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Category Archives: United States
Colombia on the International Stage
Today, Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos travels to Havana to meet with Cuban officials and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, currently convalescing in a Havana hospital. This hastily planned visit will last just a few hours,but the main item on the agenda holds broader regional significance. Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua have pledged to boycott the [...]
Also posted in Colombia, Cuba, Latin America, Venezuela Tagged Chavez, Diplomacy, Hugo Chavez, Juan Manuel Santos, United States Comments closed
US households becoming more Latin American?
A major narrative in the US media (CNN, NYT, MSNBC, WaPo, just to name a few) these days is that of the ‘Lost Generation’, i.e. those recent college graduates who, unable to find jobs and saddled with debt, are returning to live at home after graduating college. A whole slew of articles has been written [...]
The United States and the Wealth Gap
A Reuters analysis, “In debt row, hints of emerging-economy crisis”, highlights the point that the United States’ current debt ceiling stalemate, brought on by highly factionalized political camps, is akin to crises faced by emerging economies. The analysis itself is worth a read, although one quote, from Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, stands out:
“When [...]
Also posted in Argentina Leave a comment
The Peso Paradox
One of the more troubling signs of financial difficulties in Argentina has been the recent news that the government has fined economists for publishing inflation rates that do not reflect those of the national statistics agency, INDEC.
There is another indicator, the value of the peso against the decreasing value of the dollar, that is also [...]
Also posted in Argentina Leave a comment
US-LatAm Relations
My apologies in advance: the last thing the world needs is another blog post on US-Latin American relations. With that out of the way, there really are some interesting developments going on that warrant mention.
The NYTimes reports on a recent private dinner between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and six former Latin American presidents. The [...]
Far-Reaching Demonstrations Against AZ Law
How divisive is Senate Bill 1070?
There was a universal rejection of the law by the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), as well as protests on both sides of the border:
But the protests have spread to countries where a large diaspora stands to be impacted by the law. On 14 May, hundreds of Ecuadorians in [...]
Also posted in Bolivia, Ecuador, Latin America, Mexico Tagged border issues, Calle 13, SB 1070 Leave a comment
Scare Tactics in Colombian Presidential Elections
Soft on Terrorism.
The well-worn phrase is one that the US public has grown accustomed to. Like nationalism, it is a tactic that political campaigners use in attempts to disparage one candidate while strengthening the other.
During the 2008 presidential campaign in the United States, Republican candidate John McCain accused Democratic candidate Barack Obama of being soft [...]
Also posted in Colombia Tagged Alvaro Uribe, Andres Felipe Arias, Antanas Mockus, Campaign Tactics, elections, FARC, Juan Manuel Santos Leave a comment
From Partner by Default to Partner of Choice: Shifting US Policy in Latin America
On March 26, US Ambassador to Colombia William Brownfield said the US is close to signing bi-lateral military accords with two unspecified countries in Latin America.
In October 2009, following a failed attempt to keep the details secret, the US and Colombia hastily announced a deal allowing US troops and advisors to use seven military bases [...]
Also posted in Brazil, Panama Tagged Brazil, Diplomacy, drug war, U.S.-Latin America relations, United States 1 Comment
Interpol, the US, and Brazil
Brazil and the United States have had a troubled relationship in the past year, between a bitter trade feud, a high profile child abduction case, and currently, disagreements on Iran. But the latest international debacle between the two countries involves a powerful Brazilian politician and a New York lawyer.
It began in 2007, when the Manhattan [...]
Also posted in Brazil Tagged Brazil, corruption, international law, law, New York, Sao Paulo Leave a comment
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