Civil society organizations thrive in healthy democracies, but their role as watchdogs of governments and “gap-fillers” providing where the government is absent, tends to make those in power uncomfortable. In the following piece, we explore how Latin America fares compared to other countries in terms of barriers to civil society.
The Zika virus has raised the issue of abortion in Latin America, where a number of countries such as El Salvador, Nicaragua and Chile restrict the right to terminate a pregnancy in all cases. Will Zika change the debate and policies on a woman’s right to choose in the Americas?
It didn’t seem like much at first—the vote to approve the agenda at June 23 meeting of the OAS Permanent Council. But behind the scenes, Venezuela had been trying to head off a discussion over the state of its democracy. It lost, and with some interesting defections.
In addition to bringing in an all-white male cabinet, Brazilian interim president Michel Temer has made his priorities clear as he downgrades the importance of human rights and looks to end constitutional spending requirements on health and education.
One thing in Venezuela is definitely not in short supply: presidential rhetoric. In fact, while the economy veers toward 700 percent currency inflation, Maduro’s never-ending daily national television speeches, if anything, have created hyperinflation of presidential verbiage.
In Managua to conduct research on the planned Nicaraguan pan-isthmian canal, our regular contributor, R. Evan Ellis, was unceremoniously shown the exit after less than 24 hours. A professional, detailed scholar—as well as a great guy—why didn’t the Nicaraguan government want him there?
Mexico is a strong, vocal advocate for human rights in international forums. But not so much when it comes to accepting international oversight and action to protect Mexicans’ rights and lives.
With massive food shortages and many citizens not finding enough to eat, more and more Venezuelans are surviving on the country’s bounty of tropical fruit. But what happens when the season ends?
Según Fundamedios, “en las redacciones de los diarios ya no son los periodistas los que deciden los contenidos, las decisiones las toman los abogados de los diarios.”
A little-known UN Committee recently denied consultative status to the NGO Committee to Protect Journalists, another example of the growing trend of authoritarian governments extending their intolerance for human rights and civil society to a global level.
