Reading César Vallejo in Arabic The Poets The posthumous poetry collection of the Iraqi poet Sargon Boulus (1944–2007), ‘Azma Ukhra li-Kalb al-Qabila (Another Bone for the Tribe’s Dog), published in 2008 shortly after his death in Berlin, is populated with ghosts. [1] There are ghosts of anonymous humans who perished in recent wars, Sinan Antoon • 9 min read
MER Article The Syrian Uprising and Mobilization of the Syrian Diaspora in South America The Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Asad’s government that began in 2011, and the armed conflict that followed, has generated a strong reaction among the large populations of Arabic-speaking immigrants and their descendants in both Brazil and Argentina. Institutions and community members mobilized in the past around political issues Paolo Pinto, Cecilia Baeza • 13 min read
MER Article South-South Solidarity and the Summit of South American-Arab Countries A sense of deep connection has reverberated between South America and Arab countries since the early waves of Arab migrations to South America in the late nineteenth century. The Arabic language also played an important role in Brazil’s history. Most of the Muslim African anti-slavery activists and revolutionaries in Paolo Farah • 6 min read
Puerto Rican Decolonization, Armed Struggle and the Question of Palestine Lolita Lebrón, 24 years after unfurling the Puerto Rican flag and opening fire in the US House of Representatives in 1954, [1] once again cried out against Puerto Rico’s colonial status in 1978. “The liberation movement of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico,” declared Lebrón, “conscious of its historic Sara Awartani • 14 min read
Latin America-Middle East Ties in the New Global South Over the past several years, posters of a gray Chinese terracotta warrior have caught the eyes of travelers in international airports. Hung on walls alongside moving walkways, the posters advertise the London-based bank HSBC and feature photographs ironically labeled with a sentence starting, “In the future.” The campaign was designed Alejandro Velasco, Omar S. Dahi • 14 min read
From the Editors (Winter 2017) This double issue of Middle East Report, “The Latin East,” is a collaboration with the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA). We publish it in tandem with the current issue of NACLA Report on the Americas, which is available for free online. With the kind permission of Routledge, we The Editors • 8 min read
MER Article Palestinians and Latin America's Indigenous Peoples Palestinians have found an ally in the indigenous peoples of Latin America. Over the last decade, indigenous movements have been among the most vocal supporters in the region of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Bolivia’s Evo Morales, the first self-identified indigenous pre Cecilia Baeza • 11 min read
Current Analysis Solidaridad con Gaza, La Segunda Parte Latin American solidarity movements with Palestine are starting to win important political battles. Cecilia Baeza • 3 min read
baeza_072214 Current Analysis Solidaridad con Gaza The brutal Israeli assault on Gaza, the fourth in less than ten years (2006, 2008-2009, 2012 and now again), has triggered a burst of solidarity in Latin America. Cecilia Baeza • 3 min read
MER Article "Let Us Be Moors" “Seamos moros!” wrote the Cuban poet and nationalist José Martí in 1893, in support of the Berber uprising against Spanish rule in northern Morocco. “Let us be Moors...the revolt in the Rif...is not an isolated incident, but an outbreak of the change and realignment that have entered the world. Let Hisham Aïdi • 33 min read
MER Article Bahbah, Israel and Latin America Bishara Bahbah, Israel and Latin America: The Military Connection (New York: St. Martin’s Press with the Institute for Palestine Studies, 1986). Milton Jamail • 1 min read
MER Article Black, Garrison Guatemala George Black with Milton Jamail and Norma Stoltz Chincilla, Garrison Guatemala (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1984). A Chicana from California on a recent political study trip to Guatemala elicited a special tour from guards at Guatemala’s seat of government, the National Palace, by putting on Martha Wenger • 1 min read