Category Archives: United States

Talking about Brazil’s Political Situation (with Bonus US-Cuba Relations Discusion)

Posted on March 29, 2016 by

I recently talked with Robert Farley on Foreign Entanglements about the Brazilian political crisis, and possible outcomes (along with some additional conversation on Obama’s trip to Latin America last week). You can see the whole thing here.  

Posted in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Latin American Politics, Latin American-U.S. Relations, United States | 1 Comment

Today in Even Worse, More Inaccurate Historical Analogies (or, “Pinochet Wasn’t a Populist”)

Posted on March 28, 2016 by

I thought “Trump is a populist/caudillo (because that’s the same thing)” would be the dumbest historical/political analogy I would read yesterday. Sadly, I was wrong: Better than most, the people of Latin America know how to spot a caudillo, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Latin America, Latin American History, Latin American Politics, United States

Around Latin America

Posted on December 4, 2013 by

-Peru has launched its biggest exhumation ever, as it tries to find victims from the violence between the Shining Path and the Peruvian state between 1980 and 2000. -Peru is not the only country exhuming victims of violence. In an … Continue reading →

Posted in Around Latin America, Border Issues, Brazil, Corruption, Costa Rica, Drugs and the Drug Trade in the Americas, El Salvador, Elections in Latin America, Governance in Latin America, Honduras, Human Rights Violations, Indigenous Peoples, Latin American Economies, Latin American Politics, Mexico, Nicaragua, Oil in the Americas, Peru, Peru's Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), Protests in Latin America, Rio de Janeiro, The "Disappeared", United States

Around Latin America

Posted on September 11, 2013 by

-Yesterday, Chile marked the fortieth anniversary of the coup that overthrew democratically-elected president Salvador Allende and ushered in the 17-year military dictatorship that killed over 3000 people and tortured tens of thousands. Even while the date was commemorated, the search … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Around Latin America, Augusto Pinochet, Brazil, Chile, Coups in Latin America, Cuba, Guatemala, Guatemala's Civil War, Guerrilla Movements in Latin America, Human Rights Violations, Indigenous Peoples, Labor in Latin America, Multinational Corporations in the Americas, Protests in Latin America, Racism, Strikes, The "Disappeared", Torture, United States

What Force-Feeding Looks Like

Posted on July 8, 2013 by

Though reports on the story have been relatively slight in comparison to far more trivial matters that gobble up more TV time, for at least the past four months, detainees at Guantanamo have been on a hunger strike, protesting the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Human Rights Issues, Prisoners' Rights, Strikes, Torture, United States

Around Latin America

Posted on June 12, 2013 by

-Nicaragua and China have entered into an agreement through which China could help build a canal through Nicaragua that would rival the Panama canal. Of course, Nicaragua has long been seen as a potential site for a canal; even in … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberto Fujimori, Around Latin America, Brazil, Civil Conflict in the Americas, Class and Classism in the Americas, Colombia, Cuba, Democracy in the Americas, Economics in the Americas, Ecuador, Education in the Americas, Elections in Latin America, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionárias de Colombia (FARC), Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Inequalities in the Americas, Latin American Politics, Memory Struggles, Neoliberalism, Nicaragua, Peru, Peru's Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), Race in Brazil, Race in the Americas, The Amazon, United States, Venezuela, Violence in the Americas, War in Latin America, Women's Movements & Issues, Women's Rights

The Cold War in Central America – To What Extent Was the US Responsible?

Posted on May 24, 2013 by

I was on the Burt Cohen Show yesterday, discussing the nature of the Cold War in Central America, the annulment of the Rios Montt trial, human rights and justice for ex-dictators, and the complex roles of the US in Latin … Continue reading →

Posted in Guatemala, Guatemala's Civil War, Latin America, Legal Issues in Latin America, The Cold War in Latin America, United States, Violence in the Americas, War in Latin America

Bunkers in the Everglades – Relics of the Cold War

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

This is a remarkable story of a bygone era: The Cuban Missile Crisis was over in 1962. But the militarization of Florida and its national parks had only just begun. Nike Hercules Missile Site — also called Alpha Battery or HM-69 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, International Relations, Latin American History, United States

Around Latin America

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

-Still dealing with the loss to Chile of its only route to the Pacific 140 years ago, Bolivia is set to take its case to the International Court of Justice, a move that Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has said would open … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberto Fujimori, Around Latin America, Bolivia, Brazil, Catholicism in the Americas, Chile, Colombia, Corruption, Costa Rica, Cuba, Gender and Sexuality, Governance in Latin America, Health Issues in the Americas, Immigration, Inter-American Relations, Latin America, Latinos in the U.S., Legal Issues in Latin America, LGBT Rights & Issues, Mexico, Peru, Police in the Americas, Police Violence, Rio de Janeiro, United States, Violence in the Americas | 1 Comment

On Revealing WHINSEC’s [ex-School of the Americas] Students

Posted on April 26, 2013 by

A California court has ruled that the Western Hemispheric Institute for Securirity Operations (WHINSEC), once known as the School of the Americas, must reveal the names of students from Latin America who have trained at the Fort Benning grounds. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Inter-American Relations, Latin America, Latin American Militaries, United States