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 Murder Capital of the World
By Laura Carlsen
Ciudad Juarez now holds the world record for homicides per capita. This border city of two million is the frontline for one of the most violent and ill-conceived wars of our times—the War on Drugs.
 National Assembly of Environmentally Affected Groups Warns of an "Environmental Disaster" in Mexico
By Andrés Barreda
The Fifth National Assembly of Environmentally Affected Groups [AAA in Spanish] brought together Mexicans from throughout the country. While many groups focused on specific problems affecting their community or region, several issues representing crisis situations emerged again and again.
 Connecting the Intelligence Dots—It's Easy
By Tom Barry
The effectiveness and reliability of U.S. intelligence is in increasing question. Decades of intelligence failures, abuses, politicized intelligence, and wildly wrong intelligence assessments have cast persistent doubts about the reliability and integrity of the 16 agencies that comprise the U.S. intelligence community.
 The Shadow Prison Industry and Its Government Enablers
By Tom Barry
Outsourcing governmental responsibilities has damaged our foreign relations. However, it is at home that government outsourcing and private contracting may be causing the most damage to our system of democratic governance.
 CIP Analysts Look at Obama's First Year
By Laura Carlsen
After a year in office, we can no longer base our responses to Obama's foreign policy on expectations. Although the administration is still in the process of consolidating its team, this year provided some key challenges that serve to define the new government's positions.
 Securing Disaster in Haiti
By Peter Hallward
Nine days after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, it's now clear that the initial phase of the U.S.-led relief operation has conformed to the three fundamental tendencies that have shaped the more general course of the island's recent history.
 Americas Program Biodiversity Report—January 2010
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
In this month's Americas Program Biodiversity Report: President of Ecuador threatens to extract oil from the Yasuní; Soybean crops are threatening the Amazon forest; GM crops increase in Uruguay; GM corn is introduced in Brazil and Argentina; and the Meeting of Latin American agroecology trainers held in Venezuela.
The New Extractivism of the 21st Century: Ten Urgent Theses about Extractivism in Relation to Current South American Progressivism
By Eduardo Gudynas
In this article, the styles of extractivism promoted by progressive governments are examined, and a series of theses are articulated about their most relevant characteristics and the challenges they represent, especially for social movements. There is a sense of urgency to these theses.
 Native American Firms Profit from Detaining Immigrants
By Tom Barry
Immigrant detention means business. Several Native American firms are profiting from the immigrant crackdown against hopeful new Americans.
 Dysfunctional Information and Intel Operations at Homeland Security
By Tom Barry
The failure of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent an attempted act of terrorism has led to criticisms that the information clearinghouse system created by DHS is systemically flawed.
The New Developmental Extractivism in South America
By Ricardo Verdum
Society, the economy, politics, and the environment are undergoing profound transformations in South America, especially in the Amazon. And some of these changes are passing unnoticed, whether out of ignorance, omission, or connivance.
 Rio de Janeiro: Control of the Poor Seen as Crucial for the Olympics
By Raúl Zibechi
The prospect of the FIFA World Cup in 2014 followed by the Olympic Games in 2016 has reignited the debate about public security in a country where there is an undeclared war taking place in the favelas.
 Guantanamo and GEO Group Ready for Haitians
By Tom Barry
The catastrophic earthquake that has devastated Haiti has sparked questions about immigration and deportation. The U.S. government is considering options in the event of increased illegal immigration from the stricken country.
 Arrest of Alleged American Spy in Cuba Further Sets Back U.S.-Cuba Relations
By Michael Collins
The arrest of an American citizen in Cuba on Dec. 4 has dealt another blow to hopes that Cuba and the United States could normalize diplomatic relations. This latest episode gives credence to the notion that U.S.-Cuban relations have taken a turn for the worse, and even the most sanguine of optimists agree that the window of opportunity created by the election of Barack Obama is quickly slamming shut.
Ricardo Robles: The Ethics of Authenticity
By Luis Hernández Navarro
Ricardo Robles (Ronco) was a close collaborator and friend. His life as a free-thinking priest among the Raramuri people of the Sierra Tarahumara, and his constant work to promote and defend indigenous rights stands as a testimony to why we do this work and the inspiration we receive from those around us.
 High School Diploma Programs in Argentina:
Learning on the Move
By Raúl Zibechi
New high school diploma programs launched by local communities in Argentina are serving adults that were unable to complete their secondary education, and have become a useful weapon in the fight for social progress.
 Not Systemic Failure, But Failed System
By Tom Barry
Tom Barry looks at the increasing overlap between those who previously worked as public servants and who now run government-contracted private organizations that stand to benefit from the changes in security.
 Border Militarization Continues in 2010
By Kent Paterson
Whether active duty or retired, military men will continue playing a central role in Mexico's drug war in 2010.
 Local Battles to Save the Brazilian Amazon Pit Residents against Loggers and Government
By Brenda Baletti, Gilson Rego, and Antonio Sena
After over a decade of ignored complaints, failed negotiations with the government, and countless threats against their leaders by loggers and their gunmen, the residents of the Arapiuns region in the Brazilian Amazon launched a public protest over illegal logging on their lands.
 Obama's Role in the Militarization of Mexico: An Interview with Laura Carlsen
By Mike Whitney
In an interview with Mike Whitney, Americas Program Director Laura Carlsen criticizes the growing militarization of Mexico under Calderon's War on Drugs, supported by the Obama administration under the Merida Initiative.
 Landmark Human Rights Case in Argentina Puts Torture on Trial
By Marie Trigona
Argentine courts have launched an investigation into crimes committed at the ESMA Navy Mechanics School during the nation's military dictatorship. The landmark human rights trial is one of the most far-reaching attempts to bring crimes of Latin America's bloody past to justice.
 Americas Program Biodiversity Report—December 2009
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report: Global Warming: Agrofuels included in the carbon market; WWF, and agribusiness; Brazil: Victory against Syngenta; and Mexico: Swine Flu and the Agribusiness of Meat.
"Honduran Elections": A Parody on Democracy
By Laura Carlsen
The production "Honduran Elections," staged at a small, rundown theater in Central America on Nov. 29, left the audience unconvinced and failed to resolve a confused and conflictive plotline.
Honduras and a Divided Latin America
By Robert E. White
Despite many credible reports of violent crackdowns against supporters of ousted president, Mel Zelaya, the de facto government of Honduras has managed to hold presidential elections that came off better than most observers had expected. The easy victor was the conservative Nationalist Party candidate, Porfirio Lobo. The United States quickly recognized the election results.
Reforming North American Trade Policy: Lessons from NAFTA
By Kevin P. Gallagher and Timothy A. Wise
To contribute to the review process surrounding new efforts to reform NAFTA, Boston University's Frederick Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future convened a Task Force on Trade Policy in North America. The resulting report, titled "The Future of North American Trade Policy: Lessons from NAFTA," provides detailed proposals for reforming NAFTA and future trade agreements in eight areas: services, manufacturing, agriculture, investment, intellectual property, environment, labor, and migration.
Open Letter to the Secretary of State of the United States of America
As numerous national and international human rights groups have documented, the de facto regime in Honduras has engaged in a systematic campaign of intimidation, physical and sexual abuse, and torture. Increasingly, women have been the target of this campaign.
Mexico's Abortion Laws: A Step Backward for Women's Rights
By Natanya Robinowitz
On Nov.16, 2009 the legislature of the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz passed a law declaring that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. Veracruz now becomes the 17th state in Mexico to criminalize abortion in a string of hotly contested and reactive measures set off by Mexico City's April 2007 legalization of abortion.
Gender and Labor
By Fabiola Torralba
Gender is an instrument used to subordinate and control maquila workers and society in general.
Hearing on the Situation of the Rights of Women in Honduras Within the Framework of the Coup
By Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Organization of American States
During the week of the Aug. 17-21 of this year, both groups shared a day of observation in order to compile testimonies about the violations against women's human rights after from the coup. With the input gained from this process, they succeeded in establishing what the violation practices are. The groups have continued to compile testimonies right up until this hearing today.
Abortion Phone Line: More Information, Less Risk
By Lucia Álvarez
According to the Ministry of Health, on the average we women abort twice in our lifetimes, including spontaneous and induced abortions. In Argentina, between 460,000 and 700,000 abortions are performed annually. Abortion is an undeniable reality.
Perils of Plan Mexico: Going Beyond Security to Strengthen U.S.-Mexico Relations
By Laura Carlsen
Mexico should be a U.S. priority. But providing exclusively security-focused equipment and training to Mexico is like pouring gas on a fire. We must return the U.S.-Mexico relationship to the simple equation that a healthy neighbor equals better trade, security, and cultural relations.
 Biodiversity Report from Americas Program of CIP—November 2009
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report:
Argentina: World Forestry Congress; Mexico: Government Approves Genetically Modified Corn Cultivation; Condemnation of "Sustainable" Palm Oil.
 Mexican Supreme Court Finds Oaxaca Governor Responsible for Human Rights Violations
By Monica Wooters
After two days of deliberations, on Oct. 14 the Mexican Supreme Court made public its decision that Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (governor of the state of Oaxaca) is culpable for the human rights violations that occurred in Oaxaca as a result of teacher protests and political and social unrest in May 2006-January 2007 and July of 2008.
 Toward Reconstruction of the Mapuche Nation
By Raúl Zibechi
Tired of waiting for the slow transfer of lands from the state and the always problematic recognition of their rights, dozens of Mapuche communities have begun to mobilize, a process that the Chilean government has responded to with extreme harshness.
Honduras Revisited
By Robert White
It is now possible to reconstruct with a fair degree of accuracy how the Obama administration turned an imminent diplomatic triumph into a negotiated defeat.
 CIMAC
By Laura Carlsen
In the 80s, a group of feminist journalists in Mexico started meeting to discuss one simple question: how do you make the media pay attention to what is happening to the majority of the population?
Report on Women's Human Rights Violations Shows Systematic Attack on Women Under Honduran Coup
By Laura Carlsen
On Nov. 2 representatives from Honduran women's organizations presented a grim panorama of violations of women's human rights by the de facto regime led by Roberto Micheletti before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission.
Mexico and the Crisis of a Dependent Economy
By Laura Carlsen
The well-known 19th century Mexican saying—"poor Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States"—has become more poignant today than ever in the context of the global economic crisis.
 Facing Economic Crisis, Citizen Organizations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Mexico Fight Back Against Structural Adjustment
By Kent Paterson
While mainstream economists and the Obama administration declare the recession over and the economic stimulus package a growing success, in many parts of the Americas, a different story unfolds. As if the old International Monetary Fund has risen from the dead, structural adjustment and austerity regimes are ripping apart the landscape from Seattle to San Juan and from Guadalajara to Gary.
The 21 Points of the Coalition for Democratic Broadcast Regulation Are Now Law
By Liliana Chiernajowsky
Thousands of activists from social and political organizations, the two workers' centers of the country, human rights groups, national universities, intellectuals, artists and journalists that supported the initiative came together in Argentina to the National Congress to join the debate that would end up turning the Audiovisual Communication Services Bill into law.
 Indigenous Uranium Forum Denounces Mining, Militarization, and Hate Crimes in Indian Country
By Brenda Norrell
Indigenous Peoples from Bolivia, Alaska, and throughout Indian country gathered at the 7th Southwest Indigenous Uranium Forum and told the same story: Uranium mining is a hate crime in Indian country.
My Thoughts on Honduras
By Robert White
It appears that the crisis in Honduras is coming to a satisfactory conclusion. While we can expect some face-saving maneuvers and delays, it is reasonable to conclude that the coup is over and that is has failed.
Agreement to End Honduran Coup Marks Victory and Challenge
By Laura Carlsen
Last night, Oct. 29, Honduras' de facto regime finally agreed to allow Congress to vote to "restore full executive power prior to June 28." Conceding to international and national pressure, the Honduran coup appears to be facing its final days.
Ecuador: The Battle for Natural Resources Deepens
By Raúl Zibechi
A new indigenous uprising began in defense of water sources threatened by open air mining in Ecuador in late September. This time indigenous organizations find themselves up against a government that claims to be anti-neoliberal, a player in the "socialism of the 21st century," and one that has begun a "citizens' revolution."
 A Death in Texas: Profits, Poverty, and Immigration Converge
By Tom Barry
As the immigrant crackdown continues, hundreds of thousands of immigrants like Jesus Manuel Galindo will be caught in the profit-driven public-private prison complex. In the end though, the human cost of the system is unlikely to bring it down. It may only be when citizens and politicians start questioning the financial cost of incarcerating immigrants that these public-private prisons will go bust.
 Mexico's Union Bust Reveals Flaws in NAFTA
By Laura Carlsen
The Mexican economy is at a crossroads as it faces a multi-billion dollar deficit this year. Due to its heavy dependency on the U.S. economy under NAFTA, it is the hardest-hit country in Latin America and predicts a 7.5% drop in GDP for 2009. The number of poor has increased above pre-NAFTA levels, leaving millions more families in poverty, while the unemployment rate has doubled.
 Biodiversity Report from Americas Program of CIP—October 2009
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report:
Uruguay: Genetically Modified Invasion; Nicaragua: Food Sovereignty Does Not Exist Without Native Seeds; Holland and (Ir)responsible Soy; Bolivia: International Climate Justice Tribunal.
 Power and the Army
By José Francisco Gallardo Rodríguez
Notwithstanding human rights violations, the issue of the army is still debated with fear in Mexico. It is more important than ever for Mexico to establish a military ombudsman.
 The Case of the Cuban Five: American Justice as a Political Weapon
By Michael Collins
The decision by a Miami court on Tuesday October 13 to reduce Antonio Guererro's life sentence to 22 years imprisonment is the latest chapter in the ongoing legal battle to free a group of men known as the Cuban Five. Largely anonymous in the United States yet celebrities in their native Cuba, their conviction symbolizes the fraught relationship that exists between the two countries.
ICE Detention Reforms Hide Abusive Practices
By Tom Barry
Exercising more oversight over the ICE detention system is certainly a necessary part of immigration reform. But even as it promises welcome upgrades and changes in its own detention system, ICE continues to steamroll ahead with its Operation Endgame enforcement and incarceration strategies that have resulted in a veritable gulag of immigrant inmates.
 Poor Pecos, Poor Prisoners
Criminal Justice for Immigrants in Texas' Reeves County
By Tom Barry
Immigrants who rioted to protest medical malpractice at a privately run prison in Texas get more time in prison, while tensions, conflicts of interest, and high finance roil the prison town of Pecos.
 An Interview with Emir Sader
By Lucía Alvarez
In an interview with CIP Americas Program, Emir Sader, professor, sociologist, and executive secretary of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), explains the roots, repercussions, and possible challenges that current changes present.
Brazil Emerges as a Military Power
By Raúl Zibechi
Lula, sure that Brazil is well on its way to becoming a great power in the 21st century, is also building the framework which will ensure that the country can defend itself militarily.
 Honduras De Facto Regime Opens Fire in Poor Neighborhoods:
Youth and Union Members Targeted by Coup Violence
By Dick Emanuelsson and Mirian Huezo Emanuelsson
These are firsthand accounts from the victims of the strategy of force being employed by the coup. All were wounded by security forces since the return of Zelaya on Sept. 21. This strategy has only intensified, despite talk of an official dialogue, largely frustrated during the recent visit of the Organization of American States (OAS). Even as the OAS ministers and other dignitaries were meeting on Oct. 7 in Tegucigalpa to promote dialogue, the coup and armed forces again attacked peaceful demonstrators in the streets.
Latin America: The Empire Retreats
By Raúl Zibechi
In the span of a few days two events occurred that reveal that in small Latin American countries that were previously subordinate to Washington, the ex-superpower no longer controls their decades-old allies. The recent episodes in Paraguay and Honduras reveal that the empire's withdrawal from its own backyard is accelerating in the present systemic crisis.
 Kraft Firings Feed Protests
By Marie Trigona
Mass firings at Kraft Foods' plant in Argentina sparked protests throughout the nation, and ignited a new wave of worker organizing.
Constantino Lima: The Other Politics Born of Everyday Experience
By Raúl Zibechi
If Evo Morales had not awarded him the most important distinction given by the state, the life of Constantino Lima would only be known to his friends and companions, even though his personal life is among those that epitomize the outstanding history of the Aymara people.
 National Security Business on the Border: Former Border Patrol Chief Silvestre Reyes Now a Major Player in New Military, Intelligence, and Homeland Security Complex
By Tom Barry
This new investigative report by Tom Barry charts the rising influence and deepening industry connections of Reyes, the El Paso congressman who is a senior member of the powerful Armed Services Committee and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The report details the congressman's promotion of high-tech national security industries, favors to family members, and apparent links between campaign contributions and government contracts.
 Obama Takes Step-by-Step Approach to Ending Obsolete Cuba Policies
By Michael Collins
The U.S. and Cuban governments announced on August 31 negotiations to resume direct postal service between the two nations. These talks will be a test of how well both parties can engage.
 Biodiversity Report from Americas Program of CIP—September 2009
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report: Argentina: Carbon Credits for Genetically Modified Soy; Chile: In Defense of Seeds; Paraguay: "Responsible" Soy Will Not Give Up; The Struggle Against Tree Plantations Heats Up.
 Lugo's dilemmas
By Diego González
One year after taking office, Fernando Lugo is facing several crises simultaneously. As it happens, his strategy of navigating a boat he does not fully control over a multitude of near-antagonistic forces is headed for disaster. In this way, the traditional neoliberals are fighting bit by bit, platform by platform with the Left, which advances as a united force.
New National Security Complex:
Bringing Together Homeland Security, Intelligence, and Defense
By Tom Barry
Rather than an military-industrial complex, we now have what might be more accurately termed a national security complex where intelligence, defense, and homeland security are closely linked and integrated—and more and more in the hands of the private sector.
 The Life and Death of a Mexican Environmental Prophet
By Kent Paterson
The death of Felipe Arreaga Sanchez on September 16 silenced an important voice demanding profound but peaceful change in a land scarred by violence, repression, and social decomposition.
 Breaking the Silence
The Mexican Army and the 1997 Acteal Massacre
By Kate Doyle
Until the Calderon administration decides to honor its obligations to inform its citizens about the truth of the 1997 massacre, the people's call for facts will remain lost in the unprocessed files.
 South American Nations Question U.S.-Colombia Military Base Agreement
By Tony Phillips
Last August President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina called a special meeting of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to discuss the provisional U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement. This agreement, if signed, will facilitate "U.S. access to three Colombian air force bases, [...] two naval bases, and two army installations, and other Colombian military facilities."
 Plan Puebla-Panama Advances: New Name, Same Game
By Laura Carlsen
The Plan Puebla Panama, or as it is now known, the Mesoamerican Integration and Development Project has been rejected by many experts and communities, given the global financial crisis that it has provoked and the grave impacts of accelerated inequality, the displacement of local communities, and environmental destruction.
The Great Swine Cover-Up
By Laura Carlsen
Mexico has been considered the laboratory of globalization since it initiated the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994. In April of 2009 a deadly virus germinated in that laboratory, finding ideal conditions to move quickly into a global pandemic.
A Pressing Case for NAFTA Review and Renegotiation
By Laura Carlsen
North American leaders may wish to distance themselves from the obvious failure of NAFTA to better the lives of their citizens, but Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. citizens continue to press for a comprehensive review and renegotiation. This article explains why that task is more urgent than ever in today's global crisis.
 FASINPAT: A Factory that Belongs to the People
By Marie Trigona
The workers at Argentina's largest worker-controlled factory are celebrating a definitive legal solution to a nine-year struggle for the right to work and workers' self-determination. Zanon, renamed FASINPAT or Factory Without a Boss, can now continue production without threat of eviction from their factory.
 Honduran Constitutional Assembly Would Be a Step Toward the Emancipation of Women
By Laura Carlsen and Sara Lovera
Interview with Bertha Cáceres, COPINH (Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organization of Honduras) and the National Front Against the Coup d'etat.
 Havasupai Gather to Halt Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon
By Brenda Norrell
For four days, Havasupai elders gathered on sacred Red Butte and listened to the legacy of uranium mining on Indian lands. They heard directly from the victims of the trail of death and cancer left behind by uranium mining corporations that were never held responsible on Pueblo and Navajo lands in the Southwest United States.
CIP Americas Program Criticizes State Department Report on Human Rights Under the Merida Initiative
By Laura Carlsen
The U.S. State Department Merida Initiative Report makes a mockery of the intent to include human rights concerns in the security aid package.
Former Bush Security Chiefs Find Terrorism Obsession Can Be Profitable
By Tom Barry
Contracts with the Department of Homeland Security are spewing billions of dollars into private industry, largely to companies that also rely on Pentagon military contracts. In this new variation of the military-industrial complex a new revolving door is now in full swing.
 Consequences of the "Chilean Miracle"
The Salmon Farms and the Privatization of the Sea
By Raúl Zibechi
The so-called "Chilean Miracle" is based on three pilars: the high price of copper, the production of celulose driven by Pinochet's dictatorship, and the salmon industry, which have expanded in the current democracy. But overfishing has caused a great health, environment, social, and economic crisis.
 Troubled Waters in the Mexico-Canada Relationship
By Kent Paterson
Until very recently, Mexicans traveled to Canada unhindered by the type of entry requirements needed to visit the United States. But the world changed July 13 when the Canadian government announced that within 48 hours Mexicans would need visas to enter the Commonwealth. Not surprisingly, an announcement that seemed to come out of the blue quickly led to scenes of chaos outside the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City.
Coup Catalyzes Honduran Women's Movement
By Laura Carlsen
In the poor Central American nation of Honduras, feminists have been organizing for years in defense of women's rights, equality, and against violence. When the democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya was forcibly exiled by the armed forces, women from all over the country spontaneously organized to protect themselves and their families and demand a return to democracy. They called the new umbrella organization "Feminists in Resistance."
South America: U.S. Military Bases in Colombia and the Dispute over Resources
By Raúl Zibechi
The imminent agreement between the United States and Colombia over the use of seven military bases by the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) forms part of the major dispute over commonly held resources throughout the South American region.
 Biodiversity Report from Americas Program of CIP—August 2009
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report: Puerto Rico: Ecological Corridor Campaign; Uruguay and Brazil: Genetically Modified Products and Agrotoxins Go Hand in Hand; Argentina: A Catastrophe Called Soy; Biochar, a False Solution to Global Warming; Tree Plantations are not Forests.
 The Deficit of Leadership at the North American Leaders Summit
By Laura Carlsen
Times of crisis require bold leadership and innovative solutions. They are a sign of the need to break out of failed paradigms and unite people to create new ones. Exactly the opposite happened when the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States met at the North American Leaders Summit in Guadalajara on August 9-10.
 Perspectives and Challenges in Mercosur: An Interview with Carlos Alvarez of Mercosur
By Laura Carlsen
Progress within Mercosur has not been easy. In spite of the obstacles, it has made progress and with the arrival of center-left governments to power, it has been given a push to renew emphasis on horizontal regional integration. Current circumstances—marked by the economic crisis and political changes—present new challenges. In an interview with the CIP Americas Program, ex-vice president of Argentina and president of the Commission of Permanent Representatives of The Mercosur, Carlos "Chacho" Alvarez, explains the successes and failures of the regional organization and what it should do in the future.
Military Forces Sow Terror and Fear in Honduras
By Dick Emanuelsson
The armed forces and police attacked tens of thousands of Hondurans in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, the industrial center of the country, resulting in two days of terror and fear in Honduras. Hundreds of people have been arrested, beaten, and many are wounded, according to reports from different human rights organizations.
Obama's Choice: New Documents Show United States Seeks Colombian Bases for Training and Operations
By John Lindsay-Poland
President Obama was forced to address the growing clamor in South America in opposition to plans for U.S. military use of at least seven bases in Colombia. The base agreement proposes to carry out regional operations with a wide and ambiguous mandate and has raised concerns among governments throughout the region.
Leaving the Oil in the Ground: A Political, Economic, and Ecological Initiative in the Ecuadorian Amazon
By Alberto Acosta, Eduardo Gudynas, Esperanza Martínez, and Joseph H. Vogel
A discussion on the proposal to not exploit the oil reserves in the Yasuní region of the Amazon has begun in Ecuador. This initiative is the first example of a post-petroleum development proposal, something that will be inevitable for many countries in the near future.
 The Condemned of the City
By Lucia Alvarez
Argentine cities today, especially the city of Buenos Aires, are suffering a profound crisis. Districts of the dispossessed expand, new informal settlements bloom, and everyday more people live in hotels, furnished rooms, tenement houses, or simply in the street. The housing emergency is undeniable.
 Honduras: The Frontline in the Battle for Democracy
By Dick Emanuelsson
In this special report for the Americas Program, Dick Emanuelsson has written an on the ground report and analysis based on what he has lived and seen in the past few weeks. It is a mix of voices, images, and testimonies that tells the story of the firm struggle to restore democracy in Honduras, the dark origins of the coup leaders, and the current situation that remains unresolved after a month.
 On Eve of Summit, Mexico's Human Rights Record Comes Under Fire in U.S. Congress
By Laura Carlsen and Monica Wooters
A week before Obama's scheduled trip to Mexico, Sen. Leahy made it clear that he would block the human rights report on Mexico that is set as a condition for releasing remaining funds through the Merida Initiative. This will be the first report issued by the State Department, although the Merida Initiative has received funding for 2008, 2009, and a supplemental for 2009 for a total of $1.1 billion—all of which contain the report requirement. The Bush-era Merida Initiative should be totally revamped, conditions or no conditions.
Rethinking Hazardous Waste under NAFTA
By Rebecca Slocum
Given Obama's campaign pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to incorporate environmental precepts, one issue that must be addressed is the agreement's contribution to Mexico's hazardous waste problem.
The How and Why of the Coup d'Etat in Honduras: Synopsis of a
Failed Process of Pacification and Democratization in the Region
By Carlos G. Aguilar
Once again, defending the social and political interests of Central America's marginalized and impoverished majorities rests on the heroic actions of social movements.
 The Other Chile: Following Victor Jara's Songs
By Raúl Zibechi
While Chile enters a media-hyped electoral campaign, some communities continue their struggle to create a new world based upon much solidarity and active participation of those at the lowest social levels. A reality very like the one Victor Jara used to sing about.
A Lack of Resolve
By Robert E. White
The United States has a great opportunity. By speaking unambiguously, by acting decisively, by joining with the other nations of the hemisphere in restoring constitutional government in Honduras, a great victory will have been achieved for the Obama doctrine of a Partnership of the Americas. If the United States and the OAS cannot do the job, no doubt President Hugo Chavez will put together a coalition to restore the rightful president. If we won't lead, others will.
Biodiversity Report from the Americas Program of CIP—July 2009
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report: CHILE: Resounding Rejection of Genetically Modified (GM) Products; BRAZIL: The Harsh Reality Behind Sugar Cane Ethanol; NO to Biofuels for Aviation; MEXICO: African Palm Plantations Wreak Havoc; ARGENTINA: More Evidence Against Roundup.
 South America's Swine Flu Winter
By Tony Phillips
Swine flu has flown south to winter in the southern cone; it has hit hard in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Paraguay and Bolivia have also declared states of emergency. While media channels play a role in disseminating information to bring patients to prompt treatment, an overreaction to a minimally life-threatening pandemic can cause more problems than it solves.
 Elections in Argentina:
A Return to the Right and a Blow for Kirchnerism
By Lucia Alvarez
Though legislative elections took place in Argentina on June 28, the topic on everyone's mind now is the 2011 presidential elections. The ruling party, Frente Para La Victoria, (FPV—Front for Victory, which includes the Justicialist Party) lost a total of 24 deputies and four senators, a number which includes both their own seats and those of their political allies. The party's popularity dropped to 31.2% nationally. The government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has been weakened by its loss of control in both legislative chambers.
Indigenous Peoples in Brazil: the Challenge of Autonomy
By Ricardo Verdum
Although it has been 20 years since the ratification of the current constitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil (1988), which included a specific chapter concerning indigenous peoples' rights, the sentiment today is that none of the subsequent administrations implemented significant changes in the political-administrative practices and structures of the State apparatus, in particular toward the transformation of the Brazilian State into a Plurinational State. Respecting the internal right of political autonomy of these peoples and the territorial restructuring of the State does not even figure into the agenda of "progressive" political parties.
 Twenty-first Century Coups d'Etat
By Laura Carlsen
The consolidation of power through brute force represents a serious step backward for the region.
 FUNDAR:
New Models to Confront New Challenges to Democracy
By Alicia Athié
In a democracy, the federal public budget should reflect the priorities of the people. In Mexico this is not the case. The Civil Association "Fundar" has been working for 10 years to make Mexico's public funding transparent by conducting a detailed analysis of fund distribution, from a funding proposal going from the Executive branch to the Legislative, until the monies are spent, reported, and audited by the appropriate government body.
 Biodiversity Report from the Americas Program of CIP—June 2009
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report: Cuba: Socialist GM Crops? Mexico: Controversial Genome Mapping; Uruguay: Fight Against the Dominant Agricultural Model; Central America: No to the Association Agreement with the EU; Costa Rica: Carbon-neutral discourse generates skepticism.
No Going Back:
Why the Coup in Honduras Won't—and Shouldn't—Succeed
By Robert E. White
The crisis in Honduras should remind the Obama administration that it has inherited an inadequate policy toward Central America. While President Chavez supplies cheap oil to favored regional allies, the United States supplies funding for the war on drugs and military assistance.
Monsanto Soy Herbicide Could Pose Health Risks:
Study Released in Argentina Puts Glyphosate Under Fire
By Marie Trigona
Criticism of the soy farming model in Argentina intensified recently when research released by Argentina's top medical school showed that a leading chemical used in soy farming may be harmful to human health. The study has alarmed policymakers in the South American nation.
 Far Worse Than Watergate
By Lisa Haugaard and Millie Moon
According to Colombia's attorney general, over the last seven years the Administrative Department of Security systematically and without warrants tapped the phones and email of Colombia's major human rights groups, prominent journalists, members of the Supreme Court (including the chief justice and the judge in charge of the parapolitics investigation), opposition politicians, and the main labor federation.
"Community Security" Mission Creep at Homeland Security
By Tom Barry
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a bad case of mission creep. Created in the wake of Sept. 11 to better protect the country against attacks by foreign terrorists, DHS now believes it is also responsible for community security.
 Honduran Coup Tests Mexico's Refugee Policy and Resolve
By Frontera NorteSur
The military coup in Honduras is providing an unexpected test of Mexico's immigration and refugee policies.
 Americas Program Interview with Nestor Stancanelli
By Tony Phillips
Discussion on the G-192 Summit "Anatomy of a Crisis," world economic imbalances, and the Stiglitz Commission. A commission of experts set up by the president of the UN General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System, June 24-26.
Mexico's Elections and the Deepening Crisis of Political Legitimacy
By Kent Paterson
On July 5, nearly 77.5 million Mexicans will be eligible to cast ballots for a new federal Congress and local governments in some states. The big issue hanging over this year's election is whether many people will even bother to vote, and how many of those who do turn out will cross out their ballots or opt for write-in candidates.
 High Noon in Honduras
By Laura Carlsen
Both sides are preparing for high noon in Honduras this weekend, as President Manuel Zelaya plans to return to his country and coup leaders vow to arrest him immediately if he does.
Honduran Coup Turns Violent, Sanctions Imposed
By Laura Carlsen
If the coup leaders in Honduras were desperate when they decided to forcibly depose the elected president, they are even more desperate now. Stripped of its pretense of legality by universal repudiation and faced with a popular uprising, the coup has turned to more violent means.
 Victory in the Amazon
By Laura Carlsen
Thousands of indigenous people from the Amazon jungle of Peru accomplished the unthinkable early this month. Their movement to save the Amazon and their communities forced the Peruvian government to roll back implementing legislation for the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement that would have opened up the vast jungle to transnational oil and gas, mining, and timber companies.
 Massacre in the Amazon: The U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement Sparks a Battle Over Land and Resources
By Raúl Zibechi
On June 5, World Environment Day, Amazon Indians were massacred by the government of Alan Garcia in the latest chapter of a long war to take over common lands—a war unleashed by the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between Peru and the United States.
NAFTA'S Serfs: From Wage Slavery to Debt Slavery
By Kent Paterson
In a time when financial services are globalized, any movement to overthrow the Lords of Credit must transcend borders in order to be successful.
 Radio Atipiri
By Laura Carlsen
Communication—different, autonomous, self-directed—is a central theme in El Alto, a society that knows how to fight for its rights.
Popular Communication in the MST
By Diego González
The MST, together with many other social organizations in Brazil, has spent a number of years highlighting the need for a serious discussion on the ownership of the media and its role. Nationwide, "fewer than 10 groups—made up of families or religious groups—control the major communication networks, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and web pages."
Conspiracy, Assassination, and Separatism in Bolivia
By Diego González
What lies behind the story of the armed group discovered in Bolivia on April 16 accused of planning an assisnation attempt on Evo Morales?
 Obama's Cartel Trust Busters
By Frontera NorteSur
Contrary to the expectations of some border residents and advocates who were betting on a new approach last January, the Obama administration's strategic policy thrust mainly follows and even expands on the course long pursued by previous Democratic and Republican administrations.
South American Trade and Currency Volatility
By Tony Phillips
Many of the commodities that South American countries export are not traded in the currency of the originating country. So, if Chile imports oil from Argentina or Argentina copper from Chile, they pay in U.S. dollars. A regional currency facilitates trade and the creation of financial service hubs.
 Radio Ñomndaa, The Word of the Water
By Iñigo Prieto Beguiristáin
Radio Ñomndaa, The Word of the Water in English, is an indigenous community radio station in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It was formed as part of the autonomous organizing of the Nanncue Ñomndaa (Amuzgo) people in the municipality of Suljaa' (Xochistlahuaca). It is a worthy case study, given the underlying situation of media monopolies and the rights to the freedom of expression and information in Mexico.
Argentina's Community Media Fights for Access and Legal Reform
By Marie Trigona
In Argentina, citizen media groups simultaneously fight for autonomous spaces and for reforms in media laws that will allow them to operate legally.
 South American Nations Agree on Technical Rules for Bank of the South
By Tony Phillips
Seven Latin American Finance Ministers have agreed on the basis for establishing the Bank of the South. The motivation for forming the new development bank is based on the belief that keeping Latin America's precious reserves at home is preferable to accepting aid and development loans from the Inter-American Development Bank and other multilateral development banks.
Enforcement-First Immigration Politics
By Tom Barry
In view of Obama's increased financial commitments to border security and immigration enforcement, the "enforcement-first" political strategy mounted by conservatives and restrictionists during the Bush administration continues to shape immigration policy during the Obama era.
Cochabamba: From Water War to Water Management
By Raúl Zibechi
Between 2003 and 2005, the poor of Bolivia drove out the neoliberal model of water management. Now it is community management of water that is the unresolved challenge.
 New Military Base in Colombia Would Spread Pentagon Reach Throughout Latin America
By John Lindsay-Poland
Replacing one military base that was set up for the failed drug war with another base to intervene in South America and to support the abusive Colombian army would be a serious error for the United States. It's wrong and wasteful, and Congress should scrap it.
Fallen Banker with Ties to Citigroup Involved in Shooting of Brazilian Landless Workers
By Isabella Kenfield
On April 18, seven members of the Brazilian Landless Workers' Movement (MST) were shot by private security guards on a farm in the Amazon that belongs to Agropecuária Santa Bárbara Xinguara S/A, a company controlled by international banker Daniel Dantas. The violent attack on the MST may well have been an attempt to smack down what is the most powerful grassroots movement to stand in the way of Dantas pillaging what they consider to be the natural and economic wealth belonging to all Brazilians.
Restoring Integrity to the Immigration System
By Tom Barry
This new policy report from the Americas Program concludes that "to restore integrity in the immigration system, the Obama administration needs to act decisively to restore its function as a regulatory system and remove it from the country's overcharged system of crime and punishment."
 House and Senate Pass New Military Aid to Mexico
By Laura Carlsen
A little-known measure was buried in the U.S. 2009 Supplemental Bill to provide millions of dollars to corrupt Mexican security forces engaged in an unwinnable drug war. Disguised as a way of "helping" our beleaguered neighbor, the measure will push Mexico closer to a Colombia scenario and create a new quagmire to suck up scarce public resources.
May Biodiversity Report from the Americas Program
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
This month in the Americas Program Biodiversity Report:
Mexico: Swine Flu and the Farm Animal Production Industry; New Report on Agrofuels; No to Monoculture Forests; Genetically Modified Soy Can Never Be "Responsible"; Brazil: Genetically Modified Sugar Cane.
Criminal Alien Funding and the Immigrant-Based Criminal Justice Complex
By Tom Barry
There is no good financial justification for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). Yet the Obama administration, which says it will no longer fund the program, is drawing heavy fire from representatives in states and communities that have benefited from the crime-control assistance program.
Fighting the Drug War at Homeland Security
By Tom Barry
While the Border Patrol and immigration agents have always had bit parts in the drug war, the integration of border patrol and immigration enforcement into the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 not only drafted them into the "war on terrorism" but also into becoming major players in the "war on drugs."
"War on Crime" Targets Immigrants
By Tom Barry
Immigrants have reenergized the flagging "war on crime." Charges against immigrants are clogging federal courts, and new prisons and detention centers are opening to accommodate immigrants.
 Swine Flu Reveals Flaws in Global Public Health System
By Laura Carlsen
Although the Internet and media are abuzz with reports and opinions on the swine flu epidemic, finding clear and confirmed information is maddeningly difficult. Official communications and omissions that indicate bending over backwards to protect industry interests have given rise to a plethora of rumors, ranging from wild conspiracy theories to justified suspicions that officials are working overtime to deflect public attention from the hog farms.
Outbreak of Deadly New Swine Flu Strain, Warning to Rethink Agricultural Trade Model
By Talli Nauman
Authorities' declaration of an "epidemic" and then an "imminent pandemic" fueled an environmental health craze of staggering socio-economic impact in Mexico, weighing heavily on top of existing fiscal woes and survivors' heartbreak over lost loved ones.
 Mexico's Swine Flu and the Globalization of Disease
By Laura Carlsen
Mexico has long been considered the laboratory of globalization. Now a potentially deadly virus has germinated in that laboratory, finding ideal conditions to move quickly along a path toward global pandemic.
 Plan 3000
Resistance and Social Change at the Heart of Racism
By Raúl Zibechi
Plan 3000 is a community that—in the name of the struggle against inequality—the residents resist the machista, oppressive, and violent culture of the local elite.
Over 10,000 Dead: Is Mexican Drug War Violence Ebbing?
By Kristin Bricker
Statistical sleights-of-hand and temporary lulls have obscured the drug war's rising costs.
 Obama Pledges to Seek "Equal Partnership" At Americas Summit:
Matching Words with Deeds
By Laura Carlsen
The stage was set for a showdown. Hugo Chavez and Barack Obama exchanged another round of insults before getting on their planes to head to Trinidad and Tobago. Many countries came prepared for an all-court press to admit Cuba to the Organization of American States (OAS) and demand lifting the U.S. embargo against the island. Five nations that form part of ALBA, the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America, vowed not to sign the official declaration of a Cuba-less OAS.
The Failed Border Security Initiative
By Tom Barry
The new initiative, "The Southwest Border: The Way Ahead," continues to meet recent increases of cartel violence in Mexico with strong action and solidified coordination with federal, state, local, tribal, and Mexican authorities. It's a crackdown-compounded, and follows old paths rather than pointing to a way ahead.
 Earth Day 2009 Special Report:
Fighting to Save Mexico's Mangroves
By Kent Paterson
The Mexican mangrove story is one that is repeated across the world. A 2001 report from the World Rainforest Movement noted that half the planet's mangroves vanished during the latter part of the 20th century.
Mr. President: Calderon is not Mexico
By Laura Carlsen
President Obama's visit to Mexico has produced vague and contradictory statements, centered on worn-out strategies. Many people who had hoped for a new approach that would seek to redress the inequities of the binational relationship will find little in these declarations—including tired formulas on free trade and the Merida Initiative—to pin their hopes on.
Immigrant Crackdown Joins Failed Crime and Drug Wars
By Tom Barry
The new emphasis by the Obama administration on tracking down and removing "criminal aliens" indicates that the ongoing immigrant crackdown will be driven more by the imperatives of the crime and drug wars than by the ideological fears and fervor of the war on terror.
April Biodiversity Report from the Americas Program
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
Uruguay: Contaminated Honey; Peru: No to the Andean Free Trade Agreement with the European Union; New Book on Genetically Modified Organisms in Latin America Released; Mexico: The Struggle Against Mining in Michoacán; Mexico: More Denunciations of "Geopiracy"; Mexico: Maiz Defense Network: No to GMO corn!
Citizen Groups Organize to End "Soft Censorship," Guarantee Freedom of Expression
By Martha Farmelo
Today Latin American governments rarely exercise direct censorship of the press by banning newspapers or other media outlets, reviewing material, or outright prohibiting publication; however, governments across the region are using taxpayer funds and public power to exercise forms of "soft censorship" of the media.
G-20: Round Two
By Tony Phillips
In early April, the executives of 19 countries and the European Union traveled to London to confront a common challenge: rescue the global financial system.
The IDB—50 Years, Zero Reflection
By Laura Carlsen
At the end of March, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) celebrated its 50th anniversary in Medellin, presenting an opportunity to revise concepts and move toward a fairer development model.
Drug War Doublespeak
By Laura Carlsen
Drug war violence and organized crime in Mexico and Latin America are serious problems. But ratcheting up a war in response is not the answer.
March Biodiversity Report from the Americas Program
By Carmelo Ruiz Marrero
The Biodiversity Report, written by Carmelo Ruiz, our long-time collaborator on environmental subjects and an expert on the region, brings together information on the most significant threats to biodiversity as well as on grassroots resistance to them.
The Left Triumphs in El Salvador
By Ana Martínez
The historic victory of the leftist Farabundo Martí Front for National Liberation (FMLN, Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional) party in the presidential elections held in El Salvador March 15, marked the end of governance by the rightist Republica Nationalist Alliance (ARENA, Alianza Repulicana Nacionalista).
Indigenous Community Radio in Mexico
By Sara McElmurry
By giving a "voice" to the "voiceless"—in their own language—community radio programs can support development and cultural revitalization efforts in indigenous communities.
Ecuador: The Logic of Development Clashes with Movements
By Raúl Zibechi
In spite of proclaiming himself socialist and a defender of the general "well being," President Rafael Correa has been promoting the open-pit mining industry, which has provoked serious environmental and social damage throughout the region.
The National Imperative to Imprison Immigrants for Profit
By Tom Barry
As GEO's Zoley sees it, the prison industry will benefit from a new "national imperative" in these difficult economic times "to protect American workers by detaining and deporting immigrants."
Indigenous Panamanians Defend Nature Against Speculators' Violent Onslaughts
By Talli Nauman
For the small Naso indigenous community of Panama, the curtain of 2009 opened on a heart wrenching scene of conflict over the native people's longtime demand for respect of their territory and natural resources.
Trading our Way Out of the Financial Crisis
The Need for WTO Reform
By Kevin P. Gallagher and Timothy A. Wise
Ensuring that years of development policy are not swallowed up by foreign capital during tough times is among the utmost priorities in the developing world in the wake of the crisis.
That Other World
By Diego González
The northeastern port city of Belém, which sits on the banks of the Amazon, hosted 133,000 representatives of various organizations, social movements, left-wing parties, nongovernmental organizations, as well as other alterglobalists from 142 countries for a debate that had become an inevitability.
Help the Poor or Learn From Them?
By Raúl Zibechi
The ideology that emanates from the international finance organizations maintains that the poor suffer from a "lack" of resources, that poverty is a scourge to be combated, and that the best method of doing so is to "help" the poor. Or should we be taking some lessons from them?
Medical Claims and Malpractice in Correctional Healthcare
By Tom Barry
The medical gulag of immigrant detention has underscored the increasing privatization of America's prison system and the consequent problems.
The Crisis Slams Mexico
By Kent Paterson
Within the context of the current global economic crisis it remains to be seen whether Mexico's political system can contain current outbreaks of popular protest with more crumbs; it will depend on how deep the economic crisis reaches, as well as factors such as the unpredictable dynamics of violence and retaliation, repression, and more violence unleashed by the narco war.
Napolitano's Hard Echo of Liberal Immigration Reform Strategy
By Tom Barry
The "rule of law" framing of immigration policy copies the language of the Bush administration and the agenda of the immigration restrictionists. The apparent continuity between the enforcement agenda of Chertoff and Napolitano alarms advocates of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).
A New Attitude in the White House?
State Department Calls Bolivian and Venezuelan Referendums "Democratic"
By Laura Carlsen
President Obama faces a choice: to build good neighbor relations in the hemisphere or to actively oppose the democratic changes toward greater sovereignty, equality, and decolonization that are taking place.
Autonomy or New Forms of Domination?
By Raúl Zibechi
Each time those from below throw off the trappings of domination, other, newer, more perfected forms necessarily appear. Only by neutralizing the social programs and overcoming the offensive against autonomy from below can social movements find their way back to the road to independence.
The New Political Economy of Immigration
By Tom Barry
While the Department of Homeland Security is driving immigrants from their jobs and homes, U.S. firms in the business of providing prison beds are raking in record profits from the immigrant crackdown.
Immigrant Inmates Caught in Outsourcing Labyrinth
By Tom Barry
Immigrant inmates protesting medical care abuses in the Reeves County Detention Center in West Texas are caught up in a new prison labyrinth—a complex of federal agencies, local governments, private contractors and subcontractors, public bonds, and private investors. GEO Group, which runs the prison, boasts that the "Reeves County Detention Complex (the 'Complex') is the largest detention/correctional facility under private management in the world."
U.S. Policy Toward Latin America in 2009 and Beyond
By Cynthia McClintock
In the text from her testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere on Feb. 4, Cynthia McClintock cites three "failed policies" that should change: Cuba, drug control, and immigration.
Migration and Mechanization in Brazil's Biofuel Cane Fields
By Gretchen Gordon
As the promise of biofuels-led economic development continues to capture the imagination of migrants across Brazil, as well as nations throughout the region, under globalization, that promise may be drifting farther from reality.
Immigrant Prison Burns in Pecos
By Tom Barry
The Reeves County Detention Center started burning again on Wednesday night, and the billowing clouds of smoke could be seen for many miles across the northern reaches of the Chihuahua Desert. There's nothing much here except abandoned ranch houses, still oil pumps, endless stretches of creosote and tar bush—and a prison for immigrants on fire.
America's Frontline Is Getting Crowded
By Tom Barry
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks set off the Bush administration's "Global War on Terrorism" and a Border Patrol hiring frenzy that continues into the Obama administration.
Boom Times on the Border
By Tom Barry
Alongside the Rio Grande, which forms the natural divide between the United States and Mexico, another divide—a decidedly unnatural one—is marching west from El Paso, tearing through the farms and riparian zones that turn the desert green.
Night of the Golden Iguana:
Land Conflicts Riddle Mexican Tourism Development
By Kent Paterson
The tourism industry has exploded and word of the Mismaloya struggle to keep their lands despite the booming tourism industry and international investment that comes with it is gradually filtering out to the national and international community.
Indigenous Communication in a Gobal World:
Strategies Used by the FIOB in the United States and Mexico
By Bertha Rodríguez Santos
FIOB was founded in 1991 in response to the needs of the immigrant communities in the United States and the native communities in Oaxaca. The organization has gone through various stages and is currently working at the binational level to defend indigenous communities.
Is Brazil Creating Its Own "Backyard"?
By Raúl Zibechi
In past months a number of conflicts have occurred between the emerging global power of Brazil and its smaller neighbors, in particular Ecuador and Paraguay. This has led Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government to defend Brazil's multinationals and to mobilize troops to protect the nation's interests.
Napolitano Finessing Immigrant Crackdown
By Tom Barry
In a Jan. 20 departmental directive on immigration and border control, DHS chief Janet Napolitano says: "Smart, resolute enforcement by the department can keep Americans safe, foster legal immigration to America, protect legitimate commerce, and lay the groundwork for a more comprehensive reform."
Homeland Security Colony
By Tom Barry
The contrast between the billions spent on dubious projects to increase homeland security and the poverty of the border town of Ft. Hancock raises questions about governmental priorities.
El Salvador Elections Set Stage for Tense Presidential Race
By Jena Andrews
Widespread and numerous FMLN wins in the January 18 elections prove that, on the national level, most voters see the FMLN as a hopeful alternative to 20 years of ARENA-led government.
The New Bilateral Relationship and Immigration Reform
By Laura Carlsen
A bilateral agenda should be developed based on the shared priorities of work with dignity and peaceful societies.
Global Crisis is Good News for IFIs in Latin America
By Vince McElhiny
As taxpayers begin to question the credibility of the gatekeepers of the U.S. financial system that blatantly accumulated private fortunes but now require public funds to socialize the costs, can the IFIs remain immune from their role in enabling the crisis by failing to act earlier?
NAFTA's Dangerous Security Agenda
By Laura Carlsen
The Security and Prosperity Partnership was adopted and expanded without public or congressional consent and should be abolished. A review by congress can determine which working groups should continue under the framework of NAFTA and how their composition can be changed to reflect the real and diverse interests of society.
Good News from Nashville: Diversity Not Uniformity
By Tom Barry
Voters in Nashville defeated an English Only amendment that would have made English the only language for government business in a Southern city that is taking new pride in its diversity. Both at a national and local level, diversity—not uniformity—has a new power in American politics.
Obama's Immigration Challenge: More about Words than Policy
By Tom Barry
With his power of words and ability to evoke hope, President Obama could provide the impetus so badly needed to help us determine together how and how many immigrants contribute to our national interest and our nation's future.
The Challenges of Current Indigenous Migration
By Rufino Domínguez-Santos
Millions of indigenous people have migrated from small towns and communities to the big cities of Mexico, and around half a million Mexican indigenous people now live in the United States. What must we do to improve the situation of our binational communities?
Time to Rethink Free Trade Agreements with the United States
By Laura Carlsen
An economic crisis is no time to tie the hands of government in the economy. It is time to rethink the free trade model.
Obama Reaffirms Promise to Renegotiate NAFTA
By Laura Carlsen
Obama should hold to his campaign promise of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement.
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The Americas Program blog has been following the coup d'etat in Honduras since before it happened on June 28. Find day-by-day information, analysis, interviews with resistance leaders, and translations in a series of over 25 blogs filed from our Mexico City base, and now from on-the-ground in Honduras. http://americasmexico.blogspot.com/.
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In this series, Tom Barry of the TransBorder Project of Americas Program provides a first-hand look at the way the federal government's focus on border security is impacting the Texas-New Mexico borderlands.
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 Hungry for Justice:
How the World Food System Fails the Poor
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.
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Large scale infrastructure projects are changing the social, political, and physical geography of Latin America. Check out the latest in the series, "Damming Patagonia's Rivers: A Dirty Energy Business (#8)" at http://americas.irc-online.org/am/5247.
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Whose Security and Prosperity? 