Month: April 2008
Round Three of Negotiations Between the European Union and the Andean Community
Source: Alainet The third round of negotiations for an association agreement between the European Union and the Andean Community (CAN), which take place between April 21st and 25th in Quito, began with a discussion of […]
Pope Benedict’s Holy War Against Liberation Theology in South America
Source: Council on Hemisphere Affairs The recent election of former Bishop Fernando Lugo as President of Paraguay poses a sticky dilemma for the Vatican and underscores the hostile political environment facing incoming Pope Benedict XVI […]
After the Water Wars in Bolivia: The Struggle for a “Social-Public” Alternative
Photo: Tom Kruse
In the month of February, an unusual plight fell upon the city of La Paz. Torrential rains that hit the region ruptured the water main that services the wealthiest zone of the city, leaving the residents of the Zona Sur (Southern Zone) without water for several days. While it is common for residents in poor barrios not to have access to piped water, upper and middle class residents are accustomed to hearing the gush of clean, running water every time they open the tap. […]
Landowners’ Rebellion: Slavery and Saneamiento in Bolivia
In recent weeks, cattle ranchers and landowners in Bolivia’s Cordillera province, located in the south of the department of Santa Cruz, resorted to blockades and violence in order to halt the work of Bolivia’s National Institute for Agrarian Reform. As a referendum on Departmental Autonomy for Santa Cruz draws near, the conflict calls into question the central government’s ability to enforce the law in the Bolivian lowlands.
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Argentina’s Soy Storm: Tensions Rising Among Farmers
Argentina has often been described as the bread basket of the Southern Cone, with plenty of fertile land for grains and cattle.Yet with world food prices soaring, soy critics worry about Argentina’s ability to feed its own people at affordable prices. […]
“Transgenic Seed Companies Lie and Bribe:” Interview with Goldman Prize Winner Jesús León Santos
(IPS) – Biotech corporations that developed genetically modified seeds are bribing authorities and carrying out costly advertising campaigns "plagued with lies in order to create monsters that attack life," says Jesús León Santos, an indigenous […]
Illegal Autonomy Referendum Deepens Division in Bolivia
Santa Cruz and the other lowland departments of Bolivia plan to go ahead with a referendum to approve autonomy statutes, setting a new system of government for the department on May 4th, in spite of the National Electoral Court ruling forbidding the referendum and the disapproval of the international community. […]
“Freetrade” With Colombia: Double Speak, Deadly Silence and Deception
Something peculiar happens in United States political and media circles when the discussion is about "free trade" with Colombia. Take for instance the topic of labor conditions. We have grown accustomed to serious and needed condemnations […]