If President Barack Obama's foreign aid budget request for 2011 is a reflection of his priorities in world affairs, it looks like the president is saying ``adios'' to Latin America.
Venezuela's narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Chávez is facing one of the worst political moments of his 11-year presidency, and new polls show that -- for the first time in several years -- there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the opposition.
Presidents, rock stars and business leaders from around the world are pledging hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild Haiti, which is great.
Honduran President Porfirio Lobo's inauguration was a pretty lonely affair, with most Latin American presidents shunning the ceremony because of the country's 2009 coup. But judging from what I'm told by key Latin American and U.S. officials, Lobo's isolation won't last long.
There is a lot of speculation that Chile's president-elect, Sebastián Piñera, a Harvard-educated economist and business tycoon, will lead an anti-populist bloc in Latin America. But judging from what I'm hearing from people in his inner circle, it won't happen.
The conventional wisdom in the media is that Chile's president-elect Sebastián Piñera will be Latin America's version of Italy's scandal-ridden leader Silvio Berlusconi. Both are right-of-center business tycoons who won their countries' elections with the help of their media empires and soccer teams.
President Barack Obama and other world leaders reacted swiftly to the devastation that hit Haiti in the first days after the earthquake that may have left up to 50,000 dead. But, considering the magnitude of the tragedy, what they have offered so far is peanuts.
Here's one idea floating around the diplomatic community that should be adopted right away to prevent international aid to Haiti's earthquake victims from being squandered in a country with a history of massive corruption: Create a monitoring commission to ensure that aid gets into the proper hands.
Alot has been written in recent days about the economic impact of the maxi-devaluation announced Friday by Venezuela's authoritarian-populist President Hugo Chávez.
PUNTA DEL ESTE, Uruguay -- This small country has just elected a former guerrilla fighter who has surrounded himself by radical leftist aides, but there is no climate of panic among opposition politicians and business leaders who are spending the southern hemisphere summer in this posh seaside resort.
BUENOS AIRES -- On a visit to Argentina this week, I found the people much more frustrated, angry and skeptical about their collective future than at any time in recent years.
The good news is that Latin American economies are expected to do reasonably well in 2010. But economists warn that unless they become more competitive, their recovery will look like a chicken's flight -- they get a few feet off the ground, and fall.
As we approach the end of the year, let me share with you some of the things I learned over the past 12 months while writing my columns on hemispheric affairs. Some of them are surprisingly simple, but could make a big difference.
The Obama administration's first big move on international trade is good news for Asia, but it doesn't bode well for much of Latin America.
While everybody was looking at Sunday's first round of Chile's presidential elections, led by center-right candidate Sebastian Piñera, a little-noticed event that took place two days later may be remembered as much more important in that country's history.
Venezuela's narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Chávez is not getting his money's worth for the billions of dollars he is spending in public relations abroad: According to a new poll, his approval ratings in Latin America could hardly be worse.
If you had asked me 10 years ago whether the United States will ever change its interdiction-focused counternarcotics policies -- and perhaps even decriminalize marijuana consumption at home -- I would have told you, ``never.'' Today, I say, ``perhaps.''
Love can be fleeting.
Only a few months ago, Latin American leaders hailed the Obama administration as a new beginning in hemispheric relations. But now, the honeymoon is over.Brazil, the United States and the Organization of American States deserve a gold medal each for their awful handling of Sunday's presidential elections in Honduras.
Anew survey on corruption around the world confirms what many of us have long suspected: Fiery populist leaders who rise to power vowing to eradicate corruption often end up leading sleazier governments than their predecessors.
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