VICE S02E01 · The Afghan Money Pit & the Pacification of Rio

Overview

The U.S. has spent nearly $100 billion on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, the most spent on any country in history. But John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, has found that much of that money has been wasted and misused, and has even fallen into the hands of the Taliban. Shane Smith heads to Afghanistan for a tour of American taxpayer dollars gone down the drain. Rio de Janeiro is working hard to remedy its reputation as a drug and murder capital in time for the upcoming World Cup and Olympics. The Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE) has been charged with pacifying the slums (favelas), but BOPE's military occupation of increasing numbers of favelas has been criticized as heavy-handed. Some corrupt members of the BOPE, together with ex-police, have formed militia gangs of their own and are controlling many favelas by sinister means, openly extorting, torturing, killing and making criminals disappear. Still, there are hundreds of favelas, untouched by pacification, that remain under the control of drug gangs who act with complete impunity. Ben Anderson looks behind the picturesque façade of Rio's marketing campaign to reveal the dark underbelly of the city.

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Episodes

1. 1 1. The Afghan Money Pit & the Pacification of Rio2014-03-14 · 30mThe U.S. has spent nearly $100 billion on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, the most spent on any country in history. But John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanista
2. 2 2. Greenland Is Melting & Bonded Labor2014-03-21 · 30mGreenland recorded its highest temperatures ever in 2013. Though some say that's not cause for concern, the equivalent of three Chesapeake Bays'-worth of water melts off the island
3. 3 3. American Scrap & Children of the Drones2014-03-28 · 30mDavid Choe examines the scrap metal trade in America and Suroosh Alvi explores the effects of drone strikes in Afghanistan.
4. 4 4. A Syria of Their Own & White Gold2014-04-04 · 30m'A Syria of Their Own' - Thomas Morton goes to the frontline of the battle for a Kurdish state to follow the story of Syria's forgotten ethnic group, the Kurds. 'White Gold' - Rhin
5. 5 5. Terrorist University & Armageddon Now2014-04-11 · 30m'Terrorist University' - Dagestan is Russia's hotbed for Muslim extremism; Shane Smith heads there to follow in the footsteps of Boston Marathon Bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev who spent
6. 6 6. Rocky Mountain High & North Korean Defectors2014-04-25 · 30mRocky Mountain High: Impact of legalized marijuana in Colorado; North Korean Defectors: The struggles of North Korean defectors relocating to South Korea.
7. 7 7. The Pink Gang Rebellion & Genetic Passport2014-05-02 · 30m“The Pink Gang Rebellion” - The brutal details of a 2012 gang rape on a Delhi bus focused international attention on India’s rampant rape issue. Inept law enforcement, the social s
8. 8 8. The Resource Curse & Deliver Us from Drought2014-05-09 · 30mAs humanity’s appetite for energy grows exponentially, the extraction industry scrambles to the most remote regions on Earth to satisfy demand. In the undeveloped Melanesian countr
9. 9 9. Crude Awakening & The Enemy of My Enemy2014-05-16 · 30mShane Smith heads to Louisiana to report on the lasting effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Then, Ben Anderson goes deep into Houthi-controlled territory to learn about the
10. 10 10. Playing with Nuclear Fire & No Man Left Behind2014-05-23 · 30mInvestigating the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan; veterans struggling with mental illness and addiction.
11. 11 11. Heroin Warfare & The Coldest War2014-06-06 · 30m"Heroin Warfare" (correspondent: Suroosh Alvi) - Since the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, heroin production in the region has skyrocketed, making the country the number-one produc
12. 12 12. Surveillance City & The Forgotten War2014-06-13 · 30m"Surveillance City" (correspondent: Vikram Gandhi) - Camden, New Jersey is one of the poorest and drug-ridden cities in the country, and its murder rate is 12 times the national av