Central America & Caribbean Archives - Page 21 of 49

Puerto Rico’s Student Activists See Default as Only Option

Desperate for a lifeline from the U.S. Congress, university students in Puerto Rico are pushing local politicians to take an extreme step – default on their debt. With the island’s fiscal troubles going from bad to worse, student leaders say default on upcoming payments is the only way to force Congress to pass restructuring legislation … Read more

AQ Top 5 de Chefs Jóvenes: Xavier Pacheco

Read in English Cuando el chef Xavier Pacheco regresó de Barcelona a su natal Puerto Rico sabía que abrir un restaurante que sirviera platillos con ingredientes frescos de la localidad sería una lucha cuesta arriba. Puerto Rico, antes poseedor de un próspero sector agrícola, ahora importa el 85 por ciento de sus alimentos, pero Pacheco, … Read more

Which Future? Ideas for a Better Central America

When I hear people talk about troubled areas of Central America, using terms like “hopeless” and “failed state,” it reminds me of what many said about Colombia in the 1990s and early 2000s. During that terrible era, drug cartels and guerrilla groups were so powerful – and the Colombian government so weak – that criminals … Read more

AQ Graphic: An Overview of Central America’s Economies and Infrastructure

How Surfing Helps El Salvador’s Economy

At the onset of the 1980s, surf tourism in El Salvador seemed like a fading pipe dream. The country’s fledgling industry, which had shown some potential in the 1970s, stalled as Salvadorans braced for civil war. For the next 12 years, as battles raged between the right-wing government and political dissidents of the Farabundo Martí … Read more

Homegrown Solutions to Central America’s Narco Nightmare

Six months after getting elected on a tough-on-crime platform, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández blamed his country’s spiraling crime problem on U.S. drug policy. Washington’s strategy of pouring funds into drug interdiction efforts — first in Colombia, then in Mexico — had actually pushed cartels and gangs to safer havens in Central America, he charged. President Hernández added that … Read more

Where Are Central America’s Real Jobs?

These days, Celso López is a naturopathic doctor living a quiet life on a farm. But during the 1980s, he led a column of about 100 guerrilla fighters in the mountains surrounding San Martin, Guatemala. López said he was “the most wanted man in the area,” with a hefty price on his head, and he … Read more

How Central America Can Make the Most of a $750 Million U.S. Aid Package

The passage of a $750 million U.S. aid package for Central America is an example of the collaboration needed to end violence and rebuild society in the Northern Triangle. As policymakers spend these funds, having the right data to inform spending will be crucial. For over 15 years, INCAE Business School has helped collect and … Read more

Centroamérica sigue tan violenta como siempre. ¿Cómo podría cambiar?

Read in English La primera vez que intenté visitar Suchitoto era una ciudad en estado de sitio. Las guerrillas de izquierda que controlaban el cercano volcán Guazapa estaban tratando de correr a los militares. Tres cuartas partes de sus 40.000 habitantes habían huido o muerto. La vida era miserable para los que se quedaron en … Read more

Central America Is As Violent As Ever. What Would it Take to Change?

Leer en español The first time I tried to visit Suchitoto, it was a town under siege. Left-wing guerrillas who held the nearby Guazapa volcano were trying to drive the military out. Three-quarters of the town’s 40,000 population had fled or been killed – and life was miserable for those who remained, as sabotage attacks … Read more

AQ Top 5 Young Chefs: Xavier Pacheco

Leer en español See the rest of the AQ Top 5 When Chef Xavier Pacheco returned to his native Puerto Rico from Barcelona, he knew opening a restaurant that served dishes with fresh, local ingredients, would be an uphill struggle. Puerto Rico, once home to a thriving agricultural sector, now imports 85 percent of its … Read more

How Obama’s Havana Trip Signals a ‘New Normal’ in U.S.-Cuba Relations

For all the pomp and circumstance surrounding U.S. President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba last week, the visit had a simple goal: to make the administration’s opening to the island impossible to reverse, no matter who wins the White House in November. After spending the week of Obama’s visit in Havana, it is clear to … Read more