Monthly Archives: April 2021

As The Canary has extensively reported, the presidency of current Brazilian premier Jair Bolsonaro has been a complete horror show. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Luiz Inácio da Silva, known colloquially as ‘Lula’, is one of Brazil’s most widely popular ex-presidents. And he’s indicated that he’s willing to run against Bolsonaro in the next election.

However, in the past powerful forces successfully conspired against Lula to keep him off the ballot. They’ll surely try to do so again, so he will have a hill to climb. But if he prevails, his victory would open an exciting new chapter in Latin America’s largest country.

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US president Joe Biden recently announced his administration will pull troops out of Afghanistan. This brutal war has cost tens of thousands of lives and plunged the country into a protracted conflict. Additionally, it failed to break the Taliban’s power or bring ‘democracy’ to this Middle Eastern country. Rather, the Taliban is stronger than ever and the government in Kabul is a US puppet with problems of its own. If ever there was a case of futile and pointless war, this is it. And it serves as a prime example of western intervention making a bad situation worse.

Furthermore, though Biden’s decision to withdraw should be welcomed, we must be vigilant about whether a proxy force will remain. At the same time we also need to remember that, even if every last US troop goes home, this would still be a small drop in the ocean. The US global military presence isn’t confined to Afghanistan or the Middle East.

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