
10 Things to Do: San José, Costa Rica
Costa Rica, smaller than West Virginia, boasts over 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity, an environmental abundance that brings in over $2 billion in annual revenue from tourism. San José, the capital, is a convenient jumping-off place for trip to the country’s volcanoes, rainforests and pristine Pacific beaches — as well as an excellent introduction … Read more

Film Review: Ixcanul
What’s behind the volcano?” María, an adolescent Mayan girl, asks her mother as they go about chores on the coffee plantation where they live and work in the film Ixcanul (“Volcano” in the Kaqchikel Maya language). The omnipresent volcano looming in the sky above her home in the Guatemalan highlands symbolizes an obstacle to María, … Read more

Peru’s Favorite Street Food Goes Global
Anticuchos are a bite-size introduction to Peru’s cuisine—and to its rich ethnic heritage. A blend of indigenous, Spanish and African influences, the popular Peruvian kebabs originated as an Incan delicacy made with llama meat cut into small pieces and spiced with local ají peppers and herbs. In colonial times, African slaves toiling in Peru’s mines … Read more

India’s Rising Presence in Latin America
Until recently, China’s $264 billion trade with Latin America has dominated the attention of the region’s policymakers, analysts and media. Now, as the Asian giant’s economy slows, opportunity is opening up for a new player on the region’s doorstep: India. The Indian subcontinent, whose one-billion-plus population is expected to surge past China’s by 2025, has … Read more

One Entrepreneur’s Tale of Red Tape in Mexico
While the concept of food trucks in Mexico is relatively new, street food is culturally part of our identity. In fact, the Tianguis, a word of Nahuatl origin meaning open-air market, dates back to the pre-Hispanic era in Mexico. Nevertheless, there’s no legal framework for food trucks in Mexico City, even though there are now … Read more

How Syrian Refugees Are Succeeding in Latin America
The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the great humanitarian causes of our time. In Latin America, many countries have welcomed migrants with open arms. In this special section from our first issue of 2016, AQ looks at the success stories, the challenges, and the ways all of us could do more to help. We … Read more

The Surprisingly Deep Centuries-Old Ties Between the Middle East and Latin America
To see our entire feature on Syrian refugees in Latin America, click here. The first time I stepped into a Syrian home, I was greeted by a family drinking Argentine yerba mate and watching a popular Mexican soap opera dubbed into Arabic. It was the summer of 1998, and I was in Syria researching Levantine … Read more

How a Syrian Refugee Fled to Brazil And Wound Up Translating at the World Cup
This article first appeared in the February 2016 print edition of AQ To see our entire feature on Syrian refugees in Latin America, click here. When Ali Jeratli arrived in São Paulo in February 2014, the Syrian refugee understood just one word of Portuguese: bem-vindo (welcome). He had no contacts, no guidebook, and no more … Read more

Syrian Refugees in Uruguay Face an Uncertain Future
To see our entire feature on Syrian refugees in Latin America, click here. Uruguay’s invitation in late 2014 sounded like a dream to the Alshebli family, who had been living in a cramped Lebanon apartment for more than a year since they fled Syria. Not only would all 17 Alsheblis receive asylum, they would also … Read more

Why a Mexican Education Program for Syrian Refugees Only Has One Student
How Essa Hassan became the unwitting symbol of Mexico’s efforts — or lack of them — to assist Syrian refugees.

5 Ideas to Boost Latin American Refugee Policy
To see our entire feature on Syrian refugees in Latin America, click here. Many Latin American countries deserve the world’s gratitude for opening their doors to Syrian refugees. Their generosity and humanity stand out at a time when many other countries are turning people away. But what happens aft er the refugees arrive? How can … Read more

Russia Is Beating China to Venezuela’s Oil Fields
This article is adapted from our 1st print issue of 2016. For a trial subscrition to AQ for just $1, click here. The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, had long envisioned China becoming Venezuela’s biggest oil-sector production partner. So when Rafael Ramírez, then president of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), announced in January 2013 that … Read more

How a New Breed of Bounty Hunter Is Helping Countries Get Their Money Back
This article is adapted from our 1st print issue of 2016. For a look at our Top 5 Corruption Busters special feature, click here. Early on the morning of March 22, 2004, one day before the elections that ended the Antigua Labor Party’s 28-year hold on power, several boxloads of government files were hauled out … Read more

El increíble caso que demostró que la ofensiva de América Latina contra la corrupción va en serio
Read in English ¿Guatemala? ¿De verdad? Confieso: esa fue mi reacción en el momento en que Guatemala fue más lejos que cualquier otro país en la campaña contra la corrupción que ahora se propaga en América Latina. Una cosa es que Brasil o Chile, que tienen una historia más larga de instituciones fuertes, investiguen a … Read more

Es hora de tener mayor transparencia en América Latina
Read in English Durante las últimas décadas, diversas investigaciones han demostrado el enorme impacto nocivo de la corrupción en el desarrollo económico, político y social de los países. Sin embargo, a pesar de toda la evidencia existente –cuyos sólidos argumentos revelan que la corrupción incrementa la desigualdad y la pobreza-, esta sigue diseminándose en nuestros … Read more