Thucydides in Panama: Power vs. Diplomacy in the Time of Trump
Maintaining strong U.S.-Panama relations is far more valuable than aggressive posturing by modern Athenians.
Orlando J. Pérez
February 11, 2025
Honduras Elects First Woman President in Break with Political Culture
Xiomara Castro de Zelaya is slated to be Honduras’ next president. While the election results represent a significant step forward for democratic governance, the political culture of democracy in Honduras remains fragile.
Orlando J. Pérez
December 2, 2021
Threats to democracy increase as President Bukele moves to control El Salvador’s judiciary
President Nayib Bukele’s drive to consolidate power represents another test of the international community’s ability to defend democratic principles. With El Salvador’s democracy in grave jeopardy, the stakes for the U.S. and the rest of Central America could not be higher.
Orlando J. Pérez
May 6, 2021
Hear no evil, see no evil: Daniel Ortega in the midst of a crisis
Daniel Ortega has dug in his heels against a mediated solution to the crisis in Nicaragua. His intransigence and the politicization of the state makes it difficult to find a mediated exit to a looming civil war.
Orlando J. Pérez
July 13, 2018
What happens now in Guatemala?
Part one of a two-part series, Doctor Perez here looks at the events leading up to the September 6 elections, their implications for the second-round presidential elections and the potential for long-term institutional reform (difficult). The second post will examine the political situation boiling in Guatemala’s neighbors, Honduras and El Salvador.
Orlando J. Pérez
September 8, 2015