In my latest podcast episode with humanitarian Jane Olson, we delved into the question of what is behind the horrific rise in human rights abuses. Jane notes that leadership is the answer, which is sadly moving us in the wrong direction.
Listen to this and more from our full episode, available at the link in my bio as well as all major podcasting platforms.
#HumanRights #Leadership
The Justice Department under Trump has become an extension of his personal and political whims, not an independent arbiter of law. It serves as an instrument for targeting his perceived enemies while shielding allies from accountability, including by dropping sensitive corruption and white collar investigations. Everybody must remember that where there is no justice, tyranny reigns.
Today’s podcast guest is Jane Olson, a noted humanitarian who has worked many decades as a volunteer promoting international peace and justice and humanitarian work. She has chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch, from 2004 to 2010, and chaired the board of Survivor Corps for 12 years since its founding as Landmine Survivors Network.
In this episode, we discuss the current rise in human rights abuses globally, what roles international organizations have played in combatting human rights abuses, and the importance of educating people about their basic universal human rights, including starting in schools.
Listen now; link in bio.
Full bio
Jane Olson has worked many decades as a volunteer promoting international peace and justice and humanitarian work. She chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch, the largest US-based international human rights organization, from 2004 to 2010, having worked on behalf of HRW since 1988. She also chaired the board of Survivor Corps for 12 years since its founding as Landmine Survivors Network. LSN and HRW were among the five organizations to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997for the International Landmine Ban Treaty.
Jane is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science and a board member of both the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and Direct Relief, based in Santa Barbara, CA. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Pacific Council on International Policy. She served as co-chair of the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York and continues to support the WRC as a commissioner.
Jane has received numerous awards, including the 2010 inaugural Alison Des Forges Award from Human Rights Watch, and the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Award from Feminist Majority in 2005. California Senator Barbara Boxer presented the “Women Making History” Award to Jane in 2010. She received Public Counsel’s Community Achievement Award and the Silver Achievement Award from the Los Angeles YWCA.
Trump is cornered on multiple fronts, and the pressure is intensifying. The Iran war has become a grinding stalemate. War driven energy shocks are intensifying inflation. His approval ratings have sunk. Inside the Republican Party, restive lawmakers and donors increasingly doubt his judgment. Taken together, these trends sharply narrow Trump’s political options and suggest that his second term is entering a dangerous, potentially irreversible downward spiral.
Never in modern American history has a president displayed such open, unrestrained contempt for ethical norms and the rule of law. Donald Trump’s record is not merely controversial—it is a pattern of glaring, often unapologetic abuses of power: pressuring Georgia officials to “find” votes; orchestrating the fake electors scheme; inciting the January 6 insurrection; being convicted of falsifying business records; retaining classified documents and obstructing their return; profiting from foreign governments through his businesses in violation of the Emoluments Clause; and repeatedly attempting to weaponize the Justice Department for personal and political gain. Now comes yet another deeply troubling report: a massive fund—reportedly in the billions—linked to compensating January 6 participants, from which he could personally benefit. This is not concealed corruption. It is corruption in plain sight.
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In my latest podcast episode with humanitarian Jane Olson, we delved into the question of what is behind the horrific rise in human rights abuses. Jane notes that leadership is the answer, which is sadly moving us in the wrong direction.
Listen to this and more from our full episode, available at this link as well as all major podcasting platforms: soundcloud.com/alon-ben-meir/on-the-issues-episode-148-jane-olson
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The next episode of my podcast "On the Issues" is this upcoming Tuesday, May 26, at 10:00am EDT with Lulzim Peci, principal founder and Executive Director of the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (KIPRED), and a member of the Board of the Council of Kosovo Ambassadors.
Listeners can register for the live podcast recording on Zoom at the following link: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5217794775890/WN_Rg9-1TgCRC6l_EBoUFg4Lw
Archived episodes will be released the following day, on Wednesdays at noon. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, including Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify, to be sure to always get the latest episodes.
us06web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: On the Issues with Alon Ben-Meir, featuring Lulzim Peci. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
The Justice Department under Trump has become an extension of his personal and political whims, not an independent arbiter of law. It serves as an instrument for targeting his perceived enemies while shielding allies from accountability, including by dropping sensitive corruption and white collar investigations. Everybody must remember that where there is no justice, tyranny reigns.
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