Latin America

US Plots Conquest of Venezuela in Wake of Chavez’ Death

"US corporate-financier funded think-tank, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), declared in its 'post-Chávez checklist for US policymakers,' that the US must move quickly to reorganize Venezuela according to US interests. In reality, AEI is talking about dismantling entirely the obstacles that have prevented the US and the corporate-financier interests that direct it from installing a client regime and extracting entirely Venezuela's wealth. US military contractors and special forces had been caught operating in and around Venezuela. The US' intentions of provoking bloodshed and regime change in Venezuela stretch back as far as 2002." Continue reading →

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Banks Fear Court Ruling in Argentina Bond Debt

"A fierce battle between the government of Argentina and investors led by a group of hedge funds has already led to the seizure of a naval ship and dragged in the United States Treasury. Now a federal appeals court is hearing the dispute, and how it rules could have a major impact on world debt markets. The investors — including the hedge fund tycoon Paul E. Singer — sued Argentina seeking payment for $1.3 billion relating to bonds that the country defaulted on in 2001. On Wednesday, the case comes before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which has already sided with the hedge funds on their main arguments." Continue reading →

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Raul Castro promises end of an era in Cuba as he steps down as country’s president

"Cuban President Raul Castro made the strongest statement yet that the island nation is preparing for a post-Castro era in announcing yesterday that he will step down in five years with plans to institute term limits. He also replaced his No. 2 with a younger Cuban who would be poised to rule if something were to befell Mr. Castro before his second term ends in five years – the first time the nation would be led by someone who did not directly fight in the 1959 Cuban revolution." Continue reading →

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Cuba part three, Cuban-U.S. relations: end the embargo now

"Although the Castro brothers have not renounced their communist ideals, the reality is that Cuba is shedding many collectivist policies. The economy is being freed up, from small business, to lifting of travel restrictions, to free market agricultural co-ops, etc. In other words, while the spirit of the Revolution is virtually everywhere, the reality is that the Cuban government is shedding the easiest depredations of collectivism. Cuba has no income tax, no sales tax, and very few, if any, real estate taxes. No doubt, Cuba’s civil liberties record should and must be improved. And it will. More interaction with freedom loving Americans will ensure that." Continue reading →

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Dissident blogger allowed to leave Cuba on tour

"Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, who has been denied permission to travel abroad for many years, was allowed on Sunday to embark on a three-month trip to Latin America and Europe. Sanchez, 37, who often criticizes the Cuban government in her 'Generation Y' blog, had a visa to visit Brazil last year but was unable to make the trip because the government refused to issue her a passport. But Cuba recently made an about-face, issuing a reform allowing its citizens to travel abroad for the first time without a reviled and costly exit visa, and also giving Sanchez her long sought-for permission to travel." Continue reading →

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Why Isn’t The Murder Of An American Boy An Impeachable Offense?

"In 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice for matters arising out of the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. If perjury and obstruction of justice constitute high crimes or misdemeanors, then doesn’t it seem rather obvious that the murder of an American citizen by the president would also constitute a high crime or misdemeanor, especially if the citizen is a child? Proponents of the war on terrorism argue that the killing of the teenager wasn’t really a murder but rather an assassination. But how is Obama’s killing of Abdulrahman any different from Pinochet’s murder of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt?" Continue reading →

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Ecuadorean Tribal Leaders Fight Government, Gold-Hungry Chinese

"The most famous case of Shuar 'insolence' occurred in 1599, when the Spanish governor of Maca demanded a gold tax from local Indians to fund a celebration of the coronation of Philip III. The night before the tax was due, Shuar armies slaughtered every adult male in the Spanish hamlets and surrounded the governor’s home. They tied the governor to his bed and used a bone to push freshly melted gold down his throat, laughing and demanding to know if he had finally sated his thirst. For the next 250 years, the Spanish mostly stayed away. Occasional attempts by Jesuit missionaries to reestablish contact were met with a welcome basket of skulls." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEcuadorean Tribal Leaders Fight Government, Gold-Hungry Chinese

Ecuadorean Tribal Leaders Fight Government, Gold-Hungry Chinese

"The most famous case of Shuar 'insolence' occurred in 1599, when the Spanish governor of Maca demanded a gold tax from local Indians to fund a celebration of the coronation of Philip III. The night before the tax was due, Shuar armies slaughtered every adult male in the Spanish hamlets and surrounded the governor’s home. They tied the governor to his bed and used a bone to push freshly melted gold down his throat, laughing and demanding to know if he had finally sated his thirst. For the next 250 years, the Spanish mostly stayed away. Occasional attempts by Jesuit missionaries to reestablish contact were met with a welcome basket of skulls." Continue reading →

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Murray Sabrin: Cuba, part two, the economy

"Castro’s dream for Cuba turned into a nightmare in the early 1990s with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of Eastern Europe. Cuba’s GDP plunged at least 35% in two years. The Cuban crisis caused its leaders to do some soul searching: how do they adhere to the goals of The Revolution without the subsidies that were masking the inherent flaws of its collectivist experiment. Without the infrastructure—economic, financial, legal, and social institutions to deliver the goods and services to the people–Cuba has slowly been transforming itself into a mixed economy a la the United States and the rest of the developed nations of the world." Continue reading →

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Doug Casey: Why America Should Default and You Should Live Abroad

"Reason TV's Nick Gillespie sat down with Casey to discuss why America should default on its debt, why he spends most of his time in Argentina these days, and the importance of self-reliance and free-market principles. His new book, Totally Incorrect, is a collection of conversations with Louis James that explore the ways in which government policy and centralized power threaten cultural and economic progress. In a series of engaging and wide-ranging dialogues, Casey and James talk about everything from the Great Depression to drug use to the Roman Empire." Continue reading →

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