South America

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blindpig
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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Mon Jun 13, 2022 1:58 pm

Bungled Summit of Americas diplomatic nightmare for US
Xinhua | Updated: 2022-06-11 21:02

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Photo taken on March 3, 2021 shows the US Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

- The 9th Summit of the Americas has become a diplomatic nightmare for the United States, which opted to scratch Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua off the guest list of the continental conference.

- The summit fails to help resolve the region's pressing problems due to the lack of political will on the part of the United States, said analysts.

- Washington seems to take advantage of the summit to restore its waning influence and tighten its grip over Latin American nations.


MEXICO CITY -- This week's Summit of the Americas, being held in the US city of Los Angeles, has become a diplomatic nightmare for the United States, which opted to scratch three nations off the guest list, essentially gutting the regional gathering even before it began.

US President Joe Biden's administration excluded Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the continental conference held from Wednesday to Friday despite the objections of other leaders, notably Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who openly urged the White House to rethink its unpopular position and ultimately declined to attend the meeting in protest.

Washington's decision to cherry-pick who gets invited to the summit, and strong-arm other governments into acquiescing, sent a familiar chill through Latin America, a region the United States has notoriously referred to as its "backyard."

Far from signalling a willingness to partner with regional countries to tackle common issues, Washington seems to take advantage of the summit to restore its waning influence and tighten its grip over Latin American nations, which are increasingly wary of US self-interest.

EXCLUSION, ALIENATION

If the United States had any hope of casting itself as a regional leader by playing host, the hope evaporated quickly as "exclusion" became the summit's byword. Closing the door to the above mentioned three countries not only angered them, but also alienated the rest.

"There is not a single reason that justifies the undemocratic and arbitrary exclusion of any country in the hemisphere from that continental event," the Cuban government said in a statement. "What our region demands is cooperation, not exclusion; solidarity, not pettiness; respect, not arrogance; sovereignty and self-determination, not subordination."

The move backfired for Washington as countries rallied around the Caribbean nation and condemned US foreign policy towards the island, Havana said.

"The United States underestimated the support for Cuba in the region, while trying to impose its unilateral and universally rejected policy of hostility towards Cuba, as if it were a consensual position in the hemisphere."

Mexico denounced the exclusion as it exposed Washington's double standards on democracy. On Thursday, Lopez Obrador told reporters that the US hegemonic policy "is an anachronistic, old and unfair policy that must be set aside, and a new stage must be inaugurated in the relationship of all the fraternal peoples and countries of the American continent."

In a column published in the Mexican daily Excelsior, Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who led Mexico's delegation to the summit, wrote that Washington accuses countries of being undemocratic -- the reason the White House gave for not inviting the three countries -- only when it benefits US interests.

"It is not applied equally in all cases, but only in some, when it is convenient," said Ebrard, adding that at the forum, Mexico will press for an end to the "inhumane" decades-old US trade embargo against Cuba.

"No country has the right to tell another how to govern itself. The foundation for a new stage in the Americas is mutual respect. It is what we are championing and will champion," Ebrard added.

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WANING INFLUENCE

The summit was doomed to failure from the very beginning, Cuban senior political expert Rafael Hernandez told Xinhua.

Instead of appealing to dialogue and engagement, he said, the US government continues to impose its views on the region through unilateral sanctions, punitive measures and intervention.

"The exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from the list of invited countries to the summit has been counterproductive for US foreign policy, which uses coercion as a tool of political pressure," said Hernandez.

Diego Sequera, a Venezuelan journalist and political analyst, believes Washington's main objective is to use the summit to ensure economic, commercial and geopolitical control in the region.

However, that goal "has been increasingly undermined" by a "fractured and devalued" summit that fails to represent the Americas, Sequera said.

While Latin America has changed and is no longer the US backyard, Washington's policy towards Latin America has not yet changed, said observers.

"They act as the arbiters of what democracy, human rights and freedom are. That is not a basis for engagement in a dialogue in the western hemisphere, which is politically speaking more diverse than ever," Hernandez said.

The US government does not promote multilateralism and international cooperation, but narrowly defines democracy, whereas others understand it to be about participation, pluralism and diversity, Hernandez added.

Little wonder Washington's influence in the Latin American and Caribbean political arena has waned over the past decade.

That means the United States has lost its leadership role in the region, which in turn limits the real scope or importance of the Summit of the Americas, Roldan said.

"We live in a different world ... There are new institutions, new rules and that is what we are experiencing today," said Roldan. "The United States is going to have to understand that it neglected Latin America and we are not its backyard. Latin America is giving itself respect."

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20220 ... 6221b.html

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Summit of the Americas Was a Victory for Maduro, Biden-Guaidó Phone Call Was ‘Damage Control’
JUNE 11, 2022

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During the early morning the first mobilizations were confirmed in various regions of Ecuador. | Photo: @confeniae1
Published June 13, 2022 (58 minutes ago)

Conaie and other indigenous organizations hope that other sectors will join the national mobilization.

As announced by the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), Leonidas Iza, the national mobilization against the government of Guillermo Lasso began in the early hours of Monday.

During the early morning, the first mobilizations were confirmed in various regions of Ecuador with the blockade of the highway that connects the provinces of Pastaza and Napo by the Kichwa indigenous community.

From Conaie and other indigenous organizations they hope that other sectors will join the national mobilization, despite the threats of repression by the Ecuadorian Government.


The leader of the indigenous confederation, Leonidas Iza, indicated that the measure of force against the Government of Guillermo Lasso will be national and indefinite.

Leonidas Iza indicated that they demand that the Government reduce fuel prices, fair prices for farm products, more employment and respect for labor rights.

They also ask for an environmental audit and reparation for the impact of mining and oil extraction in their territories.


Similarly, respect for bilingual intercultural education and that strategic sectors of the State are not privatized.

The protesters demand a larger budget for the sectors of education, health, security and generation of public policies to stop the wave of violence and organized crime that keeps Ecuador in turmoil.


Iza said that the mobilizations will be territorial and peaceful, but the arrival of the bases in Quito is not ruled out, in addition to promoting the removal of Lasso in the legal field.

“If the President decides to resolve immediately, then we will remain calm. But if he decides not to take us into account, he will go to other levels” warned the indigenous leader.


The Conaie called for the mobilization after having exhausted the instances of dialogue in appointments made on June 11, October 4 and November 10, 2021.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/ecuador- ... -0008.html
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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blindpig
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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Wed Jun 15, 2022 3:46 pm

“Summit of Exclusion” Backfires on Biden
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JUNE 13, 2022
Jill Clark-Gollub, Alina Duarte, John Perry

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“We would definitely have wanted a different Summit of the Americas. The silence of those absent challenges us. So that this does not happen again, I would like to state for the future that the fact of being the host country of the Summit does not grant the capacity to impose a ‘right of admission’ on the member countries of the continent.” President of Argentina and president pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (CELAC), Alberto Fernández, at the Summit of the Americas, June 10, 2022, Los Angeles.

While hosting the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles last week, the Biden administration sought to ostracize Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela by excluding them due to an alleged “lack of democratic space and human rights situations”. The resulting backlash caused these three countries to be the most discussed topic inside and outside the summit venue, as governments and social movements in Latin America and the Caribbean questioned whether the United States has the right or moral authority to pass judgment on the form of government each nation chooses. There was also plenty of skepticism about whether the Organization of American States (OAS), which has served as an instrument for advancing US hegemony in the region, really promotes the interests of the countries of the hemisphere. American scholar and activist Cornel West called this “a Malcolm X moment” in which the chickens are coming home to roost.[1] How did we get here?

Sanctioning itself out of business

The United States has targeted Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela for regime change, particularly through economic warfare in the form of unilateral coercive measures, commonly called sanctions. The U.S. now wields illegal sanctions on over a third of humanity living in 42 countries.[2] This blunt instrument seeks to push a nation’s population to revolt against its government, and sanctions were stepped up against Venezuela even during the time of pandemic. Though the tactic rarely succeeds, as the Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan people know, sanctions impact the poorest and most vulnerable citizens, particularly children, and cause thousands of deaths, in contravention of the Charters of the United Nations and the OAS. Consequently, sanctioned countries have been looking for ways around the U.S. dollar-dominated banking system. They were further pushed towards this when the U.S. undermined that very system by confiscating the gold and foreign reserves of Venezuela, then Afghanistan, and now Russia, as economist Michael Hudson has explained.[3]

The Biden administration should have realized by now that nations are no longer blindly following its orders to isolate countries it seeks to punish. For example, although corporate media depict a world united against Russia since February 24 of this year, a vast majority of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America (in this case representing the majority of humanity), have refused to impose sanctions on Russia.[4] And when it comes to following Washington’s dictates on voting at the U.N., the picture is not as black and white as it is painted in the global North.

In the recent U.N. General Assembly vote about Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council—a campaign led by the U.S.—although 92 countries followed Uncle Sam’s lead, 82 countries (including giants such as India, China, Brazil, and South Africa) either abstained or voted against the U.S. initiative. They clearly represent the overwhelming majority of humanity, and actually include 13 countries in the Americas.[5] Of course, the strongest precedent for rejection of U.S. policy has been 29 years of near-unanimous annual votes in the U.N. General Assembly demanding the lifting of the criminal U.S. blockade on Cuba.

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People’s Summit, Los Angeles (credit photo, Alina Duarte).

Governments reject U.S. arrogance

The exclusion of Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba from the Summit of the Americas caused several heads of state to boycott the summit, with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador leading the way by saying that the selective invitations showed “disrespect of countries’ sovereignty and independence”. The presidents of Bolivia, Honduras, Guatemala, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines followed his example, while El Salvador and Uruguay stayed away for their own reasons. During the June 6-10 gathering, diplomats representing several governments used the podium to denounce the exclusion of the three countries and called for an end to sanctions, especially the blockade on Cuba. They also questioned whether any country has the right to judge the democracy of other nations, and called for a revamping of the OAS as an inter-American institution. These remarks were echoed by the heads of state of Belize, Argentina, Chile, and several CARICOM countries. It is as if Washington were unaware that there has been a second emancipation underway in Latin America for more than two decades, and that U.S. efforts to turn back the clock on the advance of regional independence and the diversification of trading partners only serve to further undermine its waning influence in the region.

Immigration resolution, in the absence of key nations

News reports after the Summit ended questioned the validity of what is purported to be the Biden administration’s greatest accomplishment during the gathering—a declaration on migration —because it was discussed in the absence of the leaders of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, the main sources of migration to the U.S. in recent years.[6] It is in any case an extremely paltry initiative that is unlikely to have any significant effect on numbers heading north.

The Summit took place during the trial of former Bolivian President Jeanine Áñez, who seized power after an OAS facilitated a coup d’etat in Bolivia in 2019, a fact not lost on many of the attendees, including the Bolivian representative. It was also raised by members of the audience during the Summit’s sessions, including Walter Smolarek who managed to speak from the floor for several minutes calling out OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro for his complicity in the massacres at Sacaba and Senkata during the Bolivian coup, and leaving Almagro almost speechless. Journalist Eugene Puryear pointed out the hypocrisy of the U.S. in shunning leaders it disagrees with while welcoming others, such as Ariel Henry of Haiti, who is accused by the judge who oversaw the case of murdering his predecessor.[7] President of Colombia, Iván Duque, whose government appears unable to stop the ongoing massacres and assassinations of human rights defenders, community leaders, and ex-combatants of the FARC, was also invited to the summit. And during the same session in which Secretary of State Blinken tried to present his administration as a worthy example of journalistic freedom, independent journalist Abby Martin challenged such a characterization by asking about U.S. client states implicated in murders of journalists, such as Palestinian-U.S. citizen Shireen Abu Akleh at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces.[8]

The Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans Biden did invite

The administration did extend invitations to some people from the scorned countries to participate in the Summit’s Civil Society Dialogue. In the case of Cuba, Norges Rodríguez, a telecommunications specialist, and Yotuel, the Cuban rapper living in Spain who became famous on July 11, 2021 for his song “Patria y Vida,” were present. The latter was the subject of an extensive exposé about his ties to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).[9] Mr. Rodríguez, for his part, bragged about bringing photos from last year’s protests in Cuba to be displayed at the Summit, and remarked that he was there to raise awareness about the threat posed by the three excluded governments.[10]

Some Nicaraguan opposition journalists affiliated with outlets that have received funding from the Chamorro Foundation, known to channel funding from USAID and the NED, were invited to the Summit of the Americas, including Lucía Pineda of “100% Noticias” and others from “Confidencial.”[11] Other invitees, such as Francisca Ramírez, who calls herself a “peasant leader” in the anti-canal movement, are part of the militant opposition to the government and is alleged to have been one of the architects of the violent roadblocks that paralyzed Nicaragua for three months during a bloody coup attempt in 2018.[12]

As for Venezuela, at least Washington realized that it was not prudent to impose its puppet Juan Guaidó on the summit, as he has become an embarrassment. But it did invite Guaidó’s former “ambassador” to the UK, Vanessa Neumann,[13] who is under investigation by the Venezuela’s Attorney General’s office for involvement in blocking Venezuela’s gold reserves held by the Bank of England.[14] She resigned as Juan Guaidó’s diplomatic envoy to the UK in December 2020, expressing concern that “The future of Guaidó’s leadership is not clear within the opposition.”[15]

Given that the Summit was supposed to work on topics such as “Health and Resilience,” “Our Green Future,” and “Accelerating the Transition to Clean Energy,” one might wonder whether inclusion of these civil society actors who benefit from U.S. funding is merely intended to give a veneer of legitimacy to the unilateral approaches of U.S. policy, while undermining true multilateralism. The fact that these individuals further Washington’s regime-change narratives is just icing on the cake.

The peoples of the Americas unite

Meanwhile, peace and justice activists held their own summits in Los Angeles (June 8 to 10) and in Tijuana, Mexico (June 10 to 12), calling for social justice, respect for national sovereignty, and international workers’ solidarity. Both Summits also called for the immediate release of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, who is being detained by U.S. authorities in violation of the Vienna Convention of 1961, setting a dangerous precedent for diplomatic missions around the world.[16]

The People’s Summit

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People’s Summit Assembly, Los Angeles (credit photo, Alina Duarte).

The People’s Summit for Democracy in Los Angeles, endorsed by over 250 grassroots organizations and attended in-person and on-line by thousands, had strong participation from tenants’ rights groups that criticized the U.S. government for staging its event in the city with the highest homelessness rate in the country.[17] The three-day event included teach-ins and protests with speeches denouncing the U.S. government hypocrisy of claiming to be a champion of democracy and human rights abroad while racism, poverty, voter suppression and an inequitable justice system afflict millions at home. Despite the LAPD’s refusal to grant a permit, the event culminated in a protest outside the Biden administration’s summit, prominently displaying the flags of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. The final declaration of this alternative summit states:

“This Summit we have built together has been a bridge across organizations, movements, regions, languages, and borders. We are creating bonds between us and unity across our different struggles. While the time we have spent together is coming to a close, we affirm the ongoing fight for a more just world and rededicate ourselves to it.”[18]


People’s Summit protest march heads for the Summit of the Americas (credit photo, Media Ninja)
The People’s Summit ended up generating a situation contrary to the wishes of the Biden administration. On Friday, April 10, thousands walked the streets of Los Angeles demanding an end to the blockade against Cuba, as well as an end to economic warfare against Venezuela and Nicaragua. A massive mobilization that contrasted with the vacuum at the Summit of the Americas inside and outside the venue.

The Workers’ Summit

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Worker’s Summit brings banners to the U.S. border wall (credit photo: Teri Mattson)

The Workers’ Summit in Tijuana also had extensive social movement and union participation, including in-person attendance by grassroots leaders from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who were denied visas for the Los Angeles events. The peoples’ representatives of these three countries explained the advances their revolutionary societies have made in terms of housing for low-income people, socialized medicine, and free education through the highest level. There was a call to consolidate joint solidarity for the three countries against U.S. aggression, and to maintain ties among workers and social movements across national boundaries, in order to disseminate reliable information about what is happening in the different countries, take joint action when feasible, and learn from each other’s struggles. The final declaration of the workers summit states:

“We are witnessing a process of recolonization over the people. This is expressed in the excessive growth of racism, poverty, unemployment, job insecurity, environmental deterioration of territories, criminalization of migration, and gender and cultural violence. For this reason, we call upon the programmatic unity of the American continent’s workers, peasants, and progressive and popular forces to reflect, debate, and take concrete action to combat the labor and social violence applied to our peoples by the U.S. and Canadian governments.”[19]

The Summit proposes “To hold an annual meeting in Tijuana, Mexico, with the workers and social movements of the Americas to express solidarity with the peoples of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua and their revolutions to repudiate unilateral coercive measures against sovereign governments.”

Alison Bodine (Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice, Canada) urged delegates to build on the unity forged during the international encounter:

“When we leave the Workers Summit in Tijuana we need to solidify the unity that we have built over the last two days. We need to develop collaboration and teamwork with patience, confidence, and trust, to forge a united front that can work with consistency, cooperation and creativity to build a campaign that is strong enough to end imperialist attacks, sanctions and blockades against Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.”

North South Solidarity

Both the People’s Summit and the Workers’ Summit, then, in response to the exclusive Summit of the Americas, established new bonds of solidarity and the promise of North-South ongoing collaboration.

It does indeed appear that the Biden administration’s effort to isolate the revolutionary governments of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela was not just a failure but a remarkable own-goal. Instead, North-South solidarity among the peoples of “Our America” was strengthened, despite their being excluded from the official summit. Cuban trade union leader Rosario Rodríguez Remos summed up the situation well when she said that, “The time has come for the dog to stop following the master.”

Jill Clark-Gollub, COHA Assistant Editor/Translator; Alina Duarte, COHA Senior Fellow; John Perry, COHA Senior Fellow

[Credit Main Photo: Teri Mattson, Workers’ Summit, Tijuana, at the U.S. Border Wall]

Sources

[1] https://twitter.com/fiorellaisabelm/sta ... EmmOGlEtaw

[2] https://sanctionskill.org/2021/02/02/sa ... countries/

[3] https://mronline.org/2022/03/08/america ... on-russia/

[4] https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/16/ ... sanctions/

[5]https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1115782; see also the outcome of the UN vote: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://tw ... 3SCwzBkeCL

[6] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/p ... ummit.html

[7] https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/08/americas ... index.html

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIhHN3LJSao; https://orinocotribune.com/journalists- ... hypocrisy/

[9] https://thegrayzone.com/2021/07/25/cuba ... -catalyst/

[10] www.diariolasamericas.com/mundo/cumbre- ... 250723/amp

[11] https://thegrayzone.com/2021/06/01/cia- ... ing-media/; see also https://100noticias.com.ni/politica/115 ... e-america/

[12] [Sefton, S. (2020) Nicaragua 2018: uncensoring the truth. Testimonies of victims of opposition violence during the failed coup attempt of 2018. https://www.tortillaconsal.com/tortilla/node/10378; see also Prensa Alternativa, June 7, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aubmCCHj_TY

[13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttc7nTeSmK4

[14] https://www.forbes.com.mx/venezuela-ini ... la-patria/; see also https://orinocotribune.com/promoters-of ... rodriguez/; https://orinocotribune.com/vanessa-neum ... not-clear/; https://presidenciave.com/embassies/amb ... n-england/

[15] https://www.ft.com/content/783b7c6c-9d9 ... 1a11c093d8

[16] https://www.coha.org/coha-calls-for-the ... d-us-laws/; see also https://www.coha.org/the-u-s-flies-alex ... on-treaty/ and https://www.coha.org/new-revelations-of ... alex-saab/

[17] https://peoplesdispatch.org/2022/06/10/ ... es-summit/

[18] https://peoplessummit2022.org/thelatest ... -democracy

[19] https://workerssummit.com/declaration/

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/06/ ... -on-biden/

People’s Summit for Democracy Ends with a Bold Plan
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JUNE 14, 2022
Peoples Dispatch

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Participants of the People’s Summit for Democracy protest the exclusion of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela from the Summit of the Americas. Photo: Kamikia Kisedje

On the final day of the People’s Summit, organizers, volunteers, and attendees marched by the hundreds to the Summit of the Americas


The organizers of the People’s Summit for Democracy were determined to close out the summit with a lasting impression on the last day, June 10.

The People’s Summit was organized in opposition to the Summit of the Americas that was organized by the US-influenced Organization of American States (OAS) and hosted by the US in Los Angeles. The Summit of the Americas has historically been a place for the US to dictate a political agenda to the Latin American countries.

The Summit of the Americas has been plagued by difficulties since May 10, when Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced that he would boycott the Summit in protest against the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua from the Summit. Following AMLO’s boycott, a host of Latin American leaders announced their own boycotts of the Summit.

On the morning of June 10, volunteers and organizers of the People’s Summit were determined to bring the spirit of the excluded countries right up to the doorstep of the Summit of the Americas.

Dozens of volunteers rose hours earlier than the People’s Summit start time of 11:30 am to gather in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center, where the US was hosting the Summit of the Americas.

Activists from the many convening organizations of the People’s Summit, such as Union de Vecinos, ANSWER Coalition, and People’s Forum, waved the flags of the three excluded countries directly outside the metal fences surrounding the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Summit of the Americas has been completely fenced off from the people of the US, effectively excluding the people from the discussions happening inside of the LA Convention Center.

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People’s Summit volunteers on the morning of June 10, protesting outside of the Summit of the Americas (Photo: Midianinja)

“Working class and poor people in the United States have hundred times more in common with the people of Cuba and their government, a hundred times more in common with Venezuela and its government, than we do with the Wall Street bankers and capitalists who pretend to speak in our name,” said Brian Becker, executive director of the ANSWER Coalition, at the morning rally.

Volunteers went back to the People’s Summit shortly after, held at the Los Angeles Trade Technical College campus. They had set the stage for the mobilization of volunteers, guests, and participants of the People’s Summit that was scheduled for that day at 5 pm.

As the day came to a close, participants heard special messages at the last panel from the Presidents of Cuba and Venezuela, as well as former Bolivian President Evo Morales.

“The world is much bigger than the dominance and arrogance of Washington,” said President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, calling the People’s Summit “the true Summit of Los Angeles.”

After the last panel, People’s Summit organizers read their final statement, a culmination of the discussions and dialogue that occurred at the Summit between working and poor people across the Americas.

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Attendees watch a videotaped address from Evo Morales (Photo: Midianinja)

“Humanity has no other choice but to fight,” read an organizer from Union de Vecinos. “We will be in the streets, in our neighborhoods, in our workplaces, constantly building and organizing. Carrying out the thousands of small tasks and big struggles that together bring us closer to victory. Our planet needs us. Our people need us. We will win!”

It is on this note that all those present at the People’s Summit began to mobilize for a march of hundreds to the Summit of the Americas. Marchers lined up in formation on the adjacent street, carrying representations of diverse people’s struggles from across the continent. Signs read “end white supremacy”, “end mass incarceration”, “workers make the world run”, and “housing for all”. Organizations across Los Angeles, the US, and the Americas marched with their banners, led by a truck carrying a group of speakers, chant leaders, and People’s Summit organizers.

Marchers heard from a host of speakers, including a young immigrant rights organizer from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), whose aunt went missing when she migrated across the Mexico-US border.

“[Migrants] are turned away from seeking asylum, and they’re forced across hostile terrain to reach American land. My aunt fell victim to that system.”

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Coordinators, speakers, and chant leaders lead the march outside of the Summit of the Americas (Photo: Midianinja)

Speakers continued to expand upon the ideas of a new world that had been discussed and debated within the People’s Summit. Anti-imperialist activist Gloria la Riva addressed the crowd once marchers arrived at the LA Convention Center.

“This building should be housing everyone who lives in LA!” La Riva said, pointing to one of the tall glass buildings surrounding the Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles has one of the largest per capita homeless populations in the world.

“We have a crisis here. The only way to solve everything that we’re facing…it requires revolution. It requires a system where everything we build is owned and shared by us, and where the planning is ecological.”

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/06/ ... bold-plan/

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ALBA Secretary: Summit of the Americas is ‘Failure,’ US ‘Empire is Losing Its Power’ (Interview)
JUNE 13, 2022

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Sacha Sergio Llorenti Soliz, Secretary General of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP). File photo.

The secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance (ALBA), Sacha Llorenti, discusses Latin America and the Caribbean’s rebellion against the US government’s exclusionary Summit of the Americas, and growing efforts at regional integration against imperialism.

Multipolarista host Benjamin Norton interviewed the secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance (ALBA), Sacha Llorenti, about Latin America’s rebellion against the US government’s Summit of the Americas.

Presidents of eight countries in the region boycotted the conference, which opened in Los Angeles, California on June 6.

Llorenti discussed ALBA’s alternative summit in Cuba, efforts at achieving economic and political integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the importance of unity against imperialism.

“We don’t consider this a summit, nor of the Americas,” he said. Llorenti condemned the Monroe Doctrine, US sanctions, and the “superiority complex that runs through US foreign policy.”

“Things are changing,” he added. “What we are seeing is an empire which is losing its power.”

A transcript of the interview follows below. It has been lightly edited for clarity.


TRANSCRIPT

BENJAMIN NORTON: Hello everyone, this is Ben Norton, and you are listening to or watching the Multipolarista podcast. This is a very special episode. I have the great privilege today of speaking with the executive secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance, the ALBA.

The full name is the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America. It’s also an economic alliance, and the full name is ALBA-TCP, which is also a “Trade Agreement for the People.”

This is an economic alliance created by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, to support independence from imperialism, sovereignty, and regional integration.

And today, I’m speaking with the secretary, the executive secretary of the ALBA, Sacha Llorenti. He is a former Bolivian diplomat and minister. He served as Bolivia’s ambassador to the United Nations, and as a minister under Bolivia’s former president, Evo Morales.

Today, we are going to be speaking about the ongoing Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California. This has been a diplomatic disaster for the U.S. government, which is hosting the summit.

At least eight countries in Latin America have boycotted – their heads of state have boycotted this summit, including the presidents of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Bolivia.

And Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are not attending either. The U.S. government refused to invite them, but they also said that they don’t even want to attend this summit, which they do not consider legitimate.

There are also reports about members of the Caribbean and the Caribbean community, CARICOM, who said that they would potentially boycott the summit, which is going on right now. Today is June 8. It started on June 6, and is going on this week in Los Angeles, California.

So unfortunately, Secretary Llorenti does not have a lot of time today, so I’m going to go straight to him.

Secretary Llorenti, you are the the leader of the ALBA, the Bolivarian Alliance. Can you talk about what the ALBA’s position has been on the Summit of the Americas? And can you give a general response to how you think the U.S. government has managed this?

SACHA LLORENTI: Thank you very much. I want to thank you very much for the opportunity. First of all, we don’t consider this is a summit, nor of the Americas, because of the arbitrary decision of the host country, in this case the United States, to exclude some nations, countries of the Americas, of Latin America and the Caribbean, from this meeting.

The ALBA, just to give you some information about our organization, is a multilateral, subregional organization that gathers 10 countries from Latin America and also the Caribbean. It was established in 2004 by Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro. And then eight other countries joined our organization.

We held a summit of ALBA-TCP on May 27, just a few days ago. And in our declaration, we reject the exclusions and the discriminatory treatment in the so-called Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

I think that, for any honest analyst, this meeting that was convened by the United States has failed already, not just because of the exclusions, but also because of the reaction of most countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

You mentioned a few. Everything started with the statements made by the president of Mexico, followed by the president of Honduras, of Bolivia. They have decided to take a strong position against this exclusion.

CARICOM, as you also mentioned, the Community of Caribbean States, had a meeting of foreign ministers a few weeks ago. And they also called the United States for everyone to participate in this meeting.

And also the president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states, CELAC, who is right now the president of Argentina, has said that he is going to participate in the so-called summit, but he will represent the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean, condemning the decision of the host country, the United States, to exclude these three countries.

So it is a failure, not just because the reaction that it has caused in the region, but also because I think that everyone realizes that the United States government is not interested in integration. It’s not interested in human rights, nor democracy.

What they do is they try to use every single venue, every single opportunity, in order to help their hegemonic interests instead of integration. This is a good example of what we are facing these days.

And another thing that I want to also underline is that it is not just the discrimination against these three countries, but also against many representatives of civil society from different countries.

So it shows really how the United States government considers our region. They continue to consider Latin America and the Caribbean as their backyard.

A few days ago, Joe Biden said, “It’s not our backyard; it’s our front yard.” They don’t realize that we are not anybody’s back or front yard at all.

And I think it’s a mix of not understanding what’s happening, but also this superiority complex that runs through the U.S. foreign policy towards Latin American and the Caribbean.

BENJAMIN NORTON: Ambassador Llorenti, I would like to speak also about the countries that are attending.

I mentioned the boycott by the presidents of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador; and Honduras, the new left-wing president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro; and the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce; and also the president of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, for different political reasons – he’s more conservative. But those are the presidents who are boycotting this summit.

Also the governments of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua. Together, these countries represent over 200 million people.

I should also mention mention that there are reports that the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, is reportedly not attending.

So together, that’s more than 200 million people. In the region that is more than one-third of the population.

And the leaders who are attending are some of the leaders that are the most notorious for violating human rights.

I’m talking about Ivan Duque in Colombia, who is closely linked to drug trafficking. I’m also talking about the extremely right-wing president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who has threatened sitting politicians, who has praised the Pinochet dictatorship.

So what do you think this says about the fact that the progressive governments in the region are, at least their heads of state are, refusing to participate, but some of the most reactionary elements, that violate human rights and do not respect popular democracy are participating in this summit?

Along with, I should mention, the country of Spain, which was invited, which is very much not in the Americas. The last time I looked, Spain is in Europe.

So what do you think that says about this this summit that’s being organized by the U.S. government?

SACHA LLORENTI: As I said before, it’s a failure. It’s the way they look at our region.

But it’s part of a plan. It is not something that comes out of the blue. The United States has a clear policy of trying to dismantle, to destroy, every single attempt at genuine, authentic integration.

What happened in South America with UNASUR, the unity of nations of the South. It was destroyed by right-wing governments. And of course, everyone also understands that the hand of the State Department was behind that.

Also the privatization of CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, I mean, until Mexico took over the presidency.

So it is part of a plan. They don’t want a proper unity or integration of Latin American and Caribbean states.

That’s why, what they are trying to do is to have the OAS and its secretary general to be, like it was pointed out by Cuban revolutionary Che, the Ministry of the Colonies.

And I think it even goes even beyond that. I think that we have to understand that Latin America and the Caribbean has a different agenda, has different interests, has even a different doctrine than the United States.

This is the confrontation that we have now. It is a two-centuries-old confrontation.

The Monroe Doctrine, that was published in 1823 – it’s going to be 200 years old next year – and the Bolivarian Doctrine, that is also 200 years old.

Those two doctrines are in confrontation, because of the incompatibility of their interests for 200 years.

And of course some countries of our region align themselves to the Monroe Doctrine, and some others to the Bolivarian Doctrine.

I believe that our venue for integration is not the Summit of the Americas. I believe that the true, authentic venue for us to get together is CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

And a proposal has come out in the summit of ALBA. The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, and also President Maduro recently reiterated the proposal of having meetings with the United States, of course, and Canada, but in another kind of format.

CELAC has regular meetings with China, with Russia, with different countries. And I think that this kind of format could be established with the United States and Canada.

But we need some venue in which things are run by Latin America and the Caribbean countries and interests, not the US interests. Because, as I said, they are not aligned.

And just another thing on who is going on and who is not going. What I believe is that most of the leaders or representatives that are that are going are going to protest the situation.

And the ones that are not going, of course they are not going in protest of the decisions of the United States.

The summit is a failure. But I think that we have to understand that the integration will not be achieved through the Summit of the Americas.

Because from the beginning, from 1994 when the first summit was held, the purpose of the United States was to have a free market area in America.

And of course that failed. In 2005, in the summit held Mar del Plata in Argentina, when leaders such as Néstor Kirchner, Tabaré Vázquez, Lula da Silva, Hugo Chávez, had a strong position against the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

The main interests of the United States is to have control of Latin America and the Caribbean’s natural resources. That’s the first interest.

The second one is for the region to be the market for U.S. products, or companies, or multinational corporations.

Also, they want our workers for cheap labor.

And the whole reason of their interest is for them to control all the commercial, international commercial routes. That’s why the Panama Canal is so important. That’s why they did everything that they could in order to stop the project for the canal in Nicaragua.

And the fifth reason is for them to to punish everyone who does not obey their commands.

But things are changing in Latin America and the Caribbean. And the dignity which most of the countries are expressing in their rejection of the U.S. decisions is going to be the main and most important issue that will be discussed, or is being discussed in Los Angeles right now.

BENJAMIN NORTON: Secretary Llorenti, you mentioned that, just a few weeks ago, there was a summit held in Cuba of the members of the ALBA. These are countries in both Latin America and the Caribbean.

Can you talk about what was discussed in that summit and the final declaration that was published?

SACHA LLORENTI: Well, the declaration was a very important one. As I mentioned before, ALBA brings together the 10 countries. Allow me to mention them, because I think it’s important. It’s one-third of the whole Latin American and the Caribbean region.

It’s Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Those 10 countries gathered in Havana. And the first point that they adopted was the rejection of exclusions and the discriminatory treatment in the so-called Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

They pointed out that genuine regional integration should be made by the CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. And the underlined the the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace.

That’s why the presence of US military bases is an aggression to this proclamation of our region as a zone of peace. Also the presence of NATO goes against this this proclamation.

So that’s that’s another point that was underlined in our summit.

The other thing is the the support for the right of all countries of the continent to be not just invited but also to participate in meetings such as the so-called Summit of the Americas.

Also, the ALBA has denounced the discriminatory treatment by the United States as the host country of the so-called Summit of the Americas against numerous representatives of the genuine civil society of our continent.

And also we rejected the unilateral coercive measures that the United States imposes against countries of our alliance. This goes against the principles of the UN Charter. It goes against international law, and against the principles of multilateralism as well.

We have to repeat every single time that the United States imposes a blockade, an embargo, against Cuba for more than six decades. That’s a crime against humanity. Also against Venezuela and Nicaragua.

And this is, I think, something that we should should always remember, that the United States government used the [Covid-19] pandemic as a weapon. They weaponized the pandemic against not just these three countries, but some others in the world. Because instead of trying to lift some of these illegal measures against the peoples of these countries, they used the pandemic in order to strengthen these illegal, unilateral coercive measures.

So the [ALBA] summit based itself in the principles and purposes of the United Nations charter, that the United States has committed itself to uphold, the same thing with international law.

BENJAMIN NORTON: Ambassador Llorenti, you mentioned that the U.S. government has gone out of its way supporting coups to try to prevent countries from integrating into the Bolivarian Alliance.

For instance, Honduras under President Manuel Zelaya was a member of the ALBA. There was a US-backed coup in 2009, and Honduras was removed from the ALBA.

Similarly, Ecuador had been part of the ALBA, and there was this betrayal, a kind of internal soft coup by Lenín Moreno against the former president, Rafael Correa. And he withdrew Ecuador from the ALBA.

And I would say, from studying this, that one of the main reasons that Washington has been afraid of the ALBA is that it proposes an economic alternative for the region, based on regional integration, based on bartering, and based on the creation of a new currency.

The ALBA did create a new currency for trade in the region, called the Sucre.

And we saw recent comments from the former president of Brazil Lula da Silva, who said that if he wins the October election, that he plans on creating a new currency in Latin America and the Caribbean for trade called the Sur.

Can you talk about attempts in the region to create a new currency, to integrate the economics of the region, and to create more independence from the U.S. dollar and U.S. hegemony?

SACHA LLORENTI: Yes, first of all, you mentioned many of the the countries in which the United States was part of a coup d’etat. I have to add Bolivia to that list.

What the OAS and the United States supported was a dictatorship in my own country. And, I mean, what happened in Bolivia was, of course, one of the latest examples of how the United States does not care about democracy.

They talk about democracy, but what they do is they organize and finance not just coups d’etat, but also the political instability in our countries.

We we have to ask ourselves for instance, who funded, who is funding the opposition in countries such as Nicaragua, or Cuba, or Venezuela? Through NGOs, directly, is the United States.

So they are the last ones to try to teach lessons on democracy or human rights.

Our countries, our peoples, know exactly what they have done for decades and decades in Latin America and the Caribbean.

And you mentioned the efforts in order to achieve a different kind of relationship in terms of economics or finances. That’s one of the goals of ALBA-TCP.

We have made tremendous advances in terms of having an economic relationship based on solidarity, not just profit. Petrocaribe is another example, in which the solidarity of Venezuela has been shown all over the region, in terms of providing energy in an affordable way for different countries.

The idea of having our own currency is, of course, one of our goals. And we were pleased by the declaration made by Lula da Silva. That’s an effort that we have to continue working on.

Because imperialism is not just the political control; imperialism is not just territorial control; imperialism is also very, very much linked to natural resources, to the financial system, to how the debt system works; it is very much related to the World Bank, to the International Monetary Fund, the way in which the dollar imposes its will on the whole world.

And things are changing. Things are changing, not just in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also in Asia and Africa.

So what we are seeing is an empire which is losing its power. And I think that this century will be a century in which we will see the decay U.S. imperialism.

BENJAMIN NORTON: Secretary Llorenti, in addition to being the executive secretary of the ALBA, you were previously a Bolivian minister under President Evo Morales, and Bolivia’s ambassador to the United Nations.

You mentioned the US-backed coup in Bolivia in 2019 against Evo Morales. The people of Bolivia were able to overthrow, democratically, that coup, defeat the coup regime at the ballot box.

And the current government, led by the Movement Toward Socialism party and President Luis Arce, the government – the judicial system has just said that the former dictator, Jeanine Áñez, faces 15 years in prison.

I’m wondering if you can comment on the process of defeating the coup in Bolivia and the restoration of democracy in your country.

SACHA LLORENTI: Well I believe that the Bolivian people have written one of the most heroic, epic pages in the history of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Because if we compare similar processes in some other countries, we will find that there are very, very few examples in which the people itself recover democracy after a short period of time.

I mean, it took in some cases 10 or 15 years before the people would get back to power. In the case of Bolivia, it took one year.

But at a very high cost. There were two massacres in Bolivia. Almost 40 people were killed. People were persecuted and were jailed. Many of us had to go into exile.

But the people itself recovered democracy, democratically. And now what has happened in Bolivia, they are of course people who took power illegally, and are being prosecuted. And we hope that all of those responsible will be rightfully and lawfully punished.

I think that will send a clear message not just to Bolivians, but also to all Latin Americans and Caribbeans, that coups d’etat should be part of the past.

But we also understand that the right-wing interests, the oligarchy, or the U.S. interests do not support democracy. When democracy does not fit their interests, they go and do these things that they have done, not just in Bolivia; they also tried to do that in Nicaragua in 2018.

They tried to do it in Venezuela. The latest revelations of what they were organizing in Venezuela are really, really scary. Not just mercenaries, not just the discussion of military intervention, but also they tried to kill President Maduro.

So we have to be aware. We don’t have the luxury of being naive. We have to be alert 24/7. Because the rights of the people, the benefits of this revolutionary process, are not safe if we are naive.

BENJAMIN NORTON: Secretary Llorenti, I know that you are a very busy man, and I know we have to wrap up the interview. I just want to conclude with one final question.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that, in Los Angeles right now, outside of the US government-sponsored summit, there is an alternative summit called the Summit of the Peoples, the People’s Summit for Democracy.

This has been organized by social movements across the Americas, including social movements in the United States and Canada, but also social movements in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

And one of the co-conveners of this People’s Summit for Democracy that’s going on in protest, is ALBA Movimientos, the social movement arm of the ALBA. I believe it’s independent from ALBA, the body that brings together the countries.

But I’m wondering if you can just speak about the People’s Summit for Democracy that’s going on to protest the US government-sponsored, exclusionary summit.

SACHA LLORENTI: I believe that’s a real summit, the People’s Summit. Because the policy of exclusion of the United States has made clear what’s at stake.

There are global and regional threats. We are missing the opportunity for governments to talk about health, to talk about climate change, to talk about debt, to talk about the real challenges that our peoples face.

So we are looking forward to the conclusions of the People’s Summit. We are going to participate. I will participate virtually on the last day of the summit.

And we we believe that they were also victims of this discriminatory policy. Because, as I pointed out, many representatives of civil society of our countries were excluded from the participation of the Summit [of the Americas], because the US government didn’t provided visas for these people.

So we look forward to the conclusions of the summit. I think that this is going to be a milestone on the long process for hope for our peoples to get together and to struggle against our common threats.

And our common threats are imperialism, capitalism, colonialism, and, of course, patriarchy as well.

So that’s my point of view. And I really thank you very much for this opportunity.

BENJAMIN NORTON: I want to thank you, Secretary Sacha Llorenti, the executive secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance, the ALBA.

For people who want to find more information about Secretary Llorenti and the ALBA, you can follow him on Twitter at @SachaLlorenti. And you can also follow the ALBA at @ALBATCP.

Again, I want to thank you, Secretary Llorenti. I know you’re a very busy man. It was a real pleasure speaking with you.

SACHA LLORENTI: Thank you. It was my pleasure, Ben.

https://orinocotribune.com/alba-secreta ... interview/

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Gabriel Boric Lashes Out at Cuba and Venezuela at Summit of the Americas
JUNE 11, 2022

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Gabriel Boric, president of Chile. File photo.

The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, criticized the governments of the Republic of Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela during his participation in the 9th Summit of the Americas, held during 6-10 June in Los Angeles, California.

Boric thus distanced himself further from his supposed leftist position with which he identified himself during his electoral campaign and his reputation as a student and youth leader on which most of his political career is based.

The television network Univisión released an interview with Boric, in which he stated that when it comes to Venezuelan migration to Chile, “I believe that no country has the capacity to absorb by itself a migratory flow as large as the one that has been from Venezuela in recent years.”

The Chilean president denied that the Chilean society is based on xenophobia, but he reiterated that Chile is currently unable to assume the recent migratory flow, without the support of other countries in the region. However, he did not mention the real reason of the Venezuelan migration—the total economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed on the country by the US government, which the former President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, had supported and applauded. In addition, Piñera encouraged Venezuelan migration many times, announcing attractive support mechanisms for Venezuelan who would migrate to Chile; however, those were all lies and empty promises.

Anti-Chavista Boric

Boric also distanced himself from Hugo Chávez as the continent’s revolutionary leader, and denied that he might be an example for his administration. “Unfortunately Hugo Chávez is not the path towards which I want us to build Chile,” he said.

The Chilean president also criticized the current Venezuelan administration, asserting that the Maduro government is authoritarian and has concentrated powers, and called the Bolivarian government an incorrect political system.

He criticized Cuba as well, stating that it is unacceptable that “they hold people prisoners for thinking differently.”

As for the Summit of the Americas, he said that he had initially thought of not attending the forum. However, he later changed his opinion. “By isolating countries that have authoritarian tendencies, all we are doing is reaffirming their positions,” he commented.

This is not the first time that Boric has criticized Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua for alleged authoritarianism and violation of human rights by the governments of these countries. However, while the Chilean president lectures others on human rights violation, his own government violates the rights of the Mapuche indigenous people of Chile. He has been called out for this hypocritical position by sectors of the Chilean left as well as by progressive movements across the continent.


(RedRadioVE) by José Manuel Blanco Díaz, with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

https://orinocotribune.com/gabriel-bori ... -americas/

Bet a quarter that this guy has been an opportunistic hustler since Day One. The Left has got to better than supporting this sort of trash in order to keep the petty booj warm and fuzzy. Fuck those people, they retard progress now or stab you in the back later.

Sounds like the Democratic Party, USA.
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:28 pm

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José Martí’s account of the 1889 Pan-American Congress offers lessons for last week’s failed Summit of the Americas.

The spiritual origins of the Summit of the Americas, held in Los Angeles, California, June 6-10, 2022, are in the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, with its bullish assertion of US dominance over the affairs of the hemisphere. The bureaucratic origins of the Summit of the Americas are in the series of Pan-American or Inter-American conferences sponsored by the United States since the latter decades of the nineteenth century and organized as a means to assert that dominance--by strengthening commercial and diplomatic ties, encouraging monetary and customs and tariff unity in trade protocols, and promoting banking and financial uniformity throughout the region. The first of these conferences was convened in 1889 in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. It was attended by politicians, businessmen, industrialists, and bankers from the Americas, and covered in the newspapers of the day by pliant, often sycophantic, publicists and journalists enthralled by the notion of U.S. exceptionalism and eager to promote the cause of US imperialism.

José Martí was certainly not a sycophant nor someone enthralled to US power. The Cuban writer and revolutionary attended the first Pan-American Congress, as well a follow-up conference promoting monetary unity in the hemisphere. He published an essay on it in the Buenos Aires journal La Nación. Martí’s essay on the first Pan-American Congress is at times cerebral and lofty, embellished with historical reference and rhetorical flourish. At times it is biting and acerbic: “It is generally agreed that the (Pan-American) Congress,” writes Martí, “will be nothing but a worthless meeting, or a presidential campaign banner, or a pretext for a subsidy hunt.” In the excerpt of the essay, reprinted below, Martí’s scabrous critique both opens a window onto the past history of the Pan-American conferences and provides a sober analysis for the just-passed spectacle of the Summit of the Americas.

The Washington Pan-American Congress

José Martí

"Pan-Americans," says one newspaper; "Clay's dream," says another; a third, "The right influence"; a fourth, "Not yet"; a fifth, "Steamers to South America"; a sixth, "Manifest destiny"; a seventh, "The Gulf is ours." And still others: "That Congress!" "The subsidy hungers," "Actions against the candidates," "Blaine's Congress," "The bread parade," "Blaine's myth." The parade of delegates is ending and the sessions of the Pan-American Congress are about to begin. Never in America, from its independence to the present, has there been a matter requiring more good judgment or more vigilance, or demanding a clearer and more thorough examination, than the invitation which the powerful United States (glutted with unsaleable merchandise and determined to extend its dominions in America) is sending to the less powerful American nations (bound by free and useful commerce to the European nations) for purposes of arranging an alliance against Europe and cutting off transactions with the rest of the world. Spanish America learned how to save itself from the tyranny of Spain; and now, after viewing with judicial eyes the antecedents, motives, and ingredients of the invitation, it is essential to say, for it is true, that the time has come for Spanish America to declare its second independence.

In matters of such great interest, a false alarm would be as culpable as dissimulation. One must neither exaggerate nor distort what is seen, nor must one remain silent on the subject. Dangers must not be recognized only when they are upon us, but when they can be avoided. In politics the main thing is to clarify and foresee. Only a virile and unanimous response, for which there is still time without risk, can free all the Spanish American nations at one time from the anxiety and agitation - fatal in a country's hour of development - in which the secular and admittedly predominant policy of a powerful and ambitious neighbor, with the possible connivance of the weak or venal republics, would forever hold them. This powerful neighbor has never desired to incite them, nor has it exerted control over them except to prevent their expansion, as in Panama; or to take possession of their territory, as in Mexico, Nicaragua, Santo Domingo, Haiti, and Cuba; or to cut off their trade with the rest of the world, as in Colombia; or to oblige them to buy what it cannot sell, as it is now doing, and to form a confederacy for purposes of controlling them. . .

. . . It is generally agreed that the (Pan-American) Congress will be nothing but a worthless meeting, or a presidential campaign banner, or a pretext for a subsidy hunt. Those who know the benefits of independence, and who cannot conceive of dispensing with it unless absolutely necessary, are expecting all this from the independent nations of America. Will the Gulf islands be admitted to the presence of the new master on their knees? Will Central America consent to divide in half, the Canal blade slicing through its heart, or to unite on behalf of the South as Mexico's oppressor? Mexico is a nation with the same interests, the same destiny, and the same racial background as Central America. Will Colombia pawn or sell its sovereignty? Will the free nations sweep the isthmus clear of obstacles to the juggernaut - those free nations that dwell there and will climb into its car as did the Mexicans in Texas? Through hopes of support against the European alien, because of an illusion of progress that is excusable only in a provincial mentality, will Venezuela, being nearer and more ambitious, stand up for the dominance of an even more dreadful foreigner who announces that its eyes must be, and are, fixed upon the entire American family of nations? Or must admiration for the United States go so far as to lend a hand to the exhausted young bull, like the peasant woman in La Terre?

This blind admiration, because of the novice's enthusiasm or lack of study is the main force in America upon which the policy of control depends in this matter. It is a policy invoking a dogma that needs no foreign supplication in the American republics, for centuries ago, even before entering the innocence of childhood, these republics learned how to bravely repulse the most stubborn and powerful nation on earth. And with no assistance from outside sources, they obliged it to respect their natural strength and the evidence of their abilities. What is the use of invoking the doctrine that originated as much with Monroe as with Canning, to extend its dominion in America in order to prevent foreign domination there and assure a continent of its freedom? Or must the dogma be invoked against one foreign nation only to bring in another? Or does one shake off foreign domination - which has a very different character, different interests, and different purposes - by putting on the appearance of freedom and surrendering it in action? Is it because the poison of loans, canals, and railroads comes with the foreigner? Or does the doctrine have to be crammed down the throats of the weaker nations of America by the nation that has Canada to the north, the Guianas and Belize to the south, and sees to it that Spain is supported?

. . . The free nations of America have reason to expect that the nation whose influence threw the French out of Mexico will rid them of the troublesome foreigner, brought there perhaps because of a desire to raise a barrier against Saxon power in the world's imbalance. . . Walker went to Nicaragua for the United States; for the United States Lopez went to Cuba. And now when slavery is no longer an excuse, the annexation alliance is afoot. Allen is talking about helping that of Cuba; Douglass is going to obtain that of Haiti and Santo Domingo. In Madrid Palmer is gauging Spain's feelings about the sale of Cuba; in the Antilles the bribed Central American newspapers are stirring up interest in the Washington-based annexation plans; in the lesser Antilles the Northern newspapers are constantly giving reports on the progress of annexationist ideas. Washington persists in compelling Colombia to acknowledge its dictatorial rights over the isthmus, and in depriving it of the authority to discuss its territory with other nations. And the United States, by virtue of the civil war it instigated, is acquiring the Mole St. Nicolas peninsula in Haiti. Some people consider "Clay's dream" an accomplished fact. Others consider it advisable to wait another half-century. Still others, born in Spanish America, believe they ought to help further the cause.

The Pan-American Congress will be an illustrious inventory showing in a dignified and energetic way which countries are defending the independence of Spanish America, the fulcrum of the world's balance of power. Or it may show whether or not any nations on a continent occupied by two peopes of different character and objectives can, through fear or confusion of ingrained slavery or by being induced to consent, decrease by their own desertion the indispensable and already too meager forces by which the family of a single nationality will be able to contain, with the respect it imposes and the wisdom it displays, attempts at domination by a nation reared in the hope of ruling the continent. Present-day events are proof of these attempts at dominance, and this at a time when the eagerness for markets on the part of its inflated industries, the opportunity to impose the predicted protectorate upon the distant nations and the weak ones nearby the material strength needed for the assault, and the ambitions of a bold and rapacious politician, are described as reaching a peak.

https://www.blackagendareport.com/excer ... marti-1889

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The Lethality of Washington’s Global Monroe Doctrine: The Twenty-Fourth Newsletter (2022)

JUNE 16, 2022

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LeRoy Clarke (Trinidad and Tobago), Now, 1970.

Dear friends,

Greetings from the desk of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.

This past week, as part of its policy to dominate the American hemisphere, the United States government organised the 9th Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. US President Joe Biden made it clear early on that three countries in the hemisphere (Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela) would not be invited to the event, claiming that they are not democracies. At the same time, Biden was reportedly planning an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia – a self-described theocracy. Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s exclusionary stance, and so Mexico, Bolivia, and Honduras refused to come to the event. As it turned out, the summit was a fiasco.

Down the road, over a hundred organisations hosted a People’s Summit for Democracy, where thousands of people from across the hemisphere gathered to celebrate the actual democratic spirit which emerges from the struggles of peasants and workers, students and feminists, and all the people who are excluded from the gaze of the powerful. At this gathering, the presidents of Cuba and Venezuela joined in online to celebrate this festival of democracy and to condemn the weaponisation of democratic ideals by the United States and its allies.

Next year, 2023, will be the bicentennial of the Monroe Doctrine, when the US asserted its hegemony over the American hemisphere. The malign spirit of the Monroe Doctrine not only continues but has now been extended by the US government into a kind of Global Monroe Doctrine. In order to assert this preposterous claim on the entire planet, the United States has pursued a policy to ‘weaken’ what it sees as ‘near peer rivals’, namely China and Russia.

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Philip Guston (Canada), Blackboard, 1969.

In July, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research – along with Monthly Review and No Cold War – will produce a booklet on the reckless military escalation by the US government against those whom it sees as its adversaries – mainly China and Russia. This booklet will include essays by John Bellamy Foster, editor of Monthly Review, Deborah Veneziale, a journalist based in Italy, and John Ross, a member of the No Cold War collective. In the vein of that booklet, which will be announced in this newsletter, No Cold War has also produced briefing no. 3, Is the United States Preparing for War with Russia and China?, on Washington’s sabre-rattling and alarming march toward nuclear primacy.

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The war in Ukraine demonstrates a qualitative escalation of the United States’ willingness to use military force. In recent decades, the US launched wars on developing countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Serbia. In these campaigns, the US knew it enjoyed overwhelming military superiority and that there was no risk of a nuclear retaliation. However, in threatening to bring Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the US was prepared to risk crossing what it knew to be the ‘red lines’ of the nuclear armed state of Russia. This raises two questions: why has the US undertaken this escalation, and how far is the US now prepared to go in the use of military force against not only the Global South but major powers such as China or Russia?

Using Military Force to Compensate for Economic Decline

The answer to ‘why’ is clear: the US has lost in peaceful economic competition to developing countries in general and China in particular. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in 2016 China overtook the US as the world’s largest economy. As of 2021, China accounted for 19% of the global economy, compared to the US at 16%. This gap is only growing wider, and, by 2027, the IMF projects that China’s economy will outsize the US by nearly 30%. However, the US has maintained unrivalled global military supremacy – its military expenditure is larger than the next nine highest spending countries combined. Seeking to maintain unipolar global dominance, the US is increasingly substituting peaceful economic competition with military force.

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Ikeda Manabu (Japan), Meltdown, 2013.

A good starting point to understand this strategic shift in US policy is the speech given by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 26 May 2022. In it, Blinken openly admitted that the US does not seek military equality with other states, but military supremacy, particularly with respect to China: ‘President Biden has instructed the Department of Defense to hold China as its pacing challenge, to ensure that our military stays ahead’. However, with nuclear armed states such as China or Russia, military supremacy necessitates achieving nuclear supremacy – an escalation above and beyond the current war in Ukraine.

The Pursuit of Nuclear Primacy

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the US has systematically withdrawn from key treaties limiting the threat of use of nuclear weapons: in 2002, the US unilaterally exited from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; in 2019, the US abandoned the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty; and, in 2020, the US withdrew from the Open Skies Treaty. Abandoning these treaties strengthened the US’ ability to seek nuclear supremacy.

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Natalia Goncharova (Russia), Angels Throwing Stones on the City, 1911.

The ultimate aim of this US policy is to acquire ‘first strike’ capacity against Russia and China – the ability to inflict damage with a first use of nuclear weapons against Russia or China to the extent that it effectively prevents retaliation. As John Bellamy Foster has noted in a comprehensive study of this US nuclear build up, even in the case of Russia – which possesses the world’s most advanced non-US nuclear arsenal – this would ‘deny Moscow a viable second-strike option, effectively eliminating its nuclear deterrent altogether, through “decapitation”’. In reality, the fallout and threat of nuclear winter from such a strike would threaten the entire world.

This policy of nuclear primacy has long been pursued by certain circles within Washington. In 2006, it was argued in the leading US foreign policy journal Foreign Affairs that ‘It will probably soon be possible for the United States to destroy the long-range nuclear arsenals of Russia or China with a first strike’. Contrary to these hopes, the US has not yet been able to achieve a first strike capacity, but this is due to development of hypersonic missiles and other weapons by Russia and China – not a change in US policy.

From its attacks on Global South countries to its increased willingness to go to war with a great power such as Russia to attempting to gain first strike nuclear capacity, the logic behind the escalation of US militarism is clear: the United States is increasingly employing military force to compensate for its economic decline. In this extremely dangerous period, it is vital for humanity that all progressive forces unite to meet this great threat.

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Shefa Salem (Libya), KASKA, Dance of War, 2020.

In 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Global South remained gripped by a never-ending debt crisis, the United States bombed Iraq despite entreaties from the Iraqi government for a negotiated agreement. During that bombing, the Libyan writer Ahmad Ibrahim al-Faqih penned a lyrical poem, ‘Nafaq Tudiuhu Imra Wahida’ (‘A Tunnel Lit by a Woman’), in which he sang, ‘A time has passed, and another time has not come and will never come’. Gloom defined the moment.

Today, we are in very dangerous times. And yet, the despondency of al-Faqih does not define our sensibility. The mood has altered. There is a belief in a world beyond imperialism, a mood that is not only evident in countries such as Cuba and China, but equally in India and Japan, as well as amongst the hard-working people who would like our collective attention to be focused on the actual dilemmas of humanity and not on the ugliness of war and domination.

Warmly,

Vijay

https://thetricontinental.org/newslette ... -doctrine/

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Ecuadorian Indigenous Organizations Start Strike Against Lasso
JUNE 16, 2022

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Blockade of the access road to Puyo city in the province of Pastaza, Ecuador, June 13, 2022. Photo: Twitter/ @confeniae1

The current protests are taking place in a political-institutional environment that is potentially very dangerous for the respect of human and civil rights.

From the early hours of Monday, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) began a national strike against the government of Guillermo Lasso by blocking highways in provinces such as Pastaza, Napo, and Guayas.

CONAIE President Leonidas Iza said that the social mobilization, which will continue for an indefinite period of time, emerges as a result of the reluctance of the Lasso administration to continue the dialogue process, the last meeting of which took place on November 10, 2021.

Since then, Indigenous communities and farmers have been requested the reduction of fuel prices, the renegotiation of debts, the reduction of interest rates, fair prices for agricultural producers, job creation, and respect for labor rights.

In response to the pro-corporate policies applied by the Ecuadorian government, social movements are also protesting against the expansion of the territories assigned to the extraction of minerals, oil, and wood. These activities are generating severe social and environmental impacts, especially in fragile ecosystems such as those located in the Amazon and in the Andean highlights.

La vía Cuenca, Loja, a la altura de la entrada al cantón Nabón, se encuentra bloqueada por el #ParoNacionalEcuador #ParoNacional pic.twitter.com/F2LcYrJzn7

— Mónica Velásquez (@MoniVelasquezV) June 13, 2022


The tweet reads, “The Cuenca-Loja road, at the entrance to the Nabon canton, is blocked due to the national strike.”

Besides rejecting the privatization of strategic sectors for the Ecuadorian State, CONAIE demands a larger budget for education, health, and security. This occurs amid a permanent increase in violence, contract killings, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and organized crime.

On October 3, 2019, CONAIE also led a national protest against the administration of Lenin Moreno (2017-2021) that paralyzed the country for 10 days. Convened in rejection of fuel prices, this national strike was harshly repressed by the Army and the Police, which caused the death of over a dozen people and some 1,500 wounded citizens.

The current protests are taking place in a political-institutional environment that is potentially very dangerous for the respect of human and civil rights. A few days ago, authorities approved a regulation that broadens the powers of the police and the army to use force.

https://orinocotribune.com/ecuadorian-i ... nst-lasso/

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Ecuador: CONAIE and unions to maintain national strike
June 17, 2022 Kawsachun News

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CONAIE President Leonidas Iza addresses indigenous movement bases after being released from police and military custody, June 15.

Mobilizations will continue and key roads remain blocked as the indefinite Ecuador-wide protests against the neoliberal policies of Guillermo Lasso’s administration head into a fourth day.

Security forces have been unsuccessful in trying to lift 24 hour roadblocks, which have now been reinforced by communities.


The government’s attempt to quell protests by sweeping up alleged leaders not only failed, it backfired. News of the arrest of Leonidas Iza, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), mobilized thousands of people to the Latacunga prison where he was taken and prompted a sea of condemnation of the government from a broad range of organizations, human rights groups and prominent figures.

Lawmakers of the left-wing Revolución Ciudadana were among those who denounced Lasso’s politically-motivated arrest and persecution of the indigenous leader.

Iza’s 24 hours in custody ended when a judge accepted his request for alternative measures while the prosecutor initiates an investigation into the ‘paralysis of public services’ due to the national strike.

His arrest was immediately denounced by the indigenous movement and lawyers as illegal, arbitrary and highly irregular.

After his arrest on a highway in Cotopaxi at 12:30am, following the first day of mobilizations, Iza was taken by special police and military forces to Quito. Hours later, Iza was taken to Quito’s Eloy Alfaro Military College. From there, Ecuador’s Armed Forces transported him by helicopter to Latacunga, where he was held at a heavily-guarded air force base, and for many hours, unable to contact relatives of lawyers.

Now released from custody, the CONAIE leader has vowed to intensify the struggle and consolidate the strength of the various other organizations and sectors of the country which have joined the strike.

The leader says the strike is indefinite and will continue until the government responds to the 10 points laid out by CONAIE. Other unions, workers associations, agricultural and production sectors, and many of the other agglomerations participating in the protests, are making their own set of demands.

The 10 points set out by CONAIE are as follows:

1.Fuel price reduction and freeze and no more fuel price hikes. Subsidies for sectors which need it most, such as peasants, transport sector, fishing

2.Economic relief for more than 4 million families with a moratorium of at least one year and renegotiation of debts with reduction of interest rates in the financial system (public, private and cooperative banks). No to the seizure of assets such as houses, land and vehicles for non-payment.

3.Fair prices for farm products: milk, rice, bananas, onions, fertilizers, potatoes, corn, tomatoes and more; no to the collection of royalties on flowers so that millions of peasants, small and medium-sized producers can have a guaranteed livelihood and continue producing.

4.Employment and labor rights. Policies and public investment to curb labor precariousness and ensure the sustainability of the popular economy.

5.Moratorium on the expansion of the mining/oil extractive frontier, audit and full reparation for socio-environmental impacts for the protection of territories, water sources and ecosystems.

6.Respect for the 21 collective rights: Intercultural Bilingual Education, indigenous justice, free, prior and informed consultation, organization and self-determination of indigenous peoples.

7.Stop the privatization of strategic sectors which belong to the Ecuadorian people (Banco del Pacífico, hydroelectric plants, IESS, CNT, highways, health, among others).

8.End speculation and abusive pricing of staple products by intermediaries.

9.Health and education: Urgent budget amid hospital shortages due to lack of medicine and personnel. Guarantee youth access to higher education and improve infrastructure in schools, colleges and universities.

10.Security and effective public policies to curb the upsurge of violence, hired killings, delinquency, drug trafficking, kidnapping and organized crime.

Rice growers, banana producers, transport workers, feminist collectives, high school and university students, teachers, health workers and other social movements have participated in actions around the country since Monday. At least several dozen trucks transporting large numbers of people from outside of the province, intending to join protests, arrived in the south of Quito throughout the day.

In Quito, thousands have marched in daily protests to the heavily-policed historic center, where access to the Carondelet presidential palace is completely fenced off and guarded by police in riot gear.

Scenes of police repression against mostly young demonstrators in the city’s Plaza Santo Domingo circulated on social media on Wednesday afternoon. Police repression against students was also filmed across the country at University of Cuenca.

Other incidents of police repression have been reported at roadblocks outside of the cities. The absence of media/cameras and human rights defenders along stretches of road and in rural areas has made the documentation of repression and abuses by state agents difficult if not unlikely.

Communities of CONAIE will for now, protest Lasso’s economic policies locally and have no current plans to head to Quito to protest—the way the movement did during the October 2019 anti-IMF uprising, in which 11 people were killed by Lenin Moreno’s security forces.


Iza made an appeal to avoid “any situation of violence, any situation of confrontation, we need our demands to be sustained with this struggle, with this resistance in the territories” adding that many demonstrators had already been arrested, beaten and injured.

The leader concluded by saying an announcement on collective actions for Wednesday would be made in the morning.

Perception of president Guillermo Lasso’s government has plummeted to an all-time low (17%), according to a PerfilesOpinion poll conducted in the two largest cities, Quito and Guayaquil, between June 3rd to 5th. 81% of people surveyed said his administration is “bad” or “very bad”.

Source: Kawsachun News

https://www.struggle-la-lucha.org/2022/ ... al-strike/

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President Lasso reiterates call for dialogue with mobilized

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Guillermo Lasso pointed out that representatives of the Church, the UN and universities are willing to mediate with the mobilized sectors to reach a peaceful solution. | Photo: @LassoGuillermo
Published June 17, 2022 (4 hours 0 minutes ago)

The Conaie confirmed that the indigenous mobilizations will continue until the Government presents solutions to their demands.

On the fourth day of the days of indigenous mobilizations and social sectors in Ecuador, President Guillermo Lasso reiterated on Thursday the call for dialogue to end the protests in the South American country.

"We have to sit down at a table, together look for solutions. Dialogue is the best way out," the president said at night on radio and TV.

Guillermo Lasso pointed out that representatives of the Church, the UN and universities are willing to mediate with the mobilized sectors to reach a peaceful solution.


Despite the call for dialogue by President Lasso, the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) considers that the Executive does not offer guarantees to initiate negotiations because in the last year it has not met the demands of the indigenous population.


In the afternoon, the Conaie leadership announced the possibility of moving its indigenous mobilizations to the Ecuadorian capital Quito.

Leonidas Iza greeted the demonstrations that have also taken place in the capital since June 13. "They are not indigenous people entering Quito, they are indigenous brothers, workers, mestizos, whites, who live in Quito, who have risen up by themselves due to their indignation with the government," he stressed.


The Conaie confirmed that the indigenous mobilizations will continue until the Government presents solutions to their demands.

Among the main demands are the freezing of fuel prices, the control of prices in the markets, avoiding the privatization of state companies and larger budgets for education and health, among others.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/ecuador- ... -0005.html
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Mon Jun 20, 2022 2:12 pm

Ecuador: National Strike Demonstrators Defy State of Emergency

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Indigenous groups in Ecuador have defied a state of emergency imposed in three provinces as they continue to protest against the government’s economic policies amid rising inflation and unemployment. | Photo: Twitter @Qoryooley000

Published 20 June 2022

The president of CONAIE, Leonidas Iza, ratified that "the strike continues at the national and territorial level and with an indefinite character, with a clear agenda of 10 issues" which have been presented to the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso.

The national strike, called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), continues this Sunday, in a context in which at least six sectors of the capital, Quito, remain closed due to protests and the Government ratifies its decision to maintain the state of emergency.

Protests continue despite the declaration of a state of emergency in Pichincha, Cotopaxi and Imbabura. In fact, the president of CONAIE, Leonidas Iza, ratified that "the strike continues at the national and territorial level and with an indefinite character, with a clear agenda of 10 issues" which have been presented to the Ecuadorian president, Guillermo Lasso.


In the meantime, the National Police, by order of the Attorney General's Office, raided the national headquarters of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, in Quito.

According to the Attorney General's Office, an anonymous call was received, supposedly alerting them of the existence in the premises of a group of 30 people, nationals and foreigners, that were storing war material, such as explosives and handmade weapons. These items would be used in the demonstrations during the next few days, to hold police and military, and enter the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic.

In response, CONAIE says that this was an operation carried out "with astonishing agility after an anonymous call", in which, in reality, "the Government raids cultural democratic spaces, imprisons and attacks social leaders and criminalizes the National Strike".


This space, the president of the Casa de la Cultura, Fernando Cerón denounced, sheltered citizens during the demonstrations of October 2019, in a humanitarian act, in response to what he called excessive police repression.

Several artists, cultural managers and political actors assure that it is part of the criminalization of the protests carried out by the National Government, so they reject this raid.

CONAIE has also insisted on requesting the National Assembly, which meets this Monday in plenary session, not to become an accomplice of the Government and repeal the decree by which President Guillermo Lasso imposed the State of Emergency, which they described as a “desperate act”.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecu ... -0003.html

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National Police of Ecuador takes House of Culture in Quito

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The Plenary Board of the House of Culture issued a statement in which it declares itself in resistance and on vigil before the police takeover. | Photo: Twitter
Published June 20, 2022 (7 hours 25 minutes ago)

Hours before, elements of the State Attorney General's Office carried out a search of the cultural venue due to the complaint of an alleged presence of weapons.

The Benjamín Carrión House of Ecuadorian Culture, located in Quito, was taken over on Sunday night by agents of the National Police (PN), an institution that said it will use the cultural venue as a barracks in the framework of the protests carried out by social sectors under the national strike called by the indigenous movement against the neoliberal policies of the government of President Guillermo Lasso.

In a statement, the PN reported that it notified the requisition of the place, based on the state of emergency, in order to have a physical space inside that institution to house anti-riot agents from the Order Maintenance Unit (UMO). and other police units.

The president of the House of Culture, Fernando Cerón, in statements to the press, denounced the takeover and stated that "it is with great sadness that I have to say that today culture has died. Today tyranny, darkness, terror has won to life, to joy, to diversity, to plurality, today terror is perching on the most important cultural institution in the country".


"The last time the House of Culture was taken over by the State, it was controlled by the police, was 42 years ago in the context of a dictatorship. Now we are in a dictatorship. This house of freedom, of thought, of diversity has fallen into the hands of terror," Cerón said.


Hours earlier, elements of the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) had raided the headquarters of the cultural venue after the anonymous complaint by telephone of an alleged storage of explosive material inside, to allegedly support the protests associated with the national strike called by the movement indigenous.


In the morning hours, a representative of the FGE and agents of Criminalistics and the Special Operations Group (GOE) entered the interior of the facility, with the order to detect the alleged presence of homemade weapons and explosives, which would have been introduced into the installation by a group of 30 people, according to the police.

Presumably, the war material would be used in the context of the protests, to detain the police and military, and guarantee the access of the protesters to the Presidency of the Republic.

A statement released by the National Headquarters of the House of Ecuadorian Culture ensures that "after the inspection of the FGE, no trace of weapons was found inside the institution."


"On the contrary, under the declaration of the State of Exception, there has been an attempt to violate the rights of hundreds of artists and managers who inhabit the historical space of cultural activity," the text denounces.

In statements to local media, the president of the Ecuadorian institution expressed his concern that the House of Culture becomes "a space that encourages violent acts of any kind", at the request of the National Police to enter 400 troops to deal with unemployed from the cultural headquarters.

"Our fundamental interest is that this space be a mediation space, be a space that allows us to guarantee human rights, that allows us to generate elements of humanitarian care, if that is the case," declared the cultural manager.


Cerón stated that he has not received official requests from the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) to use the institution's facilities; but it would be evaluated within the pertinent processes, arguing that this institution "remain as it has always been, a space of peace."

Likewise, he called on artists and cultural sectors to remain vigilant of what happens in "the house of artists, of cultural sectors, of diversities, and that we fight to guarantee that this space is not intervened in any way by the Condition".


Since last June 13, the Ecuadorian indigenous movement began a national strike against the Government of Guillermo Lasso, at the request of attending to 10 requests, including the reduction in fuel prices and the increase in the budget for intercultural education.

Faced with the wave of protests and demonstrations generated, the Ecuadorian government declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Pichincha, Imbabura and Cotopaxi on June 17.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/ecuador- ... -0035.html

Google Translator

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Popular Socialist Party of Mexico, Statement of the Popular Socialist Party of Mexico regarding the Summit of the Americas
6/20/22 10:45 AM

International organizations have diverse origins, pursue different objectives and obey different causes and interests. The United Nations Organization, UN, for example, emerged after the defeat of the Nazi-Fascist Axis in World War II, and its initial purposes were to guarantee world peace and uproot the threat of fascism; it had a plural origin, in whose design the glorious Soviet Union participated, in addition to the United States, Great Britain and France; while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, was born as an instrument of war, in order to prepare the Third World Conflagration led by the United States and the imperialist powers of Europe, against the Soviet Union itself.

The Summit of the Americas is an instrument very similar to NATO because it also obeys unilateral interests, not plural, much less popular; the interests of the United States, in particular. The great power of the North created it with the perverse purpose of reinforcing its domination over the Latin American countries, which, for two centuries, it has considered as an area lacking sovereignty and rights, firmly subject to Yankee interests. Created just in December 1994, at a time when the United States was enjoying the ephemeral glory of ruling the entire world, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the Socialist Camp of Europe, it sought to increase its historical and proverbial plunder of our natural resources and a substantial portion of the labor product of the inhabitants of this region.

Those were times of the heyday of global neoliberal globalization promoted by imperialism, and it had already launched the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, with Canada and Mexico —in January of the same year, 1994— with which it ostensibly multiplied the dispossession of our wealth, and now it intended to extend it throughout the continent, with the so-called Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, FTAA. That was precisely the specific purpose for convening for the first time a meeting of all the heads of state and government and he named it thus: Summit of the Americas.

Bill Clinton, the then Yankee president, gathered everyone

the others in Miami, the opprobrious capital of the anti-Cuban mafia, and forced the agreement there to continue meeting every three years. But the disastrous FTAA never entered into force, because the emergence of the struggle of the peoples of Latin America defeated the attempt.

Other types of international organizations have been emerging, of a different nature, because they have sprung up by agreement of the peoples in struggle for their liberation from imperialism; such is the case of the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America – Peoples' Trade Treaty, ALBA-TCP, founded in 2004, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, CELAC, created in 2010.

Now, in 2022, President Joe Biden called the IX Summit of the Americas to be held in Los Angeles, California, from June 6 to 10, with the same goals that this apparatus has always pursued: to strengthen imperialist domination over all the continent. But times are different, things have changed a lot in the twenty-four years that have passed since the first summit. The apparatuses of the opposite sign, emerged from our peoples, CELAC and ALBA-TCP, have held recent meetings and their agreements have been diametrically different from the goals of imperialism. In this framework, numerous governments of the continent have considered that a meeting with these characteristics and purposes has no reason to exist. The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for example, He has said that the aforementioned Summit should be something else, a meeting that brings together all the governments of the continent without excluding anyone; where is

issues of collective interest and for the collective benefit, not only of the dominant power, were discussed, and everyone was listened to, with respect. But that is impossible because it clashes with the very nature of imperialism, which is antithetical to the ideals of independence, democracy, sovereignty and cooperation.

Therefore, the Popular Socialist Party of Mexico, which was born to fight for national liberation and socialism, issues the following statements:

The international apparatuses that pursue unilateral ends of domination of the powers have no reason to exist: the so-called Summit of the Americas must disappear, as well as NATO and all similar organizations.

On the other hand, the organizations created by the will of the people and that pursue democratic and liberating objectives, such as ALBA and CELAC, must be strengthened.

The peoples of Our America must multiply our efforts to achieve a change in hemispheric relations, based on the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, with full respect for the principles

of sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use or threat of use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes and self-determination of peoples.

We denounce Washington's claims that it promotes at the Summit of the Americas to increase its imperialist domination over the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, in order to keep the region divided according to its hegemonic interests.

We support the positions of all the governments and popular organizations of our continent, which, from their own point of view, have rejected the goals pursued by imperialism with the Summit of the Americas.

We stand in solidarity with the worthy peoples and governments of our sisters Cuba and Venezuela, and we reject and condemn the genocidal and criminal blockade that Washington imposes on the former, and the multiple interventionist and aggressive actions it carries out against the latter.

Mexico, June 2022.

For national liberation and socialism

http://solidnet.org/article/Popular-Soc ... -Americas/

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Gabriel Boric: Expression of Failure and Subservience of Social Democracy to Big Capital
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JUNE 17, 2022
José Neto

The young lackey represents the derisory role of social democracy in the global class dynamics and its subservience to the main poles of Western power.

Gabriel Boric was elected with the highest vote in Chilean history, 4,620,671 votes, he was a product of the revolutionary masses who fought in the streets of Chile against neoliberalism. Boric, as a student and politician, “appeared” on the national scene after this contestation of the social whole, in addition to showing himself as a promising young man regarding the candidates of the old national oligarchy. The young man participated in the election, which took place in 2021, and, after the most remarkable elections in the country’s recent history, the young man betrayed everything and everyone.

A lack of brutal materialism

The new Chilean president, a few days after the victory, called US President Joe Biden. This gesture might seem like a formal gesture between two leaders of states, but it goes beyond that. Biden represents everything the Chilean people were fighting against; he represents the structural coup in the US-Latin America relationship; it represents the “Washington Consensus” and the maintenance of a unipolar order. Thus, this attitude by Boric is more than diplomatic, it is a structural error in his historical-material analysis.

Furthermore, the young lackey represents, in a nutshell, the derisory role of social democracy in the global class dynamics and its subservience to the main poles of Western power.

Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua

In addition to all this link between Boric and Western hegemonic capital, he is also serving as a propagator of Biden’s new foreign policy for Latin America. The new North American doctrine tries to stop Russian and Chinese influence on the continent in this new multipolar world; as a result, Cuba, which has resisted since 1959, Venezuela, which is fighting daily against the coup by the brothers from the north, and Nicaragua, which is currently dealing with the political scenario where the opposition was bought by the US, are trying to escape these doctrines. In this way, China and Russia have shown themselves to help these nations and give them a socio-economic light; but the Americans continue their offensives and the last of them was the exclusion of these countries from the summit of the Americas, an event marked by the contradictions implied in the North American conceptualization of democracy and dictatorship. The Chilean president is close to these Western rhetorics when he reproduces speeches and gestures that show once again that he must not only change a country through the polls, but also through ideas.

Final considerations

Gabriel Boric betrayed his people and their history, showing that thousands of deaths and years of repression will be useless. The Latin American people expect the next leaders to follow this shameful path: grow by the hands of the people, then rip their hands off.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/06/ ... g-capital/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Tue Jun 21, 2022 2:18 pm

Copper workers announce national strike in Chile

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Copper workers reject the closure of the smelter located in Valparaiso. | Photo: @FTCobre
Published June 21, 2022 (4 hours 56 minutes ago)

The president of the FTC assured that about 50,000 workers in the sector will join the national strike.

The Federation of Copper Workers of Chile (FTC) called a national strike for this Tuesday due to the closure of a smelter plant, located in the Valparaíso region and belonging to the National Copper Corporation (Codelco).

The president of the FTC, Amador Pantoja, warned on Monday that they are finalizing the details of the force measure against the closure of the Windows smelter plant.

Pantoja assured that nearly 50,000 workers in the sector will join the strike, with the support of 56 unions linked to copper exploitation.


Codelco's board of directors announced last Friday that the gradual closure of the Ventanas smelter plant had been approved after reports of cases of poisoning in the area in recent weeks.

Given the impasse between the management of Codelco and the FTC, the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, insisted on the path of dialogue to resolve the differences on this issue, arising from the closure of the Ventanas Smelter.


Days before, the Chilean president had assured that all copper will continue to be processed exclusively in Codelco smelters and no worker will be left without their source of employment.

However, union leader Pantoja indicated that the rest of the foundries belonging to the Chilean state company would not have the capacity to absorb the load of Fundición Ventanas.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/chile-tr ... -0007.html

Google Translator

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Indigenous Protesters Continue To Arrive in Ecuador’s Capital City

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Indigenous protesters continue to arrive in the Ecuadorian city of Quito | Photo: Twitter/NewsLatinPress

Published 20 June 2022 (15 hours 41 minutes ago)

Images published on social networks show people walking on the road or in buckets of pick-up trucks in their eagerness to mobilize.

Hundreds of demonstrators continued to enter Ecuador's capital on Monday during the eighth day of a mobilization against the government called by the indigenous movement, while the blockade of roads connecting the city of Quito (north) with the north and south of the country is maintained,

Images published on social networks show people walking on the road or in buckets of pick-up trucks in their eagerness to mobilize.

In the afternoon, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) reported the arrival of indigenous people from the south of the country, who are currently near the Machachi canton (center), bordering the province of Pichincha, whose capital is Quito.

In the same way, CONAIE said that another group from the province of Bolivar (center) was moving towards Quito and another left from the Amazonian province of Pastaza (east) towards the capital.

"In the sector of Cutuglagua (south), the entrance (to Quito) continues to be restricted due to mobilizations, as well as on the Panamericana Norte highway," stated a report from the National Police.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ind ... -0016.html

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Ecuador declares force majeure for oil, state of exception over protests
By Alexandra Valencia

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An Indigenous man holds the Ecuador's national flag as he camps in Cotopaxi province, following the protests against President Guillermo Lasso's economic and environmental policies, near Latacunga, Ecuador, June 18, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Alarcon


QUITO, June 18 (Reuters) - Ecuador's state-owned oil company Petroecuador declared force majeure late on Saturday over the impact of protests against the government's social and economic policies in the Andean country, while President Guillermo Lasso tried to clamp down on unrest.

The oil company declared force majeure for its exploration, exploitation, transport and commerce sectors - halting exports - after protesters entered oil fields, affecting output, it said in a statement.

The move followed Lasso's decision to declare a state of exception in three provinces late on Friday, in a bid to calm protests called by indigenous groups rejecting of the government's economic policies.

The state of exception will last for 30 days in the provinces of Imbabura, Cotopaxi, and Pichincha - areas that include capital city Quito - which have seen greater violence amid protests, with attacks on flower farms and damage to infrastructure, while police officers have also been detained by protesters.

Curfews in Quito will run from 10 p.m. (0300 GMT), until 5 a.m. from Saturday, Lasso said late on Friday, while gatherings will be banned all day in the affected provinces. He did not say how long the measures would last.

"I called for dialogue and the answer was more violence, there is no intention to find solutions," Lasso said in a televised broadcast.

Indigenous groups launched protests on Monday, with demonstrators blocking roads across the country in opposition to Lasso's social and economic policies, demanding gasoline price freezes, a halt to further mining and oil projects, and more time for small farmers to pay their bank loans.

Petroecuador said it has lost 6,975 barrels of crude since protests started and has halted some drilling operations.

Lasso will increase help for the most vulnerable sectors and will subsidize fertilizer costs by 50% for small and medium farmers, while the public bank will forgive overdue loans worth up to $3,000.

There will be no increase in the costs of diesel, gasoline, and gas, Lasso added.

Indigenous groups continue to block roads connecting Quito with the north and south of the country, while students have supported the protests.

Leonidas Iza, president of Ecuador's CONAIE indigenous organization, said on social media that Lasso's proposals would partially resolve the issues but he doubted they would be implemented.

"From this moment we are preparing to mobilize and reject these policies in Quito," he said.

The protests have cost the country's productive sector $50 million and led to shortages in certain products and fuels.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ ... 022-06-18/
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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Wed Jun 22, 2022 3:40 pm

Militarized Ecuador: First Death in Protests Against Guillermo Lasso
JUNE 22, 2022

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Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso has militarized the country to face protestors. In the photo soldiers confront demonstrators in the south of Quito. Photo: Twitter/@EjercitoECU.

Caracas, Jun 21, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—Protests in Ecuador are gaining strength and momentum daily, and are now beginning to resemble those held in 2019 against former President Lenín Moreno. Within eight days, mobilizations have continued to grow, while the government has moved to militarize the areas where demonstrations occur.

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), which has been leading the national mobilization that began on June 13, is asking that the government reduce fuel prices, address unemployment, regulate the prices of farm products, and fight crime, among other requests. President Guillermo Lasso decreed a state of emergency “due to serious internal disturbances” in the provinces of Cotopaxi, Pichincha, and Imbabura.

One week after the start of the demonstrations, the first death in the Andean country has been reported. As reported by Mision Verdad, a person fell into a ravine in his attempt to reach Quito, where Indigenous movements have concentrated demonstrations.

The commander of the Metropolitan District of Quito, Wilson Pavón, stated to local journalists that “these cases are isolated and accidental,” and emphasized that “it has nothing to do with the activities that the National Police was carrying out in that area.”


Pavón explained that the deceased is a 22-year-old man who died as a result of injuries caused by a heavy fall. Along with him, two other people who accompanied him also fell and were seriously injured, in the Collas sector, north of Quito, on Monday at 9:30 p.m. local time.

On the other hand, at a press conference the Alliance of Organizations for Human Rights reported that the death occurred when a police contingent tried to stop a group of protesters who were trying to enter Quito from the northern province of Imbabura. Their statement noted that the country has become increasingly militarized in an attempt to prevent demonstrations and dissent against the neoliberal policies of President Guillermo Lasso.

According to spokesmen for the Alliance, the victims of the fall were fleeing from tear gas fired by the security forces. Currently, the army is defending the government palace in Quitó, the capital, during daily protests. Security forces installed fences around the perimeter of Carondelet Palace, fearing that tensions would boil over, as demonstrators demand the resignation of Lasso, a wealthy banker and businessmen who eked out a victory in Ecuador’s April 2021 presidential election.


For several days, Indigenous organizations and citizens in general have called a strike against Lasso’s government due to increases in the cost of living. The declaration of a state of emergency has only added fuel to the protests.

Ecuadorian Indigenous movements, and CONAIE in particular, have a long tradition of anti-government protests that have forced several presidents to resign or flee the country, including Lucio Gutiérrez in 2005. However, CONAIE’s legitimacy suffered during the 2021 presidential race when it failed to support the progressive candidate, Andres Arauz, which proved to be decisive for Lasso’s victory.

Featured image:

Special Orinoco Tribune’s staff content

https://orinocotribune.com/militarized- ... rmo-lasso/

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Ecuador: Intl. Support Asked for Dialogue With Strike Leaders

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It has been nine days since the start of the indefinite national strike in Ecuador on June 13. Jun. 21, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@Diario_Octubre

Published 21 June 2022 (12 hours 37 minutes ago)

"Technical support was requested to international organizations so that they can accompany the eventual dialogue tables," according to Ecuador's Human Rights Secretariat.

Since June 13, an indefinite national strike led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) has been underway in the country, demanding that the government of Guillermo Lasso respond to a set of petitions based on ten demands.

The Human Rights Secretariat of Ecuador informed that assistance of international organizations had been requested to establish eventual dialogue tables between the government and the leaders of the indefinite national strike.

The Secretary of Human Rights, Paola Flores, said on her official Twitter account that the request would meet the highest standards of respect and dignity for participants as it seeks to safeguard the rights of all people within the context of social protest.

Flores did not reveal the organizations to which the petition was sent, but she did say that dialogue is essential to reach a definitive peace. According to the official, the government seeks greater democracy, greater freedoms, avoiding disturbances, and working in peace.


Paola Flores, Secretary of Human Rights, calls for dialogue to maintain peaceful coexistence. She points out that she requested assistance from international organizations to safeguard the rights of all during the social protest.

Today marks nine days since the beginning of the indefinite national strike on June 13. Several social sectors, including farmers, students, workers and transport workers, have joined the strike called by CONAIE.

CONAIE's ten demands include freezing fuel prices, adopting an agricultural subsidy and not signing free trade agreements that destroy national production.

The confederation denounces the government's reluctance to engage in dialogue and its intention to end the mobilizations utilizing "lethal force and bullets."


Ecuador's Minister of Defense, Luis Lara, said this June 21 that the country's democracy is at risk due to the protests, warning that the Armed Forces will not allow the constitutional order to be broken.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecu ... -0015.html

Evo Morales Decries Attack Against Indigenous People in Ecuador

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Women shout slogans against the Government in front of a line of anti-riot agents today, in the streets of Quito (Ecuador) | Photo: EFE / José Jácome

Published 21 June 2022 (12 hours 28 minutes ago)

"Armed repression by the military against indigenous people" is being carried out by the Ecuadorian government against social mobilizations, was denounced this Tuesday by the former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales (2006-2019), on Twitter.

"We denounce before the world that in Ecuador, armed repression of military and police is executed against thousands of indigenous brothers, who fight for the rights of a defenseless people who resist the neoliberal policies of hunger and misery. Do not shoot against the people!" said the former president.

In Ecuador, a week of protests is being held, with road blockades and mobilizations in the main cities, led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE) due to the increase in fuel prices.

In response to the protests, the Ecuadorian government decreed a state of emergency on Saturday, first in three cities, and then extended the measure to six.

On the ninth day of demonstrations, Quito dawned full of road closures in the north, south and east of the city, as well as in the historic center, where the Government Palace is located, and in the center-north, where the Salesian, Central and National Polytechnic universities are located, which house hundreds of indigenous people who arrived in the capital from other provinces of the country.

Due to disturbances registered in several areas of the city, mainly in the vicinity of the universities, the Municipality decided to suspend the integrated transport services of the Trolleybus and the Metrovía that run along the north-south longitudinal axis.

The National Police informed that several operations are being carried out to guarantee security and public order.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Evo ... -0017.html
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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Thu Jun 23, 2022 3:09 pm

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The march about to start with People’s Summit banner along with a banner of solidarity with Venezuela. (Photo: Rick Sterling.)

A tale of two summits
Originally published: Midwestern Marx on June 20, 2022 by Rick Sterling (more by Midwestern Marx) | (Posted Jun 22, 2022)

Last week (June 8-10) there were two summits in Los Angeles, California: the Summit of the Americas hosted by the U.S. State Department and the Peoples Summit hosted by U.S. and international activist organizations. The two summits were held in the same city at the same time but could not be otherwise more different. ​

Summit of SOME of the Americas

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Begun in 1994, in the heyday of U.S. international dominance, the Summit of the Americas is officially a function of the Organization of American States. It is meant to coordinate and consolidate U.S. economic, political and cultural interests. The first summit, held in Miami, served this goal well. The Soviet Union had broken up, severely hurting allies such as Cuba. Neo-liberalism was on the march, even in countries such as Nicaragua where the Sandinistas had been voted out of power. The U.S. had recently invaded Panama, making an murderous example of any country or leader that defied U.S. dictates.

Since 1994, there have been Summits of the Americas every three or four years. The summits in Canada (2001) and Argentina (2005) had large anti-summit protests against capitalist globalization. In Panama in 2015, Cuba was invited to the summit for the first time after a group of countries threatened to boycott the summit if Cuba was again excluded. President Obama met and shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro. There was widespread agreement and pleasure at the U.S. beginning to normalize relations with Cuba.

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In 2018, the U.S. hostility to Cuba resumed under President Trump. The White House administration referred to Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela as a “troika of tyranny”.

The policy of exclusion continues under the Biden administration and this became a major feature of the just concluded Summit of the Americas. Despite threats to boycott the gathering by many Latin American and Caribbean presidents, the U.S. chose to exclude Cuban, Nicaragua and Venezuela. This resulted in seven country presidents choosing not to attend: Mexico, Bolivia, Honduras, St Vincent, Antigua, Guatemala, El Salvador. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) said simply, “There cannot be a summit of the Americas if all the countries of the American continent do not participate. Or there can be, but …. it is just a continuation of the old policy of interventionism, or disrespect of nations and their peoples.”

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As it turned out, the absence of three excluded and seven allied leaders became a predominant feature of the Summit. The ghost of the ten hung over all events. The summit accomplished little with the lack of preparation being compared to a “privileged but lazy student” who does not prepare for a test. The Atlantic analyzed the situation: “The Summit of the Americas, hosted this year by Joe Biden, offers a measure of how far the U.S. has fallen.” The attendance was small and resolutions filled with platitudes with little substance. Criticisms of the U.S. exclusion of countries were openly aired.
The NY Times described the Summit by quoting a former Mexican ambassador who said many countries are “challenging U.S. influence, because U.S. influence has been diminishing in the continent.”

At the Summit of the Americas, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and OAS leader Luis Almagro spoke at a panel about “ Journalistic Freedom”. Journalist Walter Smolarek exposed the farce as he boldly confronted Almagro because of his complicity in the 2019 Bolivian coup and more.

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There was a plea from many countries to get beyond conflict and cold war, to genuinely work together to address the looming and already dangerous results of climate change.

The Summit of the Americas was expensive. Just the LA police security cost over $15 million. ​

Peoples Summit 2022

Two miles away from the Summit of the Americas, the Peoples Summit was held at the Los Angeles Technical Trade College. The Peoples Summit included an art and poster pavilion, a huge hall for panel discussions and speeches, and an outdoor pavilion featuring dozens of activist organizations and craftspeople. There was live music and dancing later at night. Over a thousand people attended and spirits were high.

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The complex affair was organized by over ten convening organizations. These included the Answer Coalition, International Peoples Assembly, CodePink and unions SEIU 721 and AFT 1521. There were over a hundred individuals providing support and organization for the event. Many activists flew or drove to Los Angeles from across the U.S.. In contrast with the Summit of the Americas , the Peoples Summit operated on a shoestring based on volunteers.

A wide array of domestic and international issues were addressed at the Peoples Summit. They included Health as a Human Right, Gender Violence, Food Sovereignty and Climate Justice, Cultural Resistance, Youth Organizing Strategies, Justice for TPS and Undocumented Community, Lessons from Below and Organizing Unhoused Communities. Plus many more.

In 2020, Los Angeles counted over 66,000 homeless people in the city. The latest survey, from January this year, is going to be released June 22. These and other issues were explored by activists at the Peoples Summit.

A major component of the Peoples Summit was international affairs and the connection to struggles at home. While the U.S. spends well over $800 billion annually on the military, there are virtually no homes being built by the U.S. government. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers rental assistance and advice. In contrast, Venezuela has constructed 4 million homes for Venezuelan families. ​

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U.S. censorship and attacks on media critics were further revealed at the Peoples Summit where Julian Assange’s father and brother talked about the world’s most famous imprisoned journalist and publisher. The Wikileaks founder has been imprisoned for ten years, with over three years at Belmarsh maximum security prison. He is now threatened with extradition to the U.S., a kangaroo court and life imprisonment. His only “crime” has been to reveal the real crimes of the U.S. military and government.

There was an outstanding lineup of speakers each of the three days of the Peoples Summit. These included local activists and indigenous leaders and noted international leaders such as Honduran Bertha Zuniga and Puerto Rican Oscar Lopez Rivera.

The presidents of Cuba and Venezuela, plus Evo Morales, the former president of Bolivia, sent eloquent messages of support to the Peoples Summit.

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On Friday June 10 there was a mass march and rally from the Peoples Summit at the community college to the street in front of the Summit of the Americas. The streets of downtown Los Angeles echoed with calls, chats and songs as the march proceeded. ​

Conclusions

There is growing criticism of U.S. presumptions of supremacy and U.S. foreign policy promoting division and conflict. This was expressed by leaders who stayed away from the Summit of Americas and also many leaders who attended. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, said frankly,

It’s wrong that Cuba and Venezuela and Nicaragua are not here, because as you heard from the Bahamas, we need to speak with those with whom we disagree….There’s too much narrow-casting instead of broadcasting. There’s too much talking at, instead of talking with…. And the simple priority must be people, not ideology.

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U.S. exceptionalism and the exclusion of countries is increasingly being challenged. This matches the global criticisms of U.S. unilateral sanctions. At the last UN General Assembly, the vote was 184-2 in denouncing U.S. embargo on Cuba. Seventy percent of world nations believe U.S. sanctions violate international law.

The Summit of the Americas showed the U.S. attempting and failing to impose its will on the hemisphere. The Peoples Summit showed a different vision which is in accord with the wishes of most countries and people.

https://mronline.org/2022/06/22/a-tale-of-two-summits/

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Protests continue in Ecuador with tribute to victims of police repression during national strike

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Indigenous communities and people continue to arrive in the Ecuadorian capital to support the protests against the social crisis in the country.
Published June 23, 2022

At least two dead and more than a hundred injured have left the police repression to the demonstrations.

Ecuadorian social organizations paid tribute this Wednesday in Guayaquil to the deceased left by police repression during the ten days of the National Strike called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), and other unions to demand that the Government pay off the social debt that has the country.

At least two lives have been claimed by the violent actions of the police force, to which are added nearly a hundred injured and 90 detainees since the beginning of the strike on June 13.

Regarding which the Ecuadorian Attorney General's Office initiated a preliminary investigation, ex officio, to investigate the death of Byron Guatatuca, a citizen of Kichwa nationality, resident in the commune of San Jacinto, and who died from a shot at close range by the police in Puyo, Pastaza province.


The day of protests continued in Quito, the capital, and other regions of the South American nation, demanding that the Executive put an end to the state of emergency; cessation of repression and attacks on humanitarian shelter zones; as well as eliminating non-viable points that obstruct a true dialogue process.

Where the mayor, Santiago Guaderas called a cacerolazo for peace and progress, and reiterated his willingness to serve as a mediator and support dialogue between social organizations and the Government.

Regarding the protests, the Alliance of Organizations for Human Rights, formed in the context of the strike, denounced new attacks by the police with tear gas bombs on the headquarters of the Central University of Quito and in the area of ​​the Salesiana and Catholic; as a sign of disrespect for the established zones of peace and humanitarian aid.


At the University, an enclave that houses the demonstrators who have traveled from various parts of the nation to Quito to demand compliance with their demands, as a result of these new repressions new wounded arrived.

For its part, Conaie, in a letter addressed to the Government of Guillermo Lasso from the Twitter platform, reiterated that indigenous and social organizations and the people need a direct dialogue, without mediators, and that it truly leads to solving the crisis and existing problems.


In this sense, the indigenous leader expressed that "if the demands are not answered, rivers of people will continue to arrive in the capital", while maintaining that they will maintain their position and mobilizations until results and government actions are seen to resolve the crisis.

Among the demands of the Conaie and the different Ecuadorian social sectors are the provision of medicines for the population; attention to educational infrastructure; unemployment and high cost of living.


Issues to which are added the rise in fuel prices; The insecurity; extractivism that violates the right to life, and without the prior consent of indigenous peoples, as well as the 21 collective rights.

This Wednesday it was also known that President Guillermo Lasso tested positive for Covid-19, according to information provided in a statement by the presidency.

Lasso, 66 years old, remains asymptomatic and will comply with the corresponding health protocols from the Palacio de Carondelet, seat of the Government, and also from his residence.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/-protest ... -0001.html

Google Translator

*********************************

ECUADOR ON FIRE
GUILLERMO LASSO'S NEOLIBERAL FUNNEL LAW COLLAPSES
Jun 22, 2022 , 9:58 am .

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Relations between the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, and the indigenous movement reached their worst moment after this sector called a national strike on June 13 to demand social and economic reforms from the government, within the framework of an economy hit by inflation and unemployment.

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), led by Leonidas Iza, has joined the leaders of the Federation of Evangelical Indigenous Peoples (Feine), the National Confederation of Peasant, Indigenous and Black Organizations (Fenocin), the National Federation of Peasants (Fenoc) and the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador (FEI) and refuse, for the time being, to engage in a dialogue repeatedly offered by Lasso, considering that the different conversations held throughout his first year in office have not given its fruits.

There is not one but 10 reasons why the wave of protests reached a point of no return. These are the demands in economic matters and rights that are shared by "banana growers, rice growers, coastal corn growers, flower growers, peasants in the Amazon, fishermen, communities affected by large-scale mining, residents of neighborhoods, associations of doctors, retirees, public unions, students, carriers, women, diversities and youth" added to the conflict.

The differences between the social movements and Lasso seem irreconcilable because, as expected, the former right-wing banker has applied neoliberal measures that leave the broad part for the economic elites while the working classes have been given the narrow part :

*Reduction in spending on public services and social policies such as public health, which, in the midst of the pandemic, was reduced by 7.99% compared to 2019.
*Increase in income poverty from 25% in December 2019 to 32% in December 2020, which begins to recover timidly in 2022.
*In 2019, emigration increased by 4.62%, and in 2021, foreign remittances increased by 31%.
*Emigration (+4.62%) and remittances from abroad (+31%) increased to 1998 figures, since then there has not been such an important migratory wave.
*Increase in the homicide rate to 13.13 per 100,000 inhabitants, the worst rate in the last 10 years, and last April the figures doubled compared to the previous year.

A couple of critical points fueled the indignation of the indigenous sector: Iza's arrest on June 14 with her consequent release less than 24 hours later by order of a judge and the attack she suffered on Saturday 18 when she was parking her vehicle, luckily he was unharmed.

The security forces took over the House of Ecuadorian Culture in Quito to prevent a repetition of the scenes of October 2019, when another wave of protests led by Conaie ended with violent clashes, altercations in the center of the capital, a balance of a dozen dead and about 1,500 injured throughout the country. In those 15 days of national strike, the social mobilization of the indigenous sectors, the only movement at the national level capable of paralyzing the country, did not succeed in removing former President Lenín Moreno, but did achieve a partial victory by paralyzing the elimination of gasoline subsidies.

A YEAR OF LASSO: FROM SUPPORT TO SOCIAL CHAOS

The indigenous movement is totally divided between Conaie, its ideological leadership, and its partisan expression, Pachakutik, which supported Lasso in the second round of the presidential elections against Andrés Arauz. For his part, Leonidas Iza, located on the left wing and now president of Conaie, has recently declared that "we are going to clean up Pachakutik" and, last April, six assembly members were expelled from the Pachakutik parliamentary group for their discrepancies. in the systematic support of this party to the neoliberal policies of Lasso.

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Mario Ruiz: "If for defending the Pachamama from extractivism, the national and social heritage from privatization and the people from the bankers, the leadership of Pachakutik expels them, let the bases and the people judge them" (Photo: Radio Pichincha)

The current uprising occurs after exhausting the instances of dialogue with the Lasso administration on June 11, October 4 and November 10, 2021. In addition, the indigenous movement requested that the dialogues be televised "in the exercise of democracy and the right to political participation, for responsibility and transparency with the country", but said request was denied by the Executive.

In October of that year, a coalition of indigenous organizations and NGOs presented to the Constitutional Court of Ecuador a claim that a presidential decree that promoted doubling oil production in the country was unconstitutional. The president of the Confeniae, Marlon Vargas, demanded from the Government as conditions for the dialogue "the absolute and immediate remediation of the territory of the indigenous nationalities contaminated 50 years ago", after Lasso issued Executive Decree 95 of July 7, which ordered several actions to increase oil production from less than 500 thousand barrels per day to one million.

On May 24, one year after being sworn in, Lasso offered his first management report to the nation before the National Assembly, mentioning what he did, what he plans to do for the second year of government and even until the end of his term in 2025, but did not present any figures on security issues, one of the weak points of his management.

The state of emergency decreed in April in the provinces of Guayas, Guanabí and Esmeraldas with the mobilization of 4,000 police officers and 5,000 soldiers did not stop a wave of criminal episodes never seen before. Ecuador witnessed car bomb explosions in its territory attributed to drug gangs and reports of extortion and threats to merchants in impoverished areas under the control of crime.

While some prisoners, members of rival drug gangs, vied for power through a massacre in the Litoral Penitentiary, photos of the gala reception offered by Lasso with high-ranking officials circulated on social networks . That massacre was followed by four more in other penitentiary centers, with a balance of 282 deaths.

More broken promises:

*The system for delivering quotas for higher education did not improve.
*On Women's Day (March 8) he vetoed the bill for the interruption of pregnancy in cases of rape to establish terms so short that they make it difficult for victims to access an abortion.
*It has not been able to stop the deterioration in public hospital care.
*Added to the 16 changes in the presidential cabinet in 11 months is the inability of his government to establish political agreements in the National Assembly and the loss of support for bills that he considered key to encourage investment and reform labor legislation.

PROTESTS AND REPRESSION UNLEASHED

After Iza's arrest, considered arbitrary, violent actions were unleashed by state bodies that, according to the Alliance of Organizations for Human Rights, resulted in 79 arrests between June 13 and 19. They also report 61 injured people , five of them with eye damage and 18 with serious injuries.

A deceased protester was reported who fell into a ravine in his attempt to reach Quito, where the indigenous movement has wanted to concentrate the mobilization and challenge the State of Exception decreed by Lasso.

Also, the indigenous leader Byron Guatatoca was killed by the impact of a tear gas canister on the head in the city of Puyo.

The indigenous leadership, which has confirmed that it will not withdraw from the streets or end the indefinite national strike, has also insisted that the government seeks to discredit the protest with infiltrators and misinformation.

State abuses have been much more frequent, of course more violent, but justified by the big media, demonstrating their full identification with power and the use of force against the people. Lasso's call for repetitive and empty dialogue is rejected. He can't even define the place or the themes, but it works to mask the use of repressive force.

*Conaie asks for guarantees to sit down to negotiate: repeal the State of Exception and demilitarize the El Arbolito park and the House of Culture. The government minister rejected Conaie's "conditions."

Last Friday the 17th, the State of Exception was announced for 30 days in the Andean provinces of Pichincha, whose capital is Quito, Imbabura (north) and Cotopaxi (south), the most affected by the mobilizations and protests, later it was extended to Chimborazo, Tungurahua. and Pastaza. It also mobilized the Armed Forces in the face of a "serious internal commotion" and ordered a curfew between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time. It also prohibited any concentration of protests in the aforementioned provinces.

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Citizens have begun to spontaneously close streets demanding measures to reverse the levels of economic exclusion, however Lasso has responded with authoritarian measures and general repression (Photo: File)

He stated that the protests seek to overthrow him and that he is not going to escape.

"We have reached out, we have called for dialogue, but they do not want peace; they seek chaos. They want to throw out [remove] the president. I am here, I am not going to escape, but I am here to protect each one of their families (…) Democracy or unemployment, that is the great battle, the battle for Democracy ," Lasso said in a video posted on his Twitter social network account.

Some more measures:

*The decree provided that the government could require "from providers that operate public telecommunications networks the suspension, degradation of quality, or temporary limitation of telecommunications services." This was rejected and withdrawn in a second version, which is the current one.
*Total impediment of protests, announcement of "lethal force" against demonstrators if "necessary" and violations of the privacy of the home with warrantless searches (Articles 6, 12 and 16).
*Curfew and suspension of the free exercise of freedom of assembly and association in the three provinces, although he publicly supported a march called by the right that would take place on Saturday the 18th.

Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, affirmed that the demonstrations had acts of violence with the security forces that have left 61 agents injured so far, as well as 14 police officers temporarily held by protesters, two vehicles destroyed and another 21 with different damages.

Among the measures that the government has taken are the approval of the subsidy of up to 50% of urea, which is used as fertilizer, the cancellation of overdue debts of peasant families of up to 3 thousand dollars, reduction of the interest rate of the 10% to 5% for current credits, increase in the human development bond from 50 to 55 dollars and doubling of the budget for intercultural education.

He also announced, without specifications, definitions or planning, that he will not raise the price of fuel or that he will not privatize public services or strategic sectors.

Meanwhile, the opposition has requested a recall process against Lasso and his vice president because they have failed to comply with the government plan they presented at the beginning of their term. The implementation of the neoliberal measures that he managed to disguise during the electoral campaign is imminent, it is demanded by those who financed and promoted his candidacy and the former banker is facing the decision of his life.

https://misionverdad.com/globalistan/co ... ermo-lasso

Google Translator

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Chile: Copper Workers Begin National Strike

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Codelco, one of the largest copper mining companies in the world, goes on strike due to smelter closure. Jun. 21, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@MedioNoticias

Published 22 June 2022 (9 hours 22 minutes ago)

Workers at the state-owned company Corporación del Cobre (Codelco) began a national strike following the closure of a smelting plant.

"Codelco workers have initiated a national strike to reverse the decision of the government and Codelco's board regarding the closure of the Ventanas smelter," according to the Chilean Copper Workers Federation (FTC).

Employees are concerned about the future of their jobs, despite the government's assurances that they will not be laid off but relocated.

"With the strength and unity of the workers, we will achieve, through this struggle, our objective, which is to allow the Ventanas foundry to continue melting wealth and progress for Chile sustainably and responsibly with people and the environment," the Federation said.

The FTC leader, Amador Pantoja, said that the purpose of the strike is not only to reverse the decision but also "to achieve investments so that Chilean copper can continue to be smelted and refined."


The president of the Federation of Copper Workers (FTC), Amador Pantoja, said: "Today all the divisions of Codelco have stopped, this participation involves 40 000, 50 000 workers, between own and contractors."

Codelco's workers said that all the company's divisions would be affected as the strike is total. According to them, 26 of the company's 27 unions have joined the pressure action. Hundreds of external companies related to Codelco will also join the strike; the strike leaders told local media.

The company's board of directors' decision to close the Ventanas smelter was announced last week by President Gabriel Boric on the grounds that in recent decades there have been frequent episodes of intoxication among the population of the Valparaíso region, where the smelter is located.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Chi ... -0020.html
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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Fri Jun 24, 2022 2:08 pm

POLITICAL MAP AND INTRA-REGIONAL BLOCS
ANOTHER CYCLE? HOW THE RIGHTS AND LEFTS ARE DISTRIBUTED IN THE REGION
Jun 23, 2022 , 1:40 p.m.

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The ALBA-TCP countries met in Havana in 2022 (Photo: Venezuelan Presidential Press)

The political turn that occurs in Colombia with the new government of Gustavo Petro underlines a change in the regional map that is subject to various analyses. The first and most obvious is the change in political correlation in the leadership of the countries on the continent.

This patchwork of political denominations goes beyond the usual "right" and "left" designations. Contrary to the so-called "regional progressive cycle" of previous years, when Hugo Chávez, Fidel Castro, Rafael Correa, Evo Morales, Daniel Ortega, Lula Da Silva and Néstor Kirchner ruled simultaneously, the nuance of the left was more accentuated, unlike today .

What to expect from this regional chart? What opportunities does it open up for the various actors? What does this mean for Venezuela?

THE ALBA-TCP BLOC HAS ITS OWN TONALITY
Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are a particular congruence factor. The three countries are the main ones, "the hard left", counter-hegemonic referents in the continent and for this reason they carry with them the mark of distinction of being the object of multidimensional coercive measures by the United States and other allied countries.

Aligned in the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples' Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP), together with Bolivia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Granada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia, this coalition made up of governments of various shades from social democracy to the left, is a political counterweight to the political architecture of Washington, but it is especially a bloc with its own powers, for being a binding alliance between Hispanic and Caribbean America, for being a benchmark in economic and social policy and for proposing concrete and real links of integration.

It has been from the ALBA-TCP where the constructive engine of a new architecture of relations has emerged, being a reference for other experiences jointly with Petrocaribe and, beyond, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the same Confederation of Latin American States and Caribbean (CELAC).

THE BLOC OF THE "MODERATE LEFT"

Composed of countries with social democratic governments, some called "centrist", in several cases formed in coalition with parties and social movements of the harder left, they are a benchmark of moderate progressivism and it is a group of countries that should be analyzed in a particular way.

However, due to their affinity, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Honduras, Peru and now Colombia (when Petro takes over the country) are countries of the so-called "second Latin American progressive cycle". This brand endorses an implicit reference, the "cycle" is understood as a whole turn to the "moderate left", but it sums up what is undoubtedly an undermining of the model of parties and governance of the conservative and traditional rights in each nation.

Subject to inertia and pressure in each country, the governments of this denomination make distinctions between a policy fully subordinated to Washington or "being like Venezuela", in a clear pejorative reference.

This moderate left, tolerated (to a greater or lesser extent) by the economic and political establishment of its countries and in the inter-American system, in several cases is more congruent with the model for the region of the US Democratic Party and clearly does not represent a serious threat to United States, although the very weight of Mexico and its natural influence is already a point of reference as a geopolitical actor due to its latest turns .

The Chilean case is particular. The government of this country is closer to the model of woke progressivism manufactured by the State Department and handles its internal constitutional process with caution, which is why they spin their foreign relations very slowly and lukewarmly. Even more so when it comes to "thorny" issues such as "Venezuela" .

On the other hand, the Peruvian case, outside doors, has been irrelevant, since the government has been consumed by the crisis of governability, lawfare and clash of powers. As much as Pedro Castillo affirmed "America for the Americans" in the United States, his government is still in suspense.

Argentina has a hemiplegic foreign policy, partially closed on key regional issues, such as "Venezuela" or voting against Russia in the UN. Despite some gestures, his government maneuvers a foreign policy arbitrated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In short, the best explanation for this spectrum of governments in these countries is that the "end" of the "first progressive cycle" and the upturn that the traditional right had in the region, was largely due to the erosion or muddiness of the leaderships Certainly, also due to mistakes by the leaders, but also due to betrayals (the case of Lenín Moreno in Ecuador), lawfare (Brazil) and coups (Honduras and Paraguay).


There was no exhaustion of the "idea", nor did the intrinsic need in the countries change to produce a shift, sharpening the contradictions with the model of neoliberal, plutocratic governance, of classic right-wing parties.

This is a feature with particularities in each country, but persistent in the region, after an accumulated cycle of economic crises, misgovernment, accumulation of structural inequalities, institutionalized corruption, and now with the post-pandemic multifactorial crisis and the new incoming crisis in trade. caused by the coercive measures against Russia.

THE "CENTRE" AND RIGHT-WING COUNTRIES

Some countries like the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Panama are openly in the "centrist" orbit. But, politically speaking, they can be considered moderate right-wing.

In contrast, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Guatemala maintain traditional right-wing governments, which have not yet been swept away by the cumulative cycle of exhaustion and also by electoral calendar issues. That is why it is important to look at Brazil for 2023 and the very probable, for now, return of Lula da Silva to power.

El Salvador is a special case. "Neither from the left nor from the right" in the speech, but from the right in deeds. However, Nayib Bukele is an atypical figure, especially since his turn in his relationship with the United States by opening the doors of his country to China. Bukele is genuinely a leader on the spectrum of a right in contradiction to the hegemon and developing internal politics outside traditional lateralities in his country. Sui generis , throughout the line.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

In the region there are ideal conditions for a rearrangement of the continental political architecture. There is room for the audacity to disable exhausted instruments such as the Organization of American States (OAS), but it is known that this is not the consensus among all the countries of the "moderate left". However, there are powers to strengthen CELAC. Everything consists in producing new dynamisms there.

The regional picture supposes (read well: supposes) a respite for Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, due to the possible de-escalation of regional tension as it occurred during these years.

However, it is likely that some countries of the "moderate left", in exchange for governability negotiated with internal and especially external factors (the United States), prefer to "flank to the left" the three countries, through moderate isolationist practices of a new type. , concealed in intra-progressive ideological divergences.

The risks of this scenario, those of "indifference" and "distance", lie in the fact that the preceding scenario of these years is not disturbed and with it the powers of regional politics are disabled, confining them to a prolonged anemia. That is, to produce the balance of an equally divided continent.

It is no small thing, in the case of Venezuela, that in 2019 the Trump Administration strictly imposed a model of foreign relations that has not been overcome: recognize or not the tax and non-existent government of Juan Guaidó; relate or not to the legitimate government of President Nicolás Maduro. All this seriously divided continental diplomacy. The narrative and political trap persists and several countries are unable to dispute it, define themselves or develop their position, even though said agenda is de facto finished and dismantled by Caracas.

As a general reading, the countries of the "moderate left" are not generating or accelerating large-scale processes. Valuable time is wasted. There are no concrete visions or actions for progress, despite the fact that Mexico insists on strengthening CELAC.

The only truly active regional integrationist instrument and policy maker is ALBA-TCP, who organized a Summit in Havana days before the failed IX Summit of the Americas. ALBA is the only insurmountable "clenched fist" that has been able to standardize a fluid political activity among its members and from a sovereignist orientation.

There are several simultaneous political times in the region, and to refer to the new "progressive advance" it is evident that everything remains to be seen. Perhaps as never before, it is essential that "the left" overcome the logic of division, doing politics with creativity and pragmatism.

https://misionverdad.com/globalistan/ot ... -la-region

Google Translator

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Ecuador’s National Strike: Government and Indigenous Movements Very Far from Dialogue

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Two trucks loaded with Indigenous protesters from the countryside arriving in Quito. Photo: Diario Dia.

After 10 days of protests, Indigenous Ecuadorians are asking for a dialogue with the Lasso administration, but the two parties seem far from the negotiation table.

On the 10th day of the national strike in Ecuador, the president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), Leonidas Iza, presented four conditions to the government of Guillermo Lasso before entering negotiations. The most significant condition was the end of police repression and cancellation of the nationwide state of exception.

The indigenous leader also requested assurances that the government would not impose new decrees during the national strike, an end to attacks on demonstrators, respect for the humanitarian protection zones.

Government response to requests

In response, Ecuador’s Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, said that the government would not give in to the requests made by the Indigenous movements as conditions to end the national strike, which began on June 13. In addition, Carrillo announced the administration’s decision to implement a night curfew in an attempt to reduce demonstrations.

Faced with the official refusal to accept the conditions proposed by CONAIE, protests spiraled out of control in the city of Puyo, and there were clashes and violence.


According to reports by the authorities, citizens entered a transportation ticket office and burned the facilities. In addition, several windows were destroyed by objects thrown from outside the building.

Why are they protesting?

The Indigenous mobilization called for by CONAIE, which is now demanding Lasso’s resignation, subsequently spread to other sectors including teachers and taxi drivers. The indefinite mobilization originated as a protest against the neoliberal policies of Guillermo Lasso’s administration, which has yielded no results other than increased poverty and inequality within Ecuador.

After almost a year in power, the right-wing president’s disapproval figure stands at 71.2%, according to a poll conducted at the end of May. Meanwhile, human rights organizations have reported three deaths so far, more than 90 injured protesters, and more than 90 demonstrators imprisoned, in a context of increased militarization across the country.


(HispanTV) with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

https://orinocotribune.com/ecuadors-nat ... -dialogue/

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CONAIE Denounces Death of Fourth Protester in Ecuador

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Human Rights organizations reiterated that repression with abuse of force puts the lives of those exercising their right to protest at risk. | Photo: EFE

Published 23 June 2022 (10 hours 8 minutes ago)

CONAIE indicated that the protester died from "penetrating trauma to the thorax and abdomen caused by pellets."

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) denounced Thursday the death of another protester amid the mobilizations against the policies of the Government of Guillermo Lasso, being the number four in 11 days of the national strike.

Through its account on the social network Twitter, the Conaie indicated that the victim was identified as Henry Ernesto Quezada Espinoza, 39, who died after violent repression by security forces against protests in the Ecuadorian capital.

"The murder of Henry Quezada Espinoza in the park El Arbolito in Quito due to penetrating trauma to the thorax and abdomen by pellets is confirmed," the confederation said.

It also warned that on this day of the national strike, the Ecuadorian police launched multiple impact grenades against demonstrators "indiscriminately causing hundreds of wounded, many of them seriously."

For its part, the Alianza de Organizaciones por los Derechos Humanos (Alliance of Human Rights Organizations) also denounced the incident. They urged for an urgent investigation and for "the massacre to stop."

"Repressing protests with abuse of force puts at risk the life and integrity of people to exercise their right to protest during the national strike," it emphasized.

According to the Alianza de Organizaciones por los Derechos Humanos, up to Wednesday, there were 49 incidents of human rights violations, three deaths, 92 wounded, 94 detentions and four disappeared.

Conaie has called on the Ecuadorian government to create actual conditions for dialogue to occur, among them, the immediate cessation of repression and criminalization actions, repeal of the state of emergency and guarantees not to impose new decrees.

In addition, that the humanitarian protection zones be respected and that "the entire agenda be placed on the table and that there be no 'unfeasible' points for the Government, but rather efforts to attend to the citizens' clamor."

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/CON ... -0026.html

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Copper workers in Chile culminate national strike

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The FTC and Codelco agreed to promote a joint work table to find solutions to the demands of the miners of Ventanas and solve the environmental issue. | Photo: @CobreFundicion
Published June 24, 2022

It is estimated that to solve the contamination problems existing in Ventanas, the Chilean Government must invest 54 million dollars.

The Federation of Copper Workers (FTC) of Chile ended this Thursday the national strike that began the day before, after reaching an agreement with the National Copper Corporation (Codelco) to promote a joint work table that addresses the closure of the Windows foundry.

After more than three hours of debate, trade unionists and Codelco agreed to analyze the cessation of operations at the smelter located in Puchuncaví-Quintero, which would imply the relocation or retirement of 348 workers from the smelter area.

In this sense, union leaders of the FTC expressed that "we have fulfilled the mandate that the bases have given us to protect the employability of the workers of Ventanas, for which we end our mobilizations to favor the path of dialogue."


By the way, both negotiating parties agreed in a statement to address the scenarios of the smelter's termination, subject to the modification of Law 19,993, and with the objective of ensuring a fair transition for the workers; as well as managing the situation of the contractor companies and their workers who provide services in the foundry process of the Ventanas Division.

The president of the FTC, Amador Pantoja, avoided that "we feel satisfied despite not having achieved 100% of the commitments, but really satisfied because it guarantees us a process with Windows that not only ends in this agreement, but also It also allows us to continue looking for instances, since we also have the Parliament's instance”.

Meanwhile, the president of Codelco, André Sougarret, maintained that “at the table we are going to look for solutions. We are with the workers, we intend to take care of all their demands and see, depending on the type of worker, what we are going to do: reconversion, repositioning in another division or, if it is not possible, find an appropriate solution. for the workers".


Who elaborated that “the smelter and refinery business for the rest of Codelco is still in force and is part of our strategy. This means that we are going to continue investing, as we have done, in the different foundries that we have in operation today”.

On the subject, Codelco has calculated that, if all the workers at Ventanas avail themselves of special retirement plans, the cost would be around 30 million dollars.

The Ventanas Smelter invoiced a total of 7,500 million dollars in profits in 2021, and according to estimates provided by the FTC, the Chilean government can solve the pollution problems if it invests 54 million dollars there.

For their part, environmental organizations from the South American nation supported the closure of what they consider "the main source of pollution, environmental damage and violation of the human right to life of the inhabitants of (the communes) Puchuncaví and Quintero, of living in a healthy and safe environment.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/trabajad ... -0002.html

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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Sat Jun 25, 2022 2:53 pm

Ecuador: Call For Debate on Possible Lasso's Dismissal

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Ecuadorian parliamentarians call for a debate on the possible removal of President Guillermo Lasso from office amid an indefinite national strike led by CONAIE against the president's policies. Jun. 24, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@DenisRogatyuk

The Union for Hope bench in Ecuador's National Assembly asked for a discussion in Parliament on the possibility of dismissing Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso.

The request comes amid an indefinite national strike led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) against the Lasso administration, in which five deaths have been registered so far.

The 47 Union for Hope (UNES) members announced their resignation from their seats in Parliament, looking for early elections.

UNES legislator Marcela Holguín said via Twitter: "I, Marcela Holguín, assembly member for Pichincha, have just put my signature to advance elections in accordance with article 130, number two, of the Constitution."

The other 46 UNES legislators echoed this message, while Dina Farinango and Angel Maita, from the indigenous movement Pachakutik, CONAIE's political arm, also joined the UNES initiative. On the contrary, the political parties Democratic Left and Social Christian Party (PSC) discarded their support for the UNES proposal.


I, Marcela Holguín, Assemblywoman for Pichincha, have just put my signature to advance elections in accordance with Art.130.2 of the Constitution. My position is at the disposal of my people. What will the other 136 assembly members do?

Article 130 number two of the Ecuadorian Constitution legitimizes the power of the National Assembly to dismiss the president in case of severe political crisis and internal commotion. This requires 92 of the total 137 votes of the Assembly.

The presidential dismissal process called cross-death entails the holding of early elections for both the Presidency and the National Assembly (unicameral Parliament). Assembly Speaker Virgilio Saquicela would have to receive a petition from 46 out of a total of 137 members of the legislature to make the dismissal request official.

Once the request becomes official, Saquicela must summon the Assembly in a plenary session 24 hours in advance and give notice to the President, who must exercise his right of defense before the Assembly's debate. Under the cross-death mechanism, the president could dissolve the Assembly and rule for a period of six months through executive decrees, pending new legislative and presidential elections.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecu ... -0018.html

Peru: Pedro Castillo’s Tutelage Declared Null and Void

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Castillo's tutelage based on the "alleged violation of the constitutional principles of procedural legality and the principle of legal certainty" was unfounded, says the Peruvian Judiciary (PJ). Jun. 24, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@israel_peru

Published 24 June 2022 (11 hours 18 minutes ago)

The appeal filed by President Pedro Castillo to stop the investigation of the Attorney General's Office for alleged corruption offenses was declared unfounded by the Peruvian Judiciary (PJ).

Judge Juan Carlos Checkley of the PJ said that the Constitution does not prevent opening a preliminary investigation.

In this sense, the Supreme Court of Preparatory Investigation communicated that Castillo's tutelage based on the "alleged violation of the constitutional principles of procedural legality and the principle of legal certainty" was unfounded.

Judge Juan Carlos Checkley of the PJ said it is not an absolute fact that "the President of the Republic can only be accused of the assumptions foreseen in Art. 117 of the Constitution."

According to the magistrate of the preliminary investigation, "this does not annul the possibility of initiating a preliminary investigation as long as there are reasonable justifications."


The Supreme Court of Preparatory Investigation declared unfounded the legal guardianship presented by the President. Therefore, the Pdte. Pedro Castillo will continue to be investigated for the alleged crimes of a criminal organization, influence peddling and aggravated collusion.

Meanwhile, the President's defense lawyer, Benji Espinoza, said that the decision would be appealed before the Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court to resolve the issue of guardianship definitively.

The defense team argues for the alleged unconstitutionality of opening a legal process during a presidential mandate to demand legal control from the judge.

Pedro Castillo is under investigation for alleged alterations related to the Tarata II Bridge case where the former Minister of Transportation and Communications, Juan Silva, the former presidential secretary Bruno Pacheco and two relatives of the head of state is also linked.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Per ... -0022.html

China Replaces US as Top Destination for Andean Exports

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Since the launch of China's Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, 21 of 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have signed up. | Photo: Twitter @BRASILWIRE

Published 25 June 2022

China was the main destination for exports from the countries of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) in 2021, says a report.

According to the secretary general of the CAN, Jorge Hernando Pedraza, in a statement in which he presents the statistics of the regional group´s foreign trade of goods for 2021, China was the main destination of exports with 19.3%; in second place is the United States, with 18.5%, and then the European Union, with 11.8%.

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These statistics come from Bolivia's National Statistics Institute (INE), Colombia's National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), Ecuador's Central Bank and Peru's National Superintendency of Customs and Tax Administration (SUNAT).

In 2021, the main products imported by the CAN were diesel fuel, mobile telephones, light petroleum or bituminous mineral oils, gasoline without tetraethyl lead for aircraft engines, and hard yellow corn, except for sowing.


On May 26, 1969, five South American countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru) signed the Cartagena Agreement with the purpose of improving the standard of living of their inhabitants through integration and economic and social cooperation, thus launching the Andean integration process, known as CAN.

China is strengthening its relations with Latin American countries in different areas, particularly economic and military, in the midst of aggressive U.S. policies against certain countries in the region.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Chi ... -0004.html

Hey Muskrat, guess where that processed lithium is going?

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Indigenous leader denies intention to overthrow President Lasso

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Leonidas Iza denounced the police repression and the forced eviction of those attending the popular assembly at the Quito House of Culture. | Photo: EFE
Published June 25, 2022 (4 hours 18 minutes ago)

Leonidas Iza announced that the indigenous movement is going to reorganize to continue the mobilization in the Ecuadorian capital.

The president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), Leonidas Iza, denied on Friday his intention to promote the overthrow of the Ecuadorian head of state Guillermo Lasso, who hours before denounced an attempted coup behind the indigenous mobilizations that They are already 13 days old.

President Guillermo Lasso stated in a televised address that the indigenous leader's intention is to overthrow him.

Faced with Lasso's accusations, Leonidas Iza said in the middle of the popular assembly held at the House of Culture, in downtown Quito, that "there is a decision of the people, who want the President of the Republic, if he has not had ability to solve problems, go away.


During her speech in the popular assembly, Iza announced that an "ultimatum" was going to be given to Lasso and that "the next step" was to promote an impeachment process against the head of state in the National Assembly.

Leonidas Iza denounced the police repression and the forceful eviction of those attending the popular assembly in the cultural center, after a long day of riots and clashes between demonstrators and police in the surroundings.


"Instead of receiving the results, we have received an absolutely violent attack by the Armed Forces and the National Police," Iza pointed out.

Leonidas Iza announced that the indigenous movement is going to reorganize to continue the mobilization, mainly in the Ecuadorian capital. "We are necessarily going to continue," he concluded.

On Friday, a group of assembly members presented a request to remove President Lasso, which will be debated this Saturday by the plenary session of the National Assembly.


Since the beginning of the mobilizations on June 13, there have been at least five deaths and no less than 200 injuries among protesters and security forces, as well as more than 100 arrests, according to human rights organizations.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/lider-in ... -0005.html

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Indigenous organizations in Peru declare state of emergency
June 24, 2022
Stop assassinations, end land grabs, recognize rights to ancestral territories

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International companies are destroying forests to create palm oil plantations

The following statement was issued by thirteen Indigenous organizations from across the Peruvian Amazon, including local and regional federations from Ucayali, and the national Indigenous Peoples organization AIDESEP.

Resolution of the Extended Coordination Council of the Regional Organization of AIDESEP Ucayali – ORAU

Ucayali, Peru, 16 May 2022

We, the Presidents of the Base Federations of ORAU, Indigenous leaders of the Indigenous Peoples of the Ucayali, Huanuco and Loreto regions, gathered as part of our Extended Coordination Council (CCA), with the presence of our national organization AIDESEP, which represents nine regional decentralized organizations in the north, center and south of the Peruvian Amazon. We are human rights defenders, we protect the forest, territories and river basins. In the face of mounting pressure from the expansion of oil palm monocultures, land grabbing and trafficking, illegal mining, an increase in narcotics trafficking which is causing violence, killings and threats in our own territory, we issue this resolution:

In consideration of:

That, in 2020, 263 murders against human rights defenders were registered in Latin America, of which 202 of them happened in the countries of the Amazon basin (Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia), representing 77% of the cases.

That 69% of these murders in 2020 were against leaders working in defense of territory, the environment and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

That in the first quarter of 2021 alone, 193 murders of Indigenous brothers and sisters (Colombia and Peru) who defended the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Mother Nature have been recorded.

That behind the murders of Indigenous defenders of human rights and Mother Nature, there are structural problems directly linked to the advance of extractive activities that respond to the interests of corporations with State agreements that promote hydrocarbons extraction and indiscriminate mining, aggressive deforestation, drug trafficking, militarization and the presence of an armed conflict that has been diplomatically silenced and that threatens the physical and cultural integrity of our peoples.

That the lack of titling of Indigenous territories represents one of the greatest threats, as most of the murders have taken place because of their work in defense of the territory and their actions in favor of its titling.

That the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) has established that the loss of leaders represents damage to the social fabric of Indigenous Peoples and an express will to silence our voices, thus disrupting the organization and organizational structure by hindering the ability to express concerns about issues affecting our communities.

In view of the above and the evident violation of the human rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Ucayali region and other Amazonian regions, WE RESOLVE:

1.We declare an emergency and red alert our ancestral territories for 120 days. During the emergency, the entry of outsiders is prohibited, except for representatives of allied organizations and duly accredited representatives of the Peruvian State.
2.We condemn the acts of manipulation and bad faith of the company Ocho Sur PSAC, which seeks to generate division within the Santa Clara de Uchunya community, undermining the organizational structure and good relations between its Indigenous organizations (FECONAU, ORAU, AIDESEP). We demand that the Peruvian State impose on the company all the sanctions and the weight of our laws for the land trafficking, deforestation, environmental and cultural damage that it has been causing in the traditional territory of the Santa Clara de Uchunya community. We warn our grassroots communities not to be surprised by the entry of pseudo-leaders into their territories, because in reality they are operators of the company, who carry out this type of work for personal interests.
3.We demand that the Peruvian State prioritize and ensure the legal recognition of the ancestral territories of Indigenous Peoples through the granting and registration of land titles. This is a fundamental right recognized by the provisions of ILO Convention 169, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Political Constitution of Peru itself. In this sense, we demand that the Regional Government of Ucayali continue with the second territorial expansion of Santa Clara de Uchunya until full legal protection is assured, in order to avoid indiscriminate land trafficking in the region.
4.We demand that the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Culture take concrete and immediate measures to put an end to the assassinations and criminalization of Indigenous leaders and frontline human rights defenders. The ministries must address the structural problems that threaten the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon.
5.We demand that the Peruvian State urgently ratify the Escazu Agreement and provide protection for the orphaned children of the murdered Indigenous human rights defenders.
6.We demand of the Ministry of Education: that, for the allocation of Intercultural Bilingual Education (EIB) positions for management positions and teaching contracts, the teacher should be fluent in the native language of the community or Indigenous People to which he/she belongs to the region, as indicated in the General Law of Education No. 28044 and the Law for Intercultural Bilingual Education No. 27818. We also reject the process of re-categorization of bilingual educational institutes initiated by the MINEDU, which in practice means the reduction of bilingual schools, harming thousands of children from native communities, thus violating the right to receive a quality education with an intercultural approach.

Signed by the following Indigenous organizations:

Native Federation of Cacataibo Communities – FENACOCA
Federation of Native Communities of Lower Ucayali – FECONBU
Federation of Indigenous Communities of Padre Marquez District – FECIDPAM
Federation of Native Communities of Iparia District – FECONADIT
Federation of Native Communities of Ucayali and Affluents – FECONAU
Federation of Native Communities of Puerto Inca – FECONAPIA
Federation of Native Communities of the Pisqui River Basin – FECOIR
Association of Ashaninka Native Communities of Masisea and Calleria – ACONAMAC
Federation of Native Communities of the Purus Province – FECONAPU
Organization of Native Communities of Tahuania District – ORDECONADIT
Federation of Ashaninka Native Communities of Sheshea – Iparia – FECONASHI
Regional Organisation of AIDESEP Ucayali – ORAU
The Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest – AIDESEP

https://climateandcapitalism.com/2022/0 ... emergency/
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Re: South America

Post by blindpig » Sun Jun 26, 2022 10:20 pm

Indigenous leader denies new dialogue with the Ecuadorian government

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The indigenous leader reiterated that the mobilizations will continue in the capital Quito and other regions of the country despite the increase in repression. | Photo: www.eluniverso.com
Published June 26, 2022 (5 hours 20 minutes ago)

The president of the Conaie indicated that any decision on a dialogue will be consulted with the authorities of the indigenous organization.

The president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, Leonidas Iza, denied on Saturday that he had started a new dialogue process with the government of Guillermo Lasso after having had a first contact with several of his officials.

The indigenous leader addressed representatives of the indigenous and social organizations that support him to deny the rumors about the resumption of dialogue with representatives of President Lasso.

Leonidas Iza reiterated that the mobilizations will continue in the capital Quito and other regions of the country despite the increase in repression and until the Ecuadorian government responds to each of the demands made by the indigenous groups.


The president of the Conaie affirmed that they attended a meeting held at the Basilica of the National Vote, in Quito, "out of respect" for the president of the National Assembly, Virgilio Saquicela, who promoted this first contact between both parties.

Saquicela reported that at the meeting it was proposed to form a technical table with delegates from the indigenous movement and the Government to start the dialogue process and analyze each of the proposals put forward by the protesters.


Hours later, Leonidas Iza indicated that the meeting did not touch a single point of the list of ten demands that led Conaie and other organizations to call for a national and indefinite mobilization from Monday, June 13.

"Without the possibility of touching any point, we have withdrawn," said Iza, who clarified that any decision to start a dialogue will be consulted with the 53 authorities of indigenous peoples and nationalities that make up the decision-making body of the Conaie.


So far, the repression of the mobilizations in Ecuador has left a balance of at least six dead protesters and around 300 people injured.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/ecuador- ... -0004.html

President Lasso repeals the state of exception in Ecuador

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President Lasso had denounced that the indigenous mobilizations respond to the plan of the Conaie leader to overthrow him. | Photo: Ecuador Presidency
Published June 26, 2022 (8 hours 7 minutes ago)

Indigenous organizations had denounced that the state of exception would promote repression by the Government of social mobilizations.

The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, repealed on Saturday the state of emergency that governed six provinces of the country in the framework of the mobilizations called by indigenous organizations due to the lack of response from the Government to their social demands.

The state of exception had been decreed by Lasso since last Saturday, June 18, initially in the provinces of Imbabura, Pichincha and Cotopaxi, which was later extended on June 21 to Tungurahua, Chimborazo and Pastaza.

From the General Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency, they indicated that with the lifting of the measure, the Government guarantees the generation of spaces so that the majority of the population can resume their activities.


The repeal of the decree by which the state of emergency was declared was one of the requests of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) to open a new process of dialogue with the Government of Guillermo Lasso.

Indigenous and Human Rights organizations had denounced that the state of exception would promote repression by the police forces and the Army of indigenous and social mobilizations.

The announcement of the lifting of the state of emergency was announced in the middle of the special session of the National Assembly where the request for the impeachment of President Lasso, presented by a group of opposition deputies, is being discussed.


Indigenous leaders and government representatives held a first approach in Quito on Saturday, with a view to starting a conversation, according to the president of Parliament, Virgilio Saquicela.

However, from the Conaie they indicated that no type of dialogue or rapprochement with representatives of the Government has been carried out, for which reason the indigenous strike and the mobilizations will continue in Ecuador.


The repression of the mobilizations in Ecuador has left until Saturday a balance of at least six dead protesters and around 300 people injured.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/ecuador- ... -0027.html

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Ecuadorian Parliament postpones session on impeachment of President Lasso

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About 30 members of Congress spoke for and against President Lasso on the first day of the debate on the impeachment request. | Photo: www.eluniverso.com
Published June 26, 2022

Once the debate is over, legislators will have 72 hours to vote on whether or not the measure against President Guillermo Lasso proceeds.

The National Assembly of Ecuador suspended until Sunday afternoon the debate on the request for the impeachment of President Guillermo Lasso presented by a group of opposition assembly members.

The president of Parliament, Virgilio Saquicela, indicated that the session will resume at 4:00 p.m.

At the time of suspending the session, Saquicela pointed out that there were still more than 40 requests from deputies to express their opinion on the request to remove the Ecuadorian president.


For more than eight hours, around 30 congressmen spoke out for and against President Lasso on the first day of the debate on the request for impeachment presented by the Union for Hope (UNES) caucus, accusing the president of the serious crisis political and internal commotion that has shaken the country since the beginning of the mobilizations called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie).

The request presented against President Lasso by the deputies of UNES had the support of the 47 signatures necessary to request the removal of Guillermo Lasso from power just over a year after being elected president.


Once the debate on the impeachment request is concluded, the Ecuadorian legislators will have 72 hours to vote on whether or not the measure against Guillermo Lasso proceeds, to be approved it requires at least 92 of the 137 possible supports in Congress.

If approved, power would be assumed by Vice President Alfredo Borrero and presidential and legislative elections would be called for the rest of the period (until 2025).

In the midst of the parliamentary debate, the Ecuadorian president repealed the state of emergency imposed in six provinces of the country as a result of the Conaie mobilizations.


For his part, the leader of the indigenous confederation, Leonidas Iza, denied the resumption of dialogue with the government and reiterated that the demonstrations will continue until the Executive responds to each of the ten demands set out in the list of demands.


According to the Alliance of Organizations for Human Rights, since the beginning of the mobilizations and protests, at least six demonstrators have died and more than 300 have been injured due to the repression of the Police and the Army.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/ecuador- ... -0006.html

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Ecuador: Indigenous Movement to Continue Protests

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The indigenous movement assured that the de facto measures and mobilizations will continue throughout the country. Jun. 25, 2022. | Photo: AFP: Martin Bernetti

The president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationals of Ecuador (CONAIE), Leonidas Iza said: "We are not going anywhere. We are here."

On Saturday, the thirteenth day of protests in Ecuador, the indigenous movement assured that the de facto measures and mobilizations will continue throughout the country, because they have not received concrete answers from the Government.

Leonidas Iza indicated that this Friday they were waiting for the results of the dialogue, but received a violent attack by the Armed Forces and the National Police.

The president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationals of Ecuador (CONAIE), Leonidas Iza said: "We are not going anywhere. We are here. We need to solve the most urgent problems, President of the Republic (Guillermo Lasso), in this case, of the country".

The president of Conaie asked the protesters to reorganize calmly and without violence; and announced that this Saturday, June 25, 2022, an assembly of the peoples will be held to decide how they will continue to demand their 10 demands.

The indigenous leader made his statement hours after police and military, in a special operation, evicted the protesters who were in the park El Arbolito.

This Saturday, Amazonian women, indigenous women, feminists and dissidents are mobilizing from the Central University to the Plaza José Martí in northern Quito, while other protesters are marching along the 6 de diciembre avenue towards the El Arbolito Park area.


Women march through northern Quito, demanding no more violence in humanitarian aid centers by state forces.

On Friday night, after several confrontations, the police attacked the Pabellón de las Artes, where doctors were treating the wounded, in El Arbolito park, in an attempt to evict them.

The Pavilion of the Arts has served as a medical aid point for people injured or suffocated by the launching of tear gas bombs, these last days. Inside there are paramedics and volunteers.

Representatives of the International Solidarity and Human Rights Mission and the Human Rights Alliance of Ecuador held a joint press conference this Saturday in which they expressed their concern for the level of violence registered during the repression of the indigenous movement.

The International Human Rights Mission headed by Juan Grabois will verify the serious violations committed by State agents during 13 days of protests. Five dead, dozens injured and detained, seven disappeared so far.


"We ask Guillermo Lasso to respect the peace zones and we hope to carry out our work with guarantees", said Grabois.

The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, announced that the government "will use all the legal resources that the law empowers it to confront the vandals and criminals", in a clear attempt to justify the repression against the social movement.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecu ... -0007.html

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IMF Approves $1 Billion for Ecuador while Police Repression of Protests Increases
JUNE 26, 2022

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Protesters in Ecuador in 2019 holding a Fuera IMF [IMF get out] banner and the Ecuadorian flag, rallying against then President Lenin Moreno's submissive position towards the IMF. File photo.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved the disbursement of $1 billion for Ecuador as part of the extended agreement within the framework of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), signed in 2020 between the IMF and the government of Ecuador.

In a statement issued on Friday, June 24, the IMF announced that the disbursement will be immediate and that it will go to the General State Budget of Ecuador. The statement added that the disbursement has been apprved after the evaluation of the goals for the fourth and fifth revision of the program of $6.5 billion in credit, which is aimed at the economic recovery of the country after the pandemic, restoration of fiscal sustainability and reduction of public debt.

IMF further reported that the Executive Board approved the Ecuadorian authorities’ request for an exemption from non-compliance, one of the goals set for the end of December 2021. According to the IMF, the non-compliance occurred in the performance criterion on the global balance that the General State Budget and the Financing Account for Deficit Derivatives (CFDD) should have acchieved.

The IMF Executive Board noted that in a report by the Managing Director, inaccurate data corresponding to the obligations of transfers for pensions and health expenses were provided to the fund of the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS).

After the approval of the disbursement, the government announced that it will adopt corrective measures regarding the IESS debt.

Ecuador has already received $4.8 billion of the $6.5 billion approved. A sixth and final review of the agreement is scheduled for later this year, with the aim of setting the disbursement of the remaining $700 million before the EFF agreement ends.

13 days of protests
The announcement comes at a time when Ecuador is experiencing a national strike against the social and economic policies of the government of Guillermo Lasso, called by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE).

The national strike, which entered 13 days this Saturday, has been joined by trade unions, students bodies, human rights groups and other social organizations, who denounce steep increase in prices of food and fuel, widespread insecurity, lack of medicines and medical supplies in healthcare centers, unemployment, and complaints related to agricultural production and indebtedness of the peasant sectors.

The indigenous movement has criticized the government for focusing “foolishly” on following IMF policies, which systematically affect the population, preventing greater coverage of economic aid for vulnerable sectors due to elimination of subsidies and increases in taxes.

In this context, CONAIE President Leonidas Iza said that President Lasso should focus less on following IMF policies if he wants to fix the country’s economic and social problems.

Iza added that the protests will continue indefinitely until the president responds to the 10-point demands of the strike: reduction and no further increase of fuel prices; moratorium and renegotiation of bank debts for more than 4 million families; fair prices for agricultural products; employment and labor rights; health and education programs; a moratorium on the expansion of the extractive mining/oil industry in indigenous and protected territories; respect for the 21 collective rights; an end to the privatization of strategic sectors; price control policies; and effective public policy to curb the wave of violence that keeps Ecuador in distress.

As a condition to start a dialogue with the government, CONAIE has demanded the immediate cessation of repression and criminalization of the protests and the repeal of the state of exception and militarization imposed in six provinces of the country.

Violation of rights and excessive use of force
Excessive use of police force and violation of human rights of the protesters have been condemned on several occasions, as well as acts of vandalism against public buildings, although CONAIE has publicly clarified that the vandals “are not part of the indigenous movement” and reiterated that it is protesting peacefully throughout the country.

The Alliance for Human Rights of Ecuador, which brings together 15 organizations, has reported 64 cases of human rights violations, five deaths, five disappearances, 166 injuries and 108 arrests until June 24. Meanwhile, Lasso authorized the “progressive use of force,” and warned that the National Police and the Armed Forces “will act with any means necessary to defend public order and democracy, within the legal framework, through the progressive use of force.”

https://orinocotribune.com/imf-approves ... increases/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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