It is obviously silly to push for austerity in the midst of a recession, not just silly but cruel, since it prolongs the pain of unemployment. The recession is caused by a deficiency of aggregate demand. To overcome it what is necessary is an increase in demand which requires larger expenditure. Since private expenditure on […]
Geography Archives: Americas
South America, Central America, United States & Canada
The Selection of Voting Members to Serve on the Federal Open Market Committee
I have long been troubled by the anomaly of having officials — selected with absolutely no public scrutiny or confirmation — voting on some of the most important decisions the federal government makes. Therefore, I introduced H.R. 1512, which eliminates the role of the Federal Reserve’s regional presidents as voting members of the Federal […]
I Am Troy Davis (T.R.O.Y.)
Does the court system employ racists? Then why are so many black boys in cages? Why shouldn’t I be paranoid of hatred? Just look at the curious case of Troy Davis Let’s travel on down to Savannah In the state of Georgia just south of Atlanta Where they wave the rebel flag like a […]
Israel Prepares for Palestinian Authority’s UN Bid for Statehood
Israel prepares for the Palestinian Authority’s UN bid for a blue chair of its own called “Palestine’s Right” . . . Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. His cartoons frequently appear in Aporrea and Rebelión among other sites. Cf. “It is important to stress at the outset that whether the UN grants the Palestinian […]
Transitional National Council in Libya
“We are very much grateful to NATO for giving us ‘freedom.’” Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. His cartoons frequently appear in Aporrea and Rebelión among other sites. Translation by Yoshie Furuhashi (@yoshiefuruhashi | yoshie.furuhashi [at] gmail.com). var idcomments_acct = ‘c90a61ed51fd7b64001f1361a7a71191’; var idcomments_post_id; var idcomments_post_url; | Print
Bolivia: US Worked to Divide Social Movements, WikiLeaks Shows
WikiLeaks’ release of cables from the United States embassy in La Paz has shed light on its attempts to create divisions in the social and indigenous movements that make up the support base of Bolivia’s first indigenous-led government. The cables prove the embassy sought to use the US government aid agency, USAID, to promote US […]
Víctor Jara
“In this beautiful garden, to ‘dinosaurs’ and ‘reactionaries,’ the revolutionary youth said: Enough already.” — Víctor Jara Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. His cartoons frequently appear in Aporrea and Rebelión among other sites. Translation by Yoshie Furuhashi (@yoshiefuruhashi | yoshie.furuhashi [at] gmail.com). Cf. Víctor Jara, “Móvil Oil Special” (1969). var idcomments_acct = ‘c90a61ed51fd7b64001f1361a7a71191’; […]
Fall Delegation to Bolivia: Food Sovereignty and Indigenous Resistance
Spend Thanksgiving celebrating indigenous resistance and exploring food sovereignty issues in Bolivia, the first country in the hemisphere to be governed by an indigenous president. Learn about indigenous struggles for sovereignty over food, land, and water. Meet with farmers, community leaders, government leaders, and others. Experience the rich culture of the Andes and soak in […]
The New Scramble for Africa
Is current U.S. foreign policy in Africa following a blueprint drawn up almost eight years ago by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, one of the most conservative think tanks in the world? Although it seems odd that a Democratic administration would have anything in common with the extremists at Heritage, the convergence in policy and […]
Brazil’s “Independent” Central Bank: Independent from Whom?
In recent days the press has reported that President Dilma Rouseff has denied having tried to influence the Brazilian central bank to lower short-term interest rates, as the bank did on August 31 from 12.5 to 12.0 percent. The fact that she would feel obligated to make such a statement shows that there is a […]
Afterword on a Movement
“Combating corruption”, like “promoting peace”, can mean anything to anyone; and precisely because of this “fuzziness” it appeals to everyone. Some join the anti-corruption movement because they are against “corporate loot”; others join because they are against the Nehru-Gandhi “dynasty”; and still others join because they oppose the “corrupt practice of job reservation”. The movement […]
Special Declaration of the ALBA-TCP Foreign Ministers on the Situation of Libya and Syria
The Foreign Ministers of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, meeting in Caracas, Venezuela on 9 September 2011, recalling the Special Communiqué of the Political Council on 4 March 2011 and the Special Communiqué of the Ministerial Social Council on 19 March 2011, condemns the NATO intervention in Libya and its illegal […]
NATO’s Democracy
Kritikal Point, a collective of artists, may be contacted at <kritikalpoint@yahoo.com>. En español. Cf. “How dare Egyptian rebels attack Israeli embassy instead of asking for foreign troops to destroy their museums and libraries? #Egypt #Jan25” (Mazen Shaer, 9 September 2011); “Egyptian revos storm #IsraeliEmbassy while Syrian self-proclaimed so-called revolution icons are promising Israel an […]
Work Sharing Should Be Part of the President’s Job Program
It is encouraging that President Obama recognizes his obligation to take steps to restore the economy to full employment. The government alone has the power to lift the economy out of this downturn. Eventually, the private sector will be able to absorb the unemployed, but there are no remotely plausible projections that show private sector […]
Syria: Testing Time
Syria remains relatively calm as efforts to destabilise its government through orchestrated attacks by rebels fail. Life in the Syrian capital, Damascus, seems to be continuing as normal. The streets and the mosques are crowded after the devout break their Ramazan fast in the evening. The security presence is minimal. In fact, there are […]
Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa
Excerpt: As envisioned by the Department of Defense (DOD), AFRICOM aims to promote U.S. strategic objectives and protect U.S. interests in the region by working with African states and regional organizations to help strengthen their defense capabilities so that they are better able to contribute to regional stability and security. AFRICOM also has a […]
United Nations — Empire’s Lapdog
Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. His cartoons frequently appear in Aporrea and Rebelión among other sites. Cf. “Libya, Africa, and the New World Order: An Open Letter to the Peoples of Africa and the World from Concerned Africans” (MRZine, 27 August 2011). var idcomments_acct = ‘c90a61ed51fd7b64001f1361a7a71191’; var idcomments_post_id; var idcomments_post_url; | Print
US Postal Service Crisis? Two Postal Workers Speak Out
An interview with postal workers Jim Kaufman and Jeff Levitt from Albany, New York, about the alleged financial crisis of the Postal Service Jeff Levitt: It is an artificially created crisis. It’s created by the Congress. . . . In 2006, the Postal Service became an institution that is required to pre-fund future retiree health […]
UN Troops in Haiti Accused of Sexual Assault
The video is profoundly disturbing. It shows four men, identified as Uruguayan troops from the UN mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), apparently raping an 18-year old Haitian youth. Two of them have the victim pinned down on a mattress, with his hands twisted high up his back so that he cannot move. Perhaps the most unnerving […]
Cuba Refuses to Recognize the Transitional National Council in Libya
The Foreign Ministry of Cuba has withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Libya, where foreign intervention and NATO military aggression has exacerbated the conflict and prevented the Libyan people from advancing toward a peaceful negotiated solution, in full exercise of their self-determination. The Republic of Cuba does not recognize the Transitional National Council, nor any […]
