Abstract, Doing Politics Differently: Middle-Class Youth and Politics in Contemporary Lima

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Doing Politics Differently: Middle-Class Youth and Politics in Contemporary Lima

by Franka Winter

Two recent studies of the political identities, discourses, utopias, and practices of young middle-class people in contemporary Lima indicate that, contrary to a common narrative of “antipolitics,” they had a critical rather than a negative relationship with politics. While they largely rejected traditional political institutions and identities, they had strong political values and ideals and many ideas for change. They were looking for a different way of doing politics rather than a retreat from it and pursued this through a diverse range of political practices. However, these discourses and practices had certain limitations, in particular with respect to their ability to forge strong alliances and bring about substantial change.

Political Report # 1237 Is Berta Cáceres' Assassination a Tipping Point for Change in Honduras?

Political Report # 1237     Is Berta Cáceres' Assassination a Tipping Point for Change in Honduras? By Gloria Jiménez, Truthout  Human rights activists in Washington, DC, converged on the US State Department for a protest to honor Berta Cáceres's life and resistance on Friday, March 4, 2016. (Photo: SOA Watch / Flickr)

"We are not satisfied because they have only captured those that executed her. The intellectual authors -- those who ordered it, those who paid for it -- are enjoying complete impunity," said Austra Flores, mother of slain Honduran activist Berta Cáceres, from her home in La Esperanza, before the latest arrest of a suspected hitman.

Political Report # 1222 Killings of Colombia rights activists casts shadow over peace deal

By Anastasia Moloney, Thomson Reuters Foundation

BOGOTA, Jan 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Even with two bodyguards, a government-issued bulletproof vest and bulletproof car, human rights activist Doris Valenzuela still does not feel safe in her native country, Colombia.
Her work denouncing rights abuses by criminal gangs has led to an attempt on her life, the murder of her teenage son and rape of her daughter.
After fleeing her home six times to escape death threats, Valenzuela now hopes to find refuge in Europe.
The last death threat came in December when two men approached the 37-year-old on the street in her home city of Buenaventura on Colombia's Pacific coast - even as she was flanked by her bodyguards.
"One of the men had a gun tucked into his belt and told me, 'We will make you disappear'," Valenzuela, a mother of three, said.
It's no empty threat.

Political Report # 1049 Corrupted Idealism: Bolivia's Compromise Between Development and the Environment

Featured Photo: Marcha Tipnis en San Francisco  By: Candelaria Herrera Vasquez By: Kevin Munoz, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Aff

June 8 marked a decisive policy shift for Bolivian President Evo Morales' government:  lawmakers passed legislation allowing for increased hydrocarbon exploration in the country's few remaining "protected areas," most notably the Madidi National Park.[1] Transnational and foreign petroleum concessions already overlap 75 percent of Madidi National Park, prompting fears over increased environmental degradation in the country.[2] The controversial implications of such a law have precipitated a debate over whether President Morales has prioritized economic growth over a previous emphasis on environmental and indigenous preservation. The unprecedented growth and stability under the administration of Morales and his party, Movement for Socialism (MAS), give legitimacy and support for such environmentally dangerous legislation. Most noteworthy, extreme poverty has shrunk from 35 percent of the population to just 18 percent since Morales took office in 2006.[3] Still, his conflicting economic and environmental policies have led to devastating environmental consequences for Bolivia.  A policy both environmentally sustainable and economically promising may be challenging to implement, but is by no means impossible and by all means necessary.  The (Almost) Championing of Mother Earth Bolivia-President Morales in particular-used to be a beacon of environmental activism.  At the 2009 Copenhagen Summit, Morales arose as a much-needed voice for environmentalists worldwide, making ardent calls to limit temperature increases in the next century to just 1°C.[4] Furthermore, Morales demanded that an international court on climate change be established-one whose primary function would be to prosecute the "greatest" criminals against the environment.[5] Moreover, in 2010, Bolivia's proposal to make access to water a universal right was approved by the United Nations (UN), situating Bolivia as a model of environmental activism.[6] The UN General Assembly went so far as to name Morales the "World Hero of Mother Earth," a grandiose title that precipitated the 2010 "Law of Mother Earth," a historic bill passed by Morales' government guaranteeing rights for the Earth itself.[7] The law specifically enshrines seven rights to Mother Earth: life, environmental diversity, water, clean air, equilibrium (or the right to a natural balance in the ecosystem), restoration, and pollution-free living.[8] Perhaps most groundbreaking is the right of an individual to bring forth an issue to court on behalf of Mother Earth.[9] However, the track record for this innovative legislation is less than stellar, making the so-called "World Hero of Mother Earth" an inconsistent environmental champion.