Camila Lourdes Galarza is a fearless journalist bringing attention to the U.S.’s regime of terror in Latin America. Her reporting, appearing on Substack and Drop Site News (among other outlets), exposes horrors perpetuated by the U.S. as it uses violence and fear to establish hegemonic power. She’s reporting from the ground, and we’re honored to have her on the show tonight to shine a light on what that violence looks like on a daily level in Ecuador and beyond — and why holding our country accountable is a major priority for the left. Watch below:

The usual suspects currently burning American democracy to the ground are also leading the torture, kidnapping, and murder of civilians abroad in order to terrorize and exploit foreign countries, reminding us that our struggle for freedom against our government is intimately and inextricably tied to the struggle of people across the world for freedom and basic rights similarly under attack by the U.S. Camila’s recent reporting on American strikes conducted on fishing boats in the Caribbean tells a story our government tried to bury: Thanks to intel from a government source, the attacks were revealed to be a covert CIA operation. “Drug trafficking” is a classic charge the U.S. hides behind when it comes to justifying the murder of foreign civilians, especially one that our country pins on Central and South America. It’s a heinous charge to make when the U.S. is the real narcostate, and drug trafficking would not justify torture, kidnapping, and murder; the American government was violating international law no matter what. But there’s no evidence that drug trafficking even took place. Rather, the U.S. made an opportunity to establish imperialist power by shedding the blood of innocent people abroad. And we have yet to build our own power to take on our government and hold it accountable to make sure this never happens again.

Our government is doing everything it can to bury this story. Prosecutors and whistleblowers have been murdered for drawing attention to this case and demanding answers. Alexandra Bravo, a prosecutor assassinated for pursuing the case, was the niece of the attorney representing one of the fishing boats. She was noted for her lack of political affiliation and her adherence to the principles of impartiality in her investigation. She lost her life for pursuing the truth. Rather than letting that scare us and allow us to stand down while others risk everything, we all need to think of this as as a moment in which we fully commit to internationalism within the American left and build the power first to oust Trump and his imperialist agenda from office, and next to dismantle the system of American hegemony that has empowered presidents from both political parties throughout the history of this country to push regime change and enact mass murder abroad.

We’re so grateful to Camila for leading us in this essential conversation. Thanks for subscribing and watching. You can listen to this episode as a podcast when it’s released tomorrow on major streaming platforms.