Venezuela tests the fast-food waters. Expansion to U.S. unlikely though because it’s subsidized by the government.
WikiLeaks XX: Chavez — First Citgo, Now Burger King?
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Latin America & Caribbean
WikiLeaks XVIX: Guatemalan Concerns Get Short Shrift in Cables About Illegal Border Crossings Into Mexico
Documents reporting how easy it is to illegally cross the Mexican/Guatemalan border reveal Mexican security conflicts but fail to address Guatemalan concerns.
Rio Rumbles
Win or lose, the gangs in Rio and drug cartels in Mexico need to reinvent themselves to provide stability, security, and even livelihoods for communities, or they’ll disappear.
WikiLeaks XVI: Cancun — From a Combustible Regional Summit to a Lacklustre Climate Conference
Colombia’s ambassador to Mexico called the Cancun regional summit an “expression of Banana Republic discourse.”
WikiLeaks XIV: Mexican Government’s Drug Policy Benefits Drug Cartels
One cable describes a Mexican government pursuing losing tactics in the name of an unfocused strategy that leaves everyone worse off, with the exception of the country’s increasingly drug cartels.
Review: Dancing With Dynamite
Dynamite is dangerous stuff. Drop it and you visit the clouds. Misuse it and you might just blow up the neighborhood. This is why Benjamin Dangl’s title for his book on Latin America’s leftish surge is so apt. Social movements can be explosive.
60-Second Expert: Guantanamo
As one of his first acts in office, President Obama issued an executive order committing to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay within one year. Almost two years later, unnamed administration officials are predicting that the prison will remain open “for the foreseeable future.” This means that men like Djamel Ameziane will remain trapped there for the foreseeable future as well.
Brazilian Foreign Policy Under Dilma: Interview with Igor Fuser
On Oct. 31, Brazilians elected their new president, Worker’s Party (PT) candidate, Dilma Rousseff. Over the last eight years, President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, has turned the world’s attention to Brazil like never before, as his country has increasingly participated on the international scene.
WikiLeaks IX: Wires Show U.S. Embassy Actually Got It Right on Honduras
WikiLeaks’ Honduras documents exemplify the positive side of American diplomacy.
The Cancun Setup
The first thing to say about the climate negotiations – meeting soon in sunny Mexico – is that they’re teetering at the edge of what, back in the day, we used to call a “legitimation crisis.” On every side, folks are eager to suggest the negotiations have become a waste of time. It’s gotten to the point where people are apologizing for going to Cancun, as if it were bad for their image to be seen at the climate talks.