Posts filed under The Drum Opinion

Bolivian crisis unites South America against US

By Rodrigo Acuña

The Drum Opinion (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

30 September 2008

Despite the lack of in-depth coverage by the international media, the recent political crisis in Bolivia has made two things clear.

For a start, it seems the government of Evo Morales still has the backing of the majority of the population and, until now, most of the rank and file of the armed forces.

Secondly, the crisis has allowed South American countries to rally behind Morales through the new Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in contrast to the U.S. led Organisation of American States (OAS) - traditionally the forum to discuss such matters.

Settling Accounts: Latin American rage reaches the US

By Rodrigo Acuña

The Drum Opinion (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

20 August 2008

Despite the best spin on the benefits of neoliberal accords such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by sections of the U.S. press, large numbers of Mexicans and Latin Americans have been illegally heading north due to poor employment opportunities at home.

In 2004, after ten years of the NAFTA agreement, open unemployment in Mexico "reached an all-time high" according to one expert, while "there are more illegal immigrants pouring into the United States than ever."