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When millions of Venezuelans left their country over the last few months the world finally started to refocus on Venezuela. Since the death of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela has not gathered much attention outside of the region. When three million of its citizens crossed the border into Colombia, Brazil as well as the rest of Latin […]
After World War II, the theory that economic integration would reduce the possibility of open conflict between two nation states was tried and was deemed successful by history when France and West Germany signed the first accords that would grow to become the European Union. When Russia recently annexed Crimea, the first response by Western […]
It has taken 50 years for a commercial flight from the United States to have official permission to land with American passengers in Cuba, but recently a small plane from Key West has done just that. Despite it being a small plane with less than a dozen passengers, it is representative of a thaw between […]
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, president of the smallest oil producing and exporting member of OPEC, has committed to expanding oil drilling – from the current 513,000 barrels of oil per day. President Correa announced last week that he signed an executive decree to end the Yasuni Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tipuni (ITT) initiative. ITT are oil blocks, which house […]
The new president will be puppeteered out of office quicker than he was put in The election played out as many opposition supporters of Henrique Capriles supporters feared. Government candidate Nicolas Maduro won by a close margin — closer than expected actually. Capriles denounced the results, pointed out cases of fraud and intimidation and […]
A Surge in Energy – and Poll Points – for the Capriles’ Campaign. When the presidential campaign of opposition candidate Henrique Capriles began two weeks ago there were legitimate doubts about stamina, both his and that of his staff. They must be tired. One factor, however, may sway the vote when Capriles faces Acting President […]
Since Rafael Correa was elected president of Ecuador in 2006, the country has become a study in new socialism. It is new because it combines the social aspect of socialism while also relying on market forces. Ecuador, like many developing countries, has suffered from the ill effects of “dependencia,” a system that keeps the nation […]
You might think most foreign policy wonks were looking forward to last night’s presidential debate but most I know were actually dreading it. It was well known that the difficult and pressing questions on foreign policy would not be asked, and to be honest, foreign policy requires far more nuance and complexity than can fit […]
Four Americans traveled to 14 countries to find out what ordinary people think of the United States. The responses were predictable: most professed admiration for Americans but vehemently disliked the United States government. There were few surprises in this documentary, which was filmed in “pre-Obama” time. The more touching scenes involve an Afghan woman who lost […]
President Obama over the last four years has had as successful a record on Latin America as the last two presidents before him. It can be argued he has had some added success in the region considering luck and policy with Colombia gaining a handle on its own internal conflict and Cuba slowly reforming to […]
Writing for both the Latin America blog and the Europe blog often has its advantages, and with so little attention being paid to Latin America at this past weekend’s G8 Summit at Camp David I am given some space to discuss how the global economy affects Latin America and other developing regions. The late 90s […]
Meningococcal disease, or meningitis, is a bacterial infection of the meninges, or lining around the brain and spinal cord. If left untreated, it has a 50% mortality rate, and it spreads most easily through crowded areas where people are in close and prolonged contact, from college dorms to informal settlements. Meningococcal disease can result in severe, permanent […]
As I highlighted in my last post, violent crime is peaking in Brazil’s interior. A disturbing corollary to this trend is the high rate of targeted violence against indigenous communities. New data compiled by the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) for a report on attacks on indigenous peoples underscores the severity of the problem. As well […]
With the possible exceptions of soccer and samba, Brazil’s global reputation is shaped more by its high rates of violent crime than anything else. Romanticized in popular films and culture, the country’s favelas are the most visible symbol of the issue. But according to the Map of Violence 2010, a new report from the São […]