The army gave a safe haven to the coup demonstrators before and after they vandalized the buildings in Brasília and while they were asking for an army intervention against the president. At the same time, it was unable to protect the presidential palace from such a crowd. This sends a clear message about who the army was trying to defend and what it considers its true mission.

On January 11, the Salvadoran government under President Nayib Bukele ordered the arrest of five prominent anti-mining activists and water defenders from the north of the country. Social organizations around the world have taken notice. More than 250 organizations from countries across the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia signed a statement calling for the government to drop the charges.

The imposition of patented transgenic seeds onto rural communities has had a catastrophic impact on human livelihoods and biodiversity protection. In many countries, seeds have traditionally been the collective property of farmers—however, these farmers’ right to control their own seed supply is being attacked by corporate forces which have captured capitalist states around the world.

Although the absurdity of the Juan Guaidó era is drawing to a close, one can be certain that Ottawa will seek new ways to promote the opposition in the upcoming presidential elections in 2024, which will surely see the Venezuelan right adopt new tactics in their unceasing quest to overturn the Bolivarian Revolution.

The accelerated gentrification of two of Mexico City’s neighbourhoods, La Condesa and La Roma Norte, has caused tensions and a near-impossible living situation for local Mexicans. The already trendy neighbourhoods, accustomed to the presence of foreigners and their money, have undergone a process of “super gentrification” since the beginning of the pandemic.

Canada’s Ambassador to the UN Bob Rae wants Canada to help re-establish a Haitian military with a brutal history. According to Yves Engler, Rae should either educate himself about Haiti’s history or keep his remarks in check, as his excessive pride about Canada as a force for good in the world will likely keep him pontificating on a subject he knows far too little about.

Since the 1990s, the US and Canada have supported a program of neoliberalization in Panama, which has led to a decreased role for the state, an increase in the influence of transnational companies in the Panamanian economy, and a turn toward commodity exports including agricultural goods and minerals. This shift resulted in more investment from US and Canadian companies.

The coup against Pedro Castillo is a major setback for the current wave of progressive governments in Latin America and the people’s movements that elected them. This coup and the arrest of Castillo are stark reminders that the ruling elites of Latin America will not concede any power without a bitter fight to the end. And now that the dust has settled, the only winners are the Peruvian oligarchy.

Ottawa’s response to the ouster of left-wing Peruvian President Pedro Castillo last week matches its reaction to similar crises throughout Latin America, in which the right-wing earns Canada’s complete support and progressive forces, be they political leaders or popular social movements, are either demonized or ignored.

As Venezuela emerges from crisis, everyone in the global left should keep an eye on the communes. Currently, there are almost 50,000 registered communes in Venezuela, concentrated in the countryside and the sprawling urban barrios. They are a force for progressive change and an example for anyone who wants to imagine a more socially just and economically sustainable future.