Latin America & Caribbean Archives - Page 62 of 171

Cuba: New Corporate Utopia?

by Hannah Gurman | Sep 29, 2010

On the list of America’s most-hated leaders, Fidel Castro gets the award for longevity. Outlasting ten U.S. presidents, from Eisenhower through George W. Bush, Castro has managed to maintain his high ranking for over five decades. Though the 84-year-old ex-president of Cuba is unlikely to drop off the list during his lifetime, the persistent image of Cuba as communist dystopia may be on the verge of changing–that is, if the dreams of American big business come true.

Peruvian President Fujimori’s Right-Hand Man Was a Gun Runner and Drug Dealer — and Employed by the U.S.

by Coletta Youngers | Sep 3, 2010

Vladimiro Montesinos, one-time right hand man to Peruvian President Fujimori, organized death squads and was recently convicted of running guns to FARC, yet the U.S. made him an ally in the “war on drugs.”

Postcard From…Tolemaida

by Margaret Knapke | Aug 27, 2010

On August 3 and 4, eight U.S. human-rights activists demonstrated at the Tolemaida military base in Colombia. They were denouncing the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) signed last October, through which the United States plans to lease seven Colombian military bases for 10 years, including the one at Tolemaida.

Oliver Stone: Filming the Bolivarian Zeitgeist

by Shaun Randol | Aug 23, 2010

In many ways, Oliver Stone’s latest documentary film South of the Border is a mirror image of the 2004 film adaptation of The Motorcycle Diaries. In this latter film, based on the journals of a young Ernesto “Che” Guevara, two young idealists strike out across the South American continent on a motorcycle in search of adventure, but instead find passion, resilience, and a Latin American identity that transcended all political borders.

The Lowest Form of Military Aggression

by Luis Roberto Zamora Bolanos | Aug 20, 2010

On July 1, 2010, Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly authorized the U.S. military to undertake policing duties in Costa Rica, based on an expired “Cooperation Agreement.” Just one small problem: Costa Rica abolished its army in 1949 and since then has had no national military forces.

Mining for El Salvador’s Gold — In Washington

by Manuel Perez-Rocha | Aug 11, 2010

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel to Cabañas, El Salvador, to meet with some of the bravest and most successful environmental activists in the world. Ordinary villagers in this remote area of the country have joined with religious groups, research centers, and others to take on the powerful international mining companies that are seeking to plunder their country’s gold. So far, the activists have been winning this David-vs.-Goliath fight. Two successive Salvadoran governments have denied permits for gold mining on environmental and human health grounds.

Cuba and Congress: Who Will Change First?

by Anna Kalinina | Aug 9, 2010

In 1958, Hilton Hotels proudly opened the tallest and largest hotel in Latin America, the Havana Hilton, located in the heart of Havana, Cuba. Boasting a casino, an outdoor swimming pool, and a panoramic view of Havana from its rooftop nightclub and bar located atop 25 stories of five-star accommodation, this luxurious destination was only open to Americans for two years.

Has Incoming Colombian President Santos Inherited a “Captured State”?

by Coletta Youngers | Aug 7, 2010

Outgoing Colombian president Alvaro Uribe left a legacy of death and displacement. Can new president Juan Santos move his country in a new direction?

Recent Colombian Mass Grave Discovery May Be “False-Positives”

by Conn Hallinan | Aug 1, 2010

“False positive” is the Colombian armed forces operation that murdered civilians and dressed them up in insurgent uniforms to fake the success of the army’s counterinsurgency strategy.

Uribe’s Parting Shot

by Laura Carlsen | Jul 30, 2010

The rupture of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Colombia after a special session of the Organization of American States (OAS) on July 22 marks increased animosity between the outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez.