Tensions in southwestern Kyrgyzstan between Kyrgyz and the Uzbek minority remain high following a 2010 pogrom that destroyed Uzbek homes and left hundreds dead. There’s also an unpopular U.S. airbase near Bishkek, the country's capital, which is crucial to American efforts in Afghanistan. We explore Kyrgyzstan with Joshua Foust, who's a contributor to The Atlantic and blogs about Central Asia at Registan.net. Also, on Global Activism, we talk to Alicia Huerte Diaz, or “Mama Licha,” as she’s known in Nicaragua. She’s a nurse and midwife for women and children in the country's highlands. And immigrant minorities are growing in Cook County and when a group gets large enough, it can qualify for special assistance to vote in their own language. WBEZ’s Odette Yousef tells us which groups made the cut for 2012.