Our weekly edition is a nationally syndicated one-hour digest of the best of our daily coverage.

Audio Stream | Podcast | Mp3 Download

This week on Uprising —

* Mexico: Calderon’s inauguration and the Oaxaca rebellion
* Leftward trend in Latin America continues with Correa’s win in Ecuador
* The Empire in Africa – a new documentary alternative to Blood Diamond
* Empire Notes and Black Agenda Report on Iraq

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mexico: Calderon’s inauguration and the Oaxaca rebellion

GUEST: Laura Carlsen, Director of the Americas Program at the International Relations Center, based in Mexico

On November 28th, protesters with the Oaxaca Peoples’ Popular Assembly, or APPO as it’s known by its Spanish acronym, surrendered control of a university radio station to educational authorities. Radio APPO had been the backbone of the six-month long rebellion in Oaxaca as activists utilized the airwaves to coordinate massive street demonstrations. The loss of Radio APPO follows the failed attempt by protesters to reclaim Oaxaca City’s main square after a clash with police on Saturday November 25th. An estimated 150 people were arrested and 43 more were injured. Meanwhile, a resolution was passed by representatives of 14 indigenous groups condemning federal forces for worsening the crisis in Oaxaca and calling for the immediate resignation of Oaxaca Governor Ulises Ruiz. The conflict in Oaxaca has weighed heavily on incoming President Felipe Calderon. On Friday December 1st, Calderon was briefly obstructed from taking office by leftist lawmakers who blocked most of the congressional chamber’s doors and seized the speaker’s platform. Thousands of supporters of former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also attempted to block the swearing-in ceremony. Just minutes after Calderon was inaugurated, I spoke with Laura Carlsen.

Empire Notes on Iraq

GUEST: Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade

Empire Notes are weekly commentaries filed by Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade. Today’s commentary is on “a change in the air on Iraq.”

Empire Notes is online at www.empirenotes.org.

Leftward trend in Latin America continues with Correa’s win in Ecuador

GUEST: Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research

Leftist candidate Rafael Correa was declared the winner of Ecuador’s heated election on Tuesday November 28th. His election comes on the heels of Nicaragua’s election of Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega, and joins other left leaning regimes such as Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Chile. Ecuador is currently the second largest South American exporter of crude oil to the US. Ecuador also hosts the only US military base in South America, where 400 troops are currently stationed. Rafael Correa’s win is a source of concern to the US – he opposes an extension of the lease for the US military base, plans to seek a bigger chunk of oil profits from foreign energy companies, and tighten banking regulations to stop capital flight. President Bush’s nemesis, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has openly supported Correa. Chavez himself faces an election on Sunday December 3rd. His main opponent is Manuel Rosales, Governor of Zulia, backed by the majority of Venezuela’s wealthy. Chavez has warned that the US government was backing Rosales and would try to undermine the election.

This program was recorded before the Venezuelan election took place.

Black Agenda Report on Iraq

GUEST: Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report

This week’s commentary is called “Endgame for Americans in Iraq.” Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

The Empire in Africa – a new documentary alternative to Blood Diamond

GUEST: Philippe Diaz, director of “The Empire in Africa”

With all the hype over the new Hollywood film, Blood Diamond, much attention is being paid to the war-torn African nation of Sierra Leone and the corporate ravaging of its diamond mines. But a new documentary, being released simultaneously, gives a different picture. The Empire in Africa, from Cinema Libre studios, is Philippe Diaz’ latest documentary focusing on the political history and current events in Sierra Leone through the voices of ordinary people, government officials and members of the rebel army. What most news media has focused on are the stories of amputee victims of the RUF, the Revolutionary United Front, a rebel group that has agitated for the end of foreign domination. In fact, Blood Diamond, according to Diaz, falls into the trap of demonizing the rebel groups. According to Diaz, the amputation stories have been greatly exaggerated, while the role of former colonial governments has been ignored. I spoke yesterday with Philippe Diaz about his documentary, The Empire in Africa, as well as his thoughts on the film Blood Diamond. During this interview we’ll hear a few excerpts from the documentary.

For more information, visit www.theempireinafrica.com. The Empire in Africa will be opening next Friday, December 8th in New York, Los Angeles, and Madison. A wider release will follow in coming months.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“It is far easier for the proverbial camel to pass through the needle’s eye, hump and all, than for an erstwhile colonial administration to give sound and honest counsel of a political nature to its liberated territory.” — Kwame Nkrumah