He Cruised to Reelection. Now Luis Abinader Has Choices to Make
The Dominican Republic’s president will weigh options for broader reforms and try to maintain momentum during his second term in office.
Letter to the Editor: Lawfare in the Dominican Republic Deserves Attention
A response from AQ’s readers
Meet the Candidates: Dominican Republic
Incumbent Luis Abinader leads in the polls ahead of the Dominican Republic’s 2024 elections on May 19.
Luis Abinader: The (Rare) Popular Incumbent
Elected on an anti-corruption platform, the Dominican Republic’s president is bucking a regionwide trend.
A Missing Maid, a Stranded Child—and an Unlikely Bond
A debut film examines the possibilities for tenderness across divides of race and class in the booming Dominican Republic.
Fernanda Melchor’s Gritty Dispatches from Veracruz
In a darkly humorous collection of stories and “crónicas,” the Mexican writer channels life in this chaotic port city.
Dominican Republic and Luis Abinader: An Overview
This article is adapted from AQ’s special report on the Summit of the Americas. Click here for the full list of countries. A wealthy former businessman with some of the Americas’ highest approval ratings, Abinader ended the Dominican Liberation Party’s 16-year hold on the presidency when he was elected in 2020. The president has made an anti-corruption push, and authorities … Read more
Will Inflation Spoil the Dominican Republic’s Success?
President Luis Abinader has high approval amid high growth—but changing economic conditions are a threat.
AQ’s Fall Playlist: The Poetry and Power of Rita Indiana
The Dominican musician’s genre-defying performances make a virtue of pandemic-imposed constraints.
A Shaken Dominican LGBT Movement Finds Strength After Orlando
The Dominican Republic’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community was shaken after the nightclub shooting in Orlando a month ago. At least four victims were from that small country, and the attack underscored the discrimination many LGBT activists feel in their own, largely conservative society. In a particularly ill-timed display of opposition to LGBT … Read more
This Week in Latin America: Dilma’s Last Days?
Sign up here to get This Week in Latin America delivered to your inbox every Monday. Rousseff’s Trials: The acting speaker of Brazil’s lower house this morning annulled last month’s impeachment vote against President Dilma Rousseff, throwing into question whether the Senate will vote this Wednesday on the issue, as had been expected. A Senate committee on … Read more
My Struggles as a Black American in the Dominican Republic
When I lived in the Dominican Republic, there was a point when the jeers from the streets, shouts of “Arréglate ese pelo!” (Fix that hair!) and mocking gestures about my prominent pajón (afro) became too much to deal with. In a country of complex racial dynamics, where straightened hair is a social currency and billboards … Read more
Baseball’s Newest Farm System
The Dominican Republic and Nicaragua are roughly comparable in population and share an equally deep passion for baseball. But the Dominican Republic has sent well over 100 players to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, while Nicaragua counts only three big-time players. Nicaragua is looking to change that disparity. And the first step in achieving that … Read more
CAFTA-DR Pact:Opening up new frontiers
As President George W. Bush pressures Congress to ratify the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, it is worth examining the results to date of the Dominican Republic-Central America-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). That agreement, involving the United States, five Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) and the Dominican Republic has taken … Read more
Redistribute the Windfall from High Oil Prices
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