Latin America seems to be the place where it’s happening

From social movements to hot tempered protests you can see quite a lot of popular uprising and participation in Latin America these days.

First you have of course Bolivia, where the country is shook up by massive movements against the government and for the nationalization of the country’s oil and gas resources. It was just four years ago, when networks of social movements have really started to become a strong actor on the political scene demanding water not to be privatized.

• arranca! has an article in German on the evolution of social movements during the water war
• for up-to-date reporting you should subscribe to this well-written Blog from Bolivia by Jim Schultz
• the same Jim Schultz has written quite a few articles on the ‘War Over Water’ back in 2000 and 2001

Then there is Venezuela, where civil society and self-organized groups are gaining a stronger stand through support or just goodwill by the left-wing government of Hugo Chavez (as noted before).

There are also all those scattered actions that don’t make it as great headlines. For example a Peruvian coppermine that was just seized by 2000 workers demanding social improvements. Chilean students are protesting against the privatization of public universitites. Argentinian workers seizing their factory to keep it up and running and simultaneously creating their own ways of self-management. Furthermore, the Zapatistas are still alive and kicking (literally). Jacobito is travelling around Chiapas and keeps a weblog covering his experiences.

Even though Washington likes to introduce its ‘standards for democratic government’, i think the people of Latin America are setting their own democratic standards right now for themselves. While they do this they are often facing counteraction by the political and economical elite through police and military. Yet, i hope that the social unrest remains nonviolent and that the Latin American people can fulfill some of their demands and dreams — for now.

Please add what you have picked up happening in Latin America.