Taiwan’s Last Stand in South America
A case study in how the pandemic is shaping Beijing’s influence in the region.
Why Has Energy Spawned a Political Crisis in Paraguay?
A secretive deal brought Paraguay’s president dangerously close to impeachment – and risks splattering into Brazil.
Mercosur’s Delayed Case of Free Trade Fever
The agreement with the European Union means more than trading with Europe.
How the Reign of Paraguay’s Original Dictator Echoes to This Day
Dr. José Gaspar de Francia turned 19th-century Paraguay into an authoritarian hermit state.
Five Takeaways from Paraguay’s Presidential Election
The ruling party held the presidency, but a close race and poor turnout suggest challenges ahead.
Film Review: Los Buscadores
Directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori explore one of the country’s most baffling obsessions.
A New Generation Is Changing Paraguayan Politics
While less dramatic than in the rest of Latin America, there is a transformation in Paraguay led by those born in the late 1970s and 1980s.
How a Competitive Primary Race Could Shape Paraguay’s Future
ASUNCIÓN – When Paraguayans go to the polls on Dec. 17 to choose their parties’ candidates for April’s presidential race, incumbent President Horacio Cartes will not – despite his best efforts – be on the ballot. But Cartes’ legacy, shaped partly by his controversial push for re-election and the protests it sparked, will be. That’s … Read more
Survivors of a Massacre in Paraguay Looking for Justice, Five Years Later
Marina Cué, a lightly-wooded parcel of land amid stunted fields of soybean in the district of Curuguaty, eastern Paraguay, seems like an oasis of calm today. But the casings from high-calibre rounds that locals still find in the grass tell a different story: that of a forced eviction here involving 300 heavily-armed police and a … Read more
How Paraguay Is Finally Reckoning With Its Dark Past
This article is adapted from AQ’s most recent issue, “Fixing Brazil.” To receive the print edition at home, subscribe here. It was nicknamed the caperucita roja — “Little Red Riding Hood” — and during the 1954 to 1989 dictatorship of the late General Alfredo Stroessner, the appearance of a red Chevrolet Custom 10 in the streets of Asunción was … Read more
Speaking Guaraní, Don Quixote Rides into Paraguay
Don Quixote is riding into Paraguay, but he’s not just tilting at windmills. The idealistic knight from La Mancha has a new quest: to defend the indigenous Guaraní language. The first-ever Guaraní translation of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel Don Quixote was completed in June by a team of four Paraguayan scholars who labored eight years … Read more
This Week in Latin America: Brazil’s Environmental Disaster
Sign up here to get This Week in Latin America delivered straight to your inbox every Monday. Samarco Settlement: Nearly four months after a burst mining dam in Brazil killed 19 people and caused a wave of toxic sludge to pollute major water sources, mine owner Samarco Mineração S.A. is expected Monday to announce a financial settlement with the Brazilian government. Joint … Read more
The Surprisingly Deep Centuries-Old Ties Between the Middle East and Latin America
To see our entire feature on Syrian refugees in Latin America, click here. The first time I stepped into a Syrian home, I was greeted by a family drinking Argentine yerba mate and watching a popular Mexican soap opera dubbed into Arabic. It was the summer of 1998, and I was in Syria researching Levantine … Read more
How Students Turned the Tables on Corruption in Paraguay
Add Paraguay to the growing list of Latin American countries where citizen protests are successfully holding public officials accountable for alleged abuses of power. In the past month, a student-led response to revelations of corruption within Paraguay’s largest university has landed the institution’s highest official behind bars and disrupted the status quo in a country … Read more
Is Latin America Ready for a 21st Century Pope?
A revolutionary. A reformer. The most progressive Catholic leader in history. All have been used to describe Pope Francis, the Argentine pontiff who has shown a willingness to embrace change in the Catholic Church and reenergize his flock in places like Latin America, where the share of adults identifying as Catholic has fallen precipitously over … Read more
