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28 February, 2012

Colombia’s Quest For Peace And Justice: The International And National Context
By James Petras

Above all over 4 million displaced Colombians, forcibly dispossessed by the Uribe regime, must be mobilized to repossess their lands and provided with credit, loans and an opportunity to escape their current misery and squalor

06 March, 2011

Summit In Venezuela Opens 'New Phase In History'
By Federico Fuentes

A summit of huge importance was held in Venezuela on December 2-3. Two hundred years after Latin America’s independence fighters first raised the battle cry for a united Latin America, 33 heads of states from across the region came together to form the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)

09 March, 2011

The First 9/11: Kissinger Operación Cóndor,
Pinochet (PDF)

By George Venturini

The first 9/11 occurred in 1973 in Santiago, Chile and places nearby. President Richard Milhous Nixon and Dr. Henry Alfred Kissinger were the instigators, General Augusto Pinochet simply the executioner

27 January, 2011

Honduras Human Rights Abuses Worse
One Year After President Lobo Took Office

By Bill Quigley & Pam Spees

Unprecedented violence against journalists is not an indicator of democratic governance and reconciliation. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), eight journalists were killed in the first half of Lobo’s first year in office, prompting Reporters Without Borders to name Honduras the most dangerous country in the world for journalists

26 January, 2011

Human Rights In The Rear View Mirror:
Colombian Commandos Training
Mexican Military And Police

By Cyril Mychalejko

In another misstep of the historic failure of Plan Colombia and the US supported War on Drugs, Colombia is training thousands of Mexican soldiers, police and court officials in an effort to boost Mexico's fight against drug cartels

05 December, 2010

Honduras: Latin America's Murder Capital
By Stephen Lendman

By some accounts, it's the world's murder capital. The UN Development Program (UNDP) reported 4,473 2008 murders (61.3 per 100,000) in a country with about 7.3 million people, the equivalent of over 190,000 annual US killings, over 10 times the actual rate

15 November, 2010

Colombia: Doing Business, Killing Workers
By Federico Fuentes

A November 4 World Bank and International Finance Corporation report, Doing Business 2011: Making a Difference for Entrepreneurs, ranked Colombia as the 39th most “business friendly environment” in the world. Missing from the report were the more than 500 unionists killed in Colombia over the past eight years, making up 60% of all unionists killed globally

23 October, 2010

Ecuador's Challenge: Rafael Correa
And The Indigenous Movements

By Benjamin Dangl

Indigenous movements protested a right wing coup attempt on September 30 th while criticizing the negative policies of Correa, a president widely considered a member of Latin America's new left who is working to implement modern democratic socialism. How did it come to this? The history of the dance between Correa and the indigenous movements offers insight into the current political crisis in the country

21 October, 2010

Honduras: Crisis And Progress
By Bill Quigley & Laura Raymond

Today, October 21, the democratic resistance in Honduras will celebrate Artists in Resistance Day. This event contrasts directly with today’s official recognition of Honduras Armed Forces day. The resistance, which is working for a truly democratic Honduras, renamed the day and created an alternative celebration because of a brutal police attack on musicians and others last month that left one dead and scores injured

Latin America: Roads To 21st Century
Capitalist Development

By James Petras

A wealth of data based on extensive field interviews, statistical studies published by international development agencies, reports by economic consultancies and business and investment houses, as well as discussions with independent social movement leaders provides ample documentation to argue that Latin America has taken multiple roads to 21st century capitalism, not socialism or anything akin to it

05 October, 2010

More on Washington's Failed Ecuadorean
Coup Attempt

By Stephen Lendman

Washington's fingerprints are again visible, and though unsuccessful, Correa can by no means rest, not with actors like O'Grady around, vilifying less than hard right leaders, stopping just short of endorsing their ouster

04 October, 2010

Piedad Córdoba And Her Fight For Peace
By Fidel Castro

Faced with such an unusual and drastic measure taken against an elected post in the highest legislative body of state, Piedad has no alternative other than appealing to the very Attorney General who produced the measures

01 October, 2010

Failed Washington-Sponsored Ecuadorean
Coup Attempt

By Stephen Lendman

Post-9/11, Washington sponsored four coup d'etats. Two succeeded - most recently in Honduras in 2009 against Manuel Zelaya, and in Haiti in 2004 deposing Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Two others failed - in Venezuela in 2002 against Hugo Chavez, and on September 30 in Ecuador against Rafael Correa - so far. Two by Bush, two by Obama with plenty of time for more mischief before November 2012

28 September, 2010

Venezuela Votes
By Stephen Lendman

Venezuelans now and ahead have a choice. They can go back to the bad old days or "vot(e) for the greater good" and keep their hard won social gains. Most Americans can't even imagine them under a government serving everyone, not just society's privileged the way imperial Washington does it for corporatists and militarists alone

18 September, 2010

Life In Devastated Haiti
By Stephen Lendman

Nine months after the January 12 earthquake, Haitians still have little relief. Over one and a half million left homeless continue struggling to survive, despite billions in aid raised or pledged. It's for development, predatory NGOs, not them. That's the problem, and they suffer as a result, little media attention paid to their plight

23 August, 2010

Political Killings In Colombia
By Stephen Lendman

Colombia, America's closest South American ally, is a corrupted narco-state, a repressive death squad faux democracy, threatening regional neighbors, and reigning terror against trade unionists, human rights workers, campesinos, pro-democracy organizations, independent journalists, and legitimate resistance groups like the FARC-EP

15 August, 2010

Bolivia: Social Tensions Erupt
By Federico Fuentes

Indigenous Quechua protesters blockaded the main road between La Paz and Potosi on August 8. Recent scenes of roadblocks, strikes and even the dynamiting of a vice-minister’s home in the Bolivian department (administrative district) of Potosi, reminiscent of the days of previous neoliberal governments, have left many asking themselves what is really going on in the “new” Bolivia of indigenous President Evo Morales

12 August, 2010

US -- Venezuela: The Empire
Strikes Back (And Loses)

By James Petras

US policy toward Venezuela has taken many tactical turns, but the objective has been the same: to oust President Chavez, reverse the nationalization of big businesses, abolish the mass community and worker based councils and revert the country into a client-state

29 July, 2010

American Designs In Latin America
By Timothy V. Gatto

The United States has many fences in Latin America that need mending. You can see by the attention the U.S. is paying to Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama that the government in Washington is keenly aware of this and is responding in the only way it knows how to respond…militarily. This is the only response that America knows

27 July, 2010

Will The U.S. Annex Latin America?
By Timothy V. Gatto

The United States of America has turned this planet into a playground for the Pentagon and we have seen an influx of soldiers and materials for waging war filling the airfields of Columbia, Costa Rica, Afghanistan, Poland and scores of other nations that have allowed their nations to be forward operating areas for this American Empire

16 July, 2010

The U.S. Military Moves Into Costa Rica
By Mark Vorpahl

In early July, by a vote of 31 to 8, the Costa Rican Congress approved the U.S. bringing into their nation a force of 7,000 troops, 200 helicopters, and 46 warships in an effort to eradicate drug trafficking , justified with the same dubious "war on drugs" rationale

29 June, 2010

Leader of Deathsquads Wins Colombian Election
By James Petras

Juan Manuel Santos, notorious Defense Minister in the regime of outgoing President Alvaro Uribe and closely identified with high crimes against humanity “won” the recent Presidential elections in Colombia, June 2010

28 June, 2010

One Year Later: Honduras Resistance Strong
Despite US-Supported Coup

By Bill Quigley & Laura Raymond

Moving forward from this unfortunate anniversary, one thing is certain -- the people’s movement in Honduras is only growing. The resistance has gone ahead with organizing for a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution. Today there will be massive demonstrations throughout Honduras. We must stand with this dramatic and powerful social movement and challenge our own government to support the forces of democracy, not destroy them

The Media Empire Strikes Back:
Reviewing Reviews of South of the Border

By Cyril Mychalejko

Honest criticism of Stone's film should be welcome. It is certainly debatable whether South of the Border will be a popular and effective "101 introduction to a situation in South America that most Americans and Europeans don't know about.” I hope it is. I hope that it reaches a broad audience and moves viewers to seek out more information on the history and current events of Latin America. But the reviews aforementioned do little more than expose the ideological biases that dominate the U.S. media and the laziness that afflicts journalists today

13 June, 2010

Private Contractors And Covert Wars
In Latin America

By Cyril Mychalejko

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) threatened to issue subpoenas against the U.S. Defense and State Departments last month if they continue to refuse to accurately account for billions of dollars spent on private contractors assisting Washington in the 'war on drugs' in Latin America. But McCaskill's concerns raise broader questions about oversight and transparency of a controversial industry and its ever expanding role in Washington's foreign policy

24 May, 2010

Latin America’s New Middle Class Rulers
By James Petras

The consequential left must take a stand either in solidarity with the economic struggles of the emerging new autonomous trade unions and class -ethnic based social movements. The revival of popular revolutionary movements begins by rejecting complicity with the new middle class rulers presiding over the new phase of state-private capitalist expansion

23 May, 2010

Venezuela's Economic Woes?
By Federico Fuentes

Faced with the deepening world economic crisis, the Venezuelan government is taking stronger measures against those responsible — the capitalists. These measures include new nationalisations to tackle food hoarding and underproduction, a clampdown on illegal money trading and speculation, and the creation of a new state import-export company

24 March, 2010

For Venezuela, There Is No Going Back
By Ali Mustafa

A Discussion with Federico Fuentes and Kiraz Janicke

23 March, 2010

Militarizing Latin America
By Noam Chomsky

Establishing US military bases in Colombia is only one part of a much broader effort to restore Washington's capacity for military intervention. There has been a sharp increase in US military aid and training of Latin American officers, focusing on light infantry tactics to combat "radical populism" -- a concept that sends shivers up the spine in the Latin American context

Venezuela In Washington's Crosshairs
By Stephen Lendman

During her March 1 - 5 Latin American tour, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gratuitously insulted Chavez. So did Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, in Senate testimony, accusing him of FARC-EP ties - suggesting much more to come to boost opposition candidates in September parliamentary elections

Venezuela: New Moves To Build People's Power
By Federico Fuentes

The Venezuelan government has launched a number of initiatives in recent weeks aimed to tackle threats to the revolutionary process — including from elements within the pro-Chavez camp that seek to undermine plans to deepen the revolution

10 March, 2010

Haiti's Plight
By Dr. Carl E. Briscoe Jr.

An academic and analytical examination of “The Current Haitian Crisis”

07 March, 2010

Obama State Department: Venezuela Must Return
To Free Market Capitalism

By Sean Fenley

Hillary Clinton, stooge of U.S. avarice and imperialism, tells Venezuela to follow the example of Chile, Brazil, and presumably other countries in the region that it gives its ok to. Of course, the U.S. cares nothing for the advancements and the movement toward greater egalitarianism and justice brought about by the Bolivarian Revolution

06 March, 2010

Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton
Does Latin America

By Evgenij Haperskij & Kaycie Rupp

Secretary of State Clinton and her Assistant Secretary, on this try, do not seem to perceive that it is a changed world in terms of inter-American relations and that traditional concepts of pan-Americanism may be crumbling

22 February, 2010

Venezuela’s Revolution Faces Crucial Battles
By Federico Fuentes

Decisive battles between the forces of revolution and counter-revolution loom on the horizon in Venezuela. The campaign for the September 26 National Assembly elections will be a crucial battle between the supporters of socialist President Hugo Chavez and the US-backed right-wing opposition

29 December, 2009

In Search Of Mexico: Latin America’s Enigma
By Gaither Stewart

Who are these Mexicans who disturb the tranquility of the USA enough to necessitate a wall to separate the two North American peoples? Who are literally “dying” to get into fortress USA? What is their country like that they so readily abandon in order to work in Yankee supermarkets and California orchards, on New York skyscrapers and in households of the Atlantic seaboard? How is it possible that these two neighboring peoples are so dramatically different one from the other? In this essay I offer some personal answers

20 November, 2009

The Bolivarian Revolution And Peace
By Fidel Castro

Those who think that division between Venezuelans and Colombians can lead to the success of their counterrevolutionary plans are deceiving themselves. Many of the best and most humble workers in Venezuela are Colombians; the Revolution has given them and their immediate family education, healthcare, employment, the right to citizenship and other benefits. Together, Venezuelans and Colombians shall defend the great Homeland of the Liberator of the Americas; together, they shall fight for peace and freedom

08 November, 2009

The Annexation Of Colombia To The United States
By Fidel Castro

Anyone with some information can immediately see that the sweetened ‘Complementation Agreement for Defense and Security Cooperation and Technical Assistance between the Governments of Colombia and the United States’ signed on October 30, and made public in the evening of November 2, amounts to the annexation of Colombia to the United States

06 November, 2009

Honduran Accord Solidifies Coup D'Etat Rule
By Stephen Lendman

With elections in a few weeks, hardliners may stall, obstruct, and maintain the status quo until new officials take office in January

04 November, 2009

House Resolution Designates Venezuela
A State Sponsor Of Terrorism

By Stephen Lendman

Given Washington's inattention to essential needs, watch for even greater erosion compared to Chavez remaining popular by a two-to-one margin - a profile befitting a democrat, not a state-sponsor of terrorism

19 October, 2009

A Nobel Prize For Evo Morales
By Fidel Castro

If Obama was awarded the Nobel for winning the elections in a racist society despite his being African American, Evo deserves it for winning them in his country despite his being a native and his having delivered on his promises

18 September, 2009

U.S. Military Buildup In Colombia, Is The U.S.
Preparing For War With Venezuela?

By Mark Vorpahl

The U.S. State Department has just wrapped up a deal with Colombia’s President Uribe that will lead to a massive buildup of U.S. military personnel across seven bases in Colombia

07 August, 2009

Will Venezuelan Destabilization Follow
The Honduran Coup?

By Stephen Lendman

For the past ten and a half years, Washington and Venezuelan oligarchs have targeted Chavez relentlessly and won't let up while he's in office. Whether the Honduran coup signals stepped up efforts ahead remains to be seen. Perhaps so given Washington's regional history of intolerance of democracies that place national interests above America's. Chavez explained it well saying Obama "risk(s) being killed if he challenges the American empire." So far, there's not a hint of it in sight

Mexico's Fake RCMP Report Backfires
By Scott Campbell

An article on the recent developments in Oaxaca, Mexico regarding the 2006 murder of U.S. journalist Brad Will and how it relates to Plan Mexico, the three-year, $1.4 billion mostly-military U.S. aid package

02 August, 2009

The Crumbling U.S. Embargo On Cuba
By Sharat G. Lin

Having lifted the embargo just a little and let the Pastors for Peace Friendship Caravan through, President Obama needs to carry through on his promise of change by ending the U.S. embargo once and for all

23 July, 2009

Democracy Has A Price And I Am Prepared
To Pay It:Manuel Zelaya

By Giorgio Trucchi

Giorgio Trucchi's Interview with Honduran President Manuel Zelaya Rosales

10 July, 2009

Compromising Democracy In Honduras
By Shamus Cooke

Can a solution to the crisis in Honduras — itself the result of a military coup — be “mediated,” where on one side sit coup leaders and on the other a democratically elected but ousted President? Does any “middle ground” exist? Of course not. If President Zelaya unconditionally returns to finish his term in office, democracy will be restored; anything short of that will have democracy “compromised” into its opposite

07 July, 2009

Central America Plunged Back Into Chaos
By Jim Taylor

A military coup in a Latin American nation sounds as routine as afternoon tea in England. It feels a bit different if you’ve been there

01 July, 2009

The Significance Of Washington's
Coup Attempt In Honduras

By Shamus Cooke

The coup is likely to crumble, and Obama’s first attempt to re-tame Latin America will have failed. The actions of the U.N. and OAS are striking examples of the shrinking international influence of the U.S., meaning that future interventions — both military and economic — are likely to be more direct to restore U.S. hegemony. Obama’s more-subtle attempts to uphold U.S. “influence” in the world will ultimately require blunter, Bush-like tactics

17 June, 2009

Peru: Blood Flows In The Amazon
By James Petras

Dozens of Indians were killed or are missing, scores have been injured and arrested and a number of Peruvian police, held hostage by the indigenous protestors were killed in the assault. President García declared martial law in the region in order to enforce his unilateral and unconstitutional fiat granting of mining exploitation rights to foreign companies, which infringed on the integrity of traditional Amazonian indigenous communal lands

11 June, 2009

The Global Significance Of The Amazon Protest
By Sam Urquhart

The protests in Peru therefore have a global significance - both in terms of resistance against neo-colonial investment laws and in terms of environmental sustainability. The massacre at Bagua speaks to all of us

02 May, 2009

Putting An End To 'Stale Debates':
Obama And The CIA In The Americas

By Michael Galvin

Despite critical studies of US war crimes in the recent past appearing in increasing number, Obama’s moderate tone on the problematic history in the hemisphere seems to try to sweep this past under the rug. In other words, how can the Americas move forward together without fully acknowledging the crimes of the past and their roots in colonialist and reactionary ideology?

19 March, 2009

Hopeful Change In El Salvador?
By Stephen Lendman

From most early signs, the power structure rests easy knowing Funes represents continuity; business as usual, not hoped for change; so Salvadorans, like Americans, soon enough will know they were fooled again. And if they need more convincing, the painful global economic collapse will be the clincher

18 March, 2009

Latin America Hit Hard By World Crisis
By Luis Arce

Capital Economics—a leading macroeconomics research and consultancy firm that supplies analysis to institutional investors and clients across the globe—reports in its latest Latin America Chart Book that "Latin America's five-year economic boom has come to an abrupt end." The bleak figures cited by Capital Economics stand in stark contrast to the rosy picture painted by financial analysts not so long ago

Crisis, Poverty Huge Challenges For
El Salvador’s Leftist President

By Raúl Gutiérrez

The main challenges faced by El Salvador’s leftwing president-elect Mauricio Funes are forging understandings with other political sectors, adopting measures to deal with the economic crisis, and especially its effects on the poor, and strengthening the country’s institutions

17 February, 2009

Bolivarianism Triumphs In Referendum Vote
By Stephen Lendman

On February 15, Venezuelans voted on whether to let presidents, National Assembly representatives, governors, mayors, and state legislators run indefinitely for re-election after Chavez last December proposed a national referendum for constitutional change - so voters, not politicians could decide. Sunday they spoke decisively in favor by a 54.4% to 45.6% margin with over 94% of votes counted. Chavez didn't win. Venezuelans did for Bolivarian continuity and against oligarch dominance, no democracy, and back to an impoverished state

02 February, 2009

Global Financial Crises And Hugo Chavez
By Abdul Basit

Taking into account the current leadership and their negative performance, it is natural that we make an in-depth analysis about the 'other' leaders who are accused by the dominant media and regimes as 'tyrants' and 'dictators'. Although many leaders come to our mind, the most prominent among them are Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Ahmedinejad of Iran..etc. In this article we will look into the policies pursued by the one among them namely Hugo Chavez, an icon of resistance against Imperialists and oppressors

28 January, 2009

Bashing Venezuelan Democracy
By Stephen Lendman

For 10 years under Chavez, Bolivarianism has flourished, and the greater its success the harsher it's critics. America flounders in corruption, economic chaos and decline. Venezuela's star is rising. One man made it possible. Imagine a future America like Venezuela today. Imagine a caring, not a predatory nation. Imagine a leader in Washington like Chavez. Imagine a groundswell enough to get one

Bolivia's New Constitution: Progressive Change
Or Business As Usual?

By Stephen Lendman

In Bolivia's history, January 25 was historic but getting there violent and uncertain. On July 2, 2006, a new Constituent Assembly was elected. On August 6, it was sworn in, but for six months remained snagged in procedural debates and achieved little. By late December 2007, a new constitution was passed, but the country was as polarized as ever. It still is. On one side, indigenous, popular rights. On the other, elitist interests wanting business as usual

Dirty Business, Dirty Wars: U.S.-Latin American
Relations In The 21st Century

By Cyril Mychalejko

But because of the deeply embedded and institutionalized nature of Washington's imperial machine, it doesn't matter much which party controls the White House and Congress. To fight these developments, we need to continue to grow grassroots media projects and support independent journalists, build long-term solidarity with Latin American social movements and build social movements in the United States, fight free trade and do our part to shed light upon the structural violence threatening Latin America's promising future — which is directly tied to ours

28 November, 2008

Victory For Venezuela’s Socialists
In Crucial Elections

By James Petras

The pro-Chavez United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) won 72% of the governorships in the November 23, 2008 elections and 58% of the popular vote, dumbfounding the predictions of most of the pro-capitalist pollsters and the vast majority of the mass media who favored the opposition

The Media Response To Venezuelan Elections
By Stephen Lendman

The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other publications falsely reported that a majority of the population is under opposition control. Official statistics show otherwise but were ignored

14 November, 2008

Targeting Hugo Chavez
By Stephen Lendman

Since taking office in February 1999, America's dominant media have relentlessly attacked Chavez because of the good example he represents and threat it might spread in spite of scant chance it will in today's climate. Yet some of his fiercest critics maintain pressure and show up often on the Wall Street Journal's op-ed page. Most recently on November 10 by its America's columnist, Mary O'Grady

06 November, 2008

Targeting Aristide In Exile
By Stephen Lendman

Now four years later a resurrected charge. As unfounded as the others. On the Wall Street Journal's op-ed page by Americas writer, Mary O'Grady. Known for attacking democrats. Supporting repression. Right wing extremism. American imperialism and corporate power. She's excels in journalistic venom mirror opposite of the truth

26 October, 2008

Venezuela: Between Assassination Plots
And Abstention

By Federico Fuentes

Talk of assassination plots and rising concerns about a high abstention rate have marked the beginning of the November 23 regional elections race

25 September, 2008

New Coup D'Etat Rumblings In Venezuela
By Stephen Lendman

With a few months left in office, the Bush administration may be unleashing its last hurrah in Latin America. A "hail Mary" effort to reclaim the region. Remove its weak democracies in countries like Bolivia and strong ones in Venezuela. And do it in the face of overwhelming domestic problems at home and lost wars abroad. Will it work? Not if Bolivians and Venezuelans have anything to say about it, and they're saying plenty. Stay tuned

Ecuador's Constitution Gives Rights To Nature
By Cyril Mychalejko

Jaguars, spectacled bears, brown-headed spider monkeys, and plate-billed mountain toucans may all just breathe a little easier next week if Ecuadorians approve a new constitution in a referendum on Sunday that would grant these threatened animals' habitats with inalienable rights

01 September, 2008

Peru: Indigenous Rebellion In The Amazon
By Kiraz Janicke

Peruvian President Alan Garcia suffered a major political setback on August 22 after Congress voted 66-29 in favour of repealing controversial presidential decrees that would have facilitated the privatisation of communal indigenous lands

26 August, 2008

Bolivia: Right-Wing Rebellion Spurs Left Offensive
By Federico Fuentes

Violent attacks on police officers, roadblocks, civic stoppages enforced by armed fascist youth groups and threats to cut off meat supplies and take over gas fields have all been part of what left-wing Bolivian President Evo Morales has denounced as an attempted "civil coup" by "desperate people" following his August 10 recall referendum victory. However, the wave of protests appears to be quickly losing steam as social movements get organised to push for the approval of the draft constitution drawn up by an elected constituent assembly to "refound Bolivia"

15 August, 2008

Corporate Media Bashes New Chavez
Enabling Law Decrees

By Stephen Lendman

Under Venezuelan constitutional law, Enabling Law power is legal but limited. So despite media and opposition claims, it doesn't grant Chavez sweeping "rule by decree" authority or make him a "dictator."

13 August, 2008

The Trigger Of South America
By Hamid Golpira

The Indigenous Intifada of the Americas has won another victory. With 90 percent of the ballots counted, it seems that Bolivian President Evo Morales received over 60 percent of the vote in Sunday’s recall election, ensuring that he will stay in office until his term ends in 2011

28 July, 2008

Bolivia: Tensions Rising As Vote Looms
By Federico Fuentes

Tensions and uncertainties continue to rise as what some are calling a bout of "referendumitis" sweeps through Bolivia

01 July, 2008

The Paradoxes Of Latin American Development
By Prof. James Petras

As US hegemony in Latin America becomes less profound and pervasive, Latin America's local brand of neo-liberalism expands and goes global. The onset of the US recession and financial crisis has little or no effect in slowing Latin America's export boom, demonstrating the growing de-coupling of the two regions' economies, rendering obsolete the long-standing cliché…"When the US sneezes, Latin America catches pneumonia."

The Rise of Food Fascism:Agrarian Elite
Foments Coup In Bolivia

By Roger Burbach

Some argue that that we are witnessing the rise of "petro-fascism" as multinational corporations and nation states struggle for control of the life-blood of the global economy. Now with the efforts of the multinational agribusiness corporations and the agrarian bourgeoisies to control the very sustenance of human life we may be facing an even more violent period of repression, conflict and upheaval

Alvaro Uribe Velez And Colombia
By David A.G. Fischer

In the middle of his second consecutive term, the president is looking to overturn the constitutional law once again. Supporters of Uribe see no problem with him running for a third consecutive term. His critics, however, are up in arms. Regardless, fractions from both sides believe that he will be successful in manipulating conditions to his favor and thereby maintain his authoritarian rule over the country

21 May, 2008

"The "New" Left In Latin America:
What Chomsky Didn't Tell You

By Lorna Salzman

What Noam Chomsky, referring to the new leftist governments in Latin America, recently described in the International Herald Tribune as a "promising sign of deliverance from the (American corporate) demons of the past" is turning out to be a Business As Usual policy of full speed ahead on resource exploitation and economic growth regardless of the ecological consequences

20 May, 2008

Spinning The News - The FARC-EP Files,
Venezuela And Interpol

By Stephen Lendman

Colombia's belligerency, the FARC-EP files, Fourth Fleet reactivation, continued funding of Venezuela's opposition, CIA's covert mischief, disruptive street violence, and other planned schemes are troublesome. They're to reassert regional control and rid Washington of its leading hemispheric antagonist. No guessing who, and no telling when the next attempt will come or in what form

17 May, 2008

Grow Them Young, Pay Them Well -
Anti-Chavistas, That Is

By Stephen Lendman

The Washington-based Cato Institute is all about "Individual Liberty, Free Markets, and Peace," or so says its web site. It's been around since 1977 preaching limited government and free market religion with plenty of high-octane corporate funding for backing. It better have it for the award it presented on May 15. It was to a 23 year old fifth year Venezuelan law student at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello. Yon Goicoechea was the fourth recipient of the "Milton Friedman Liberty Prize" in the amount of $500,000. For what? What else. For serving the interests of capital back home and leading anti-Chavista protests

03 May, 2008

Bullets And Bananas: The Violence Of
Free Trade In Guatemala

By Cyril Mychalejko

The ongoing violence against workers in Guatemala makes it clear that talk of free trade improving human rights in developing countries is lost in translation. Free trade has done nothing but exacerbate poverty and inequality, while rewarding governments for sustaining repressive conditions that allow corporations to exploit vulnerable, and often powerless workers

18 April, 2008

Venezuela: Democracy, Socialism And Imperialism
By James Petras

Venezuela ’s President Hugo Chavez remains the world’s leading secular, democratically elected political leader who has consistently and publicly opposed imperialist wars in the Middle East , attacked extra-territorial intervention and US and European Union complicity in kidnapping and torture

02 April, 2008

Propagandizing Human Rights In Colombia
By Garry Leech

It happens time and time again. Following the killing of Colombian peasants, the government immediately blames guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the mainstream media in both Colombia and the United States dutifully report the allegations. In most cases, evidence later emerges showing that the Colombian military or its right-wing paramilitary allies were the actual perpetrators of the crime

01 April, 2008

The New York Times v. Hugo Chavez
By Stephen Lendman

Romero and others like him in the mainstream, keep at their appointed mission - attacking the most model democracy in the region with a clear and purposeful aim - to destabilize, destroy and transform Venezuela into the alternate model Uribe represents: uncompromising hard right; hugely repressive; linked to Colombia's death squads and drug cartels; a supporter of state terrorism; a government riddled with corruption and scandal; and George Bush's favorite Latin America leader because of all of the above

19 March, 2008

Latin America Rejects Bush Doctrine
By Federico Fuentes

Reeling from the blow that it received in the aftermath of the
Colombian military's illegal incursion on March 1 into Ecuador — which resulted in the brutal massacre of a number of civilians and members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), including its chief negotiator Raul Reyes — US imperialism has once again raised the ante in its struggle to undermine the growing process of Latin American integration

18 March, 2008

Bush v. Chavez: An Update
By Stephen Lendman

Imagine the following - the nation Martin Luther King called "The Greatest Purveyor of Violence in the World Today" may brand democratic Venezuela a state sponsor of terrorism if extremist lawmakers on the Hill get their way

11 March, 2008

Bush And Uribe v. Chavez And Correa
By Stephen Lendman

Call it another salvo in Bush v. Chavez with Ecuador's Raphael Correa as a secondary target and Colombia's Alvaro Uribe as a proxy aggressor. The Ecuadorean incursion was no ordinary cross-border raid. It was a made in Washington affair that escalates a nine year attempt to remove the Venezuelan leader and return oligarchs in the country to power

07 March, 2008

Underestimating Rafael Correa
By Fidel Castro Ruz

Absolutely no one has the right to kill in cold blood. If we accept that imperial method of warfare and barbarism, Yankee bombs directed by satellites could fall on any group of Latin American men and women, in the territory of any country, war or no war. The fact that this happened on undisputed Ecuadorian territory is an aggravating circumstance

25 February, 2008

Washington v. Cuba After Castro
By Stephen Lendman

Cuba now begins a new era, its challenges are huge, and consider the biggest of all - Washington's relentless pressure the way Deputy Secretary of State (and veteran state terrorist) John Negroponte put it: Castro stepping down means nothing, US policy won't change, "I can't imagine that happening any time soon."

What I Wrote On Tuesday 19
By Fidel Castro

Change! But, inside the United States. Cuba changed long ago and will now follow a dialectical path. We will never go back to the past! Cries our people. Annexation! Annexation! Annexation! Responds the adversary. That is what it really means when it speaks about change

The Failure Of Human Rights Watch
In Venezuela And Haiti

By Joe Emersberger

The way Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Haiti and Venezuela in its 2008 World Report reveals an underlying assumption that the US and its allies have the right to overthrow democratic governments

19 February, 2008

Bush And ExxonMobil v. Chavez
By Stephen Lendman

Reuters on February 7 announced: "Courts freeze $12 billion Venezuela assets in Exxon row." Call it the latest salvo in Bush v. Chavez with ExxonMobil (EM) its lead aggressor and the long arm of the CIA and Pentagon always in the wings

28 January, 2008

Venezuela: The Struggle For
A Mass Revolutionary Party

By Federico Fuentes

In drawing up a balance sheet of why Chavez’s constitutional reform proposal — that aimed to create a framework for the transition towards socialism — was narrowly defeated in a national referendum on December 2, one factor stands out. The Bolivarian revolution’s Achilles heel is the lack of a political instrument capable of confronting the challenges faced in the struggle to construct a new, socially just, Venezuela

10 December, 2007

Ritual Gloating Postmortems -
The Corporate Media v. Hugo Chavez

By Stephen Lendman

Chavez is resilient and will rebound from one electoral setback. Don't ever count him out or underestimate his influence over what co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Mark Weisbrot, says is "A historic transformation....underway in Latin America (following) more than a quarter century of neoliberal" rule

06 December, 2007

Venezuelan Referendum:
A Post Mortem And Its Aftermath

By James Petras

The referendum and its outcome (while important today) is merely an episode in the struggle between authoritarian imperial centered capitalism and democratic workers-centered socialism

04 December, 2007

Venezuela's Social Democracy Hits A Speed Bump
By Stephen Lendman

As expected, his opponents were gloating, but one pollster struck a positive note saying: "This defeat has two sides to it for Chavez. He came out the loser after a tough plebiscite campaign but he also gets rid of the accusation that he is a dictator." Chavez earlier said and repeated he would accept the results of the vote, and he stands by his word. It proved the process is open, free and fair unlike elections in many other so-called democracies that aren't. The struggle indeed continues with powerful popular support backing it

The Referendum Defeat In Venezuela:
A Warning To The Working Class

By Bill Van Auken

The narrow defeat on Sunday of a constitutional reform submitted to a referendum vote by the government of President Hugo Chavez has produced a mood of right-wing triumphalism within both Venezuela’s oligarchy and the US political establishment

02 December, 2007

Venezuela’s D-Day - The December 2,
Constituent Referendum

By James Petras

A decisive vote for ‘Sí’ will not end US military and political destabilization campaigns but it will certainly undermine and demoralize their collaborators. On December 2, 2007 the Venezuelans have a rendezvous with history

Tens of Thousands Protest Chavez Proposals,
Is CIA Fomenting Unrest To Challenge Referendum?

By Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez & James Petras

In Venezuela , tens of thousands of protesters marched through Caracas Thursday to oppose constitutional changes proposed by President Chavez that come to a vote on Sunday. Citing a confidential memo, the Venezuelan government is claiming the CIA is fomenting unrest to challenge the referendum

Venezuela: A People Under Fire
By Fidel Castro

A victory of the Yes vote on December 2 would not be enough. The weeks and months following that date may very well prove to be extremely tough for many countries, Cuba for one; although before that the empire's adventures could lead the planet into an atomic war, as their own leaders have confessed

29 November, 2007

What’s Really Happening In Venezuela?
By Lee Sustar

Venezuelans will vote December 2 on constitutional reforms proposed by President Hugo Chávez and his supporters, capping weeks of sometimes-violent protests by right-wing opposition forces, a defection by a top Chávez political ally, and mass mobilizations by Chávez supporters.LEE SUSTAR, recently returned from Venezuela, looks at the aims of Chávez’s proposals, the response of the opposition and the shape of Venezuelan politics today

26 November, 2007

The Final Battle In Bolivia
By Roger Burbach

Evo Morales, the first Indian president of Bolivia, is forcing a showdown with the oligarchy and the right wing political parties that have stymied efforts to draft a new constitution to transform the nation. He declares, “Dead or alive I will have a new constitution for the country by December 14,” the mandated date for the specially elected Constituent Assembly to present the constitution

21 November, 2007

Haiti: Survival And Poverty In Carrefour
By Nazaire St Fort

The families of Carrefour often live on less than one US dollar per day and suffer from malnutrition. The lack of access to potable water and basic health care further compounds the problem. Few can afford to attend school. With few options young people are put at high risk of going into prostitution and crime

19 November, 2007

Coup D'Etat Rumblings In Venezuela
By Stephen Lendman

Venezuela's social democracy is on the line in the crucial December 2 vote, and the entire region depends on it solidifying and surviving

17 November, 2007

The Monarchy's Clash With Socialism
By Pablo Ouziel

In November 2007 at the Ibero-American Summit in Santiago de Chile, the King of Spain Juan Carlos pointed his finger at Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and asked him, "Why don't you shut up?", after Chávez had called José María Aznar Spain's former Prime Minister a fascist, and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero the current Spanish Prime Minister was trying to defend him

16 November, 2007

Venezuela: Between Ballots And Bullets
By James Petras

Venezuela’s democratically elected Present Chavez faces the most serious threat since the April 11, 2002 military coup. Violent street demonstrations by privileged middle and upper middle class university students have led to major street battles in and around the center of Caracas

14 November, 2007

Venezuela: Reform Battle Continues
As Chavez Ally Splits

By Federico Fuentes

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas on November 4, in a massive sea of red, to support the proposed constitutional reforms adopted by the National Assembly that will be put to a referendum on December 2. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has explained that the reforms aim to deepen the Bolivarian revolution that his government is leading

06 November, 2007

Bolivia: 'A Project For The Liberation Of The Poor’
By Federico Fuentes

When Loayza, together with Morales, was first elected to parliament in 1997 it marked the entrance of the indigenous and campesino (peasant) movements onto the political stage nationally. Two years previously, three of Bolivia’s key indigenous and campesino organisations, including the United Union Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia (CSUTCB) headed by Loayza, came together to construct a “political instrument” that aimed to be “a political project of the poor, for the liberation of the poor”

17 October, 2007

The Difference Between Black Brazil And Black U.S.
By Italo Ramos

Reading all this news about race in the US, more than just to learn about American racial complexity, I could make sense of how big the differences are between Brazil and the US, in terms of racial questions. Here are some of them

15 October, 2007

Promised Social Change In Ecuador
By Stephen Lendman

Raphael Correa was elected Ecuador's president last November and took office January 15 promising social change. Correa must now deliver and just got a boost from his governing Movimiento Alianza Pais' landslide Constituent Assembly election victory to rewrite the nation's constitution for the 177th time in Ecuador's history hoping to get it right this time

08 October, 2007

Stalemate On The South American Chessboard?
By Federico Fuentes

It has been a year of political tours and counter-tours for Latin America, principally by the two figures who dominate the regional political landscape: Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez and US President George W. Bush. While Bush embarked on a tour in March of Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, El Salvador and Mexico, Chavez made his move by visiting Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Haiti. At each stop, the warmonger who presides over the US empire was met with mass protests; the firebrand revolutionary proclaiming the need for a new socialism of the 21st century was met with mass outpourings of support

01 October, 2007

Left Triumphs In Ecuadoran Elections,
Country’s Institutions To Be Transformed

By Roger Burbach

On Sunday the political coalition President Rafael Correa heads won an overwhelming majority of the seats in the Constituent Assembly of Ecuadore that is tasked with “refounding” the nation’s institutions. Rafael Correa's government marks the emergence of a radical anti-neoliberal axis in South America, comprising Venezuela, Bolivia and now Ecuador

14 September, 2007

Back To The Future In The Guatemalan Elections
By Cyril Mychalejko

The September 9 election to replace Guatemalan President Oscar Berger featured more body bags than tangible ideas to improve the country. Now facing a runoff election, voters are left with the tired choice between a military strongman and an oligarch

12 September, 2007

Bolivia: The Imminent Coup
By Antonio Peredo Leigue

Together with their conspiracy to “kill the Indian shit”, there are rumours of a coup, already prepared, and requiring only one or two pretexts to justify its execution

02 September, 2007

Bolivia: Political Racism In Question
By Idón Moisés Chivi Vargas

To avoid this dangerous predicament, Bolivian men and women, indigenous and non-indigenous, brilliant and honest intellectuals, business owners committed to their country, have the mission of carefully protecting the results we have had until now: Nationalisation, Decolonialisation, as the basis of the New Plurinational Bolivia

24 August, 2007

Haitian Prisoner Of Conscience Returns
By Bill Quigley

Pere Gerard Jean-Juste, an outspoken Haitian voice for human rights, economic justice and democracy, returned to Haiti last weekend for the first time since being hustled out of a prison cell by heavily armed guards and put on a waiting plane to Miami in January of 2006

22 August, 2007

America And Venezuela: Constitutional Worlds Apart
By Stephen Lendman

Although imperfect, no country anywhere is closer to a model democracy than Venezuela under President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. In contrast, none is a more shameless failure than America, but it was true long before the age of George W. Bush

21 August, 2007

Peru: The earthquake And The vultures
By Hugo Blanco

We recommend to those who are donating that they directly watch over the destiny of their donations. Those who can utilise the route of some NGOs should do so, in general they are guaranteed routes. What is certain is that the governmental route is full of vultures who will devour the large part of the aid

19 August, 2007

The Ghost of Pinochet Haunts
The Campaign Against Chavez

By John Pilger

In Washington, the old Iran-Contra death squad gang, back in power under Bush, fear the economic bridges Chavez is building in the region, such as the use of Venezuela’s oil revenue to end IMF slavery. That he maintains a neoliberal economy with a growth rate of over 10 percent, allowing the rich to grow richer, and described by the American Banker magazine as “the envy of the banking world” is seldom raised as valid criticism of his limited reforms

The Empire And The Independent Island
By Fidel Castro

The history of Cuba during the last 140 years is one of struggle to preserve national identity and independence, and the history of the evolution of the American empire, its constant craving to appropriate Cuba and of the horrendous methods that it uses today to hold on to world domination

Rethinking The Development Of Latin America
And The Caribbean For The 21st Century

By James Petras

The specific transformative packages of measures and the timing should be reflective of the specificities of each country — but the immediate goal is to hasten the transition from a pre-national to a national economy. This involves transforming a speculative real estate market to a socially based public housing program and a rent, interest, royalty and profit remittance economy based, on overseas payments, to a self-financing, domestic market linking local resources and regions. Export sector windfall profits should lead to strengthening domestic production and exchanges which expand productive sectors and local consumption based on egalitarian norms which equalize popular political participation

07 August, 2007

Ecuador: The Indigenous Movement And Correa
By Federico Fuentes

Today the indigenous movement faces some real challenges. However forging unity between this process of change and the indigenous movement to help push forward and defend Correa as his government comes under heavy attack from imperialism will have an important impact on Ecuador's destiny

30 July, 2007

Ecuador: Clash Of Old And New
By Federico Fuentes

Denouncing the congress as “rubbish” and a “national disgrace”, left-wing Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa called on the upcoming constituent assembly, for which there will be elections held on September 30, to dissolve the body, which is widely viewed as corrupt. The calls came after the opposition-controlled congress amended a number of recent laws introduced by the executive to curb unprecedented rises in the price of food

17 July, 2007

Bush, Health And Education
By Fidel Castro

Yet another example of the plunder: “There are more Ethiopian physicians in Chicago than in all of Ethiopia.”In Cuba, where healthcare is not a commodity, we can do things that Bush cannot even dream of

04 July, 2007

Grassroots Movements Change
The Face Of Power In Latin America

By Nadia Martinez

As the people of Latin America build democracies from the bottom up, the symbols of power are changing. What used to be emblems of poverty and oppression ­- indigenous clothing and speech, the labels "campesino" and "landless worker" ­- are increasingly the symbols of new power. As people-powered movements drive the region toward social justice and equality, these symbols speak, not of elite authority limited to a few, but of power broadly shared

25 June, 2007

Bolivia: The Clash Of Autonomies
By Federico Fuentes

The election of the indigenous government in Bolivia is the high-water mark in this struggle for indigenous self-determination in the Americas, a major leap towards consolidating the right of the indigenous people to assert majority rule within a plurinational state. Today, this same indigenous majority is putting its hopes for this new Bolivia in the constituent assembly

23 June, 2007

Bolivia: On The Verge Of A Racial Revenge?
By Pablo Stefanoni

Ever since the inauguration of Evo Morales, the right wing have begun to raise the spectre of a "racial revenge", supposedly promoted by the new government

21 June, 2007

Uruguay's Frente Amplio:
From Revolution To Dilution

By MIchael Fox

How one of Latin America’s most radical progressive coalitions finally achieved their country’s presidency, and how those at the helm are now turning their backs on their radical base

18 June, 2007

Bolivia: Why Do They Fear
Indigenous Autonomy?

By Carlos Cuasase Surubi

Why do they fear indigenous autonomy? Is it not the best option for the democratic life and tranquillity that all us Bolivians want, that our rights be written into the constitution and respected by governments?

09 June, 2007

Wall Street Journal's Looking Glass World
By Stephen Lendman

She's at it again on the Journal's editorial page in her June 4 article called "The Young and the Restless," subtitled "Is this the beginning of the end for Hugo Chavez?" The writer is self-styled Latin American expert Mary Anastasia O'Grady always getting top grades in vilification and disinformation but failing ones on regional knowledge and legitimate journalism

28 May, 2007

Venezuela's RCTV: Sine Die And Good Riddance
By Stephen Lendman

Venezuelan TV station Radio Caracas Television's (known as RCTV) VHF Channel 2's operating license expired May 27, and it went off the air because the Chavez government, with ample justification, chose not to renew it

23 May, 2007

Pope, Brazil And Arrogance
By Mike Ghouse

Pope Benedict just visited Brazil and his comments have caused uproar when he said, “the Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. They had welcomed the arrival of European priests at the time of the conquest as they were "silently longing" for Christianity.” Satere Mawe, chief coordinator of the Amazon Indian group Coiab responded, “It’s arrogant and disrespectful to consider our cultural heritage secondary to theirs."

Is Evo An Evil Enemy Of The People?
By Guillermo Almeyra

For some there is no doubt. There are those that say "there is no reason to look at Bolivia" and who instead declare that Evo Morales "will never decolonise the country", that the nationalisations that have been announced are no such thing and, forgetting that support for the indigenous and popular government surpasses 75%, say, without flinching, that all the social movements are against the government.So what is the truth?

15 May, 2007

Bolivia – From Colonialism To Indianism
By Christian Rudel

The "new Bolivia" that emerged from the ballot boxes in 2005 cannot be reduced to a mere victory of the political left, as some Western commentators have characterized it. Rather, it is the victory of "Indianism" over more than 500 years of colonialism and injustice

12 May, 2007

Venezuela Takes On Oil Multinationals
By Stuart Munckton

Thousands of Venezuelan workers took control of foreign-owned oil fields yesterday as Hugo Chavez stepped up his battle with Washington in a new wave of nationalisation and an announcement that the country was leaving the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund [IMF], - reported the British Guardian on May 2

Adios, World Bank!
By Nadia Martinez

As the controversy around Iraq War architect Paul Wolfowitz’s uncertain future as president of the World Bank intensifies, the financial institution is not only losing supporters. It’s also losing victims. In Latin America, countries are paying off their World Bank loans early, cutting off ties with the Bank, and creating their own financing instruments to replace the world’s oldest multilateral lending agency

08 May, 2007

The Price Of Fire In Latin America:
An Interview with Ben Dangl

By Joshua Frank

Ben Dangl is the author of The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia (AK Press 2007) and the editor of Upside Down World, an online magazine that covers Latin American politics, and Toward Freedom, a progressive perspective on world events. Recently Dangl, who won a 2007 Project Censored Award for his coverage of US military operations in Paraguay, spoke with Joshua Frank about the emerging social movements in South America and how they are threatening Washington’s power in the region

04 May, 2007

May Day Message
By Fidel Castro

It is imperative to immediately have an energy revolution

Wall Street Journal Claims Chavez
Oil Policy "Aims To Weaken US"

By Stephen Lendman

The Bush administration and US corporate media, flacking for Big Oil, is all over Hugo Chavez with the Journal's May Day article staying true to form

03 May, 2007

The U.S.’ War On Democracy
By Pablo Navarrete & John Pilger

An interview with John Pilger

Venezuela's Revolution Accelerates
By Federico Fuentes

To thunderous applause and chants of approval, Hugo Chávez has called on the Venezuelan people to radicalize the revolution towards the new socialism of the 21st century

28 April, 2007

Latin America: Four Competing Blocs Of Power
By James Petras

In reality there are four competing blocs of nations in Latin America, contrary to the highly simplistic dualism portrayed by the White House and most of the Left

 

 



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