Hemisphere Weekly Archives - Page 6 of 31

With eye toward countering Chinese Belt and Road, Biden administration lays groundwork for infrastructure program in Latin America

More than seven years after President of China Xi Jinping first announced the Belt and Road—the People’s Republic’s signature twenty-first century foreign policy agenda—the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced this week that the White House would send a delegation of officials to Latin America to scout opportunities for possible infrastructure development projects to counter those of China.

admin October 1, 2021

Latin American leaders take center stage at the United Nations

Several major Latin American leaders spoke this week at the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York City, largely echoing common concerns about climate change and the unequal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines internationally.

admin September 24, 2021

Opposition surges in Argentine primary elections, in blow to Fernández

Amid record low voter turnout, President of Argentina Alberto Fernández and his ruling Frente de Todos coalition suffered an unexpected setback Sunday in the Primarias, Abiertas, Simultáneas y Obligatorias (PASO) primaries, losing ground to the opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition nationwide.

admin September 17, 2021

Jair Bolsonaro rallies supporters on Brazil’s Independence Day

On September 7, Brazil’s Independence Day, right-wing activists and self-proclaimed Bolsonaristas rallied in support of President Jair Bolsonaro, his beleaguered administration, and his escalating attacks on the country’s supreme court and other institutions.

admin September 10, 2021

Targeting vaccine inequality, WHO announces plans to announce COVID-19 vaccines in Latin America

In an effort to reduce COVID-19 vaccine inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) have announced plans to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines within the region. Dr. Carissa Etienne, a native of Dominica and director of the PAHO, declared last week that the PAHO has reviewed roughly 30 proposed manufacturing schemes for Latin American and Caribbean states.

admin September 3, 2021

U.S. Supreme Court orders the reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” policy

This week, in a 6-3 decision that saw Chief Justice John Roberts side with conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch, the United States Supreme Court refused to block a ruling by a federal judge in Texas that ordered the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to reinstate the “Migrant Protection Protocols” (MPP), the controversial, Trump-era immigration policy more commonly known as “Remain in Mexico.”

admin August 27, 2021

Haiti reels as earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace deepen social crisis

On Saturday, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake—more powerful than the 7.0 magnitude quake that savaged the country in 2010, killing nearly 200,000 and causing billions of dollars worth of damage—struck Haiti, killing over 2000 people, injuring at least 12,000 more, and leaving hundreds missing.

admin August 20, 2021

As tanks roll through Brasília, U.S. warns Bolsonaro against electoral interference

While visiting Brazil last week, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned President Jair Bolsonaro against interfering with the country’s upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for October of next year. In recent weeks—amid slumping poll numbers, a staggered economy, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to kill an average of 1,000 Brazilians per day—Bolsonaro has taken to criticizing Brazil’s electronic voting system as vulnerable to massive voter fraud and has threatened to delay next year’s elections if a system reliant on paper ballots is not adopted in its place.

admin August 13, 2021

In Mexico, AMLO’s anti-corruption referendum falls flat

Last Sunday, a popular referendum—and flagship project of President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)—asked Mexican voters whether ex-government officials should be subject to investigation and prosecution for allegations of impunity and corruption. However, the referendum, a key component of AMLO’s promises to crack down on graft and government impropriety, was a flop, drawing the participation of only seven percent of eligible voters, well below the 40 percent voter turnout threshold required for the referendum result to be legally binding (although over 98 percent of those who did cast ballots voted in favor of facilitating the prosecution of ex-officials).

admin August 6, 2021

In blow to anti-corruption efforts in Guatemala, prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval removed by Attorney General

Last Friday, Guatemalan Attorney General María Consuelo Porras removed Juan Francisco Sandoval from his position at the head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI), an anti-corruption task force created by the United Nations-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which was removed from the country in 2019.

admin July 30, 2021