Category Archives: Latin American Militaries

The Zika Virus and Militarizing Medicine

Posted on January 26, 2016 by

As you may have read, Brazil is currently dealing with a baffling medical situation that is threatening to become an epidemic, as the Zika virus (spread by mosquitos that also can carry dengue and other diseases) is affecting the country. … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, El Salvador, Health Issues in the Americas, Latin America, Latin American Militaries

Get to Know a Brazilian – Eduardo Gomes

Posted on September 6, 2015 by

This is part of an ongoing series. Previous entries can be found here. Eduardo Gomes was born in 1896 in Petrópolis, the Imperial summer base of Brazil’s monarchy, in the mountains just north of Rio de Janeiro. His father had … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Get to Know a Brazilian, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries

Get to Know a Brazilian – Antônio de Siqueira Campos

Posted on August 30, 2015 by

This is part of an ongoing series. Previous entries can be found here. Building off of last week’s focus on João Cândido Felisberto, this week we look at another key figure in the history of military figures and rebellion in … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Get to Know a Brazilian, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries

Get to Know a Brazilian – João Cândido Felisberto

Posted on August 24, 2015 by

This post also appears at Lawyers, Guns & Money João Cândido Felisberto remains one of the more overlooked figures in one of the more overlooked periods of Brazilian history. However, his life offers much insight into the transitional nature of … Continue reading →

Posted in "Modernity", Brazil, Get to Know a Brazilian, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries, Race in Brazil, Race in the Americas, Weapons and Arms in Latin America

Brazil’s Truth Commission – A Roundup

Posted on December 11, 2014 by

Yesterday, on International Human Rights Day, Brazil’s National Truth Commission (Comissão Nacional da Verdade) concluded and submitted its report after over two years of work across 14 work groups and thousands upon thousands of hours of interviews, fact-finding, document-collecting, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Human Rights Issues, Latin American History, Latin American Militaries, Latin American Politics, Memory Struggles, Military Dictatorships, Truth Commissions

On Brazil’s Air Force

Posted on January 27, 2014 by

David Axe recently published a really interesting long-form piece on the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The basic focus is on how the FAB operates on a relatively low-budget, even while maintaining sustained campaigns relevant to defined national security interests (namely, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Latin American Militaries, The Amazon

When Public Anger & Political Frustration Ignore History

Posted on June 22, 2013 by

As readers of this blog know, I’ve written extensively about the Brazilian military dictatorship from a variety of angles, including how the military came to power amidst civilian calls for the military to remove constitutional president João Goulart. The idea of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Coups in Latin America, Democracy in the Americas, Governance in Latin America, Human Rights Issues, Latin American Militaries, Police Violence, Protests in Latin America, Social Movements, Torture | 4 Comments

On South America’s Lessons for Egypt

Posted on June 19, 2013 by

Foreign Policy has published a piece I wrote on how South American dictatorships can provide important lessons for Egyptians clamoring for military rule: As Egypt struggles to cope with economic turmoil and political divisions, citizens are increasingly seeking alternatives to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alfredo Stroessner, Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Augusto Pinochet, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Latin American Militaries, Military Dictatorships, Uruguay's Military Dictatorship (1973-1985)

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

Israel, Guatemala, and the Question of Genocide

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

As the trial of Efraín Ríos Montt appears to be headed back to square one after the Constitutional Court’s ruling, NACLA has a fascinating piece up on Israel’s ties to Ríos Montt: Known as “Brother Efraín,” a fundamentalist convert of … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Chile, Evangelicals in Latin America, Guatemala, Guatemala's Civil War, Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Indigenous Peoples, International Relations, Latin American Militaries, United States, Violence in the Americas | 3 Comments