On Saturday 2nd Dec 2006, a conference entitled ‘Latin America 2006: making another world possible’ was held at Congress House, organised by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Justice for Colombia, Venezuela Information Centre and the T&G Latin American Workers Association. The conference brought together trade unionists, academics, NGOs and progressive movements from Latin America and the UK to explore recent political and social developments across Latin America. In particular, it explored the effects of US policy on the region and the current wave of progressive changes seen most notably in Venezuela and Bolivia.

 The discussion centered around the ...   more »

On the 11th Dec, the International Policy Network held a meeting, ‘Elections in Latin America – the way forward’, featuring Paulo Uebel, President of the Instituto de Estudos Empresariais, Brazil. The meeting gave an insight into the current unease felt by proponents of neoliberalism in Latin America and elsewhere, following a year in which left-wing governments have swept to power in a number of Latin American countries. Such discomfort is perhaps not unfounded given that many of these leaders were elected on the basis of their anti-neoliberal rhetoric and promises to implement radical economic and social reform. How investors and corporate interests should respond to this threat and find ‘the way forward’ was the central theme of the discussion.   more »

La Media Luna is burning. Santa Cruz is at the brink of civil war, is what I have heard more than once in Bolivia, this week. There is a Cabildo Today in the main cities of the area that makes up the Media Luna –with Santa Cruz taking the lion’s share of the media’s attention. Today, the Cristo Redentor Avenue will host hundreds of thousands of cruzenos who will call for Autonomia in defiance of Evo Morales’ government and his authoritarian aspirations. There is no way around it, I am afraid. (I honestly hope Evo’s government is a successful ...   more »