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by Joshua Collins
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- Apr 9, 202625 min
Mining in LATAM: Is it even possible to do ethically?
With the US about to enter a mining sector in Venezuela dominated by criminal armed groups, and in the heart of the Amazon Rain Forest, many experts are focused on profits.But mining in Latin America has long been fraught with problems, from ecological disaster to the empowerment of non-state actors. Some communities, long ignored by the states in which they live, say the benefits of foreign investment by international conglomerates outweigh the negative consequences.But even in the best of cases, the lions share of mining profits leave the country along with the companies running operations, and inflict a sharp environment cost. This week we spoke with Peter Wood, a gold mining researcher in Colombia, about the details of how it all works, new markets in Venezuela, and the criminal armed groups profiting from informal mining and gold laundering across the continent.As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing power.You can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either.Hasta pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
- Mar 22, 202615 min
The US wants you to know they're coming after Petro
The US Drug Enforcement Agency leaked ongoing investigations into Colombian President Gustavo Petro to the press this week alleging ties to drug trafficking in the country. The accusations come two months before Presidential elections in Colombia, and from an administration that has routinely lied about narco-trafficking in Latin America to further its foreign policy goals. We speak with Adriaan Alsema, executive editor of Colombia Reports about what the allegations mean moving forward, claims by Petro’s party that the leaks amount to election interference, and the context of Trump’s “War on Drugs as Foreign Policy” more broadly in the region. In short, some elements of the accusations simply don’t add up, and others are presented without proof. Learn more in this week’s podcast at Pirate Wire Radio!As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing power.You can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either.Hasta pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
- Feb 12, 202618 min
Borders are meant to kill
As the United States grapples with a surge of authoritarianism under Donald Trump, much of Europe is putting up new barriers to migrants. The two issues, xenophobia and rising autocracy, are deeply related. Our modern border system of cages and walls is deadly by design, and it empower autocrats who would crack down on civil society globally. “Open Borders” advocates are often dismissed as idealistic, but Max Granger, a writer, translator and migration activist, argues that the current system in the US, built over decades by both political parties, led us precisely to where we are.“It’s the people who think these power structures can be reformed who are being naive,” he told Pirate Wire Radio.We talk about the rise of neo-fascism in the US, how we built a modern hyper militarized and securitized border system, migrants who cross continents, and what solutions might look like moving forward. Give it a listen!And you can check out Max’s Substack, the Writing on the Wall, here.As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing powerYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either.Hasta pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
- Jan 29, 202631 min
The borderland cocaine wars
With US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying the US will resume attacks on Venezuela if the government doesn’t cooperate with US security concerns. Chief among those concerns are Colombian armed groups who smuggle cocaine into Venezuela. To really dig into the data about exactly how that works, and what ongoing conflict in the borderlands might look like with US involvement, we sat down with Adriaan Alsema from Colombia Reports.It’s everything you wanted to know about every armed group on the frontier, and exactly how the cocaine trade works. We also talk about a few things you wish you’d never learned.We understand that keeping all the armed groups straight can be confusing. Here is a handy guide to the acronyms!* AGC: “Clan del Golfo”* ACSN: The Conquistador Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevadas: a paramilitary group that operates primary near the Atlantic coast. Also called “the Pachenkos”* ELN: The National Liberation Army* Frente Comunes del Sur: a former ELN group that splintered off to engage in negotiations with the Colombian government. They are in the process of disarming* Segunda Marquetalia, EMC, and EMFB: Three distinct FARC dissident groups that all maintain a presence in the Colombian-Venezuelan borderlandsAs media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing powerYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either.Hasta pronto, piratas! Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
- Nov 3, 202515 min
U.S boat bombings move to the Pacific: killing Venezuelans on hold for now
The Pirate Wire Radio podcast series is usually for paid subscribers, but this week we’re making it available for all! Please consider taking out a paid subscription and support indie journalism. We have plans that start at just $5/monthWe sat down with two old friends and Latin America experts to talk about Trump’s drug war in the Caribbean. We talk about false claims, opaque processes, the ‘War on Drugs’, and the US State Department blowing up fishermen. With Adriaan Alselma, from Colombia Reports, and Richard McColl, from Colombia Calling. With recent US bombings of fast boats moving to the Pacific, pressure on Venezuela has dropped, at least for the moment. But the Trump expansion of executive power under the guise of the wars on drugs and terror continues unabated. It may currently be the deadliest show on earth. Check it out on Pirate Wire Radio!As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent media. PWS will never fear criticizing powerYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.And if you can’t do any of that, please do help us by sharing the piece! We don’t have billionaire PR teams either. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
- Jul 23, 202518 min
MAS faces an existential threat in upcoming Bolivian elections
Paid subscribers get early access to the Pirate Wire Radio podcast series! This episode will become available to all subscribers in five days.Bolivia’s left-wing indigenous-led party, MAS, has governed Bolivia for almost two decades. However, infighting between former President Evo Morales and current President Arce, as well as mismanagement and economic crisis, have destroyed any chance of a leftist candidate winning the presidential elections on August 17. More than just a lost office, however, MAS may well lose its ability to present candidates in future parliamentary elections. If they can’t register 5% of the vote in August, they lose party ratification under Bolivian law. Their current candidate is averaging just slightly less than 1% in polls. We talk with anthropologist and researcher, Jordan Cooper, about his time among Aymara communities in the country, how these fissures happened, and how Evo Morales went from one of the most respected and popular figures in the country to one of the most reviled. You can find Jordan on Twitter, or see his work as a contributing editor at Negation Magazine. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
- Jul 2, 202519 min
Protests in Panama: pensions, environmental issues, a state of emergency, and rising anti-U.S. sentiment
Paid subscribers get early access to the Pirate Wire Radio podcast series! This episode will become available to all subscribers in five days.In this episode of Pirate Wire Radio, we speak with Mat Youkee, a journalist in Panama City, and a regular contributor at the Guardian and the Economist, about massive protests in Panama. He describes the reasons behind growing anti-U.S and anti-Trump sentiment in the country, as well as breaks down the complex and myriad reasons that have kept thousands in the streets for months in protests that have at times clashed with police. Meanwhile, authorities have declared a state of emergency and begun crackdowns in the regions where protests have been fiercest. We get into all the details, as well the role of U.S. fruit company Chiquita!You can find Mat’s Substack, the Sulaco Times, here. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
- Jun 4, 202520 min
The biggest migration crackdown in the Americas no one is talking about
Paid subscribers get early access to the Pirate Wire Radio podcast series! This episode will become available to all subscribers in five days.Mass deportation programs in the United States have dominated international media headlines, but all the while a much smaller country in the Americas has been reaching much higher numbers than the Trump administration.The Dominican Republic, a country 30 times smaller than the U.S., deported more than a quarter of a million migrants, mostly Haitians, in 2024. And with a new quota of 10,000 deportations a week in 2025, the crackdowns are only getting more brutal. Interestingly enough, Venezuelans remain welcome in the D.R., suggesting that racism plays a stong role in nativist dynamics. PWS spoke this week with Simón Rodriguez, a freelance journalist in the Dominican Republic about the most brutal migrant crackdown in the western hemisphere— and the rise of ultra-right anti-migrant vigilante groups who adopt neo-nazi and fascist rhetoric in the country. Many critics describe the system as “an Apartheid system in the Caribbean.”You can find Simón’s substack here.As media is increasingly bought up by billionaires and huge corporations, and the world veers towards authoritarianism, please consider taking out a paid subscription to support independent mediaYou can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here. Get full access to Pirate Wire Services at www.piratewireservices.com/subscribe
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About Pirate Wire Radio
Original journalism on Latin America, from discussion on current events to deeply human narratives, to crime and drugs www.piratewireservices.com
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