Fourteen months ago forecasters had Mexico slated for ongoing recession in 2010, unsurprising given the 7% contraction Mexico experienced in 2009 and the sparse signs of consumer demand increasing in the U.S. Instead, third quarter figures have Mexico on track for 5.3% growth this year. Manufacturing is up almost 10% year-over-year, and rising oil prices […]
Overview 2010 was a year of ups and downs on the island, and in the US-Cuba relationship. Cuba watchers held their breath when US and Cuban officials met for discussions on migration and direct mail service, and when the two countries cooperated in the Haiti disaster relief effort. We began the year in a rush of optimistic […]
Hear my cries, I’m hurting! Port-au-Prince, Haiti–The Nov. 28 Haitian elections helped gain real insights into the state of the country on various levels, all inside one weekend when democracy was supposed to shine and lift the country’s morale above the debris, cholera’s death grip and ineffective governance to help the battered nation paint some […]
In case you missed it on the Latin America blog, Rich just posted on Mexico: International headlines focused on Mexico yesterday as an attempt at stealing oil from one of PEMEX’s pipelines resulted in 28 deaths and a town being covered in petrol and flames.According to sources, an organised gang made an attempt at stealing […]
A top leader of La Familia drug syndicate, Nazario Moreno González, better known by the media and public as “the craziest one,” was shot dead in a gunfight with Mexican officials on Thursday. The death is being hailed as a sign of progress in the Calderón administration’s war against Mexico’s drug traffickers. But the day-to-day […]
The irony of profitability Lately, Haitians have experienced high levels of—what scholars have coined– psychological reactance. It is a reaction caused by the fear of losing something deemed valuable, in this particular case, their very lives. Naturally– when neighbors– friends, and family members—those still alive—keep dying of an invisible, highly contagious and seemingly uncontrollable disease, […]
With all of the positive news coming out of Sao Paulo’s stock exchange and the ministries of Brasilia recently, this weekend’s crackdown on organized crime in the Complexo de Alemão and Vila do Cruzeiro favelas reminded the world of the crime-ridden Rio de Janeiro of today, whose parallels can easily be found throughout many of […]
In a few short weeks Dilma Rousseff’s government-to-be has already begun to exhibit the damaging infighting and fractioning that many Brazil-watchers had predicted, raising questions about Ms. Rousseff’s strengths as a leader. Meirelles’ Sassy Exit Last week the head of Brazil’s central bank for the past eight years, Henrique Meirelles, criticized the Rousseff government’s aims […]
A minority to reckon with Port-au-Prince, Haiti— Meet the would be future President of Haiti– Mirlande Manigat–one of only two women presidential candidates among 17 others engaged in a relentless pursuit of the crumbled Haitian palace. The most recent survey by Haiti’s independent Economic Forum, released late last week, revealed that Manigat of the Assembly of Progressive […]
Cuban President Raúl Castro has called the sixth-ever Communist Party congress—the first in thirteen years—to be held this coming April 2011 (when it will coincide with the anniversary of the battle of the Bay of Pigs, a complementary source of Cuban patriotism). So what can we expect from this congress? And what should we not […]
World Politics Review: How would you characterize economic relations between Brazil and Mexico?? Sean Goforth: In a word: vacuous. Each nation has liberalized its economy over the past 20 years, in recognition of the benefits of international trade, but they have largely kept their backs turned toward one another. Mexico has looked outside of Latin […]
It is Haiti, It is rape, it is UN peacekeepers and it is nothing new. Peacekeeping patrol Port-au-Prince, Haiti– At a time when uncertainties about upcoming Haitian elections are high, when anxieties over the cholera epidemic are rampant and prevalent rumors identifying peacekeepers as epidemic originators persist, the humanitarian organization must allocate resources to combat […]
The greatest challenge to affecting change in current U.S. policies toward Cuba, of course, is the fractious political environment and correspondingly disparate views (both in the public and within government) on what should be done. Nearly everyone seems to agree on a key point about Cuba policy: the embargo and related travel ban have not […]
Port-au-Prince, Haiti– Haitians will be electing a president, 10 Senators and 99 members of parliament on November 28, 2010, 16 short days from now. Democracy must prevail; the Haitian Constitution, international community and fundamental democratic principles necessitate such peaceful transfer of power. However common sensical, dubious observers question the legitimacy and wisdom of the Provisional Electoral Council’s decision and […]
Mexico will host a climate change conference in Cancun from November 29-December 10. In preparation of the UN-backed talks, Mexico is urging the world’s major greenhouse gas emitters to make serious commitments toward curbing anthropogenic climate change. In particular, Mexico’s Environment Secretary Juan Elvira Quesada is pressing on China and India. Both countries have shirked […]