USAID and the Criminalization of Social Movements in Paraguay

[Disir]

USAID's Strategy of Domination

What is the role of the United States in this turmoil, and how has USAID contributed to the imbalance of power in the region? While there is no evidence to show that the US played a direct role in President Lugo's impeachment or the events that unfolded on the ground, several USAID programs have contributed to the maintaining and furthering of the imbalance of power in the region. While USAID efforts are specifically "humanitarian," geared toward "economic development" and the strengthening of "democratic institutions," time and again reports and analysis have shown that their interests are twofold. In Venezuela, classified cables released by WikiLeaks showed that USAID played a central role in the coup d'état against President Hugo Chávez. In Bolivia, they supported political parties that attempted to challenge President Evo Morales and destabilize his administration. USAID has been known to be an "organization that while providing aid is also developing ways to undermine governments." While each country in Latin America has had a distinct relationship with USAID, its efforts have been consistently to advance US political, economic and military interests - oftentimes under the guise of humanitarian support.

According to a report titled "USAID in Paraguay: Assistance as Strategy for Domination," by Paraguayan think tank BASE Investigaciones Sociales, USAID has been progressively increasing its aid since 2008, in terms of funding, political influence, the range of agencies it works with and the number of territories in which it functions. Since 2007, economic funding from the United States assigned to Paraguay more than doubled from $17.25 million to $36.2 million in 2010, with USAID being one of the main governing bodies over these funds. US influence in Paraguay existed throughout the violent dictatorship that lasted nearly 35 years, but persisted after 1989, throughout the country's "transition to democracy."
USAID and the Criminalization of Social Movements in Paraguay

USAID really is a vile organization. Did any crap happen? Where is USAID?

 

[waltky]

Granny says dat's what we oughta do - burn down Congress...

Paraguay rioters set fire to Congress after Senate re-election vote
Sat Apr 1, 2017 | Protesters stormed and set fire to Paraguay's Congress on Friday after the Senate secretly voted for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election.

The country's constitution has prohibited re-election since it was passed in 1992 after a brutal dictatorship fell in 1989. "A coup has been carried out. We will resist and we invite the people to resist with us," said Senator Desiree Masi from the opposition Progressive Democratic Party. Firefighters managed to control the flames after protesters left the Congress building late on Friday night. But protests and riots continued in other parts of Asuncion and elsewhere in the country well into the night, media reported.

Protestors set fire to the Congress building during a demonstration against a possible change in law to allow for presidential re-election in Asuncion​

Earlier, television images showed protesters breaking windows of the Congress and clashing with police, burning tires and removing parts of fences around the building. Police in riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Several politicians and journalists were injured, media reported, and Interior Minister Tadeo Rojas said several police were hurt. One member of the lower house of Congress, who had been participating in protests that afternoon, underwent surgery after being hit by rubber bullets. The number of casualties was unknown.

Police are pictured near a statue of a cannon during a demonstration against a possible change in law to allow for presidential re-election in front of the Congress building in Asuncion, Paraguay​

Cartes called for calm and a rejection of violence in a statement released on Twitter. "Democracy is not conquered or defended with violence and you can be sure this government will continue to put its best effort into maintaining order in the republic," he said. "We must not allow a few barbarians to destroy the peace, tranquility and general wellbeing of the Paraguayan people." The unrest coincides with a rare high-level international event in the landlocked South American country. Thousands of businessmen and government officials descended on Asuncion this week for the Inter-American Development Bank's annual board of governors meeting.

Protestors set fire to the Congress building during a demonstration against a possible change in the law to allow for presidential re-election in Asuncion, Paraguay​

While Paraguay long suffered from political uncertainty, the soy and beef-exporting nation has been attracting investment in agriculture and manufacturing sectors in recent years as Cartes offered tax breaks to foreign investors. Instability in the country of 6.8 million is a concern for its much larger neighbors Brazil and Argentina. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was monitoring the events. "I call on political leaders to avoid inciting violence and seek dialogue," the commission's regional representative for South America, Amerigo Incalcaterra, said in a statement.

SECRET SESSION

 

[frigidweirdo]

USAID's Strategy of Domination

What is the role of the United States in this turmoil, and how has USAID contributed to the imbalance of power in the region? While there is no evidence to show that the US played a direct role in President Lugo's impeachment or the events that unfolded on the ground, several USAID programs have contributed to the maintaining and furthering of the imbalance of power in the region. While USAID efforts are specifically "humanitarian," geared toward "economic development" and the strengthening of "democratic institutions," time and again reports and analysis have shown that their interests are twofold. In Venezuela, classified cables released by WikiLeaks showed that USAID played a central role in the coup d'état against President Hugo Chávez. In Bolivia, they supported political parties that attempted to challenge President Evo Morales and destabilize his administration. USAID has been known to be an "organization that while providing aid is also developing ways to undermine governments." While each country in Latin America has had a distinct relationship with USAID, its efforts have been consistently to advance US political, economic and military interests - oftentimes under the guise of humanitarian support.

According to a report titled "USAID in Paraguay: Assistance as Strategy for Domination," by Paraguayan think tank BASE Investigaciones Sociales, USAID has been progressively increasing its aid since 2008, in terms of funding, political influence, the range of agencies it works with and the number of territories in which it functions. Since 2007, economic funding from the United States assigned to Paraguay more than doubled from $17.25 million to $36.2 million in 2010, with USAID being one of the main governing bodies over these funds. US influence in Paraguay existed throughout the violent dictatorship that lasted nearly 35 years, but persisted after 1989, throughout the country's "transition to democracy."
USAID and the Criminalization of Social Movements in Paraguay

USAID really is a vile organization. Did any crap happen? Where is USAID?

The irony of Venezuela was that the group that paid for the ousting of a democratically elected leader in favor of a junta of some kind, was that the group doing it claimed to be doing it for reasons of democracy. The US telling people about democracy is a laugh in itself.

But this sort of thing has been going on for so long, the US keeps these countries impoverished, and takes all the money out. They called it "capitalism", then when this "capitalism" goes slightly of course, then the American people are saying they need protectionism because they're not making enough money.... wtf?