War News Radio

After President Trump's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January 2026, there was a mix of relief and skepticism in the Venezuelan diaspora and across the U.S. Trump's actions without congressional approval marked a turning point in foreign intervention without a clear path forward towards democratic progress. Maduro's illegitimate rule was finally over. But will Venezuela's author...

In this episode, legal director at the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Nicole Phillips, discusses her decades long experiences working in international human rights advocacy, particularly in internal displacement camps (IDB) in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country's capital, Port au Prince. Nicole and I also explored the importance of adopting an anti-imperialist approach in this f...

In this episode, Payal Shah'03, Payal defines human rights as "what is needed for individuals to live with dignity" and what that looks like in her role as the director of the program on sexual violence in conflict zones at Physicians for Human Rights. We also explore critical tools that work together to support survivors from the international level to community-based accountability efforts.  Thi...

In this episode, co-founder of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), Brian Concannon, discusses his experiences as a human rights lawyer working hands on in Haiti alongside the Office of International Lawyers (Bureau des avocats internationaux). We also explore the current political state of Haiti, international actors and decisions that have kept Haiti poor and what American ci...

Despite its frequent usage in everyday discourse, the concept and application(s) of human rights can be quite elusive. It is typically assumed that human rights are a set of objective rights that are endowed to every person regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion and citizenship status. Human rights are also believed to be established and protected by the United Nations...

This episode of War News Radio is a two-part coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The first part is a recount of the events leading up to this shocking conflict as told by Professor Weinberg, an expert in Russian and European history. The second part is the testimony of a Ukrainian citizen of the days leading up to the invasion and the first weeks of that conflict from his eyes. Together,...

Local journalists in Afghanistan have the power to expose the reality of life under Taliban rule. Seeking control over the media’s narrative, the Taliban poses a major threat to these journalists, whose jobs and safety are at risk.   On this episode of War News Radio, we interviewed Faisal Karimi, a professor of journalism and communication and the founder and director of Afghanistan Institute for...

This episode of War News Radio investigates the Tigray war in Ethiopia. The civil war has been ongoing since 2020 and has had huge human costs, despite very little press coverage of the conflict.    We interviewed Professor Emily Paddon Rhoads, a political science professor at Swarthmore College who specializes in international relations, civilian agency, and international responses to conflict. W...

This episode of War News Radio features Taufiq Azamy, an Afghan refugee-turned-doctor who discusses his personal experience of being a refugee, including fleeing Afghanistan in 1982, contending with the identity of being a refugee, the emotional impact, visits back to his homeland, and the current need to help refugees across the world.   This episode of War News radio was written and produced by...

With the Taliban’s recent takeover of Afghanistan, musicians have been fearful of their safety. During the Taliban’s previous rule, music was completely banned, and musician’s lives were in danger, and now citizens are concerned again that music poses a risk.    In this episode of War News Radio, we spoke with Afghan pianist Arson Fahim, who has come to the United States to continue his studies, a...

With the end of American involvement in the War in Afghanistan, it is time to reflect on how this war came to be, a conflict spanning half a century and countless different phases. This episode of War New Radio will be looking at the history of one of the longest wars in world history, starting from the Saar Revolution and going all the way to the present day. We are joined by esteemed professors...

Earlier this year, the Saudi female rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul was released from prison. While certainly a cause for celebration, to many it was also a reminder of the persistent lack of political freedom in Saudi Arabia. Loujain Al-Hathloul was originally arrested for protesting the ban on women driving, and although this ban was lifted in 2018, she still remained in prison. Even after h...

A decade has elapsed since the protests that sparked the Arab Spring and ousted Tunisia’s long-standing dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Despite significant democratic reforms in the North African nation, Tunisians are still taking to the streets en masse in 2021.  To understand why, in this episode, War News Radio speaks with Narimen Zorgui, a student and activist in Tunisia who grew up amidst t...

For this episode of War News Radio, we’re taking a closer look at two of the Pacific territories, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, whose historical relationships to the United States are defined by conflict and colonialism. This has drastically disrupted the lives of the native Chamorro people who have inhabited Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the rest of the Mariana Islands archipel...

The asylum process in the United States has been in the national spotlight consistently over the past four years, centering on the Trump administration's grave mistreatment of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and its policy of family separation. But what actually is the asylum process, how is it supposed to work, and where has it gone wrong? In this episode, we talk to M, a Cameroonian asylee...

Anti-government protests in Thailand rocked the nation in 2020.  The protests that began with anger at the dissolution of a political party, have found mass appeal including the unprecedented public demand to reform the Thai monarchy and a call to draft a new constitution.  We speak with a Peera, a freelance journalist and Jason, a student studying abroad, who both grew up in Thailand. We get thei...

When the U.S. drew down its military presence in Northeast Syria last fall, it was a huge blow to the region’s predominantly Kurdish populace. However, it was “not the first time the Kurds ha[d] been betrayed by the American government,” according to Nejeer Zebari. In the second of two episodes on the Kurds’ external conflicts and internal tensions, we explore divisions among Kurds, Turkey's relat...

When the U.S. drew down its military presence in Northeast Syria last fall, it was a huge blow to the region's predominantly Kurdish populace. However, it was "not the first time the Kurds ha[d] been betrayed by the American government," according to Nejeer Zebari. In the first of two episodes on the Kurds' external conflicts and internal tensions, we explore recent developments in—and the long hi...

Mass protests toppled Sudan's decades-old dictatorship last April. The country is now governed by a transitional council, and many advocates for democracy are hopeful. But at this crucial juncture in their history, the Sudanese people are confronted with an increasingly familiar challenge: propaganda disseminated through Facebook and other online platforms. In this episode, we explore Sudan's stru...

The 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was hailed as a historic agreement, with then-president Juan Manuel Santos awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Three years later, the reality is far murkier. What can be done to continue moving forward toward a peaceful future for Colombia? War News Radio's Bryce Bussert and Nick H...