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The Role of Businesses in Colombia’s Conflict Cannot Be Ignored
When Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., discussion of the Colombian implementation of the peace deal took a backseat to other issues, including the importance of continued economic cooperation. “We are and wish to continue to be the best destination in Latin America for American businesses,” Santos commented … Read more
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Jóvenes Venezolanos criados bajo el chavismo hoy protestan en su contra
Read in English Lorena recuerda su primera impresión de Hugo Chávez. Era el hombre del afiche que su padre, luego de votar, traía del centro de votación. “Me explicó que era el presidente y que estaba en una reelección,” cuenta Lorena. “Tenía yo seis o siete años. Me dijo que un presidente es quien se … Read more
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Chávez’s ‘Golden Generation’ Is Now Fighting Chavismo
Leer en español Lorena remembers her first impression of Hugo Chávez. He was the man in the poster that her father brought from the polling station after casting his vote. “He explained to me that he was the president and he was facing a re-election,” Lorena recalls. She was around six years old. “He told … Read more
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Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s Retirement Is a Loss for Bipartisanship
Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Miami) struck fear into the hearts of Democrats and career diplomats alike during her 2011-2013 tenure as Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. A tough questioner, she championed hardline conservative views with the aplomb of a 30-year House veteran. But she is also one of those increasingly rare creatures – … Read more
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Is Brazil Ready for a Black Political Party?
Celso Athayde watched closely as members of Congress lined up on April 2016 to vote on President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment. Conscious of the national audience following the proceedings, legislators dedicated their votes to their constituencies or causes: families, home states, insurance brokers – even Christians. Two things struck Athayde: the representatives were mostly white. And … Read more
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Women Fighting Gender Violence Find Solidarity – and Get Results – Through Twitter
Shortly after Lesvy Berlin Osorio was found strangled to death on the campus of Mexico’s largest university – the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) – the office of the public prosecutor began to denigrate the 22-year-old woman on Twitter. She consumed drugs and alcohol, had dropped out of high school, and lived with her … Read more
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Brazil’s Year of Living Dangerously
In May 2016, the Brazilian Senate impeached President Dilma Rousseff in the middle of her second term, amid economic recession, corruption scandals and street protests. She was replaced by her vice president, Michel Temer. One year later, Brazilians are discussing Temer’s impeachment, amid economic recession, corruption scandals, taped recordings that could incriminate the chief of … Read more
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Venezuelan Refugees Strain Colombian Border Towns
CÚCUTA, Colombia — Majerly Ospina lives with her three children in a tin roof shack with walls of green plastic. They have no running water or electricity. Despite the hardships, Ospina is thankful for what they have in Colombia; living conditions were tougher in her native Venezuela. “You can’t find food there,” she said, holding … Read more
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Mexican DREAMers Use Fiction to Share Their Immigration Reality
Paper plays an outsized role in Amalia Rojas’ life. A lack of papers – or at least a lack of the right ones – diverted her college dreams when, at 18, she found out she hadn’t been born in the U.S. and didn’t have the legal status she needed to apply for financial aid. Six … Read more
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Why U.S. Tax Reform Threatens Mexico’s Financial Future
While tweets and speeches may continue to cause consternation in Mexico and Canada, the existential threat to NAFTA seems to have passed. President Donald Trump is now talking about giving “renegotiation a good, strong shot” rather than rescinding the free trade agreement entirely. On the docket will be intellectual property, labor rights, e-commerce, rules of … Read more
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Does AMLO Have a Venezuela Problem?
This story has been updated, and a correction has been appended below. Attack ads comparing Andrés Manuel López Obrador to the late Hugo Chávez helped sink his first bid for the Mexican presidency over a decade ago. Now, with 14 months to go until the 2018 presidential election, he is once again the front-runner and … Read more
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Amid Growing Violence, Brazil Is Weakening Indigenous Rights
Brazil has some of the world’s strongest protections for indigenous rights – on paper. In reality, dozens of indigenous people are killed each year in conflicts over land and resources. Brazil is the most dangerous country in the world for environmental defenders. Even as this violence escalates, the current government is working to weaken these … Read more
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We Need to Talk About Lula
He is – still – the most popular president in Brazil’s history. He is as responsible as anyone for its worst recession on record. He is facing numerous corruption-related charges that could imprison him for the rest of his life. He is leading in the polls to be elected president again in 2018 – and … Read more
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Investment Funds See Promise in Latin America
The launch of two Latin America-focused investment funds less than 48 hours apart — Rokk3r Labs’ Rokk3r Fuel and 500 Startups’ Luchadores II — in March made clear that a recent boom in investment in the region is not a passing trend, but robust growth built on a solid base. Last year, the number of … Read more
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Bolivia: No Easy Way Forward, With or Without Morales
Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has long been seen as a benign (and, ultimately, successful) version of Latin American left-wing leadership. Questionable international partnerships and controversial nationalizations aside, Morales’ prudent macroeconomic management has helped Bolivia’s economy outperform many of its neighbors over the past 12 years of his administration. But with presidential elections scheduled for 2019 … Read more
