U.S. President Barack Obama heads to Latin America from March 19 to 23, visiting Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador. COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth talks with AS/COA Online about why Obama chose those three countries, the trip’s timing, and the White House's top priorities for the tour.
U.S. President Barack Obama meets with heads of state from four Latin American countries in March—first when Mexican President Felipe Calderón visits Washington, followed by Obama's tour of Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador later in the month. AS/COA Online explores topics on the agenda in each case.
Central American leaders gathered in San Salvador July 20 to coordinate strategies for stemming the rising tide of violence caused by organized crime, particularly in the “northern triangle” of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
"As long as young political leaders committed to the ideals of democracy, freedom and equal access to opportunities remain on the sidelines, we'll never progress," writes Julio Rank Wright of the Executive National Council of El Salvador's ARENA party, in the Winter 2010 issue of Americas Quarterly.
A moderate leftist president seeks a new way to rule a traditionally polarized country, where moderate options have often failed.
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.
The White House predicts little movement on comprehensive immigration reform before 2010. The ailing economy taking up much of the Obama administration’s time has shown its impact in immigration and remittances as well.
