insurrección

The good news is that the IRC's core work through the

This series contains texts from writers across the hemisphere on the strides made by social movements, the role of gender equity and women's rights, and the stumbling advances and the steps backwards in guaranteeing respect for human rights. It also contains a sub-series on the self-organized movement in Oaxaca, Mexico that startled the world by taking over the city in 2006 and running it for several months.

Megaproyectos de infraestructura están cambiando la geografía social, político y físico de América Latina. La Iniciativa para la Integración de Infraestructura Regional Sudamericana (IIRSA), el Plan Puebla Panamá y otras propuestas diseñadas para promover el comercio, la integración energética y el acceso a recursos naturales tendrán impactos ambientales y sociales importantes. En esta serie, los analistas del Programa de las Américas monitorean los proyectos, sus impactos, su financiamiento y las respuestas ciudadanas.

Large scale infrastructure projects are changing the social, political, and physical geography of Latin America. The South American Regional Integration and Infrastructure Project (IIRSA), Plan Puebla Panama, and other proposals designed to promote trade, energy integration, and access to natural resources will have important environmental and social impacts. In this series, Americas Policy Program analysts monitor the projects, their impact, financing, and citizen response.

Desde la experiencia de Colombia con la palma aceitera, el nuevo papel de Brasil en abastecer al mundo con etanol a base de caña de azúcar, planes para producción de agrocombustibles en América Central, hasta la conversión del maíz de alimento a energía en los Estados Unidos—las iniciativas de agrocombustibles están cambiando el uso de suelo y las economías en todo el hemisferio. Analistas del Programa de las Américas de estos y otros países llaman la atención al debate sobre los agrocombustibles y sus impactos sociales y ambientales.

Colombia's experience with palm oil biodiesel, Brazil's new role in supplying the world with sugarcane-based ethanol, planned agrofuel production in Central America, and corn's conversion from food to fuel in the United States—the agrofuels push is changing land use and economies throughout the hemisphere. Analysts of the Americas Policy Program from these countries and others shed light on the rising debate over agrofuels and its social and environmental impacts.

Inequidades en el sistema mundial de alimentos han sido agravadas por eventos recientes que han creado el llamado crisis de alimentación. Pero, ¿cual es el trasfondo de los titulares? Esta nueva serie investiga los agrocombustibles, políticas de comercio, cambio climático y aumentos en demanda para buscar las causas verídicas y que hay que hacer para solucionarlo.

Inequalities in the world's food system have been aggravated by recent developments to create the much talked-about food crisis. But what is behind the headlines? This new series delves into agrofuels, trade policy, corporate concentration, climate change, and rising demand to help sort out the real causes of the crisis and what needs to be done about it.

A series of articles on immigration to engender dialogue and provide food for thought on the issues.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, left, waves as Mexican billionaire businessman Carlos Slim stands behind at a press conference in Mexico City, Monday, Aug. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

TOP STORY - Bill Clinton's new mission in Latin America: Shoring up lap-dog governments (Canada NewsWire)

Bolivia - President suspicious over helicopter crash (Agence France-Presse)

Bolivia - Morales Says He 'Doesn't Fear' Results of Recall Referendum (Bloomberg)

Mexico - Mexico's Poor Forgo Goods as Income From U.S. Drops (Bloomberg)

United States - Militarizing the Social Sciences (Global Research.ca)

Venezuela - New Books by Marta Harnecker and Michael A. Lebowitz for Debate on Socialism (Monthly Review)

World - Privatisation and the World Bank (The Daily Star)

World - Don’t cry for Doha (Daily News)

Garifuna communities have managed to survive numerous perils over the last 400 years: slavery, military aggressions by several European nations,...

Haiti today is a tragic case study of how developing nations can lose the sovereign right to ensure access to healthcare when they lose their right to local food self-sufficiency under globalization.

Antonio Navarro Wolf, a former guerrilla leader of the M-19 and currently governor of Nariño, talks with Upside Down World...

More on Senator McCain and the Freedom House Operation

By Bill Conroy
Via the NarcoSphere
August 6, 2008

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2008/08/beware-politicians-bearing-gifts-cold-war-hydra

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Presidential Palace in Bogota, March 8, 2007.

By Rodrigo Acuña

On Line opinion

August 5, 2008

Excerpt from commentary:

As a detailed story in the magazine Extra! has documented, the US press has largely remained silent (or tried to put the best spin on) issues of corruption and human rights abuses under Uribe’s government in order to support a free trade deal between the US and Colombia...

(click here to view entire commentary)

Inka Kola News

August 1, 2008

Big news breaking in the region. The body of Guillermo Rivera was found buried in a garbage dump, apparently having been strangled. Rivera, a leader of an important opposition group in Venezuela, went missing on April 15th. His family were told at the time he had been taken into custody by the National Police Force.

This promises to set off an international scandal of the highest order. With the political situation tense as it is, this form of suppression of opposition political leaders is an affront to the spirit of democracy, protests should be made to the government of Hugo Chávez immediately and without doubt Venezuela and its government should be IMMEDIATELY SANCTIONED BY ALL INTERNATIONAL BODIES.

Here's the link to the full story. Oh....wait a minute....it's in Colombia, not Venezuela. Oops, silly me! And it was news there two weeks ago. Amazing how that one wasn't reported in English, isn't it?

(L-R) Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meets with Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez at the Palacio San Martin in Buenos Aires, August 4, 2008. REUTERS/Presidency/Handout (ARGENTINA)

TOP STORY - South American leaders mull transportation plan (Associated Press)

Brazil - Brazil mulls sugar cane limit to protect wetland (Reuters)

Colombia - NGO Will Stamp Out Colombian Violence Forever Using Passive Aggressive Letter-Writing Techniques (BoRev.net)

Colombia - Declaration of TeleSUR in Response to the Affirmations of Minister Santos (Colombia Support Network News)

Colombia - New threats and intimidation in Narino State (Colombia Support Network News)

Ecuador - Ecuador seizes failed-bank owners' stocks (Associated Press)

Paraguay - New leader's first challenge: land reform (Associated Press)

Venezuela - The “Bridge” in the Coup: The IRI in Venezuela (Council on Hemispheric Affairs)

Several people died in Honduras after an attack against peasants living in Guadalupe Carney community, near Puerto de Trujillo. According to Prensa Latina news agency, Rafael Alegria, counselor of the Coordinating Committee of Peasant Organizations, said the attack had been carried out by gunmen paid by estate owner Henry Osorto, who claims the property of the lands donated by the municipality, which have been occupied by nearly 560 families for twenty years. Osorto is also the chief of police and according to Alegria “it is customary for this person to attack peasants when he feels like it”.

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Raquel Cruz from Cesta – Friends of the Earth El Salvador told Real World Radio that “it’s them –the corporations- who should find alternatives, because they are getting all the profits”. The alternative proposed by social organizations is simply “no to dams” since “they can’t put the government’s responsibility on us”. “They should invest in research to find healthier energies. They shouldn’t put the responsibility upon indigenous and peasant communities. It would be unfair that they have to think of alternatives. The consumption patterns should also change, and that can only be achieved with state policies”, Cruz said.

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