Bringing Light Into Darkness - News & Analysis

Preventable Misery: The Breadth, Consequences and Harm of Economic Sanctions with Dr. Francisco Rodriguez

Over the past six decades, there has been significant growth in the use of economic sanctions by Western powers with the overwhelming majority not endorsed by the UN. In 1960 less than 4 percent of countries were subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union, or United Nations in the early 1960s; today, that share has risen to some 29 percent of world GDP and some two billion or more persons. In other words, more than one fourth of countries and nearly a third of the world economy are now subject to sanctions by the UN or Western nations.

Joining us tonight is the esteemed economist Dr Francisco Rodriguez, the Rice Family Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. A native of Venezuela, he is also the founder of Oil for Venezuela, a non-profit organization focused on finding solutions to Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. We review the findings of his comprehensive study recently released on 5/4/2023 by the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) entitled The Human Consequences of Economic Sanctions. It reviews the findings of the thirty plus studies that have examined the same subject.

Sanctions, especially those not endorsed by the UN Security Council can be seen as a regressive act of economic war. It is an act of war because it is a direct attack on the welfare of an entire population not just those you seek to sanction. They directly attack the economic and nutritional well-being of the majority population through its main mechanism pf cutting off the government from foreign currency.

What we will learn in our show tonight is that when foreign currency is drastically reduced it means cutting back on government spending for health care. It means cutting back on government spending on education. It means cutting back on government spending for public services. It means cutting back on government spending for food assistance. It means cutting back on government spending for pensions. And perhaps its most pernicious aspect is that although it hurts everyone, it particularly disproportionately harms the most vulnerable within the sanctioned nation. Think about that. It is not just an act of economic war on a nation, it is regressive in that it disproportionately harms the most vulnerable.

Please join us tonight for important insights into how sanctions impact close to one third of the world population, are not supported by a another third of the world yet there is barely a peep of discussion within our mainstream media (MSM).

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 5/15/23 [email protected]

Preventable Misery: The Breadth, Consequences and Harm of Economic Sanctions with Dr. Francisco Rodriguez

Over the past six decades, there has been significant growth in the use of economic sanctions by Western powers with the overwhelming majority not endorsed by the UN. In 1960 less than 4 percent of countries were subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union, or United Nations in the early 1960s; today, that share has risen to some 29 percent of world GDP and some two billion or more persons. In other words, more than one fourth of countries and nearly a third of the world economy are now subject to sanctions by the UN or Western nations.

Joining us tonight is the esteemed economist Dr Francisco Rodriguez, the Rice Family Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. A native of Venezuela, he is also the founder of Oil for Venezuela, a non-profit organization focused on finding solutions to Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. We review the findings of his comprehensive study recently released on 5/4/2023 by the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) entitled The Human Consequences of Economic Sanctions. It reviews the findings of the thirty plus studies that have examined the same subject.

Sanctions, especially those not endorsed by the UN Security Council can be seen as a regressive act of economic war. It is an act of war because it is a direct attack on the welfare of an entire population not just those you seek to sanction. They directly attack the economic and nutritional well-being of the majority population through its main mechanism pf cutting off the government from foreign currency.

What we will learn in our show tonight is that when foreign currency is drastically reduced it means cutting back on government spending for health care. It means cutting back on government spending on education. It means cutting back on government spending for public services. It means cutting back on government spending for food assistance. It means cutting back on government spending for pensions. And perhaps its most pernicious aspect is that although it hurts everyone, it particularly disproportionately harms the most vulnerable within the sanctioned nation. Think about that. It is not just an act of economic war on a nation, it is regressive in that it disproportionately harms the most vulnerable.

Please join us tonight for important insights into how sanctions impact close to one third of the world population, are not supported by a another third of the world yet there is barely a peep of discussion within our mainstream media (MSM).

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 5/15/23 [email protected]

Challenging US Hegemony: Undermining Diplomacy & the Emergence of China & Russia as Multipolar Powers

We describe the informational cocoon created and the liability that constitutes main stream media and the stunting of critical thinking when a small elite of six corporations own 90% of the information made available and unavailable to the US electorate. We review the pattern of deceit in which foreign policy wars of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria were all misrepresented to the US public through lies and deceit and wonder why the US public should not question anything our current government and major medias have to say about the US-NATO-Russia-Ukraine War raging presently.

Mike Whitney, investigative journalist, and economic and geopolitical analyst describes the clash of US hegemony with the Chinese economic and foreign aid investment model and how the middle class has fared differently under each model. One a State directed economic model in which the State reigns in and subordinates the economic power of oligarchs to the welfare of the majority middle class and the other in which a small elite class led by oligarchs and which own the vast majority of wealth are the masters of our government and largely dictate laws and norms that are devastating our US middle class. In one model the power dynamics are that of the State keeping in check the oligarch class and in the other the unregulated accumulation of wealth of a small minority led by an aggressive foreign policy that exports wars and conflict has an inordinate power influence on our government and its policies.

We describe the irrational and bellicose opposition to rapprochement efforts with Russia that have been driving our foreign policy and critically review the Lavrov 4/24/23 speech that shares a counternarrative of Russia Ukraine War and the promotes the evolution to a multipolarity world and a movement away from the unipolar US hegemonic model. Is allowing missiles to be secured that would be only minutes from striking Moscow a rational national security concern and does it violate ‘the indivisibility of national security concerns’ as protected by the UN Charter? Has a ‘Rules based order’ sought to trump the UN Charter principles that include the sovereign rights of nations? The Lavrov speech basically juxtaposes the UN Charter principles and the double standards of US foreign policy behavior that seems to have compromised the neutrality of the UN itself. The history of the Minsk agreement, codified by the UN and the unilateral violations by the US-West supported Ukraine side and their deceitful betrayal of diplomacy along the way helps frame an understanding of the truth of the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 5/8/23 [email protected]

Challenging US Hegemony: Undermining Diplomacy & the Emergence of China & Russia as Multipolar Powers

We describe the informational cocoon created and the liability that constitutes main stream media and the stunting of critical thinking when a small elite of six corporations own 90% of the information made available and unavailable to the US electorate. We review the pattern of deceit in which foreign policy wars of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria were all misrepresented to the US public through lies and deceit and wonder why the US public should not question anything our current government and major medias have to say about the US-NATO-Russia-Ukraine War raging presently.

Mike Whitney, investigative journalist, and economic and geopolitical analyst describes the clash of US hegemony with the Chinese economic and foreign aid investment model and how the middle class has fared differently under each model. One a State directed economic model in which the State reigns in and subordinates the economic power of oligarchs to the welfare of the majority middle class and the other in which a small elite class led by oligarchs and which own the vast majority of wealth are the masters of our government and largely dictate laws and norms that are devastating our US middle class. In one model the power dynamics are that of the State keeping in check the oligarch class and in the other the unregulated accumulation of wealth of a small minority led by an aggressive foreign policy that exports wars and conflict has an inordinate power influence on our government and its policies.

We describe the irrational and bellicose opposition to rapprochement efforts with Russia that have been driving our foreign policy and critically review the Lavrov 4/24/23 speech that shares a counternarrative of Russia Ukraine War and the promotes the evolution to a multipolarity world and a movement away from the unipolar US hegemonic model. Is allowing missiles to be secured that would be only minutes from striking Moscow a rational national security concern and does it violate ‘the indivisibility of national security concerns’ as protected by the UN Charter? Has a ‘Rules based order’ sought to trump the UN Charter principles that include the sovereign rights of nations? The Lavrov speech basically juxtaposes the UN Charter principles and the double standards of US foreign policy behavior that seems to have compromised the neutrality of the UN itself. The history of the Minsk agreement, codified by the UN and the unilateral violations by the US-West supported Ukraine side and their deceitful betrayal of diplomacy along the way helps frame an understanding of the truth of the Russian-Ukraine conflict.

Siempre fieles, Pgatos 5/8/23 [email protected]

Ukraine, Nordstream Terrorism, International Law & the Conduct of Nations: with International Law Expert Dr Alfred de Zayas

We start from the premise that the US public are decent, hard working people. But they have been insulated from historical realities that have created an elite minority whose activities include the hijacking of our government and the control of information to serve their own minority material interests as beneficiaries of the gross wealth inequality that rules the world today. That if the US public knew the truth of our foreign policy behavior and the false and unsubstantiated premises that underlie it, we would rein in our government and its policies that promote unjust wars and conflicts accordingly.

Tonight, International law expert Dr Alfred de Zayas returns to Bringing Light to Darkness. He worked with the United Nations from 1981 to 2003 as a senior lawyer with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chief of Petitions. He earned his juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School, then a doctorate of philosophy in modern history from the University of Göttingen (Germany) From 1 May 2012 to 30 April 2018, Alfred de Zayas served as the first UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

Tonight’s show features how Dr Zayas from an International law perspective embedded and guided by the UN Charter principles, takes us on a fascinating journey that shows us the way back to a world of international stability and amelioration of preventable human misery caused by the great disparities between gross wealth accumulation and the untenable rates of poverty it creates.

The answer lies in getting aligned with the UN Charter. Dr Zayas explains that the UN is akin to a world constitution; but it does not have an enforcement mechanism. It depends instead on the cooperation of all states and for citizens to first see through the fog of propaganda in order to then hold their governments accountable to international law. Tonight, we bring light into that darkness with unquestionably one of the world’s most knowledgeable international law experts, Dr Alfred de Zayas.

Ukraine, Nordstream Terrorism, International Law & the Conduct of Nations: with International Law Expert Dr Alfred de Zayas

We start from the premise that the US public are decent, hard working people. But they have been insulated from historical realities that have created an elite minority whose activities include the hijacking of our government and the control of information to serve their own minority material interests as beneficiaries of the gross wealth inequality that rules the world today. That if the US public knew the truth of our foreign policy behavior and the false and unsubstantiated premises that underlie it, we would rein in our government and its policies that promote unjust wars and conflicts accordingly.

Tonight, International law expert Dr Alfred de Zayas returns to Bringing Light to Darkness. He worked with the United Nations from 1981 to 2003 as a senior lawyer with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chief of Petitions. He earned his juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School, then a doctorate of philosophy in modern history from the University of Göttingen (Germany) From 1 May 2012 to 30 April 2018, Alfred de Zayas served as the first UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

Tonight’s show features how Dr Zayas from an International law perspective embedded and guided by the UN Charter principles, takes us on a fascinating journey that shows us the way back to a world of international stability and amelioration of preventable human misery caused by the great disparities between gross wealth accumulation and the untenable rates of poverty it creates.

The answer lies in getting aligned with the UN Charter. Dr Zayas explains that the UN is akin to a world constitution; but it does not have an enforcement mechanism. It depends instead on the cooperation of all states and for citizens to first see through the fog of propaganda in order to then hold their governments accountable to international law. Tonight, we bring light into that darkness with unquestionably one of the world’s most knowledgeable international law experts, Dr Alfred de Zayas.

The Morality & Untold History of Whistle Blowing from Vietnam to Ukraine, with 27 year Veteran former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern

Tonight’s show features the return of 27 CIA analyst Ray McGovern to Bringing Light Into Darkness. Ray was a CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990, and in the 1980s chaired National Intelligence Estimates and prepared the President's Daily Brief. He received the Intelligence Commendation Medal at his retirement, returning it in 2006 to protest the CIA's involvement in torture. Ray provides a fascinating insight into intelligence and leaks over the years while providing a uniquely informed perspective and informed speculation on the recent leaks regarding Ukraine. Our guest provides a unique perspective and analysis on the past significance of whistle blowing by such actors as Dan Ellsberg and many others and the significance of whistleblowing in revealing how governments lie to their people in order to fix the facts around the policy of taking us into unjust wars and conflicts.

We begin the show with four different primary sources that contradict the Ukraine War narrative dominating the Mainstream Media and US government narrative when it comes to army forces lost on both sides of the Russia -Ukraine-NATO conflict and the implication that Russia has conducted this war with little or no regard for civilian life. We compare this narrative to the one’s surrounding Viet Nam with a specific emphasis on the understated Viet Cong Army strength and General Westmoreland request for an additional 206 thousand troops to win this war . Ray McGovern provides a detailed history on government deceit under the LBJ administration when it came to Vietnam and explains it was much more than the deceitful claims made to the American people about the winnability of Viet Nam, and about the winnability of the 20 year War in Afghanistan. Whistleblowing prevented an expansion of the Vietnam War into Laos and Cambodia despite the intentions of the LBJ administration as Ray McGovern reveals from his own experiences. A fascinating history is presented of deceitful intents. If we do not learn from history we allow the path to a premature extinction of our species to gain an unacceptable probability. Please join us tonight, as we consider if we are we being lied to once again, this time regarding the winnability of the Ukraine conflict?

The Morality & Untold History of Whistle Blowing from Vietnam to Ukraine, with 27 year Veteran former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern

Tonight’s show features the return of 27 CIA analyst Ray McGovern to Bringing Light Into Darkness. Ray was a CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990, and in the 1980s chaired National Intelligence Estimates and prepared the President's Daily Brief. He received the Intelligence Commendation Medal at his retirement, returning it in 2006 to protest the CIA's involvement in torture. Ray provides a fascinating insight into intelligence and leaks over the years while providing a uniquely informed perspective and informed speculation on the recent leaks regarding Ukraine. Our guest provides a unique perspective and analysis on the past significance of whistle blowing by such actors as Dan Ellsberg and many others and the significance of whistleblowing in revealing how governments lie to their people in order to fix the facts around the policy of taking us into unjust wars and conflicts.

We begin the show with four different primary sources that contradict the Ukraine War narrative dominating the Mainstream Media and US government narrative when it comes to army forces lost on both sides of the Russia -Ukraine-NATO conflict and the implication that Russia has conducted this war with little or no regard for civilian life. We compare this narrative to the one’s surrounding Viet Nam with a specific emphasis on the understated Viet Cong Army strength and General Westmoreland request for an additional 206 thousand troops to win this war . Ray McGovern provides a detailed history on government deceit under the LBJ administration when it came to Vietnam and explains it was much more than the deceitful claims made to the American people about the winnability of Viet Nam, and about the winnability of the 20 year War in Afghanistan. Whistleblowing prevented an expansion of the Vietnam War into Laos and Cambodia despite the intentions of the LBJ administration as Ray McGovern reveals from his own experiences. A fascinating history is presented of deceitful intents. If we do not learn from history we allow the path to a premature extinction of our species to gain an unacceptable probability. Please join us tonight, as we consider if we are we being lied to once again, this time regarding the winnability of the Ukraine conflict?

62nd Anniversary of the Bay of Pigs: Lessons on the Nature of US Foreign Policy Misrepresentations to the US Public & a Tribute to Jane Franklin

Sixty two years ago today on April 17, 1961 US backed forces feigned a Cuban popular uprising and landed at the Bay of Pigs in a military invasion of Cuba with the intent to hide the US hand behind the scenes. Tonight, we reexamine the history surrounding that invasion and classified documents of that time leading up to the invasion that reveal the depths of deception used and those considered to dupe the US public. This history will show that we have a long history of the US government lying to the US public as a matter of policy rather than as simple aberrations.

The military history of the Bay of Pigs and the reasons that led to its failure and the first defeat of US imperialism in the western hemisphere are detailed. Research including data accumulated during my 5-6 visits to the Bay of Pigs over a 10-15 year period is shared as are declassified documents since released by our government some 30 or more years later such as Operations Northwoods that reveal the real motivations of our foreign policy that have remained well hidden from public scrutiny.

Bringing Light Into Darkness pays homage to a personal friend and mentor of mine that passed away in February. Jane Franklin, author of the historical chronology of US Cuban relations, entitled Cuba and the US Empire, taught me so much about US foreign policy towards Cuba. Jane also opened many doors within Cuba to me which included my personal visits and interviews with the former President of the National Assembly of Cuba, and former Cuban UN Ambassador, the honorable Ricardo Alarcon. President Alarcon opened additional doors for me such as my interviews with the Head of the Center of Immunology and other esteemed scientists.

Jane was married to and leaves behind in this world, prolific author and dear friend, Bruce Franklin and a marriage of some 67 years!

Thank you, Jane Franklin, for your revolutionary example and mentorship!

Opening the Toolbox of US Interventionist Foreign Policy: How the Internal Affairs of Nicaragua has been Undermined their Democracy

Tonight’s show critically deconstructs how US government foreign policy along with its strong influences within the UN and with the aid of an uncritical mainstream media has misrepresented the unfolding political realities of Nicaragua leading up to, during and following the failed 2018 US led coup attempt. Our guest John Perry joins Bringing Light Into Darkness to recount this history. John Perry lives and works in Masaya, Nicaragua, where he has been based since 2003.

Since the violent attempt to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua in 2018, which was especially badly felt in Masaya, he has been working in an informal solidarity network linked to both the UK (the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign) and the US (the Alliance for Global Justice). This has including lobbying governments, politicians, and agencies such as Amnesty International.

John writes about Nicaragua and also about Honduras, and has been published in The Nation, London Review of Books, Counterpunch, Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), The Grayzone, FAIR, Open Democracy, LA Progressive and elsewhere.

Perry provides an informed overview of US-Nicaraguan history since the 1979 July 19th Sandinista revolutionary victory over the US backed Somoza dictatorship. Our guest describes how the US State Department influences has permeated the internal affairs of Nicaragua and part of US foreign policy has included training thousands of Nicaraguans to return to Nicaragua and foment unrest in hopes of overthrowing the Sandinista government led by Daniel Ortega in the hopes of bringing a government to power that would provide a greater return for US western led investment capital.

Perry provides a blow by blow historical overview of those attempts and the methods used by US foreign policy and the history that preceded it and how it has been misrepresented by mainstream media and enabled by UN mischaracterizations.

We begin the show by detailing the experiences of two Cuban double agents who explain how Cubans paid by monies from the US government were misrepresented in US media as ‘dissidents’ instead of as ‘criminals’ engaging in criminal behavior by taking money from a foreign adversarial government to overthrow their own government. Our guest shares the parallel experiences of Nicaragua in great detail to afford our listeners how destabilization of elected government have been executed in Nicaragua.

Please join us tonight for a thought provoking dialogue and historical analysis.