Category Archives: Latin America and Caribbean

Zelaya to return?

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As Fidel Castro predicted a while back resistance was proving an effective tool in the restoration of the rightfully elected President of Honduras. Reports suggest that a deal is likely and cites “international pressure”.
What is going on in Honduras is being watched with deep interest by many in countries in the region. In Venzuela for example it is personal to the people.
It has been reported that a nephew of the interim leader Roberto Micheletti has been killed although there is no established link to the coup. The article states that Honduras has the highest drugs-related murder rate in the region.
Micheletti is to request a vote from congress whether to allow Zelaya to return.

The Cuban Five on Russia Today

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There were high hopes that the five Cubans imprisoned in the United States would be released when Obama became President. Their cases are being reviewed and one of them had his sentence reduced from life to 22 years. They have additionally been deprived of family visits. This has been highlighted on Russia Today, a programme which provides news and information overlooked by our own press.
The five Cubans far from conducting terrorism themselves uncovered a group who did have a range of equipment that fitted the bill. They were trying to prevent right wing groups mounting attacks on Cuba. So their incarceration is a highly political act. Instead of the US being grateful for uncovering terrorist plots they arrested the Cubans – a terrorist is only a terrorist if (s)he’s coming for you!

Copenhagen isn’t the only climate change summit

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The Copenhagen Climate Change Summit was described by Gordon Brown as a last chance saloon, although hopes for something significant in terms of what’s necessary are admittedly low. However “the World” itself appears to mean what people in the western hemisphere what they want it to – that part of it dominated by free markets and a very peculiar form called “democracy”. This is another word defined to suit a purpose in this case the freedom to acquire wealth, however dubious the method, and to cut and run with impunity. You can them have a comfortable lifestyle while the rest do your bidding.
In Southern America the climate is also top of the agenda and not a few countries in the region are taking part. They are even negotiating a common currency divorced from the US dollar.
Fidel Castro’s Reflections on ALBA and Copenhagen.

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Health or wealth

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Interesting to note those countries with the most wealth are struggling when it comes to their nation’s health. It is not those with the most resources that have succeeded in providing health on the basis of equality. Of course an unhealthy nation is exceedingly costly as people fall sick. It not only can cost them but the aggregate cost to the economy is massive. Yet the free market economy priorities don’t heed this even though it is well understood.
President Obama’s attempted health reforms are showing the fault lines between interest groups battling for supremacy in health care for the nation. Drug and insurance companies hold sway not just in the USA but everywhere the free market rules.
In the UK it has been apparent for several years now that the involvement of private companies and the free market has accelerated under New Labour. Margaret Thatcher could hardly have dreamt of the success of the reforms under her leadership taken on lock, stock and barrel by the party supposed to have toppled her. It may have thrown her out but her policies didn’t go with her.
The reforms of the health service are characterised by complex, inefficient and very expensive management (unamanagable?) systems. The money has gone into bureaucracy rather than health care. Now the market is syphoning yet more money out as profit for those very interests threatening the U.S. reforms. One simple solution suggested was to look at Cuba. How had a country with such limited resources managed not only to fund its much admired health-care but to export doctors and nurses widely across the world? One lesson is that prevention is a high priority. If the nation is healthy then the cost lowers dramatically. Britain is unhealthy and unequal in spite of the original intentions of the once visionary NHS.

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Unity in Latin America

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The presidents of Venezuela and Equador are agreed that independence of the region depends on co-operation between them. Presidents Chavez and Correa also spoke of strengthening ALBA across the region their joint interest (“the Bolivarian Alliance for the peoples of Our America (ALBA), which also includes Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and San Vicente and the Grenadines.”)
At the same time Cuban doctors are going to Venezuela to help build primary care services. Venezuela is following Cuba’s example training its own community-based doctors.

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Colombia and human rights

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While concern has been expressed about US bases proliferating in Colombia giving rise to concerns in neighbouring countries like Venezuela it has to be said that President Uribe is not getting things all his way from President Obama. Uribe wanted to alter the constitution to gain further time in office to which Obama replied that if two terms were good enough for the US then that was good enough for Colombia. Obama went on to show concern for human rights abuses: extra judicial executions and curtailment of unions for example.
The Union of South American nations (UNASUR) has been holding meetings and giving presidents of countries such as Bolivia support as they seek to free themselves of US domination. Noam Chomsky has written an article speaking of the significance of this.

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Read what Hugo has to say for yourself. Don’t rely on the western press for a fair view!

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Three years ago when Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, spoke at the United Nations he said he could still smell sulphur. Famously he compared President George W. Bush with “The Devil”! This year he found following President Obama that he could “smell hope”.
There is a whole lot in the interview with Chavez that is worth reading. His view of the situation in Honduras where he speaks of the “fear of democracy” referring to Noam Chomsky’s writing. He refers to US bases in Colombia and to attempts to destabilise governments in Equador and Brazil. What we see is unity on the left which has successfully resisted attempts at a right wing backlash. while Chavez refers to “a revolution” he points out that this has come from the ballot box not the by armed insurrection.

Equador Indians fight against exploitation of land

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The Indian population of Equador are fighting back against the government’s proposals to allow companies the rights to prospect oil and minerals on their lands. Deaths occurred in clashes with police. The President called their protests “infantile” but perhaps he ought to remember that the Indian community had a marked effect on the election of presidents in 2000 and 2005.
While socialism is becoming a growing force in Latin America in contrast to trends in western countries where, as in Germany, moves have been to the right in spite of the massive lessons of the collapse of Capitalism, clearly there is still much to be done to support indigenous populations against exploitation bt multinationals.

Congratulations to Fidel Castro on his award from Zambia

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It’s always food to see alternative values to those current in the world of high finance. Human values were appreciated by the President of Zambia as he presented Fidel Castro with his country’s highest award citing Cuba’s tremendous support for health care and education which is benefiting countries in Africa as well as South America and the Caribbean.
Hugo Chavez made the point in his speech at the UN that only socialism can save this planet. He noted Obama’s words but wondered why he didn’t act on them by stopping the savage blockade on Cuba for example. Chavez drew on Fidel’s comment on our endangered species.

Honduras. Zelaya returns

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The ousted former President Zelaya returned secretly to Honduras to be with the people on Independence Day. He was forced to take refuge in the Brazilian embassy while riot police were mobilised to control the crowds who turned out to greet him. There appears to bean appetite for socialism in the Latin American world but clearly the old world order is goig to put up resistance with US backing as in Colombia. Whether he can resume control remains to be seen.
Update.
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Reflections of Fidel

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