From Caracas. Mercosur and The Venezuela Elections
The soon-to-close electoral race for the presidency of Venezuela between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Henrique Capriles Radonski will certainly be remembered as one of the most fascinating campaign periods in this country’s recent political history. On one hand, the race has been silently colored by the uncertainty that surrounds Chávez’ health. On the other, … Read more
Monday Memo: [i]AQ[/i]’s Top Expected Stories for the Week of September 17
Top stories this week are likely to include: Enrique Peña Nieto tours Latin America; United Nations General Assembly gets underway; Venezuela’s presidential election intensifies; European Union continues free-trade talks with Canada; and Paraguay seeks reparations from Mercosur. Peña Nieto Visits Latin America: Mexican President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto departed yesterday evening for his six-country Latin America tour, … Read more
Monday Memo: [i]AQ[/i]’s Top Expected Stories for the Week of September 17
Top stories this week are likely to include: Enrique Peña Nieto tours Latin America; United Nations General Assembly gets underway; Venezuela’s presidential election intensifies; European Union continues free-trade talks with Canada; and Paraguay seeks reparations from Mercosur. Peña Nieto Visits Latin America: Mexican President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto departed yesterday evening for his six-country Latin America … Read more
Venezuelan Journalists Threatened by Pro-Government Hackers
*This blog post was drawn from a CPJ special report released on August 29, 2012. The use of social media is rising around the world, but as government restrictions on traditional Venezuelan media tighten, professional journalists and citizen reporters are increasingly turning to social media, especially Twitter, to transmit and track the news. Venezuela has … Read more
Latin America and UN Peacekeeping
Where does Latin America stand when it comes to contributing peacekeepers to United Nations (UN) missions? In general, there is a large presence of Latin American peacekeepers in Haiti, which is the only mission in the Western Hemisphere. However, Latin American countries send their troops to many other missions around the world. Their contributions are … Read more
India-Peru: A New Pacific Pivot
Since the late 1990s, both India and Peru have turned their focus to each others’ regions. New commercial exchanges have filled some gaps in the bilateral, but strategic elements – climate change, multilateral fora, advanced research – must be incorporated if both countries are to benefit from each other. A distance of 17,789 kilometres separates … Read more
Marijuana Debate Rages in Chile
It’s not just Olympic athletes who live in fear of a drug test ruining their career. Chilean politicians are being threatened with the revival of a bill that would remove politicians from public office if caught using illegal drugs. The legislative hype began last month when Chilean Senator Fulvio Rossi admitted in an interview with … Read more
Venezuela to Formally Enter Mercosur
The presidents of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay will meet Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in Brasilia today to formalize Venezuela’s full admission into Mercosur, the largest trade bloc in South America. Venezuela’s entry was approved in 2006 and recognized in subsequent years by the parliaments of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, but failed to materialize due to … Read more
Monday Memo: AQ’s Top Expected Stories for the Week of July 30
Top stories this week are likely to include: Chávez travels to Brazil for Venezuela’s formal incorporation into Mercosur; Foreign mining to continue in Peru, as Humala marks one year in office and reaffirms commitment to social spending; Cuba set to further open its economy; Argentina tightens control over energy industry; and Colombia’s economy slows. Chávez … Read more
Peace, Women and Security: A Latin American Perspective
The United Nations Security Council has promoted a gender focus in peacekeeping operations, including the protection of civilians, since the adoption of Resolution 1325 (RES1325) in 2000. The logic is simple: involving women in peace negotiations and reconstruction efforts helps ensure a more equitable and stable society following conflict. Since December 2000, Latin American participation … Read more
[i]The Great Gap: Inequality and the Politics of Redistribution in Latin America[/i] edited by Merike Blofield
From the Occupy movement to the demonstrations at the G20 Summit in June, frustration over longstanding and deepening inequality is boiling over. This makes a volume exploring the politics of persistent inequality in Latin America—long the world’s most unequal region—very timely. In The Great Gap: Inequality and the Politics of Redistribution in Latin America, University … Read more
Humanitarian Interventionism Brazilian Style?
Brazilian attitudes toward national sovereignty and non-intervention are in a state of flux. Leaders in Brasília are seeking to actively take part in the current global rethink about the future of humanitarian intervention, and are increasingly willing to deploy men in uniform to distant lands when the lives of civilians are at stake. The change … Read more
The Uphill Battle of Justice Reform
The strength and quality of democracy depend on how well judiciaries perform and function. In Latin America, after more than 20 years of judicial reforms, there have been some notable achievements. But there is a long way to go before judiciaries can adequately carry out their responsibilities to resolve conflicts, define and interpret rights and laws, and provide the … Read more
The Paradox of Girls’ Educational Attainment
Women’s socioeconomic and political progress advanced dramatically across the globe in the last half of the twentieth century, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean. Yet gender disparities remain high, and bridging those gaps has been a slow process. This is partly explained by negative stereotypes and misguided perceptions of gender roles—both still prevalent in … Read more
Cholera and the Road to Modernity: Lessons from One Latin American Epidemic for Another
Haiti is currently battling the world’s largest cholera epidemic in half a century. An integrated, comprehensive response—including case-finding and rapid treatment, water and sanitation efforts, and vaccination—could bring cholera to heel on Hispaniola and help prevent its spread elsewhere in the region.1 But the local and international response has, to date, fallen short. Tens of … Read more
