July 29
GUEST: Dr. Robin Broad, Professor of International Development at American University and co-author of the new book, The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country From Corporate Greed, talks about taking on giant mining companies and winning.
The Water Defenders - Beacon Press
Sometimes we lose good leftists because they don't think we can win. There is a huge gap between what people know, and what people dare to work for. Many Americans know about Central America, and about the centuries old will of its people to chose how their countries are run. But odds of having Third World peoples actually choosing their own government are mind-numbingly small. To the North is the empire, whose corporations make most of the decisions about domestic as well as foreign policy.
“The United States appears to be destined by Providence to plague Latin America with misery in the name of liberty.”
-- Simon Bolivar
The Water Defenders is a story about the community activists who defeated an international gold mining corporation, intent on destroying the drinking water of El Salvador. There are lessons to be learned, not only about how to organize, but also how to be a valuable ally to indigenous activists. And sometimes what works is so improbable that it would have been crossed off by all but the most intent and committed.
Like in Palestine, I believe in working for human rights and human dignity even when things look hopeless. But this book urges us to try harder, because winning often demands more. Thanks to Robin and John for this valuable story of achieving justice.
