Human and Civil Rights in Latin America

Well, I guess this about wraps up the term. Does anyone else here thinks it went terrifyingly fast?

What did I take from it? I guess mainly that human rights are not something that are set in stone. I do still believe that they exist, or that they should exist, but I now see how difficult they are to define, or how easily manipulable of a concept they are. Human rights can be taken and redefined to suit pretty much any situation, as we have seen in the case of the military Junta in Argentina. They are also incredibly hard to protect, since they too often seem to come second to the economy or the interests of the wealthy. This does not stop me from thinking, however, that there is something there worth fighting for. People are twisted, often ignorant, and ocasionally evil, but always of value. Latin America has a long and twisted history when it comes to human rights abuses, and perhaps I'm an optimist, but I do believe that things can still change.

As the course when on, my vision of human rights went through a rather dramatic shift. I used to have a rather simplistic view of what rights were - that is to say, I really did believe that they were a natural things, a given, something that could always be argued for and that I could trust others to respect. I now see how naive that idea was. Human rights are an idea, and ideas can always be changed. If your government abuses your human rights, while actively denying it (as did Argentina), then what are the recourses? The international community? If they can even bring themselves to care, what can it do, when national sovereignty is involved? Very little. When you can't trust the authorities, the only possible change is from the bottom up. I do like the idea that revolution and human rights go hand in hand, though I have to admit that, if one looks at the track record of revolutions, this has not always been the case.

I have also learnt that internation organizations, such as the UN, do not hold the answers. Far from it. If anything, they perpetuate a very Westernized conception of human rights, one that supports a colonialist attitute. We can no longer justify imposing our beliefs on others (and someone should really tell that to the US and their involvment in Latin America). Each region should really be given some leeway to figure out what human rights mean in their own context...but this would invariably lead to abuse. So what's to be done? I don't anyone has that figured out.

Basically, what I have learnt is that human rights are complicated, a little insane, and that there is no straightforward answer or explanation to anything. The only thing I do know, however, is that we need to keep on moving foreward.

Finally, I love the intergration of the Occupy movement into class dialogue. I personally have a lot of faith in Occupy, in the sense that it represents people finally realizing that there are problems that are not getting solved and speaking out about them. The movement is still in it's infancy, but I will hoping that it will gather up steam and grow. What I see in it is the simple realization that all people have worth, and should be treated well, and have access to opportunities. What I see in it is the hope of a more open and intergrated world. But I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

What if they declared an emergency and no one came?

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/charlie-angus/attawapiskat-emergency_b_1104370.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#undefined

This is not happening in Latin America, but I felt that it's important that everyone know about this and hopefully try to help. This is happening in Ontario, on Attawapiskat First Nation lands. It's been three weeks since they took the extraordinary step of declaring a state of emergency due to poor living conditions...and nothing has happened. No one has stepped in to help. The government hasn't even lifted a finger. The people in this community live in conditions one would never expect to find in a developped country such as Canada. Basic needs, such as healthcare, hygiene or decent living conditions are not met. The children of this community have not had a school to go to in 12 years. It's like they've completely fallen off the map.

To make matters worst, right in the Attawapiskat back yard, on their land, the De Beers mining company is making million off diamond extraction, not one cent of which is being seen by the Attawapiskat people.

The winter is coming, and it's going to be a cold one. The federal government has to step up it's game. In the meantime, send in letters to the Ontario government, see what you can do to help. It's things like these that make me ashamed to be a Canadian at times.

Gunmen Execute Indian Chief in Western Brazil

http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-execute-indian-chief-western-brazil-212054028.html

This article illustrates the age old battle between land owners and Indigenous people in Latin America. In this case, gunmen hired by cattle ranchers were sent into an Indigenous village in the hope of brutally repressing land claims and getting the people to move. Evidently, the more tims go on, the less things change.

Guatemala II

These readings allowed me to gain a more in-depth understanding of the situation that unfolded in Guatemala. What I found really interesting is that there was a greater focus on the reality of Indigenous people on the ground, and of the violence that they were victims to. I already had knowledge about the actions of the United Fruits Company, as well as the military involvement of the US, but know I have a better understanding of what all this ultimately meant to the people on the ground. The horrors that they went through seems to defy imagination, though my readings of Rigoberta Menchu paints a gruesome picture. For me, this truly states the danger of a too powerful military forces that is unleached against it's own people instead of an external threat.

The most horrible thing in all of this to me, however, is the stance of complete lack of responsibility taken by the military as well as it's apparent ease of de-humanizing those that they were fighting against. The victims of this violence were, for the most part, innocents, though they were proclaimed to be affiliated with resistance fighters. And even if they were, who can blame them? The political system was corrupt and didn't care for it's people. There was no food, no work, no respect, people couldn't live, and Indigenous people were treated like dirt. In circumstances like these, I would be part of the insurrection too. But this outlines the danger of the creation of an "us versus them" attitude being indoctrinated. As soon as a segment of a country's population starts pointing the blame at another segment, and takes action against it, all hell breaks loose. I know that this is a long shot, but I can't help thinking of the waves of repression that have begun sweeping Occupy movements, and the brutality of the police forces in general when people try to break loose and defy the status quo. If we can't trust out armed forces to listen to us and protect us, who can we trust?

Ex-ruling party wins violence-scarred Mexican race

http://news.yahoo.com/ex-ruling-party-wins-violence-scarred-mexican-race-143302399.html

This article examines the presidential race in Mexico. It is becoming increasingly apparent that Calderon might very well loose the upcomming election. His war on drugs was simply too brutal and badly planned out, and many are now loosing faith in hime. The PRI, Mexico's former ruling party of 71 years, is gaining momentum again. What I thought interesting about this is that almost all political discourse seems to be related in some way to the drug war and cartels. It's impregnated politics so completely that the best way to attack and opposition party is to blame them of being related to a cartel. In this climate, it's become difficult to differentiate between drug lords and politicians.

Another thing that is mentionned in the article is the fact that, apparently, the Indigenous Purepecha people of Cheran have refused to let poll workers into their town, demanding an election that would respect their traditions. Apparently, they have been actively guarding Cheran from illegal loggers and drug traffickers. Not much is said about them, but this is an interesting case of Indigenous people demanding the right to have their unique traditions respected as well as protecting themselves. I'm wondering in this kind of individualistic communal organization is the way of the future.

Case Study: Guatemala

The readings for this week outline something that I never cease to be enraged about: U.S. imperialism in Latin America.  The U.S. has a long and dirty history of treating Latin America as it's back yard, not as individual countries with rights to sovereignty. The history of the United Fruit Company is a flagrant example of this reality. For years, this company held Guatemala virtually under hostage. Their skills at making friends with the local disctators allowed them to treat the resources of this foreign country as their own, and their actions were backed by the U.S. government, who had large investments in the company (apparently, bribery and politicians being bought out by corporations is nothing new). What astounds me in all of this is the arrogance of the United Fruit Company in all their dealings with Guatemala and surrounding countries, even going as far as encouraging political coups! In Bitter Fruit, this sense of proprietorship of Latin America is laid out in greater details, talking about the many pressure tactics employed by the U.S.to keep it's neighbours in line.

One of my greatest difficulties when reading something like this is knowing that U.S. imperialist measures in Latin America are far from over. Though things have changed and improved somewhat, there is no doubt that perceived U.S. proprietorship of it's neighbours is healthy and well. If that wasn't the case, wouldn't things such as the profound (and, in my opinion, misplaced) involvement of the U.S.  military in the "drug war" create more uproar in the international community? The truth is, all out economic rights morphed into security rights and are now threatening to morph into a strange drug war/war on terror hybrid. The real problem here is that the U.S., and, to some extent, the international community, still see Latin America as a weak, pliable place, easily meddled with.

Mexico Apologizes for not Protecting Slain Women

http://news.yahoo.com/mexico-apologizes-not-protecting-slain-women-005157025.html

This article discusses the Mexican's government lack of action in investigating the slaying of three women in Juarez. This comes at the tail end of a wave of violence against women in Chihuahua and in Mexico generally. In the militarized state of political unrest that the country is in, women are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and violence in general, especially activist women. The fact that the government is not taking active strides to protect it's women is unforgivable.