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3 Winners and Losers From Brazil’s Latest Corruption Revelations

After months of anticipation, Brazil’s Supreme Court released on Tuesday the names of dozens of politicians who will be investigated as part of the ongoing probe into corruption at state oil company Petrobras. The list is a veritable who’s-who of Brazilian politics, and includes nearly a third of President Michel Temer’s Cabinet and a third … Read more

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How Will Trump Deal with China’s Rise in Latin America?

While the Pentagon and President Donald Trump were planning a cruise missile attack on Syria last week, another member of the U.S. military command was calmly appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Although the commander of the U.S. Southern Command rarely receives much public attention, Admiral Kurt W Tidd’s remarks are worth noting for … Read more

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Why Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro Doesn’t Look Finished Quite Yet

While it’s tempting to describe President Nicolás Maduro’s government as crazy or erratic, a closer analysis reveals that decision-makers in Caracas operate according to a clear – and effective – set of principles. Indeed, Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chávez have long been aware of the fact that high-profile ruptures of democratic order – such … Read more

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As Threats to LGBT Brazilians Rise, These Trans Singers Take Center Stage

It’s one thing to perform for hundreds of spectators at Salvador, Brazil’s world-famous carnaval. It’s quite another to take the stage as a transgender woman in a region that has become a focal point of rising violence against Brazil’s LGBT community. That reality wasn’t lost on trans musicians Assucena Assucena and Raquel Virgínia as they … Read more

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The Controversy That Could Swing Ecuador’s Election

A decade ago, Rafael Correa was sworn in as president of Ecuador in the Andean village of Zumbahua. In the presence of fellow “pink tide” socialist presidents Hugo Chávez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, five indigenous priests sprinkled him with sacred herbs and evoked the spirits of the moon and sun to provide him with positive energy. But … Read more

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Trailblazing Leaders on How to Make Latin American Politics More Inclusive

What do a Zapotec woman from Mexico, an Afro-descendant advocate from Uruguay, and a gay rights activist from Chile have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out. On March 27, Mexico’s Eufrosina Cruz Mendoza, Uruguay’s Edgardo Ortuño, and Chile’s Jaime Parada Hoyl – three Latin American politicians who have broken glass ceilings in their … Read more

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Here’s What Should Worry Mexico More Than NAFTA

It’s fair that Mexican officials would fret over U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to walk away from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – 80 percent of Mexican goods are currently exported to the U.S., and any change to the 23-year-old deal will surely be economically and politically disruptive. But other potential changes in … Read more

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Apuntar a puntos de conflicto específicos podría reducir drásticamente la tasa de homicidios

Read in English | Ler em português Este artículo apoya la campaña del Instinto de Vida (Instinct for Life), un esfuerzo de más de 20 grupos de la sociedad civil y organizaciones internacionales para reducir el homicidio en siete países de Latinoamérica al 50 por ciento en 10 años. Empezando en abril de 2017, la … Read more

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The Real Reason Brazil’s Government Is Struggling

On the surface, they seemed like two unrelated cases of bad luck. Just as Brazil’s economy was showing fragile signs of recovery, a new corruption scandal erupted on March 17 threatening to paralyze the country’s $130 billion beef sector. Days later, the pillar of President Michel Temer’s market-friendly economic agenda, a reform to the social … Read more

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Why Piñera Is the Frontrunner to Return as Chile’s President

Eight months before Chileans go to the polls, former President Sebastián Piñera is the frontrunner among a crowded field of candidates. The center-right businessman who was president from 2010 to 2014 leads public opinion polls, and has clearly benefited from the unpopularity of Michelle Bachelet, who preceded him in power – and replaced him when … Read more

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Policiar áreas perigosas poderia reduzir drasticamente a taxa de assassinatos

Leer en español | Read in English Esta série de artigos apoia a campanha Instinto de Vida, um esforço de mais de 20 grupos da sociedade civil e organizações internacionais para reduzir o homicídio em sete países latino-americanos em 50% ao longo de dez anos. A partir de abril de 2017, a campanha promoverá reduções … Read more

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Riding Mexico’s Empty Tourism Train

Book a low-season ticket for El Chepe, the passenger train that cuts through the valleys and mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico’s largest state, and it’s likely you’ll have your pick of seats. Despite taking passengers to or through some of Mexico’s most fascinating towns and natural attractions, El Chepe is nearly empty most of the year, … Read more

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Brazil Should Do More for Venezuela’s Refugees and Migrants

Venezuela’s protracted political and economic crisis is reaching a breaking point. Over the past few months thousands of Venezuelans fled across the border to seek sanctuary in northern Brazil, many of them taking only what they could carry on their backs. Although the humanitarian emergency has been brewing for some time, the Brazilian authorities appear woefully … Read more

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Amid Old Rivalries, South America’s Silver River Promises New Riches

It’s 8 a.m. on a rainy Monday morning in Argentina, and Captain Humberto Duarte is stuck in traffic. A tugboat pushing 16 barges laden with soybean is taking an age to pass under the bridge that spans the river here at Corrientes on the Paraguay-Paraná hidrovía (waterway). The captains of nearby ships voice their frustration … Read more

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Five Ways Venezuelan Businesses Are Coping with Crisis

Businesses and entrepreneurs in Venezuela are responding to the country’s crippling economic crisis in all sorts of ways. Many are simply closing their doors – not surprising in a country whose GDP shrank by at least 10 percent last year.   But others have reinvented themselves to survive in the country’s off-kilter economy, as new … Read more