International opposition has had little effect so far on repression in Nicaragua. To understand why, it’s important to recognize Ortega and Murillo’s motivations.
Hopes for a peaceful, diplomatic outcome may seem slender. But confidence that tougher sanctions will do the job on their own may be even more misplaced.
When United States Vice President Kamala Harris said she wants to help bring hope to the people of Central America—and do it in partnership with local organizations—I was inspired. Generating hope requires rallying all stakeholders around solutions that work. Bringing private sector resources and civil society to the table, as Vice President Harris has recently done ahead of her upcoming visit to Guatemala and Mexico, is a critical step forward.
Global Americans convened a panel of regional experts and analysts to weigh in on the implications of Blinken’s visit to Central America, seeking to answer the following questions: What can Costa Rica teach its Central American neighbors with respect to economic stability and transparent governance? How should the U.S. balance its hemispheric national security priorities with the thorny quandary of calling out democratic vulnerabilities and shortcomings? And, generally, which way forward for U.S.-Central American relations once Secretary Blinken has departed San José?
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.
This piece examines the evolution of China’s position in Panama under the Cortizo government. It finds that China’s advance has suffered significant, if not necessarily enduring, setbacks under Cortizo, reflecting a combination of enhanced legal scrutiny, problems inherent to the Chinese projects themselves, and the adverse effects of the pandemic and corruption on the commercial and administrative environment in the country.
Immigrants are not coming to the U.S. because they are attracted by President Joe Biden’s inclusive language, and they were not repelled by former President Donald Trump’s use of racist imagery. Such a narrow focus may provide clickbait for media outlets but facilitates no concrete policy progress. Real understanding and positive change in the migration debate can only come by keeping structural factors at the forefront of any discussion.
Thornton explores the little-known history of Mexico’s role in shaping the institutions that would come to define global economic governance.
President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party won more than two-thirds of the votes in El Salvador’s February 28 legislative elections. The consolidation of power puts democratic processes and counterbalances to the country’s executive branch at risk.
Among the first critical tests of the Biden administration will be the November 2021 presidential elections in Honduras and Nicaragua. Both countries are facing difficult elections mired by corruption, authoritarianism, and weak oppositions.
