Written by: Jadalyn Eagens Guyana is the third poorest country in South America with a population of about 780,000 people, roughly four times the population of Madison. The former British sugar colony recently discovered oil 120 miles off its coast, the timing of which coincided with the country’s presidential elections, which took place on March…
Category: Latin America
A Democracy in Danger: The Right’s Coup in Bolivia
Written by: Daniel Zaydman The last few months have been a tumultuous time for much of Latin America. Political unrest has swept the region, claiming Bolivia as its most recent victim. On November 10, former Bolivian President Evo Morales was forced out of office in a coup after election authorities claimed the most recent presidential…
Venezuela and The Resource Curse
Written by: Aditi Poduri The political and economic crisis in Venezuela has been a subject of debate among Western political pundits recently, with many conservative voices pointing to the crisis as proof that socialist policies lead to ruin. These arguments are persuasive; President Hugo Chavez undertook costly social welfare programs, and his popularity among the…
Chilean Protests
Written by: Chandrea Baster A state of unrest has subsumed a country in western South America. Throughout the last few weeks, Santiago, Chile has been experiencing dangerous protests by Chilean natives due to heightened metro prices. The situation has already caused multiple deaths and has been viewed as something of extreme concern for the Chilean…
When Environmentalism Becomes Political: Brazil’s Refusal to Accept G7 Aid for Amazon Forest Fires
Written by: Ariana King Climate change. It’s a looming issue that threatens the entire globe, yet not all political leaders are willing to combat it. Take Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as an example. In late August, he rejected $22 million of proposed aid at the G7 summit for quelling fires in the Amazon rainforest. Regarded…
Is Nicaragua Ripe for Revolution?
Written by: Ariana King Since April of 2018, President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua has led a violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators and members of the opposition. Ripples of this latest wave of dissent began when Ortega announced his plan to increase social security taxes and reduce pensions. Protesters gathered in the streets and were met…
Brazil’s Trial by Populism
Written by: Michael Sauer Buoyed by burgeoning populism worldwide, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro rode the winning wave and cashed in a decisive victory in Brazil’s presidential election, held on October 28th. The retired army captain enjoyed strong support among the country’s western and northern states in particular. His rigid ideology, consisting of brash indifference to the…
Jair Bolsonaro’s Election Win: What It Means Going Forward
Written by: Samantha Mintz-Agnello In late October, Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil. A member of Brazil’s Social Liberal Party (SLP), the far-right congressman won 55.2% of the votes and will take office on January 1, 2019. Bolsonaro has made racist comments about Brazil’s black and mixed raced citizens, offensive comments about women and…
Argentina’s Submarine Disaster
Written by: Ilana Friedman A year ago, the unthinkable happened to civilians of Argentina. Forty-four families lost their loved ones, and received no answers to what may have caused the mysterious accident that the ARA San Juan Submarine suffered. On November 15th of 2017, officials in Argentia lost radio contact with the submarine, due to…
Setbacks for Brazil’s Environmental Protection Goals and Protection of Indigenous Peoples
Written by: Sarah Shepro In the 1500’s, when Europeans first arrived to the South American continent, Brazil was populated by 11 million indigenous peoples, separated into roughly 2,000 tribes. Like many other interactions between Europeans and indigenous peoples in America, this contact led a near-extinction loss, about 90% of the population, and has been followed…
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