In the early 1980s, when the Inter-American Dialogue was born, the U.S. was actively supporting right-wing governments from El Salvador to Nicaragua. There were “tremendous misunderstandings between Latin America and the United States,” says Michael Shifter, longtime president of the D.C.-based think tank. These days, it seems those tremendous misunderstandings have returned with a vengeance, making the Dialogue’s work even more relevant.
Will the leaders of our democracies rise to the demands of this exasperated citizenry, ready to set fire to the temple? Perhaps, but the prospects are not bright.
Latin American countries have some of the most restrictive reproductive health laws and policies in the world, particularly with regard to abortion. In part this stems from not recognizing reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right. However, imposing legal restrictions on abortion does not reduce the likelihood that women will seek this reproductive health service. Instead, harsh laws compel women to risk their lives and health by seeking out unsafe abortions.
Inter-American Dialogue, Center for Reproductive Rights
In this working paper, Arturo J. Cruz-Sequeira, offers a fresh and original assessment of the state of democratic governance in five Central American nations: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Using economic and political data, Cruz shows how the interplay between each country’s civil society, political society, and government shapes its democratic development in the context of intensified citizen demands coupled with diminished US assistance.
When Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama quickly absorbed the depth of the tragedy and necessity of a robust U.S. response. Unless the U.S. adopts a proactive role, Haiti’s fragmented political landscape threatens to deteriorate into a political vacuum that will compound the current crisis.
By all accounts, Spain wants to bring change to the European Union’s Cuba policy. In so doing, it is tackling a foreign policy challenge that often sheds more heat than light.
Washington’s economic and political reform agenda isn’t wrong. It’s just too narrowly conceived. To work, it must address Latin America’s pernicious and pervasive inequality and racism.
