Operation Disrupt Democracy in El Salvador

“Major changes in Latin American have put Washington on edge. Country after country is electing governments who represent the people instead of the financial interests of a few...”

By Erica Thompson
NACLA

January 8, 2009

Broom the CIA

US Senator Diane Feinstein’s Violent Opposition to Leon Panetta as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Speaks Volumes About the Crimes She Seeks to Hide

By Al Giordano
The Field

January 6, 2009

Nineteen Appistas Arrested in Palestine Demonstration

Section 22 Demands and Obtains Their Release

By Nancy Davies
Commentary from Oaxaca

January 4, 2009

EZLN Criticizes the Drug War

During the Festival of Dignified Rage in Chiapas, Subcomandante Marcos Breaks the EZLN's Silence on the Drug War

By Kristin Bricker
Via the NarcoSphere

January 3, 2009

Civilians Caught Up in Drug War

Tlaxcala is the Only State Without Victims of Organized Crime

By Esther Sánchez
El Universal

en español... “Narcoguerra” alcanzó a civiles

January 3, 2009

Winners & Losers of 2008: The Good, the Bad, and Joe Lieberman

Among the Winners: Nate Silver, Rachel Maddow, and Al Giordano

By James Wolcott
Vanity Fair, February 2009 Issue

January 1, 2009

Loose Ends: Washington Subordinates Mexico Through Security Agreements

Mexico's Drug War Fits into the Rubric of the Security and Prosperity Partnership and the US Security Agenda

By Carlos Fazio
La Jornada

January 1, 2009

Mexico's Drug War Death Toll: 8,463 and Counting

A Record-Breaking 5,612 People were Executed in Mexico’s Drug War in 2008, Making the Drug War More Deadly than the Drugs

By Kristin Bricker
Via the NarcoSphere

January 1, 2009

Five Benjamins, Ten Grants, or Twenty-Five Jacksons to Go

Narco News Year-End Fund Drive Within $500 of its Goal: Let's Enter 2009 With a Running Start

By Al Giordano
Publisher, Narco News

December 31, 2008

Ill. Gov. Blagojevich’s True Colors Shine Through in Clemency Case

“If the plaintiffs in the case succeed, and force the governor to act promptly and justly... it might well be Blagojevich who... benefits from such a ruling”

By Bill Conroy
Via the NarcoSphere

December 31, 2008

Michoacan Joint Operation: Human Rights Disaster

Activist Organizations Accuse the Government of Using the Anti-Drug Operation to Repress Indigenous Communities, Poor Neighborhoods, and Social Justice Organizations

By Kristin Bricker
Via the NarcoSphere

December 30, 2008

Freedom of the Press as a Foreign Concept

A Mexican Reporter Who Wrote About Drug Violence in his Homeland is Being Held in Custody by None Other than the U.S. Government and its Immigration Service

By James Rainey
The Los Angeles Times

December 30, 2008

With Increased Readership and Features Come More Expenses

Higher Technical Costs Means Narco News Needs You Now More than Ever

By David B. Briones
Webmaster

December 29, 2008

Erin Rosa to Report from Bolivia for Narco News

Formerly with The Colorado Independent, Rosa Will Report Next Month's Historic Referendum for a New Constitution

By Al Giordano
The Field

December 27, 2008

“Wall of Violence” on Mexico’s Southern Border

Calderon’s “Two-Faced” Policy Combines Police, the Military, Gangs, and Los Zetas to Fulfill US Mandate to Deter Central American Migration

By Kristin Bricker
Via the NarcoSphere

en español... La doble moral de Calderón y la tragedia de los migrantes centroamericanos

December 23, 2008

More Than 100 Experts Question Human Rights Watch’s Venezuela Report

Statements by Lead Author of the Report, Jose Miguel Vivanco, Call into Question the Organization’s Credibility

By Various Authors
North American Congress on Latin America

December 22, 2008

Oaxaca: No Justice for Assassinated Triqui Radio Journalists

Special Federal Prosecutor Rules Out that Community Journalists Were Killed for Their Work

By Reporters Without Borders
Press Release

December 20, 2008

Caracol #2: Oventik

Second in a Series on Autonomy Under Siege in Chiapas

By Gloria Muñoz Ramírez
Americas Program

December 20, 2008

The Work and Safety of Journalists at Narco News Depends on Your Support

The Training and Support Network that Your Donations Help Provide Make It Possible for Us to Report to You from Mexico and Elsewhere

By Kristin Bricker
Reporter, Narco News

December 16, 2008

Ecuador Drops the Money Ball: President Correa Threatens to Stiff Banks, Pay Social Debt First

“Although Ecuador currently has the capacity to pay, dropping oil prices and squeezed credit markets are putting... plans to boost spending on education and health care in jeopardy”

By Daniel Denvir
The Indypendent

December 14, 2008

Wilting Wages: Money Sent Home to Mexico Declines as U.S. Economy Deteriorates

Remittance Rates Have Fallen in Recent Months as Immigrants Face Economic Hardship

By Jennifer Janisch
The Indypendent

December 14, 2008

In Colombia the Numbers Don't Add Up

CODHES Analyzed a Recent Report Regarding the Number of Insurgent Casualties; Either the Colombian Government Exaggerated its Success, or There are More Insurgents than Previously Thought

By CODHES
The US Office on Colombia

en español... En Colombia las Cifras No Cuadran

December 14, 2008

Caracol #1: La Realidad

First in a Series on Zapatista Autonomous Centers

By Gloria Muñoz Ramírez
Americas Program

December 12, 2008

Round One of Obama’s “Open for Questions” Reveals Clamor for Drug Policy Reform

The Top Question for the President-elect, and Six of the Top 20 on his Change.Gov Website, Seek Long Overdue Changes in the US “War on Drugs”

By Al Giordano
The Field

December 12, 2008

Why Plan Mexico will Crash and Burn

Rampant Corruption on Both Sides of the Border Exacerbate the Ineffectiveness of an Already Failed Strategy

By Kristin Bricker
Via the NarcoSphere

December 10, 2008

To Keep Reporting to You in 2009, Narco News Needs Your Support Today

It’s a Crucial Moment for Latin America and US Policy, and “Change” Will Depend on More and Better Information from Below

By Al Giordano
Publisher, Narco News

December 10, 2008

We All Failed Gary Webb

Four Years After the Pioneering Authentic Journalist’s Death: “People who should have supported his work simply couldn’t be bothered”

By Robert Parry
Consortium News

December 10, 2008

US Drug Czar Candidate Funded an Abusive Fundamentalist Rehab Center

US Rep. James Ramstad Was Sole Sponsor of Earmark Funding for “Teen Challenge,” with the Motto: “Addiction Is a Sin, Not a Disease”

By Maia Szalavitz
The Huffington Post

December 10, 2008

“Another Unwarranted Break-In By Oaxaca Police”

Tear-Gas Launched into House with Two-Year Old Inside

By Nancy Davies
Commentary from Oaxaca

December 9, 2008

If You Organize It, He Will Come

Lessons of the Chicago Factory Occupation

By Al Giordano
The Field

December 8, 2008

Juarez Murders Shine Light on an Emerging ‘Military Cartel’

New Documents Obtained by Narco News Tell a Different Story of Mexico’s Drug Violence, One More Sinister and Dark than the Media Script of a Simple Turf Battle Between Rival Drug “Cartels”

By Bill Conroy
Via the NarcoSphere

December 6, 2008

Mining Expert Says Petaquilla Likely Never In Production

The Future Doesn’t Look Very Bright for the Petaquilla Open Pit Gold and Copper Mine Projects in Panama. Even Though The Company Issued a Press Release Stating They Would Go in Production This Month

By Okke Ornstein
Via the NarcoSphere

December 5, 2008

Let’s End Drug Prohibition

On the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Alcohol Prohibition, It’s Time to Repeat History

By Ethan A. Nadelmann
The Wall Street Journal

December 5, 2008

Spring in America is Just Around the Corner: Announcing Spring 2009 United States Tour

Community Organizing and Authentic Journalism: I’d Like to Come to Your Town, City or Campus to Have a Conversation

By Al Giordano
The Field

December 5, 2008

A Border Under Siege

American Military Training and Texas Guns are Helping Boost Drug-War Violence

By Peter Gorman
Fort Worth Weekly

en español... El entrenamiento militar y armas de EE.UU. aumentan la violencia de la guerra de la droga

December 4, 2008

Welcome Secretary Clinton: Obama's Promises to Be Kept for US-Latin America Policy

Renegotiate NAFTA "in Six Months," Meet with Chávez and Others "in the First Year," Block US-Colombia Trade Deal, and Ease the Cuba Embargo

By Al Giordano
The Field

December 1, 2008

US Police Train Mexican Police to Torture

A Mexican Police Trainer Fired for Hitting a Female Cadet Has Been Hired by Another Police Force in Guanajuato

By Kristin Bricker
Via the NarcoSphere

en español... Policías de EE.UU. entrena en la tortura a policías mexicanos

November 29, 2008

Witness in Brad Will Case Remembers the 2006 Uprising

The Man Who Gave Him Mouth-to-Mouth on the Way to Hospital, Remembers the Protests and the Organizing, Discusses Why the Government Went After the Witnesses

By World View: Interview with Gustavo Vilchis
Chicago Public Radio

November 29, 2008

Mexico’s Mob Violence Moves North

Plan Colombia to the Merida Initiative: America’s Prohibitionist Strategy of Militarizing Drug War Efforts Abroad is Coming Home to Roost as Violence Crosses the Border

By Constantino Diaz-Duran
The Daily Beast

November 27, 2008

Amnesty International USA Under Fire for Its Support of “Plan Mexico”

At a Public Meeting with Amnesty USA President Larry Cox, a 15-Year Member of the Group Was Physically Removed After Speaking Against Militarization of Mexico

By Alan Gray
News Blaze

November 27, 2008

“I Didn’t Kill Brad Will”: An Interview with Juan Manuel Martinez

The Man Who Supposedly Murdered the US Videographer Agrees that He Participated in the APPO Protests, but He Maintains that He Never Met the Journalist

By Diego Enrique Osorno
Milenio

en español... Entrevista: Juan Manuel Martínez - Presunto Asesino De Brad Will “Yo No Maté a Brad Will”

November 27, 2008

The U.S. Drug War Reaches New Heights of Absurdity in Federal Court

Popular Clean Urine Kit Used to Pass Drug Tests Targeted by Feds in Conspiracy Case

By Christopher Fee
Via the NarcoSphere

November 26, 2008

State of Fear: Arizona’s Immigrant Crackdown

Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Policing Tactics, Which Many Call Illegal, May be Paving the Way for Future U.S. Immigration Policy

By National Radio Project
Making Contact

November 26, 2008

The Selma of Immigration Rights

In Arizona, Immigrants Protest Sheriff Joe’s Nativist Agenda

By Andrew Stelzer
In These Times

November 26, 2008

“La Doctora” Bertha Muñoz Returns to Oaxaca after Nearly Two Years in Hiding

Despite Threats of Violence, and State Criminal Charges She has Returned Home to Face the Fear that Led Her into Exile

By Nancy Davies
Commentary from Oaxaca

November 26, 2008

Links Between Mexican Security Secretary Garcia Luna and Drug Kingpin “El Mayo”

Federal Police Say Garcia Luna’s Bodyguards Witnessed the Head of Mexico’s Public Security Ministry Discuss an “Agreement” with a Drug Cartel Gangster

By Ricardo Ravelo
Proceso

en español... Vínculos García Luna - “El Mayo”

November 25, 2008

Video: Doctor Bertha Returns to Oaxaca

Two Years in Exile, on the Date that Federal Police Invaded, the Voice of Popular Radio Picks Up the Cause Again

By Corrugated Films
corrugatedfilms.blogspot.com

en español... Video: La Doctora Bertha regresa a Oaxaca
en français... « La Doctora » Bertha Muñoz, revient à Oaxaca

November 25, 2008

New Media, New Opportunities

“It’s an Exciting Time to Be a Journalist”

By Erin Rosa
Denver Fieldhands, for Columbia Journalism Review

November 25, 2008

Romero’s Folly: NY Times Reporter Calls Chavez’s Landslide Electoral Victory a “Stinging Defeat”

The Venezuelan President Increased His Vote by 1.3 Million and His Candidates Won 74 Percent of State Governorships on Sunday

By Al Giordano
Via the NarcoSphere

November 24, 2008

Sen. Clinton, if Named Secretary of State, Can’t Escape Husband’s Golden Tongue

An Extension of Current U.S. Policy in Latin America: Former President Clinton has Earned Nearly $2 Million in Speaking Fees Paid for by Organizations Representing the Business Elite in Nations such as Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia

By Bill Conroy
Via the NarcoSphere

November 23, 2008

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