South and Central America
Venezuela tensions mount after arrest of coup leader
By Bill Van Auken, 10 May 2019
Washington continues to threaten military intervention in the oil-rich South American country.
The defense of Venezuela and the struggle for socialism in Latin America
By Bill Van Auken, 10 May 2019
We are publishing here the text of the speech to the 2019 International May Day Online Rally delivered by Bill Van Auken.
Panama election a distorted expression of growing opposition to austerity
By Andrea Lobo, 8 May 2019
The election came after a year dominated by strikes, including by teachers, construction workers and a general strike against an electricity rate hike.
In wake of Venezuela coup fiasco, US military threats mount
By Bill Van Auken, 7 May 2019
Both Secretary of State Pompeo and US puppet Juan Guaidó say that “military options” are under consideration.
In wake of Venezuela coup fiasco, US military threats mount
By Bill Van Auken, 7 May 2019
Both Secretary of State Pompeo and US puppet Juan Guaidó say that “military options” are under consideration.
German government backs attempted right-wing coup in Venezuela
By Johannes Stern, 3 May 2019
In a joint press release with the far-right Brazilian government, the German Foreign Ministry gave its unconditional backing to the criminal attempted coup in Venezuela.
Brazilian unions defend reactionary pension “reform” at May Day rally
By Miguel Andrade, 3 May 2019
With economic figures showing no sign of economic recovery, the PT and the unions are working to quell any working class movement against Bolsonaro.
Media lies in service of war for regime change in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 3 May 2019
As top Trump administration officials make increasingly explicit military threats, the corporate media acts as a propaganda service for imperialist intervention.
Guaidó launches abortive military coup in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 1 May 2019
By late Tuesday, there was little indication that Guaidó’s call had provoked any significant uprising within Venezuela’s military.
Former President Garcia’s suicide exposes desperate crisis of Peruvian bourgeoisie
By Armando Cruz and Cesar Uco, 27 April 2019
Top Odebrecht officials told Peruvian prosecutors that the company had bribed presidents, ministers and potential presidential candidates for nearly two decades.
US imperialism resurrects the Monroe Doctrine
By Bill Van Auken, 24 April 2019
The repeated invocation of the nearly two-century-old canon of US imperialist policy constitutes a warning that Washington is preparing for intensified military intervention in the region.
Protests force American Museum of Natural History to cancel event with Brazil’s Bolsonaro
By Miguel Andrade, 20 April 2019
In face of fierce popular reaction, the ruling elites in New York have been forced to disassociate themselves from the fascistic Brazilian president.
Conflict continues over Peruvian copper mine as peasant blockade is lifted
By Cesar Uco and Armando Cruz, 20 April 2019
The Peruvian government gave in to demands of 1,200 peasants of Fuerabamba who suspended the road blockade that for 66 days paralyzed export of copper concentrate to China
Ecuadorian police repress mass march demanding Julian Assange’s freedom
By Bill Van Auken, 18 April 2019
Called under the slogan “not one less right,” the march brought thousands into the streets of Quito where they confronted mounted police, dogs and tear gas.
Pentagon ordered to draft military plans to counter Russia and China in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 17 April 2019
The report of active planning for US military intervention followed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s provocative visit to the Venezuelan-Colombian border on Sunday.
The reactionary role of national opportunist politics in Latin America
WSWS rejects invitation to conference of political bankrupts in Buenos Aires
By Bill Van Auken, 13 April 2019
The conference in Buenos Aires has been called to found “a new left” with “no strings attached and no constraints of any ‘holy scriptures.’”
Netanyahu embraces Brazil’s Bolsonaro during Israel visit
By Jean Shaoul, 6 April 2019
Under Netanyahu, Israel has become a pole of attraction for right-wing ideologues, ultra-nationalists and neo-fascists the world over.
New York Times laments stalled Venezuelan coup
By Bill Van Auken, 5 April 2019
The Times has a filthy record of supporting US wars for regime change and right-wing coups across the planet.
Eight miners die from toxic gases in Peru’s northern highlands
By Cesar Uco, 3 April 2019
The deaths of eight miners are the result of the ruthless drive for profits by the owners of informal mines in Peru.
Emboldened by Trump, Brazil’s Bolsonaro orders military to celebrate 1964 coup
By Miguel Andrade, 29 March 2019
Fresh from his White House reception, Bolsonaro’s fascist rhetoric expresses a consensus within wide layers of the ruling class that the military is the only force that can rule Brazil.
Tensions rise between US, Russia and China over Venezuelan coup
By Bill Van Auken, 28 March 2019
The arrival of a relative handful of Russian military personnel this week triggered a flurry of denunciations from Trump administration officials.
Officials, media call for school militarization, censorship after mass shooting in Brazilian school
By Miguel Andrade, 21 March 2019
The tragic school shooting has exposed the Brazilian establishment’s indifference to the social distress engulfing wide layers of the population.
São Paulo teachers’ union shuts down one-month strike
By our reporters, 15 March 2019
The union called an end to the strike after a clear majority of teachers voted to continue it.
Closure of Brazil Ford plant to destroy up to 27,000 jobs
By Miguel Andrade, 14 March 2019
The devastating plant closure has laid bare the abysmal economic situation in Brazil and offered yet another opportunity for the unions to spread nationalist poison.
Canada ever more deeply implicated in US-engineered coup attempt in Venezuela
By Laurent Lafrance, 14 March 2019
Like its US partner, Canadian imperialism covets Venezuela’s vast oil resources and is determined to prevent Russia, China, and other “strategic rivals” from expanding their influence in the Americas.
US withdraws embassy personnel, calling presence a “constraint” on US actions in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 13 March 2019
With the regime change operation centered on the right-wing puppet Juan Guaidó stalling, the threat of US military intervention mounts.
Amid rising protests, Moreno government lays off thousands in Ecuador
By Cesar Uco, 12 March 2019
Some 10,000 workers have been laid off as part of an IMF deal that demands the slashing of 10 percent of the public workforce and other austerity measures.
Teachers strike wave spreads across five continents
By Eric London, 7 March 2019
From Bamako to Buenos Aires and Sacramento to São Paulo, the teachers’ strike movement shows the international character of the class struggle.
Report reveals that armed troops were mobilized to force through US aid provocation on Venezuelan border
By Bill Van Auken, 7 March 2019
The threats of armed provocations and direct US military intervention continue to mount as Trump renews an Obama-era “national emergency” decree targeting Venezuela.
The political lessons of the March 3 Free Assange rally
By the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) Political Committee, 5 March 2019
The demonstration in Sydney won broad support on the basis of mobilising the working class to defend democratic rights and class war prisoners such as Julian Assange.
Guaidó returns to Venezuela for next stage of US regime-change operation
By Bill Van Auken, 5 March 2019
The US-backed “interim president” staged a five-nation tour of Latin America, shepherded by the CIA, to drum up support for the coup in Venezuela.
German Left Party congress backs imperialist campaign against Venezuela
By Johannes Stern, 5 March 2019
The Left Party’s European election congress last month sent a clear message: the bourgeoisie can rely on the Left Party’s support for war and attacks on the working class.
Heavy rains and avalanches kill dozens in Peru
By Cesar Uco, 28 February 2019
The catastrophic effects of these storms are bound up with the government’s failure to repair the damage caused two years ago.
New Cuban constitution recognizes private property
By Alexander Fangmann, 27 February 2019
The new constitution signals the preparation for an all-out assault on the Cuban working class and what remains of the social welfare measures established through the Cuban Revolution.
Pence threatens war in Venezuela at Colombia summit: “There is no turning back”
By Eric London, 26 February 2019
“All options are on the table,” Pence said in a speech that combined threats of war with denunciations of socialism.
US imperialism stages provocation on Venezuela’s borders
By Eric London, 25 February 2019
The threat of a disaster of world historic proportions looms as the US moves toward war in Venezuela.
Washington escalates military threats as Venezuela regime change falters
By Bill Van Auken, 14 February 2019
The focus of the attempt to oust the Venezuelan government is a cynical charade over the delivery of USAID relief supplies across the country’s borders.
Mass protests shut down Haiti
By John Marion, 14 February 2019
The protests, now called Pays Lock (Country Lock), have taken on the character of a general strike with the aim of shutting down the country until President Moïse resigns.
Brazil’s Workers Party praises imperialist officials and Brazilian military involved in Venezuela regime change operation
By Miguel Andrade, 9 February 2019
As it feigns opposition to regime change in Venezuela, the PT has sent representatives to meet EU leaders who have been at the forefront of the siege of the country.
Washington issues ultimatum to Venezuela over “humanitarian aid” ploy
By Bill Van Auken, 7 February 2019
Behind the cynical pretense of concern over Venezuela’s social crisis, the Pentagon and CIA are setting the stage for an armed confrontation on the country’s border.
Election of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador signals further shift to US imperialism
By Andrea Lobo, 7 February 2019
The overwhelming victory of Bukele was chiefly an expression of popular loathing toward the traditional ruling parties.
European Parliament backs US-led coup in Venezuela
By Alex Lantier and Alejandro Lopez, 2 February 2019
The European powers’ support for a brazen US coup in Latin America underscores that they are no less ruthless in their assertion of their predatory imperialist interests.
Venezuela’s oil and the geopolitics of the US-backed coup
By Gabriel Black, 31 January 2019
Venezuela’s massive reserves are seen by the United States and its allies as a vital chess piece in the war drive against China.
Lima sewage disaster exposes infrastructure neglect in Peru
By Armando Cruz, 31 January 2019
Seeking to exploit the disaster that affected nearly 2,000 people, “free-market” proponents rushed in to demand the privatization of the public water company, Sedapal.
Germany and EU support US-engineered coup in Venezuela
By Peter Schwarz, 30 January 2019
Berlin and Brussels are backing the Venezuelan coup because they are pursuing their own imperialist interests in Latin America.
Hundreds missing, 58 dead in Brazil mine disaster
By Gabriel Lemos, 28 January 2019
The population of Brumadinho and all of Brazil reacted with anger and revulsion against this tragedy.
US coup bid pushes Venezuela closer to invasion or civil war
By Bill Van Auken, 26 January 2019
Washington is keeping its embassy in Caracas open in defiance of the Venezuelan government, using diplomatic personnel as bait for a potential military confrontation.
Washington escalates coup provocations in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 25 January 2019
Secretary of State Pompeo is to speak to the UN Security Council Saturday on Venezuela, a patent propaganda gesture aimed at preparing intervention.
Brazilian Workers Party uses crime wave to back fascistic Bolsonaro on repression and austerity
By Miguel Andrade, 25 January 2019
Under the guise of fighting crime, Bolsonaro and the PT are both seeking to extend the definition to suppress social opposition.
Reports indicate Haitian government involvement in La Saline massacre
By John Marion, 25 January 2019
The massacre in La Saline on November 13—in which 59 people were killed, including young children—rivals the crimes of the Duvalier dictatorship.
Canada’s "diversity" imperialism
By Keith Jones, 25 January 2019
Justin Trudeau, presiding over what has been hailed as the most diverse cabinet in Canadian history, has signed on to Washington’s coup plot against Venezuela.
Fire kills 18 at rehab center in Ecuador
By Cesar Uco, 16 January 2019
The tragedy is a direct consequence of government austerity policies directed at promoting foreign investment at the expense of public health and education.
Bolivia’s Morales and Brazil’s Bolsonaro collaborate in rendition of Cesare Battisti to Italy
By Bill Van Auken, 16 January 2019
Bolivia’s role in what amounted to an extra-judicial rendition is emblematic of the sharp rightward turn of what remains of Latin America’s “Pink Tide” governments.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro increases drive for “pensions’ reform,” more state powers in second week of government
By Miguel Andrade, 15 January 2019
As Bolsonaro prepares unprecedented attacks on the Brazilian working class, the Workers Party (PT) is seeking an accommodation with possible “dissidents” in his cabinet.
Venezuela’s Maduro sworn in for second term amid rising social unrest and threats of intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 11 January 2019
Washington, the EU and the so-called Lima Group of right-wing Latin American governments have called Maduro’s second term “illegitimate,” inviting regime change.
Guatemalan establishment indifferent to deaths of US incarcerated migrant children
By Andrea Lobo, 9 January 2019
The reaction in ruling circles not only reflects their disdain for the country’s impoverished masses, but also their efforts to demonstrate loyal submission to the Trump administration.
Bolivian doctors strike ends amid turmoil over Morales’ bid for fourth term
By Cesar Uco, 8 January 2019
The doctors strike is an expression of the larger problem of pervasive poverty in Bolivia and the continuing turn by the MAS government to the right.
Frente Amplio and Piñera government in Chile suppress 36-day dockworkers’ strike
By Andrea Lobo, 22 December 2018
The FA worked alongside its Morenoite satellites and the trade union to isolate the striking workers at a time of growing social unrest in Chile and across the world.
Brazilian GM workers discuss call for rank-and-file committees
By our reporters, 19 December 2018
Brazil has attracted GM investments based on the recent sellouts of autoworkers, including the firing of senior workers, wage freezes and generalized outsourcing.
After 89 days, trade unions sell out historic strike in Costa Rica
By Andrea Lobo, 14 December 2018
It was the longest strike in Costa Rican history, marking a new stage in the growth of the class struggle and revealing that the treachery of the trade unions knows no bounds.
US-Russia tensions mount over warplanes in Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 12 December 2018
The flight of the Russian warplanes to Caracas follows the provocative US Air Force overflight of Ukraine the previous week.
Peru’s president prepares to attack workers’ living standards
By Cesar Uco, 5 December 2018
The most important issue discussed at the CADE 2018 conference was a coordinated government-business attack on labor costs.
López Obrador’s rise in Mexico sets stage for explosive class struggles
By Eric London, 4 December 2018
AMLO’s proposed policies, packaged in pseudo-populist verbiage, make clear that the aspirations of his voters will soon be shattered.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated as new president of Mexico
By Alex González and Don Knowland, 3 December 2018
Popular illusions in promises by the new president to end decades of poverty and oppression in Mexico will crash against his limited, bourgeois program.
As G20 summit opens, US political establishment brays for trade war and military escalation
By Andre Damon, 1 December 2018
Trump’s trip to the G20 summit in Argentina has been proceeded by demands for trade war and military escalation against Russia and China.
Police repression in Buenos Aires for G20: a dress-rehearsal for dictatorship
By Rafael Azul, 1 December 2018
The G20 has been used as a pretext for police-state measures, including an abrogation of the democratic right to assemble and protest.
World economic slowdown hits Peruvian exports
By Cesar Uco, 27 November 2018
Behind Peru’s mushrooming corruption scandals lies the breakdown of the free market economic model introduced in the 1990s.
After new Mexico City airport is canceled, López Obrador rushes to reassure finance capital
By Alex González, 8 November 2018
The incoming AMLO administration made clear that all investments would be secured, while doing nothing to address the capital’s water crisis.
ISO covers up Workers Party role in Bolsonaro’s victory in Brazil
By Miguel Andrade and Bill Van Auken, 6 November 2018
The ISO views the Brazilian events through the prism of its own support for the Democrats and its cover-up of the reactionary basis of their opposition to Trump.
Washington imposes new sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba
By Bill Van Auken, 3 November 2018
Bolton’s speech on the Trump administration’s policy toward Latin America amounted to a demand for regime change in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Chilean police attack pensioners’ protest in Santiago
By Cesar Uco, 31 October 2018
Well-armed Carabineros, using tear gas and water cannon, repressed the march organized by the NO + AFP movement last Wednesday in Santiago, Chile.
Bolsonaro’s victory and the debacle of Brazil’s Workers Party
By Bill Van Auken, 31 October 2018
The election of the fascistic former captain as president signals a sharp shift to the right by the Brazilian ruling establishment.
Mexican police shoot and kill 26-year-old immigrant as repression intensifies along Mexico-Guatemala border
By Andrea Lobo, 30 October 2018
Despite the US threats and the militarized operations by the Guatemalan and Mexican governments, thousands of Central American migrants continue to leave.
Far-right candidate Bolsonaro elected as Brazil’s president
By Miguel Andrade, 29 October 2018
Bolsonaro’s election expresses the breakdown of Brazil’s democratic order and the opening of a new stage of class struggle in Latin America’s largest country.
Argentine workers and students march against “hunger budget”
By Rafael Azul, 27 October 2018
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Buenos Aires to repudiate the austerity measures demanded by the IMF and the Argentine government.
Who is responsible for the rise of the fascistic Bolsonaro in Brazil?
By Bill Van Auken, 20 October 2018
An array of pseudo-left groups, many of which were involved in founding the PT, are advancing a vote for this right-wing capitalist party against Bolsonaro.
US, Mexican and Guatemalan governments harass caravan of Honduran refugees
By Andrea Lobo, 18 October 2018
Thousands of refugees are fleeing rampant violence and poverty imposed by the economic plundering and political meddling of US imperialism.
Peru: Fujimori and other right-wing politicians detained for links to Odebrecht scandal
By Cesar Uco and Armando Cruz, 18 October 2018
For more than 12 years, Odebrecht won contracts and projects in Peru by paying off top officials and businessmen.
Washington presses Central America to militarize and turn away from China
By Andrea Lobo, 15 October 2018
With immigrants as the initial target, the militarization is ultimately aimed at suppressing any challenge from below and turning Central America into a battlefield in US wars against other “great powers.”
Argentine teachers facing massive pay cuts strike for 48 hours
By Andrea Lobo, 12 October 2018
Teachers face losing a quarter of their real wages this year, while Macri’s austerity policies threaten to cut funding for public education by up to 40 percent in real terms.
The far-right threat in Brazil and the role of the Workers Party
By Bill Van Auken, 10 October 2018
The stunning 46 percent vote for the fascistic former army captain Bolsonaro is the end product of decades of betrayals by the Workers Party and its pseudo-left accomplices and apologists.
Fascistic candidate Jair Bolsonaro places first in Brazilian presidential election
By Miguel Andrade, 8 October 2018
With 46 percent of the vote, Jair Bolsonaro came in first, facing a run-off election with PT candidate Fernando Haddad, who came in a distant second.
López Obrador promises Truth Commission in disappearance of Ayotzinapa students
By Don Knowland, 1 October 2018
Any new investigation will inevitably face limits, including the role of the army in the events and its coverup.
Brazil’s Workers Party leader covers up far-right threats to next government
By Miguel Andrade, 1 October 2018
The Workers Party is courting the Brazilian military, presenting itself as the force best suited to its interests.
Argentina’s Macri responds to fourth general strike with yet another IMF package
By Andrea Lobo, 28 September 2018
The trade union bureaucracies, most of which had agreed to a truce with the Macri administration during the beginning of his term, are seeking to contain growing social anger.
Costa Rican public-sector strike enters third week
By Andrea Lobo, 25 September 2018
The response of the ruling class to a coming economic avalanche has been to prepare the largest economic plundering of the working class in Costa Rican history.
Brazil election campaign preparing rise of right-wing government
By Miguel Andrade, 24 September 2018
With the military expressing its readiness to intervene, the PT is pitching its appeal to the Brazilian ruling class and international finance capital.
Refugees fleeing crisis in Venezuela confront poverty in Peru
By our reporters, 24 September 2018
It is estimated that since 2014 nearly 2.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country to escape a collapsing economy.
Peru: Pseudo-left promotes anti-corruption protests to cover for anti-worker policies
By Armando Cruz, 17 September 2018
The pseudo-left has adapted itself to President Vizcarra’s proposals, praising his preparedness to "listen" to the people.
Brazil’s Workers Party drops Lula as candidate for president
By Miguel Andrade, 12 September 2018
Faced with a legal deadline, the PT substituted ex-São Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad for the jailed former president.
Washington bullies Central American countries for adopting “One China” policy
By Andrea Lobo, 12 September 2018
Having respected the “One China” policy since 1979, US measures against countries pursuing the same course constitute a remarkable level of imperialist bullying and hypocrisy.
US officials met with Venezuelan military to discuss coup plot
By Alexander Fangmann, 10 September 2018
Washington’s involvement in yet another Latin American coup plot makes plain the hypocrisy of the claims of Russian “meddling” by sections of the American bourgeoisie and media.
Mounting turmoil in emerging markets
By Nick Beams, 6 September 2018
The plunge in emerging market currencies is a product of the strengthening of the dollar and the increase in US interest rates, which is sucking capital back into American markets.
Argentine government announces “emergency” measures to face deepening recession and growing unrest
By Andrea Lobo, 5 September 2018
In his speech Monday, President Macri declared that the market had supported Argentina for two years and warned that “poverty will increase.”
The burning down of Brazil’s national museum: A capitalist crime against the heritage of humanity
By Bill Van Auken, 4 September 2018
The devastating fire, entirely predictable and preventable, is emblematic of the criminal policies pursued by capitalism in Brazil, throughout Latin America and worldwide.
Anti-Venezuelan pogrom in northern Brazil highlights official promotion of the country’s far-right
By Miguel Andrade, 28 August 2018
At least 1,200 Venezuelans were chased to the border, after dozens of Brazilians torched a camp where Army soldiers were screening migrants.
Puerto Rico’s teachers hold one-day strike
By Shelley Connor, 24 August 2018
Puerto Rico teachers began the school year with a one-day protest against privatization and crumbling schools.
Venezuela’s Maduro government imposes capitalist shock therapy
By Bill Van Auken, 22 August 2018
Aimed at staving off an economic collapse, the plan places the full burden of the crisis on the backs of the Venezuelan working class.
Argentina on the brink of financial meltdown
By Cesar Uco, 22 August 2018
Following the collapse of the Turkish lira, Argentina has undertaken mega-devaluations, threatening an economic collapse.
Fascists stage pogromist march against Nicaraguan migrants in Costa Rica
By Andrea Lobo, 22 August 2018
Fascist thugs marched on Saturday in several major parks and avenues armed with knives, bats and Molotov cocktails to attack Nicaraguan migrants.
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