An Interview with CODECA: defending Human Rights and Mother Earth in Guatemala
By Sonja Rijnen- In late 2022, MEP Clare Daly and her team invited senior members of CODECA to visit the European Parliament in Brussels....
top of page
Politics and Society
- Dec 5, 2022
- 5 min
The outcome of the war on drugs and how it could be addressed: a Latin American perspective
By Jacob Lubbers Estrada- Latin America is often referred to as the “backyard” of the United States. Since the installation of the Monroe...
- Nov 14, 2022
- 5 min
Petro’s Security Reform Agenda Faces Military Opposition
By Liam Sousa Casey- On July 20 2022, fighter jets and helicopters filled the sky over Bogotá, Colombia. Heavily armed commandos marched...
- Oct 11, 2022
- 3 min
Taking Responsibility for Others, Refusing to Turn Away
By Mary Lawlor (UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders)- There was a time when being kind to people was seen as a good thing....
- Sep 8, 2022
- 6 min
Brazil: Human rights defenders are in the line of fire
By Jim Loughran- When the disappearance and murder of British journalist, Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous rights defender, Bruno...
- Aug 11, 2022
- 5 min
Why Mexico’s opposition is doomed to lose again in 2024
By Jacob Lubbers Estrada- In 2024, Mexico will face crucial elections that will concern both the Executive and Legislative branches of...
- Jul 27, 2022
- 5 min
How Chinese and U.S. influence is hindering regional integration efforts in Latin America
By Tadeo Arturo Cejudo Mejorada (edited by Sonja Rijnen)- Since the end of WWII, global institutions and regional blocs have undertaken...
- May 20, 2022
- 3 min
Navigating the 'Other' in Ethnic Identity as a Latin American in the UK
By Sarah Kueter (edited by Isabel Leask)- A note from the writer: I’m writing from my experiences, thoughts and understanding as someone...
- Apr 9, 2022
- 4 min
“False” journalism or a broken “democracy”? The right to freedom of the press in Mexico
By Miguel Carrillo (Edited by Isabel Leask)- This article is dedicated to Lourdes Maldonado, a Mexican journalist assassinated in front...
- Mar 26, 2022
- 4 min
Colombia's Peace Deal: Five Years On
By Lara Kovandova (edited by Isabel Leask)- Last year marked the five-year anniversary of the landmark peace agreement in Colombia that...
- Mar 8, 2022
- 5 min
The 'Marea Verde' vs 'Pro-Vida' movements: the fight over abortion rights in Latin America
By Marco Roberto Porras (edited by Sonja Rijnen)- Latin America is a region of many wonders, with beautiful and charming landscapes,...
- Mar 4, 2022
- 5 min
Nayib Bukele: the “world’s coolest president” and his problematic approach to democracy
By Antonija Diković (edited by Isabel Leask and Sonja Rijnen)- Recently, there has been a lot of news about El Salvador, a small country...
- Feb 18, 2022
- 5 min
‘Equipo por Colombia’- who are they and what do they mean for Colombia’s 2022 elections?
By Ryan Arenas (edited by Sonja Rijnen)- Later on this year, in May 2022, Colombians will be voting in their next general elections....
- Feb 4, 2022
- 5 min
The never-ending Mexican War on Drugs: an overview
By María del Pilar Ruiz (edited by Isabel Leask)- The War on Drugs has been devastating for Mexico; it has led the country down a path of...
- Jan 8, 2022
- 4 min
The lack of international attention for the recent elections in Nicaragua and why this is a problem
By Luke Orban- On November 7th 2021, elections were held in Nicaragua and the result came as a surprise to no one. Daniel Ortega won with...
- Nov 23, 2021
- 4 min
‘Women Resisting Violence’ - Overcoming gender-based violence in Latin America
By Sonja Rijnen- Trigger warning- Please note that this article contains references to violent crimes and sexual abuse. In December 2005,...
- Oct 17, 2021
- 4 min
The privatisation of coups: the surge of Private Military and Security Companies in Latin America
By Jacob Lubbers Estrada- Latin America is known for the large number of coups d’états its people have had to endure, both in the past...
- Aug 6, 2021
- 5 min
Why the English-speaking world should take notice of Brazil’s #3JForaBolsonaro Movement
By Tom Kissock-Mamede- On Saturday the 3rd of July 2021, Brazilians took to the streets to demand impeachment proceedings be brought...
- Jul 27, 2021
- 6 min
An open letter to President Biden regarding the situation in Cuba
By Gabriela Rivero- As of July 11th, 2021, Cubans have been taking to the streets in cities across the country in response to food and...
- Jul 13, 2021
- 7 min
Latin America’s healthcare markets in the face of a crisis, what lessons can be learnt?
By Giovany Orozco Leal- The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed how fragile our globalised society still is to shocks from the natural...
- Jul 2, 2021
- 5 min
The failures of Mexico’s opposition and lessons to be learnt
By Jacob Lubbers Estrada- On June 6th 2021, Mexico faced one of the largest elections in the country’s young democratic history: the...
- Jun 8, 2021
- 5 min
Post-socialist Ecuador: How the victory of neoliberalism was possible
By Roberto Porras- After more than a decade, the Ecuadorian people are finally closing the chapter of “Socialism of the 21st century”....
- May 16, 2021
- 5 min
Building Bridges: Sports Diplomacy In Mexico
By Ambar Aguilar Estrada- Over the past few decades, public diplomacy has been used to foster communication among states in order to set...
- Apr 23, 2021
- 12 min
Chile’s New Constitution: An Opportunity to End the Mapuche Conflict
By Tomás Pizarro-Escuti- The Mapuche-Chilean state conflict can be defined as an indigenous self-determination conflict with demands...
- Apr 9, 2021
- 7 min
Argentina-Mexico Relations: The Key to Understanding Latin America?
By Natasha Tinsley- In February 2021, Argentine President Alberto Fernández took part in a three-day official visit to Mexico. Throughout...
- Mar 22, 2021
- 7 min
Should I Stay Or Should I Go: Haiti’s Quiet Self-Coup
By Fernanda Alvarez- The word ‘coup’ is often associated with violent images of military tanks rolling into the core of political powers,...
- Mar 4, 2021
- 8 min
What the Biden administration means for the two economic powers of Latin America and beyond
By Alfonso Garza- After the victory of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the presidential election of the United States, the North...
- Feb 10, 2021
- 4 min
How “machista” Latin America became the world’s leading region for women’s political participation
By Sonja Rijnen- When most people think about the role of women in Latin America, issues such as machismo and gender-based violence often...
- Feb 3, 2021
- 7 min
Explainer: A journey to the origins of Venezuela's crisis
By Antonija Diković- Throughout the last decade, the country of Venezuela and its woes have been reported on internationally and made...
- Jan 25, 2021
- 4 min
Seeking a Brighter Future: The impact of malnutrition in Ecuador and overcoming its challenges
Written by: Belén Mateo, MD. Photos by: Maria Cristina Mateo - My name is Belen Mateo, I am a physician from Ecuador and since June 2020,...
- Jan 18, 2021
- 6 min
Latin America's Democracy in 2020, the Year of the Pandemic
By Paola De Anda Mota- By the end of 2020, Latin America had reported over 400,000 deaths due to COVID-19. As around the rest of the...
- Jan 4, 2021
- 6 min
The changing politics of Cuban international health diplomacy
By Bryan Ch. Campbell Romero- Over the past few months, Cuba has seen a new surge in international demand for its help as a result of the...
- Dec 14, 2020
- 7 min
The repressive “gift” behind the US counter-drug aid in Peru
By Ferggy Nathaly Salvador Cruz - There is much historical evidence of heavy US interventionism that aims to eradicate drug production...
- Dec 5, 2020
- 6 min
Bolivia's MAS: an unexpected win and moving forward
By Paola De Anda Mota- On October 19th despite the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Bolivians went out to choose their next president and...
- Nov 24, 2020
- 5 min
What the Latinx vote in the 2020 US elections should teach us and the Democrats
By Valeria Fernandez-Soriano- While the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election may have been the first sigh of relief in four years...
- Oct 23, 2020
- 5 min
Will Chile choose to replace its constitution? Chileans explain why they are voting in favour
By Sofia Gutiérrez and Lenka Fuentes Rubio, translated by Isabel Leask and Sonja Rijnen- A year after the social outburst that shook...
- Sep 24, 2020
- 6 min
Crime and Impunity: Mexico's Missing 43
By Isabel Leask- On the 26th of September 2014, the disappearance and suspected murder of 43 students in the state of Guerrero, Mexico,...
- Sep 15, 2020
- 7 min
The MAS demise: the reasons for the fall and the legacy for a new Bolivia.
By Roberto Tacca- In November 2019, President Morales of Bolivia had to flee the country and formally resign in a desperately late...
- Aug 26, 2020
- 6 min
Daniel Ortega has become what he fought to destroy: another Somoza dictator
By Paola De Anda Mota- In 1984, Daniel Ortega won the elections in Nicaragua, ending the Somoza family dictatorship of over four decades...
- Aug 18, 2020
- 4 min
Antonia Barra’s story: a case of systemic sexism that shook an entire country
By Carla Munoz Antolin- In Chile, the 18th of September is a national holiday; everyone takes a few days off to celebrate the creation of...
- Jul 22, 2020
- 6 min
Uruguay: Reshaping the Latin American Drug War and the Road to Legalisation
By Iulia Cristiana Vatau- It has been seven years since Uruguay, the second-smallest nation in South America, shocked the world and...
- Jul 15, 2020
- 5 min
Beyond Brazil: Peru’s distinctive Covid-19 crisis
By Allie Nawrat- Early on in the Covid-19 pandemic – around the Easter weekend in early April – there were many stories in the mainstream...
- Jul 4, 2020
- 5 min
Protesting in a pandemic: how Chile’s estallido social continues
By Juliet Richards- On the 14th October 2019, secondary school students across the city of Santiago began a coordinated fare-dodging...
- Jun 16, 2020
- 3 min
In Pictures: 'Históricas'- Women making history in Santiago de Chile
Photos and text by Sofia Gutiérrez (translated from Spanish by Sonja Rijnen)- On the 8th of March 2020, women in Chile made history when...
- Jun 16, 2020
- 4 min
Why the U.S. is responsible for causing the Central American refugee crisis on its doorstep
By Isabel Leask - On the 20th of June 2020, World Refugee Day will honour the bravery and determination of thousands of individuals who...
- Jun 9, 2020
- 3 min
Brazil’s Executive: a threat to LGBTQ+ achievements and gains.
By Felipe Carlos de Carvalho - A ruling by Brazil’s Supreme Court in May 2020 has allowed gay/bi men and trans women to donate blood*– a...
- Jun 8, 2020
- 4 min
Surge in Indigenous opposition and COVID-19 cases fail to derail Maya Train mega-project in Mexico
By Isabel Leask - On June 1st 2020, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) inaugurated the construction of one of his most...
bottom of page