Enfrentando a Maduro: el nuevo plan de la oposición venezolana
Read in English ¿Puede un nuevo año y una nueva estrategia ayudar a la coalición opositora venezolana, MUD, a resolver diferencias internas? La oposición Venezolana ha tenido que auto-examinarse. A pesar de un año marcado por protestas masivas y rechazo internacional a las movidas antidemocráticas del presidente Nicolás Maduro, la Mesa de la Unidad Democrática … Read more
Fighting Maduro: The Venezuelan Opposition’s New Plan
Leer en español Venezuela’s opposition has had to do some soul-searching. Despite a year punctuated by massive street protests and international condemnation of President Nicolás Maduro’s anti-democratic turns, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), a coalition of opposition parties, ended 2016 with little to celebrate. Its effort to force a recall referendum on Maduro came to … Read more
Populistas latinoamericanos encantados con Trump
Read in English Al menos un grupo está dándole a la presidencia de Donald Trump una bienvenida favorable. Bien sea porque ven las sombras de su propia visión nacionalista en la agenda de “América Primero” de Trump, o simplemente porque perciben una oportunidad para mejorar los lazos diplomáticos con Washington, figuras populistas de alto rango … Read more
Latin American Populists Loving Trump So Far
Leer en español At least one group is giving Donald Trump’s presidency rave reviews so far: Latin American populists. Whether they see shadows of their own nationalist views in Trump’s “America First” agenda, or merely sense an opportunity for improved diplomatic ties with Washington, high-profile populist figures on both the left and right have taken … Read more
María Eugenia Vidal y la otra Buenos Aires
Read in English En la Buenos Aires que todos conocen, la Buenos Aires de teatros de ópera, bifes de chorizo y “boliches” que ni sueñan con abrir antes de la 1 am, casi es posible olvidarte de que hay recesión. Las parrillas están llenas, los rosedales florecidos y en las grandes avenidas resuenan los icónicos … Read more
Dealing With Trump: Four Strategies for Latin America
Since about 9 p.m. New York time on Nov. 8, when Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania were all bathed in red on TV electoral maps, Latin American politicians and executives have been frantically calling friends and contacts to ask: “How are we going to work with Donald J. Trump?” There’s no foolproof answer, of course, especially … Read more
María Eugenia Vidal and the “Other” Buenos Aires
Leer en español In the Buenos Aires everyone knows, the Buenos Aires of opera houses and bifes de chorizo and nightclubs that don’t dream of opening until 1 a.m., you can almost forget there’s a recession going on. The steakhouses are full, the rose gardens are in bloom, and grand avenues hum with the city’s … Read more
Old School: What a Hostile Mexico-Trump Relationship Might Look Like
Correction appended below Shortly after I moved to Mexico City in 2004, I discovered a fantastic pozole restaurant near a subway stop called “Niños Héroes” – literally, “Boy Heroes.” I took a Mexican friend there and, between slurps of cilantro-y goodness, asked if by any chance he knew the origin of the name. He started … Read more
Here’s a Blueprint for a Trump-Castro Deal on Cuba
President-elect Donald J. Trump has vowed “to terminate the deal” that his predecessor in the White House negotiated with Cuba’s President Raúl Castro. Trump’s incoming chief-of-staff, Reince Priebus, last week added these details in an interview on “Fox News Sunday”: “Repression, open markets, freedom of religion, political prisoners – these things need to change in … Read more
Cardoso: The Era of Elitist and Demagogic Politics Is Over
A version of this article was first published in Portuguese on Poder 360. In a recent interview, Brazilian President Michel Temer invoked the “voice of the streets” to say he would veto a so-called “Caixa Dois” bill – a proposal that would grant legislators amnesty for irregularities involving election financing – if Congress approved it. … Read more
Brazil’s Democracy Is Dominated by Old Men. This Group Wants to Change That.
Brazil’s democracy is under assault. On November 16th, activists stormed the lower house of Congress in Brasília and openly called for the reinstatement of the military dictatorship that reigned from 1964 to 1985. On the very same day, public servants occupied the State Congress in Rio de Janeiro protesting newly introduced austerity measures by the … Read more
The Senator Behind Colombia’s Gay Adoption Fight
With negotiators hurriedly trying to salvage Colombia’s rejected peace deal, one legislator is stirring up conflict of a different sort. For more than a year, Viviane Morales has been pushing a bill that, if passed by Congress and approved in a referendum, would prevent anyone not in a heterosexual marriage from adopting children. Not surprisingly, … Read more
Los Venezolanos y la pregunta del millón: ¿Qué va a pasar?
Read in English Incertidumbre, temor, esperanza. Betsimar, una caraqueña de 55 años, viene de manifestar contra el gobierno en la multitudinaria concentración que se celebró este miércoles en la ciudad, la llamada “Toma de Venezuela.” Mientras camina de vuelta a su casa recapitula: “Volvimos a las calles y allí vamos a seguir.” En menos de … Read more
Venezuela’s Million Dollar Question: What Now?
Leer en español At each new turn, Venezuela’s political crisis appears headed for climax. But amid political maneuvering and demonstrations by both the government of President Nicolás Maduro and his opposition, the mood on the ground in Caracas remains one of uncertainty – and determination. Betsimar, a 55-year-old woman from Caracas, was one of the … Read more
Nicaragua’s New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
It’s election season in Nicaragua, but a visitor to Managua could be forgiven for not noticing. No catchy political jingles blare from car radios, and the only campaign posters and billboards are the same as ever: the pink and baby blue offerings of the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Less than a month until … Read more
