Cristina Kirchner and Argentina’s Good Fortune
Argentine President Cristina Kirchner was re-elected president on Sunday, October 23rd, receiving roughly 54% of the votes. Her nearest challenger received less than 17% support. This article looks at the economic policies that contributed to Kirchner’s victory.
The Trenches of Mexico: “You Can’t Call the Police on the Army”
There Mexican Army has conducted 20,000 raids in the last five years. Arturo Rodríguez García, writing for Proceso, reports that, “in the past two years . . . the number of captured citizens, raids without warrants, disappearances, instances of torture and executions have multiplied.” One defender of human rights affirms that the Marines “have the implicit right to violate the constitution. They rob, kidnap, disappear and kill and nothing happens.”
The Rubber Tappers of Sao Bernardo, Brazil: Struggling Still in the Memory of Chico Mendes – Photo Essay and Report
Seringal Sao Bernardo, in the state of Acre in Brazil’s Western Amazon, is a settlement of seringuieros – rubber tappers – who have lived on their piece of forested land since before they were freed from plantation serfdom in the 1970’s.
Argentina: Divided Opposition Goes All Out for…Second Place
(IPS) – Argentina’s weak, fragmented opposition is going to the polls on Sunday offering neither strong leaders nor clear alternatives capable of winning voters away from President Cristina Fernández, who is expected to easily win […]
Militarism in Paraguay: The Other Side of the Economic Model
A production model in Paraguay based on soy monoculture results in economic growth, but also causes social instability that can lead to political crises. The temptation is to use armed force to resolve them.
Landmark Vote in Brazil Upholds Indigenous Rights on Belo Monte
Source: International Rivers On Monday, federal judge Selene Maria de Almeida voted in a landmark opinion in Brazilian courts that the Belo Monte Dam licenses are illegal and must be cancelled due to what is […]
Colombia: When Humanitarian Law Is Just Rhetoric
(IPS) – The constant violations of international humanitarian law in Colombia claimed the life of an 11-year-old indigenous girl a month ago in the mountains of the southwest province of Cauca. The army arrived at […]
Workers in Nationalised Companies in Venezuela Demand More Worker Control
Source: Venezuelanalysis.com National electricity workers are protesting post changes that they believe give power to the rightwing and override workers, while Sidor steel workers protested violence towards some of its workers as it runs union […]
Ecuador: Mining in Times of Referendums
Canadian mining company Iamgold’s Quimsacocha gold mining project, high in the Andes of southern Ecuador is going nowhere fast. On October 2, the mining project was the latest one to fall victim to the community referendums that have defeated mining projects in Peru, Guatemala and Argentina.