Fundación Alejandra Forlán
Uruguayan soccer star Diego Forlán’s riveting performance at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa demonstrated his stature as an athlete. But his work off the field is equally impressive: at 31, he is Uruguay’s biggest traffic safety and disability rights advocate. Diego’s sister, Alejandra, was paralyzed in a 1991 car wreck and, after the … Read more
Calgary ReggaeFest
Most people don’t think the western Canadian city of Calgary, home to the world-renowned Calgary Stampede and rodeo, is a likely venue for reggae music. But they should think again. ReggaeFest, Calgary’s International Reggae Festival, has become one of Canada’s most exciting music events. Launched in 2004 with less than $600 (Canadian) in seed money, … Read more
Shakira talks to AQ about building global support for early childhood education.
Colombian singer Shakira Mebarak brings her advocacy for early childhood development to the stage and to government leaders in Latin America and around the world. Americas Quarterly: Since 2005, your philanthropic work has brought global attention to education and social responsibility through América Latina en Acción Solidaria (ALAS) and expansion of the Fundación Pies Descalzos (Barefoot … Read more
Gender: Violence Against Women
Violence against women, a result of gender inequality and unequal power relations between men and women, is a pervasive phenomenon. It occurs in all social classes and in all countries, from the most developed to the least developed. Despite progress in policies and legislation, it remains one of the top human rights issues in the … Read more
Public Debt Markets: Sin and Redemption
Latin America has made significant strides in shoring up its public debt. Previously constrained by what financial experts consider the “original sin”—relying on foreign currency borrowing to finance domestic projects, which inevitably leads to a currency mismatch—the region is now heading toward a more balanced currency composition of government debt. This reached a milestone in … Read more
Energy: Brazil’s Oil Royalty Battle
Brazil’s government, seeking to extend its control over rapidly expanding offshore oil reserves, has walked into a political and constitutional quagmire. A law that was close to receiving presidential approval as we went to press will mandate that oil royalties and taxes on windfall profit, previously directed to producing states, be divided among all of … Read more
Dispatches: Bolivian Tin Miners Reconciled
One recent morning at 4:30 am, several ghostly figures gathered on a windswept, deserted street corner in Oruro, Bolivia. They climbed aboard a crowded minivan for a journey that would take them 37 miles (60 kilometers) south and several miles under the earth to Huanuni, site of the country’s largest tin mine. Nearly 1,400 mineworkers … Read more
Political Innovator: Jaime Villasana Dávila, Mexico
Transparency and accountability of national and state governments are often used to measure the legitimacy of emerging democracies. However, local governments often fly under the radar. Jaime Villasana Dávila, the 36-year-old operations director of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for Latin America, makes sure they don’t. Since 2001, Villasana has been concentrating on the … Read more
Business Innovator: Marcos Flávio Azzi, Brazil
The motto of Instituto Azzi, situated on Rua Carreia Dias in the heart of São Paulo, reads, “Canalizando recursos de quem quer investir para quem precisa de investimento.” It’s the vocation of 37-year-old founder Marcos Flávio Azzi. Translated: channeling resources from those who want to invest to those who need investment. Azzi launched the Institute … Read more
Civic Innovator: Estela Villarreal, Mexico
According to Mexico’s 2000 General Housing and Population Census, nearly two million of Mexico’s approximately 100 million citizens are afflicted by a physical or mental disability. In a country with an average family size of four, that means eight million people are affected by disability on a personal level. Countless more have casual, day-to-day interactions … Read more
Arts Innovator: Dasic Fernández, Chile
Dasic Fernández cannot remember precisely how or when he became an artist. Fascinated by Chile’s burgeoning hip-hop culture of the 1990s, he searched for a way to engage with it in public spaces. By the age of 14, he had found his answer in graffiti art. Today, at 24, the Santiago-born artist is a muralist … Read more
Decriminalization would increase the use and the economic and social costs of drugs.
The argument that drug decriminalization, or legalization, will solve the budget crisis, reduce prison overcrowding and cripple drug cartels is simply not supported by evidence. In fact, the benefits of keeping marijuana and other illicit drugs illegal clearly outweigh the negative and predictable consequences of legitimizing these substances. There are academic distinctions between decriminalization and … Read more
The time has come to reduce the role of criminalization and the criminal justice system in drug control, while protecting public health and safety.
The case for decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana and other illicit drugs is essentially the same as the case that persuaded most Americans to repeal Prohibition in the early 1930s. Banning alcohol was ineffective, costly, counterproductive, and immoral. Legal regulation, on the other hand, can better reduce the harm of drugs and drug control policies. Consider … Read more
Fast Cash: Recovering Stolen Assets
When Haiti’s President-for-Life JeanClaude Duvalier fled to France in 1986, he left a nation plagued by poverty and dependent on aid. Like many dictators, Duvalier had illicitly amassed vast personal wealth—conservatively estimated at $300 million—during his time in power.1 Amid reports that suitcases of gold and currency traveled with him on the C-171 cargo plane … Read more
Security Challenges in Peru
*Homepage photo courtesy of Jorge Andrade While Peru has continued to grow at high rates over the past four years during the second Alan García presidency, public safety conditions have deteriorated. Drug trafficking has spread, the military offensive to defeat remnants of the country’s guerrilla movements has failed, urban safety has deteriorated, and social conflicts … Read more
