In mid-2015, tens of thousands of ordinary Guatemalans poured into the streets to protest against a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme at the highest levels of government and demand reform. By September, key ministers and advisers had been fired. The nation's president sat in jail. But today, two years after that euphoric demonstration of people power, little has changed in … [Read more...] about Guatemala: The Crisis of Rule of Law and a Weak Party System
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A Strong Party System and Peace in El Salvador
By Mark P. Jones In January 1992, bitter enemies on El Salvador's left and right met in a colonial era castle in Mexico City, shook hands and brought an end to a 12-year-long civil war that had claimed 75,000 lives and displaced one-fifth of El Salvador's population. Today, 25 years later, the right and left remain starkly divided in El Salvador, and the country is among the … [Read more...] about A Strong Party System and Peace in El Salvador
Double-dip of Latin American Exports: a call for diversification
By Paolo Giordano* According to the latest edition of the Trade and Integration Monitor of the IDB, exports from Latin America and the Caribbean fell at an annualized rate of 10.9% in the first six months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 - the biggest drop recorded since the trade collapse of 2009. The total for the year is therefore expected to stay in the red, … [Read more...] about Double-dip of Latin American Exports: a call for diversification
Tearing Families Apart for Remittances: Is It Worth It?
In his budget initiative to Congress for FY2016, U.S. President Barack Obama included a request of $15.297 billion to tighten border security and migration policy. In addition, he proposed including in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget a $1 billion allocation to support security, governance, and economic development programs for El Salvador, Guatemala, and … [Read more...] about Tearing Families Apart for Remittances: Is It Worth It?