Colombia has been rocked by the most significant protests in recent memory. In late April and May Colombians took to the streets across the country initially to protest a proposed new tax law. But what began as a a protest against this new tax bill swiftly morphed into a broad based protest movement against systemic inequality. 

Colombia is one of the most unequal countries in the world and these protests are seeking to upend the political system that has entrenched this inequality in Colombian society.  From Bogota. Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group explains where this protest movement is headed.

In the early morning hours of July 7th, unknown assailants assassinated the President of Haiti Jovenal Moise. 

Haiti was already facing an uncertain political future. And now, the line of succession is not at all clear. 

Journalist Jonathan Myerson Katz explains the tumultuous political context in which this audacious assassination occurred and what the assassination of the president means for the future of Haiti. 

The Okavango River is a major river system in Southwest Africa. It begins in Angola, passes through Namibia and ends in a vast delta in Botswana.

This river system, its ecological and social impact is the subject of a breathtaking new podcast called Guardians of The River. 

Guardians of the River won the best narrative non-fiction podcast award at the Tribeca Film Festival -- and after listening to the pilot episode you will understand why. It is produced by the House of Pod, Wild Bird Trust and National Geographic, and available wherever you find podcasts.

The crisis in Syria is at a crossroads. Millions of displaced people trapped in northern Syria may soon face a near complete cutoff of the humanitarian aid upon which they rely. This is because Security Council must vote to keep this aid flowing, but Russia is threatening a veto. On the line to explain how we got to this point and the implications of restricting aid access is Vanessa Jackson, UN Representative and Head of Office for CARE International at the United Nations. 

On June 18th, Antonio Guterres was re-appointed United Nations Secretary General for a second and final five year term. 

Richard Gowan, the UN Director of the International Crisis Group, looks back at the highlights and lowlights of Guterres' first term and discusses some of the key challenges and opportunities that will present themselves over the next five years. 

Global Dispatches debut book: For The Love of Hong Kong

Climate variability can cause the mass movement of people -- but does the mass movement of people fleeing climate shocks undermine political and human security?  A diverse panel of experts who explores the relationship between security challenges and climate induced migration -- both across and within borders.

This episode was recorded live in front of a virtual audience and produced in partnership with CGIAR, the world's largest agricultural innovation network. 

The government of Sri Lanka is using COVID-19 as a pre-text to assert control over ethnic minority populations. This is particularly troubling because the government has a history of atrocity crime. The leaders of the country today are they very same people responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against ethnic tamils 11 years ago.  

Journalist JS Tissainaygam explains how Sri Lanka's history of atrocity crimes is plaguing its response to COVID-19 and puts it at risk for a return to atrocity. 

Red Flags or Resilience? 

By all accounts, the situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia is extremely grim and about to get much worse. The United Nations now says that famine has struct parts of the region. The civil war in Ethiopia continues without and end in sight. Meanwhile, fraught national elections are scheduled for June 21. 

Ethiopian journalist Zecharias Zelalem explains how we got to this point and where the conflict may be headed next.

We cover quite a bit of ground in this interview, including his perspective on what the covid crisis revealed about the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations, what can be done to bolster multilateralism today, his frustrations with the Security Council and what advice he might offer to his successor Antonio Guterres. We also spend a good deal of time talking climate change diplomacy, which was Ban's signature issue as Secretary General. 

Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World, by Ban Ki-moon

For The Love Of Hong Kong: A Memoir From My City Under Siege, by Hana Meihan Davis

President Biden has nominated Sarah Margon as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.  This is the top American global human rights watchdog and the most important human rights position in the US foreign policy bureaucracy.  

In 2015, Sarah Margon came on the podcast for a long conversation about her life and career in human rights. Listen back to this conversation to learn the events that shaped the worldview of Biden's pick for top human rights official. 

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Our Debut Book: For The Love Of Hong Kong

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