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The Ukrainian Crisis and Latin America
Dynamics within the Ukraine are forcing reconsideration of an old concept in international politics–the sphere of influence. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not hesitated in saying that Russia has interests in the Ukraine, reserving the right to use force. Some Latin American governments have spoken out against the dismissal of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych … Read more
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Can Venezuela’s Economic Strategy Keep Protests From Spreading?
As protests continue in Venezuela, the government of President Nicolás Maduro has sought to delegitimize protests and isolate them in middle-class areas in the hope that they will burn out. The president’s rhetoric aims at inciting poorer citizens against student and middle-class protesters, who he blames for food shortages, and soaring inflation and by “sabotaging … Read more
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Venezuela’s Escalating Protests, Violence and Political Instability: The Legacy of Chávez
Over the last few weeks, Venezuela has found itself engulfed in protests against current President Nicolás Maduro’s administration. While the student movement has spearheaded this uprising, many Venezuelans have taken to the streets to voice their grievances against the country’s high levels of violent crime, inflation, and the increasing scarcity of basic goods. As protests … Read more
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Two to Rumba: The European Union Decides to Negotiate With Cuba
On February 10, the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) approved a mandate to start negotiating an overall agreement with Cuba. This decision had been under preparation since 2008, when the EU renewed its political dialogue with Havana. Between 2003 and 2008, relations had been at a low point following a series of strong measures … Read more
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Latin Americans’ Perceptions of the Challenges of Urban Living
Rapid urbanization has shaped Latin American societies for the last half century. Across the Latin American and Caribbean region, about four out of every five citizens now live in an urban area. Nearly two out of every five citizens of the region live in an urban area with more than 1 million inhabitants.[1] The region’s … Read more
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AQ Video: An Interview with Santiago Canton
Under attack from the Ecuadorian government—among others—and facing the delicate challenge of balancing private-sector media pluralism with avoiding state intervention, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ (IACHR) Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression faces a crucial moment in its short existence. Created in 1998, the IACHR’s Special Rapporteur has written the hemispheric Principles of Freedom … Read more
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Why Sustainability Matters to the Private Sector
As a business, the EPM Group is a beneficiary of the broad municipal program of sustainability in which we participate. A wholly owned utility company of the municipality of Medellín, we have benefited both locally and internationally from the progressive urban politics of Medellín. Until eight years ago, we were entirely local, but in recent … Read more
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Dismissal of Bogotá’s Mayor Violates International Law
On December 9, the mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, was removed and disqualified from holding public office for 15 years by the inspector general of Colombia, Alejandro Ordóñez, as a result of “irregularities in the public service of garbage-collection.” The inspector general’s decision, however, violates the American Convention on Human Rights, ratified by Colombia in … Read more
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City of God, City of Barriers
Some see Rio’s favelas as crime-ridden danger zones. Cavi Borges, a local filmmaker, sees them as dynamic film sets. The movie producer and director hops on the back of a motorcycle taxi at the base of the Vidigal favela—a shantytown snaking up Morro Dois Irmãos in Rio de Janeiro—and zips through a series of alleyways … Read more
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Public Support for Media Censorship Across the Americas
Freedom of speech remains a contested right in most democracies across the Americas. The restrictions on the freedom of the press discussed in the latest issue of Americas Quarterly have important implications for the quality of democratic rights of citizens across the region. It is therefore crucial to understand what the public thinks about government … Read more
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La Chureca: Calling a Landfill Home
La Chureca—located in Managua, Nicaragua—is Central America’s largest landfill, where 16 tons of trash produced by over 2 million people is dropped off every day. The area, once 4.5 square miles of farmland on Lake Managua, is now home to hundreds of families and wild animals. View the slideshow of La Chureca below. All photos … Read more
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Is the Time Right for Energy Reform in Mexico?
In Mexico, the debate on opening the state oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), to private investment is well under way. On September 8, as President Enrique Peña Nieto unveiled the government’s budget for 2014, several thousand protesters gathered in the center of Mexico City in front of a massive banner that read “Por Nuestro Presente … Read more
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AQ Slideshow: Colombian Farmer Protests
On August 19, 2013, after several failed attempts to bring the Colombian government’s attention to their economic struggles, peasant organizations from all over the country halted agricultural production and blocked interstate highways nationwide. This Sunday, the Colombian government announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with the striking farmers, who agreed to lift their … Read more
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Hangar Pains: The Argentina-Chile Airport Controversy
Relations between neighboring Argentina and Chile have reached a new low point. The latest controversy surrounds a decision by Argentina’s airport regulator, ORSNA, mandating LAN-Argentina, a Chilean-owned airline operating domestically, to vacate its maintenance hangar at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, one of Buenos Aires’s two airports. LAN-Argentina’s director, Agustín Agraz, called this decision a form of … Read more
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The PDVSA Post-Chávez: Will Partnerships with the Private Sector and Chinese Experts Boost Oil Production?
Throughout 2012, and especially after President Hugo Chávez’ death in early March 2013, Venezuela’s national oil firm, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), has taken measures beyond anything done in the past decade to raise its lagging production. While the likely impact merits cautious analysis, the drivers of the Bolivarian Republic’s scramble for increased oil revenues … Read more
