Will Anti-Vaccine Protests By Truckers in Canada Gain Traction Around the World?

For about two weeks now, truck driving protesters have snarled traffic and otherwise disrupted daily life in downtown Ottawa, ostensibly to protest covid related restrictions and vaccine mandates.

These protests have spread elsewhere in Canada and for a time, forced the closure of the busiest border crossing between the United States and Canada.  Meanwhile, right-wing media in the United States are now cheering on these protests.

Joining me to explain what exactly is happening in Canada and what is driving these protests is journalist Justin Ling. We kick off discussing the scene in downtown Ottawa before having a broader conversation about what exactly is motivating these protests and its potential political impact  — both in Canada and the United States.

Transcript available here

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Bearing Witness to the Uyghur Genocide During the Beijing Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics have kicked off in  Beijing. Meanwhile, in the northwestern Xinjiang region of China, the government is implementing policies that many human rights organizations and foreign governments have determined amount to crimes against humanity and even genocide against the Uyghur people.

The juxtaposition of this internationally celebrated Olympics in the midst of an ongoing human rights calamity is what drives our conversation today, with four different speakers.

Rushan Abbas is the founder and executive director of the campaign for Uyghurs.

Teng Biao is a Chinese human rights lawyer and the Pozen Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago.

Yaqiu Wang is the senior china researcher for human rights watch.

Sean Roberts is a professor at the Elliot School of International Affairs at the George Washington University and author of the book The War on the Uyghurs.

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What Happened at the UN Security Council Meeting on Ukraine?

On January 31, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting about Russia’s military buildup on the border of Ukraine. Here to help understand what happened at this meeting and any potentially significant outcomes is Ashish Pradhan, who covers Security Council affairs for the International Crisis Group.

We kick off discussing this procedural vote before having a broader conversation about the international and geopolitical dynamics informing diplomacy around this crisis.

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Why is North Korea Suddenly Launching So Many New Missile Tests?

North Korea has already launched more than six missile tests since the start of the new year.

Why is North Korea is suddenly launching so many new missile tests — and what can be done about?  Three experts weigh in:

Jeffrey Lewis is a Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterrey and an open source researcher at the James Martin Center for non proliferation studies

Ankit Panda is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Michelle Kae is the Deputy Director of the 38 North Program at the Stimson Center

Transcript available here

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What Was Behind A Coup in Burkina Faso?

On Monday January 24th, mutineers in Burkina Faso overthrew the democratically elected president, Roch Kabore.

This was the fourth military coup in the region in the past 17 months, including two coups in Mali and a coup in Guinea.

To better understand the significance of the coup in Burkina Faso and its broader international and humanitarian implications, I am joined by three guests.

Brice Bado is a political scientist and Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Center for Research and Action for Peace (CERAP)/Jesuit University, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Andrew Lebovich a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Alexandra Lamarche, the senior advocate for West and Central Africa at Refugees International.

Transcript available here

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