The World Unspun

2025 marks 50 years since Morocco invaded Western Sahara, forcibly displacing the Sahrawi people into neighbouring Algeria. Women’s rights and climate activist Najla Mohamed-Lamin joins us from the Sahrawi refugee camps to talk about the multigenerational impact of 50 years of forced exile, and the common struggles of Indigenous peoples around the world.Read NI554: Treaty / NI545: Decolonize now / NI540: Take back the landHost: Maxine Betteridge-MoesCredits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design)Guest: Najla Mohammed-LamineFurther reading from this episode:With all eyes on Gaza, Morocco strengthens its hold on Western Sahara (Maxine Betteridge-Moes, New Internationalist)Love Locked Up (Maxine Betteridge-Moes, New Internationalist)Spotlight: Aziza Brahim (Graeme Green, New Internationalist)A new dawn? Western Sahara and the Arab Spring (Jeremy Corbyn & Stefan Simanowitz, New Internationalist)War and Peace in Western Sahara (New Internationalist Issue #297) Subscribe to read in our digital archive.How Sahrawis See the Western Sahara Conflict (Najla Mohamed-Lamin, The National Interest)Support the Almasar Library CentreNo billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media. Donate today: a.nin.tl/2BSubscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription.

Following the defeat of a 2023 referendum on an Indigenous advisory body to Australia's parliament, our latest issue scrutinizes the ongoing denial of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty. In this episode, guest editor Zoe Holman talks about how she commissioned this Big Story and interviews Senator and Indigenous activist Lidia Thorpe about today's rallying call for Treaty.Help Rewire the World. Fund journalism that sparks change. Donate today at https://a.nin.tl/2BRead NI554: Indigenous Sovereignty in AustraliaHosts: Maxine Betteridge-Moes, Zoe HolmanCredits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer, Digital Editor), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial Assistant), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design)Guest: Zoe Holman, Senator Lidia Thorpe00:00 Help Rewire the World 2:46 Issue highlights and why you should care9:45 Interview with Senator Lidia Thorpe 10:10 Why work in politics? 12:40 Sovereignty14:05 The First Nations justice debate explained17:12 How would a Treaty help in policy terms? 21:14 Confronting King Charles 25:38 The importance of international solidarity Further Reading from this Episode:This is not your land (Zoe Holman, New Internationalist)Truth-telling in the Stolen Country (Zoe Holman, New Internationalist)Rise from this grave (Tony Birch, Overland)The last path forward to Treaty (Daniel James, 7am podcast)Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print and/or digital subscription.Sign up to Currents, our subscribers' exclusive newsletter for dispatches from the frontlines of global progressive movements. Recent editions include stories on Rojava's civilian resistance and legal cases against weapons exports to Israel. 30 days FREE then £3/month. Learn more.

In the years since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, the country has been slowly drifting away from the mainstream media spotlight. But on 8 December, everything changed.Turkish-backed opposition forces declared Syria liberated from the 24-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad, capturing the capital Damascus in what seemed like the blink of an eye.So what does the future hold for religious and ethnic minorities in Syria? Will the Kurds realize their dream of self-governance under the defacto HTS authority? What remains of the country's political opposition and labour movements, and how can the international community support a fair and equal redistribution of power for Syrians?Matt Broomfield and Leila Al-Shami provide some answers.Guests: Leila Al-Shami and Matt BroomfieldHost: Maxine Betteridge-MoesCredits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Theme music), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design)0:32 The day everything changed 3:02 Introducing Matt Broomfield 4:36 The Kurdish forces and their role in defeating ISIS 6:08 Turkey's attacks on Syria 7:41 Trump’s impact on the region 11:50 What cards can Turkey play? 12:45 The relationship between the autonomous administration and the HTS 14:03 Israel's expansion and occupation 16:41 How can post-Assad Syria benefit from Kurdish input 20:34 Introducing Leila Al-Shami26:34 Does a secular society best represent Syria's diverse social fabric?29:21 How can people on the left in Syria and beyond challenge neoliberal restructuring? 31:33 Nothing can be worse than Assad 33:52 Further reading Further reading:The war isn't over (Matt Broomfield, in our forthcoming March/April 2025 issue - subscribe here)Where to now for Syria’s women? (Zaina Erhaim in New Internationalist)Riad al-Turk’s Lifelong Struggle for a Free and Democratic Syria (Leila Al-Shami in New Internationalist)Read NI 526 The Kurds: Betrayed again (New Internationalist, 2020)Start your 30 day FREE trial of Currents to receive bi-weekly dispatches from the frontlines of progressive movements.No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media.Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription.

Vijay Prashad, an Indian historian and political commentator, dives into the troubling dynamics of the global arms trade. He discusses how world leaders often act as arms dealers, impacting diplomacy and escalating conflicts. The conversation highlights the humanitarian crises fueled by military spending and calls for a shift from militarization to collaboration. Prashad reflects on historical events like Hiroshima to illustrate the ongoing struggle for sovereignty in the Global South, and advocates for grassroots activism against arms proliferation.

For this week’s #TheWorldUnspun, we met with Samar Alkhdour, a Palestinian activist in Montreal whose campaign against the obstructive and discriminatory Canadian immigration system has been met with nothing but police repression and silence from the government.#NI554 Palestine: From Occupation to Uprising#NI546 Surveillance: Spying on DissentHost: Paula LaceyCredits: Paula Lacey (Producer, Editorial Assistant), Maxine Betteridge-Moes, Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-Editors), Samuel Rafanell-Williams (Sound Design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media Consultant)Guest: Samar Alkhdour00:00 Samar and her story 4:11 Jenna's murder - Motivation for Samar’s sit in 5:20 The flaws on the TRV system 6:54 Barriers in the Canadian immigration system 9:58 Amnesty International on the Canadian immigration system 10:10 A report by the Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East 11:25 Samar’s supporters 14:30 Samar on complicity in genocide 16:44 Canada's student protests 18:00 Canada's dehumanisation of Palestinians and Palestine Activists 19: 40 Mark Miller’s failure and student protests24:59 Small gestures are powerful in the West Further reading:How one Gazan mother’s tragedy has fuelled a sit-in action by Nelly Bassily (Disability Visibility Project)Long waits for Canadian visas leave Gazans in limbo by Anna Mehler Paperny (Reuters)Joint letter: Urgent changes needed to Canada’s Temporary Residence Visa Program for Gazans Amnesty International CanadaIntended to Fail: Systemic Anti-Palestinian Racism and Canada’s Gaza Temporary Resident Visa Program by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle EastCoalition for No Over Policing Palestine/Police Pas la PalestineNo billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media.Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription.

Haiti, the land of the only successful slave uprising in history, was also an experiment in neocolonialism. As the country once again makes global news headlines for all the wrong reasons, we spoke to independent journalist Harold Isaac to better understand how Haiti's complex history of colonization, slavery and its crippling ‘independence debt’ to France contributed to the crisis we’re seeing play out on our screens today.Host: Maxine Betteridge-MoesCredits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Sound design), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media consultant)Guest: Harold Isaac (@haroldisaac)0:41 Meeting Harold Isaac 1:03 Haiti's airport shut down 3:40 Staying safe in Haiti 5:12 Being in Haiti is an act of resistance 6:05 Understanding Haiti's history 7:41 Haiti's revolution 8:50 US occupation 13:39 Fleeing Haiti 15:27 The danger for journalists 16:31 Trump revokes protected legal status for Haitians 18:13 The damage of reparations 24:50 Haiti’s cultural importance 26:35 Structural adjustment programmes shifting Haiti's economic climate 30:51 Do Haitians feel alone? Further reading from this episode:Held to ransom: Haiti's cycle of violence (Harold Isaac in New Internationalist)Country Profile: Haiti (New Internationalist)Haiti's Lost Billions (Lazaro Gamio etl a. in The New York Times)#NI554 Debt: Which way out?#NI545 Decolonize NowFor up-to-date and accurate reporting on the unfolding crisis in Haiti, Harold recommends following Jacqueline Charles (@jacquiecharles), Frantz Duval (@frantzduval) and Radio RFM (@maradiofm)No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media.Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription.

Ece Temelkuran, a Turkish journalist and writer known for her insights on authoritarianism, dives deep into the alarming connection between fascism and neoliberalism. She discusses her experiences with censorship in Berlin and reflects on her escape from oppression in Turkey. Temelkuran highlights the necessity of global solidarity in fighting fascism, emphasizing the importance of activism for Palestine. Her unique perspective sheds light on how language and collective action can resist authoritarian trends, making this conversation both timely and thought-provoking.

There's a lot of money to be made in the internet. People with good intentions and bad intentions are being driven by profit. So how does this shape our information ecosystem and where does the scope for action lie?Read #NI552: DisinformationHost: Maxine Betteridge-MoesCredits: Maxine Betteridge-Moes (Producer), Nazik Hamza (Audio Editor), Mari Fouz (Logo Design), Amy Hall, Bethany Rielly, Conrad Landin, Nick Dowson (Co-editors), Paula Lacey (Editorial assistant), Samuel Raffnell-Williams (Sound design), Thomas Barlow, Impress (Media consultant)Guest: Nanjala Nyabola0:18 Issue highlights2:30 Telling a global story 7:26 Why does misinformation spread?12:49 Who are the architects of misinformation?19:29 How much of a role does language have in our collective fight against misinformation?23:18 What is your experience with community health workers? 29:39 What are the paths to digital inclusivity?34:11 Thank you for listening Further reading from this episode:Strange and Difficult Times: Notes on a Global Pandemic by Nanjala NyabolaEntering the Matrix of MisinformationRed Letter Day (Conrad Landin in New Internationalist. Subscribe to read)The Philippines Disinformation Machine (Don Kevin Hapal in New Internationalist. Subscribe to read)Fact-checkers to the rescue? (Samira Sawlani in New Internationalist. Subscribe to read)How Kiswahili tech terms are pushing for digital rights in East Africa (Maxine Betteridge-Moes in Quartz Africa)No billionaires. No media moguls. No corporate ads. Just truly independent, co-operative media.Subscribe today and use the code THEWORLDUNSPUN for 20% off your first year of a print or digital subscription.