Global Studies: Latin America and the Caribbean

Global Studies: Latin America and the Caribbean

Using Global Studies: Latin America and the Caribbean

Selected World Wide Web Sites

U.S. Statistics and Map

Canada Statistics and Map

Global Map

Latin America: Myth and Reality

Mexico: On the Verge of Change?

Central America: Lands in Turmoil

Country Reports:

Belize

Costa Rica

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Nicaragua

Panama

South America: An Imperfect Prism

Country Reports:

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Ecuador

Guyana

Paraguay

Peru

Suriname

Uruguay

Venezuela

The Caribbean: Sea of Diversity

Country Reports:

Antigua and Barbuda

The Bahamas

Barbados

Cuba

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Grenada

Haiti

Jamaica

St. Kitts–Nevis

St. Lucia

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

Articles from the World Press

Regional Articles

1. The Paradoxes of Latin America, Mario Vargas Llosa, The American Interest, February 2008. "Latin America’s wealth lies in its being many things simultaneously—so many . . . that it is a microcosm in which all the races and cultures of the world exist."

2. Violence against Women, Dr. César Chelala, Américas, May/June 2009. "In Latin America and the Caribbean . . . it is estimated that approximately 40 percent of the women in the region have experienced domestic violence."

3. Female Leaders on Rise in Central, South America, Jack Chang, The Hartford Courant, October 25, 2007. Despite Latin America’s reputation as a patriarchal society, women have made startling inroads not only in higher education but also as national political leaders. Slower progress has been made in the business sphere.

4. The Return of Continuismo?, Shelley A. McConnell, Current History, February 2010. "Latin America is witnessing an all-too-familiar pattern of presidents’ manipulating the constitutional framework to seek additional terms in office."

5. Hemispheric Echoes: The Reverberations of Latin American Populism, Larry Birns and Nicholas Birns, Harvard International Review, August 31, 2007. The authors examine the phenomenon of Latin American populism, its roots and goals, and how these have shaped U.S. policy toward the region.

6. The Economic Crisis: A Major Challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean, Alicia Bárcena, Américas, July/August 2009. Latin America is better equipped today, in terms of its economy and politics, to meet the crisis than on previous occasions. Moreover, because it is a world problem, it will require a global solution, which will help the Latin American region.

7. Dollarization Declines in Latin America, José M. Cartas, Finance & Development, March 2010. Over the past decade some Latin American countries have moved away from dependence on the dollar and have put more trust in their own currencies.

8. Service Break: Latin America’s Unproductive Economies, The Economist, March 27, 2010. Slow or even negative growth in productivity in Latin America has increased the disparity in income distribution over the past 50 years.

Mexico

9. The Real War in Mexico: How Democracy Can Defeat the Drug Cartels, Shannon O’Neil, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2009. "Hysteria over bloodshed in Mexico clouds the real challenge: the rising violence is a product of democratization—and the only real solution is to continue strengthening Mexican democracy."

Central America

10. Thriller for Chinchilla: Costa Rica’s New President, The Economist, February 13, 2010. Although Costa Rica is known for its excellent health care, education, public safety, and equality, "its traditional social democracy has recently come under strain." It will be the task of newly elected President Laura Chinchilla to meet these difficult challenges.

11. Enigmatic and Enchanting Guatemala, Héctor Peña Díaz, Américas, September/October 2009. The culture and history of modern Guatemala reflects an incredible diversity, from the rich traditions of the Maya to the inheritance of Spanish colonial institutions.

12. Argentina’s Troubled Transition, Hector E. Schamis, Current History, February 2008. Argentina "faces multiple difficulties in trying to build durable and robust democratic institutions." Inordinate executive power coupled with the vagaries of the economic cycle spell trouble for the country’s democratic system.

13. People’s Justice: Bolivia’s President and His Opponents, The Economist, April 3, 2010. President Evo Morales claims to have a mandate to implement a new constitution, which will be fairer to the country’s indigenous majority. One controversial change is that Bolivia will become "the first country in Latin America in which judges are to be ratified by popular election."

14. Lula’s Last Year, Kenneth Maxwell, Current History, February 2010. "Brazil’s emergence as a major economic and political player in international affairs, together with Lula’s role in this achievement, is one of the more remarkable developments of the past decade."

15. Running to Rebuild a Shaken Country: Chile’s New Government, The Economist, March 20, 2010. Chile is an earthquake-prone country. Newly elected President Sebastian Pinera faces the difficult task of rebuilding parts of Chile devastated by the great earthquake of 2010 that caused damages of about $30 billion and left 150,000 people homeless.

16. Go Before You Die: A Road Trip through the "New" Colombia, Patrick Graham, Harper’s Magazine, February 2008. Although traveling through Colombia has become less dangerous, that security has come at a high human cost. A fitful peace is the result of deals struck with killers on the left and right, guerrillas and paramilitaries. Both sides profited from an ugly drug trade that still persists in this geographically diverse and beautiful country.

17. Wolf Sheds Fleece: Venezuela’s Drift to Authoritarianism, The Economist, January 30, 2010. President Hugo Chavez, through referenda, won constitutional changes that abolished term limits for the president and other senior elected officials. Discontent over "crime, inflation, and power and water shortages" have resulted in large antigovernment protests.

Caribbean

18. Planting Hope on Hispaniola, Tommy Ventre, World Watch, January/February 2008. "Haiti and the Dominican Republic are both grappling with ravaged forests, each in its own way."

19. Aftershocks, David Heymann, The World Today, February 2010. The horrific Haitian earthquake killed hundreds of thousands, left a million without homes, and an infrastructure incapable of a meaningful response. "Could it have been different in Haiti? Would good planning have eased the pain of the shocks?"

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

Bibliography

Index