A Former President’s Detention Raised Few Eyebrows in Peru. What’s Going On?
LIMA – In most countries, the arrest of a former head of state on corruption allegations would trigger uproar. In Peru, the pre-trial detention of former President Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine Heredia has met with something of a collective shrug. The country has been here before. Recently. Of Humala’s three predecessors spanning … Read more
The Venezuelan Diaspora’s Role in Confronting Maduro
On Sunday, July 16 more than 7 million Venezuelans – at home and abroad – participated in a symbolic referendum against the constitutional convention proposed by President Nicolás Maduro. I was one of the votes from abroad. Besides casting my ballot, I also volunteered to accompany observers witnessing the process in New York City. We started by visiting … Read more
My Brother, Leopoldo López, Is No Longer in Prison. But He Is Not Free – and Neither Is Venezuela.
My brother Leopoldo López, leader of Venezuela’s Voluntad Popular party, was sentenced to 13 years, nine months, seven days and 12 hours in prison for giving a speech in which he denounced the corruption and the antidemocratic repression of Nicolás Maduro’s government. He was arrested in 2014 during a government crack-down on protesters, and charged … Read more
How Venezuelan Refugees Are Surviving in Brazil
For most Brazilians, the disaster unfolding in neighboring Venezuela is little more than another passing topic on the evening news. The daily protests in Caracas are more than 2,500 miles away from São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, cultural ties between the two countries are limited, and the current political and economic crisis in Brazil … Read more
Mid-Terms, Graduation, Fighting a Dictator: Venezuelan Students’ Shifting Priorities
CARACAS – Students at Caracas’ Simón Bolivar University (USB) haven’t had an exam in three months. Professors at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) stopped taking attendance. At the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), protests and road closures count as excused absences. As a large portion of the 3,500 people detained by security services in recent … Read more
Maduro Justice: Secret Evidence and Military Courts for Venezuela’s Protesters
On May 15, Carlos Ramírez, a student activist in Mérida, Venezuela, was picked up by police at an anti-government protest. Forty-eight hours later, he’d been flown to a military base 300 kilometers away, accused of treason, given only one phone call – and 30 minutes to find an attorney before his first hearing. “It’s very … Read more
Peru’s Opposition Plays Hardball
This article has been updated. Correction appended below. Twelve months ago, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pulled off a major upset when he beat Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the jailed hard-right strongman Alberto Fujimori, in Peru’s presidential runoff. The septuagenarian centrist economist squeaked in by just 41,000 votes — out of a total of more than 17 … Read more
Venezuela: No Solution Without Beijing
For years, governments across the hemisphere have failed to halt Venezuela’s slow descent into strife-riven autocracy. This is partly because their discussions have overlooked an important element: Beijing’s key role as President Nicolás Maduro’s largest and most stalwart financial supporter. China as a political actor can no longer be left out of the search for solutions to … Read more
Venezuela’s Young Leaders: “We’re Responsible for Solving This Crisis”
With his arms covered in tattoos and a discourse of reconciliation, Miguel Pizarro has been a riveting presence on the front lines of anti-government protests, energizing the Venezuelan opposition – particularly young protestors and student activists. Pizarro, who grew up in Caracas’ biggest slum, has been in politics since he was a college student. His … Read more
Now Is Latin America’s Chance to Rally Against Maduro
Latin America should face an inconvenient truth – it has no workable strategy to confront the Venezuelan crisis. When the region’s foreign ministers meet at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington on May 31, they will have an opportunity to develop such a joint approach. They should do so. The clock is ticking … Read more
It’s Showtime for President Lenín Moreno in Ecuador
Rafael Correa stepped down on May 24 after 10 years as president of Ecuador, making way for his hand-picked successor, Lenín Moreno, but retaining his power as Ecuador’s most influential politician and his control of the legislature through the Alianza País party. Aware of these constraints, Moreno has sought since his runoff election victory to … Read more
The Role of Businesses in Colombia’s Conflict Cannot Be Ignored
When Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., discussion of the Colombian implementation of the peace deal took a backseat to other issues, including the importance of continued economic cooperation. “We are and wish to continue to be the best destination in Latin America for American businesses,” Santos commented … Read more
Jóvenes Venezolanos criados bajo el chavismo hoy protestan en su contra
Read in English Lorena recuerda su primera impresión de Hugo Chávez. Era el hombre del afiche que su padre, luego de votar, traía del centro de votación. “Me explicó que era el presidente y que estaba en una reelección,” cuenta Lorena. “Tenía yo seis o siete años. Me dijo que un presidente es quien se … Read more
Chávez’s ‘Golden Generation’ Is Now Fighting Chavismo
Leer en español Lorena remembers her first impression of Hugo Chávez. He was the man in the poster that her father brought from the polling station after casting his vote. “He explained to me that he was the president and he was facing a re-election,” Lorena recalls. She was around six years old. “He told … Read more
