Columns
July 7, 2013
On Friday, I participated in a panel discussion hosted by Al Jazeera English’s weeknight news program “Inside Story Americas,” along with Latin America scholars Gerardo Munck of the University of Southern California and Diana Villiers Negroponte of the Brookings Institution, on the ramifications of the U.S. hunt for whistleblower Edward Snowden.
July 4, 2013
Given the ongoing debate surrounding Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning—and whether or not they committed a crime or acted in the public good—it is fitting to revisit a case which on a much smaller scale. The story of the Cincinnati Enquirer vs. Chiquita Banana showed how the “illegitimate” gathering of evidence was considered a more serious crime than that of engaging in widespread murder, bribery, arms trafficking, and knowingly poisoning the environment of communities throughout Latin America.
June 30, 2013
The rebellion in Catatumbo, North Santander, reveals the ills of Colombia's economic model of development.
June 26, 2013
While the relationship between China and Guyana was initially established in order to foster mutual cooperation and development, the past decade has witnessed a surge of Chinese interest in Guyana’s natural resources, leading many Guyanese citizens to question the value of this supposedly equal and beneficial partnership.
June 26, 2013
In the wake of the passage of the Corker-Hoeven amendment in the U.S. Senate, last week's sentencing of the Villareal borthers, former Border Patrol agents, on corruption-related charges, is a vauable reminder of the elusive nature of so-called border security.
June 21, 2013
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are calling for a constituent assembly to lay the foundation for a democratic system.
June 21, 2013
The growing contradiction between Bolivia's international championship of environmental and indigenous rights, and its vigorous domestic pursuit of extractivist economic policies, is exemplified by Vice President Alvaro García Linera. He recently addressed New York City's Left Forum on climate justice, after announcing his government's new plan to exploit oil and gas in its national parks.
June 19, 2013
A cursory look at the history of most countries' foreign policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean can often be categorized as being under the influence of colonialism, the Cold War, or neoliberal fundamentalism—depending on the era. To date, there has been very little genuine engagement between the region and outside nations. One nation which appears to be countering this trend is Norway.
June 12, 2013
In comparison to many of its neighbours in Central America and the Caribbean, Belize has pursued a very effective and widespread policy of conservation in order to capitalize on the growing segment of eco-tourism. However, given the stresses of economic development, Belize is facing a difficult balancing act when it comes to determining the limits of environmental and cultural conservation.
June 12, 2013
A photo essay of the 10th annual Migrant Trail Walk through the southern Arizona borderlands. The walk happened during a time of intense debate regarding immigration reform and border enforcement, yet the thousands of migrant deaths that have occurred over the last 20 years have not been mentioned.
June 5, 2013
Since the 2000 Water Wars, Bolivia has faced even greater water challenges: how to develop successful alternative models to water privatization, and how to combat water scarcity.
June 4, 2013
A new report from the Binational Migration Institute at the University of Arizona shows that high numbers of migrant deaths continue to occur in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands—this despite a decreasing number of unauthorized crossings of the international divide. In other words, the borderlands are becoming increasingly deadly.
June 3, 2013
The United States has historically played a critical role in Colombia's civil war due to its special links with its military that were cemented through Plan Colombia.
May 28, 2013
Taide Elena continues to fight for justice, six months after the U.S. Border Patrol shot and killed her 16-year-old grandson, José Antonio Elena Rodriguez, in Nogales, Sonora.
May 23, 2013
As Bolivia inaugurates its first natural gas liquids separation plant, an important step towards the industrialization of gas, its obligations to Brazil—the major consumer of Bolivia's gas—pose a significant challenge.
May 22, 2013
On May 21, the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded debate on the “Gang of 8” immigration reform proposal. A significant component of the bill is a set of “border security triggers” that Homeland Security would have to accomplish before the pathway to legalization and citizenship would become available for most immigrants.
May 21, 2013
An agreement on the agrarian question is emerging from the peace talks between the FARC and the Colombian government which could usher in a revolution in land tenure.
May 16, 2013
It has been 40 years since Assata Shakur was convicted of gunning down New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973 and sentenced to 26-33 years in prison. However, in November 1979, she escaped from prison and eventually received political asylum in Cuba in 1984. On May 2, it was announced that Shakur became number one on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. What does this mean for U.S.-Cuban relations?
May 15, 2013
In less than one week, two Guatemalan citizens committed suicide in the privately-run immigration detention center in Eloy, Arizona. It is another horrifying glimpse into an ever-expanding U.S. immigration control complex where death has become very much a part of the equation.
May 13, 2013
Over a dozen experts on Latin America and media studies have signed a petition encouraging New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan to probe the paper's double standards in covering Honduras, a U.S. ally, and Venezuela, an official enemy.
May 11, 2013
Two recent events in Bolivia—President Evo Morales's expulsion of USAID, and a judicial ruling enabling Morales to run for a third presidential term—could have important implications for Bolivia's political future.
May 10, 2013
While negotiations continue between the Santos government and the FARC, potato farmers in the countryside went on strike. This comes in the wake of the widespread protest movement staged by the small coffee growers some weeks ago.
May 10, 2013
On May 3, the Boston based organization Physicians for Haiti released a report card titled Protecting Peacekeepers and their Public which evaluates the status of the United Nation’s efforts to eradicate cholera in Haiti. Two years later, the UN has failed to implement their own cholera eradication reccomendations, speaking volumes about their concern for the saftety of the Haitian people.
May 2, 2013
On April 23, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, visited Canada to deliver her pitch to make the Canada-CARICOM free trade agreement a reality. However, it remains to be seen how such a deal will benefit the Caribbean—outside of a select group involved in resource extraction and financial services.
May 1, 2013
The campaign to "Drop the I-Word" has achieved some significant victories. The challenge now for the campaign—and for all of us who support it—is to realize far greater promise by ensuring that it be strongly linked to efforts to achieve systemic change.