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The U.S. and its Dubious Exports

The U.S. and its Dubious Exports

Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters don’t take long to come out in Mexico. I imagine that the Sonys and the Warner Brothers pay the dubbing companies a pretty peso, ‘cause they get right to the task. So this summer, on screen after screen south of the border, the San Andreas fault has already shattered the earth and downed buildings, the Avengers have put Ultron’s army to the test, and Jurassic World’s Indominus has ravaged pretty much everything in its path. And yet tragically,

Election Blog Series – Honduras: Why U.S. Policy Needs a Re-Set

-by Witness for Peace Honduras/Nicaragua Team Why U.S. Policy in Honduras Needs a Re-Set Although neither candidate mentioned Honduras in the last presidential debate on foreign policy, Mitt Romney has cited the Obama administration’s reaction to the coup in Honduras as an example marking Barack Obama’s failure in Latin American policy. He is not alone in criticizing the Obama administration’s response to the 2009 coup in Honduras. For reasons starkly different than Romney’s,

U.S. Threatens to Cut All Aid to Nicaragua

U.S. Threatens to Cut All Aid to Nicaragua

By: Christine Goffredo WFP Nicaragua Team Member Many people in the U.S. know about Nicaragua from the Sandinista revolution in the 1980’s, or they may have heard about the Iran-Contra affair. But there is a 150 year history of tension between the United States and Nicaragua, and this history has continued to the present day. Currently at issue in U.S.-Nicaraguan relations is the renewal of two separate “waivers”, without which Nicaragua would not receive any foreign

A year after the coup in Honduras

A year after the coup in Honduras

One year ago today, this is the situation that the citizens of Honduras were dealt when soldiers forced President Manuel Zelaya from the country. By recognizing the “elections” that the de facto government held last fall, the U.S. has condoned insurgent activity against constitutional order. Even more baffling are the millions of dollars of military aid that the State Department has pledged to the current regime. The double standard couldn’t be any clearer: how is it that the

Empty Streets on Election Day

by Galen Cohee Baynes, Nicaragua International Team Tegucigalpa woke on ‘election’ day to eerily quiet streets. The few taxis working this morning cruised easily through roads normally congested with traffic. The great majority of stores and business (excluding the fast food chains) kept their metal shutters tightly secured. Driving through this sudden ghost city, the few areas that showed some signs of human activity were the capital’s high schools as they transformed themse

Tragedy and “Tranquility” Reveal Dual Realities in Honduras

by Galen Cohee Baynes, Nicaragua International Team On the eve of Honduras’ “elections,” Angel Sagrado lays in critical condition in a hospital bed in downtown Tegucigalpa. After nearly twenty-four hours of delicate surgery during which doctors attempted to remove the bullet lodged in Angel’s head, he was transferred to the recovery room late this afternoon. Angel Sagrado lays in critical condition after soldiers fired on his car on Friday night. According to witnesses’ repor

Will Election Observers Understand the Context of the “Elections”?

by Galen Cohee Baynes, Nicaragua International Team “The three emotions you will see most prevalently this weekend are fear, uncertainty and happiness,” says Felix Molina of Radio Progreso, an independent radio station in northern Honduras. This is a strange mixture to be sure, but one that reflects the bizarre conditions under which this weekend’s elections will be held. “Happiness will be seen on the faces of those that supported this coup and look at what they call the ‘el

The Pre-Election Environment in Honduras

by Galen Cohee Baynes, Nicaragua International Team Young girl lights a candle at a vigil for the International Day Against Violence Against Women near the barricaded Brazilian Embassy. Honduran human rights organizations have recorded twenty nine cases of rape by the military and police since the June 28th coup. On the walls and street-signs of Tegucigalpa, graffiti proclaiming “Yes to the Constituent Assembly!” and “Go Home, Coup-mongers!” is juxtaposed with posters adverti

U.S. Hands Victory to the Coup Regime in Honduras

by Galen Cohee Baynes, Nicaragua International Team Last Friday Manuel Zelaya declared from his refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa that the U.S.-brokered deal signed on October 30th was dead. This declaration was prompted by Roberto Micheletti’s appointment of a “unity and reconciliation government” that does not include a single Zelaya-appointed representative, just as the Thursday evening deadline approached. It is certainly an embarrassment to the U.S. that th

More Delays in Honduras

by Galen Cohee Baynes, Nicaragua International Team The initial optimism inspired by last Friday’s announcement of an agreement signed between the Micheletti and Zelaya camps is starting to dwindle. It is becoming increasingly clear that Micheletti’s government – in a continuation of the foot-dragging tactics characteristic of this coup regime – plans to utilize loopholes in the agreement in order to delay Zelaya’s return to office. The Honduran Congress, which must make a fi

Is the Honduras Agreement a Breakthrough?

by Galen Cohee Baynes, Nicaragua International Team Out of Honduras today come reports that ousted President Manuel Zelaya and representatives of the de facto government headed by Roberto Micheletti have signed a deal that could lead to the restoration of Zelaya to office. The deal stipulates the formation of a “unity government,” the establishment of a “verification commission” composed of two international representatives chosen by the Organization of American States and tw

Give Hondurans Time for Free and Fair Elections

by Roxanne Hanson The June coup overthrowing Manuel Zelaya, the democratically-elected president of Honduras, may soon reach a resolution. With constant pressure from the US, European Union, international institutions like the UN and Organization of American States, and international mediators like Jimmy Carter, the de facto regime led by Roberto Micheletti has finally agreed to come back to the negotiating table. But they have yet to say that they will agree to any proposed

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