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
Why Caribbean Banks Are Bracing for Problems
(This article has been updated) In countries like Haiti, remittances matter. Many Haitians rely on money sent from family abroad to meet daily needs, especially in the wake of natural disasters such as Hurricane Matthew, which tore through the country in October. But in Haiti and throughout the Caribbean, sending and receiving remittances is getting … Read more
The Double Standard Facing Latin America’s Women Entrepreneurs
Vilma Tellez Ballesteros has been a coffee producer for most of her life, running a successful business from her home in northern Nicaragua for more than two decades. But when she goes to the bank to negotiate loans, she brings her husband with her. “They listen to him,” her daughter, Carmen Davila Tellez, told AQ. … Read more
Nicaragua’s New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
It’s election season in Nicaragua, but a visitor to Managua could be forgiven for not noticing. No catchy political jingles blare from car radios, and the only campaign posters and billboards are the same as ever: the pink and baby blue offerings of the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). Less than a month until … Read more
The Missing Piece of U.S. Aid for Central America
When the road is clear, the drive from Guatemala City to Izabal, about 205 miles away, takes just over five hours. Jose Rodríguez was lucky to make it in eight. Rodriguez, who travels all over the country as a contractor refurbishing pharmacies and supermarkets, was on his way to a job in Izabal this September … Read more
Book Review: Open for Business
It can be difficult to document a historic moment while it’s still unfolding, but Richard E. Feinberg has taken to the task with his book, Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy. In exploring how President Barack Obama’s opening to Cuba “fits squarely within a broader theme of his foreign policy,” Feinberg has provided … Read more
Book Review: The Salvador Option
Despite decades of military support and millions in development aid, for many Americans El Salvador remains a caricature, caught somewhere between an episode of Gangland and the milieu of sex, alcohol and jungle violence portrayed in Oliver Stone’s 1986 film, Salvador. Those Americans who do spare a thought for the tiny country are prone to … Read more
Why Central America’s Drought Is Harder On Women
Over the past 18 years, Rosalita García has nursed all 10 of her children back to health after bouts of malnutrition. But her three-year-old son’s recent hospital visit in Chiquimula, Guatemala has the 37-year-old mother more worried than usual. “I was able to feed my kids better before because it rained,” García told AQ. “But … Read more
Latin America Could Cut Its Murder Rate By 50 Percent. Here’s How.
Many deaths are unavoidable. Natural disasters and incurable illnesses can claim lives suddenly, without warning. But there is one untimely death that can be avoided – homicide. It is time for Latin America and the Caribbean to set a bold goal to bring down the murder rate. The region is one of the world’s deadliest. It is home … Read more
What Puig’s Olympic Gold Really Means for Puerto Rico
On Saturday afternoon, I was sitting with my blanket gripped tightly to my face as my boyfriend patiently repeated (for the fifth time) the difference between a game and a set. Like many other Puerto Ricans, it was the first time I had watched tennis, and I kept forgetting the rules. For the 8 million … Read more
Here’s What Latin Americans Want to Tell the Next U.S. President
“Heal the relationship with Mexico.” “Fix the war on drugs.” “Help us lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” We asked Latin Americans: If you could tell the next president of the United States anything, what would it be? Those are just a few of the responses we’re publishing in the new issue of Americas Quarterly, entitled … Read more
AQ Top 5 Latin American Academics: Agustín Lage
See the rest of the AQ Top 5 When the world’s first therapeutic lung cancer vaccine was announced in 2011, it may have appeared to come from one of the least likely places: Cuba, whose access to investment and goods has been restricted by more than a half-century of harsh U.S. sanctions. But to anyone … Read more
