United States President Barack Obama recently took a tour around Latin America, hitting two very controversial cities on his journey. After spending time first in Havana, Cuba, he then moved on to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he spent two days in bilateral meetings with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, business leaders, and young entrepreneurs, as well

President Barack Obama opened a new era in the United States’ complicated relationship with Cuba on March 20, 2016 during an “historic” two-and-a-half-day trip.  Obama is attempting a tricky and somewhat contradictory maneuver, as he moves to normalize diplomatic and economic relations between the two nations, while also nudging Cuba’s leaders in more democratic directions. 

After Brazilian federal and São Paulo state prosecutors said they believed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had accepted illicit payments and favors connected to the massive corruption scandal known as “Lava Jato,” or “Car Wash,” at the state-owned oil company Petrobras, and had brought him in for questioning, a series of massive protests

Berta Cáceres, the winner of the 2015 Goldman Prize for environmental activism and one of the founders of the Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, COPINH) was killed in her home on March 3, 2016.  Cáceres was a leader of the Lenca indigenous

Latin American governments of a “progressive” bent have hit some strong turbulence of late, and one of the recurring themes has been the near universal obsession with “corruption.”  Nowhere is this more evident than in Brazil, where beloved former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been caught up in the ongoing investigations just as he announced that he plans to run

Bolivian President Evo Morales sought the possibility of a fourth term by calling for a referendum to change the constitution.  The amendment would have permitted presidents to govern for three consecutive terms instead of two. (Morales’ first term was served under an earlier constitution.) Victory would have allowed him to run again when his current

Francis’ visit from February 12 to 18 was his first trip to Mexico since becoming Pope.  Pundits had high expectations for bold and provocative statements, though some were disappointed.  While the pontiff stayed on message about poverty and inequality, immigrant and indigenous rights, he did not take as deep a dive as many observers had

Around the region abortion is legal only in Cuba, Uruguay, and in Mexico City, where there is no restriction in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.  In most other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, abortion is legal in some restricted cases, specifically, if the mother’s life or health is in danger, if she

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held its fourth summit in Quito, Ecuador on January 27, 2016.  Established in Caracas in 2011 under the auspices of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, CELAC promotes the integration and development of the 33 member countries, (and resistance against Yankee hegemony).  Indeed, Ecuadorian President Rafael

Venezuela’s legislative and executive branches threw down in their fight for dominance amid an economic crisis that is spiraling out of control.  The economy of the world’s fifth-largest oil producer has been slammed by plummeting oil prices, which since September 2014 have dropped from US$90.00 per barrel to US$21.00. Revenues from fossil fuels generate 95%