Monday Memo: U.S. Immigration – Petrobras Scandal – Francisco Flores – Private Equity – Chile’s September 11
This week’s likely top stories: Barack Obama delays executive action on immigration; a former Petrobras director names 40 politicians in scandal; former Salvadoran President Flores turns himself in; private equity fundraising in Latin America this year could reach $8 billion; Chileans remember September 11, 1973. Immigration reform stalled: U.S. President Barack Obama’s promise to use … Read more
Bogotá Institutes Dry Law to Stem Soccer-Related Violence
A ley seca (dry law) announced by Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro on Wednesday was extended until 6 am this morning. Petro justified the implementation of the law citing the violence that erupted after Colombia’s opening World Cup game against Greece on June 14—the South American nation’s first tournament appearence in 16 years. Despite liquor sales … Read more
Monday Memo: Nicaraguan Elections – Venezuelan protests – Colombian Peace Talks – Mapuche Leader – Chilean Visas
Support AQ! “Like” our Fall 2013 issue cover here: http://on.fb.me/1kNso1z Likely top stories this week: Nicaraguans vote in local elections; protests continue in Venezuela; the FARC says it will continue peace talks during elections; a Mapuche leader is sentenced to prison; Chileans no longer need visas to enter the United States. Nicaraguan Elections: Nicaraguans overwhelmingly … Read more
Violence Erupts During Protests in Venezuela
Student-organized protests against the Nicolás Maduro Administration turned violent yesterday when pro-government groups began shooting into the crowd in Caracas. Several thousand students and protesters took to the street with more protests cropping up throughout the country as the day went on. Anti-government groups denounced the administration for current economic and widespread crime, demanding the constitutional … Read more
Civic Innovator: Antonio Rodiles, Cuba
When Cuban physicist turned-political-activist Antonio Rodiles, 41, returned home in 2010 after spending 12 years studying in Mexico and the United States, he was immediately frustrated by the enduring limits on free speech. After a half-century of socialism, modernizing reforms known as “Lineamientos”(Guidelines ) had scaled back the public sector’s role in Cuba’s economy and … Read more
Impunity & the Multiple Facets of Violence in Brazil
In June and August of this year, millions of Brazilians took to the streets in 120 cities across the country to protest public transportation fare hikes, political corruption and excessive public spending on the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. Dozens of these demonstrations ended in confrontations between police and protesters. Over the … Read more
Obama and Peña Nieto Focus on the Economy Over Immigration and Security
Building up to their meeting in Mexico City on May 2, the administrations of both U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto hinted that economic ties would be the focal point of their one-on-one meeting. In an interview with Americas Quarterly prior to the trip, Obama reiterated this, saying that he would … Read more
Con Chávez, ¿cayó el muro de contención en Venezuela?
En octubre de 2006, cuando el invierno comenzaba a despuntar en Alaska, los habitantes de Anchorage—ubicada a 8.600 kilómetros de Caracas—se debatían entre aceptar o no el combustible gratuito que el presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, había ofrecido para mitigar el impacto económico del cambio de estación en la localidad. Unos querían recibir el combustible … Read more
Endnotes: Brazil’s Second-Best Financial Strategy
Below are the endnotes from “Brazil’s Second-Best Financial Strategy” by Seth Colby (Spring 2013 AQ). Brazilian Central Bank Ruchir Sharma, “Bearish on Brazil,” Foreign Affairs, (May/June 2012). Franselmo Araújo Costa, “Reflections on the Implications of the Earmarked Revenues and Mandatory Outlays of the Brazilian Federal Budget,” Minerva Program (George Washington University, Spring 2012). World Bank … Read more
The New Pope and Gay Rights
While naysayers joke that the Cardinals may as well have elected another Italian Pope in choosing a porteño, the move to elect Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, now Pope Francis, is of undeniable significance for the global south. This is particularly true for Latin Americans, who—while accounting for 40 percent of all Catholics—often complain of … Read more
In Depth: OAS General Assembly
Courtesy of Prensa Presidencial. The 43rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) is convening in Antigua, Guatemala from June 4-6, bringing hemispheric leaders together to discuss a number of issues, including a comprehensive and integrated approach to drug trafficking and violence in the Americas and the election of three members of … Read more
Lima Mayor Susana Villarán Battles to Keep Her Job
In October 2010, for the first time in history, voters in Lima elected a female mayor. Susana Villarán was a seasoned political figure who had long been involved in politics and human right issues—helping to establish Lima’s vaso de leche (glass of milk) program to combat child malnutrition and serving as a member of the … Read more
Obama, Jackie Robinson and Black History Month
Every February in both Canada and the United States, we celebrate Black History Month. Originally a one-week affair in the second week of February to celebrate the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass, it is now a month-long series of festivities and activities to commemorate the contribution of African Americans … Read more
Venezuela Election Updates
Courtesy of Guillermo Esteves On October 7, Venezuelans went to the polls in a critical election between President Hugo Chávez and former Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles Radonski. This election, the fourth time Chávez faced voters, was the closest race yet for the longstanding Venezuelan president. Stay tuned to AQ Online for ongoing coverage. Read our … Read more
Gun Violence and the Conversation We Need
On a university campus in Montréal on December 6, 1989, a lone gunman deliberately targeted innocent victims, killing 14 young women and injuring another 14 before turning the weapon on himself. The horror of this tragedy led the Canadian government to institute a gun registry law in 1993, which became a source of controversy for … Read more
