Un enfoque diferente - Nicaragua - a different focus

Dan Kovalik and Don Debar were election observers for the elections in the Russian Federation from March 15th to 17th. They discuss with Camila Escalante and Stephen Sefton the results, the meaning of President Vladimir Putin's unprecedented electoral endorsement and also the horrific terrorist attack in Moscow this week and its likely consequences.

Haiti's people face another period of crisis, suffering and uncertainty as they strive to defend their self-determination against US and allied intervention and the treachery of the country's corrupt ruling elite. Danny Shaw is a professor at New York's City University and has visited and studied the Haitian popular movement for almost 30 years. He kindly agreed to discuss what is happening in Haiti with us at Tortilla con Sal .

Human rights law specialist Dan Kovalik discusses with Stephen Sefton the relevance of international law such as the Genocide Convention to the current brazen genocide by the Israeli government against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

Author, human rights academic and activist Dan Kovalik discussing events in Gaza and their context with Stephen Sefton, Nicaraguan writer. Much of the information discussed comes from contacts in Gaza but also outlets like Al Mayadeen, Electronic Intifada, Internationalist 360º among others.

The election victory of the Sandinista government in November 2006 brought to an end 16 years of neoliberal governments. Since that time, Nicaraguan society has been radically transformed and Nicaraguans now enjoy a society where the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable are prioritised, with 58% of the budget spent on health and education. Universal free health care and education are now provided throughout the country, poverty and extreme poverty have been more than halved and there have been huge strides in the field of gender parity. Yet against this background Nicaragua is constantly demonised by mainstream media, Nicaragua’s right wing opposition and those who accept its mischaracterisations at face value. Since the violent, U.S.-directed coup attempt in 2018, it has been very difficult to find objective analysis of the political situation in Nicaragua in mainstream media, much less any examination of the Revolution’s achievements. In disregarding what is actually happening in the country, the media is ignoring and excluding the lived experience of ordinary Nicaraguans, as if their daily lives are irrelevant to any judgment about the direction the country is taking. During this event, speakers described what life is really like in Nicaragua today as opposed to the media hype – and we hope they may inspire you to visit for yourself!

A discussion of the US elections, why it's worth taking part and voting and the global context with Dan Kovalik.

Ahmed Kaballo visited Nicaragua in November 2021 to cover that year's national elections. He made time to visit local cooperatives as well as indigenous and afrodescendant communities on Nicaragua's northern Caribbean Coast. He also spoke to victims of the extremely violent failed opposition coup attempt in 2018. His report exposes the falsehood of Western media coverage of Nicaraguan politics and society.

En Nicaragua, del 18 de abril al 17 de julio de 2018, grupos violentos de la oposición al gobierno, financiados y organizados por las autoridades estadounidenses y sus aliados europeos, aterrorizaron a la población nicaragüense mientras intentaban derrocar al gobierno electo del país. Medios de comunicación, académicos, organizaciones de derechos humanos e instituciones internacionales como la Organización de Estados Americanos y el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU han tergiversado ese fallido intento de golpe de Estado de 2018 en Nicaragua. Una las afirmaciones más deshonestas ha sido que protestas pacíficas en Estelí del día 20 de abril 2018 fueron brutalmente reprimidas. Este vídeo demuestra de forma categórica que esta afirmación es una mentira. Ningun reportero extranjero, ninguna entidad de derechos humanos, ningún académico, jamás ha consultado con las y los victimas de la violenta agresión golpista en Estelí sobre qué les pasó ese fatídica día del 20 de abril. Los testimonios que figuran en este video revelan la verdad encubierta por la industria de derechos humanos internacional y los medios internacionales que repitan las falsas acusaciones contra las autoridades nicaragüenses sin corroborarlas.

Dan Kovalik reflects on his recent visit to Donetsk which he has written about also for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2022/11/30/maiden-azov-battalion-neonazi-donetsk-luhansk/stories/202212010013)

Kawsachun News interviews Nicaraguan Presidential Advisor Laureano Ortega Murillo discusses the Sandinista government’s strategic cooperation with Russia, China, and Iran on this week’s episode of Latin America Review. Laureano is Nicaragua’s Presidential Advisor for Investment, Trade and International Cooperation; the Director of INCANTO; and an opera singer. Visit Kawsachun News at : https://kawsachunnews.com/ Other links to listen to this podcast: https://linktr.ee/latinamericareview You can support Kawsachun News’ reporting and access all episodes by becoming a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/KawsachunNews

Kawsachun News reporters Ollie Vargas and Camila Escalante interview Michael Campbell, Nicaragua's Foreign Minister for the Caribbean. Visit Kawsachun News at https://kawsachunnews.com/

Nicaragua is under attack by the United States because its radical social and economic democratization shows up the corruption, brutality and systemic failure of Western capitalism. The presentation is made by Becca Mohally Renk who has lived in Nicaragua for over 20 years.

In March 2021, a delegation from the Sanctions Kill initiative combating illegal unilateral coercive measures by the United States and its allies against Venezuela, Cuba and other countries visited Nicaragua. Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance participated in the delegation and kindly agreed to an interview for the Tortilla con Sal media outlet. In the interview she explains the purpose of the delegation, its importance for building international solidarity and her impressions of Nicaragua.

Brian Willson is a veteran of the US war against Viet Nam during which he experienced an epiphany which helped him realize that he needed to remake his identity and develop an ethos of solidarity with the victims of US imperial aggression. That profound change led him to work in solidarity with many countries but especially with Nicaragua and the Sandinista Revolution. In this interview he discusses the current turmoil in the United States following the murder of George Floyd on May 25th and his interpretation of what it means for people in the United States.

In this interview, Dr. Paul Oquist discusses the political, economic and social context of the environmental and other threats to life on Earth. Dr. Paul Oquist has written about these threats in a new book called "Equilibra". The book lays out these threats but also offers a blueprint for humanity to overcome them. Dr. Paul Oquist is Minister-Private Secretary for National Policy of the Presidency of the Nicaraguan government. He has represented Nicaragua since 2007 in the United Nations summits on Climate Change. Nicaragua has consistently advocated for policies aimed at limiting the global rise in temperatures to 1.5°C. Nicaragua has strongly affirmed the importance of rich countries providing adequate financial resources not just to facilitate measures of adaptation and mitigation but also to compensate more vulnerable countries for loss and damages. Representing Nicaragua, Dr.Oquist has also insisted on the principle of shared but differentiated responsibilites. These positions have won the support of the majority of the world's governments within the UN climate change framework. However, Dr. Oquist recognizes the failure of the UN system to meet the challenge of climate change and the deepening systemic catastrophe caused by global capitalism. He argues that only well organized social movements and humanity's younger generations will be able to press effectively to defend Mother Earth and the life she sustains.