Military

From VICII:

"Join VICII and Peter Lackowski, who has been visiting Venezuela since 2005, witnessing the effect that sanctions have had on that country and its revolution. Will sanctions continue to work for the US as they have in the past? Or will a new alignment of nations make sanctions ineffective?

As the war in Ukraine continues, the United States and its allies have put in place what they call "sanctions" against Russia. These are economically coercive measures that have become one of the principal means of exerting US power, and have caused considerable suffering among the populations of the targeted countries.

Since Venezuela has been subjected to US sanctions for several years, it is a good example to use in considering the phenomenon of sanctions. What is their purpose? How do they work? What are their effects? How can a country respond to them? Can they be overcome? What are the limitations on what can be accomplished by sanctions when they are applied to a country the size of Russia rather than a country like Venezuela? What about blowback--will sanctions on Russia end up damaging the economies of the US and its allies?"

For more information: vicii.org

On March 23, 2022 Arturo McFields, Nicaragua's ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) resigned and denounced the Ortega government in Nicaragua for acting as a dictatorship, imprisoning hundreds, and effectively shutting down civil society, during a meeting at the OAS. Local writer and educator Trish O'Kane joins us to give an update on what this means and the current state of Nicaragua along with some historical context.

From Trish's website:

An environmental educator who uses action-research to promote environmental and social justice, Dr. Trish O’Kane created the “Birding to Change the World” service learning course and program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while completing her doctorate. She believes in harnessing the power of passionate, knowledgeable and energetic students to help solve community and global problems.

Before studying the natural sciences, Trish worked as a human and civil rights investigative journalist for a decade in Central America and five years in the Deep South. In Guatemala she worked for the United Nations investigating massacres perpetrated by the Guatemalan military. In Alabama, she conducted research on white supremacist groups for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Trish has also taught writing in a women's prison. Author of "Guatemala: The People, Politics and Culture," she has written for major media including The New York Times.

For more information: trishokane.org

VT Representative Peter Welch, Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Patrick Leahy make statements on the War in Ukraine during the early days of the invasion. Interspersed is footage from a rally for Ukraine held by UVM students.

Edited by Ellie Ousey

From the participants:

Ashley Smith of the Tempest Collective will talk about why the US and the Western left must oppose and condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and why we must stand in solidarity with the resistance to Putin’s occupation, while at the same time opposing the militarism of the U.S. and NATO.

Charlotte Dennett, representing the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom and the author of the newly released book "Follow the Pipelines: Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil," will talk about how the Ukraine crisis is an example of the battle between petropowers that benefits the fossil fuel companies but has deadly consequences for average citizens.

Trey Cook, a freshman at the University of Vermont, and organizer for the Young Democratic Socialists of America, will talk about opposing all war but "class war."

John Reuwer, of World BEYOND War and Physicians for Social Responsibility, will share why any solutions to the crisis based on more war would only cause more misery. He will outline a number of nonviolent strategies that have a better chance of mitigating the trauma and delivering a more secure future.