Devaluation is the word of the day in oil exporting countries. Whether it is the Nigerian naira, the Venezuelan bolívar, or the Russian rouble, low oil prices are wreaking havoc in oil exporting economies and on their national currencies.
Devaluation is the word of the day in oil exporting countries. Whether it is the Nigerian naira, the Venezuelan bolívar, or the Russian rouble, low oil prices are wreaking havoc in oil exporting economies and on their national currencies.
Chavez’s 21st century socialism has failed, pushing Venezuela to the brink of a major humanitarian crisis.
Latin America will suffer a recession this year. This will not only have economic consequences for the next three years, but also transform Latin American politics, ending a decade-long division.
If there is no single truth, lies can become powerful tools in an election.
OPEC’s recent decision to keep production at its current levels lead to the realization by many investors that the current oil price may become the new norm.
Latin America often receives secondary attention with the world’s focus on the Middle East. For North Americans, however, issues with regional partners may have more weight on the average person in the U.S. and Canada than problems in Iraq and Ukraine.
It is interesting to see the current commentary on ISIS/ISIL in Iraq and how policymakers and the mainstream media have reported on a situation that is confusing and complicated. In reality, the suppression of the 2009 election in Iran lead to a violent response to protestors in Syria, leading to a dithering policy on […]
There is always a danger in economies that are heavily dependent on one commodity to become states where conflict and power vacuums arise due to the concentration of power in one industry, and that industry having control of a large part of a national economy. External pressures for countries that are oil producers are the […]
The latest row between the U.S. and its main rival in Latin America recently took a turn for the worse when three U.S. diplomats were expelled from Venezuela. The allegations were that these three diplomats were aiding in the sabotage of Venezuela’s power grid tied in with other sensational accusations. In response, the U.S. expelled […]
Bradley Manning’s consequence for sending classified information to Wikileaks over incidents in Iraq where American soldiers killed 24 innocent Iraqis were reaffirmed today. Manning’s possible life sentence was maintained as charges of “aiding the enemy” were upheld. Manning sent videos to Wikileaks showing gun camera footage of American gunship pilots with permission of their commanders […]
Many Americans feel that their current system of government is unable to get anything done in any meaningful way. Conflicts between interests in the U.S. government has blocked essential legislation from being passed, and interest groups in the political system thrive off preventing the president from passing many of his key policy initiatives. While compromise […]
Over two weeks have passed since Nicolas Maduro’s contested election victory over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski. Unfortunately, fair democracy appears to remain limited in Venezuela, even after the passing of Hugo Chavez. Capriles and his supporters have demanded a recount in the closely contested race and refuse to acknowledge Maduro’s victory as legitimate. […]
The Rise of Big Data By Kenneth Neil Cukier and Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger Foreign Affairs The Internet may have transformed the way we do business, live and govern, but a lesser-known technological trend, “big data,” has also been making waves. The premise — that we can learn more from a large body of information things than […]
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 […]
The latest twist in the drama that is Venezuelan presidential politics concerns the highly contentious election of last Sunday, April 14. In an election called for by the constitution following the death of sitting President Hugo Chavez, the country faced a choice between Chavez’s hand-picked successor Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski, whom […]