I had read about the horrendous civil war that had ripped Guatemala apart and wanted to visit some of the places most affected by this violent past, talk to the victims and make some sense of what had happened. This is how I ended up in a remote community in the heart of the Ixcán jungle, near the border with Mexico.
Like NAFTA, the Mexico-European Union free trade agreement has failed to delivered promised "benefits" to Mexicans. "The Europeans frequently say that their agreement with Mexico focuses on the fields of democracy and human rights. But […]
The Andean Free Trade Agreement could undermine a class action lawsuit filed by 30,000 Ecuadorians against Chevron for oil contamination in the Amazon that led to massive environmental destruction and widespread health problems. Senators Patrick […]
A Guatemalan Court dropped charges against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, which alleged the former general orchestrated a violent protest in 2003 that left one journalist dead. Rios Montt led a successful military coup in […]
The sixth World Social Forum (WSF) has ended and all the thousands of activists and journalists have gone home, most unaware of the parallel events held by the Alternative Social Forum (ASF). The ASF hosted a diverse group of participants all in agreement of the necessary autonomy of social movements, voiced their critique of Latin American energy policy and questioned the state appropriation of social movements in Venezuela.
When the residents of Junín, Ecuador declare that copper mining will begin only "over my dead body", I get the sense they mean it. Never have I personally known a more determined and dedicated group of people. Aside from everyday acts of resistance to Ascendant Copper Corporation and its locally hired cronies, the people of Junín and surrounding communities of Intag imperiled by the proposed mine repeatedly use formidable acts to demonstrate their discontent and opposition to mining projects.
As a result of the rapid expansion of genetically modified soybeans into the area, peasants and Indigenous people in Eastern Paraguay have become the targets of land evictions, pesticide poisoning and assassinations.
Haiti’s election was marred with scuffles, stampedes, murders and confusion in what the U.S. ambassador has called a "triumph for the Haitian people." Many polling places were disorganized and unable to open on time. "Some […]
Costa Rican electoral officials began a recount on Tuesday to determine the winner of a presidential race in which the two candidates were separated by a mere .3 percent with most of the polling places […]
Look out Coke, Pepsi and Seagram’s. Indigenous campesinos from Western Colombia have a new market for their coca crops: soft drinks. Nasa Indians approached officials in Bogota to license their new cola, named Coca Sek, […]
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