The United States has long used the Vatican as an instrument of foreign policy in Latin America. As the first pope from the Americas, the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio could signal a new direction for the Catholic Church.

Ultimately, gender equality and identity legislation like that in Argentina should be applauded, hailed, and covered by popular media. However, coverage of progressive social legislation warrants just as much critique and journalistic rigor as any article on economics.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the popular rebellion in Argentina. An uprising that with popular power forced out four governments in two weeks. But that was only the beginning. This year, 2011, is also a beginning. Not at all dissimilar from Argentina, this has been a year of popular uprisings, popular power, and new ways of organizing and doing politics.

Argentina has experienced record economic growth, and the devalued peso, or the “high dollar,” as it is known, is at least partially responsible. But while this financial strategy is widely accepted in Argentina across the political spectrum, it has been profoundly limited.

Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is poised to cruise to victory in the country’s presidential elections this Sunday. Although Fernández may now be riding a wave of success, she’s come a long way from the problematic first few years of her administration.