Hosted by Justin Podur
It’s disturbing to see how neatly nationalism dovetails into fascism. While we must not allow the fascists to define what the nation is, or who it belongs to, it’s worth keeping in mind that nationalism, in all its many avatars-socialist, capitalist and fascist-has been at the root of almost all the genocides of the twentieth century. On the issue of nationalism, it’s wise to proceed with caution.
Arundhati Roy, April 2002
“A dignified President, doctor Alvaro Uribe Velez, has been elected conclusively and consciously in the first round, by and for a Fatherland that wants to make itself peaceful and to grow in solidarity.” — Salvatore Mancuso, Commander of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, May 26, 2002
A proposed view of history
Much of Latin America won independence from Spain in the 19th century. All countries that were independent faced the same problem: the former imperial powers continued to control decisive military, financial, and propaganda might. How could the newly decolonized (or, in the case of indigenous nations, never decolonized) countries prevent a recolonization?
The struggle of Colombians is a struggle against fear and a struggle against invisibility. These are two of the worst weapons used against Colombians. Fear, because it causes the silence elites need to fulfill their agendas. Invisibility, because of its isolating effect: people cannot fight alongside, or build solidarity with, those they cannot see. In this article we bring you two movements who are exemplary in their struggles against fear and invisibility: The Popular Women’s Organization (Organizacion Femenina Popular), and the Black People’s Process (Procesas Comunidades Negras).
http://www.zcommunications.org/the-coup-in-venezuela-an-interview-with-temir-porras-by-justin-podur
Continue reading “The Coup in Venezuela: An Interview with Temir Porras”
http://www.zcommunications.org/re-colonization-is-still-on-schedule-by-justin-podur
For the months leading up to the April 12 coup in Venezuela, there were reports and rumours coming that a coup was imminent. In December 2001, the San Francisco Examiner ran a story by Conn Hallinan who had detected the ‘scent of another coup in Venezuela’ (http://www.zmag.org/content/Colombia/hallinanchavez.cfm). This was cause for alarm. John Pilger, and others, made the analogy to Chile.
Most of the victims of the perpetual war in Colombia are unarmed poor civilians. For every military casualty there are six civilian deaths. In the words of one peasant leader, the Colombian war ‘is not a civil war. It’s a war against civilians’. Paul Valery put it another way when he said “war is a massacre between people who don’t know each other, for the benefit of people who do know -but do not massacre- each other.”
ZNet Commentary
Cut Through The Lies In Palestine April 02, 2002
By Justin Podur
It’s possible that there are more distortions and lies printed about Israel and Palestine than there are about any other conflict. The first example: For something like thirty years, most Arabs, including Palestinians, have accepted these principles, stated by Chomsky as his own basic assumptions in ‘Fateful Triangle’:
Steve Shalom. The New York Times ran a story on February 25 by Juan Forero titled “Colombian Rebels Sabotage Peace Hopes.” Perhaps you can address some of the questions raised by the article.
http://www.zcommunications.org/differing-agendas-in-south-asia-by-justin-podur