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[i]AQ[/i] Interview: President Juan Manuel Santos on the Economy and U.S.-Colombia FTA
Set to complete his first year in office on August 7, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos takes a moment to discuss with AQ how the U.S. debt ceiling negotiations have adversely affected Latin America and why passage of the pending U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement is “in the interest of the U.S.” An expanded version of this … Read more
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Paying the Price of Equity in Colombia
Latin America is one of the most unequal regions in the world. Colombia, Brazil and Mexico rank as three of the world’s four most unequal countries. And in Colombia, according to The Economist, the top-income quintile earns 25 times that of the lowest quintile. Social policies promoted by the state may be the principal vehicle … Read more
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[i]AQ[/i] Interview: Rita Indiana Captivates Merengue Fans in New York City
Merengue phenom Rita Indiana is known as la montra (the monster) back home in the Dominican Republic and now New York music fans are getting a glimpse of why. The six-foot tall musician—on tour as part of the July 6-9 Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC)—is winning over audiences with her multifaceted style that blends merengue … Read more
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State Elections Solidify PRI’s Position in Mexico
In one of the final electoral litmus tests before Mexico’s federal and legislative elections on July 1, 2012, the gubernatorial contests on Sunday in Nayarit, Coahuila and the State of Mexico resulted in a complete sweep by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party—PRI). This rout sets the stage for a possible PRI return to … Read more
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The Georgia and Alabama Anti-Immigration Laws
As draconian immigration bills pass state houses, it’s comforting to know that we have the courts. Arizona’s SB 1070 has been rebuffed twice in federal court, and Alabama and Georgia’s copycat laws in Alabama (HB 56) and Georgia (HB 87) will face similar legal challenges. But while the courts are critical for protecting minority rights, … Read more
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Costa Rica Inches Toward Coveted APEC Membership
If President Laura Chinchilla gets her way, Costa Rica will be among the first countries to join the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) since a moratorium on new members was set in 1998. But joining the group is an uphill battle, and the president knows that. Costa Rica is now one of more than … Read more
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Afro-Bolivian Royalty
Bolivia has a king. And he is not one of indigenous descent, but surprisingly, African. Julio Pinedo—one of the many Afro-Bolivians who make a living growing coca—found out a few years ago that he is a direct descendant of Bonifaz, a tribal king from Central Africa. Now, he’s the country’s first Afro-Bolivian king in 500 … Read more
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Peru’s Humala Aims to Reassure Investors
Ollanta Humala’s 2.95 percentage point win in Peru’s presidential election on June 5 triggered the local stock index’s biggest crash ever and sent some middle-class families in Lima, haunted by the ghosts of hyperinflation and past economic calamity, running to supermarkets to stock up on basic supplies. But the IGRA index recovered the 12.5 percent … Read more
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Brazil’s Recognition of Same-Sex Unions
In a historic and unanimous ruling, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal declared on May 5 that people in “stable, enduring and public” same-sex relations must be granted the same rights as people in straight marriages. The ruling does not exactly establish gay marriage in Brazil as it is in Canada, Argentina and Mexico City, but … Read more
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[i]AQ[/i] Interview: Jesus Aguais on Homophobia and HIV/AIDS
The annual International Day Against Homophobia on May 17 offers an opportunity to reflect on the state of the worldwide gay rights movement. Jesus Aguais, an AQ Innovator (Fall 2007) and executive director of New York-based Aid for AIDS International, talks with AQ Online about homophobia’s implications on HIV/AIDS and Latin America’s recent progress in … Read more
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[i]AQ[/i] Interview: Judith Morrison on Afro Latinos in the Region
Afro Latinos continue to make significant strides in furthering their integration across the Americas. Judith Morrison, senior advisor in the social sector of the gender and diversity unit at the Inter-American Development Bank talks with AQ online about how African descendant communities are using technology to increase inclusion as well as the role of government … Read more
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Obama’s Trip to Latin America: Accomplishments, Shortcomings, and What It Presages for U.S.-Hemispheric Relations
Typically, it takes time to gauge the full effect of a presidential visit, and the March visit by President Barak Obama to Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador is no exception. If anything, because of the controversy that ensued over whether Obama should have taken the trip in the first place and because it was his … Read more
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Brazil-China: What’s Next After Rousseff’s Visit?
Matías Spektor has a feature article in the Spring 2011 issue of Americas Quarterly titled “One Foot in the Region; Eyes on the Global Prize.” It can be accessed here. President Dilma Rousseff’s five-day trip to China in mid-April yielded modest but palpable progress in a trade relationship that is now Brazil’s most important and … Read more
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A Plurality Loses the Vote in Peru and Faces a Tough Choice
Peruvians are bracing themselves for one of the most divisive presidential campaigns in recent history, with nationalist Ollanta Humala set to face off against right-wing Keiko Fujimori on June 5. The former colonel, who once led a coup against the corrupt administration of Ms. Fujimori’s father Alberto, has garnered 31 percent of the vote with … Read more
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Canada’s Conservatives and Liberals Square Off Ahead of May Election
The defeat of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government in the House of Commons on March 25 has set the stage for a federal election on May 2. But voter fatigue—this is the fourth election in seven years—may explain why Canadians are not yet consumed by election fever. The Conservatives’ downfall came after opposition … Read more
