Posts Tagged ‘Democracy’
Why Venezuela is a dictatorship
The dismantling of democracy can be incremental, like it was in Venezuela. First, there was the co-option of the courts, then the persecution of the political opposition, and last year, the suspension of regional elections. And now, with the Constituent Assembly, Maduro leapt into the dark.
Read MoreSatire, slander and democracy
Former President Uribe resorted to a forbidden speech (slander) to attack a speech protected in democracy (satire), which Daniel Samper Ospina uses in his columns.
Read MoreThe luck of prohibition: Bloomsday
The history of art is plagued with censorship. Ulysses, by the Irish author James Joyce, was banned for more than ten years and went to trial three times for being considered obscene.
Read MoreAn immature Constituent Assembly
The Constituent Assembly convened by Maduro does not seek to forge a pact between opposing forces, but seeks to crush the opposition through an antidemocratic mechanism, which is also unconstitutional. The international community and even authentic Chavismo should oppose it.
Read MoreMilitant hope
Hope should not only be cautious but militant: young people around the world should mobilize against politicians like Trump who are willing to damage the world in which they, the young, will live tomorrow.
Read More21st century socialism, dictatorship or rebellion?
The Venezuelan government is advancing in its plan to dismantle the 1999 Bolivarian Constitution. And it is the 21st century rebels who defend democracy and human rights against the heirs of 21st century socialism who abdicated their democratic promise.
Read MoreGlobal tensions and local leadership
In the current global context, hopelessness can only be overcome through local leadership, which through concrete actions on a daily basis restores community ties and prevents the promotion of polarization.
Read MoreThe Shrinking of Civic Spaces: What is Happening and What Can We Do?
In addition to the threat of populism, human rights face another distinct, yet related phenomenon: the shrinking of civil society spaces around the world.
Read MoreMadurazo
There were no tanks attacking the civil institutions, which characterized previous coups. But in Venezuela there was a coup d’état, which intends to be judicially legalized, but that nevertheless is a democratic rupture.
Read MoreMoney and democracy
The revelations of these weeks showed that the campaigns of Santos 2010 and Zuluaga 2014 received concealed funding from Odebrecht, which allowed them to violate the electoral caps.
Read MoreDemocracy without a People
Abraham Lincoln, in his famous Gettysburg speech, characterized democracy as the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Read MoreWho Decides When it Comes to Mining?
Contrary to what the Minister of Mining and the newspaper El Tiempo said, referring to the recent decision of the Constitutional Court, citizens can organize consultations to oppose the effects of mining in their territories,
Read MoreBlank Votes: Who Wins?
The blank vote appears to be a strike against political clientelism. But in reality, at least in the congressional elections this Sunday, it is strike against the public itself, since it favors the clientelist machinery.
Read MoreThe Bullying Continues
Based on all the criticism the Inspector General´s Office received (including from those who did not support Petro), some of us thought, mistakenly, that the Inspector General would calm down.
Read MoreThe Ecuadorean Miracle?
With Venezuela and Argentina in trouble, many look to Ecuador in search of a inspiring model for the Left. The first impression is encouraging. Upon arriving at Quito’s superb airport you get a sense of the Correa government’s investment in infrastructure that extends into two-lane roads from the door to the Amazon in Puyo.
Read MoreInequality
Mockingly, people used to say that middle class Latin Americans dreamed of being like the Americans from the United States, while the upper class dreamed of being like the Europeans.
Read MoreDiscomfort and Democracy
Marches, road blocks and protests may create discomfort in some sectors. But attempts to suppress them may end up asphyxiating democracy. Even for those who defend social mobilizations, these protests can become uncomfortable.
Read MoreDemocracy without Participation?
It is foolish, the result of an elitist and antiquated view, to think of social protests as a deficiency. On the contrary, it is the best sign that the excluded sector feels they have a voice to participate politically and express their disagreements.
Read MoreSabotaging Institutions
Inspector General Ordóñez has managed to achieve his ultimate objective: he has discredited the Constitution of 1991 and created a suitable environment for a constitutional reform.
Read MoreMore on Petro’s Removal from Office
There is an crucial legal issue in Petro’s removal from office that has hardly been discussed. It is the following issue: Even if you accept that the Inspector General has the power to remove a mayor, it would have to be done through a rigorous and demanding process, that was not carried out in Petro’s case.
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