Latin America

Venezuela’s Protests: Passing Phase or Profound Reform?

Since the beginning of late Hugo Chávez’s administration in 1998, the once stable democratic government in Venezuela has been consistently damaged by political repression, lack of strong freedom of expression, institutional ineffectiveness, and constant human right abuses that have left many calls for justice unanswered. Recently, internal turmoil in the country has elevated political divisions […]

Mexico: A Year of Transformation

By Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora

Anyone following recent events in Mexico knows that 2013 was a year of unprecedented reforms in my country. As part of a broad agreement between the three main political parties called the Pacto Por México, President Peña Nieto and the Mexican Congress were able to pass legislation that included reforms to energy, education, telecoms, transparency, […]

Tipping Point? Public Opinion and US Cuba Policy in 2014

Cold War rhetoric and extremist policy were central to the discussion of the Atlantic Council poll on US-Cuba policy, hosted at the Pacific Council in Lost Angeles. Pollster Paul Maslin began the event by explaining that many Americans think the United States has worse relations with Cuba than with Iran. Congressman Howard Berman seized upon this […]

Andrés Bello and Protests: What this Means for Venezuela’s Future

By Victor Salcedo

Andrés Bello, eighteenth century Venezuelan philosopher and Simón Bolívar’s teacher, said that “only the unity of the people and the solidarity of its leaders guarantee the greatness of nations.” This is a quote that should be remembered in today’s Venezuela, where the country is divided and on the slow, painful path of irreversible implosion without […]