The Latin American Revolution (Part 2): El Salvador the Latest Latin American Country to Turn Left

Asad Ismi Joining the revolutionary wave sweeping Latin America, the people of El Salvador in March elected the first progressive government in the country’s 168-year history, by voting in the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), a former left-wing guerrilla army. Mauricio Funes, the FMLN President-elect, told cheering supporters: “The time has come for the […]

The Latin American Revolution (Part One): Latin American Presidents Address World Social Forum

By Asad Ismi In a historic first, on January 29, five Latin American Presidents addressed the 2009 World Social Forum (WSF) held in Belem, Brazil: Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Fernando Lugo of Paraguay. The WSF, the gathering of leftist social movements […]

Hugo Chavez Spearheads the South American Revolution: South Americans Defy U.S. to Integrate Their Economies: An Interview with Dr. Maria Paez Victor

Asad Ismi While European and North American governments wallow in right-wing militarism, Latin American states are leading the world in implementing progressive social change. They are doing this not just within countries, but also on a continental level now that 10 left-wing Latin American governments are in power: in Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, […]

Viva Chavez: U.S. Fails (Twice) to Overthrow Venezuela’s Elected President

By Asad Ismi Even as the U.S. military invaded and occupied Iraq, mainly to plunder the world’s second largest oil deposits, Venezuela, the world’s fourth largest oil exporter, slipped out of Washington’s grip. On April 13, Hugo Chavez, the leftist president of Venezuela, celebrated his defeat of a U.S.-sponsored military coup which took place a […]