-
Economic Sanctions: War by Another Name
Latin America and the CaribbeanOur real national security threat is the erosion of democracy and morality within our borders when we cage refugee children from Central America, terrorizing them and violating their human rights. We have a history of undermining and overturning democratically elected governments (Iran in 1953, Chile in 1973). Yet we hypocritically demonize other governments for endangering our national security.
-
“Yes to life, no to mining”
Latin America and the CaribbeanOn June 22, we attended Oaxaca’s first ever “Guelaguetza” against mining, in the municipality of San Martín de los Cansecos. Various communities from the Valles Centrales in Oaxaca joined together to commemorate the state’s annual “Rebellion Against Mining Day” and to reaffirm “¡Sí a la vida, no a la minería!” (Yes to life, no to mining!)
-
Canada’s Complicity in the Venezuela Crisis
Canadian PoliticsCanada has involved itself in this crisis mainly through its co-founding and participation in the Lima Group. In doing so, Canada has touted its value-oriented foreign policy and commitments to safeguarding and promoting democracy and human rights abroad. The aims of the Lima Group are to support Guaidó’s aim of removing Maduro and to guarantee a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela “without the use of force”.
-
Tailings Dam Collapses in the Americas: Lessons Learned?
EnvironmentHave there been any lessons learned by mining companies and governments from Mount Polley, Mariana and Brumadinho? Virtually none. Have there been any lessons learned by the civil society? It yet remains to be seen whether the furor created by these catastrophes can be harnessed by social movements. Can other social actors like universities, advocacy groups, and independent think tanks actually carry out the independent research and the monitoring of mining that the governments and companies have abdicated?
-
On July 26, Cuba Has a Lot to Be Proud of
Latin America and the CaribbeanJuly 26 marked the 66th anniversary of the simultaneous assaults on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba and the military garrison in Bayamo led by Fidel Castro and less than 200 combatants in what is known as the impossible storming of the heavens against the brutal U.S. puppet dictator Fulgencio Bautista, who in the 7 years before the Revolution, carried out a reign of misery and poverty punctuated by torturing and executing 20,000 Cubans.
-
Venezuela and Imperialist Confrontation in Latin America
Latin America and the CaribbeanWe have very clearly seen that the heroic people of Venezuela and their revolutionary government, under Comandante Chavez and now democratically elected President Maduro, are extremely capable of dealing with all kinds of internal counter-revolutionary sabotage. We must immediately increase our effort to explain to the people in the advanced industrial countries that shortages of goods, food, medicine, and basic necessities are the result of inhuman, brutal and heavy imperialist sanctions and blockade.
-
Why the Canadian Government is Confronting Venezuela
Canadian PoliticsSince the attempted U.S. coup against Venezuela on January 23, backed by the Lima Group of which the Justin Trudeau government is an active member, Canada’s corporate media have joined in a chorus of hate and disinformation against the Bolivarian Revolution, with the criticism focusing on Nicolás Maduro, the country’s constitutionally elected president. At the same time, a debate has arisen among workers, trade unionists, and social and political activists.
-
Liberals use ‘human rights’ to push coup in Venezuela
Canadian PoliticsAs part of their effort to overthrow Nicolas Maduro’s government, Ottawa has funded and promoted a slew of groups and individuals critical of human rights in Venezuela. And a recent report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights gave a boost to Canada’s faltering coup bid in that South American country. Overseen by former social democratic Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, the report paints Venezuelan security forces as extremely violent and the government as politically repressive.
-
Venezuela’s Guaido Investigated for Aid Embezzlement
Latin America and the CaribbeanVenezuelan authorities have opened a new criminal investigation against self-declared “Interim President” Juan Guaido for his role in the “humanitarian aid” corruption scandal unveiled over the weekend. Attorney General Tarek William Saab named Guaido as the accused “mastermind” behind the crimes, arguing that the opposition leader “personally directed the corruption mafia.” The investigation will focus on accusations of money laundering, corruption, and criminal association, and will be led by two public prosecutors.
-
Who Is Reporting That Trump Sanctions Have Killed Thousands of Venezuelans?
Latin America and the CaribbeanI wrote on June 14 about Reuters burying a study by economists Jeffrey Sachs and Mark Weisbrot that links US-imposed economic sanctions on Venezuela in August 2017 to an estimated 40,000 deaths by the end of 2018. The study is the clearest evidence of the devastating impact US policy is having on the people of Venezuela. Below is a list of English-language outlets that, according to the Nexis news database, mentioned the study as of June 17. They are overwhelmingly non-US outlets.
