All Americas
Brazil: In the market for millions of immigrantsFor a country that once prided itself on its immigrant tradition, Brazil now has one of the lowest rates of foreign-born citizens in the world. But foreign skilled workers are needed to help accelerate development.
- Report: Declining violence in Juarez, Mexico a win for Calderon administration
The International Crisis Group released a report on Mexico's security challenges and highlights certain aspects of Calderon's policies which may have helped ease bloodshed in Juarez, like federally-funded social programs and zero-tolerance for petty crime.
FocusVenezuela: Navigating life after ChávezAs Venezuela prepares to elect a new president, the focus has turned to whether Chávez's legacy – a petroleum-fueled political-economic system he referred to as socialism for the 21st century – can last.
- FocusPetrocaribe: Paying beans for Venezuelan oil
Some 17 countries receive shipments of crude or refined oil products with preferential repayment terms under the Petrocaribe energy pact. But some nations fear oil shipments could stop post-Chávez.
Can Mexico's vigilante militias trade ski masks for police badges?Guerrero state Gov. Aguirre announced he would submit a bill to the local legislature to create a legal framework for the militias.
- Victory for human rights in Latin America?
While efforts by some Latin American countries to potentially weaken the region's human rights commission were rebuffed, the IACHR could be stronger, says guest blogger James Bosworth.
Will Mexico see a new narco reality under President Peña Nieto?Is Mexican President Peña Nieto going to decriminalize the drug war? He promised lower levels of violence when he took office, and this week appealed to the public to judge his policies after one year has passed.
- Checking in on Guatemala's Rios Montt trial
If former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt is acquitted of war crimes and genocide charges that doesn't necessarily mean the Guatemalan legal system is failing, writes a guest blogger.
Study: Mexico pays price for being soda kingMexicans drink more refrescos, or soda, than people in just about any other country, according to new research, which links soda consumption with increased chances of obesity- and diabetes-related deaths.
United Nations calls on Haiti to set long-delayed electionHaiti was forced to cancel a scheduled meeting with donors to revive reconstruction efforts there after several donors warned they would be no-shows until an election calendar was in place.
Latin America makes strides: Former Guatemalan dictator faces genocide trialAs Guatemala's Rios Montt's trial begins today, many advocates argue that prosecuting state-sponsored abuses is the only way to allow the region's democracies to move forward.
Study: A quarter million US guns are smuggled into Mexico every yearMexican officials have long blamed lax gun laws in the US for the availability of weapons in Mexico, which has only one gun store and considers gun ownership a privilege, not a right.
Making nice? Argentina's Kirchner and Pope Francis meet in RomeBeneath the cordial meeting today between new Pope Francis and President Kirchner lies a rocky and strained relationship that stretches back to 2004.
Can Latin America ride out the global economic storm?Latin America has stayed afloat during the global economic crisis in part because of a wave of high commodity prices. But a new IADB report indicates this may not last.
Propaganda and self-censorship in Venezuelan mediaThe media will play an important role in the lead-up to Venezuela's April 14 election, and the specific reach and polarization of TV channels contributes to uneven political terrain, writes WOLA.
Can Pope Francis' focus on poor attract 'indifferent Catholics' back to church?While questions surround how Pope Francis dealt with Argentina's Dirty War, it is his involvement in the slums of Buenos Aires that is expected to guide his leadership of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
- Sandinistas block Internet in Nicaragua's National Assembly
Nicaraguan lawmakers discovered this week that they can no longer surf the Web at work. Ruling Sandinistas say it's meant to prevent procrastination.
Argentine pope: A reflection of Catholicism 'south of the equator'Residents of Buenos Aires met the papal announcement with surprise, checking smartphones in the street and asking each other if the news was true.
Pope Francis: representative of God - and Latin America?Pope Francis is the first Latin American pope, a prospect that fills many in the region with hopes for better representation of their concerns at the Vatican.
Trust the gang truce? Even a year later, Salvadorans skeptical.Although a delicate truce between the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs has held for a year, 70 percent of Salvadorans say the gangs' word can't be trusted.
