The Trouble With Cuba’s New Economy
When Raúl Castro steps down as Cuba’s president in February 2018, he will hand off to his successor the unfinished task of reforming the economy. It is Cuba’s most urgent need and, at the same time, an increasingly controversial one. Castro succeeded his brother Fidel as president in 2008 amid serious structural economic problems on … Read more
Guatemalans Ousted Their President In 2015. Now They’re After His Replacement.
This article has been updated. It took more than 20,000 protesters marching in the streets of Guatemala City to force then-President Otto Pérez Molina to resign and face corruption charges in 2015. Two years later, Pérez Molina is gone – but the thousands of anti-corruption protesters are back, and they’re taking aim at the new president, Jimmy … Read more
It’s Not Just Venezuela. Central American Democracies Are Under Threat, Too.
The first sign of trouble on my recent research trip to Nicaragua was that almost nobody would speak to me about President Daniel Ortega on the record. “I just don’t want any problems with Ortega,” one person said. Félix Maradiaga, a social entrepreneur from Managua, told me: “The government leaves you alone as long as … Read more
How Central American Youth Test Outdated U.S. Immigration Laws
As Vice President Mike Pence travels to Central America this week, immigrants will be on his mind. They’ve certainly been on the news, and on the president’s agenda. Pence knows that Central American children have been fleeing to the United States. But he should also recognize the staggering scale of this wave, and what’s behind it. Understanding … Read more
18 en Latinoamérica: Estrella de fútbol – o mecánico de automóviles?
Read in English Había sido un día particularmente violento en El Salvador cuando Maynor entró a un Mister Donut a las 7 p.m. en punto para una entrevista. Cuando el país aparece en las noticias internacionales, suele ser a causa de las pandillas. En la mañana de ese miércoles de marzo un tiroteo en el … Read more
18 in Latin America: Soccer Star, or Car Mechanic?
Leer en español This article is adapted from AQ’s print issue on youth in Latin America. It had been a particularly violent day in El Salvador when Maynor walked into a Mister Donut at 7 p.m. sharp for an interview. When the country makes international news, it’s often because of the pandillas, the gangs. That Wednesday … Read more
Caribbean Housing Is Expensive and Scarce. Here’s How to Change That.
The Caribbean is caught in a housing trap. The cost of living is high: building a house in Kingston is three times more expensive than in a typical Latin American city. This has left ten million people in The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago without … Read more
Meet the GOP Congressmen Who Could Sell Trump on Cuba
Those hoping that President Donald Trump will continue his predecessor’s engagement with Cuba have found some unexpected allies. Republican Representatives Rick Crawford of Arkansas, Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Mark Sanford of South Carolina – all vocal supporters of the new president – have each this year re-introduced bills they wrote during the Obama administration … Read more
AQ Top 5 Jóvenes Emprendedores: Yondainer Gutiérrez
Este artículo ha sido corregido Este artículo es parte de un reportaje especial sobre los top cinco jóvenes emprendedores latinoamericanos seleccionados por AQ. Haga click aquí para ver el resto. Read in English Para muchos, la palabra “Cuba” evoca una era ya desaparecida: un lugar atascado en una época de autos clásicos y arquitectura descolorida. … Read more
AQ Top 5 Young Entrepreneurs: Yondainer Gutiérrez
Correction appended below This article is adapted from our AQ Top 5 feature on young Latin American entrepreneurs. To see the rest of our list, click here. Leer en espanol For many, the word “Cuba” brings to mind a bygone era: a place stuck in a time of classic cars and faded architecture. But bubbling … Read more
Five Latin America Stories You Might Miss in 2017 (But Shouldn’t)
If 2017 is anything like 2016, making predictions on where Latin America will be a year from now is probably a losing bet. Remember when it seemed inevitable that voters in Colombia would pass the country’s landmark peace accord with the FARC, or that the Rio Olympics would be crippled by large-scale social unrest? The … Read more
How a Changing Economy Is Leaving Afro-Cubans Behind
Whether or not President-elect Donald Trump follows through on plans to reverse the U.S.’ economic opening with Cuba, entrepreneurship on the island will be hard to get rid of. Reforms enacted by President Raúl Castro in 2011 (three years before the U.S. rapprochement began) have already led to a boom in restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, private taxis and other … Read more
Here’s a Blueprint for a Trump-Castro Deal on Cuba
President-elect Donald J. Trump has vowed “to terminate the deal” that his predecessor in the White House negotiated with Cuba’s President Raúl Castro. Trump’s incoming chief-of-staff, Reince Priebus, last week added these details in an interview on “Fox News Sunday”: “Repression, open markets, freedom of religion, political prisoners – these things need to change in … Read more
Why Reinaldo Arenas Still Matters for Cuba’s LGBT Community
On Dec. 7, 1990, the Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, suffering from advanced AIDS, ended his life after a decade spent in exile in the United States. Arenas had become a vocal opponent of the Cuban government and, in his suicide note, personally blamed Fidel Castro for the poverty and displacement that defined much of his … Read more
What the U.S. Congress Owes Puerto Rico
The inaugural meeting of Puerto Rico’s fiscal control board lasted just 26 minutes. The seven unelected technocrats deputized in September with overseeing nearly every facet of the island’s economy met in a boardroom a few blocks from Wall Street to select a chairman and decide which of Puerto Rico’s institutions would come under their watch. Their … Read more
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