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…
Category: South America
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…
The Trump of the Tropics
Written by: Julie Schneiberg Jair Bolsonaro―a far-right politician―has flipped the country of Brazil after 13 years of left leadership, winning the presidential election that took place in late October. Bolsonaro’s opponent, Fernando Haddad of Brazil’s Workers Party, was the former mayor of São Paulo. The party experienced major corruption scandals in 2016. Bolsonaro’s campaign mirrored…
American Response Weakens as Venezuelan Migrant Crisis Worsens
Written by: Eva Branson Every day, 5,000 Venezuelans flee their homes. Since 2014, the total number of Venezuelan citizens-turned-refugees has escalated to a staggering 2.3 million, or about 7% of Venezuela’s total population. These individuals are fleeing widespread hunger, excruciating economic deprivation, and mounting authoritarian repression. To date, the international community has contributed millions of…
Venezuela Drone Assassination Attempt
Written by: Adrian Douglas Arcoleo Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claims to have survived an assassination attempt by two explosive unmanned aerial systems. The alleged attempt occurred during a speech at a military event where government officials claimed two drones armed with explosives detonating in the air. Video of the speech shows the president and his…
No Choice Instead of Pro-Choice: Argentine Women’s Struggle to Secure Reproductive Rights
Written by: Aly Niehans Buenos Aires, Argentina is a bustling, cosmopolitan city located on the Rio de la Plata, which eventually opens up to the Atlantic Ocean. Relatively isolated from the more rural, agrarian interior of the country, the city hums with culture, boasting one of the finest opera houses in the world in Teatro…
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