Full Episode - On assignment June 14

HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM. I'M IMRAN SIDDIQUI... AND I'M ALEX VILLARREAL. COMING UP... LEBANON'S HEZBOLLAH FIGHTERS JUMP INTO THE FRAY IN SYRIA... A MAJOR U.S. SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM COMES TO LIGHT - WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHO EXPOSED IT, AND HOW ... IN CAMBODIA, A DAM PROJECT WITH CHINA DRAWS THE SCRUTINY OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS ... AND "KICKSTARTING" A SMALL BUSINESS - WITH THE HELP OF THE WEB AND THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS ... WE'RE GOING ON ASSIGNMENT, AND TAKING YOU WITH US ... RIGHT NOW. CLASHES ALONG SYRIA'S BORDER WITH LEBANON HAVE RAISED FEARS THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR COULD SPREAD TO ITS NEIGHBOR. THE LEBANESE MILITANT GROUP HEZBOLLAH HAS JOINED THE SYRIAN FIGHT ON THE GOVERNMENT SIDE, WHILE LEBANESE SUNNI FIGHTERS ARE SUPPORTING THE REBELS. VOA'S JERUSALEM-BASED CORRESPONDENT, SCOTT BOBB, RECENTLY TRAVELED TO LEBANON, AND TALKED WITH ME ABOUT LEBANESE INVOLVEMENT IN SYRIAN CONFLICT. SCOTT, WHY HAS HEZBOLLAH FORMED THIS ALLIANCE WITH THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT? FIRST OF ALL HEZBOLLAH IS A CLIENT OF THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT AND SYRIA'S PATRON IRAN AND SO IF IT LOSES, IF THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT FALLS HEZBOLLAH LOSES AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF ARMS AND POSSIBLY FUNDING. SO ITS LEADER HASSAN NASRALLAH SAID A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT HE WOULD NOT ALLOW ASSAD TO FALL. AND HOW MUCH OF A GAME CHANGER IS THIS ALLIANCE? IT'S A GAME CHANGER TO THE DEGREE THAT YOU HAVE SEVERAL THOUSAND WELL TRAINED, WELL-ARMED FIGHTING TROOPS BASICALLY WITH NOT JUST A POLITICAL COMMITMENT BUT A DOCTRINAL, RELIGIOUS, IDEOLOGICAL COMMITMENT WHO ARE OBVIOUSLY WILLING TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH WHO ARE NOW SUPPORTING AND BOLSTERING THE SYRIAN TROOPS WHO HAD BEEN DEPLETED BY DEFECTIONS, DEMORALIZED AND JUST TIRED AFTER TWO YEARS OF FIGHTING. AND WE'VE SEEN ALSO THE PRESENCE OF LEBANESE SUNNI FIGHTERS SUPPORTING SYRIAN REBELS. HOW STRONG OF AN INFLUENCE ARE THEY NOW? THEY'RE PROBABLY SEVERAL, SOME HUNDREDS MAYBE MORE BUT THEY ARE SUNNI FIGHTERS FROM DOZENS OF COUNTRIES, IRAQ, SOME FROM JORDAN, FROM NORTH AFRICA, EVEN FROM NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE WHO HAVE COME IN TO JOIN, TO HELP THEIR BROTHERS AS IT WERE IN THIS STRUGGLE. SO IT HAS WIDENED AND, SHALL WE SAY, AGGRAVATED SECTARIAN TENSIONS OR DIVIDES BETWEEN SUNNIS AND SHIITES ACROSS ESPECIALLY THE MIDDLE EAST BUT EVEN ELSEWHERE. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR TOWN OF QUSAIR. WE'VE SEEN THE HEZBOLLAH FORCES THERE SUPPORTING ASSAD'S FORCES. WE'VE SEEN THE SUNNI FIGHTERS THERE AS WELL SUPPORTING THE REBEL FORCES. WHY HAS THIS TOWN BEEN SO IMPORTANT? QUSAIR LIES ON AN IMPORTANT HIGHWAY THAT LINKS DAMASCUS WHICH IS INLAND TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. IT ALSO IS VERY CLOSE TO THE BORDER WITH LEBANON. AND ON THE LEBANESE SIDE YOU HAVE AN IMPORTANT CENTER BOTH FOR ARMS AND JUST POPULATION. ALSO YOU HAVE SCATTERED SUNNI POPULATIONS TOO. SO THAT BORDER AREA HAS BEEN A ZONE OF INFILTRATION AND SUPPLY AND EVACUATION FOR BOTH SIDES. AND SO FOR THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL ONE, THE HIGHWAY WHICH ALSO, BY THE WAY LEADS TO HOMS, ANOTHER IMPORTANT CITY BUT ESPECIALLY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA WHERE THERE ARE LOTS OF THE ALAWITE AND SHIITE POPULATIONS. AND TWO TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THAT BORDER WILL BE A VERY IMPORTANT FIRST STEP ON WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN OFFENSIVE TO TRY AND REGAIN SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF LOST TERRITORY. NOW YOU TALK ABOUT THIS DIVIDE BETWEEN THE SUNNI MUSLIMS AND THE SHIITE MUSLIMS, AS THIS BECOMES AN INCREASINGLY SECTARIAN CONFLICT WHAT KIND OF AN EFFECT IS THIS GOING TO HAVE ON SYRIA AS A SOCIETY? ARE WE GOING TO SEE A SYRIA AS DIVIDED AS LEBANON OR IRAQ? SOME, WE COULD. SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT'S WHAT IT MAY END UP BEING ESPECIALLY THE LONGER THE FIGHTING GOES ON AND IS GETTING MORE AND MORE BRUTAL AND MORE AND MORE ATROCITIES ARE BEING COMMITTED THE MORE LIKELY THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN. IT'S ALREADY A DIVIDED COUNTRY. ALREADY THE FABRIC OF SOCIETY IF YOU WILL HAS BEEN SHREDDED TO A SIGNIFICANT DEGREE. LOTS OF CRIMINALITY, PEOPLE TRYING TO SURVIVE, KIDNAPPINGS FOR RANSOM, LOOTING, ROBBERY, ALL SORTS OF CRIMES AND SO FORTH THAT ARE GOING ON ALREADY, SO THE LONGER IT GOES ON THE WORSE IT GETS. IN ADDITION YOU HAVE THESE POPULATIONS THAT ARE FLEEING EITHER DISPLACED INTERNALLY IN SYRIA, SEVERAL MILLION. OR MORE THAN ONE AND A HALF MILLION REFUGEES OUTSIDE, THESE ARE MOSTLY SUNNIS AND IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO GO BACK TO SOME OF THEIR AREAS, THEY'VE BEEN DESTROYED OF IF THEY ARE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE OPPOSITION GOVERNMENT FORCES AND THE SHIITES. SO YES, YOU HAVE THE BEGINNINGS OF THIS. SYRIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A RELATIVELY SECTARIAN SOCIETY; IT HAS PRIDED ITSELF ON THAT. BUT THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF PEOPLE THAT FEEL THERE SHOULD BE MORE RELIGION IN THE SOCIETY AND THE GOVERNMENT. NOT NECESSARILY AN ISLAMIST GOVERNMENT, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME THAT BELIEF THAT. SO IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO SORT IT OUT AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG, LONG TIME TO REBUILD EVEN WHAT'S BEEN DESTROYED SO FAR. AND AGAIN, THAT WAS SCOTT BOBB -- OUR CORRESPONDENT IN JERUSALEM. NOW, IT'S NOT JUST THE FIGHTING IN SYRIA THAT'S INVOLVING LEBANON. LEBANON IS HOME TO MANY OF SYRIA'S 1.6 MILLION REFUGEES, AND THE UNITED NATIONS SAYS THAT NUMBER COULD MORE THAN DOUBLE THIS YEAR. TIME FOR A BREAK NOW. WHEN WE RETURN: IS IT WHISTLEBLOWING, PATRIOTISM, OR AN ACT OF TREASON? YOU'RE WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT. BRITAIN'S GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER REPORTED RECENTLY THAT THE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY HAS BEEN COLLECTING THE PHONE RECORDS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. AN NSA EMPLOYEE, 29 YEAR-OLD EDWARD SNOWDEN, HAS COME FORWARD AS THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK. U.S. OFFICIALS DO NOT DENY THE REPORTS, BUT THEY SAY NO ONE LISTENS TO ANYONE'S PHONE CALLS, AND THAT THE DATA GATHERED HAS STOPPED SEVERAL TERRORIST PLOTS. WE'RE JOINED NOW BY VOA'S DOUG BERNARD, WHO FOLLOWS THESE SORTS OF STORIES ON VOA'S "DIGITAL FRONTIERS" BLOG, WELCOME. WE'RE VERY GLAD TO HAVE YOU. SO, NOW THIS STORY HAS CREATED A HUGE UPROAR. WHAT ARE THE CENTRAL CONCERNS AT THE HEART OF THIS? SO THERE ARE REALLY TWO STORIES HERE. THE FIRST ONE THAT YOU MENTIONED -- THERE WAS A SECRET COURT ORDER THAT THE NSA, THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY, HAD SOUGHT AND WAS GRANTED FOR VERIZON PHONE RECORDS. VERIZON PHONE RECORDS FOR BASICALLY THE MONTH OF APRIL, BUT ALL OF THE PHONE RECORDS. BUT WHAT THE NSA WAS LOOKING FOR IS THE META DATA. BASICALLY THAT'S THE TIME OF THE CALL, THE LOCATION, WHO YOU WERE CALLING, THAT SORT OF THING. BUT THEY WEREN'T RECORDING THOSE CALLS. HOWEVER, THAT IS MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF BITS OF DATA ON MILLIONS OF SUBSCRIBERS, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT WAS THE FIRST STORY AND THE NATURE OF IT -- VERIZON WAS PUSHED INTO IT BY A SECRET COURT ORDER. AND WHAT ARE PEOPLE'S CONCERNS ABOUT THIS? WELL PEOPLE'S CONCERNS ... OBVIOUSLY, I THINK, YOU KNOW, NO ONE LIKES TO THINK THAT THEIR PRIVACY, IN ANY WAY, IS BEING PUSHED PERHAPS. CERTAINLY NOT BY THE GOVERNMENT OR CORPORATIONS, WHOEVER IT IS. NOW THE SECOND STORY, THE SECOND LEAK THAT HAPPENED, WAS ABOUT SOMETHING CALLED THE PRISM PROGRAM. WHEREAS VERIZON WAS PUSHED INTO COOPERATING WITH THE NSA, PRISM WAS VERY DIFFERENT. NINE TECH COMPANIES, INCLUDING THE BIG ONES, APPLE, MICROSOFT, GOOGLE, SKYPE, OTHERS -- VOLUNTARILY AGREED TO GIVE THE NSA ACCESS TO THE DATA FLOWING THROUGH THEIR NETWORKS. THAT MEANS EVERYTHING. THAT MEANS E-MAIL, THAT MEANS VIDEO CHATS, THAT MEANS ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU DO ONLINE, THE NSA POTENTIALLY HAD ACCESS TO THAT. WHY IS THAT OF INTEREST, NOT JUST TO AMERICANS, BUT PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD? WELL OBVIOUSLY FOR AMERICANS, AGAIN, NOBODY LIKES TO THINK OF THEIR DATA, THEIR PRIVACY IS BEING VIOLATED. BUT REMEMBER, ON THE INTERNET, MOST OF THE WORLD'S TRAFFIC FLOWS THROUGH SERVERS IN THE UNITED STATES. SO SAY IF I WERE IN BUCHAREST, AND I WAS SENDING AN EMAIL TO SOMEBODY IN BURKINA FASO, IT'S VERY LIKELY IF I DID ANY OF THAT ONLINE, IT PROBABLY WENT THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, AND THAT MEANS THE NSA PROBABLY HAD ACCESS TO IT. SO THIS IS NOT JUST AFFECTING AMERICANS THEN? NO, IN FACT THERE ARE A LOT OF CONCERNS THAT ARE BEING EXPRESSED AROUND THE WORLD. FOR EXAMPLE, GERMANY'S CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL HAS SAID THAT THIS CONCERNS HER GREATLY AND SHE INTENDS TO BRING THIS ISSUE UP WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THEIR NEXT MEETING JUST ABOUT A MONTH FROM NOW. NOW IT'S INTERESTING THIS CASE, EDWARD SNOWDEN HAS COME OUT, HE'S PUBLICLY DECLARED HIMSELF TO BE THE SOURCE OF THESE LEAKS ABOUT THE NSA TRACKING. NOW WE ALSO HAVE THE OTHER CASE OF BRADLEY MANNING, WHO WAS THE ONE WHO LEAKED THE WIKILEAKS DOCUMENTS. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO? WELL LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES FIRST. BOTH OF THESE GUYS ARE FAIRLY YOUNG, CHECKERED MILITARY BACKGROUNDS, THEY KEPT TO THEMSELVES, THEY WERE SORT OF LONERS. THEY BOTH SAY THEY WERE MOTIVATED TO DO WHAT THEY DID BY A SENSE OF TRUTH AND A CERTAIN SENSE OF JUSTICE. THERE'S A KEY DIFFERENCE, THOUGH. IN THE WIKILEAKS EXAMPLE, BRADLEY MANNING RELEASED ABOUT 700-THOUSAND DOCUMENTS. THOSE DOCUMENTS WERE EVERYTHING FROM GOINGS-ON AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT, TO MILITARY LOGS, IT REALLY WAS IN THE SENSE A DOCUMENT DUMP, RIGHT? IN THE CASE OF SNOWDEN, AND THE PRISON DOCUMENTS, AND THE SECRET COURT ORDER IN THE VERIZON MATTER, THESE ARE VERY SPECIFIC INSTANCES OF WHAT AT LEAST IN HIS MIND ARE WRONGDOING BY THE US GOVERNMENT. SO I THINK THEY HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT COMPLEXION, AND A VERY DIFFERENT NATURE OF THESE TWO CASES. RIGHT, AND THERE ARE GOING TO BE A LOT OF QUESTIONS COMING OUT OF THIS IN TERMS OF LEGALITY, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE ... OF COURSE, THE NSA, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SAYS THESE PROGRAMS ARE LEGAL, AND THEY ARE, BUT, THEY ARE LEGAL BECAUSE CONGRESS HAS GIVEN THE AGENCY THIS AUTHORITY. BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE FIGHTING THESE THINGS HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BRING THEM BEFORE A FULL COURT HEARING TO REALLY TEST THEIR LEGALITY. SO IN SOME WAYS IT'S STILL SORT OF AN OPEN QUESTION. ALL RIGHT DOUG, WELL WE KNOW THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS CLOSELY FOR US, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOUG BERNARD, AUTHOR OF OUR DIGITAL FRONTIERS BLOG. WELL WE'RE TAKING A BREAK NOW, ON THE OTHER SIDE, MORE CONTROVERSY, AND THIS TIME IN CAMBODIA. YOU'RE WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT. IT'S MORE THAN 4-AND-A-HALF THOUSAND KILOMETERS LONG, AND SOME 65 MILLION PEOPLE IN SIX COUNTRIES DEPEND ON IT FOR FOOD. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MEKONG RIVER, WHICH IS SET TO BECOME A POWER SOURCE FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MASSIVE HYDROPOWER DAM. BUT NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY ABOUT THE PROJECT. ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ITS EFFECTS ON THE RIVER'S ECOSYSTEM - AND VILLAGERS' LIVES. I SPOKE TO REPORTER MONY SAY IN CAMBODIA ABOUT THE PROJECT. PEOPLE WHO ARE DEPENDING ON FISHING AND FARMING ALONG THE RIVER, THEY FEEL THAT THEIR LIVELIHOOD WILL BE AFFECTED IF THE DAM IS TO BE CONSTRUCTED AS SCHEDULED. THIS RIVER IS ONE OF THE MAIN TRIBUTARIES OF THE MEKONG SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. BECAUSE THE FISH MIGRATE TO THE RIVER UP-AND-DOWN THIS IMPORTANT TRIBUTARY. NOT ONLY THE FISH BUT ALSO THE FOREST PRODUCTS BECAUSE WHEN THE DAM IS BUILT IT WILL FLOOD A LARGE AREA OF FOREST THAT PEOPLE DEPEND ON. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN STUNG TRENG PROVINCE ARE ABOUT TO BE UPROOTED. THEY LIVE ALONG THE SESAN RIVER, A TRIBUTARY OF THE MEKONG AND THE FUTURE SITE OF A HYDROELECTRIC DAM. VILLAGERS HAVE PROTESTED THE PROJECT, A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN CAMBODIA, CHINA AND VIETNAM. AFTER THE APPROVAL, THE PEOPLE ALONG THE RIVER ARE WORRIED ABOUT RESETTLEMENT. WE DO NOT WANT TO MOVE TO A NEW LOCATION BECAUSE IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO START A NEW LIFE WITH A NEW RICEFIELD AND NEW PLANTING. THE PROTESTERS WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO PUT OFF CONSTRUCTION TO STUDY THE FULL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE DAMN I REPORT BY THE US NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ALSO CALLED FOR A REASSESSMENT IT WARNED THAT THE PLANNED DAMN DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEQUON RIVER BASIN COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC IMPACT ON THE RIVERS FISH AND BIODIVERSITY. AND WHAT ARE THE GOVERNMENTS ANSWERS TO THESE CONCERNS? WHO DOES THE GOVERNMENT SAY THIS DAMN WILL BENEFIT? WELL THE GOVERNMENT SO FAR SAID THAT NOT ONLY THE PEOPLE OUTSIDE THIS PROVINCE - THE STUNG TROONG PROVINCE - WILL BENEFIT BUT ALSO SOME PEOPLE CAN GET JOBS FROM THE COMPANIES. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY THE GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WILL BENEFIT THE WHOLE NATION AS THE COUNTRY BADLY NEEDS ELECTRICITY BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO IMPORT THE POWER FROM THE NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES LIKE THAILAND AND VIETNAM. AND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THESE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE AREA WITH THE DAM IS BEING BUILT? THERE IS A HUGE AREA THAT IS RESERVED FOR THE RESERVOIR DAM. THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES ARE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE RESERVOIR AREA TO MAKE WAY FOR THE DAM CONSTRUCTION. IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT THE PROJECT WON'T GO FORWARD THAT THESE PEOPLE'S VOICES AGAINST IT WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF EFFECT? SO IT LOOKS VERY UNLIKELY THAT THE DAM IS TO BE STOPPED OR DELAYED. ENVIRONMENTALISTS BELIEVE THIS DAM ALONE WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT UP TO 100 THOUSAND PEOPLE -- NOT JUST THEIR FISHERIES, BUT THE RICE AND VEGETABLES THEY GROW. VILLAGERS SEE NO ECONOMIC BENEFIT FOR THEMSELVES. "THE GROWTH IS JUST FOR THOSE BIG GUYS IN THE CITY, BUT THE PEOPLE HERE HAVE NOTHING. IT BENEFITS ONLY THE URBAN PEOPLE, NOT THE RURAL ONES." THE GOVERNMENT SAYS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WILL BE ADDRESSED. AND WHAT ABOUT THE COST OF THIS? WHO'S FOOTING THE BILL? ACCORDING TO AN ESTIMATE, IT WOULD COST MORE THAN $780 MILLION DOLLARS. BUT OF COURSE IT'S A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN THREE COUNTRIES. BUT THE ONE THAT WILL PAY THE MOST IS [THE] CAMBODIAN COMPANY, WHICH IS OWNED BY A CAMBODIAN TYCOON HERE. AND OUR THANKS TO REPORTER MONY SAY IN PNOM PENH. THE SESAN RIVER DAM IS ONE OF 20 DAMS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY IN CAMBODIA, MOST WITH HELP FROM CHINESE COMPANIES. ALRIGHT... MOVING NOW FROM CAMBODIA TO RUSSIA. THE WORLD'S SPOTLIGHT TURNED ON THE RUSSIAN REPUBLIC OF DAGESTAN AFTER THE ISLAMIC-MAJORITY REGION WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE ONE-TIME HOME OF THE LEAD SUSPECT IN THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS -- TAMERLAN TSARNAEV. DESPITE THE NEGATIVE ATTENTION, PEOPLE IN DAGESTAN SAY THEY ARE ACTUALLY A PEACEFUL PEOPLE, AND THEY MISS THE TOURISM THAT USED TO HELP SUPPORT THEM. VOA MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT JAMES BROOKE HAS THE STORY. CAR BOMBS AND SHOOTINGS MAKE DAGESTAN THE LEADER IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN RUSSIA'S TROUBLED NORTHERN CAUCASUS. BUT AFTER DAGESTAN BECAME KNOWN AS THE HOME OF THE SUSPECTED BOSTON MARATHON BOMBERS, MOSCOW STARTED TO TAKE ACTION. IN A SURPRISE MOVE, A MILITARY HELICOPTER TOOK TO PRISON ONE MAN SEEN HERE AS AN UNTOUCHABLE WARLORD: THE MAYOR OF DAGESTAN'S CAPITAL, MAKHACHKALA. THE KREMLIN WANTS TO PACIFY THE CAUCASUS BEFORE NEXT FEBRUARY'S WINTER OLYMPICS IN SOCHI, ALSO IN THE CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS. LOOKING TO THE LONG TERM, THE KREMLIN BELIEVES TOURISM OFFERS A WAY OUT FOR THE IMPOVERISHED REGION. THE POTENTIAL IS CLEAR HERE IN DERBENT, RUSSIA'S OLDEST AND SOUTHERNMOST CITY.FOR OVER 1500 YEARS, THE DERBENT FORTRESS CONTROLLED A NARROW STRIP OF LAND BETWEEN THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE CAUCASUS AND THE CASPIAN SEA. SHAKMARDA MARDONOV WORKS IN THE FRUIT MARKET BELOW THE FORTRESS. "BRING ON THE TOURISTS. WE'RE ALL FOR IT." MARDONOV AND OTHERS REMEMBER THE SOVIET DAYS, WHEN A QUARTER MILLION TOURISTS CAME HERE EVERY YEAR. LATER, THE FORTRESS BECAME A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. DESPITE THIS, THERE ARE FEW TOURISTS TODAY. THE DZHUMA MOSQUE STANDS A FEW BLOCKS FROM THE FORTRESS. BUILT IN 734, IT'S THE OLDEST MOSQUE IN RUSSIA. THE MOSQUE AND THE FORTRESS ARE CENTERPIECES OF A PROJECT TO BRING ONE MILLION TOURISTS A YEAR BY THE END OF THIS DECADE. IN TODAY'S DAGESTAN, THE VIOLENCE OFTEN SEEMS ENDLESS. BUT IT'S JUST A MOMENT IN TIME COMPARED TO THE WALLS OF THE DERBENT FORTRESS. OVER THE CENTURIES, THE FORT CHANGED HANDS FROM PERSIANS TO ARABS TO ARMENIANS TO MONGOLS TO TURKS UNTIL FINALLY FALLING TO THE RUSSIANS IN 1813 -- 200 YEARS AGO. JAMES BROOKE, DERBENT, DAGESTAN, RUSSIA. AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT -- OF COURSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MONEY. IT REALLY CAN FALL FROM THE SKY. NOT EXACTLY, BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDING FOR A NEW ARTS PROJECT OR BUSINESS, CHECK OUT THIS STORY. IT'S ABOUT A POPULAR WEBSITE CALLED KICKSTARTER THAT HELPS PEOPLE RAISE MONEY THROUGH CROWD-SOURCING. YEAH MONEY IS ALWAYS A TOPIC THAT WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT. YES VERY INTERESTING... VOA'S SUZANNE PRESTO COVERED THE EFFORTS OF A WASHINGTON WOMAN WHO IS USING THIS NON-TRADITIONAL TOOL KICKSTARTER TO HELP START A BAKERY. PHILIP ALEXIOU TALKED TO SUZANNE ABOUT KICKSTARTER. BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, LET'S CHECK OUT A PIECE OF SUZANNE'S REPORT. YAEL KRIGMAN IS EQUAL-PARTS BAKER AND BUSINESSWOMAN. SHE SELLS HER TREATS THROUGH HER COMPANY'S WEBSITE, BAKEDBYYAEL.COM. SHE WAS A LAWYER BUT SHE KNEW SHE WAS ON TO SOMETHING WHEN HER HOMEMADE CAKE POPS, BALLS OF CAKE AND FROSTING DIPPED IN CANDY-COATING, THRILLED COLLEAGUES AT WORK. NOW, SHE WANTS TO OPEN A SHOP SPECIALIZING IN CAKE POPS. "I WAS TALKING TO A FRIEND OF MINE, AND WE WERE DISCUSSING THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR FINANCING MY STOREFRONT, AND WE TALKED ABOUT BANK LOANS AND INVESTORS AND HE TOLD ME ABOUT KICKSTARTER." SO, WHAT IS IT EXACTLY? KICKSTARTER IS A COMPANY THAT IS BASED IN NEW YORK CITY. KICKSTARTER IS A PLATFORM FOR CROWD-SOURCED FUNDING. ENTREPRENEURS LIKE KRIGMAN POST THEIR PROJECTS AND FUNDING GOALS, AND PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD PLEDGE MONEY. BACKERS AND KICKSTARTER DON'T GET A SHARE OF THE BUSINESS. BUT THERE ARE INCENTIVES, WHICH, IN KRIGMAN'S CASE, ARE MOSTLY CAKE POPS. SO IF YOU DONATE, LET'S SAY 25 DOLLARS YOU WILL GET SIX CAKE POPS. ...A CLUB MEMBERSHIP... IT'S THAT SORT OF THING, YOU'LL GET A DISCOUNT ONCE YOU ACTUALLY GO TO HER STORE. DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH YOU PLEDGE YOU GET A DIFFERENT NUMBER OF CAKE POPS DELIVERED TO YOU. YOU'LL GET A CAKE POP PARTY... NOW, WHAT ABOUT THE SUCCESS RATE BECAUSE I WOULD IMAGINE JUST ABOUT ANYBODY WOULD WANT TO GO ON THERE AND START COLLECTING MONEY. AS FAR AS FULLY LAUNCHED PROJECTS, SO PROJECTS THAT SET A FUNDING GOAL AND MET THEIR FUNDING GOAL KICKSTARTER SAYS THAT'S A 44 PERCENT SUCCESS RATE, WHICH MEANS THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO POST PROJECTS WHO DO NOT GET SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED. IF YOU DON'T GET ALL THE MONEY, IF YOU DON'T REACH THE GOAL THAT YOU SET, YOU GET NO MONEY AT ALL. NO MONEY CHANGES HANDS. SO YAEL HAD SET A 70 THOUSAND GOAL. EVEN IF SHE HAD RAISED 69 THOUSAND OF THAT 70 THOUSAND SHE WOULDN'T GET A PENNY UNLESS SHE REACHED THE 70 THOUSAND. "BANK LOANS ARE DIFFICULT TO GET, ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES WITH NOT MANY ASSETS, AND INVESTORS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GIVE AWAY PART OF YOUR COMPANY, AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF WHAT I'VE BUILT AND I WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW IT. I DON'T JUST WANT TO BE A MANAGER AT A BAKERY." HOW DID YOU COME UPON THIS STORY, WHAT LED YOU TO THIS? WELL, THE AREA THAT I LIVE IN, WASHINGTON DC, HAS SOMETHING CALLED A LISTSERV SO PEOPLE WILL POST VARIOUS INFORMATION AND I GET AN UPDATE EVERY DAY. AND I KEPT SEEING ABOUT THIS BUSINESS CALLED BAKED BY YAEL AND PEOPLE SAYING, I ORDERED HER CAKEPOPS AND THEY WERE AMAZING, OR I HAD HER BAGELS AND THEY WERE THE HIT OF THE BRUNCH AND THINGS LIKE THAT SO I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE BUSINESS BAKED BY YAEL AND THEN WHEN SHE WAS GETTING READY TO LAUNCH HER KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN THEY PUT OUT A MESSAGE SAYING, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GET READY, THERE'S GOING TO BE A KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN AND I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING THAT THIS WOMAN WAS LOOKING TO EXPAND HER BUSINESS BUT IT WAS GOING TO BE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT I THOUGHT IT SORT OF EXPLAINED WHAT KICKSTARTER WAS ALL ABOUT BECAUSE IT'S SUCH AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON. ALSO IN YOUR REPORT YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE A, THERE WAS THIS TV SERIES THAT WAS CANCELED, SO YOU HAVE SOME HOLLYWOOD FOLKS GETTING ONLINE AND TRYING TO RAISE MONEY AS WELL AND I THINK I READ WHERE MAYBE SOME PEOPLE ARE SORT OF COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? YOU KNOW, IF IT MEETS KICKSTARTERS GUIDELINES AND YOU POST YOUR PROJECT AND YOU DON'T AGREE WITH THAT PROJECT THAT'S FINE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE THE MONEY. IN THE CASE OF VERONICA MARS, THE SERIES WAS CANCELED AND ITS FANS WERE DISTRAUGHT AND THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A MOVIE. "THIS IS IT. THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO MAKE THE VERONICA MARS MOVIE HAPPEN. IF WE MAKE OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL, WE'LL SHOOT THE MOVIE THIS SUMMER." THE VERONICA MARS MOVIE PROJECT BROKE RECORDS, RAISING $5.7 MILLION. THAT INSPIRED ZACH BRAFF, WHO USED KICKSTARTER TO RAISE $3 MILLION FOR HIS FILM, WISH I WAS HERE. "MAYBE THIS COULD BE A NEW PARADIGM FOR FILMMAKERS WHO WANT TO MAKE SMALLER PERSONAL FILMS WITHOUT HAVING TO SIGN AWAY ANY OF THEIR ARTISTIC FREEDOM." AS OF NOW, KICKSTARTER ALLOWS PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD TO PLEDGE AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A MAJOR CREDIT CARD OR DEBIT CARD, BUT IT'S ALSO LOOKING TO EXPAND TO OTHER COUNTRIES SO PEOPLE CAN POST THEIR OWN PROJECTS AND START RAISING THEIR MONEY THAT WAY TOO. MORE THAN 101 THOUSAND PROJECTS HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED ON KICKSTARTER, SO THAT MEANS MORE THAN HALF A BILLION DOLLARS HAS TRADED HANDS. AND MOST SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS, ACCORDING TO KICKSTARTER, RAISE LESS THAN 10 THOUSAND DOLLARS BUT MORE AND MORE THEY ARE SAYING PROJECTS THAT ARE RAISING INTO THE SIX FIGURES AND EVEN GOING INTO THE SEVEN FIGURES WITH THINGS LIKE VERONICA MARS. VOA'S SUZANNE PRESTO WITH THAT INTERESTING BIT OF REPORTING THERE AND BY THE WAY, YAEL KRIGMAN DID REACH HER 70-THOUSAND DOLLAR PROJECT GOAL. AND SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN 2009, KICKSTARTER HAS RAISED MORE THAN HALF A BILLION DOLLARS TO FUND MORE THAN 35,000 PROJECTS INCLUDING KRIGMAN'S. THAT'S AMAZING. AND THAT DOES IT FOR US. JOIN US NEXT TIME, WHEN WE TALK TO OUR REPORTER IN KABUL ABOUT AFGHANISTAN'S EFFORTS TO MOVE ITS ECONOMY FORWARD. BEFORE WE GO, A REMINDER THAT YOU CAN WATCH ALL OUR EPISODES ON VOANEWS.COM, YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK. AND BE SURE TO GO TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE TO ADD YOUR INPUT TO THE STORIES WE'LL BE DOING IN FUTURE PROGRAMS. THAT'S THE NEW DEVELOPMENT FOR YOU SO DEFINITELY CHECK THAT OUT. FROM ALL OF US AT ON ASSIGNMENT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WATCHING. SEE YOU NEXT TIME.