Ramona Wadi

Ramona Wadi is an independent researcher, freelance journalist, book reviewer and blogger. She writes about the struggle for memory in Palestine and Chile, historical legitimacy, the ramifications of settler-colonialism, the correlation between humanitarian aid and human rights abuses, the United Nations as an imperialist organisation, indigenous resistance, la nueva cancion Chilena and Latin American revolutionary philosophy with a particular focus on Fidel Castro, Jose Marti and Jose Carlos Mariategui. Her articles, book reviews, interviews and blogs have been published in Middle East Monitor, Upside Down World, Truthout, Irish Left Review, Gramsci Oggi, Cubarte, Rabble.ca, Toward Freedom, History Today, Chileno and other outlets, including academic publications and translations into several languages.

Will The Thaw In US-Cuban Relations Chill Cuba’s Revolutionary Zeal?

“That conscience is ingrained in our internationalism, and is at the essence of our policies of international solidarity. It won’t change just because we establish a normal relationship with the U.S. or any other government,” the Cuban Five’s René González tells MintPress News.

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
In this Feb. 17, 2014 photo, Rene Gonzalez, ofthe “Cuban Five," poses for a portrait under a framed picture of Fidel Castro in Havana, Cuba. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

HAVANA, Cuba --- The December 2014 announcement that Cuba and the United States would be normalizing relations was met with both eagerness and suspicion. The diplomatic negotiations which led to the release of the remaining three members of the Cuban Five being held in the U.S. in exchange for USAID subcontractor Alan Gross and an unidentified U.S.

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Right-Wing Victories In Argentina, Venezuela Could Accelerate US Dominance In The Region

Recent elections in Argentina and Venezuela have yielded major changes that could ultimately open the door to greater interference by corporate interests and the U.S.

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
Mauricio Macri and his wife Juliana Awada ride on an open car towards the presidential palace after he was sworn in as Argentina's new president in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. Macri, the former mayor of Buenos Aires who hails from one of Argentina's richest families, took the oath of office in Congress in front of legislators, several Latin American heads of state and other dignitaries, including former Spanish King Juan Carlos I. (AP Photo/Maria Eugenia Cerutti)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina --- The recent right-wing triumphs in Argentina and Venezuela are being touted as a pivotal moment in South American politics, with the longstanding balance of power shifting away from the left and toward the right. In the 1970s, when a socialist fever was spreading across South America, especially after Salvador

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Valletta Summit Highlights Discrepancies In EU, African Priorities On Refugee Crisis

“I think it is better to invest in people than weapons,” Luxembourg’s prime minister told journalists ahead of a migration summit, highlighting what would be a major point of divergence between European and African representatives in attendance.

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, center, smiles as he poses for a family picture with European Union and African leaders on the occasion of an informal summit on migration in Valletta, Malta, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

VALLETTA, Malta --- The clamor for gas and oil by Western nations, in particular NATO’s destruction of Libya and Syria for access to those resources, has given rise to the largest refugee crisis since World War II, with more than one million refugees from war-torn nations expected to cross into Europe by the end of the year. Over half a million

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EU Nominates Violent US-Backed Venezuelan Opposition For Human Rights Prize

The EU nominated Mesa de la Humanidad Democrática for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, despite the opposition coalition’s role in anti-government protests that grew increasingly violent before culminating in a coup attempt against the Venezuelan president.

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
An opposition demonstrator prepares to throw a molotov cocktail at police after clashes broke out at a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015.

CARACAS, Venezuela --- As Venezuela continues to combat various forms of interference within its borders, the European Union has unveiled its nominees for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The prize, which was established in 1988, is awarded to individuals or groups dedicated to improving human rights. This year’s nominees include

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Crimes Of US-Backed Dictatorship Era Still Being Prosecuted In Chile

As Chile buries one face of the horrors of the dictatorship era, the country moves to prosecute those responsible for the burning death of an American resident.

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
A man reads a leaflet

SANTIAGO, Chile --- Two recent developments in Chile have reignited the struggle for memory against Augusto Pinochet’s lasting culture of oblivion. On Aug. 7, Chileans on both sides of the political spectrum either lamented or celebrated the death of Manuel Contreras, former head of Pinochet’s National Intelligence Services (DINA). Contreras’

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ANALYSIS: Cuba-US Relations: Diplomatic Ties Emerge, Mired In Suspicion

The normalization of relations could be hailed as a positive move, but given the history of U.S. intervention under the guise of democracy, not everyone is convinced that the U.S. isn’t simply manipulating diplomacy to subvert the island’s revolutionary forces.

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
A Cuban flag flies among empty flag polls near the U.S. Interests Section building

WASHINGTON --- Feelings of anticipation and a sense of foreboding are both attending Cuba and the United States’s progress on plans to re-establish full diplomatic relations. The negotiations, which started in mid-2013, were announced publicly on Dec. 17, 2014, when the three remaining “Cuban 5” were released in exchange for USAID subcontractor

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Desperate To Halt BDS, Israel Threatens To Sue Boycotters

Considering the millions of dollars and ramped-up rhetoric the Israeli government is throwing at efforts to thwart the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, one might safely assume that the movement is making powerful strides.

Ramona Wadi
By Ramona Wadi
a pin with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) logo

The Israeli government has been ramping up its hawkish rhetoric attacking the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement aimed at ending Israeli apartheid and occupation of Palestinian land, a movement which was inspired by the Nelson Mandela’s initiative to end apartheid in South Africa. This week, Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet

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