Latin America

Latin American Historians, Diplomats Slam The Economist for Racist Description

Historians Alex Aviña and Ignacio Sánchez Prado say the magazine blamed the quality of workers for Latin America's slower economic development, echoing centuries-old tropes rooted in racism. 

Pre-Colombian City in Peru site of Mass Grave of Women, Children

The discovery at Chan Chan is another important archaeological find in the UNESCO World Heritage site. 

"A Drop of Treason": Philip Agee, CIA Whisteblower Gets a New Bio

Jonathan Stevenson's new book on Philip Agee, who left the CIA and exposed its operations in Latin America, struggles to portray the complex mix of principle and egotism that drove its subject. 

How Should the US Treat Migrants when American Policy Affected the Countries They Fled?

The Temporary Protected Status designation, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States, originated because of the massive human rights abuses of the US-supported dictatorship in El Salvador.

The Manifest Destiny Marauders Who Gave the “Filibuster” Its Name

by John Pat Leary

The original "filibusters" were mercenaries who invaded multiple Latin American nations in the interest of subverting their governments and establishing slaveholding colonies. Today the name is tied to procedural efforts to subvert democracy and impose minority rule. 

Lives Derailed: Notes from Migration Encounters

by Anita Isaacs and Anne Preston

"The contributions of immigrants, and the human toll of anti-immigrant policies should take center stage as we renew our national conversation on immigration."

US Cables: Colombia’s Ex-President Suspected Of Militia Ties

The National Security Archive has publicized documents from the George W. Bush administration which show the US government was well aware of ties between Colombian president Alvaro Uribe and right-wing paramilitary groups that the US had identified as terrorist groups. 

Using the Military to Quash Protests Can Erode Democracy – As Latin America Well Knows

by Kristina Mani

Even strong democracies have unraveled when the military was brought in to quell protest. Uruguay in the 1960s, Venezuela in the 1980s and Chile just last year provide insights.

Venezuela Failed Raid: US Has a History of Using Mercenaries to Undermine Other Regimes

by Andrew Thomson

The arrest of Silvercorp mercenaries in Venezuela echoes a long history of the U.S. government supporting private troops to overthrow foreign governments. 

A History of Inconvenient Allies and Convenient Enemies

by Alexander Aviña

The history of American alliances abroad doesn't make sense as a drug control strategy, but is consistent with a strategy of invoking the war on drugs to punish governments that resist U.S. domination.

How Coffee Ruined a Country

by Lizabeth Cohen

Lizabeth Cohen reviews Augustine Sedgewick's book, which argues that coffee monoculture was disastrous to El Salvador.

A Beautiful World: Ancient texts reveal Aztecs’ history in their own words in Camilla Townsend's Latest Book

Camilla Townsend’s new book, "Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs," documents the story of the Aztecs from an entirely new perspective, that of the Aztecs themselves.

Review: A Gospel for the Poor: Global Social Christianity and the Latin American Evangelical Left

by Amanda Lawson

In his book, historian David C. Kirkpatrick explores the development of the understudied—and by many accounts, unacknowledged—Latin American Evangelical Left.

A History of Influencing Presidential Children to Change Policy

by Aaron Coy Moulton

How Dominican Dictator Rafael Trujillo used the ambassador to the Dominican Republic's son to try to influence American foreign policy.  

My 60 Years of Disappointment With Fidel Castro

by Enrique Krauze

Latin American, with few exceptions, they have refused to see the historical failure of the Cuban Revolution and the oppressive and impoverishing domination of their patriarch.

Venezuela and the Birth of the American Empire

by Benjamin Welton

Why is a nearly 200-year old document still relevant today? 

Will the U.S. Government Abide by the International Law It Created in Venezuela?

by Lawrence Wittner

And how the U.S. government has violated these principles of international law in the past.

Don’t Invade Venezuela

by Alan McPherson

Contrary to what most believe, a military intervention in South America would be unprecedented

Trump’s Ignoring Latin America. We Do that at Our Peril.

by Mary Jo McConahay

Lessons from World War II.

Democracy in Latin America Is Once Again Under Threat, but that’s Not the Whole Story

by Hilda Sabato

We need to remember that many of these countries helped lead the way to the establishment of republican government.