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Whistleblowing is as old as America itself
Whistleblowing is as old as America itself | GZERO World
July 20, 2023
Whistleblowing is nothing new … the country’s first whistleblower case can be traced back to its founding.
Our villain is a man named Esek Hopkins, born in 1718 to a prominent Rhode Island family. He went to sea as a privateeer at the age of 20 and made a name for himself in 1765 by captaining the slave ship Sally, from West Africa to the West Indies. During the journey, 109 out of the 196 slaves aboard lost their lives. In one of our country’s earliest instances of “failing up,” Hopkins’ disastrous command of the Sally earned him the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy just as the Revolutionary War broke out.
The story of Hopkins' rise and fall is one that shaped the course of American history, by bringing into existance the country's first Whistleblower protections.
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On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer takes a look at the growing surge in global conflict and the ripple effects of so much violence, war, and armed struggle throughout the world.
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Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and otherEuropean leaders, pose for a group photo at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, December 15, 2025.
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The European Union just pulled off something that, a year ago, seemed politically impossible: it froze $247 billion in Russian central bank assets indefinitely, stripping the Kremlin of one of its most reliable pressure points.
Big global stories. Real conversations with world leaders. Our award-winning global affairs show, GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, goes beyond the headlines on the stories that matter most. Here’s a look back at the 10 most quotable moments from this year’s episodes.
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