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.

Barrick Gold continues to benefit from the silence of local and regional authorities in Argentina and Canada, who are taking no action to contain or remediate the harm committed from the spills. Despite this pattern of environmental harm and a history of hiding the spills from those most affected, the company is expanding the mine to extend its life another 10 years.

The administration of leftist Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wants to establish a new Federal Police unit focused on deterring environmental crimes. While such offences are currently addressed by the Federal Police’s organized crime department, creating a new unit would show a sense of priority and a break from the previous government.

On November 3, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the US government’s economic, commercial, and financial blockade of Cuba. Of the 189 member states present at the vote, 185 called for the blockade’s immediate lifting, equal to 98 percent of the General Assembly. Two voted against the resolution: the United States and Israel.

What has Washington actually most worried about Lula is the reemergence of a powerful non-aligned movement, writes Steve Ellner. The majority of the world’s population has not joined the sanctions regime against Russia and are gradually coalescing around an a new and emerging economic, financial and commercial system alternative to the West.

While it is true that Lula chose to align himself with more centrist and pro-business elements during his election campaign⁠—his running mate and current Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin ran to the right of Lula in the 2006 presidential elections⁠—the fact that a demonized and imprisoned left-wing politician was able to hand a defeat to a well-backed right-wing incumbent is momentous indeed.

If Ottawa convinces CARICOM members to join its imperial endeavor it would highlight Canada’s leverage among the political and economic union of mostly small 15 member states, writes CD columnist Yves Engler. Ottawa’s influence in the region dates to when the Canada First Movement sought “a closer political connection” with the British West Indies in the 1870s.