Blog entries

The route from the international airport into downtown Rio de Janeiro along the Linha Vermelha passes through parts of the city unnoticed by the casual business traveler or tourist. Instead, a first-time visitor is likely to focus on the favelas dotting the hillsides in and around Rio, or on that first glimpse of the sea … Read more

President Hugo Chávez announced today that he is freezing plans to develop nuclear energy in light of the events currently unfolding in Japan.  This past October, Chávez signed a deal with a Russian company to build a nuclear power plant over the next decade.  Highlighting the dangers of nuclear technology, despite technological advancements, Chávez has … Read more

Colectivos de colombianos por la paz insisten en salida política negociada al conflicto. Desde que el día de su posesión presidencial Juan Manuel Santos aseguró que “las llaves de un proceso de negociación no están perdidas”, varios sectores en Colombia han manifestado su optimismo por un cambio de discurso que, durante los ocho años de … Read more

Among the many crises competing for international attention, the ethno-territorial conflict plaguing the Afro-Colombian population on Colombia’s Pacific Coast is barely making headlines. Afro-Colombians have been systematically displaced from their communities, often violently, at the hands of guerillas and neo-paramilitary groups since the mid-1990s. Yet few Colombians, let alone foreigners, are paying attention. This comes … Read more

Authors: Daniel Altschuler and Javier Corrales Sometimes in an election, voters have to choose the lesser evil. Democracy is imperfect, and so are candidates.  But the two apparent front-runners for Guatemala’s upcoming presidential election in September are worse than imperfect candidates; they reflect deeply troubling trends in Latin American politics—the Iron Fist and conjugal continuismo. … Read more

The earthquake in Japan and the emergency in the nuclear plant of Fukushima have had an unprecedented effect in Chile on the upcoming visit by President Barack Obama next Monday. Weeks before the visit, the Sebastián Piñera administration had announced that a cooperation agreement on nuclear energy would be signed during the visit. After the … Read more

From the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. AS/COA Online’s news brief examines the major—as well as some of the overlooked—events and stories occurring across the Americas. Check back every Wednesday for the weekly roundup. Sign up to receive the Weekly Roundup via email. Previewing Obama’s Latin America Trip A March 15 White House press gaggle … Read more

Anyone who thought Costa Rica’s surprise overture toward Cuba in March 2009 would ruffle the feathers of the Central American country’s close ally, the United States, was likely to be wrong. Not only did Washington have advance information that the administration of former President Oscar Arias would seek rapprochement with the Communist island, the United … Read more

A National Council of La Raza (NCLR) reported released on Tuesday reveals that a shocking 56 percent of Puerto Rico’s children live below the poverty line. According to a study titled 2010 KIDS COUNT – Puerto Rico Data Book, the poverty rate among Puerto Rico’s under-18 demographic, representing a quarter of the island’s population, is … Read more

Felipe Calderón is changing the rules of the game for fighting corruption. Earlier this month, Calderón announced a series of initiatives targeting corrupt practices in public service and for the first time, providing rewards to whistleblowers and citizens who provide information leading to identification of these practices. Mexico’s President recognized that “the depth at which … Read more

United States officials asked former president of Haiti, Jean Bertrand Aristide, to delay his return to the country until after the March 20 elections amid fears that his presence will influence voters.  President Aristide has been living in exile in South Africa since his removal from office in 2004.  U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner … Read more

In the universe of cable news and major sports events such as the Olympics, one often has the tendency to equate a nation’s identity with its political leaders and sports celebrities. We know, however, that in the U.S.  celebrities can also play a role in how a country is understood in the rest of the … Read more

Guatemalan-born citizens who have since left the country—but continue to send monetary remittances to family members back home—demanded yesterday for the right to vote in the September 2011 presidential elections. Marcos Yax, president of the Coalition of Guatemalan Immigrants in the United States (CONGUATE), cited two pertinent reasons: the lack of voting rights of the … Read more

Peru has been very busy looking for cooperation in the realm of international commerce. In his remaining months as president, President García is intent on leaving lasting footprints, especially a legacy of free trade. At present, Peru has signed bilateral free-trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States, China, Canada and Singapore.  It plans on signing … Read more

The Mexican Senate held hearings on Thursday over reports that agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed hundreds of U.S. purchased guns to enter Mexico. This apparently happened while agents were investigating gunrunning by cartels. The Mexican Senate voted to summon U.S. Ambassador Arturo Sarukhán to testify on the issue, … Read more