Under the Shadow

On December 20, 1989, the United States invaded Panama with tens of thousands of troops. It was the largest US invasion since Vietnam. The first US military action since the fall of the Berlin Wall one month before. The testing ground for the Iraq Wars. The US invading forces destroyed 20,000 homes and killed hundreds of innocent Panamanians, dumping bodies into mass graves.And the United States government and the mainstream media ignored or whitewashed the violence. The story told to the American people was that of a tremendous success: The liberation of the people of Panama. All in the name of "democracy" and the so-called "war on drugs."In this episode, host Michael Fox takes us to the working-class Panama City neighborhood of El Chorrillo, which received the brunt of the US attack. He meets with Panamanians who have long fought for justice, and visits a former US military barracks that was the first home of the US School of the Americas. This is Episode 13.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present.In each episode, host Michael Fox takes us to a location where something historic happened—a landmark of revolutionary struggle or foreign intervention. Today, it might look like a random street corner, a church, a mall, a monument, or a museum. But every place he takes us was once the site of history-making events that shook countries, impacted lives, and left deep marks on the world.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Guests: John Lindsay Poland, Olmedo Beluche, Celia Sanjur, Gilma CamargoGrahame Russell, Pedro Silva, Efrain Guerrero, Omar GonzalezEdited by Heather Gies.Sound design by Gustavo Türck.Theme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox. Monte Perdido's new album Ofrenda is now out. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music.Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Additional links/info:Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama (Duke, 2003), is John Lindsay Poland’s expose on the U.S. military involvement in Panama.You can watch the documentary, The Panama Deception, here.Here are several links to Democracy Now! coverage, over the years, looking back at the U.S. invasion of Panama (here, here, and here).El Chorrillo Neighborhood Tour: You can find out more about Efrain Guerrero's work trying to protect the memory of El Chorrillo, plus his neighborhood tours, on his Instagram or TikTok. His organization is called Movimiento Identidad. Here's the website to set up a tour.Support Under the Shadow:You can see pictures of host Michael Fox’s reporting in Panama City, here. You can also listen to his new podcast, Panamerican Dispatch on his Patreon page. There, you can follow and support him and Under the Shadow: https://www.patreon.com/mfoxHelp us continue producing Under the Shadow by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

In December 1823, US president James Monroe delivered his State of the Union address in which he coined what would become known as the Monroe Doctrine. It was a framework that would later be used to legitimize US intervention up and down the hemisphere. But in those early days, Monroe’s statements were applauded by Latin American leaders as supporting their independence struggles. They were even embraced at Simon Bolivar’s Panama Congress of 1826.In this episode, host Michael Fox travels to see what’s left of the former site of the Panama Congress, and then dives in to the past and present with Yale historian Greg Grandin.They look at Simon Bolivar’s Panama Congress, but also Monroe and the legacy of US imperialism in the region until today, including US-backed death squads, the Iran Contra Scandal, Manifest Destiny, and so much more.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. In each episode, host Michael Fox takes us to a location where something historic happened—a landmark of revolutionary struggle or foreign intervention. Today, it might look like a random street corner, a church, a mall, a monument, or a museum. But every place he takes us was once the site of history-making events that shook countries, impacted lives, and left deep marks on the world.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox. This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Additional info: You can see pictures of the Simon Bolivar monument, in Panama City, here.Follow and support Michael Fox and Under the Shadow at https://www.patreon.com/mfoxYou can follow historian Greg Grandin, on Twitter, here.Below are links to Greg Grandin's books mentioned in the episode:The Blood of Guatemala: A History of Race and Nation (2000, Duke University Press Books)Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Making of an Imperial Republic (Holt, 2006)The Last Colonial Massacre: Latin America in the Cold War (2011, The University of Chicago)Kissinger's Shadow: The Long Reach of America's Most Controversial Statesman (2016, MacMillan)You can find more of Greg’s books, here.Theme music by Monte PerdidoMonte Perdido’s new album Ofrenda is out now. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube, or wherever you listen to music.Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Help us continue producing Under the Shadow by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

On Sunday, July 28th, President Nicolas Maduro won reelection there. According to the country’s national electoral council, he took 51% of votes over 44% for his rival Edmundo González Urrutia.But the opposition called fraud, claiming that they actually won the vote. Most international media have been on board with that narrative. In fact, the United States, and several other right-wing led Latin American countries have now recognized the opposition candidate as the victory. At the same time, more than 40 other countries have recognized Maduro.To make sense of it all, and the media spin that’s influencing this story, we speak with Alan MacLeod, a journalist and the senior staff writer at Mint Press News, with a PhD focused on media coverage of Venezuela.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present.In each episode, host Michael Fox takes us to a location where something historic happened—a landmark of revolutionary struggle or foreign intervention. Today, it might look like a random street corner, a church, a mall, a monument, or a museum. But every place he takes us was once the site of history-making events that shook countries, impacted lives, and left deep marks on the world.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.Additional links: This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.You can listen to the first episode of Michael Fox’s new podcast, Panamerican Dispatch, here.Follow and support him and Under the Shadow at https://www.patreon.com/mfoxYou can find Michael Fox’s book, Venezuela Speaks!, that’s mentioned in the podcast, here.Here is the link to a thread by Michael Fox about the Venezuelan elections.You can follow Alan MacLeod on Twitter for ongoing media analysis and coverage.Theme music by Monte Perdido.Monte Perdido’s new album Ofrenda is out now. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube, or wherever you listen to music.Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Help us continue producing Under the Shadow by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

Panama is, perhaps, the country in Central America that has suffered under the longest US shadow, right from the very beginning. The country and its famous canal would grow to become the United States's most important asset in the region. During World War II, the US installed as many as 100 military bases throughout Panama, and it was the base of Washington’s Latin American military training apparatus. Panama became the heart of the United States in Latin America, and the US ripped apart the country to do it, clearing and flooding whole cities, installing its own walls and fences, segregating its new territory into an apartheid system on foreign soil.In this episode, host Michael Fox walks us from present-day Panama to the very beginning, to the genesis of what was once the United States’s most important asset in Latin America. This is Episode 12 of Under the Shadow.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. In each episode, host Michael Fox takes us to a location where something historic happened—a landmark of revolutionary struggle or foreign intervention. Today, it might look like a random street corner, a church, a mall, a monument, or a museum. But every place he takes us was once the site of history-making events that shook countries, impacted lives, and left deep marks on the world.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Guests:John Lindsay PolandMarixa LassoOlmedo BelucheCelia SanjurGilma CamargoClaire Nevache-WeillEdited by Heather Gies.Sound design by Gustavo Türck.Theme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.Follow and support journalist Michael Fox and Under the Shadow, and listen to his new podcast Panamerican Dispatch at https://www.patreon.com/mfoxHelp us continue producing Under the Shadow by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

In this episode of Under the Shadow, host Michael Fox takes us to Costa Rica to examine the so-called peaceful and democratic beacon in a region beset by dictatorships and violence, and the myths surrounding the elimination of the country's military, along with how the United States did its utmost to encourage San Jose to do its bidding.This is Episode 11.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. In each episode, host Michael Fox takes us to a location where something historic happened—a landmark of revolutionary struggle or foreign intervention. Today, it might look like a random street corner, a church, a mall, a monument, or a museum. But every place he takes us was once the site of history-making events that shook countries, impacted lives, and left deep marks on the world.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.Guests: Ciska RaventósDavid DíazIvan MolinaRotsay RosalesGustavo FuchsEdited by Heather Gies.Sound design by Gustavo Türck.Theme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox. Monte Perdido's new album Ofrenda is now out. You can listen to the full album on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions.You can see pictures of Costa Rica’s National Museum and Butterfly Garden here.Follow and support journalist Michael Fox and Under the Shadow, and listen to his new podcast Panamerican Dispatch at https://www.patreon.com/mfoxHere’s the link for Kyle Longley’s book, Sparrow and the Hawk: Costa Rica and the United States during the Rise of Jose Figueres.Help us continue producing Under the Shadow by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

In this enlightening discussion, celebrated linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky reflects on U.S. military interventions in Central America. He critiques the historical and ongoing impact of these actions in countries like Guatemala and Nicaragua, highlighting the deep economic exploitation and violence they caused. Chomsky connects the past to contemporary foreign policy debates, underscoring the moral implications of U.S. support for oppressive regimes. His insights shed light on the lasting shadows of these interventions, making this conversation both timely and vital.

In the late 1980s, British film director Alex Cox spent several months in Nicaragua filming Walker, a movie about the U.S. filibuster who invaded and took over the country in the mid-1800s.As Cox puts it, he was trying to make “a revolutionary film in a revolutionary context." That did not go over well in Hollywood. The movie would get him blacklisted. Even today, you still can’t find the movie streaming.In this bonus episode for Under the Shadow, host Michael Fox speaks with Cox about his 1987 movie Walker and his filming of the movie in Nicaragua in the 1980s. They also look at U.S. intervention and the film industry.Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present.In each episode, host Michael Fox takes us to a location where something historic happened — a landmark of revolutionary struggle or foreign intervention. Today, it might look like a random street corner, a church, a mall, a monument, or a museum. But every place he takes us was once the site of history-making events that shook countries, impacted lives, and left deep marks on the world.Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.You can listen to the first episode of Michael Fox’s new podcast, Panamerican Dispatch, here.Follow and support him and Under the Shadow, at https://www.patreon.com/mfoxTheme music by Monte Perdido and Michael Fox.Monte Perdido's new album Ofrenda is now out. You can listen to the full album on SpotifyOther music from Blue Dot Sessions.Here is the Trailer to Alex Cox’s movie Walker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XImi7fT7-J0You can purchase the DVD to the movie Walker, here: https://www.amazon.com/Walker-Criterion-Collection-Marlee-Matlin/dp/B000ZM1MJ6You can hear Joe Strummer’s soundtrack to Walker, here.And, if you liked this episode, don’t forget to check out Episode 8 of Under the Shadow that looks back on William Walker. The Real News NetworkDonate: therealnews.com/uts-pod-donateSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/uts-pod-subscribeLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnewsGuests:Alex CoxBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/under-the-shadow--5958129/support.

In this discussion, Alex Aviña, a history professor specializing in U.S. intervention in Central America, and William Robinson, a sociology professor who experienced Nicaragua in the 1980s, explore the depths of the Contra War. They delve into the destructive U.S. military strategies against the Sandinista government and the impact on civilians. The duo highlights the grassroots solidarity movements that arose in response and examines the fallout of the Iran-Contra scandal, shedding light on its relevance to contemporary U.S. foreign policy.

Dive into the tumultuous 1980s Nicaragua, where the hope sparked by the Sandinista revolution collides with U.S. intervention. Explore the brutal impact of the National Guard and the resilience of the local population in the face of oppression. Witness the rise of grassroots movements advocating for literacy and healthcare amidst geopolitical tensions. Uncover the moral dilemmas of U.S. support for the Contras and the chilling stories of civilians caught in the crossfire. A compelling blend of history, politics, and human experiences awaits!

Michel Gobat, a historian from the University of Pittsburgh, dives deep into the impactful life of Augusto Sandino, Nicaraguan revolutionary hero. They explore the U.S. occupation from 1912 to 1933, its consequences, and how it ignited Sandino's fierce resistance. Gobat discusses the birth of dictatorship post-Sandino's assassination and the lasting effects of American intervention on Nicaraguan culture and identity. The conversation also touches on Nicaragua's evolving relationship with baseball, reflecting broader socio-political shifts.