NACLA Update 10/23/08 - The Reggaeton Factor in the Elections, Obama on Latin America

The Reggaetón Factor in the U.S. Elections
by Marisol LeBrón
Puerto Rican reggaetón artist Daddy Yankee turned heads when he publicly endorsed Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Barack Obama followed suit highlighting reggaetoneros support for the Democratic ticket in videos. But it is in Puerto Rico that reggaetón is making the largest political waves. Although dismissed by some as apolitical party music, this electoral season confirms reggaetón's politicization.
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Bolivia Reaches Agreement on Constitution Vote
by Alex van Schaick
After tens of thousands of marchers arrived to La Paz, Bolivia's four main political parties reached an agreement on October 20 to hold a national referendum on a proposed new constitution that would "refound" the Andean nation. If the accord holds, Bolivia will vote on the draft constitution on January 25, 2009, or 13 months after the country's Constituent Assembly first presented the document to congress.
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Obama on Latin America
by Larry Birns
Latin America has been notoriously absent from the presidential campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama. Nonetheless, Obama promises to foster a new era of hemispheric relations based upon mutual understanding and respect for national sovereignty. If he is elected, the strengths and weaknesses of his policies toward Latin America in the eyes of progressives will rely upon his ability to remain committed to a broad-range approach to the region despite conflicting interest groups and pressures on his administration.
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Coming Soon!

"Terror Incognita: Immigrants and the Homeland Security State"
Coming November/December 2008: This issue of the NACLA Report will focus on so-called Homeland Security in the Bush era, as it affects U.S. Latinos. Coverage will include attention to the political economy of immigrant raids and detention; the domestic applications of low-intensity conflict doctrine along the U.S.-Mexican border; the intersection of sex panics and xenophobia; and the connections between gentrification, urban planning, and counter-insurgency.
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