Year: 2009
Mixed Feelings About Obama’s First Meeting with Hemispheric Leaders
Of all the memorable statements coming out of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad this weekend, the one that stood out the most for me was President Barack Obama’s public expression of how he intended to approach his first major meeting with his hemispheric counterparts.
"I have a lot to learn and I’m very much looking forward to listening," the president said in his opening address. […]
San José de Apartado: Colombian Peace Community Stands Up for Humanity
The peace community of San José de Apartado was created in 1997 by five hundred displaced villagers from seventeen different towns in the wider region, following a wave of massacres perpetrated mostly by paramilitary groups. While forced out of their homes, these farmers were determined that they would not give up their lands. The only way to do so, they resolved, was through self organization and refusing to take part in the conflict in any way.
Haiti: Fanmi Lavalas Banned, Voter Apprehension Widespread
(IPS) – Weekend senatorial elections in Haiti are mired in controversy as Fanmi Lavalas (FL), the political party widely backed by the poor majority, has been disqualified. As the global financial crisis unfolds, U.N. officials […]
ALBA Summit Ratifies Regional Currency, Prepares for Trinidad
Source: Venezuela Analysis April 17 – Latin America’s most progressive governments met in Cumaná, Venezuela on Thursday for the seventh summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, ALBA. There they prepared their positions for […]
Radios Comunitarias en México
Fuente: Programa de las Américas Versión original: Indigenous Community Radio in MexicoTraducción por: Fernando León Romero A través de la historia mexicana, un rico mosaico de culturas indígenas ha sido la base para la sobrevivencia […]
Brazil: New Offensive for Faster Land Reform
(IPS) – Brazil’s landless movement (MST) has launched its annual April demonstrations to demand an acceleration of land reform efforts and commemorate the Eldorado de Carajás massacre, in which 19 rural protesters were killed by […]
Guatemala: Popular resistance to Xalala Dam finds international law on its side
Source: The Dominion COPAL’AA, GUATEMALA-In a remote village bordering the Chixoy River in northern Guatemala, scores of people gather outside a wooden meeting hall. Mayan men, women and children face a video camera to demonstrate […]
Summit of the Americas: Obama Should Begin Working with Castro and Chavez
At the upcoming Summit of the Americas, Obama’s simple acknowledgement of the mistakes the Bush Administration made in policy towards Venezuela, especially the 2002 coup, could turn Chávez from a difficult adversary into a pragmatic partner. […]
Latin America Changes: Hunger Strikes in Bolivia, Summits in the Caribbean
Morales on Hunger Strike
After Bolivia beat the Argentine soccer team led by legendary Diego Maradona by 6 to 1, Maradona told reporters, "Every Bolivia goal was a stab in my heart." Bolivia was expected to lose the April 1 match as Argentina is ranked as the 6th best soccer team in the world, and Maradona enjoys godlike status among soccer fans. This story of David and Goliath in the Andes is just one of various events shaking up the hemisphere. […]