Total Recall in Bolivia: Divided Nation Faces Historic Vote
In early July in Sicaya, Cochabamba, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced that if he wins the August 10 recall vote on his presidency, "I'll have two and half years left." But if he loses the vote, "I'll have to go back to the Chapare" to farm coca again. Though the recall vote is likely to favor Morales, it's unclear if it will resolve many of the divided nation's conflicts.Pro-Evo Morales Rally
Vermont Progressives Play the Independent Card
The announcement by Anthony Pollina, a Vermont Progressive Party leader running for governor, that he will appear on the ballot this fall as an Independent raises intriguing questions about the reasons for his switch and the future of the movement he leads in the Green Mountain State. At a news conference, Pollina said that running as an independent "is by far the best way" to build a coalition. He didn't mention winning, but that clearly also figured into the decision.Anthony Pollina
G8: The Anti-Climate Summit
While drafting the so-called Bali Roadmap during the UN Conference on climate change last December, delegates faced a painful choice. They could specifically mention the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25-40% by 2020 and face the possibility of a U.S. walkout from the negotiations. Or they could drop all mention of targets to keep Washington in the negotiations - and risk of the United States fatally obstructing the process of coming up with a tough regime of mandatory emissions cuts that would have to be in place by the UN's climate meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Making a Profit Out of The Food Crisis: From A Brave New World Bank to Monsanto
In early June, the battle over the world's food supply moved to Rome where the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held an international summit to discuss rising food prices, climate change and biofuels cultivation. There was much coverage of the summit in the world's media, often focusing on the high profile appearance of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe or the Iranian president Mahmud Ahmedinejad, yet few commentators looked into the rotten heart of the exercise.Anti-Hunger Protest in Haiti
The Mediterranean-Black Sea Union: The Ship Sets Sail
On July 13, in the Grand Palais, an ornate meeting hall built for the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, the Mediterranean-Black Sea Union ship was set to sea with many good wishes from the assembled 44 heads of State or Government. How sea worthy the ship is and what it will carry is too soon to tell.