No time to back down

The political crisis that has dragged on in Brazil since 2013 reached its most critical point three weeks ago. Harassed by the legal siege against his far-right allies, President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro doubled down and asked the Federal Senate to impeach justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF, Brazil’s highest court). This is the first such request to be made in the 132 years of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

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admin September 9, 2021

The Chilean center-left in times of change

On August 21, Yasna Provoste won her country’s center-left primaries. But while Provoste has managed to dominate the Unidad Constituyente (UC) primaries, her prospects in the general election are less promising.

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admin August 31, 2021

The Chilean Constituent Assembly: The Identity Experiment

The 155 delegates to Chile’s constitutional convention share an obvious goal—drafting a constitution—but it is far from clear whether they share a common view on much else. What will their unprecedented focus on personal and collective identities mean for Chile’s new constitution and the future of Chile’s existing institutional order?

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admin July 21, 2021

A Global Americans interview with Francisco J. Monaldi

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.

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admin June 30, 2021

Science and technology cooperation: A key strategy for U.S. engagement in Latin America

A recent publication by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) highlighted the need for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to “stay abreast of emerging S&T (Science and Technology) around the world, leverage others’ investments and seek out collaborations in areas where researchers need to remain at the leading edge.” The report makes clear that, in order to confront the challenge posed by revisionist powers (RPs) in Latin America, a far larger S&T engagement strategy that encompasses a “whole-of-government” approach must be undertaken.

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admin June 1, 2021

Chile’s Constitutional Convention elections: institutional uncertainty and the long shadow of October 2019

Two things stood out when Chileans went to the polls for last October’s national plebiscite on the drafting of a new constitution. First, nearly 80 percent voted in favor of commencing the process to eventually draft a new constitution, signifying a fairly broad popular consensus that the path toward fixing the country’s ills would be an institutional one—quite a relief after the experience of the 2019 protests. Second, there was a high voter turnout: over 7.5 million Chileans, more than 50 percent of eligible voters, cast a ballot, marking the highest turnout since 2009 (in the middle of a pandemic, no less).

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admin May 21, 2021

What will be the alternative to Bolsonaro?

Vaccine developments at the beginning of 2021 represented a crucial step toward overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, and inaugurating a new era for all of Brazil. Nevertheless, another task remains crucial for the country: the development of an alternative to the government of President Jair Bolsonaro.

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admin May 12, 2021

Lessons from Paraguay and Guyana’s brushes with Chinese vaccine diplomacy

The ambition and capability of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to affect the political affairs of nations across Latin America and the Caribbean have only grown during the global pandemic. Recent events in Guyana and Paraguay show that COVID-19 vaccines have influenced governments, either directly or indirectly, toward Beijing’s political preferences.

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Henry Bacha May 11, 2021
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