Month: May 2013
Bolivia Expels USAID: Not Why, but Why Not Sooner?
Source The Americas Blog At a speech celebrating May Day in Bolivia today, President Evo Morales announced the expulsion of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from the country. According to the AP, […]
State of Siege: Mining Conflict Escalates in Guatemala
With the world’s attention focused on the on-again off-again genocide trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and his head of military intelligence in Guatemala City, there has been little international reporting on other events in the Central American nation. Meanwhile, as the trial continues, conflicts involving rural communities and Canadian mining companies are escalating, to the point that a State of Siege was declared last night.
Ecuador: Green-Washing Run Amok in the Andes
This year on Earth Day, the government of Ecuador spoke eloquently before the UN on the rights of nature enshrined in the country’s Constitution and the much-publicized Yasuni Initiative, which seeks to leave millions of […]
Colombia: Marcha Patriótica Gains Momentum in the Struggle for Peace with Social Justice
A sea of people from all across Colombia marched in Bogotá with a common desire for an end to the country’s armed conflict. They lined the streets in a lively procession, including dancing, music and performance. Countless people waving flags, holding banners, and wearing symbolic T-shirts marched to the city’s famous Plaza de Bolívar, united by a common desire for peace.
One Year after the Murder of Journalist Regina Martínez: Violence and Impunity Reign
On April 28, 2012 journalist Regina Martínez was found strangled in the bathroom of her home in Xalapa, the capital of the southern Mexican state of Veracruz. Martínez was a renowned journalist with the Mexican weekly magazine Proceso, which for the past 36 years has been publishing articles about narco-trafficking, the war on drugs, and government corruption, among other topics.
Organizations Like Bamboo: Wellness and Resilience in Colombian Human Rights Defense
The conversation on care in US social movements has had me thinking about how we draw lines around what is and is not considered “movement,” or “care,” or “practice.” My own perspective around this was expanded through interactions with Colombian activists who, in their struggles for fundamental rights – land, gender justice, environmental, and others – weave together strategies of resilience promotion to strengthen a community’s ability to withstand physical and psychological strain, together with base-building, advocacy, direct action, and other strategies.