US Activists Study Bolivarian Revolution

[IndianaGreen]

Published on Friday, January 13, 2006 by Inter Press Service

World Social Forum: US Activists Study Bolivarian Revolution

by Katherine Stapp

NEW YORK - U.S. activists are heading to the Sixth World Social Forum (WSF) with a renewed sense of optimism and international solidarity, despite Washington's animosity toward the hemisphere's growing slate of leftist governments.

Up to 100,000 visitors are expected in Caracas, Venezuela from Jan. 24-29, while parallel forums will take place in Bamako, Mali from Jan. 19-23, and Karachi, Pakistan in March.

The WSF was founded in 2001 to counter the unabashedly neo-liberal agenda promoted at gatherings like the World Economic Forum, held annually in Davos, Switzerland. It has grown larger every year since, drawing thousands of trade unionists, anti-debt campaigners, environmental and fair trade activists, peasants' groups and others representing economic and social justice movements around the world.

Although the WSF has a relatively low profile in the United States, groups that attended in the past are sending more people this time around, and others are planning their maiden voyage to the conference.

Global Exchange, an international human rights group headquartered in San Francisco, California, is sending 200 people -- nearly four times the number it sent to the WSF gathering in Porto Alegre, Brazil last year.

"The main purpose of the trip is to educate people to look deeper into the realities of Venezuela, so they can come back and fight the media blitz and put pressure on the government," said Zach Hurwitz, the "South America Reality Tours" coordinator for Global Exchange.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0113-04.htm