Podcast: Latin America Today

WOLA’s podcast series showcases news and analysis about the hemisphere. “The Week Ahead,” hosted by Adam Isacson, previews the latest on human rights, democracy, social justice, and U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Throughout the week, “Latin America Today” provides an in-depth look at current issues with WOLA experts and special guests. New podcasts will be posted at least twice a week, but you can listen anytime, anywhere, by downloading it to your iPod or other MP3 player via RSS or iTunes. Tune in and join us!

Launch of "Beyond the Border Buildup"

WOLA staff discuss new report about threats, security policy, and migration at the U.S.-Mexico border
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 of the Andean Information Network
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.

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

A conversation with Marc Chernick and Virginia Bouvier
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 about the failure of the last peace process and prospects for peace today.

A Report Back from Cuba: Ongoing Reforms and U.S. Policy

Upon return from a trip to Cuba, WOLA staff talk about security, ongoing reforms, and U.S. policy
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.

Security at the U.S.-Mexico Border: WOLA Reports from the Ground

A report from Arizona with Adam Isacson, Maureen Meyer and George Withers
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: President Humala's response to the mining protest

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
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.

Uruguay: Amnesty, Impunity, and Changing Political Conditions

The Shifting Balance between Political Stability, Reconciliation, and Justice Over Time
In an interview conducted in Spanish, WOLA Program Director Geoff Thale talks with Uruguayan journalist, writer and activist Juan Raúl Ferreira about the post-dictatorship human rights amnesty granted to Uruguay's military, and subsequent efforts to undo it.

Migration and Border Security

Josiah Heyman on conditions in El Paso-Ciudad Juárez
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.

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

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