How Repression of Movements Will Shape Ongoing Activism

Why The Arctic Matters In International Relations, ICC Probes Philippines War on Drugs, WaPo Highlights Conflicts In DPRK Defector Stories

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Jeremy Kuzmarov, Managing editor of CovertAction Magazine and author of four books on US foreign policy, including The Russians are Coming, Again, with John Marciano and Obama's Unending Wars to discuss the history of US intervention in the Arctic circle as part of the Cold War and why the Arctic region continues to matter in geopolitics today, how the cover of scientific research in the Arctic was used to disguise the military aims of the US, and how the Arctic could be used as an area of cooperation rather than an arena for warfare.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Berna Ellorin, national spokesperson for Bayan USA to discuss the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the war on drugs in the Philippines conducted under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, how this war on drugs constituted a war on the urban poor in the Philippines in the view of activists, how this war on drugs connects to other conflicts in the Philippines against political activists and Muslims, and how the war in drugs was used by officials to boost their images as champions of law and order.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Derek Ford, Assistant Professor of Education Studies at DePauw University, the Deputy Editor of the Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, and an organizer with the Indianapolis Liberation Center to discuss a Washington Post report about the inconsistencies of the story told by North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, how that exposes issues with many of the stories told by North Koreans who claim to have defected, and how the western press seizes on the claims made by these defectors to create a caricature of North Korea.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Phil Wilayto, Editor of the Virginia Defender newspaper and co-founder of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality to discuss the western media’s mischaracterization of Russia ending its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, upcoming events in Virginia which will highlight the conditions of mass incarceration in the state as elections loom, and the growing repression of movements for peace and justice all over the world.

We'd love to get your feedback at [e-mail]

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.