The thousands of brave souls currently leaving Nicaragua are not doing so because they want to. Whether due to political persecution or out of economic necessity, they are fleeing for their lives.
Why people migrate: A plea for empathy from Nicaragua
By Benjamin Waddell /
Democracy & Elections
Preguntas de una hija de la posguerra en Nicaragua
By Fiore Stella Bran Aragón /
Como hija de la posguerra, nacida en la década de los 90, nunca pensé ser testigo de una dictadura brutal como de la que me hablaban mis padres y abuelos. Pero ante esa repetición terrorífica de la historia de la dictadura, surgen muchas preguntas. Aquí planteo algunas.
Brazil and the Southern Cone
Does inequality drive corruption and unethical behavior?
By Benjamin Waddell /
Like their conservative predecessors, left-leaning presidents in Latin America have shown a tendency to fall for the vice of corruption. Recent studies argue the causes stem from more than just an absence of ethics but also high levels of inequality.
Democracy & Elections
Nicaragua’s struggle for dignity and survival
By Evan Ellis /
The protests and reactions to popular protests in Nicaragua may be a precursor to the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. This time is anyone willing to stand up to prevent the arguably inevitable?
Democracy & Elections
The IACHR returns to Somoza’s Nicaragua
By Daniel Cerqueira /
In the midst of waves of state repression against protestors, Daniel Ortega has agreed to host members of the IACHR for an on-site visit. But don’t expect him to be forthcoming.
North America
Laying the groundwork for insurrection: A closer look at the U.S. role in Nicaragua’s social unrest
By Benjamin Waddell /
For decades, the United States’ National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, has played a key role in shaping Nicaragua’s political arena. Today, NED grantees are at the forefront of the civil society groups supporting the current protests.
Human Rights & Social Inclusion
A Tropical Spring in the land of lakes and volcanoes
By Benjamin Waddell /
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Like the Arab Spring in 2010-2011, students have been at the epicenter of Nicaragua’s uprising from the beginning, but their discontent has spread like wildfire. Nicaraguans around the world are calling for change.
Central America
Notes from the frontlines of protests in Nicaragua
By Benjamin Waddell /
Writing from Nicaragua’s colonial city Granada, the author gives a personal view of the upheaval on the streets.
Central America
The uprising in Nicaragua: Are Ortega’s days numbered?
By Benjamin Waddell /
Although it is impossible to know what will happen in the hours and days to follow, it is clear that the rioting and looting over the last 48 hours has severely shaken Nicaraguan politics and economics.
U.S.-Latin America Relations
Violence in Central America: Do no harm, Mr. Trump
By Kevin Casas-Zamora /
Crime and violence in the Northern Triangle is a regional issue that requires a collective response to the structural factors driving it: weak state capacity, corruption within police forces and the judiciary, and insufficient data. Deporting refugees back to the region doesn’t help.