Continent-wide economic "state of emergency"

[Matthew X]

Internal Commotion, Internal Disruption

On August 13, the new president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, declared, a 
"state of internal commotion" seven days after his inauguration. The 
measure was invoked through the Colombian constitution, allows the 
government to bypass normal legislative procedures, restrict civil 
liberties, and put into place security measures. The measure lasts 90 days, 
but can be renewed twice, and has been implemented numerous times in 
Colombia's history.
The device was implemented after a week of intense fighting amongst the 
Colombian military, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and 
right-wing paramilitaries, which ended whith more than 100 hundred people 
dead. This latest round of fighting began with a bombing at Uribe's 
inauguration, which killed thirteen people and was attributed to FARC. 
Uribe is justifyng these provisons which divert finances and resources to 
the military in order "to counter terrorists and narco trafficants," and 
claims that the paramilitaries will be pursued with the same vigour as FARC.
For more infomation, consult the August 3 feature about continent-wide 
economic "state of emergency" South America has entered, the June 25 
feature on attacks on unions in Colombia, and Narconews.
in italian: emergenza di stato

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