Blog entries

There is little doubt that President Barack Obama’s success in the election was due in great part to his online campaigning and digital media savvy—on top of his political skill, charisma and youthful good looks, of course. President Obama has almost 2 million followers on Twitter, and his blog is read by an estimated 13 … Read more

Colombian rock star Juanes is defending his decision to play a “Peace Without Borders” concert in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución. The concert, which is currently scheduled for September 20, has drawn criticism from some elements of the Cuban-American community in South Florida who contend that “apolitical concerts do not exist.” Juanes has responded to … Read more

The 12-member bloc of South American nations that constitutes the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) is scheduled to hold its third meeting in Quito, Ecuador today to discuss a wide range of issues ranging from the coup in Honduras, to Brazilian-Paraguayan electricity trading.  Notably absent from the meetings are Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who … Read more

Summer is sticky but not so sweet here in the nation’s capital, as Honduras is yet again butting into U.S. politics and policymaking. Even as Congress readies to run out of town, it never came around to confirming what really are no-brainers: nominees Arturo Valenzuela as assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere and Tom … Read more

Thirty some-odd years after Moscow and Managua traded diplomatic missions, the one-time Cold War allies appear to be growing closer than ever. Russia’s deputy prime minister, Igor Sechin, met with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega at the end of last month—reportedly the third official Russian trip to Nicaragua in a year—signing several deals meant to make … Read more

David Murcia Guzman, the architect of Colombia’s biggest pyramid scheme, was found guilty of money-laundering and illicit enrichment on Wednesday in a Bogotá courthouse. The conviction could carry a sentence of 12 to 15 years in prison. The scheme, carried out under the name DMG holdings collected as much as $4.8 billion in investments. When … Read more

Many hopes and assumptions are pinned on the middle class in developing countries, not least in Latin America. The Economist has praised its growth; economists and statisticians have struggled to define and measure it; and many have hailed it as the answer to the region’s political and developmental ills. But for all this talk, we … 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. Uribe Makes SouthAm Tour to Discuss U.S.-Colombia Military Deal President Álvaro Uribe … Read more

Magicians, tricksters and clowns have employed illusions created by the sleight of hand for generations. Some of the recent developments out of Venezuela seem to validate that President Hugo Chávez has mastered this time-honored tradition. I was reminded of the parallel while recently walking by a shell game on the street. The fellow was using … Read more

On Tuesday, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe began a tour of seven Latin American countries to talk to leaders uneasy about a new U.S.-Colombia military pact that grants the United States access to seven military bases and is expected to increase the number of U.S. troops on Colombian soil. His meetings come ahead of an August … Read more

Nearly 50 wounded protestors may be sent to jail as soon as they are released by doctors, according to AIDESEP, Peru’s main Amazon Indian confederation. Santiago Manuin, the prominent Awajun Indian leader, is among them and will be jailed and tried on charges of inciting murder once he recovers from injuries suffered from police bullets … Read more

Mexican milk producers will go to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to demand that the U.S. raises the price of milk it exports to Mexico. Alvaro González Muñoz, the head of the Frente Nacional de Productores y Consumidores de Leche—a national organization of dairy industry stakeholders—said that thousands of Mexican milk producers have gone out … Read more

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is pushing the National Assembly to pass tough new legislation that would “regulate the freedom of expression” and stipulates prison terms for journalists—ranging from 6 months to 4 years—for disseminating news “that causes serious public disorder, fear and anxiety among the population, or damages to state institutions.” Luisa Ortega, Venezuela’s attorney … Read more

Columbia University’s graduate school of journalism announced on Monday that Yoani Sanchez, author of Cuba’s most prominent independent blog, Generación Y, will be awarded a Maria Moors Cabot Prize and special citation for outstanding reporting. For the past 71 years The Cabot journalism prize—the oldest international award in journalism—has been conferred to journalists “who have … Read more

Iran’s top diplomat in Bolivia, Masoud Edrisi, announced on Wednesday that Iran’s government has approved a $280 million low-interest loan for the Bolivian government to use as they see fit, including oil and natural gas exploration projects. Edrisi said that the final terms of the loan have not yet been established. This announcement comes just … Read more