Latin America
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Femicides of Juárez: Violence Against Women in Mexico
Juárez is nicknamed ‘the capital of murdered women.’ The border city of 1.5 million inhabitants draws tens of thousands of young women from small, poor towns with $55-a-week jobs in maquiladoras operated by such wealthy major corporations as General Electric, Alcoa, and DuPont. According to Amnesty International, more than 800 bodies had been found as… Continue reading
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Colombian Trade Unions: A Target for Intimidation and Assassination
For most of its modern existence, Colombia has struggled with internal violence, most recently in the form of human rights abuses and brutality against organized trade union groups carried out by paramilitary and insurgent armies. This group in particular has been subjected to a disproportionate amount of violence. In the past twenty years, over 2,000… Continue reading
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Michael O'McCarthy interviews Costa Rican Presidential Candidate Ottón Solís
With a constitution lending itself to the development of a complete social democracy and with its notable lack of a standing military force, Costa Rica is unique among Latin American nations. After a very narrow victory over Ottón Solís in 2006, the country has been governed by Óscar Árias of the social-democratic Partido de Liberación… Continue reading
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The Coup in Honduras: A Set Back for both Democracy and U.S.-Latin American Unity
31 July, 2009 — Council on Hemispheric Affairs Over a month has passed since the Honduran Congress ordered the military ousting of the country’s legitimate Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, sparking hemispheric-wide unrest and nasty flashbacks to a recent history of military coups, which many had hoped were no longer part of the landscape. Last month’s Continue reading
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Nicaragua Under Daniel Ortega's Second Presidency: Daniel-Style Politics as Usual?
Daniel Ortega, popular from his days as the leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), has twice served as President of Nicaragua. First known as a fiery revolutionary during his initial term in office, Ortega now presents himself as a mature politician devoted to enacting social change at the service of his beloved country… Continue reading
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Water in Latin America: The Importance of Gender Relations
As caretakers and homemakers, women are usually responsible for finding water according to its accessibility, availability, quality, and use. Despite their prominent role in the use and management of water, women are generally not consulted on matters of water infrastructure or policy, even though United Nations researchers suggest that the perspectives of women need to… Continue reading
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China’s Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean
The release of the paper deliberately coincided with the unfolding of the current financial crisis; this congruence of events has allowed China to expand its influence in this somewhat neglected region without attracting any lasting venom from the U.S. China’s policy paper formally evidences the importance of Latin America and the Caribbean as part of… Continue reading
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Street Art in Revolutionary Venezuela By Dale Graden
Street art plays an increasingly vital role in revolutionary Venezuela: It is a mode of political expression, a form of popular education, and helps build a collective historical memory. Few places show this more brilliantly than the walls of 23 de Enero with its combative spirit inscribed on almost every corner. Continue reading
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U.S.-Brokered Mediation Has Failed — It's Time for Latin America to Take Charge By Mark Weisbrot
The mediation effort that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arranged to try to resolve the Honduran crisis, which began when a military coup removed Honduran President Mel Zelaya more than four weeks ago, has failed. It is now time — some would say overdue — for the Latin American governments to play their proper… Continue reading
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Thursday, Bloody Thursday in Honduras By Al Giordano
JULY 30, 2009, CUESTA DE LA VIRGEN, COMAYAGUA, HONDURAS: The first signs came in the form of tractor trailers, miles and miles of them, easily thousands, laden with melons and pineapples and bananas and sports apparel manufactured in the factories to the north, frozen in place, engines turned off, on the side of the road,… Continue reading
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Honduras Coup: the US Connection By Nil Nikandrov
The topic most widely debated in Latin America at the moment is what Obama’s administration has got to do with the recent coup in Honduras. The answer is straightforward – everything. The coup is aligned with US strategic objectives and is going to be used by Washington to regain positions in the region which it… Continue reading
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The Real News Network – US military to set up in Colombia
Video: With the hemisphere fixated on the coup d’etat in Honduras, the Colombian military announced it would be opening up some of its military bases to be shared with the US military. This caused immediate condemnation from the leadership of Colombia’s neighbors, Ecuador and Venezuela. Forrest Hylton, expert on Colombian affairs, believes that the two… Continue reading
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US Escalates War Plans In Latin America By By Rick Rozoff
On June 29 US President Barack Obama hosted his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe at the White House and weeks later it was announced that the Pentagon plans to deploy troops to five air and naval bases in Colombia, the largest recipient of American military assistance in Latin America and the third largest in the world,… Continue reading
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Evo Morales: United States took part in the coup d’état in Honduras
United States took part in the coup d’état carried out against the President of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, because they did not do anything to prevent it and they are doing nothing to make possible his return as Head of State, said this Thursday the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales. Continue reading
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"Me Detain Zelaya? What Are You Saying!" By Honduras Coup 2009
Today in passing, a Honduran colleague told me that the latest news was that the national police were on strike because they had not been paid and that, when the de facto regime’s designate to run the Treasury, Gabriela Nuñez, said she would get them back pay, they said they would refuse to accept it. Continue reading
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The Real News Network – Zelaya just one of millions
Video: They didn’t overthrow Zelaya when he raised the minimum wage, de facto president Roberto Micheletti even voted with Zelaya in approving the Chavez-sponsored ALBA initiative, but the day he went to ask the people to get involved the military kidnapped and expelled him. Canadian gold miners, US military bases, and the Honduran oligarchy all… Continue reading
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Honduras Both Sides Say: No Retreat By Reginald Thompson
With the end of the Cold War, Central American governments had reason to optimistically believe that threats to their constitutional government largely had been eliminated. Zelaya’s unceremonious displacement from the presidency shattered this notion by raising uncomfortable questions about the vitality of regional governments and the challenge to civilian supremacy, as well as the effects… Continue reading
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Nicaragua: An unfinished revolution – 17 July, 2009 – Part 4
Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman visits Nicaragua and speaks with former combatants and leaders in the country’s civil conflict and to ordinary citizens about how their lives have been impacted by 30 years of broken promises from across the political spectrum. Part Four Continue reading
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Nicaragua: An unfinished revolution – 17 July, 2009 – Part 3
Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman visits Nicaragua and speaks with former combatants and leaders in the country’s civil conflict and to ordinary citizens about how their lives have been impacted by 30 years of broken promises from across the political spectrum. Part Three Continue reading
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Nicaragua: An unfinished revolution – 17 July, 2009 – Part 2
Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman visits Nicaragua and speaks with former combatants and leaders in the country’s civil conflict and to ordfinary citizens about how their lives have been impacted by 30 years of broken promises from across the political spectrum. Part Two Continue reading
The New Dark Age 