There is Money for the Olympics, but not for Education

Students in Rio de Janiero are taking to the streets to fight for quality education and in support of the teachers strikes. The dire conditions of public schools and the lack of investment in education contrasts with the vast spending on the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Obama’s Visit to Latin America and the Political Conjuncture

After Havana, Obama came to Argentina. The world’s chief representative of vulture imperialism used his trip to reinforce the steps being taken to advance the United States’ “return” to Latin America. Of course, it never left – but today, the U.S. is finding opportunities presented by South America’s landscape of economic crises and reactionary winds to recuperate greater authority in the region.

The Case for a Constitutional Assembly

An interview with Diana Assunção, a militant of the Revolutionary Workers Movement (MRT) in Brazil, on the current political crisis and what it means for the left.

The Brazilian Crisis in 10 Points

What you need to know about Brazil’s current situation.

How should the Left position itself facing the operation against Lula and the attempts to impeach President Dilma?

At Brazilian workplaces and universities the biggest topic of conversation is the police operation in the 24th phase of “Operation Lava Jato” (Lava Jato is portuguese for car wash, but is a term used for money laundering), which is forcing ex-President Lula to testify. This comes alongside news of a still unknown plea bargain with Delcídio do Amaral, a Senator in the Workers Party who was arrested in 2015 for accepting bribes from Petrobras.

Microcephaly, dengue and the collapse of public health in Brazil

Working families and poor people are the victims of diseases that need not exist. Thousands of cases of microcephaly and chikungunya, along with hundreds of thousands of cases of dengue, resulting in record deaths, are three diseases seemingly brought about by the same mosquito and spread mainly in poor communities because of successive governments’ abandonment of public health. They govern for the rich, and the poor suffer the consequences.

The Political Interests Behind Brazilian President’s Impeachment

In early December, an impeachment process was opened against President Dilma Rouseff, the current President of Brazil and member of the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores-PT). Here are some basic facts that everyone should know about the impeachment process, the PT, and recent events in Brazil.

South America’s Conservative Turn

The year comes to a close with serious political advances made by the Right. We are facing a major change in South America—an “end stage.” The hegemony of relatively progressive regimes is disintegrating in the context of economic stagnation and efforts by the United States to recuperate its position in the region.

Wave of High School Occupations across Sao Paolo

In late September, the governor of Sao Paulo announced a “reorganization” of Sao Paulo public schools—a euphemism for massive school closings. For the next month, hundreds of high school students took to the streets and to social media, protesting the initiative. When the date of the “reorganization” drew closer, students from the Fernao Dias high school decided to occupy their school. They voted that they would not leave the school building unless Governor Alkimin stopped the school re-organization. Since then, over 200 schools in Sao Paulo have been occupied and the trend is spreading to other Brazilian states.