Author Archives: Spencer

Peer Review Blog Post

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My reviewers agreed that my plans to expand the history were good and that my sources are both reliable and much-needed by the page. One reviewer also mentioned that planning out the history of the group and perhaps providing more details about its ideology would strengthen the page, which I agree with. I also know that this reviewer identified the heavily-conspiratorial nature of parts of the article as problematic, which I also agree with.

I plan to use my sources to create a brief timeline of the group with some good examples sprinkled throughout it. This will add content to the main section and possibly clear things up better than they currently are. I would also like to flat-out remove the entire conspiracy section, but that may be more difficult.

Alpha 66 Blog Post

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Alpha 66 is poorly represented. It is sloppy and severely lacking in terms of relevant sources. Even the information presented is more speculation than fact.

Alpha 66 is overwhelmingly seen through the lens of a conspiracy theorist. Recent news articles and outdated documents create the main support for this page’s flawed ideas.

It is not unreasonable to state that any change will improve this page, but I will focus on removing baseless claims whilst simultaneously adding sources and factual details about the group and its history.

Alpha 66

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Not everything in this article is relevant. There is a section titled: Alpha 66 and Lee Harvey Oswald. It is more akin to a conspiracy theory than anything else. It has only one source despite making sweeping claims and feels completely out of place on Wikipedia.

Although the article does not appear to come down on one side through its wording or message, I am certain that there is more information about the subject that is not included in the article. I also strongly oppose the section involving Lee Harvey Oswald, in its current state, as it has little basis in reality and could be easily contested.

The article should attempt to cover Alpha 66 from multiple perspectives. The most relevant of which would be the group’s perception of itself, Cuba’s perception of the group, the United States perception of the group, and the group’s reputation amongst non-governmental organizations and inter-governmental organizations. In reality, it barely covers even one of these viewpoints. It briefly describes Alpha 66 based upon the group’s website, but the information appears dated and shaky. There are superficial references to how people within the United States and Cuba, but never any firm viewpoint.

Although the few links that I checked are in working order and do appear to support claims made within the article, the majority come from online news websites and, in even worse situations, online databases that use a .com in their url. In no way would I claim that these sources satisfy Wikipedia’s reliable information standards. Newspapers and basic websites cannot be trusted to act as neutral sources in most cases. In spite of this, the presence of bias, inherent or otherwise, is never mentioned within the Alpha 66 article.

Many of the article’s links lead to old documents or dated news posts and there are massive gaps in terms of what is and what isn’t cited. Whole paragraphs are given a single citation at the very end, leaving the reader wanting. This is not surprising when one realizes that many of the claims being made in those same sections are seemingly baseless and often devolve into strange conspiracy theories.

The Talk page is filled with incredulous users that are unsure how to fix the page with its many “sourceless” claims, “conspiracy theories”, and “biased intentions”. Whole paragraphs have been removed for lack of sources and there were apparently claims in the article at one point that Alpha 66 was an “alt-right” movement because it was against communism.

This page is part of the following WikiProjects: Caribbean, Cuba (Inactive), and Terrorism. It is poorly rated and has a “needs additional citations for verification” banner at the top of its page.

This page discusses anti-revolutionary activities taken by Cubans after Fidel Castro came to power. This was briefly mentioned in class and during readings on several occasions, but never looked into with this amount of depth and specificity. Unlike those discussed in class and our readings, this article’s depth is questionable. The Alpha 66 page will need a major overhaul before it could ever be recommended as a good example of what Wikipedia has to offer.

LA in the News: Working in Mexico’s New Police Force is a Deadly Job

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Mexico’s police force is in shambles. The newly-created National Guard is unable to fill its ranks with new recruits and has force the Mexican government to pull more than 58,000 officers from other security forces to make up for the shortfall of civilian recruits. Despite pledging that he would recruit an additional 50,000 law enforcement officers by 2020, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has made no major headway thus far, and various groups including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claim that there is less incentive now more than ever to join Mexico’s police force. This is for a great many reasons that I will elaborate upon below.

Recently, there has been an uptick in violence, both against the police and in general, within Mexico. Just last year, 421 Mexican police officers were killed in the line of duty, while only 55 American police officers were killed in the line of duty. The Mexican public has been apathetic towards this trend, and, in many cases, law enforcement are no better. Officer Ramos’s patrol partner was shot eleven times and left to bleed to death on a tarmac in Mexico City. No one was arrested for the murder, despite large suspicions that it was committed by members of a local gang. In many cases, the police officers themselves doubt the legitimacy of their superiors as many Mexican law enforcement organizations are rife with corruption and, in some cases, extort business through protection fees or do the same with organized crime. This is to say that Mexico’s police will, at times, accept money from criminal groups and in turn will allow them to operate unmolested by the law.

The overall impotence of the Mexican police force stems from the lack of proper pay, equipment, benefits, and leadership that its officers suffer from. It is difficult to uphold the law when one cannot support their family, must purchase their own boots, has no healthcare, and is haunted by  the suspicion that their superiors are secretly working with the criminals. By no means do I wish to imply that all or even the majority of Mexico’s police officers are corrupt, nor do I wish for the reader to believe that Mexico’s police of virtually of no use, but they are currently suffering from a great many institutional problems that must be addressed if they are to operate to the best of their ability.

 

The Mexican police force is portrayed to be an absolute mess. Interviews with current and retired officers only further cement this idea, and crime statistics paint Mexico as an increasingly lee-lawful country. While the article in no way paints every town and city in Mexico as being lethal to enter, there are a few that, with good reason, it describes as dangerous. The article also touches upon the public’s outrage against corruption within the police department, the attempts by officers at all level to reform it, and the positive progress, little as it may be, that has been made. In no way does the article attempt to paint Mexico as inherently lawless, nor is there any racial animus towards the people that live there. It is simply a situation wherein major reform must take place to fix the corruption to which any law enforcement organization might fall victim. 

Crime and corruption are major issues within Mexico and few of the people who live within its borders can escape their influence. These issues are universally condemned by the people, but they are not always fought in an organized manner. Many just try to get by as best they can. The fact that the battle against crime and corruption is central to all major political campaigns speaks to its importance in the mind of the public. All across the political spectrum, candidates and political groups voice their concerns and various solutions to the problem. In terms of how we have viewed Mexico within the context of this course, I would wager that organized crime, for a great many reasons, is one of the largest threats that Mexico must deal with in the modern era. The issue has become so large that it has begun to overshadow other operations of the state, which is unacceptable for so many reasons.

Class Notes: 8/30/19

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August 30, 2019

Today’s class began with Tabitha’s LA in the News presentation. Her topic was the recent announcement made by members of FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia). Tabitha explained the deep tensions between the Columbian government and FARC and why the two forces are now, once again, in such an openly hostile relationship. Tabitha’s article also brought up the interesting dilemma that members of FARC and other armed revolutionary groups face in Columbia and other South American countries. For many fighters who have fought for decades, and sometimes all of their lives, rejoining society can be a long and difficult process. Tabitha also mentioned that the article failed to adequately capture the position of the Columbian government and its side of the story.

After Tabitha’s presentation, Dr. Holt introduced the primary sources essay, which will be due on Friday, September 13. The class then split into small groups to discuss the reading about José Carlos Mariátegui that was due in class that day. My group noted that Mariátegui’s Wikipedia page was particularly well curated and that his opinions on the differences between South American socialism and European socialism were incredibly insightful and that they have certainly impacted future socialist movements in Central and South America.

Historical Skills and Questions for Consideration

  • Connecting the ideas of historical figures to their modern interpretations.
  1. How influential was José Carlos Mariátegui?
  2. Why is he still so important today?
  3. Why was socialism is Central and South America different from European socialism?

Transcribed Passage: Mariátegui’s Exile

After being exiled from Peru, Mariátegui traveled throughout Europe where he rubbed shoulders with various socialists and prominent people, including Benito Mussolini. His time in Europe gave him not only a better understanding of European socialism and why he believed it would not be the correct type of socialism for Peru, but also the dangers of what he claimed to be the failings of socialism. Namely, the rise of fascism. (It should be noted that he believed these groups rose up when socialists failed to band together, not that socialism itself had somehow failed.) After returning to Peru in 1921, Mariátegui was firmly in support of Latin American Socialism.

Key Terms

José Carlos Mariátegui: a Peruvian intellectual, sociologist, writer, political philosopher, and communist. He is considered to be one of the most influential Latin American socialists of the 20th century.

Latin America Marxism: a variety of Marxism that focuses on the agricultural sector rising up as the working class rather than, as in the European model, the factory worker. Latin American Marxism shares more traits with Maoism than traditional European Marxism.

Indigenista Literature: literature that focuses on the relationship between indigenous peoples and the indigenous state. In particular, this writing has been used as either its own political ideology or in tandem with another political ideology in various Latin American countries.

Links

  1. An analysis of recent attempts at socialism in different countries in Latin America: https://truthout.org/articles/what-happened-to-latin-americas-socialism/
  2. More on Bolivia’s indigenous movement: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/19601/bolivia-s-indigenous-movement-sees-advances-and-divisions-under-morales
  3. A more in-depth look at the various guerrilla groups in Columbia: https://www.unric.org/en/colombia/27013-the-guerrilla-groups-in-colombia
  4. A further exploration of the conflict between the Columbian government and FARC: https://providencemag.com/2017/12/colombia-and-the-farc-problems-with-creating-peace/

Examination Questions

  1. What steps, if any, could be taken by the Columbian government, and other governments struggling with the same issue, to ease the transition between militant and civilian for members of guerrilla groups such as FARC?
  2. Does the existence of varying types of socialism strengthen or weaken the cause of a world revolutionary?
  3. Is it possible that the different countries in the same region of the world require different types of socialism? If so, why? (For example, Columbia vs Venezuela, Chili vs Argentina, etc.)