Americas

It is not about ideology or agenda. It is about remaining in office for the sake of being in office.

"The extractive model from the United States and Canada is one of the principal causes of the internal and external displacement and expulsion of people," said Enrique Vida Olascoaga of Voces Mesoamericanas. "Mining projects, hydro-electric, and monoculture have become far worse in the last seven years, since the beginning of the free trade agreements. Together with historic discrimination against indigenous peoples, campesinos, and people of African descent, there is a convergence of this violence within migration."

Obrador's political party is taking on neoliberalism and forging a viable alternative for Mexico. The fact that it’s now within striking distance of the presidency is a massive change of fortune for the Mexican left.

For many in Mexico, cacao is more than just a bean. In its preparation, there is resistance, memory, rituals, identity, and friends and family. There's also a melange of incredible flavors.

When George W. Bush and Dick Cheney launched their forever wars—under the banner of a “Global War on Terror”—they unleashed an unholy trinity of tactics. Torture, rendition and indefinite detention became the order of the day. After a partial suspension of these policies in the Obama years, they now appear poised for resurrection.