International

From Burlington City Arts:

Vermont-based photojournalist James Buck joins us at Burlington City Arts to share photographs and stories from his recent assignment with Project Hope, a Washington DC based organization that provides medical supplies and care to communities in crisis. In March 2022, Buck traveled with Project Hope to Poland and Ukraine to photograph the perilous conditions of refugees, healthcare workers, and patients amidst the ongoing Russian invasion. He reflects on his experiences visualizing the war in Ukraine, his role as a photojournalist, and the importance of sharing these visual stories with others. Creating powerful visual and multimedia stories, Buck has worked with nonprofits and news outlets around the world including Vermont clients such as Outright Vermont and Seven Days, and national organizations such as New York Times and The Washington Post.

Find more resources to support Ukraine at: rebrand.ly/Ukraine-Resources

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

From VICII:

"Calling Putin names or speculating on the mental state of the President of the Russian Federation sheds little light on the devastating war in Ukraine. Labelling Putin a "thug" or "lunatic" or "a dictator interested in rebuilding the Soviet Empire" can only obfuscate what is actually happening as the world finds itself on the brink of WWIII. After all the din of name calling, this war in Europe's largest country is more than the designs of an evil leader of Russia.

As citizens of the world watch the split up of their planet into two competing and dangerous alliances, NATO v. the emerging agreements between Russia and China, join the Vermont Institute of Community and International Involvement for a community discussion on the shape of a new world order which is appearing amidst all the misguided personal attacks on Vladimir Putin, President of Russia."

For more information: vicii.org