President Maduro’s New Year Interview Pt 1: ‘The Pressures & Attacks of the US Empire Are Nothing Compared to the Voice of Our People’

by Nicolas Maduro / Ignacio Ramonet

The following is the first part of a three part interview conducted by Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Ramonet has previously worked with Le Monde Diplomatique and Liberation and is an author of over a dozen works including a spoken biography of Fidel Castro.

VENEZUELANALYSIS.COM | January 07, 2019

President Maduro talks to Ignacio Ramonet in Caracas (Ignacio Ramonet / Facebook)

The interview was published on Ramonet’s facebook page on January 1, 2019, and comes only days before Maduro is due to start his second constitutional term as president on January 10, which many regional right wing governments have claimed is illegitimate. It also comes in a context of ongoing inflation, increased international pressure and sanctions against Venezuela, a solidification of the political hegemony of the ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV) after winning five elections in the past 18 months, the implosion of the right wing opposition alliance, a series of government-led economic reforms, and a recent attempt to assassinate the President with drone-laden explosives.

President Maduro’s New Year Interview Pt 2: ‘Sanctions Cost Venezuela $20 Bn in 2018’

by Nicolas Maduro / Ignacio Ramonet

The following is the second part of a three-part interview conducted by Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Ramonet has previously worked with Le Monde Diplomatique and Liberation and is an author of over a dozen works including a spoken biography of Fidel Castro.

VENEZUELANALYSIS.COM | January 08, 2019

President Maduro talks to Ignacio Ramonet in Caracas, 2018. (Ignacio Ramonet / Facebook)

The interview was published on Ramonet’s Facebook page on January 1, 2019, and comes only days before Maduro is due to start his second constitutional term as president on January 10, which many regional right-wing governments have claimed is illegitimate. It also comes in a context of ongoing inflation, increased international pressure and sanctions against Venezuela, a solidification of the political hegemony of the ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV) after winning five elections in the past 18 months, the implosion of the right-wing opposition alliance, a series of government-led economic reforms, and a recent attempt to assassinate the President with drone-laden explosives.

President Maduro’s New Year Interview Pt 3: ‘The Continent’s Popular Forces are Once Again Ready for Battle’

by Nicolas Maduro / Ignacio Ramonet

The following is the first part of a three part interview conducted by Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Ramonet has previously worked with Le Monde Diplomatique and Liberation and is an author of over a dozen works including a spoken biography of Fidel Castro.

VENEZUELANALYSIS.COM | January 09, 2019

President Maduro talks to Ignacio Ramonet in Caracas (Ignacio Ramonet / Facebook)

The interview was published on Ramonet’s facebook page on January 1, 2019, and comes only days before Maduro is due to start his second constitutional term as president on January 10, which many regional right wing governments have claimed is illegitimate. It also comes in a context of ongoing inflation, increased international pressure and sanctions against Venezuela, a solidification of the political hegemony of the ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV) after winning five elections in the past 18 months, the implosion of the right wing opposition alliance, a series of government-led economic reforms, and a recent attempt to assassinate the President with drone-laden explosives.

Venezuela is under siege — it needs our solidarity

A Morning Star Editorial | January 11, 2019

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores stop to greet flag-waving children upon arrival to the Supreme Court for Maduro’s inauguration ceremony in Caracas, Venezuela

DESPITE being elected with over two-thirds of the vote last May in an election given a clean bill of health by hundreds of international observers, President Nicolas Maduro’s swearing in today provoked the usual round of abuse and threats.

The original ‘fake news’? The BBC and the Information Research Department

by Ian Sinclair

Morning Star | January 09, 2019

LAST month Ritula Shah presented a BBC World Service discussion programme entitled Is “Fake News” A Threat To Democracy?

Predictably the debate focused on Russian attempts to influence Western populations and political systems.

In defense of human rights and Angela Davis

by Chauncey K. Robinson

Peoples World | January 10, 2019

Angela Davis at home in East Oakland, Calif. on Sept. 9, 1974. She wears two chains representing her commitment to struggle. One is gold, with the hammer and sickle of the Communist Party. The other is ivory with a dragon, ancient symbol of strength and harbinger of revolution. | AP

This week, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) in Alabama came under fire after reversing its decision to honor the famed activist, educator, and philosopher Dr. Angela Davis. Davis, who has a long history in the civil rights movement as an advocate for the oppressed, was set to receive the institute’s Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights award. Yet, in a vague and troubling statement, the institute cast doubt on Davis’ work when it comes to advocating for the defense of human rights. It is clear that this attack on Davis’ legacy is nothing short of retaliation against the radical activist for her continued practice in standing firm on issues such as race, systemic oppression, and justice for Palestine. It also shows the continued need to defend Black women leaders from the attacks of those that seek to silence and intimidate voices that truly work in the defense of human rights for all.

Military prepare for post-Brexit civil war in Britain and Northern Ireland

by Steve James

Junior Defence Minister Tobias Elwood says 50,000 soldiers had to be readied for deployment on Britain’s streets in the event of a “no-deal” Brexit.

With Britain’s scheduled exit from the European Union (EU) less than 90 days away, his comments, quoted from an anonymous source in Saturday’s Timesnewspaper, confirm that the ruling elite is preparing for the potential eruption of a civil war.

The Times reported, “Ministers at a no-deal Brexit planning meeting on Thursday [January 3] were told that 30,000 regular troops and 20,000 reserves must be ready to help manage the consequences.” Elwood was reported as warning that the troops had to be in place “in case of civil unrest, to assist at Britain’s airports and to ensure fuel and medical supplies.”

Africa in review 2018, part II: Regional instability and the politics of underdevelopment

by Abayomi Azikiwe

Pambazuka News | January 04, 2019

Introduction

Over the last 12 months events on the African continent have reinforced the centuries-long relationship with the imperialist nations through the process of economic exploitation of human and natural resources, fuelling the profitability of the dominant forces within the world system. Although there are subtle and profound variations manifesting this reality in the 55 designated countries making up the African Union (AU), the similarities across the continent far outweigh the differences.