WTF is Going on in Latin America & The Caribbean

Todays’ episode: Biden’s Summit Fizzles-out

Co-Host & Guest: Leonardo Flores, CODEPINK Latin America Policy Expert

A series of events has been unraveling since early May in advance of US President Joe Biden’s Summit of the America’s schedule to take place in Los Angeles June 6-10

A few of those events include:

1.  The publication of Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Mark T. Esper, book A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times. 
2. The President of Mexico announced he would not attend Biden’s Summit
3. The appearance of easing US sanctions policy against Cuba and Venezuela
4. 23 visas denied to a Cuban civilian delegation hoping to attend the alternative People’s Summit
5. US Summit of the Americas delegation, led by Christopher Dodd, traveled to Mexico City to meet with the Mexican government with no results.

Additional Links

AMLO's 24 July 2021 Discourse

VI CELAC Summit, September 18, 2021 Mexico City

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Episode Title: AMLO announces he will not attend Biden’s Summit of the Americas

On the morning of May 10 from Mexico City in his daily press briefing, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in response to a question from the media, stated he would not be attending Biden’s Summit of the Americas: “If they are not all there, I will not be there.” This on the heels of a successful tour of Central America and Cuba.

Recorded the afternoon of May 10, a full hour of inspiring, informative and follow-up conversation with guest Jesus Ramirez Cuevas, General Coordinator of Social Communication and Spokesperson of the Mexican Government.

Spanish to English translation provided by Pamela Arancibia

Additional Links:

Discurso en el 238 Aniversario del Natalicio de Simon Bolivar

VI Cumbre de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), desde Palacio Nacional

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Today’s episode: Nicaragua Expels the Organization of American States.. How will this impact Nicaragua and the integration of the Americas via institutions such as CELAC (La Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños)?

On Sunday, April 24, 2022, Nicaragua said it had closed the local office of the Organization of American States (OAS), a US-based group that claims to promote solidarity and cooperation among countries in the Americas, and revoked the credentials of several of its staff. The official Government statement reads, in part:

"The People and Government of Nicaragua have denounced and continue to denounce, the shameful condition of one of the Political Instruments of intervention and domination of the State Department of the Government of the United States, wrongly and falsely called the Organization of American States.

"The People and Government of Nicaragua do not and will not recognize this Instrument of Colonial Administration, which does not represent at any time, the Sovereign Union of Our Latin and Caribbean America, and that on the contrary, is an Instrument of Yankee Imperialism to violate Rights and Independences, sponsoring and promoting interventions and invasions, legitimizing coups in different formats and modalities with the aim, which they have not accomplished, of disintegrating through humiliation, submission and surrender of our National Sovereignties.

"We ratify our unwavering decision to leave the OAS, as expressed on 19th November, 2021, and by confirming our irrevocable denunciation and resignation, before this calamitous, truculent and lying dependency of the State Department of Yankee Imperialism. We also communicate that as of this date, we cease to form part of all the deceitful Mechanisms of this monstrosity, be it the Permanent Council, Commissions, Meetings or Summit of the Americas...Nicaragua is not a colony of anyone."

This was a huge event for the Americas on April 24, and I am honored for the opportunity to have discussed this in further detail with Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Denis Moncada who joined us live from Managua.

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Today’s episode: Political Prisoners, Indigenous Land Rights and the Fight against Neoliberalism in Guatemala.

It’s been a while since we have brought to you news from Guatemala, a country that to this day suffers the consequences of neocolonialism and Reagan’s Dirty Wars in Central America during the 1980s. Despite the MSM narrative currently emphasizing the struggles of Ukraine and the EU, let’s not forget that Guatemalans (specifically indigenous) are still being persecuted and are still dying as a direct result of US intervention 40 years ago and beyond.

Today we welcome two guests who will share with us their recent travel experiences and current work in Guatemala.

Our first guest is Ben Gutman who is an independent writer, researcher, and organizer pursuing an MA in Global Communication from The George Washington University. He is currently working on his capstone research and digital media project on the outsourcing of US border militarization to Guatemala in collaboration with the Guatemala Solidarity Project and the Promoters of Migrant Liberation.   

Next we will hear from Palmer Legare who is co-founder and volunteer coordinator of the Guatemala Solidarity Project. He has spent much of the past 20 years in Guatemala. He is a Registered Nurse and Community Organizer who has been detained for civil disobedience and other forms of nonviolent protest over a dozen times. He has spent months in jails and prisons for this work. He has been told directly by both the US Ambassador to Guatemala and Guatemala's Presidential Commission on Human Rights to leave the country or he will be arrested or killed.

Finally, I would like to add that Friends of Latin America has created a Guatemala Political Prisoner fund. Please donate at any time as we share with you Guatemala’s ongoing fight against US interventionism and neoliberalism. DONATE Via Venmo: @FoLatinAmerica

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Episode Title: Maestros Voluntarios: Celebrating 61 Years of Cuba’s National Literacy Program.

On Friday, April 22 Cuba celebrated the 61st anniversary of the very first youth brigades sent to the Cuba countryside to teach reading and writing to the predominantly illiterate rural population. This is a highly successful post-revolution project that has been emulated across the world.

Joining us to celebrate, and further discuss, the Cuba Literacy campaign is Catherine Murphy, director of the film Maestra and Nancy Wright a 12 veteran of public education in the DC metropolitan area. Nancy is also a member of Friends of Latin America, a broadcast partner of this program.

We begin program with Catherine providing a brief background of Cuba’s literacy campaign. Then we share with you a short video of a conversation between two former brigadiers. Nancy provides us with the realities of public education in the United States and how that reality compares with the success of the Cuban model.

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Episode Title: Challenging the US Narrative against Mexico

On Sunday, April 10 Mexicans went to the polls to determine whether sitting President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador should or should not remain in office to finish the remaining 3 years of his 6 year term. Of the approximately 16M citizens that participated, over 90% voted yes, AMLO should continue his presidency. Several of the energy reforms envisioned by the President for his remaining 3 years are not supported by Washington as suggested in a series of anti-energy reform articles published by Bloomberg beginning last year. The most recent article titled Mexican Opposition Party to a vote against AMLO’s power bill was published April 4 just 6 days prior to the April 10 referendum. And, then, on April 22, 2022 published in the Washington Post: AMLO has already lost half of the people who brought him to power.

It is clear what Washington wants, but what do the Mexican people want?

To give us some context as to the April 10 vote and the ramifications of the results is journalist Alina Duarte who joined us live from Mexico City. Aline reports for Sin Censura and Canal Catorce

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Episode Title: Food Sovereignty: Nicaragua’s No Hunger Program

The crisis in Ukraine has created conditions for loss of farming production and global food distribution.  Already there exists a shortage of fertilizer and an increase in energy costs that will affect production, transportation and distribution.  Today is the second of an informal series of conversations we will have about the importance of food sovereignty and how different countries, organizations and institutions are attempting to guarantee the right to food.

This episode features guests: Ivan Acosta, Nicaragua’s Minister of Housing and Public Credit and Justa Perez, Nicaragua's Minister of Family Economy (MEFCCA)

View Minister Perez's full power point presentation in its entirety

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Episode Title: Food Sovereignty-Venezuela’s Che Guevara Commune

The crisis in Ukraine has created conditions for loss of farming production and global food distribution. Already there exists a shortage of fertilizer and an increase in energy costs that will affect production, transportation and distribution. Today is the first of an informal series of conversations we will have about the importance of food sovereignty and how different countries, organizations and institutions are attempting to guarantee the right to food.

Joining the conversation from Merida, Venezuela are episode guests Felipe Vanegaz and Hilmar Rodriguez of the Comuna Che Guevara and the Unión Comunera.

Translation provided by the Simon Bolivar Institute.

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

Episode Title: Is the Crisis in Ukraine Forcing a New US Approach Towards Venezuela? 

In this episode, I am joined by co-host Leonardo Flores, CODEPINK Latin America policy specialist. Our story was inspired by news from Saturday, March 5, when a group of senior U.S. officials flew to Venezuela for a meeting with President Nicolás Maduro’s government to discuss the possibility of easing sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports as the Biden administration weighed a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas

The trip was the highest-level U.S. visit to Venezuela in years and came as the United States was seeking to isolate Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Venezuela, Russia’s most important ally in South America, was a significant supplier of crude to the United States before exports were crippled by sanctions imposed by Washington.

Our guest, Carlos Ron, Venezuela Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America joined me and Leonardo live from Caracas to discuss the March 5 delegation and the possibility of a new US policy towards Venezuela

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live

On Sunday, March 13 Colombians voted for a new congress and also cast ballots in presidential primaries to choose party candidates for the May presidential contest.

As opinion polls had indicated, leftist Senator. Gustavo Petro emerged as the current leader in the race for the presidency. With nearly all votes counted, he won the primary for the Historical Pact, a coalition of left-wing parties, with 80% of the more than 5.4 million votes cast in its primary.

Team Colombia, a coalition of conservative groups, drew 3.9 million voters to its primary, which was won by Federico Gutierrez, a former mayor of Medellin who has criticized some aspects of the 2016 peace deal with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

A group of centrist parties known as the Hope Coalition got 2 million voters in its primary, which was won by mathematician and former Mayor of Medellin Sergio Fajardo, who also ran in the 2018 presidential election.

Joining us today live from Colombia is physician, university professor, writer, humanitarian worker and journalist Victor Currea-Lugo

In partnership with Friends of Latin America, Massachusetts Peace Action and Task Force on the Americas, original broadcasts of WTF is Going on in Latin America & the Caribbean can be viewed every Wednesday at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET on CODEPINK YouTube Live