The Latin American Revolution (Part 4): The Bolivarian Revolution Gives Real Power to the People: An Interview with Julio Chavez

By Asad Ismi Julio Chavez is one of the leaders of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. In his country, he is known as “the other Chavez” (referring to President Hugo Chavez, to whom he has no family links). As mayor of the city of Carora (in Lara province located in western Venezuela), Julio Chavez is […]

The Latin American Revolution (Part 3): The U.S. Empire Strikes Back Through a Coup in Honduras

By Asad Ismi At 1 a.m. on June 28, Manuel Zelaya, the elected progressive President of Honduras, was roused from his bed at gunpoint by masked Honduran army soldiers, who kidnapped him in his pajamas and put him on a plane to Costa Rica. The army replaced Zelaya with Roberto Micheletti, the head of the […]

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 […]