Articles by Upside Down World
Power, Violence and Mining in Guatemala: Non-Violent Resistance to Canada’s Northern Shadow
Source: ReVista It was another cold summer’s night in the Guatemalan highlands when my colleague, Rev. Emilie Smith, received a devastating phone call. “Yoli has been shot!” said a voice on the other end. Frantically, […]
Brookings Institution Calls on Obama to Support a Hypothetical Coup Against Venezuela’s Maduro
Source: The Americas Blog On Thursday, the Brookings Institution issued a memo to President Obama titled “Venezuela Breaks Down in Violence.” As might be expected from the title, the memo (and an accompanying video) depicts […]
Coal Spill Puts Spotlight on Colombia’s Labor and Environmental Struggles
Source: In These Times The Alabama-based Drummond Company’s recent coal spill in Colombia has combined with its record of labor abuse to place the coal giant at the intersection of the country’s political struggles and […]
Argentine Activists Win First Round Against Monsanto Plant
Residents of a town in Argentina have won the first victory in their fight against biotech giant Monsanto, but they are still at battle stations, aware that winning the war is still a long way off. For four months, activists in Malvinas Argentinas, a town in the central province of Cordoba, have maintained a blockade of the construction site where the U.S. transnational company is building the world’s biggest maize seed treatment plant.
Congress’ Last Stand: Privatizations among New Laws in Honduras
A new President has taken the helm in Honduras, but the more significant developments took place in Congress, where outgoing representatives spent their last few days passing a barrage of laws in a frantic final dash. Dubbed a “legislative hemorrhage,” more than 100 laws and almost as many contracts were passed between January 17 and January 20 following two weeks of already unprecedented activity that included Constitutional reforms.
Facing the New Conquistador: Indigenous Rights and Repression in Rafael Correa’s Ecuador
Source: Intercontinental Cry On 10 January Andrés Donoso Fabara, Ecuadorian Secretary of Hydrocarbons, filed a formal complaint against eight indigenous leaders: Humberto Cholango and Bartolo Ushigua, President and Vice-president of CONAIE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities […]
In the Fog: The Struggle for Power, Territory, and Justice in the Mexican State of Michoacán
Although in Mexican law it is illegal for citizens to bear most firearms, especially those of military grade and caliber, the self-defense groups adamantly declare that it is their right to protect themselves and their communities against equally armed criminal groups. “We are doing nothing wrong, we are protecting the people, people who are tired of injustice and organized crime,” said Estanislao Beltrán Torres, one of the movement leaders, in an interview with the newspaper Milenio.
El Salvador: Increase in Homicides Linked to “Extermination Groups” and ARENA Campaign
Source: El Salvador 2014 Elections Blog Since the beginning of the New Year and with the February 2nd presidential elections less than two weeks away, El Salvador has seen a dramatic increase in homicides. In […]
Large-Scale Mining in Uruguay: Time to Vote?
Source: NACLA Picked by The Economist as country of the year and celebrated by Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa in an El País op-ed, Uruguay is one of the most popular countries these days. […]