Citing inefficiencies, poor service, and bloated costs, the government of Mexican President Felipe Calderón dissolved the country's second biggest electric company on October 11. But even as the move drew cheers, it also drew protests from unions and congressional opponents.
As Canada's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Peter Kent visits Tegucigalpa this week with an OAS delegation, Canadian Senator Pamela Wallin comments on Ottawa's commitment to resolving the Honduran dispute.
The Hispanic population, traditionally undercounted in population estimates, should resist calls from some national Hispanic groups to boycott the 2010 Census.
A year and a half after cutting diplomatic relations, Bogota and Quito's efforts to repair ties are showing signs of progress. Foreign ministers from each country met Friday to continue talks.
As financial institutions work to attract the unbanked, effective programs must be better tailored and implemented as part of a long-term empowerment process, writes Qualitas of Life Exectuiver Director Adrián Franco.
More than two weeks after his surprise return, deposed leader Manuela Zelaya remains confined in the Brazilian Embassy. While the power dispute goes on in Honduras, a conflict over Washington's position on the crisis heats up in U.S. Congress.
Presidents Barack Obama and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made their case to the Olympics Committee in Copenhagen on Friday as Chicago and Rio vied to host the 2016 Summer Games. But only one of the popular leaders could return home with a victory in hand. Rio will be the first South American host of the Olympics.
In a new essay, Permanent Representative of Peru to the UN Gonzalo Gutiérrez explores the French trend that emerged in the late eighteenth century showing artistic wallpapers of panoramic landscapes. As the ambassador explains, an example of this art is the wallpaper in the Americas Society's Incas Room that displays scenes from the Inca Empire and its destruction by Spanish conquerers. (en español)
In an article for Poder, COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth explores prospects for economic growth in Latin America. He writes that recovery will most likely come from Asia. "At the same time, Latin America’s ability to take full advantage of Asia’s recovery will hinge largely on attending to its own competitiveness," writes Farnsworth.
The surprise return of deposed leader Manuel Zelaya to Honduras on September 21 sparked a tense—and at times violent—period in the Central American country. With the outcome in doubt inside the country, AS/COA takes a look at the roles of external actors seeking to resolve the crisis.
A new report issued by the Maryland Council for New Americans recognizes that that the state “needs the contributions of immigrants.”
AS/COA Honorary Chairman David Rockefeller urges the White house to resist protectionist demands that could further weaken the U.S. economy. "President Obama should recognize the critical need for a free flow of trade and finance across the world’s borders," he writes in The New York Times.
Deposed Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya made a dramatic return September 21, taking refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa. Hemispheric leaders pressed for a solution to a three-month-old political impasse, but tensions run high in the Central American country.
"Washington may have blocked the most likely road to reconciliation in that Central American nation," writes COA's Eric Farnsworth in The Christian Science Monitor. The State Department said it would not support November elections if carried out by Honduras' de facto government.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the Oval Office this week to talk security, trade, energy, and hockey. Ottawa's discomfort with "Buy American" provisions also caused Harper to make a rare trip to Capitol Hill, where he met with U.S. congressional leaders.
Venezuela's new plan to make a $2.2 billion arms purchase from Russia stoked U.S. fears that the deal could lead to an arms race in the Americas. While Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez took a whirlwind tour including the Moscow stop, France and Brazil signed their own multi-billion-dollar arms pact.
While some journalists reporting in Latin America face threats to personal security, others deal with official intimidation in what some warn could roll back hard-won press freedoms. But governments and journalists have also taken steps to ensure greater access to information.
With elections in December, the next president of Chile will, like counterparts across the region, face challenges to ensure the country’s continued socioeconomic prosperity. Santiago looks to renewable energy, liquid natural gas, and potentially nuclear power to satisfy its energy needs.
The State Department took new measures, including a cut of over $30 million in aid, to pressure the de facto government in Honduras toward resolving the political impasse stemming from the coup. The Central American country faces increasing economic isolation since the June overthrow of President Manuel Zelaya.
New data shows the global economic downturn has hurt trade in Latin America, with exports expected to decrease through 2009. Still, despite signs of the crisis, some bright spots shine.
