PBS Foreign Exchange

Brutal wars in Chechnya and now trouble in places such as Ossetia and Ingushetia have shown the world that ethnic conflict and Islamic separatism are seen as serious threats to Russia, even as it tries to regain some of the power it wielded during the Cold War.

But not all of Russia's Muslim republics are so restive. Welcome to sunny Tatarstan.

Produced by Jason Maloney & Zygmunt Dzieciolowski

Field Producer: Oleg Pavlov

Associate Producer: Aidar Galyautdinov

Global warming will hit Bangladesh hard. Climate-related natural disasters already have this nation's 180 million inhabitants seeking higher ground. By mid-century scientists predict that 20 million Bangladeshis could be displaced if sea levels rise. Here's a story about one Bangladeshi who isn't waiting for that to happen. He's adapting his community to survive floods today.

Produced by Stephen Sapienza for Foreign Exchange in association with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Began airing on Foreign Exchange January 30, 2009.

Located 50 miles off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the Carteret Islands are disappearing into the ocean. Climate change is destroying the atoll, forcing the islanders to search for homes on Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea. Though this is the story of one remote community, scientists estimate climate change will displace up to 50 million people by 2050.

Produced by Jennifer Redfearn in association with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Camera: Tim Metzger
Sound: Tim Metzger
Editor: Jennifer Redfearn

Moqtada al Sadr and his militia, the Mehdi Army - or 'JAM' in American military shorthand, have been America's most intractable opponents in Iraq. But after recent attacks launched by the US and Iraqi military against Sadr strongholds, cease-fires were negotiated and the Mehdi Army melted away from the streets. Has the Mehdi Army finally been defeated, and is this the end of the armed Shiite resistance to the occupation?

Begins airing Friday, December 5th, 2008 on public television's Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal

About one in ten Afghans is disabled, a legacy of decades of war and poor health care. In 1999, Dost Mohammed Khairy contracted Guillane Barre Syndrome - an infection that attacks the nervous system. He is one of 9,000 Afghans given refuge in the US since Sept 11. He established an organization here to help the disabled in Afghanistan. Recently he made his first trip back.

Aired on Foreign Exchange November 7, 2008

The Water Wars portal is highlighted in a special edition of Foreign Exchange devoted entirely to global water issues. Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Pulitzer Center journalist Alex Stonehill and draws on the portal to share video reports and student perspectives. Rose George, author of The Big Necessity also joins the program to discuss the critical issue of sanitation.

As the recent war between Russia and Georgia shows, the aftershocks of the collapse of the Soviet Union are still being felt today. 15 years ago, trouble started when two parts of Georgia, itself newly independent, tried to break away. War followed and entire communities were uprooted. Today over 200,000 refugees live in political limbo, unable to forget the place they once called home.

Aired the week of October 24 on Foreign Exchange.

Produced by Kira Kay, Jason Maloney and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

The coca plant, used in indigenous cultural rituals and traditional medicines, is also the main ingredient for cocaine. Bolivia is the third largest producer of coca and cocaine after Peru and Colombia. Despite pressure to cut back on coca farming, many Bolivians see few alternatives.

Aired on Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal the week of September 19, 2008.

Credits:

Chevron is accused of having dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic waste in Ecuador’s Amazonian rainforest, and local residents are determined to hold them accountable.

This video was removed due to security concern.

THE PROMISE OF FREEDOM is a documentary feature that traces the intersecting stories of U.S.-affiliated Iraqi refugees and the Americans attempting to aid them. The film exposes the long-term human consequences of war and raises questions about the moral responsibility we have to those Iraqis who lost everything because they believed in America most.

Aired the week of Friday, August 29th, 2008.

Watch a preview at Principle Pictures.com

Spring marks the beginning of the fighting season in Afghanistan, and as Afghan and western forces prepare for the Taliban offensive, others will be preparing to battle the country's second greatest threat: poppy.

But eradicating Afghanistan's most prolific and illicit crop will be hampered by past missteps and what Afghan farmers perceive as a lack of understanding when it comes to the problems they face.

A video by Shaun McCanna and Lee Ann Nelson
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting / Flamingo Productions