from Weekly News Update on the Americas: On Nov. 28, a standoff in Bolivia’s Senate ended when the rightwing National Unity (UN) party’s only senator joined two senators from the rightwing Democratic and Social Power (Podemos) in returning to the… Read moreBOLIVIA: AGRARIAN REFORM LAW SIGNED
Continue ReadingBOLIVIA: AGRARIAN REFORM LAW SIGNEDVoters Reject Traditional Parties in Elections Marred by Violence by April Howard, Toward Freedom A soldier running from angry protesters died instantly when he fell off of a cliff, town offices were burned down, and one mayor escaped to Lima,… Read morePERU: ELITE FACE THE HEAT
Continue ReadingPERU: ELITE FACE THE HEATCampesinos Mobilize for Agrarian Reform by Benjamin Dangl, Toward Freedom Silvestre Saisari, a bearded, soft-spoken leader in the Bolivian Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), sat in his office in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The building was surrounded by a high cement wall… Read moreLAND AND POWER IN BOLIVIA
Continue ReadingLAND AND POWER IN BOLIVIAWhat is Behind Bush’s Andean “Anti-Terrorist” Strategy? by Julian Monroy, WW4 REPORT Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe Velez—the Bush administration’s main ally in the hemispheric war on terrorism and drugs, as well as in the pursuit of free trade policies—was in… Read moreCOLOMBIA: WASHINGTON & THE PARA SCANDAL
Continue ReadingCOLOMBIA: WASHINGTON & THE PARA SCANDALState Terror and the Struggle for Ecopetrol by Bill Weinberg, WW4 REPORT After seven hours of debate on Dec. 12, Colombia’s Congress voted 60-29 to authorize the sale of a 20% stake in the Colombian state oil company. Ecopetrol. Under… Read moreCOLOMBIA: THE PARAS & THE OIL CARTEL
Continue ReadingCOLOMBIA: THE PARAS & THE OIL CARTELZachary Goelman writes for the Jerusalem Report, Dec. 22: Army Directive lashed as “crime of apartheid” Israeli human rights organization has charged that an army ban on Israel drivers carrying Palestinian passengers in the west bank falls into the category… Read moreIsraeli army directive lashed as “crime of apartheid”
The lobby prevents Rachel Corrie’s voice from being heard—again. From Variety, Dec. 22: ‘Corrie’ canceled in Canada Play has potential to offend Jewish community It’s curtains for My Name Is Rachel Corrie in Canada. CanStage, the country’s largest not-for-profit theater,… Read moreRachel Corrie play: censored in Toronto
This short piece exposes an interesting phenomenon at the Washington Post: citizen-soldier-book reviewers. Received via e-mail from our correspondent Brian Hennessey, Dec. 11: To review Jimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, the Washington Post [Dec. 10] chose a Jewish… Read moreOn Goldberg’s review of Carter in Washington Post
Jimmy Carter describes how the separation wall, 80% of which Israel is building inside the occupied West Bank in contravention of international law, makes life terrible for the Palestinians who live in its destructive path. From Palestine: Peace not Apartheid:… Read moreIsraeli army seizes non-violent activist —in front of UN and Amnesty officials
From CNN’s Larry King Live, Nov. 28: Larry King: Back to Mr. [Alan] Dershowitz on your book. He deals with the tone of your book. He says “it’s obvious that Carter doesn’t like Israel or Israelis. He lectured Golda Meir… Read moreCarter disses Dershowitz
From Radio HornAfrik, Mogadishu, in Somali, Dec. 8 (awkward translation as provided by BBC Monitoring): Somalia: Demonstration against deployment of foreign troops held in Mogadishu [Presenter] A demonstration condemning the UN Security Council’s decision to deploy foreign troops in Somalia… Read moreSomalia: 3,000 demonstrate against Ethiopia, US and UN
From Reuters, Dec. 8: Gunmen killed two security officers when they opened fire on a guard post outside a prison in Jidda, the Interior Ministry said. Residents said terror suspects were believed to be held at the prison. Al Arabiya… Read moreJihadis attack Saudi cops in Jidda
