Web Exclusive
Thirty Years Later: The Importance of the Malvinas
Today marks the 30-year anniversary of the start of the 74-day Malvinas War. Although control of the islands is often seen as an issue of national pride, the Malvinas (known as the Falklands outside of Latin America) are also important geostrategic and economic assets. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, rhetoric over the islands’ status has yet … Read more
Web Exclusive
The Pope’s Historic Visit to Cuba
Like his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Cuba at a crucial time in the nation’s history. Pope John Paul II visited in 1998, a time when Communist Europe had crumbled and expectations of change were high; Pope Benedict XVI landed during a time of unprecedented internal change. On Monday, the pontiff arrived in a … Read more
Web Exclusive
Mexico’s Silicon Valley
Mexico is quietly emerging as a capital of Latin America’s growing information technology (IT) outsourcing industry. More than 600,000 people already work in IT, with another 65,000 new professionals graduating each year from the dozens of technical and engineering schools clustered throughout Mexico. The industry includes more than 2,000 IT companies, ranging in size from … Read more
Web Exclusive
China and the Cuban Economy
Since officially taking over from his brother Fidel in 2008, Raúl Castro has introduced reforms in Cuba to begin what some hope will be a period of economic liberalization. But these reforms are not necessarily moving the island nation in the direction sought by the United States for half a century. Instead, as the balance … Read more
Web Exclusive
The Effects of Skin Color in the Americas
Throughout Latin America, countries have long sought to claim immunity from the racial and ethnic divisions that plague the rest of the world. But that is changing as several countries—including Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru—have begun to recognize the diverse nature of their societies and constitutionally declare themselves as multicultural. Most national censuses in … Read more
Web Exclusive
Capriles Radonski and His Vision for Venezuela
After years of being rudderless, Venezuela’s opposition to Hugo Chávez finally has a leader. Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles Radonski soundly defeated four other candidates on February 12 to become the opposition’s sole presidential candidate for October’s presidential election. That he did so without providing details on his vision makes his victory all the more remarkable. … Read more
Web Exclusive
Venezuela’s Military: A Factor in the Upcoming Election?
Election year in Venezuela kicks off on February 12 with the governor of the state of Miranda, Henrique Capriles Radonski, comfortably leading in the polls and projected to win the opposition primary. He will face the campaign machine of President Hugo Chávez or “El Comandante,” which is marching ahead with the well-oiled efficiency of a … Read more
Web Exclusive
[i]AQ[/i] Q&A: Elizabeth Economy on China’s Global Rise
Elizabeth Economy, AQ author and C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks with Americas Quarterly about how “traditionally, China’s foreign policy has trailed its economic policy” and how China’s military and diplomatic policy will increasingly step into the fore. Economy notes that there is a “significant … Read more
Web Exclusive
Brazil and China: Clouds on the Horizon
Read more about China and Latin America in the Winter 2012 issue of Americas Quarterly to be released on January 26, 2012. Brazil and China’s economic relations have grown at a rapid clip in the last five years. But their new ties are also leading to increased wariness by the Brazilians. The real challenge comes … Read more
Web Exclusive
[i]AQ[/i] Q&A: Miguel Santillana and Cynthia Sanborn on Chinese Mining in Peru
What are the effects of China’s growing investments in Peruvian mining endeavors? AQ gets answers from Miguel Santillana, lead researcher of the Instituto del Perú at the Universidad de San Martín de Porres, and Cynthia Sanborn, director of the Universidad del Pacífico‘s Research Center. Mining, an industry that has been active since “pre-Inca ages” according … Read more
Web Exclusive
[i]AQ[/i] Q&A: Antony Bugg-Levine on Impact Investment
AQ speaks with Nonprofit Finance Fund CEO and AQ author Antony Bugg-Levine about impact investing, which he notes is “the idea that a for-profit investment can be both a morally legitimate and economically effective way to address social problems.” Bugg-Levine discusses how to address regulatory and systemic bottlenecks to be able to unleash this captial … Read more
Web Exclusive
[i]AQ[/i] Up Close: East Meets South
Mexico’s Chinese population and links between the two cultures continue to grow as new business and trade opportunities bring the two countries together. In these “AQ Up Close” videos, Americas Quarterly speaks with the director and instructor of the Instituto Confucio (Confucius Institute) in Mexico City about the linguistic interest that Mexicans are displaying toward … Read more
Web Exclusive
Gay Pride in the Amazon
Just days before the release last month of the United Nations’ first official report on gay rights the small Amazon town of Benjamin Constant also marked an important milestone—its first gay pride celebration. The Brazilian town, with over 30,000 people from multiple ethnic backgrounds, sits at the triple border with Colombia and Peru, overlooking the … Read more
Web Exclusive
AQ Slideshow: New York City Celebrates Three Kings Day
Thousands packed the streets of Spanish Harlem to mark the annual event.
Web Exclusive
Justice in Guatemala
Guatemala’s judicial system is on the upswing. In 2011, the Public Ministry made notable strides in the fight against organized crime and political corruption through the leadership of Claudia Paz y Paz—a new and competent attorney general who took over in December 2010—and the continued support of the United Nations sponsored Commission against Impunity in … Read more
