Paraguay

Paraguay is a landlocked, South American country, between Brazil and Argentina. In 1989, dictator Alfredo Stroessner was ousted from power after three decades of rule, but political stability did not follow and his National Republican Association-Colorado Party is still in power.

Media
The BBC says of the country's media: "Newspapers and broadcasters air a range of views, including those of the opposition. But journalists investigating corruption, or covering strikes and protests, risk intimidation and media outlets sometimes face legal harassment. Reporters Without Borders, the media rights body, said in 2007 that journalists 'do not dare probe too deeply into scandals involving politicians'."

Events

 * 2000 August: "After weathering one of the most half-hearted coup attempts in Latin America, Paraguay’s President Luis González Macchi declared a state of emergency, granting himself broad powers to rule by decree."
 * 2005 May: the nation’s Congress was convened in secret, after midnight, according to a May 31 report by the Argentine correspondent for the Mexican daily La Jornada. The reason: to rush through a law “that will permit United States troops to enter this South American country for 18 months, with immunity for all personnel that participate in activities of training and advising, including civilian personnel.”
 * 2005 August 1, Benjamin Dangl, What is the U.S. Military Doing in Paraguay?
 * 2005 September 15, Benjamin Dangl, U.S. Military in Paraguay Prepares To &quot;Spread Democracy&quot;

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Bolivia
 * Imperial terror in South America
 * Mercosur
 * Peru
 * U.S. military presence in Paraguay
 * water wars

Background

 * Resource Center of the Americas.org website: Paraguay.
 * CIA - The World Factbook: Paraguay.
 * Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC), University of Texas at Austin.
 * Paraguay and Politics of Paraguay (formerly Election World) in the Wikipedia.
 * Worldpress.org (profile on Paraguay from the CIA World Factbook).
 * Paraguay, National Geographic, accessed December 2007.