Women in Mexico’s Workforce
“Women are not doing well because they want to do it all. They want to study, go out and get a job and be housewives as well. Well, that is really difficult to achieve.” These were recent and controversial words spoken by Ricardo Salinas Pliego, president of Grupo Salinas and owner of TV Azteca, one … Read more
La Chureca: Calling a Landfill Home
La Chureca—located in Managua, Nicaragua—is Central America’s largest landfill, where 16 tons of trash produced by over 2 million people is dropped off every day. The area, once 4.5 square miles of farmland on Lake Managua, is now home to hundreds of families and wild animals. View the slideshow of La Chureca below. All photos … Read more
Latin American Populism in the Twenty-First Century edited by Carlos de la Torre and Cynthia J. Arnson
Legend has it that on his deathbed, Juan Domingo Perón, the former President of Argentina, uttered a curse condemning any would-be biographer to dedicate his or her career to defining populism. Or perhaps the curse was issued on the lost page of the late Brazilian President Getúlio Vargas’ suicide note, or slipped in among the … Read more
Politics Innovator: María Rachid, Argentina
María Rachid never wanted to become a politician. But she is responsible for some of the most important human rights bills in Argentina’s recent history, including the 2010 Marriage Equality Law, which legalized same-sex marriage, and the 2012 Gender Identity Law, which allows transgender people to change gender identity on official documents without prior approval. … Read more
Dispatches: El Alto, Bolivia
Blazing sun, freezing nights, roads clogged with traffic, and a vast maze of adobe houses populated by nearly a million people. This is the Bolivian city of El Alto. Once an outlying neighborhood on the high plains above La Paz, El Alto has today surpassed its population. Matching El Alto’s growing profile, the city is … Read more
Dispatches from the Field: El Alto, Bolivia
Bolivia’s most politically influential city remains restless. (slideshow available)
Racial Apartheid Persists in Latin America
In the second annual release of its Social Inclusion Index, Americas Quarterly measured 16 Latin American countries based on numerous performance variables, including access to formal employment and adequate housing, enrollment in secondary school and civil society participation. Among its most interesting findings, the Index provided insight on the systemic nature of racial discrimination in … Read more
Program Designed to Address Medical Needs in Brazil Arouses Controversy
The Brazilian government intends to hire 4,000 Cuban doctors by the end of 2014 through its newly established Programa Mais Médicos (More Doctors Program). An initial group of 400 doctors arrived in late August from Cuba, through a cooperation agreement brokered by the Pan-American Health Organization between the governments of Cuba and Brazil. The doctors … Read more
Vargas Llosa Supports Same-Sex Unions in Peru
Peruvian writer and Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, released a public statement on Monday in support of a bill that would legalize same-sex unions in Peru. The statement, titled “Yes to equality,” was published in the main Peruvian newspapers such as El Comercio, La República, Perú21 and Diario 26 and calls for “equal rights for all … Read more
A Call for Empirical Research on Human Trafficking in Latin America
Human trafficking in Latin America has become a serious problem that can no longer be ignored. According to a 2012 estimate by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Latin America and the Caribbean account for the third largest number of forced laborers, at 1,800,000 victims. This number does not include trafficking for the removal of organs … Read more
El significado de las Reformas Educativa y Fiscal en México
Casi desde el principio de su período, el presidente Enrique Peña Nieto comenzó a presentar una serie de reformas que—de acuerdo con el discurso oficial—permitirán que México avance. Las dos primeras, las reformas laboral y bancaria, suscitaron grandes controversias y provocaron la oposición de algunos segmentos de la población, aunque muchos otros no se dieron … Read more
End to Colombia’s National Strike Remains Uncertain
Rural Colombians are winding down the national strike that has engulfed the country since August 19. Roadblocks are coming down and laborers are beginning negotiations with the government. But it appears unlikely that an overhaul of the country’s free trade policies—the bitter medicine that many rural Colombians are demanding—will be part of a compromise from … Read more
AQ Slideshow: Colombian Farmer Protests
On August 19, 2013, after several failed attempts to bring the Colombian government’s attention to their economic struggles, peasant organizations from all over the country halted agricultural production and blocked interstate highways nationwide. This Sunday, the Colombian government announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with the striking farmers, who agreed to lift their … Read more
Monday Memo: Colombian Farmers Reach Deal – Capriles’ IACHR Case – Peña Nieto’s Reforms –Brazilian Protests – Colombia Peace Talks
Likely top stories this week: Colombian government and striking farmers reach a deal; Henrique Capriles takes Venezuela’s election results to the IACHR; Enrique Peña Nieto outlines his plans for reform; Brazilians protest again; and the Colombian government and FARC resume peace talks. Colombian Government Strikes Deal with Farmers: The Colombian government announced on Sunday that … Read more
Tyranny of Words
The media across the world has a knack for framing narratives in a way that perpetuates the status quo. This is true whether the subject is the rich, the poor, gays, lesbians, Africans, Americans, or Muslims. I was yet again reminded of the power of the media to influence public opinion as I flipped through … Read more
