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Luisa Ortega Díaz: The Venezuelan Opposition’s Unlikely Ally
Few question whether Venezuela’s former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz is a true chavista. As Venezuela’s top law enforcement officer for nearly a decade, she followed the government line to the letter, including in the prosecution of demonstrators arrested in a wave of protests against President Nicolás Maduro in 2014. That is, until recently. In … Read more
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Not Just the FARC: Numerous Colombia Conflicts Rage On
Lloró, Colombia – As FARC guerrillas began resettling in demobilization zones throughout Colombia earlier this year, Ciro Cunambia and his family were adjusting to a relocation of their own. In March, Cunambia fled shootouts and rumors that his rural village in the Pacific department of Chocó would be “turned to dust.” After a two-hour boat … Read more
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HIV-Positive Mothers in Venezuela Face an Impossible Choice
Missing treatment can make things very bad, very quickly for those with HIV. Even one missed dose carries the risk of the virus becoming more resistant – and more dangerous. In Venezuela, shortages of vital medicines have interrupted the treatment of approximately 80 percent of people with HIV, and the consequences have been deadly. In … Read more
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Brazilian Diplomacy: From First in Class to Disappearing Act
Brazilian foreign policy has always been an unpredictable affair. In the 1930s, dictator Getúlio Vargas had sympathies with Nazi fascism, even modeling labor laws after Benito Mussolini’s and fostering a militant wing vaguely resembling Adolf Hitler’s. But he ended up siding with the Allies during World War II. In the 1970s, during another authoritarian period, … Read more
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How Venezuelans Could Reshape Elections in Florida
As an engineer, Jorge Pacheco never expected his job would make him the target of political persecution. But as Venezuela’s finances floundered and its public services deteriorated, the Venezuelan government blamed engineers at the state-owned electrical provider CORPOELEC for power grid disruptions. As political persecution became more common, the young man made the difficult choice … Read more
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How Central American Youth Test Outdated U.S. Immigration Laws
As Vice President Mike Pence travels to Central America this week, immigrants will be on his mind. They’ve certainly been on the news, and on the president’s agenda. Pence knows that Central American children have been fleeing to the United States. But he should also recognize the staggering scale of this wave, and what’s behind it. Understanding … Read more
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How Violence Is Changing in Post-FARC Colombia
The end of war hasn’t released Colombia from the grip of violence. Homicide rates have fallen in the 12 months since the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) agreed to a permanent ceasefire, but other forms of victimization have started to rise. More than 50 social leaders have been assassinated since the beginning of the year. … Read more
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The Other Winner of Mexico’s Energy Reforms
On a recent summer afternoon, Carlos Gamez, a project manager at solar energy provider Enlight, was overseeing a home installation in the affluent Mexico City neighborhood of Lomas de Chapultepec. Workers prepared to tilt two dozen or so panels to 19 degree angles toward the equator, and position them far from the shade of a … Read more
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In Argentina, the Ghost of Populism Haunts Investors Ahead of Elections
This piece has been updated. Every morning María Graciela Ottaviani sets up a cart by the beach in Mar del Plata, Argentina, where she sells popcorn to the tourists that flock to the coastal city. It’s not easy work for the 71-year-old, who recently broke an elbow when she fell on the stairs. But ever … Read more
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Foreign Firms Show Renewed Interest in Bolivia’s Gas Fields
On his 100th day as president, Evo Morales sent the military to occupy Bolivia’s oil and gas fields in a bid to nationalize reserves of its most important resource. It was a dramatic statement that captured attention in Bolivia and beyond. A decade later, Morales is adopting a more pragmatic approach. There’s little fanfare this time, … Read more
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The Cost of Brazilian President Michel Temer’s Political Survival
Peasants, small farmers, and indigenous people are being massacred over land rights and environmental conflicts across rural Brazil. From January to July of this year, 52 people have been killed, according to the Land Pastoral Commission (the Comissão Pastoral da Terra, or CPT, a Catholic organization that tracks this violence). At this rate, 2017 will … Read more
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For Latin American Youth, Big Ambitions Meet Familiar Obstacles
Experts, policymakers and young people gathered in Lima for AQ’s launch event on challenges and opportunities facing youth in the region today.
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Live Now: What It’s Like to Be 18 in Latin America
Lima, Peru – What is it like to be on the cusp of adulthood in Latin America today? The first generation to grow up in a continent where the middle class outnumbers the poor, today’s young are on average better educated than their parents. They also have much higher aspirations—but will they be able to reach … Read more
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The Six Players in Venezuela’s Crisis
Venezuela is at a crossroads. President Nicolás Maduro is pushing ahead with a vote Sunday to elect a 545-member National Constituent Assembly (ANC) with powers to rewrite the constitution and cement his hold on power. Events over the next few days will determine the survival of Venezuelan democracy, the welfare of its population, and the … Read more
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Venezuela’s Neighbors Need to Step Up. What’s Holding Them Back?
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump promised “strong and swift economic actions” if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro goes through with the July 30 vote to select delegates to the constituent assembly. This announcement comes after an increasingly desperate situation in Venezuela has been met with remarkable regional inaction, producing a power vacuum not seen for decades. Those, however, … Read more
