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¡Presente! Spring 2011 Issue Out Now:
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In the lead-up to the 2008 presidential elections, we printed a map of U.S. interventions in Latin America over the past decades. The purpose back then was to make the point that we needed to mobilize regardless of who wins the election, by illustrating some historical evidence in regards to the continuity of oppressive U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America under Republican and Democratic administrations.

The design team of ILC.iNK updated the map, illustrating the sad continuation of the same U.S. policies under President Obama.

As a grassroots movement with two decades of experience resisting militarization and working for justice, SOA Watch is deeply rooted in a strong history of solidarity, action and the knowledge that the only change that we’ll get is the change we are willing to work for. We can’t rely on politicians in a system that continues to employ the same old tactics of repression and domination to achieve “stability” and “security”.

SOA Watch has been very active as we continue to mobilize and organize; we have built exciting new relationships within the United States and deepened our connections with social justice movements across the Americas. The people in Latin America, the Middle East and beyond inspire us to pick up the flag of liberation and fight oppression of every nature. To be successful, we must up the ante, push the envelope, and risk arrest in order to call attention to the urgency and seriousness of the situation.

We have succeeded in educating thousands about the reality of U.S. foreign policy. However, influencing public opinion alone is an insufficient means for closing the SOA and ending militarization. As a movement, we must become even more effective at translating public sentiment into public action. Politicians don’t care about people that disagree with them but they have to pay attention if the people who disagree with them are willing to act on those feelings.

Our gratitude goes out to the many people who are doing the day-to-day work within their workplaces and communities, who are growing the grassroots; building the kind of base we need in cities, towns and regions to act on a shared strategic analysis.

Many thanks also to Maryknoll for their $10,000 donation towards the production of Presente and to the artists, authors and editors who have worked on this issue.

Content of the ¡Presente! Spring 2011 Issue
The union-printed, bilingual Spring 2011 issue of ¡Presente! is covering the following issues: