Rare Earth Elements Are Trending. Will They Drive Latin America’s Next Mining Boom?
The region has the ideal mix of these vital inputs for green technology—but low prices and permitting lags stand in the way.
AQ Podcast: An X-Ray of Peru’s Tinderbox
A broad look at what’s behind political instability in Peru and what it means for the country’s democracy and the economy
What Panama’s Mining Showdown Means for Its Presidential Race
A Supreme Court ruling has crucial implications for the May 2024 election and the five leading candidates.
Latin America, Alone in a Distracted World
The region has more autonomy than any point in recent memory. That brings opportunities and challenges.
Peru’s Troubles Go Well Beyond Castillo
The president isn’t helping, but taxes and social issues lead a longer list of challenges.
At Risk: The Future of “Extractivism” in Colombia and the Andes
A regional roundup on how a fragile consensus around mining and oil exploration seems to be fraying
How Latin America Can Use its Natural Resource Wealth Responsibly
Extractive industries can bring benefits for the region. But governance of the sector must continue to improve.
AQ Slideshows: Natural Resource Extraction in Latin America
Award-winning photographer Nicolas Villaume accompanied Americas Quarterly to Chile, Colombia and Peru in 2012 to study natural resource extraction and its effect on social inclusion. Photographed during the AQ team’s site visits to mines in each country and meetings with stakeholders at the extraction sites and nearby communities, Villaume’s photos bring this research to life … Read more
Mining Conflict and Indigenous Consultation in Guatemala
A handful of Mayan-Q’eqchi’ men and women met with lawyers late last year in Ontario to review the details of three lawsuits filed in local courts against the Canadian mining company HudBay Minerals. They had traveled to Canada to pursue legal recourse for their claim that security personnel at the company’s Fenix Mining Project in … Read more
[i]AQ[/i] Videos: Natural Resource Extraction in Chile, Colombia and Peru
AQ traveled to Colombia, Chile and Peru in 2012 to study natural resource extraction and its effect on social inclusion, made possible with the generous support of the Ford Foundation. On each trip, the team met with mining officials, local government representatives, community leaders, and environmental activists to gain a broad, nuanced and diverse understanding … Read more
Mining Tensions in Peru and Argentina
The mining boom has brought huge economic benefits to some of Latin America’s least developed countries. But in big mining countries like Colombia and Bolivia the industry’s success is accompanied by an increase in protests, violence and human rights abuses. Not everyone has been able to share in the wealth created by mining—and in many … Read more
[i]AQ[/i] Q&A: Miguel Santillana and Cynthia Sanborn on Chinese Mining in Peru
What are the effects of China’s growing investments in Peruvian mining endeavors? AQ gets answers from Miguel Santillana, lead researcher of the Instituto del Perú at the Universidad de San Martín de Porres, and Cynthia Sanborn, director of the Universidad del Pacífico‘s Research Center. Mining, an industry that has been active since “pre-Inca ages” according … Read more