elections

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:58:16 -0600

George Washington University Professor Cynthia McClintock, just back from a visit to Peru to observe the April 10 elections, talks about the vote that has left Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori contending in Peru's June presidential runoff.

Peru's April 10 elections: a conversation with Jo-Marie Burt

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 05:14:53 -0600

Peruvians will elect their next president on Sunday. Polls show a five-way race with little clarity about who might make it to a second-round runoff. Adam talks with WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt about the candidates and the issues concerning voters.

The week: Elections in Haiti, Colombia's luxury military prison, Mexico's army and public security

aisacson@wola.org — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:33:24 -0600

Adam looks at the preliminary result of Haiti's election, revelations of plush conditions for Colombian military human rights abusers, and a UN human rights body's recommendation that Mexico take the armed forces out of internal security.

The week: Elections in Peru and elsewhere, Mexico border, and more

aisacson@wola.org — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:25:21 -0600

Adam looks at Peru's upcoming, and up-for-grabs elections; Washington's discussion of the Homeland Security and Pentagon role in Mexico border security; political violence in Colombia; and much else.

Agroecology and climate change: Francisco Fonseca of CEDECO

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:11:58 -0600

WOLA Rights and Development Senior Associate Vicki Gass talks with Francisco Fonseca of CEDECO, the Educational Corporation for Costa Rican Development, about his organization's work encouraging small farmers' adoption of sustainable methods.

Argentina: a conversation with Gastón Chillier of CELS

aisacson@wola.org — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:26:09 -0600

Adam talks to Gastón Chillier, director of Argentina's Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), about the group's recent work on citizen security and the ongoing effort to hold human rights violators accountable in Argentina.

La visita del Presidente Obama a El Salvador

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:33:51 -0600

Adam habla con Geoff Thale, director de programas de la Oficina en Washington de Asuntos Latinoamericanos WOLA, sobre la visita del Presidente Barack Obama a El Salvador, programado para el 22 de marzo de 2011.

President Obama Goes to El Salvador

aisacson@wola.org — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:32:02 -0600

Adam talks to WOLA Program Director Geoff Thale about the El Salvador leg (March 22) of President Obama's Latin America visit. This visit will include a moment of dramatic symbolism: a visit to the tomb of murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero.

President Obama's Visit to Latin America

aisacson@wola.org — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:41:17 -0600

President Barack Obama will be visiting Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador on March 19-23. WOLA's Adam Isacson, Joy Olson, Vicki Gass, John Walsh and Adriana Beltrán talk about what to expect as the President visits a rapidly changing region.