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Affirmative Action in Brazil
Affirmative action programs have spread rapidly across Brazil’s higher education institutions. Afro-Brazilians seeking a university education now have access to opportunities that were unreachable just decades ago. In fact, a recent study by the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro found that 70 percent of Brazil’s public universities—both federal and state—have adopted some form … Read more
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It’s Official: Canada No Longer Counts
Read the original version in French. The withdrawal of Canada’s candidacy to the UN Security Council on October 12 is an earthquake in the history of Canadian diplomacy. Who would have thought this possible? Is Portugal, the country who will take the seat in Canada’s place, really a more influential country? This would not have … Read more
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Brazil’s Presidential Election: On to the Second Round
Brazil’s presidential election shows once again that it’s a country of surprises. Based on numerous opinion polls, it seemed clear that Dilma Rousseff (Partido dos Trabalhadores – PT) would win easily in the first round. Instead, although winning 46.9 percent of the votes, she now faces the prospect of another tough month of campaigning against … Read more
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U.S. Foreign Policy Should Not be Controlled by the Cuban Government
YES. Should some elements of U.S. policy still be changed irrespective of what the Cuban government does in the short term? After 50 years, the all-or-nothing approach of U.S. policy toward Cuba has undoubtedly yielded nothing. Defenders of maintaining this status quo have suggested that any changes in U.S. policy would represent “concessions” to the … Read more
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Concessions to the Cubans would Embolden the Regime
NO. Should some elements of U.S. policy still be changed irrespective of what the Cuban government does in the short term? We shouldn’t make unilateral concessions to the Castro regime because it will cost lives. Fundamentally fragile, totalitarian dictatorships interpret all policy actions through the narrow lens of regime survival. That means they unfailingly construe … Read more
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Citizen Fear of Terrorism in the Americas
Increased sophistication, scope, and fatalities define modern terrorism and leave few corners of the globe immune from its threat. Terrorism (destructive attacks against non-military targets typically for political purposes) has had a greater presence in some countries in the Americas, such as Colombia and Peru, but terrorist acts have been recorded elsewhere in recent years … Read more
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Six Reasons Why Argentina Legalized Gay Marriage First
Javier Corrales also wrote for AQ Online in March on Latin American Gays: The Post-Left Leftists, examining the innovative and successful political strategies—in action and thinking—adopted by LGBT groups in Latin America in the last decade. —AQ This month, Argentina changed its civil code to permit gay marriage and adoptions, becoming the first nation in … Read more
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The Next Health Challenge in the Hemisphere: Non-Communicable Diseases
This year in the Americas, 4.5 million people will die of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. While the countries of the region have made great strides over the past two generations in decreasing death rates from infectious diseases—they are no longer the leading causes of death in … Read more
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Haitians Need their Own Voice
Six months after the earthquake, Haiti’s situation has barely improved. Rubble still clutters the streets of Port-au-Prince; over a million residents remain homeless and without access to basic services; and only 28,000 semi-permanent shelters have been built. Despite the slow recovery, United Nations officials are also quick to add that “what hasn’t happened is worth … Read more
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Eternal Spring, Eternal Tyranny: A Photographic Essay
“En 1800, un visitante europeo llamó a Guatemala Tierra de la Eterna Primavera. Un siglo después, el político y ensayista guatemalteco Manuel Galich llamó a su país Tierra de la Eterna Tiranía. Para pocos, Guatemala es un paraíso. Para muchos, es todo lo contrario.” For the few, Guatemala is a paradise. For the many, it … Read more
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Latin America’s Support for Same-Sex Marriage
Argentina is the region’s first country to legalize gay marriage, but tolerance is not as high across countries. Here’s why. Joining South Africa, Canada and seven European countries, Argentina has now extended the full rights of marriage to gays and lesbians nationwide. The law, signed by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on July 21, 2010, means … Read more
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The Other Side of Cuba’s Prisoner Release
The announcement by Havana that it would release five political prisoners “who would travel to Spain with their families,” and another 47 during the next three or four months, has been credited to efforts by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Cuba’s archbishop, Cardinal Jaime Ortega. But neither Cardinal Ortega, nor Minister Moratinos would … Read more
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Danger in Guatemala
The battle to regain control of Guatemala’s institutions from deeply entrenched criminal interests has reached an alarming new juncture. Two weeks ago, the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a UN-led commission to investigate and prosecute high-profile organized crime and corruption, resigned in frustration. Since January 2008, the CICIG has made … Read more
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The Path Ahead for Colombia’s President-Elect
Even before he starts his presidential term in August, Colombia’s president-elect, Juan Manuel Santos, has already broken records. A scion of Colombia’s establishment, Santos pulled in just over 9 million votes, winning 69 percent of the vote against the 27 percent secured by his rival, Antanus Mockus. Santos’ victory is the highest percentage of votes … Read more
