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 to Make Mexico City a Better Place for the Disabled
The senator from Durango looks bemused. It’s the afternoon of Oct. 18, and Yolanda de la Torre, seated and wearing an electric pink suit jacket with navy slacks, is being carried up the switchback stone staircase of Mexico City’s Palacio de Minería. The 250-year-old college building, now run by the national university’s engineering department, has only one … Read more
Mexico’s Energy Opening Looks Like a Success. Will It Last?
In Nov. 2013, just weeks before Mexico’s historic energy opening was signed into law, two-time presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent an open letter to the CEO of ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson “informing” the executive that Mexico’s oil belonged to its people. López Obrador urged Tillerson to measure the costs of investing in Mexico should the reform … Read more
What Mexico Can Learn from Haiti’s Development Plans
The idea sounds simple: Special Economic Zones (SEZs) offer tax exemptions and cheap labor as hooks to attract investment from foreign companies. Money trickles in, local suppliers get a foothold and the middle class begins to grow. At least, in theory. Mexico is betting big on SEZs, with a new federal law that will create four of … Read more
AQ Top 5 Jóvenes Políticos: Pedro Kumamoto
Read in English Con tan sólo 26 años, Pedro Kumamoto le dio la vuelta al libreto de la élite que gobierna México cuando ayudó a liderar una cruzada exitosa en contra de su privilegio más sagrado. En julio, cuando el Congreso del Estado de Jalisco votó a favor de quitarles a todos los funcionarios públicos … Read more
Why Mexico’s PRI Is Cleaning House
Mexico’s ruling party faces a difficult task convincing voters that its anti-corruption efforts are sincere.
Indigenous Imagery in the Art of Mariana Castillo Deball
In the late 1970s, the makers of an American antipsychotic drug called Stelazine were looking for a way to market their product to consumers in magazines and medical journals. The campaign they settled on featured indigenous masks and headdresses from Africa and Canada alongside slogans like, “Lift the mask of schizophrenic withdrawal.” For a version … Read more
Film Review: Tempest
“We know you haven’t done anything, but someone has to pay,” Miriam Carbajal recalls hearing from a court-appointed attorney before being put in jail. What started as a normal day at work turns into a five-month nightmare for Carbajal, one of the central characters in Tempest, an emotionally charged Mexican documentary by Salvadoran-born cinematographer Tatiana … Read more
AQ Top 5 Politicians Under 40: Pedro Kumamoto
The “Wiki-politician” who is challenging Mexico’s governing elite with grassroots politics, a shoestring budget and a commitment to transparency.
This Man Is Brilliant. So Why Doesn’t Mexico’s Economy Grow Faster?
A great way to understand Agustín Carstens is to hear how he defines himself and his peers —“The Generation of 12.50.” That may sound obscure to outsiders, but anyone who grew up in Mexico during the 1950s, ’60s or ’70s instantly understands. For 22 consecutive years, the peso was fixed at exactly 12.50 per dollar … Read more
Sane la relación con México
Read in English Nota del editor: Al igual que a los otros autores, pedimos al Embajador Sarukhan que redactara un memorándum sin considerar quién ganará la elección de noviembre. Sin embargo, al final él llegó a la conclusión de que los dos escenarios eran tan opuestos que optó por escribir el memorándum como si Hillary … Read more
Ayude a los boomers a retirarse en América Latina
Leer en inglés Estimado(a) Sr(a) Presidente(a): Los baby boomers de Estados Unidos a menudo parecen representar las importaciones de mayor crecimiento en México. En la región del Lago de Chapala, en donde vivo, una cifra estimada de más de 10,000 estadounidenses –o el doble de ese número dependiendo de la época del año– llaman “su … Read more
Heal the Relationship With Mexico
Leer en español In the new issue of Americas Quarterly, we asked people, “What would you tell the next U.S. president about Latin America?” To see other authors’ responses, click here. Editor’s Note: As with our other authors, we asked Ambassador Sarukhan to write a memo regardless of who wins November’s election. However, he ultimately … Read more
Help Boomers Retire in Latin America
Leer en español Dear Mister / Madam President, U.S. baby boomers often seem like Mexico’s fastest-growing imports. In the Lake Chapala region where I live, an estimated 10,000-plus Americans — or double that number, depending on the time of year — call the area between the cities of Chapala and Jocotepec home. While most come … Read more
Collaborate with Mexico in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
In the new issue of Americas Quarterly, we asked people, “What would you tell the next U.S. president about Latin America?” To see other authors’ responses, click here. Leer en español Dear Mister / Madam President, Trade and U.S.-Mexico relations have been singled out as targets in this year’s election campaign, but the rhetoric overlooks … Read more
