NACLA Weekly Update 09/04/08

New on nacla.org

Displaced People: NAFTA's Most Important Product by David Bacon Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993, the U.S. Congress has debated and passed several new bilateral trade agreements with Peru, Jordan and Chile, as well as the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Congressional debates over immigration policy have proceeded as though those trade agreements bore no relationship to the waves of displaced people migrating to the United States, looking for work. Meet David Bacon in New York on September 11, 2008! Read More

Interview with Former Bolivian Justice Minister Casimira Rodríguez by Nancy Romer
Casimira Rodríguez spent decades organizing domestic workers into a union, which she founded in 1985. When Evo Morales was elected president of Bolivia, he tapped Rodríguez to become the nation's Justice Minister. She spoke with Nancy Romer about her experience in government, the opposition, the president's relationship with social movements, and even offered advice to U.S. workers. Read More

The Winner in Argentina? Transgenic Soy by Christy Thornton What many now consider an "Argentine model" of soy production has emerged, combining financialization and large-scale monoculture, and it is spreading to other countries in the region. Read More

2008 Chavkin Prize: Diana Washington Valdez NACLA announces the selection of Diana Washington Valdez of the El Paso Times for the 2008 Chavkin Award, to be presented by PBS's Maria Hinojosa. Monday, September 22 - 6pm The Fireplace and Terrace Room of SEIU local 32BJ's Headquarters 101 Avenue of the Americas, 23rd Floor, New York, NY The awards ceremony is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. Read More

Now Available September/October 2008 NAFTA's Road to Ruin: The Decline of the Mexican Social Compact, Part II This is the second of two Reports on the decline of Mexico's "social compact" –that is, the understanding among citizens and the state that they are bound by ties of mutual support and by networks of social solidarity. Part I examined the threat to the social compact posed by the persistence of impunity– the practice of Mexican politicians, elites, and other social actors to place themselves above or outside the law. Read More