Since late last century, and especially since the beginning of this century, left-leaning governments have been installed in Latin America, themselves the products of the failure of neoliberalism. In the search for alternatives, there have been different approaches on the Latin American Left, some more successful than others. 

The exercise of power through control of the media is a constant in history, and represents the “depraved tendency of political actors” who strive to manipulate the system, a dynamic that is clearly present in Guatemala. 

The case of one transgendered individual’s ordeal to gain the right to undergo the surgical procedures necessary to realize her identity has been influential in a recent court case.

Although a negative experience led Javier Estrada Tobar to seek medical services in a private clinic instead of a public one, he insists that all services are in need of a check-up.

Laura Aguirre illustrated the discrepancy in access to abortion based on the stories of two women.

Álvaro Lasso Lokee bemoans the government we have and describes the one we really want.  

How should the often emotional desire for change be dealt with in Liberal democracies? 

How can progressive governments move beyond “mere welfare-ism” and truly challenge the existing system?

The street is “par excellence” the meeting place for social interactions, communication, and coexistence.  Recent events in Mexico point to needed changes to make it friendlier to political protest. 

Obama’s immigration plan “is to be commended for allowing undocumented yet otherwise law-abiding immigrants to ‘come out of the shadows and get right with the law.’”  Yet it “overlooks one important aspect – the reason why Latinos risk their lives to illegally enter the US in the first place.”