South and Central America
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.
26 September 2018
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.
Leaked tapes confirm collusion of Peruvian justice system with drug cartels and state corruption
By Armando Cruz, 21 August 2018
The new scandal is yet another blow to a political and state establishment already massively discredited after the revelations of the Lava Jato scandal.
Presidential slates chosen for Brazil’s general elections: a warning to the working class
By Miguel Andrade, 18 August 2018
Whatever the result of the elections, the Brazilian political system will swing violently to the right, deepening the class war austerity measures initiated by the Workers Party’s (PT).
Facebook censors Telesur and Venezuela Analysis
By Andrea Lobo, 17 August 2018
As the Trump administration escalates its onslaught against Venezuela, technology corporations are stepping up censorship of sites critical of US policy.
Peru’s President Vizcarra calls for referendum amid corruption scandals
By Cesar Uco, 14 August 2018
In his speech to the nation, Vizcarra admitted that “the judicial system has collapsed” and the country faces “serious corruption of public administrative institutions.”
Latin American elites respond to trade war with desperate “roadmap” for regional trade bloc
By Andrea Lobo, 9 August 2018
The escalating trade-war measures between the major global economies are accentuating the rabid competition between Latin American ruling elites for investments and trade.
Mass strike erupts in Buenos Aires after two school workers die from gas explosion
By Andrea Lobo, 7 August 2018
While teachers saw the tragic event as evidence of the need to unite their struggles with other workers, the trade unions are seeking it to channel them behind bourgeois politics.
Venezuelan President Maduro charges right-wing opposition backed by Colombia with supposed assassination attempt
By Alexander Fangmann, 6 August 2018
Following explosions which occurred at a military parade in the Venezuelan capital, the government claims it has arrested some of those responsible, vowing “ruthless punishment” and “no forgiveness.”
Facebook deletes 87 accounts linked to Brazilian right as WhatsApp restricts messaging
By Miguel Andrade, 3 August 2018
Facebook, acting in deep coordination with the state and US imperialism, aims to legitimize police-state measures against social unrest and political opposition.
General strike and ongoing protests in Panama against electricity rate hike
By Andrea Lobo, 19 July 2018
As militancy grows among construction workers, teachers and the public sector as a whole, the trade unions are struggling to contain social opposition against new rate hikes and social austerity.
Ecuador’s government negotiating Julian Assange’s fate with the UK
By Bill Van Auken, 12 July 2018
The statements by Ecuador’s president and foreign minister come amid growing signs of Quito’s bowing to pressure from Washington.
Nicaragua sees bloodiest clashes yet after months of protest
By Bill Van Auken, 11 July 2018
Sandinista President Daniel Ortega publicly rejected calls for early elections as security forces and armed government supporters forcibly dismantled protesters’ barricades.
Mexican president-elect López Obrador embraced by Mexico’s business titans
By Don Knowland, 6 July 2018
Now that AMLO has won the election, he and Mexico’s most powerful business heads are going out of their way to promise they will work together for the “greater good.”
Mexico’s election deals devastating blow to old ruling parties
By Don Knowland, 3 July 2018
The sweep by López Obrador and his MORENA-led coalition is a debacle for the PRI, which governed the country from 1929 to 2000, and again for the last six years.
Less than 100 days before elections, half of Brazilians support no candidate
By Miguel Andrade, 3 July 2018
With just a 3 percent approval rating for current president Michel Temer, there is widespread distrust in the entire political system, which is moving sharply to the right.
Massive victory for Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexican elections
By Rafael Azul, 2 July 2018
The large support for AMLO and his Morena party is the product of widespread hostility to poverty, inequality, corruption and the militarization of society.
US financial board spars with Puerto Rican authorities over how best to pillage island
By Genevieve Leigh, 2 July 2018
Wall Street demands a fresh round of budget cuts as the social crisis on the US territory deepens.
Vice-President Pence threatens immigrants, Assange, and Venezuela during Latin America tour
By Andrea Lobo, 2 July 2018
Facing a popular outcry against inhumane treatment of immigrants, Pence pressed for policies that will only exacerbate the desperate conditions pushing thousands to flee north.
Leadership of Argentina’s Partido Obrero maintains silence on ties to right-wing Russian nationalism
By Bill Van Auken, 29 June 2018
As more information emerges about the right-wing connections of the Russian Stalinist introduced as a “comrade” in “refounding the Fourth International,” the leadership of the PO has maintained complete silence.
Far-right candidate elected as Colombia becomes NATO “global partner”
By Andrea Lobo, 27 June 2018
Parallel to the rise of far-right forces in Europe and the US, the coming to power of Iván Duque represents a stark warning for workers in Colombia.
Lopez Obrador maintains large lead in Mexican presidential election polls
By Don Knowland, 27 June 2018
Morena and its coalition could sweep Congress, and threaten the continued viability of other parties.
Argentine workers stage massive general strike against Macri’s austerity policies
By Rafael Azul, 26 June 2018
Total work stoppages shut down municipal transit, banks and airports throughout Argentina Monday.
Peru’s new president Vizcarra joins with Fujimorista opposition to impose austerity
By Armando Cruz, 25 June 2018
The Vizcarra-Villanueva government intends to impose the new cuts to government spending and new taxes on the working population being demanded by international finance.
Parents of 43 disappeared Mexican students demand reopening of investigation
By Rafael Azul, 12 June 2018
A panel of judges found that the original investigation of the Ayotzinapa case was incomplete and fraudulent.
Workers Party in Argentina seeks to “refound” Fourth International in alliance with Stalinism
By Eric London and Bill Van Auken, 7 June 2018
The attempt to create an international tendency based on suppressing the lessons of the history of the Fourth International can result only in the betrayal of the working class.
Death toll rises as volcanic eruption buries entire towns in Guatemala
By Andrea Lobo, 5 June 2018
When such natural disasters strike a society built on capitalist exploitation and extreme inequality, the poorest and most vulnerable always pay the heaviest price.
Petrobras chief resigns as Brazilian truckers end strike
By Miguel Andrade, 4 June 2018
The truckers' blockades were supported by an overwhelming majority as an act of resistance against the economic suffering endured by hundreds of millions of Brazilians.
At least eight dead after shooters fire on mass Mother’s Day demonstration in Nicaragua
By Andrea Lobo, 2 June 2018
The violent crackdown on what was likely the largest single demonstration since 1979 is a growing sign of escalation.
Argentina’s Socialist Workers Party (PTS) denounces Brazilian truckers strike
By Eric London, 1 June 2018
The PTS labeled the strike as right-wing, solidarizing itself with the government’s repressive measures.
Brazilian truck drivers reject union-government attempt to shut down strike
By Eric London and Miguel Andrade, 30 May 2018
The government has sought to block the spread of social unrest with a ruling Tuesday that a planned strike by oil workers is illegal.
Truckers strike brings Brazil to brink of collapse
By Gabriel Lemos, 28 May 2018
The Temer government has granted authority to the military to exercise police powers throughout the country, in a bid to break the strike.
So far from God, so close to the United States…
The second Mexican presidential debate and the crisis of bourgeois rule
By Rafael Azul, 24 May 2018
This second debate indicates, more clearly than the first, that there is nothing here for Mexican workers.
Argentina: Buenos Aires police attack striking transit workers
By Rafael Azul, 24 May 2018
Helmeted riot police, equipped with batons and full-body shields and firing rubber bullets, invaded the subway tunnels.
Argentina to make new IMF agreement amid growing social discontent
By Eric London, 10 May 2018
An estimated 75 percent of Argentinians oppose the move, which takes place alongside broadening strikes among teachers and other workers.
Argentina: Government responds to peso crisis with panic selling of dollar reserves and interest rate increase
By Rafael Azul, 8 May 2018
The Argentinian ruling class, under pressure from Wall Street, is fearful of another situation like the 2001-2002 crisis.
São Paulo’s high-rise fire collapse tied to city’s homeless crisis
By Gabriel Lemos, 7 May 2018
The real cause of the spectacular fire and building collapse was the negligence of the state and the huge housing crisis in one of the most unequal cities in the world.
Mexican ruling class working out response to López Obrador’s lead in election polls
By Don Knowland, 7 May 2018
Heated charges and political maneuvers dominated Mexico’s electoral campaign last week as the “left” bourgeois candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador kept a 20 point lead in the polls.
First presidential debate
Mexican presidential candidates call for increased police and military activity
By Rafael Azul and Don Knowland, 3 May 2018
The debate took place in the wake of the grisly killing of three film students by gang members in Jalisco.
US election meddling in the age of the Internet
How Google, Facebook and Twitter are manipulating the Mexican presidential elections—Part 2
By Alex González and Andrea Lobo, 1 May 2018
The US military-intelligence apparatus is integrating the largest technology and Internet companies to tighten the US stranglehold over Latin America.
US election meddling in the age of the Internet
How Google, Facebook and Twitter are manipulating the Mexican presidential elections—Part 1
By Alex González and Andrea Lobo, 28 April 2018
The United States is now engaged in advanced efforts to exploit data on every voter in the country, as well as user data from Google and the social media companies, to influence the elections of its southern neighbor.
Washington announces plans to pressure Nicaragua after largest demonstrations in 40 years
By Andrea Lobo, 26 April 2018
Fearful of the growth of social opposition to IMF diktats in Central America, US imperialism is ramping up its efforts to contain the situation and advance its own reactionary agenda.
Demonstrations grow in Nicaragua after Ortega suspends pension cuts
By Andrea Lobo, 24 April 2018
Nearly 30 are dead and protests swelled yesterday even as the government announced it was temporarily canceling pension cuts.
Mexican government to deploy federal troops against immigrants on its southern border
By Michael Anders, 18 April 2018
The anti-democratic decision proves that the Mexican government is a pawn of the Trump administration.
Brazil’s ex-president Lula turns himself in to police after supreme court ruling
By Miguel Andrade, 10 April 2018
The Brazilian attorney general’s office demanded his immediate arrest out of fear he would “manipulate the masses” and destabalize the country.
Ahead of Mexican elections, social media companies, corporate press launch censorship operation
By Alex González, 5 April 2018
The #Verificado2018 campaign was launched to allegedly protect voters from Russian meddling in the upcoming July 1 general elections.
Brazil: São Paulo teachers strike against pension reform
By Gabriel Lemos, 26 March 2018
The claim that “there is no money” to meet teachers’ demands is rooted in the parasitic interests of the banks and corporations that dominate the Brazilian state.
Peru’s president and former Wall Street financier resigns amid corruption scandal
By Armando Cruz, 23 March 2018
There was a consensus among the ruling elite that the 79-year-old former Wall Street operator had become a destabilizing factor for capitalism in Peru.
Mass protests in Brazil against death squad assassination of Marielle Franco
By Miguel Andrade, 21 March 2018
While clearly serving to intimidate political opposition, Franco’s execution is being exploited by the security forces as a justification for even greater repression.
Odebrecht-related bribe revelations threaten to wipe out Peruvian political establishment
By Armando Cruz and Cesar Uco, 14 March 2018
The revelations have led many to question the political future of all the figures involved, the most visible faces of the Peruvian political class for over a generation.
Mexico’s leading presidential candidates genuflect before bankers
By Don Knowland, 13 March 2018
Supposedly left populist candidate López Obrador assured bankers he will not undermine their interests if elected.
Transnational beer corporation creates water crisis in northern Mexico
By Alex González, 10 March 2018
Constellation Brands set up beer manufacturing plants in drought-prone cities and is threatening the region with a water crisis.
US government cuts aid to Puerto Rico by half
By Antonio Castro, 3 March 2018
Amidst a mounting mental health crisis and constant power outages, the US government announced a drastic cut in aid to the island still reeling from hurricane damage.
Peru’s president proposes minimum wage hike in bid to divert impeachment drive
By Cesar Uco, 1 March 2018
The desperate populist appeal comes as the chances of Kuczynski finishing his term are dwindling, while his approval rating has fallen to 19 percent.
Brazilian army general tapped to take over law enforcement in Rio de Janeiro
By Gabriel Lemos, 26 February 2018
Under the pretext of fighting gang violence, nothing less than a path to dictatorship is being opened up in Brazil.
Brazilian army general tapped to take over law enforcement in Rio de Janeiro
By Gabriel Lemos, 22 February 2018
Under the pretext of fighting gang violence, nothing less than a path to dictatorship is being opened up in Brazil.
Honduras turns to online censorship and spyware to clamp down on protests
By Andrea Lobo, 16 February 2018
Since a brutal crackdown has not deterred protests against the regime, it has resorted to an assault on free speech online.
Venezuela warns against US military intervention as domestic crisis deepens
By Bill Van Auken, 16 February 2018
Both Colombia and Brazil have increased military deployments on Venezuela’s borders as US officials continue to signal support for a coup against the Maduro government.
US Secretary of State Tillerson threatens oil sanctions against Venezuela
By Andrea Lobo, 7 February 2018
On his tour of Latin America, Tillerson escalated US threats against Venezuela as part of a broader campaign to undermine Russian and Chinese interests in the region.
Brazil’s political crisis deepens after court upholds conviction of Lula
By Miguel Andrade, 6 February 2018
The unexpected unanimous decision by the appeals court on both the conviction of Lula and the lengthening of his jail sentence unleashed a frenzied run-up on the Sao Paulo stock exchange.
Pope preaches dogma of reaction in Latin America
By Cesar Uco, 5 February 2018
The Pope’s first stop was Chile, where he denounced parishioners as “idiots manipulated by leftists” for opposing a bishop implicated in the cover-up of child sexual abuse.
Follow the WSWS