The Role of Civil Resistance in Bolivia’s 1977-1982 Pro-Democracy Struggle admin, June 30, 2018August 14, 2024 July 2018 Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies II(1); also from the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict and at Research Gate: Despite being the poorest and least developed country in South America, Bolivia was the first to emerge from the period of military dictatorships that dominated the continent from… Continue Reading
Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective admin, April 24, 2018August 14, 2024 International Center on Nonviolent Conflict 2017: This monograph presents in-depth case studies and analysis intended to improve our understanding of the strategic utility of civil resistance against military takeovers; the nature of civil resistance mobilization against coups; and the role of civil resistance against coups. Continue Reading
Fidel Castro left Cuba a green legacy admin, December 9, 2016June 10, 2024 National Catholic Reporter December 9, 2016 While he no longer held any formal position of power since his resignation as president for health reasons eight years ago, Fidel Castro’s death last month marks the passing of an era. In his nearly 50 years in power, few individuals have had… Continue Reading
Hillary Clinton’s double standards on human rights admin, April 11, 2016August 14, 2024 During the 1980s, the United States was seriously divided over U.S. policy toward Central America. The Reagan administration was propping up a brutal military-backed regime in El Salvador that was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including priests, nuns and catechists, along with labor, student and human rights leaders, as well as peasants who happened to live in areas supporting the opposition. Continue Reading
The US role in the Honduras coup and subsequent violence admin, March 14, 2016August 14, 2024 On March 3, Berta Cáceres, a brave and outspoken indigenous Honduran environmental activist and winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize [1], was gunned down in her hometown of La Esperanza. Erika Guevara-Rosas [2], Americas director for Amnesty International, noted how “For years, she had been the victim of a sustained campaign of harassment and threats to stop her from defending the rights of indigenous communities.” Continue Reading
US Invasion of Grenada: A 30-Year Retrospective admin, October 25, 2013August 15, 2024 On this anniversary, it would be worth looking back at the Grenadian revolution, the U.S. invasion, its aftermath and the important precedent it set for “regime change” through U.S. military intervention. Continue Reading
U.S. Support for Israel Mirrors 80s Support for El Salvador Junta admin, June 3, 2010January 29, 2025 It’s like the 1980s all over again. During that decade, the Reagan administration – with the support of Congress – sent billions of dollars worth of unconditional military and other support to the right wing-junta in El Salvador, just as the Obama administration is today with the right-wing government in Israel. Continue Reading
The Power of Nonviolent Action in Honduras admin, November 8, 2009February 1, 2025 The massive nonviolent movement that put pressure on the coup government may be only the first chapter of an important and prolonged struggle for justice in one of Latin America’s poorest and most inequitable countries Continue Reading
Showdown in ‘Tegucigolpe’ admin, July 10, 2009February 1, 2025 One of the hemisphere’s most critical struggles for democracy in 20 years is now unfolding in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa (nicknamed “Tegucigolpe” for its long history of military coup d’états, which are called golpes de estado, in Spanish). Despite censorship and repression, popular anger over the June 28 military overthrow of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya is growing. International condemnation has been near-unanimous, and the Organization of American States has suspended Honduras, the first time the hemisphere-wide body has taken so drastic an action since 1962. Continue Reading
Mauritania’s coup is a setback for democracy admin, October 3, 2008 The overthrow in August of what arguably constituted the most democratic government in the Arab world marks a serious setback in Africa as well as the Middle East. Continue Reading
U.S. Intervention in Bolivia admin, September 22, 2008 The alleged support by the United States of wealthy landowners, business leaders, and their organizations tied to the violent uprising in eastern Bolivia has led U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg’s expulsion from La Paz and the South American government’s demands that the United States stop backing the illegitimate rebellion. Goldberg had met with some of these right-wing oppositionist leaders just a week before the most recent outbreak of violence against the democratically elected government of Evo Morales, who won a recall referendum in August with over 67% of the popular vote…. Continue Reading
The U.S., Bolivia, and Dependency admin, November 5, 2007 Much to the chagrin of the Bush administration, Bolivian president Evo Morales has been going to great lengths to separate his country from its economic dependence on the United States. His efforts to strengthen the Andean Community of Nations and the recent signing of a “People’s Trade Treaty” with Venezuela,… Continue Reading
Bush Administration Refuses Cuban Offer of Medical Assistance Following Katrina admin, October 19, 2005 One of the most tragically irresponsible decisions of the Bush administration in the critical hours following Hurricane Katrina was its refusal to accept offers by the government of Cuba to immediately dispatch more than 1500 medical doctors with 37 tons of medical supplies to the devastated areas along the Gulf… Continue Reading
The United States and Bolivia: The Taming of a Revolution, 1952-1957 admin, September 1, 2001 http://stephenzunes.org/articles/LatinAmericanPerspectivesUSandBolivia.pdf Continue Reading
Cuba’s New Revolution admin, August 9, 2000 Explores issues of sustainability in Cuba. Continue Reading
Nicaragua – Not Another Domino admin, March 9, 1990 WHILE the Bush administration and many pundits see the defeat of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua as simply a continuation of the democratic trend sweeping Eastern Europe, the circumstances are quite different. Failure to make such a distinction, in fact, could be disastrous for US foreign policy. Continue Reading