Fixing Brazil
Marina Was Right. Will She Be Brazil’s Next President? by Brian Winter The environmentalist who predicted the crisis is now a contender for 2018. But she has her own challenges to face.Full text available. Ciro? Serra? 10 Candidates Who Could Become Brazil’s Next President by Brian Winter A very early look at the race to … Read more
Social Inclusion 2016: Explanation of Methodology
The below describes the source of each of the 23 indicators included in the 2016 Social Inclusion Index. It also explains the few alterations to the scoring of indicators made by the LAPOP team, and details on the variables for which there are missing data. Table 1: Indicators by Data Source *Number = the count … Read more
The Politics of Diversity
The Politics of Diversity by Leani García How well do the region’s legislatures reflect the people they represent? While women make up slightly more than half of the population in the Americas, they comprise only 28 percent of legislatures. The numbers are even bleaker when it comes to ethno-racial minorities. Of the countries where … Read more
Why Mercosur Is Stuck with Venezuela
Venezuela’s September 1 demonstrations, in which as many as a million people took to the streets of Caracas to demand a change in government, were certainly impressive. But were they effective? If the goal was to fundamentally alter the country’s political direction, the answer is probably “no.” Despite the buzz generated by this month’s protests … Read more
Why Brazil’s Olympic Gold Could Boost Its New President
The year was 1994, and a depressed Brazil was desperately in need of a lift. Recent years had seen a president impeached for corruption, inflation in excess of 2,500 percent, horrendous massacres of innocents inside a prison and outside a church, and a general feeling the country couldn’t do anything right. As June approached, so … Read more
Despite Pope’s Comments, a Good Week for Trans Rights in Latin America
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy groups expressed disappointment this week after comments by Pope Francis were released showing the Catholic leader’s unease over the growing social acceptance of transgender rights. During a private meeting last week, the pope said the idea of teaching schoolchildren they can choose their gender was “terrible” and that … Read more
This Week in Latin America: Venezuela’s Political Prisoners
Sign up here to get This Week in Latin America delivered to your inbox every Monday. Appeal for López: Venezuela’s imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo López will appear in court Thursday to appeal a nearly 14-year sentence handed down last September for charges of incitement to violence and criminal association. The delayed hearing comes as Venezuela has expressed its willingness to restore diplomatic relations with the U.S., which … Read more
Taking the Long View on Latin American Democracy
When the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) was founded in 1966, there was a clear need for dialogue and debate over the direction the region was headed. Military dictatorships were in power across the Americas, from Honduras to Argentina. Democracy, far from the rule, was the exception. Just 50 years after a future of alternative … Read more
How Latin America Should Address the Crisis in Venezuela
This morning’s call from the chief of the Organization of American States (OAS) for an emergency meeting to discuss the erosion of democracy in Venezuela signals that regional leaders are taking a tougher stance with the Caracas government. But to go beyond mere rhetoric, Brazil and Argentina must also step up. Susana Malcorra and José … Read more
As Latin America’s Economies Falter, Young Workers Lose Out
This article was updated on May 4. Latin America and the Caribbean are on course for back-to-back years of recession for the first time in 35 years, but the pain isn’t being spread equally. With some of the highest jobless rates of any age group in the region, young Latin Americans have proven particularly vulnerable to … Read more
Homegrown Solutions to Central America’s Narco Nightmare
Six months after getting elected on a tough-on-crime platform, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández blamed his country’s spiraling crime problem on U.S. drug policy. Washington’s strategy of pouring funds into drug interdiction efforts — first in Colombia, then in Mexico — had actually pushed cartels and gangs to safer havens in Central America, he charged. President Hernández added that … Read more
Argentina to Expand Use of Plea Bargaining, Inspired by Brazil
With the use of plea bargaining, a Brazilian legal team has recovered $785 million stolen in the Lava Jato (Car Wash) corruption scandal, and they’re hunting down another $5.9 billion. You can’t blame Argentina for wanting to use the controversial legal tool to see what it can recoup, too. Inspired by Brazil, Argentine President Mauricio Macri is laying … Read more
How a Film About a Bear Got Chile to Reckon With Its Past
When Chile won its first-ever Academy Award on February 28 for the animated short film “Bear Story” (Historia de un Oso), the nation got more than a gold-plated statuette. It was also jolted into confronting the still-taboo subject of forced exiles and political disappearances under the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. An estimated 200,000 Chileans fled … Read more
Peru’s LGBT Community Frustrated By Violence, Presidential Election
With less than six weeks to go before Peru’s presidential election, gay rights activists are fighting to put LGBT inclusion on the national agenda and find a candidate to rally behind. It isn’t easy, says Carlos Polo in Lima. Over Valentine’s Day weekend, Polo was beaten by police while kissing his boyfriend during a small … Read more
This Week in Latin America: Brazil’s Environmental Disaster
Sign up here to get This Week in Latin America delivered straight to your inbox every Monday. Samarco Settlement: Nearly four months after a burst mining dam in Brazil killed 19 people and caused a wave of toxic sludge to pollute major water sources, mine owner Samarco Mineração S.A. is expected Monday to announce a financial settlement with the Brazilian government. Joint … Read more
