Ollie Vargas, a reporter with Kawsachun News in Bolivia, and Leonardo Flores, the Latin America coordinator for CODEPINK, joins the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss the runoff election in Ecuador. Flores was in Ecuador as an election observer.
Guillermo Lasso, a conservative banker supported by the United States and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), beat Andrés Arauz, the left-leaning candidate. It was a bleak development for the left, as this means President Lenin Moreno's destructive neoliberal policies will continue to wreak havoc on the Ecuador economy.



Ollie describes each of the two candidates, who were in the runoff, and addresses the outcome. Leonardo highlights a poll from a right-wing firm called Cedatos that had some impact on the integrity of the election.



Later in the episode, the two guests discuss the media in Ecuador, which played a role in demonizing Arauz. They describe some of the obstacles the left in Ecuador failed to overcome and confront some of the new personnel in President Joe Biden's administration, who will count on Lasso to serve US interests.




Neoliberalism In Ecuador: How US-Backed Conservative Banker Won The Presidential Runoff

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"Unauthorized Disclosure" is a weekly podcast hosted by Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola. It focuses on issues and topics that are overlooked or pushed aside by the more mainstream media.

The hosts champion adversarial journalism. Guests featured are often rarely heard or unheard voices. Or they are voices who we think can benefit from a space to have conversations, which allow for dissent and the unpacking of unpopular ideas.

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Rania Khalek and Kevin Gosztola interview Cuban journalist Liz Oliva Fernández about two documentaries that cover United States policy toward Cuba.

Liz, who worked with Belly of the Beast on the films, obtained a visa to travel to the U.S. and confront the very politicians, who are behind the embargo and other measures that disproportionately impact Black Cubans. She spent time in Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, where she spoke to a number of everyday Americans about their attitudes toward Cuba.

The first film, "Hardliner on the Hudson," premieres on May 13. It covers corrupt Senator Bob Menendez and his instrumental role in shaping the U.S. agenda against Cuba. The second film, "Uphill on the Hill," examines the "political interests" that have led President Joe Biden to "embrace Trump's economic war on Cuba." It premieres on May 20.

Both films will be available on the Belly of the Beast's YouTube channel.

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Cuban Journalist Liz Oliva Fernández: How Biden Embraced Trump's War On Cuba

On this week's "Unauthorized Disclosure," Kevin Gosztola interviews Greek economist and author Yanis Varoufakis about his new book, "Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism." 

Yanis argues that "Big Tech has replaced capitalism's twin pillars—markets and profit—with its platforms and [cloud] rents. With every click and scroll, we labor like serfs to increase its power." 

Later in the show, Yanis outlines the impact this economic transformation has had or may have on geopolitics. He discusses China, the only country with cloud capital capable of rivaling the United States, and what the rivalry between China and the U.S. may mean for the Global South. 

*This is the free edition of the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast. For full episodes and access to exclusive content, subscribe to the podcast at thedissenter.org/#/portal/signup

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We Are All Cloud Serfs Now: Yanis Varoufakis On The Rise of 'Technofeudalism'

For this week's episode, journalist Patrick Winn, who has lived in Bangkok for 15 years, joined the "Unauthorized Disclosure" podcast to discuss his new book, "Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived the CIA."
Patrick is a correspondent for NPR's The World and specializes in reporting on black markets and rebellion in Southeast Asia. He gained special access to the Wa people, who are "among the most vilified people in Asia if not the world." The Wa established a nation state in Myanmar. The nation state exports billions of dollars of heroin and meth every year, and it is controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
But as Patrick outlines in the interview, the United States has its fingerprints all over this narco-army. "Not only did the CIA create the conditions for its inception, but one of its foremost leaders was also a DEA asset."


*For the full episode, become a subscriber at TheDissenter.org or a patron at Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure

Patrick Winn: Incredible Story Of The Asia Drug Cartel That Survived The CIA

Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou returns to the "Unauthorized Disclosure" weekly podcast to discuss President Joe Biden's administration making an example out of IRS whistleblower Charles Littlejohn, the "terrorism enhancement" applied against "Vault 7" leaker Joshua Schulte, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's appeal hearing on February 20.


*Full episode available by becoming a subscriber at TheDissenter.org or a patron at Patreon.com/UnauthorizedDisclosure

John Kiriakou: The War On Whistleblowers Under Biden—Plus, Assange's Appeal Hearing

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We kick the year off with a show regular, Matthew Hoh, who is a former Marine, former State Department official, and the associate director for the Eisenhower Media Network, discusses the US government's attacks on Yemenis and how the Israeli government's war on Gaza is expanding to a wider regional conflict. 





Neoliberalism In Ecuador: How US-Backed Conservative Banker Won The Presidential Runoff

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