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82. For Palestine, from Ayiti
- Author:
- Sandy Plácido
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- Apartheid and genocide in the occupied territories hold up a mirror to the racist exclusion of Haitians and Black people in the Dominican Republic. Anti-imperialist solidarity is imperative.
- Topic:
- Apartheid, Genocide, Solidarity, Exclusion, Racism, and Anti-Imperialism
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Palestine, Latin America, Caribbean, and Haiti
83. Trump and the Latin American Left
- Author:
- Jacinto Gómez-López
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- Progressive governments in Latin America are not as united today as they were a decade ago. How prepared are they to navigate the onslaught of a second Trump administration?
- Topic:
- Politics, Donald Trump, Leftist Politics, and Progressivism
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and United States of America
84. “If we Fall, Others Will Follow”: Organizing to Combat Anti-Haitianism Tomorrow and Beyond
- Author:
- Darlène Dubuisson and Mark Schuller
- Publication Date:
- 11-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- The quest for white dominance has required undermining Haiti’s freedom and demonizing its people. A transnational response is necessary to foster solidarity and challenge the notion of U.S. exceptionalism.
- Topic:
- Immigration, Solidarity, Xenophobia, and Racism
- Political Geography:
- Latin America, Caribbean, Haiti, and United States of America
85. The Multiplication of Autonomies in Latin America
- Author:
- Raúl Zibechi
- Publication Date:
- 11-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- From food production to health and community justice, practices and experiments in autonomy across Latin America cultivate a thirdway alternative to electoral reform and revolutionary struggle.
- Topic:
- Reform, Food Security, Economy, Justice, and Autonomy
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
86. In a Climate of Slander and Hate, Haitian Immigrants Organize Across Borders
- Author:
- Gabrielle Apollon
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- In the face of mounting attacks on Haitian diaspora communities from Springfield to Santo Domingo, immigrants across the hemisphere are coming together to demand protection.
- Topic:
- Diaspora, Immigration, Borders, and Organizing
- Political Geography:
- Latin America, Caribbean, Haiti, and United States of America
87. Proposed Regulations Threaten the Future of Midwifery in Mexico
- Author:
- Becki Marcus
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- A draft health standard puts the labor and livelihoods of traditional midwives at risk. A network of autonomous midwives calls for an intercultural and intersectional approach to reproductive health care.
- Topic:
- Regulation, Autonomy, Reproductive Health, Livelihoods, and Midwives
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and Mexico
88. Dispatch from a Haitian Journalist in Springfield
- Author:
- Obed Lamy
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- In the wake of a firestorm of racist rumors, many members of a thriving Haitian community are considering relocating, pushed out by threats and hate.
- Topic:
- Immigration, Journalism, Xenophobia, and Racism
- Political Geography:
- Latin America, Caribbean, and Haiti
89. Christian Zionism in Bukele's El Salvador
- Author:
- Isabelle Rikkers and Noelle Brigden
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- President Nayib Bukele’s framing of security as a spiritual battle between good and evil helps to explain his popularity and his support for Israel.
- Topic:
- Zionism, Ideology, Nayib Bukele, and Christian Zionism
- Political Geography:
- Israel, Latin America, and El Salvador
90. Anti-Haitianism: A Hemispheric Rejection of Revolutionary Blackness
- Author:
- Bertin M. Jr. Louis
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)
- Abstract:
- From the United States to the Dominican Republic to the Bahamas, the collective scapegoating and mass deportation of Haitians for political gain lays bare a particular kind of anti-Blackness.
- Topic:
- Migration, Xenophobia, Racism, and Anti-Blackness
- Political Geography:
- Latin America, Caribbean, Haiti, Dominican Republic, United States of America, and Bahamas
91. Beyond Mexico’s criminal gangs: Hybrid violence in Puebla, Mexico, and Veracruz states
- Author:
- Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
- Publication Date:
- 05-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
- Abstract:
- Since the beginning of 2024, reports of violent incidents targeting political figures have frequently made their way into the news in the states of Mexico, Puebla, and Veracruz. On 23 March, several armed men on motorcycles killed the mayoral candidate of the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party running in Acatzingo municipality in Puebla, adding yet another victim to the list of candidates, current and former officials, relatives of politicians, and election officers who have been the targets of violence in recent months. These recent incidents are part of a repeated pattern of violence. Situated in central Mexico, the states of Mexico, Puebla, and Veracruz feature among the eight most affected by violence targeting political figures since 2018.
- Topic:
- Crime, Politics, Assassination, Gangs, and Hybrid Violence
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and Mexico
92. Gang violence in the Caribbean reaches farther than Haiti
- Author:
- Sandra Pellegrini
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
- Abstract:
- In recent years, Haiti has made headlines for unprecedented levels of gang violence, with gangs increasingly challenging state authorities and expanding their grip over the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and beyond, which exerts a heavy toll on civilians. Yet, this worsening security situation is not confined to Haiti; other countries and territories in the Caribbean, particularly Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, have experienced a surge in gang violence amid their fragmented and volatile gang landscapes.
- Topic:
- Violence, Gangs, and Regional Security
- Political Geography:
- Latin America, Caribbean, and Haiti
93. Five key takeaways from the 2024 elections in Mexico
- Author:
- Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
- Publication Date:
- 07-2024
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
- Abstract:
- On 2 June, Claudia Sheinbaum, running for the ruling National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party, won the presidential election with almost 60% of votes, becoming the first female president in the country’s history. Alongside the presidential election, voters in Mexico concurrently participated in legislative, state, and municipal elections. The election was marred by assassinations and targeted attacks on candidates and other political figures. ACLED records over 330 incidents of violence targeting political figures during the election campaign, between the start of the federal campaign on 1 March and the voting day on 2 June. At least 95 incidents led to one or more reported deaths. The level of violence during this election campaign marks a record high that eclipses the violence recorded in the 2018 general and 2021 federal elections, which had 254 and 257 events, respectively. The heightened levels of violence during the 2024 campaign period also affected candidates who were not directly targeted in violent incidents. At least 553 candidates requested state protection after receiving threats,1 while others decided to withdraw from the race as a result of threats.2 Notwithstanding, none of the main presidential candidates have made substantial proposals to address this issue.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Elections, Domestic Politics, Assassination, and Organized Crime
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and Mexico
94. Is Israel’s Star Fading in Latin America?
- Author:
- Jodor Jalit
- Publication Date:
- 10-2024
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Cairo Review of Global Affairs
- Institution:
- School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, American University in Cairo
- Abstract:
- The Latin American response to Israel’s war on Gaza could help strengthen the rich but neglected cultural ties with Arab states
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, and Public Opinion
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, Gaza, Arab Countries, and Latin America
95. Positioned for Peacebuilding? The Complex Role of the Catholic Church in the Venezuelan Conflict
- Author:
- David Smilde and Hugo Pérez Hernáiz
- Publication Date:
- 07-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The Catholic Church would seem to be perfectly positioned to facilitate peace in the Venezuelan conflict. It is the country’s most respected institution, and Pope Francis has been personally interested in peacemaking in the region. Furthermore, there is precedent in the region. In Colombia, since the 1980s, the Catholic Church has played a key role in mobilizing the population for peace, supporting the peace process directly, and through involvement in issues of transitional justice. In this article, we briefly describe the peacebuilding activities of the Colombian Catholic Church, more extensively describe the activities of the Venezuelan Catholic Church, and then compare the two to understand the particular challenges the Venezuelan Church faces. We suggest that while the Venezuelan Church faces a similar political opportunity structure as the Colombian Church, it does so with less mobilizing strength and with a lesser ability to provide a clear ideological alternative to the conflict.
- Topic:
- Religion, Transitional Justice, Conflict, Catholic Church, and Peacebuilding
- Political Geography:
- Colombia, South America, Latin America, and Venezuela
96. The shift from party to personality politics is harming Latin American democracies
- Author:
- Christine Zaino and Sofia Herrera
- Publication Date:
- 11-2024
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Across Latin America and the Caribbean, personality-driven political movements and political outsiders are increasingly prevalent, often at the expense of party-based politics. A theme of recent elections in the region has been a widespread embrace of political figures and movements vowing to upend the status quo. From Ecuador to Argentina to Guatemala, political outsiders have unseated the establishment. Meanwhile, recently formed, ideologically vague political movements in Mexico and El Salvador overtook the traditional parties that they broke away from to win landslide elections. With few exceptions, the region has failed to develop competitive, institutionalized, and programmatic parties. This breakdown in party systems and proliferation of personality-driven movements has not delivered better results. Improving institutionalized competition among programmatic, ideologically distinct, and identifiable parties would bolster Latin American democracy, delivering citizens freedom and prosperity. Within the past decade, several countries with once seemingly institutionalized party systems, such as El Salvador and Mexico, collapsed as parties lost their grip on power to personality-driven figures and movements. Others, like Ecuador and Guatemala, have systems that appear to provide a wide variety of options to citizens through a great proliferation of parties. These systems are unpredictable to citizens, and parties are unable to develop the structure, ideology, and institutionality necessary to deliver solutions to citizen’s needs. This piece examines how political parties across four Latin American countries in two types of systems have failed to serve as effective vehicles for delivering democracy, and what must change for parties in the region to succeed. We examine the breakdown of the formerly institutionalized party systems in Mexico and El Salvador, and the persistently weak parties in Guatemala and Ecuador. Each country’s experience illustrates how a lack of programmatic parties has contributed to poor governance, which fails to adequately deliver essential services to citizens, potentially undermining democracy and the freedom it should deliver. For each case, we reference data from the Atlantic Council Freedom and Prosperity Indexes and other sources to illustrate the critical role of parties in advancing democracy.
- Topic:
- Politics, Reform, Elections, and Democratic Transitions
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and Mexico
97. Even in authoritarian countries, democracy advocates are worth investing in
- Author:
- Fernanda Buril, Nate Grubman, and Patrick Quirk
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Freedom and democracy are in decline globally, according to the Atlantic Council’s Freedom Index. Political freedom in particular has slumped sharply since 2019, bringing the world to a twenty-four-year low. The biggest backsliders—the places with the sharpest declines in political freedom—span every major geographic region and many are particularly relevant to US national security. There are several fundamental reasons for the United States to support strategies that aim to halt such backsliding and foster democratization, including ones that go beyond the moral obligation to support humanitarian values. For instance, research shows that democracies are less prone to enable and export transnational crime or terrorism, and democracies are better at adapting to adverse economic events and avoiding large-scale disasters, and are more reliable trading partners, offering better business opportunities by upholding the rule of law and protecting investments from the arbitrary predation of political elites. Most notably, the vast majority of people around the world continue to prefer to be governed democratically. Democracy support also strengthens the US position more broadly in the strategic contest against the autocratic rivals of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Robust democratic institutions—transparent judiciaries, capable legislatures, responsive political parties, an active civil society, and a free press—make it harder for the rulers in the autocratic bloc to co-opt elites in other countries and advance their malign agendas. But with the world experiencing a global democratic recession, questions arise as to whether supporting democracy is a losing battle. Despite the bleak recent data on global democratic progress, democracy assistance is still crucial, not only in countries undergoing political openings and democratic consolidation but also—and perhaps even more so—in countries that are backsliding. Case studies in the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa suggest that using foreign assistance (in addition to and in concert with diplomacy and investment) to support democracy champions wherever they are is an effective strategy, even if the payoff is not immediately apparent at the level of a country’s political system.
- Topic:
- Authoritarianism, Elections, Democracy, Investment, and Democratic Transitions
- Political Geography:
- Caucasus, Latin America, Lebanon, and Sahel
98. Is the European Union Deforestation Regulation WTO-Proof?
- Author:
- Bruno Capuzzi
- Publication Date:
- 09-2024
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)
- Abstract:
- The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is set to take effect on 30th December 2024. While it aligns with EU’s climate goals under the European Green Deal, it has sparked concerns with EU partners regarding its compatibility with World Trade Organization (WTO) principles. Internally, some member-States and productive sectors fear that the lack of clarity in its rules could disrupt European supply chains. Products like coffee, chocolate, and leather are some examples where costs and price are expected to rise due to compliance requirements, documentation, and shipment segregation. Critics argue that the EUDR’s unilateral imposition of EU standards on third countries could be viewed as extraterritorial and more restrictive than necessary towards its objectives. This paper analyses lessons from WTO reports on US Shrimp/Turtle and US Tuna/Dolphin, which are relevant to discussions on non-product-related processes and production methods (PPMs). Key findings suggest that the EUDR could be justified under GATT exceptions clause (Article XX). However, for this to be successful, the Policy Brief proposes more flexibility in considering local realities of exporting countries. This would include shifting the EUDR approach to cooperating towards an outcome-based equivalence systems instead of rigid procedural requirements.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, European Union, Trade, WTO, Deforestation, and Mercosur
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Latin America
99. Beyond GDP: A compendium of regional feminist perspectives
- Author:
- Jennifer Lipenga, Lumonya Faith, Samia al-Botmeh, Nalini Rathnarajah, and Natalia Quiroga Diaz
- Publication Date:
- 12-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- In this publication, leading feminist thinkers from Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, share perspectives on why we must move beyond gross domestic product (GDP) as the primary measure of societal progress. Drawing on regional examples, they demonstrate how the GDP-growth obsession is skewing policy-making towards measures that drive austerity, debt, corporate power, and exploitative labour practices, whilst invisibilising unpaid care and domestic work. In a call to action, the authors highlight Indigenous and feminist alternatives that need to be pursued to catalyse a shift towards economies that centre care of people and the planet.
- Topic:
- GDP, Feminism, Decolonization, and Systems Change
- Political Geography:
- Africa, South Asia, Middle East, Latin America, North Africa, and Caribbean
100. Youth Employment in Tourism: A Multidimensional Approach of Job Quality in Latin America
- Author:
- Malena Dolcet, Natalia Porto, and Joaqu´ın Zarrilli
- Publication Date:
- 08-2024
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Distributive, Labor and Social Studies (CEDLAS)
- Abstract:
- Young people entering the labor markets face several and important challenges. These issues deepen due to rooted structural barriers such as informality or precarity, low-paid jobs, and low economic growth in regions like Latin America and sectors such as tourism (Abramo, 2022). Tourism has great potential to employ many of these young people because it provides opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers, it has low barriers to entry and flexible conditions, and it provides critical skills for their professional life. However, the youth population needs to reduce the gap between their available skills and experienced gained and the future requirements of labor markets to avoid being socially excluded. We apply the multidimensional poverty methodology developed by Alkire and Foster (2011) to build a Quality of Employment index (QoE) for young workers employed in the tourism industry in Latin America for the period 2015-2019. Focusing on two groups of young workers -super young for those aged 15 to 24 and young those aged 25 to 35- we consider several aspects of working conditions and discuss some differences in job quality across countries by gender and education considering different levels of deprivation in the index. The results suggest a high level of deprivation in the young workers, specially in the super young group. However, employment quality increased in both groups for all countries in the region during the period 2015-2019.
- Topic:
- Tourism, Employment, Youth, and Labor Market
- Political Geography:
- Latin America