Marginalized Conflicts

The war crimes seen throughout the initial six week occupation of Nanking have rivaled those of the Holocaust. Its ramifications are still felt even today.

This podcast is an in-depth examination of the atrocities committed by the Nazi party during WWII. Hitler's forces systematically executed over eleven million minorities, six million of which were Jews. The podcast examines how Hitler successfully won the support of the German public and how he ultimately carried out his attempt in creating the Aryan race. Furthermore, the Holocaust must serve as a constant reminder of why genocide and human rights violations must not be tolerated ever again.

On September 11th, 2001, Muhammed Atta flew himself and the passengers, crew, and hijackers on board American Airlines flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. What drives a human being to commit such a violent act of terror on innocent civilians? This podcast examines Atta’s background and turn to Islamic militanism as well Al-Qaeda’s practices and ideology that influenced and ended Atta’s life.

This podcast begins with a summary of the Bay of Pigs, and how it evolved into the Cuban Missile Crisis. It then discusses the thoughts behind US Foreign Policy in these situations and reviews President Kennedy's dialogues with then-USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev.

In late 2003 the Abu Ghraib prison scandal began when members of the 205th military intelligence brigade began using excessive torture and abuse as their interrogation methods. The incidents began in mid-September and continued to the ending of 2003. After much suspicion, an investigation was launched about the prison and what was going on. After the discovery of the photographs taken of the incidents, it was clear that there was significant evidence supporting the claims of the 44 reported incidents. Although most army officials denied knowledge of the incidents, several were tried in court, and up to seven received jail time. This podcast examines the incident from the very beginning to the point where some justice was finally found and the incident was resolved.

In 1969 Indonesia was given complete control over the province of West Papua. West Papua was promised a chance for freedom by the U.N.. Indonesia has never relinquished control over West Papua and continues to oppress and control the Papuan people. This podcast looks at the current genocide happening in West Papua.

In the late 19th century, the Zionist movement began; Noone could have known how long and how intensely it would affect the Middle East. It started a battle for homeland between Jews and Palestinians that still rages on today. The fight is one of the most complicated of our time. Several nations play key roles. Moreso, the land is holy to both sides and neither is willing to give it up. Only time will tell if the conflict can be truly resolved.

The podcast covers how racism was the catalyst for the division of the Rwandan Nation. The early European colonizers were among the first to separate the two main Rwandan ethnic groups. The Tutsi were identified as the "elite" while the Hutu were labeled as inferior. The division was further accentuated by the Protestant and Catholic Church's lack of action. The Church did not provide any protection for its clergy who were victims of discrimination. The Hutu developed a resentment for the Tutsi who had gained a higher status in society only by their ethnicity. This was the beginning of the conflict that would later result in a full scale genocide of the Tutsi, the minority population.

This podcast examines the events surrounding the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as well as the efforts by the United States to covertly aid the Mujahideen resistance. This podcast also examines how failures in the reconstruction efforts by the United States following the Soviet withdrawal began the eventual rise of power of Islamic extremists we deal with today. It is argued that the role of the Soviet-Afghan conflict in the fall of the Soviet Union coupled with failures in reconstruction make this conflict a pivotal transition point between the Cold War era and the era we live in today.

Despite the illegal nature of using minors in armed forced, children are being employed in battle in the Congo. Multiple fighting factions in the Congo are competing for control of the area, utilizing child soldiers for their cause. They are forcefully recruiting children into their armed service, destroying innocent childhoods and violating international laws.

For two decades, a rebel group known as Lord's Resistance Army has been abducting children in Northern Uganda, and enlisting them in the Army's ranks. After being completely desensitized, these children do the LRA's bidding, guns in hand. The children are butchered if they resist. Families in the region have been torn apart, and the children not abducted sleep in fear, every night.

On the 23rd of October 2002 the "9th Division of the Chechen army," took approximately 700 civilians hostage in a Moscow theater. Although major media organizations like the BBC and CNN portrayed the event as a simple act of terrorism, it was caused by a history of severe human rights violations against Chechens by the Russian government. This podcast examines the abductions, torture, and killing of Chechen civilians during WWII, the two Chechen Wars, and the present.

At Libertad Prison, the inmates were subjected to physical and psychological torture, which manifests itself in the effects seen after release. Around the world, there are many institutes that support people who have suffered from torture, especially in helping them cope with past experiences. In particular, they focus on post traumatic stress disorder, which plagues many of these people and disables them from returning to a normal life. Psychological effects of torture vary from person to person but in every case are truly demoralizing.

Over the course of history, Iraq has had many types of conflicts that continue to influence the country today. These conflicts are religious, Sunni-Shia, ethnic, Kurd-Arab, and cultural, related to British imperialism. They should definitely be considered by U.S. policy makers when decisions are made about the of U.S. troops in Iraq. This podcast examines these conflicts as well as a possible future role for U.S. troops in Iraq.

“The Northern Ireland Crisis” podcasts examines the conflict between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British Government. The longstanding, vicious struggle seems to have moved from downright brutal situation to a more peaceful one in recent years. However, there still exists subtle activity that suggests that the conflict is in fact not over. The podcast touches not only on historical, well-known events, such as the infamous Dirty Protest, but also on more current issues such as the murder of Paul Quinn and the subsequent actions of the IRA.

Drug trafficking networks throughout the Caribbean and South America have shaped and shoved many societal aspects of the area and has had profound impacts on a multiplicity of global nations.

Within a four hour span, between 400 and 500 Vietnamese civilians in My Lai were killed by American soldiers during the Vietnam War. Somehow, the United States military was able to cover up the massacre until members of the press reported the truth. Still, nobody was held seriously responsible for the atrocities and what took place in My Lai receives very little attention today. This podcast questions how and why this happened, as well as how to prevent similar situations which already appear to be occurring.

The Arab-Israeli conflict began before the creation of the state of Israel, and continues to this day. This conflict has consisted of numerous wars and smaller scale violence. While these conflicts have led to a small degree of peace, there is currently no foreseeable end to this conflict. This podcast examines the broad spectrum of conflicts and their ends, and the effect these ends have had on creating a lasting peace between the Arab world and the Israelis.

The Darfur war has been on the mass media spotlight for a while now but less is said about how it all started. The conflict between the anti government militia and the pro- governments militia had its roots on the migration of Chadian Arabs in to Sudan. In addition, alienation of the non Arab communities by the Arab elite in Sudan also contributed a lot to the genesis of the Darfur War. Since the war began, its impact on the people has been horrendous. People have fled from Sudan, others have died and for those who have survived; every day is filled with trauma from the events that have epitomized Darfur. This podcast examines the genesis of the war and its impact but, it also highlights the efforts that are been made by the international community in terms of helping the affected people in Sudan.

This podcast is about the beginning of the end of the U.S.- Cuban relationship caused by the revolution led by Fidel Castro. This resulted in the American government's placement of the Embargo Act upon Cuba.

The El Mozote massacre occurred on December 11, 1981 leaving over 800 people dead including a shocking number of women and children. Despite the fact this tragedy occurred so many years ago, those who committed the crimes still have not paid for their actions nor has the Salvadoran government completely admitted to their faults. This podcast examines the push for justice in El Salvador as well as the country's struggle to come to terms with the past.

This podcast provides information on the invasion of East Timor by Indonesia in 1975 and the brutal occupation and arduous struggle for liberation that followed until East Timor declared its independence in 2002.

In 1983, 27,000 Sudanese boys between the ages of 5 and 18 were forced to flee from their homes to escape guerilla violence and the surrounding Civil War. Their journey to safety was dangerous, traumatic, and left many of them in refugee camps in Kenya. This podcast describes the boys' past struggles, their current efforts to start over, and the international community's reaction to their war experience and post-war life.

From 1948 to 1990, South Africa functioned under a system of state racism. Under apartheid, non-white South Africans were subjected to oppressive rule and flagrant human rights violations. Over the past two decades, South Africa transformed into a democratic state and emerged as a promising light in a land scorched of hope. In the coming years, South Africa must embrace its role as a regional leader and continue to reform to become a more tolerant society.

The illegal and secret production of diamonds from unlicensed mines throughout Africa has caused mass violence throughout the world. Because these diamonds are passing through the diamond trade and reaching parts of Europe and America, many consumers are buying diamonds that have cost people their lives. This pod cast examines the inhumanity surrounding conflict diamonds, and purposes ways in which consumers can take a stand against the violence surrounding diamonds from conflict areas around the world.

From the time of Leopold II to the turn of the century, the Congo has been ruled ruthlessly by self serving autocrats. Resources in the region are vital to today's global economy but have been the cause of conflict for the past 125 years. Proxy militia groups now divide and terrorize the Congolese people and weaken the DRC's government. This podcast gives a brief insight in to the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the issues the country faces today.

Fifty-eight ethnic Albanians, including Adem Jashari, the leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), were massacred by the Serbian police in hopes of suppressing the independence movement in Kosovo. The massacre resulted in the war in Kosovo between the years 1998-1999. This podcast unravels the events before, during and after that unfortunate day.

Beginning in 1983, the Northern Sudanese government began launching attacks on Southern villages. Many people died in these vicious attacks; however, one group of people did survive. The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of 7 to 17 year old boys who walked over 500 miles to escape the violence occurring in their homeland.

From 1915 to 1918, the Ottoman Empire, today known as Turkey, brutally and systematically murdered 1.5 million Armenian Christians. The event was considered quite successful. In fact, predecessors like Adolf Hitler followed the model of the Ottoman government when organizing his Holocaust during WWII. Considered the first modern genocide, the Armenian Genocide still goes formally unrecognized in Turkey and the United States. How can such atrocity go unrecognized after ninety years?

On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge invaded the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, and drove the inhabitants of the city to the countryside. The new leadership forced city-dwellers into agricultural communes, with hopes of bringing Cambodia into a new era. Any resistance to the new movement was met with violence and execution. During the period that followed over two million people perished in the Cambodian Genocide. However, the death toll did not end with conflict resolution. Instead, land mines, a product of the civil unrest, violence, and hatred, continue to kill and maim civilians. The number of casualties from land mines are much too high through out Cambodia and in over 65 other countries. What are the implications of such statistics?

In July 2007, nearly 400 citizens were arrested as suspected "terrorists" involved in Islamic insurgency in the three southern-most provinces of Thailand. Denied knowledge of the evidence against them, they were given the option of being formally charged under the criminal code or undergoing a four-month "occupational training" course. This podcast examines these detentions as part of the spectrum of violence in southern Thailand.