80,000,000 Bombs in Laos: A Conversation with Sera Koulabdara of "Legacies of War" (G&R 118)

In this episode, Bob had a conversation with Executive Director Sera Koulabdara (@SeraKoulabdara) of "Legacies of War" about the 50+ year crisis of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) in Laos.  Scott was away on assignment. At the same time as it was attacking Vietnam, the U.S. conducted a "secret war" against Laos through the air, dropping 2 million tons of bombs as part of its "sideshow" to the main war against the Vietnamese Revolution.   Included in that massive campaign were 270,000,000 cluster bombs, smaller bombs--about baseball-sized--or "bomblets" that often did not detonate.  So today, decades after the war ended, about 80,000,000 bombs remain in Laos.   Sera and Bob talked about the ferocious U.S. war in Laos, the aftermath, the daily risks faced by Laotians every day because of the millions of unexploded bombs, and the work of Legacies of War. The mission of Legacies of War is to raise awareness about the history of the Vietnam War-era bombing in Laos and advocate for the clearance of unexploded bombs, to provide space for healing the wounds of war, and to create greater hope for a future of peace. The organization uses art, culture, education, community  organizing and dialogue to bring people together and create healing and  transformation out of the wreckage of war. See also// Legacies of War: http://legaciesofwar.org/  Sera Koulabdara: "Why Biden must reverse Trump policy on landmines now" (https://bit.ly/3GL0rI1)  Sera's blog: http://www.loveiswhy.blog/  Voices from the Plain of Jars (https://amzn.to/3wgzxmv)  The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory (Mark Pavlick, ed.) (https://bit.ly/3GO6L1l) Follow Green and Red// https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast  production. Produced by Bob  (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).   “Green and Red Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Issac.