Archives
The Reggaetón Factor in the U.S. Elections
Who would have thought when Daddy Yankee released "Gasolina" in 2004 that four short years later the song would become the butt of jokes about John McCain and offshore drilling? If there were still sectors of U.S. society that didn’t know about reggaetón, this year’s presidential race certainly changed that. […]
Another Front in the Conflict: Colombian Government’s Propaganda vs. Indigenous Media Perspectives
Bogotá, Colombia-A week into the Indigenous and Popular Mobilizations in Cauca (and the rest of Colombia), and it is fair to say that the propaganda war is well underway. And so far, it looks like the government of Alvaro Uribe is winning. […]
Refugees in Ecuador: Putting Post-Neoliberalism to the Test
Street Vendor in Ecuador
At an estimated 250,000, there are currently more refugees in Ecuador than in any other Latin American country. They don’t live in far-removed camps, but instead struggle to survive in Ecuador’s informal urban economies, largely because the Ecuadorian government denies the majority of asylum requests. […]
The Monroe Doctrine Revisited: China’s Increased Role in Latin America
There is evidence that US-dominated influence in Latin America is over, both politically and economically. In its stead, China has quietly positioned itself to fill the void in Latin American affairs. […]
History Repeats Itself For Indigenous Communities in Colombia
Bogotá, Colombia—As I write this, over 12,000 indigenous activists and representatives of other popular and social sectors of southern Colombia are urgently congregating in the "Territory of Peace and Coexistence" in La Maria Piendamó, in Cauca, confronting a massive presence of state security forces who have been ordered to dislodge them.
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Guatemala: Americas Social Forum Rejects Neoliberalism, Celebrates Resistance
Each social forum assumes its own character, and Jorge Coronado of the Hemispheric Commission from the Americas Social Forum, identified the Guatemala meeting as "the forum of resistance of the continental people’s movement." Coronado observed that participants debated "some of the most pressing issues that face social movement struggles: free trade agreements, neoliberalism, and the issue of mining, which affects rural and indigenous communities." […]
New Discoveries Reveal US Intervention in Bolivia
J. Bigwood (ABI)
Declassified U.S. government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal a clear and consistent policy of U.S. intervention and meddling in Bolivia’s internal affairs. These activities are directed from the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, particularly through the local offices of the U.S.-taxpayer-funded Agency for International Development (USAID). […]