The following interview between Global Americans’ Executive Director Guy Mentel and Francisco J. Monaldi took place this week as the Biden-Harris administration moves to combat climate change and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt global oil markets.
Although Iván Duque still has 14 months left in his term as President of Colombia, all indicators suggest that his post-presidential influence will be significantly diminished compared to that of other former presidents. Actions taken during his tenure—including the timid implementation of the peace agreement, the escalation of violence in rural areas, and the violent police crackdown on recent protests—have already begun to cloud assessments of his presidency. Is there still time for Duque to salvage his legacy?
Colombian protestors have found an unexpected ally: fans of Korean pop music, or K-pop. What can we learn from their use of hashtags to influence politics?
Following its first electoral defeat in 15 years, correísmo in Ecuador faces the challenge of remaining relevant.
On April 11, 2021, Peru achieved a dubious distinction that has yet to receive much public attention: for the first time in the history of global electoral democracy, the total of blank and null votes exceeded the amount of votes received by any single candidate running to serve as a country’s head of state.
Guillermo Lasso was inaugurated as Ecuador’s 47th president on Monday. Given a divided legislature, the new president should prioritize unity.
After several months of waiting, the Colombian government unveiled a tax bill intended to address the fiscal and social crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the proposed bill has not been well-received, and the following verdict has been almost unanimous: the proposal punishes the Colombian middle-class and jeopardizes economic recovery. Unless an agreement is reached in Congress in the coming months, Colombia could risk its post-pandemic socioeconomic recovery.
Mapuche organizations are calling on international agencies to intervene, as Chile’s National Congress pushes forward a bill that would deploy troops to southern Chile in response to alleged terrorism threats.
Colombia’s ambitious new pledge aims to reduce its emissions by 51 percent compared to projected emissions in 2030 and reduce black carbon or soot emissions by 40 percent compared to 2014. The new target is consistent with the Paris Agreement’s goal and has put Colombia on a more promising path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Enabling early pension withdrawals proved to be a suboptimal policy in Chile. Yet for other Latin American countries, early pension withdrawals should not be immediately discounted as a viable policy option.
