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Latin America

Applying/Misapplying Gramsci’s Passive Revolution To Latin America

The second wave of progressive Latin American governments that began with the election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico in 2018 does not have the aura of excitement surrounding the first, dating back to Hugo Chávez in 1998. It is not only characterized by pragmatism, but lacks the slogans and banners of radical change associated with Chávez and Evo Morales. As stated by former Bolivian vice president Álvaro García Linera in the face of challenges from an aggressive right, the second-wave left “turned up to the fight in an already exhausted state.”

Global South Denounces Genocide; Nicaragua Ends Relations With Israel

More and more countries in the Global South are cutting relations with Israel, accusing it of committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. United Nations experts have stated that there “are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide … has been met”, adding that “the genocide in Gaza is the most extreme stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure of the native Palestinians”. Scientific experts have estimated that 186,000 Palestinians will die due to Israel’s war of extermination on Gaza, representing roughly 8% of the population of the densely populated strip.

Southern Command Launches Attack On China And Russia In Latin America

Laura Richardson, leader of the U.S. military’s Southern Command, recently called for the development of a new “Marshall Plan”, aimed at Latin America to counter the growing influence of Russia and China in the region. During the annual security forum of the Aspen Institute, a platform that has become one of the most reactionary and belligerent spaces in the post-World War II geopolitical landscape, she said: “I firmly believe that we need a Marshall Plan for the region”. Her appeal is consistent with the ideological coordinates that have characterized the forum for decades. Richardson’s call reflects the deep concern of the United States over the undeniable loss of geopolitical and economic influence in Latin America.

Three Amigos No More?

Just a week ago, we wagered that the US and Canadian embassies would soon begin piling pressure on Mexico as the outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (aka AMLO) seeks to pass sweeping constitutional reforms to its mining laws, energy laws and judicial system, among other things, in his last month in office. Just two days later, the US Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, sent a communique warning that the proposed judicial reforms could have serious consequences for the US’ trade relations with its biggest trade partner: Based on my lifelong experience supporting the rule of law, I believe popular direct election of judges is a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy. Any judicial reform should have the right kinds of safeguards that will ensure the judicial branch will be strengthened and not subject to the corruption of politics.

Real Democracy And Continental Integration

Continental integration has been a longstanding project in Latin America. It aims to overcome the balkanization that occurred in the wake of independence, which weakens the region geopolitically. This was a goal pursued by Simón Bolivar and José Marti in the 19th century and more recently by Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez. In 2004, the latter two joined forces to found The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty [ALBA-TCP], which works to build connections among the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. In this interview, we talk with Jorge Arreaza, Secretary of ALBA-TCP, about the past and present of Venezuela’s democratic project and about his hopes for South-South integration.

The Time Of The Lima Group Is Over

Following the proclamation by the National Electoral Council of the victory of Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections, several fronts of conflict have opened within Venezuela. The opposition has refused to recognize the results and has declared that its candidate, Edmundo González, is the legitimate winner of the elections. This scenario was expected given that the opposition had already announced that they would not respect the result if their candidate did not win. The international hegemonic media also started a campaign several months ago to delegitimize the electoral result if Maduro won the elections.

Latin American Right Unites Against The Bolivarian Revolution

The first wave of attacks were in response to alleged political deportations of several political figures such as ex-vice president of Colombia Martha Lucía Ramírez, ex-president of Mexico Vicente Fox, ex-president of Bolivia Jorge Tuto Ramírez, who are part of the Miami-based right-wing think tank “Idea Grupo” who had attempted to travel to Venezuela to act as “electoral observers”. After they were denied entry to the country for not having proper accreditation from the country’s electoral authorities, they launched a campaign on social media alleging that they were arbitrarily detained and deported by the “Maduro regime”.

Movement Leaders Gathered For Second Edition Of World Social Alternative

Mass movements, progressive organizations and social leaders from all sectors convened in Caracas for the second edition of the meeting of movements and social leaders for a World Social Alternative, an initiative put together by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), in collaboration with the Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity amongst Peoples (ISB). The meeting ran from July 23-24, and featured debates, plenary sessions, and panel discussions at the Simon Bolivar Hall of the Bolivar Theater of Caracas in the capital of Venezuela, with delegates from across the globe. It follows the first encounter for a World Social Alternative which was held in Caracas between April 18 to April 20.

Mexico: Innuendoes, Distortions, Omissions And Blatant Lies By NACLA

Using Mexican president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s decision to include Omar García Harfuch in her cabinet, NACLA [North American Congress on Latin America] contributor Suhail Gharaibeh penned a character assassination piece against García Harfuch (29 June 2024), barely three weeks after Claudia’s victory on June 2. A substantial part of the “character assassination” includes a torrent of innuendoes, guilt by association, and plenty of other tricky ambiguities aimed at allegedly “demonstrating” the long-term connection, if not association, between AMLO and narco-traffickers since at least 2006. This is Gharaibeh’s piece’s actual objective and the “character assassination of García Harfuch” is the means to do it.

Colombian Social Movements Reject US-Colombia Military Exercises In Pacific

The Colombian political and social movement the People’s Congress (Congreso de los Pueblos), which brings together dozens of social organizations across sectors and regions of the country, categorically rejected the joint US-Colombia military drills as part of the US Southern Command’s “Southern Seas 2024” operation. Joint exercises between the US Marines and the Colombian Navy took place from June 29-30, 2024, off the coast of the Cauca Valley in Colombia. There were five coordinated exercises and practices between the two armed forces in the Pacific Ocean. Notably, the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington (one of the largest in the world) was present, which can carry 75 military aircraft and 5,000 people on board, and fire nuclear weapons.

Urbánika’s SolarPunk Bus Tour And Video Course On The Commons

Urbánika is an international collective of tech commoners that calls itself an "immersive activism school." Led by Humberto Besso-Oberto Huerta of Mexico, the group wants to help build peer-governed, climate-resilient smart cities and communities, especially in Latin America. For this ambitious goal, Urbánika has nearly finished kitting out a climate-positive "SolarPunk Bus." The amazing vehicle will serve as a mobile learning center as it tours Latin American cities in coming months. More about that in a moment. But first, some news about another innovative Urbánika initiative: an educational video series, "PostCapitalism and the Commons."

ALBA-TCP Upholds Latin American Unity To Combat US Imperialism

On Friday, the Executive Secretariat of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP), and the People’s Institute for Original Thought organized the seminar “Latin American and Caribbean Unity in the Face of Imperialist Geopolitics.” Renowned experts agreed that the region continues to suffer from the dispute between the model of union proposed by the independence heroes, with Simón Bolívar at the forefront, and the Monroe doctrine that the United States has been trying to impose for the last 200 years. At the start of the seminar, held on Friday, May 24, moderator Jorge Arreaza, executive secretary of ALBA-TCP, outlined that “our Latin American and Caribbean continent has been in dispute between two currents: that of the sovereign peoples, with their rights to freedom and self-determination as a fundamental principle, and the domination of US corporations over our neighbors.”

Iran’s President Raisi Joined BRICS, Pushed For Multipolar World

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19, left behind a legacy of working to build a more multipolar world. Under Raisi, Iran joined BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Global South-led institutions that he noted could challenge US unilateralism and hegemony. The late Iranian leader advocated a “Look East” strategy, strengthening relations with China, Russia, and other countries in Asia. Raisi represented a more nationalist wing of the political class in Tehran, which sees the futility of trying to win Western approval, and instead recognizes that Iran’s political and economic future lies in deepening integration with the Global South.

Washington Is Trying To Divide Revolutionary Forces In Bolivia

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, warned that the United States intends to divide the popular and revolutionary forces in Bolivia in order to recolonize Latin America. “The main goal of the US empire and the Bolivian fascists is to divide the Bolivian socialist and revolutionary forces, and to turn them against each other to a point impossible to reconcile the leadership of comrade Evo Morales, the leadership of President Lucho Arce, that is the plan,” said the Venezuelan president on Monday, April 29, during the 43rd episode of his TV program Con Maduro+.

ALBA-TCP Is The Alliance Of Solidarity, Unity, And Development For The People

The gathering in Caracas saw participation from heads of state and ministers from the 10 member states of the body as well as a representative from Honduras who attended as a special invitee. The closing declaration from the summit states, “We reaffirm our firm commitment to strengthening the ALBA-TCP, as a mechanism for unity, dialogue and political coordination, based on the principles of solidarity, social justice, cooperation, and economic complementarity, which allows us to face in better conditions the dangers and challenges that arise from the complex world scenario, characterized by the deepening of disrespect and the constant threat to peace, security, sovereignty, and self-determination of nations.”