INTERNATIONAL NEWS

October 2008

Bolivia: the struggle to hold legitimate Presidential power

US backed right wing opposition has been making trouble in Santa Cruz, Beni and Tarija following the referendum that witnessed overwhelming support for the Presidency of Evo Morales. The most serious disturbances took place on September 11 when the right wing gangs of the opposition massacred unarmed indigenous Camperinos including women and children who were marching against the racist violence. It was carried out by paramilitaries created and controlled by Pando prefect Leopoldo Fernandez. At least 30 people were slaughtered, with more than 100 still missing. But all in all the right-wing opposition has been forced to temporarily retreat. The roadblocks and building occupations by the fascists have ended, and the military has managed to take control of Pando, the site of the worst violence.

Morales is Bolivia’s first indigenous president where the indigenous people have played a leading role in getting him elected in the hope of getting rid of the sufferings, discrimination and poverty which has been rooted due to 500 years of colonialism and genocide. Most policies have clashed with the interests of US and European corporations but the growing support for Morales in the half moon heartland is very much visible. The backlash to growing rebellion against US domination across Latin America and US imperialism has been furiously organizing to oust Morales by supporting opposition groups through USAID who have an estimated budget of US$120 million.

Venezuela: Chávez and China in oil deal

China and Venezuela has come to a mutual agreement to build two oil refineries, one in each country, according to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The refinery to be built in Venezuela will be located in the oil-rich region of the Orinoco Basin while China is already building a refinery to process Venezuelan oil. The tie up with China has been a plan to partly reduce dependency on the US. Currently the US buys about 60 percent of Venezuelan exports despite years of tension.

Israel looks to influence Kremlin

The Israeli Prime Minister’s sudden trip to Moscow was aimed at stopping the Kremlin from selling advanced missile systems to Iran and Syria.

At the core of the talks was an Iranian request to purchase the advanced long-range S-300 anti-aircraft missile system that would severely curtail the Israeli Air Force's freedom in the skies if a military strike was launched against Iran's nuclear installations. The S-300 is one of the most advanced multi-target anti-aircraft-missile systems in the world today and has a reported ability to track up to 100 targets simultaneously while engaging up to 12 at the same time. It has a range of about 200kms and can hit targets at altitudes of 90,000 feet. Russia has yet to sell the system to Iran according to Tehran. Moscow was to equip them with S-300 systems and media reports have quoted senior Israeli officials saying that they will be delivered by the end of 2008. Meanwhile Israeli and Russian leaders did decide to upgrade bilateral defense relations and to establish a new mechanism to coordinate issues of mutual interest such as arms deals in the Middle East.

Justice for Gaza!

The Palestinian leader who visited Sri Lanka is October is overseeing the brutal siege of his own people in Gaza without a care or thought according to some sources. Meanwhile a serious discussion is underway about the deployment of an Arab force teamed up with the Israeli’s for the Gaza Strip consisting largely of Egyptian and Saudi troops. President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority only has control over the West Bank whilst the Gaza strip is under Hamas administration. Of the millions of dollars and euro that are pouring into the Abbas regime, not a cent reaches the Hamas government despite recent announcements that Hamas is ready proceed with peace talks.

Commentators reason that the growing popularity of the democratically elected Hamas government is posing a threat not only to the Israeli governments but also to the neighboring Arab rulers who are unpopular amongst their own people. Tyrannical Israeli policies that include a blockade has turned Gaza into the world's largest open air prison for its 1.5 million citizens.

The people who are living a hand-to-mouth existence with increasing death toll from preventable diseases are suffering because they are being denied vital medicines and access to the outside world. However, many recent Western journalists have noted that Hamas rule has transformed the Gaza strip into on of the safest cities in the world, certainly much more safe than the streets of London or New York according to Yvonne Riddley. Crime is down by more than 80 per cent according to data.

Arab countries have recently called on the United Nations Security Council to revive the Middle East Peace process which has been conveniently delayed whilst the illegal Israeli settlement expansions have been taking place. Meanwhile, the Iranian President explained his remarks about ‘wiping Israel off the map’ with reference to how the people of the Soviet Union themselves decided to dismantle the Soviet Union. In a recent interview, he explained the inherent injustices of the Israeli regime with reference to no less than 42 UN resolutions that have been vetoed by its enduring friend the US.

Since September 2007, Israel curtailed travel into Gaza and cut fuel and electricity supplies to the region which depends upon external healthcare systems for the provision of a broad range of medical treatments. According to a report released by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, titled Holding Health to Ransom, exposing 'the methods of coercion' Israel has employed to pressure Gazans to spy on the strip. Medical treatment for 'the most helpless members of society', reads the report, 'is explicitly or implicitly made contingent upon collaboration' with Israel on a 'regular' basis.


At the recently held Human Rights Council in Geneva, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu claimed that Israel may have commited a war crime when it attacked the town of Beit Hanoun in Gaza two years ago, killing 19 people. The shelling which took place in the night in Beit Hanoun killing innocent civilians while asleep in their homes and targeting of those fleeing is a war crime and its perpetrators must be brought before international justice. Tutu accused the West of "silent complicity" in the Palestinian suffering and criticized the international community for failing to speak out against the suffering in Gaza.

Chavez, Morales, boots out US diplomats

Bolivian President Evo Morales stated that he is expelling the U.S. ambassador in Bolivia for allegedly inciting violent opposition protests. This announcement came hours after a pipeline blast triggered by saboteurs forced the country to cut natural gas exports to Brazil by ten percent. The cost of repair is estimated at $100 million whilst a further $8 million was lost from revenue each day. Any supply interruption could have serious consequences for Brazil's booming economy as Bolivia supplies 50 percent of its natural gas to Brazil which is used for power generation, fuel for cars and cooking.

The Bolivian leader did not offer specific evidence against the expelling , but he has long accused the diplomat of conspiring with Bolivia's conservative opposition. The move was supported by his Latin American neighbor President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela who also gave notice to the resident US Ambassador after accusing him of being behind a plot to topple him. He also recalled his Ambassador in the US saying that he will resend the diplomat only after there is a new government in the US.
IMF: US to lead world economy to slow-down
The world economy will slow sharply this year and next, with the United States likely sliding into recession reflecting mounting damage from the most dangerous financial jerk in more than a half-century. The IMF, in its World Economic Outlook has slashed growth projections for the global economy and predicted the United States - the epicenter of the financial meltdown - will continue to lose traction. Further according to IMF "The world economy is now entering a major downturn in the face of the most dangerous shock in mature financial markets since the 1930s". The IMF now projects that the global economy, which grew by a hardy five percent last year, will lose considerable speed, slowing to 3.9 percent this year. It is forecast to weaken even more to just three percent next year, marking the worst showing since 2002.

Peter the Great deployed to Caribbean seas

A Russian Navy squadron set off for Venezuela in an unprecedented deployment of Russian military power to the Western hemisphere since the Cold War. During the Cold War, Latin America became an ideological battleground between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Kremlin has recently moved to intensify contacts with Venezuela, Cuba and other Latin American nations amid strained relations with Washington after last month's conflict between Russia and Georgia. The squadron comprising the Russian Northern Fleet's Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) battle cruiser and the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Admiral Chabanenko will participate in exercises off the Venezuelan coast. The arrival of two Russian warships in the Caribbean Sea, traditionally a U.S. area of influence, will likely compel Washington to devote more attention to its regional defenses.

Also of concern to Washington would be the recent talks between the Russian leader Putin and Chavez on developing nuclear energy cooperation. The meetings took place on the outskirts of Moscow and it is rumored that the Venezuelans got a loan for purchasing arms form the Kremlin. Sources indicate that that Chavez has already bought Russian fighter jets, tanks, assault rifles and anti-aircraft systems.

American civil liberties case wins abuse photo case
According to a court order the release of 21 photographs of the abusive treatment of detainees held by US troops has been approved despite fears that the release might further insight anti-US sentiments amongst Iraqis and Afghans. The pictures are to be released to the American Civil Liberties Union despite the government having opposed the release. According to the panel of judges "It is plainly insufficient to claim that releasing documents could reasonably be expected to endanger some unspecified member of a group so vast as to encompass all United States troops, coalition forces and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan". It was also noted that the government earlier tried to use the same argument to prevent the release of 87 photographs and other images of detainees at detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, including Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Meanwhile it is said that these photographs depict abuse at locations other than Abu Ghraib. Their release will hold the government accountable for torture policies.

Lehman’s head racked in $300 million

The head of failed US investment bank Lehman Brothers has told Congress that he took home about $300 million in pay and bonuses over the past eight years. The statement was made during a testimony before the House’s Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It was claimed that Lehman continued to squander millions on executive compensation even after they realized they realized the severity of the situation. Defending his decisions, the head said he took "full responsibility for the decisions that he made and for the actions that he took" and claimed his actions as "prudent and appropriate" based on information he had at the time. "I feel horrible about what happened," he added. Lehman's failure is acknowledged as having set off a financial panic which prompted a $700bn rescue package approved by Congress.