A Case for Compassionate Immigration Policy by Dr. William Arrocha

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Immigration is a multi-faceted phenonmena that intersects with issues of human rights,  national policies, international norms, racism, cultural issues, misconceptions, and, in some cases, absurdities.  Arguments bode well for a compassionate policy.

MIIS Professor William Arrocha, negotiator of NAFTA, and regional expert, discusses with Policy Pace host, Paula LeRoy some of the general worldwide issues,  US Immigration History, Braceros Program, the unilateral closing of the Mexican-American Border, Immigration law, and criminalization of work.

Drawing on his research of the US-Central America Region, Dr. Arrocha explains that as the US government retreats from the defender of human rights, immigrants have few protections while being excluded from participatory democracy practices that can improve their own situations and that of the country.

Part 1 describes the History, Challenges and Controversies of Immigration:

click here for live stream: Arrocha 1

Part 2 elaborates on How the Immigration System works, Amnesty, Labor Rights, and Hypocracies: click here for live stream: Arrocha 3

 

What’s Going On in Bajo Lempa, El Salvador? A Model for Development!

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Click here for audio: El Salvador- DN-PP
Professor Adele Negro’s analysis of development and peace making in the Bajo Lempa region of El Salvador provides more good news than one might expect. This 45 min interview with Policy PACE hostess, Paula LeRoy, is chocked full of details, inspiration, and realism about development opportunities and challenges in war torn areas. Environmental issues are a focus. Adele is a tremendous resource about the history of El Salvador, as well as observer of the present situation, after a month long visit March 2012. Each year, she trains and accompanies graduate students from MIIS to assist the region.

Topics covered in the interview include origins, growth and responsibilities of La Coordinadora, a loose but vibrant confederation of 125 villages. Asociacion Mangle,  organized for the protection of  the Mangroves and Bay of Jiquilisco,  has reached world stature as it preserves “the lungs” of the planet, while Ecoviva, serves a funding and advocacy role. http://vivaecoviva.wordpress.com/,   http://sites.middlebury.edu/equipomonterey

Current challenges include annual flooding, a moratorium on harvesting of turtle eggs, the lack of professionalized work force, sustaining livelihoods, and the need for record keeping and capacity building.

Professor Negro suggests a study of why the Bajo Lempa region is economically improving and able to maintain the designation of ‘’zone of peace” while other areas have diminished capacity and greater vulnerability to violence and poverty.  Community leadership, strategic planning, and election of members to national government propel it forward. Youth programs incorporating radio, arts, culture, leadership training and environmental conservation are some of the solutions.

In conclusion, Adele challenges the audience to further develop the practice of solidarity with other communities that doesn’t foster dependency or hierarchies, but is truly a linking of arms with the other community.

Please feel free to share this interview with colleagues and share your responses with us at policypace@live.com

Click here to stream interview: El Salvador- DN-PP

El Salvador is party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, CITES, Basel Convention, Partial Test Ban Treaty, Montreal Protocol, Ramsar Convention. El Salvador has signed, but not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

US Counterinsurgency Doctrine, Practice, and the Afghanistan Case: Dr. Terry Tucker

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Inbound Choppers in Afghanistan 2008

Taliban fighters after victory in Ghazni
                                       Terry Tucker and Afghan Interpreter, 2011

A woman begs in bombed city 

US Counterinsurgency Doctrine is a synthesis of lessons learned over the century, and continues to be a dynamic process. Dr. Terry Tucker, of the Army Lessons Learned division of the Department of Defense, is also a war historian. After 54 months in Afghanistan training Afghani and Coalition Forces, Dr. Tucker now synthesizes Lessons Learned using his intake work with returning troops, trains deploying troops and works to advance the effectiveness of Counterinsurgency.

In this Policy Pace interview with Paula LeRoy, MAIPS Security and Development from Monterey Institute of International Studies, Dr. Tucker gives examples of counterinsurgency principles and practices and particularly elaborates on the Afghanistan counterinsurgency operations. With candor about the mistakes made, regime change, future outlook, and stabilization difficulties, the Afghanistan case is reviewed.

Click here to download the hour long interview.

Please leave us a comment here or at policypace@live.com to let us know if this was interesting to you, if you shared it, and other comments. Thank you.

Deep Theories on the Economics of Recession:Dr. Fernando DePaolis

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Part 1: Click here to download  this podcast in MP3 format.

‘Yes, economists warrant rock stars status,’ confirms Professor Fernando DePaolis of Monterey Institute of International Studies. Policy Pace hostess Paula LeRoy encourages the development economist to discuss various issues hotly debated as solutions to the worldwide recession. In Part 1, the disputed effectiveness of austerity measures, growth goals, debt default, foreclosure, import substitution and capitalism are some of the theories investigated.

Click here to download Part 2.

In Part 2, Professor DePaolis comments on ideological fervor and income inequality in response to Paul Buchheit’s theory that ‘wealthy people don’t deserve their wealth.’ Although creating a fairer tax system is desirable, DePaolis emphasizes the importance of government responsibility for infrastructure investment, such as education and to make favorable conditions for the market. Economic solutions advocated by Richard B. Reich in Future Shock fare better in the discussion, although noted for the difficulty in implementing them. To sum up, DePaolis sheds some light on the supply and demand theory, the concept of rationality, and describes his desire for his students in entering their chosen fields.

Click here to download Part 3.

In Part 3, Professor Fernando DePaolis offers a sneak peak into two of his latest research projects and findings. One project measuring the impact of  Monterey Agriculture was conducted with Professor Jeff Langholtz. A separate project on the effect of trade liberalization on the transformation of the financial system in China, was conducted with Professor Robert McCleery.

We welcome your comments here or at policypace@live.com. Please share the podcasts with your colleagues and advise us of any interview topics you would like us to pursue.

 

Challenges and Advances in Small Arms Control: Dr. Edward Laurance

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Destroying Arms in Sri Lanka

Trauma Recovery and Changing Norms in Burundi

 

Arms Collection in Afghanistan

Click here to download this 30 minute interview.

Small Arms and Light Weapon (SALW) Control, a fairly new category of Security Studies, has been innovated and championed by Dr. Edward Laurance, Professor and Gordon Paul Smith Chair of International Policy Studies at Monterey Institute.  With five decades of experience in the military, working for the UN, research, teaching at Naval Postgraduate School and Monterey Institute of International Studies, Dr Laurance’s knowledge is truly enlightening.

He shares with Policy Pace hostess Paula LeRoy particulars of the challenges and advances of small arms control. Among the topics are increased violence in the world, the origins of focus on small arms control, DDR techniques, and changing norms.

The conversation includes successes such as Operation Ceasefire in Boston, and failures such as the DDR in El Salvador. Dr Laurance summarizes the four lenses of armed conflict analysis: people, perpetrators, instruments and institutions that are featured in the new concise OECD book Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development.

The interview draws upon Dr. Laurance’s numerous publications, involvement with the Small Arms Survey, United Nations, Conventional Arms Control, and Development Expertise.

Please let us know if this interview was informative, your suggestions, what other interviews you would like posted, and if you would like to be an interviewer for Policy Pace, by commenting here or at policypace@live.com.  Thank you!

** the comment “everyone in Texas has a gun, but there are few homicides” was an obvious exaggeration, meaning ‘there is a strong consensus advocating gun ownership in many parts of Texas (but few homocides).’ Sorry if I offended anyone.

Los Mapuches y Sus Dificultades por Richard Funkhouser

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This episode of Policy Pace is in Spanish for language and context practice.

[middmedia pleroyantaki Commons-MIIS-web_data-middlebury-edu Chile-RF-PP.mp3]

Click here to download this pod cast in MP3 format.

Richard Funkhouser, un alumno de MIIS, describe sus experiencias en Chile durante el curso de enero de derechos humanos con Professor Jan Knippers Black, Global Majority y 22 otra estudiantes de MIIS.

Policy Pace host, Paula LeRoy le entreviso de los desafios en communidades indigenous, los cuales se pierderon sus tierras a companias internacionales con collaboracion del gobierno de Chile. Resultaron en enfermadades de toxicos, pobreza, encarcelacion y hostigan con leyes anti-terroristas.

Queremos publicar mas episodias en espanol. Para ayudarnos contact Policy Pace: policypace@live.com

 

Desarrollo, Derechos Humanos, y Immigracion por Antonio Amendariz

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This 34 minute podcast is in Spanish. Click here to listen:  ES, Chile, Immigration AA-PP

Antonio Amendariz, un alumno de MIIS de IPS, describe sus experiencias en El Salvador con Equipo El Salvador, un J-term programa. El tuvo el papel de interpretador entonces, el  sabe mucho de los projectos de Eco-Turismo, Collecion de Basura, y Produccion de Agricoltura.

Comparte sus investigaciones en Chile de Derechos Humanos de las Indigenas. Fue con Global Majority y un J-term programa. Explica de algunos violaciones del pasado y de la presente de los derechos humanos. Tambien, ofrecza el otro lado,  la gente que apoyo el dictadora Augusto Pinochet. Habla con host Paula LeRoy de Policy Pace en dificultades entre el mundo de industrialacion y el mundo spiritual y rural que depende en la relacion con la tierra.

Por el fin, explica de immigracion entre Estados Unidos y Mexico y los efectos de El Trado de Comerico Liberal (NAFTA)

 

Human Rights in Transition: Jan Knippers Black

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Click here to download interview in MP3 format. [middmedia pleroyantaki Commons-MIIS-web_data-middlebury-edu Jan Black Interview.mp3] This hour long Policy Pace program is an exceptional opportunity to delve into issues of justice and history with Jan Knippers Black, a professor at MIIS dedicated to improving human rights.  Professor Black describes issues, events, and dignitaries who are involved in Amnesty International, gives us her definition of transitional justice, and guides us through recent successes and challenges to human rights especially in Chile. Ms. Black and host Paula LeRoy share perspectives about the plight of the Mapuche people in Chile as experienced on the Global Majority sponsored J-term trip for MIIS students.  Making complexity simple, Jan suggests recent history can be understood by reading 1984, Brave New World and watching the movie Brazil. The interview continues with an in depth exploration of transitional justice, truth telling, reconciliation, conflict resolution, and the repercussions for society when perpetrators are not brought to justice. Ms. Black eloquently explains how periods of transition are periods of great hope and of great fear while highlighting issues about equity that invoke fear. In comparing South Africa’s process to Liberia’s to Sierra Leone to Chile’s, the intricacies of transitional justice are described that can make the difference between true transition and ineffective transitions. In her gentle yet direct way, Ms. Black indicates US culpability and lack of truth telling. US pressures to expand empire, the casual acceptance of failure, unworkable structures that lead the state of constant war, and unwillingness to probe the truth are laid open. Returning to the issues of Chile, a discussion of the empowerment of bullies that occurs during dictatorships such as Pinochet’s is enlightening. Presently, student protests and indigenous communities are met with bully tactics, militarism, and anti-terrorism legislation, which begs the question “Is democracy or dictatorship the “normal” state of affairs?” The interview concludes with a look at Jan’s career as a radical, her continuing work, and hopes for her students as they swim upstream.

Please send us your comments on this interview and what you would like to hear more of at policypace@live.com

Transitional Justice, Moral Dilemmas and Global Majority

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CUNY philosophy professor and Global Majority Board Member Michael Buckley, defines transitional justice as not just about criminality but truth telling, reparations, institutional reform and various concepts of  justice.  While providing examples of moral dilemmas and issues in justice, Michael connects political justice to economic justice and to business ethics.

The interview by Policy Pace host Paula LeRoy, is taped during a Global Majority trip in Chile that brought 24 students to study transitional justice with reknown Judge Guzman, MIIS professor Jan Black, and dissidents in the Mapuche Communities.  Michael describes the goals of Global Majority and its commitment to peaceful resolution, education, and promotion of negotiation techniques.

Throughout the interview, the background of Chile’s struggle for justice after the repression of the horrendous Pinochet dictatorship blends theory with practice.

Click here to download audio podcast in MP3 format. Audio will download to your itunes or media player.

 

 

Successes in Youth Micro-finance in Guatemala: Addison Embrey

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Addison Embrey, MIIS graduate student in security and development, shares his experience working in youth finance and community development in a remote area of Guatemala as well as with ex-gang members in Guatemala city. In this interview with host Paula LeRoy of Policy Pace, Addison describes  community development projects, gang issues, political issues, and societal issues experienced today in Guatemala, a country with the second highest homicide rate in Central America.

The interview also includes particulars about the micro finance business, issues of cyclical debt, selection of type of business, and the spread of interest in micro finance in small communities. Waxing philosophical, Addison reminds us that youth are our “tomorrow of today.”  Seeing the predicament of youth his own age, strengthens his commitment to helping improve their lives.

Click here to download audio podcast in MP3 format.