After I and a number of colleagues wrote last month about possible U.S.-Brazil friction on the eve of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s visit to America, a Brazilian diplomat I respect contacted me about what he felt were …
Latin America
Must-Reads From Around the World: April 10, 2012
Brazil Matters — A day after Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff visited Barack Obama at the White House, The New York Times explores the evidence of a palpable disconnect between the Latin American giant’s self image as a …
Waiting for the FARC: Colombia’s President Santos Tells TIME He Won’t Move Too Fast
As soon as Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos sat down for an interview with TIME on Monday, April 2, at the Casa de Nariño presidential palace in Bogotá, he checked his watch. During that hour he knew a large helicopter …
Must-Reads from Around the World: April 2, 2012
Eying the Presidency – The Daily News Egypt assesses the implications of the surprising nomination of the Muslim Brotherhood’s key financier and long-time chief whip Khairat Al-Shater for the upcoming presidential elections – …
The Pope and Fidel: A Meeting of Two Old Dogmatics
Sure, Fidel Castro kept the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba buried under his cigar ash for decades, shutting down its schools, exiling priests and declaring the Communist island an atheist state until the 1990s. But it’s likely …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 27, 2012
Life After Chávez – The Economist examines splits emerging in Venezuela’s ruling United Socialist Party as the president undergoes more cancer treatment. “The fissures in the ruling party show only too clearly what is likely to …
Crowds Greet Pope Benedict XVI in Cuba After Mexico Stop
The Pope arrives in Cuba for his first visit to the country, where he will give Masses in Santiago de Cuba and Havana following a three-day tour in Mexico.
Mexico’s Papal Visit: Will the Ruling Party Get a Benedict Blessing or Backlash?
If you were Mexico’s ruling party, and your presidential candidate was down by double digits in the polls three months before the election, you’d be looking for some divine help too. So President Felipe Calderón’s …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 23, 2012
Non-cooperation – The Jerusalem Post reveals Israel will not cooperate with an international probe into the effects of settlements on Palestinian human rights, after a 36 to 1 U.N. Rights Council vote in favor of the fact-finding mission Thursday. The U.S. was the only country to vote against it. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu labeled …
The State Visit That Isn’t: Is the U.S. Dissing Brazil’s Dilma On the Eve of Her Trip?
In the often Sisyphean exercise known as U.S.-Latin American relations, old habits die hard on both sides. Even the Obama Administration, which came to power pledging a less high-handed hemispheric policy, snubbed Brazil this …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 16, 2012
Learning More – New details have emerged about the U.S. Soldier who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians. The Telegraph reports the accused has hired attorney John Henry Browne, who is best known for his involvement in the …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 12, 2012
Solo Act — Almost every major news outlet is leading with the reports that a U.S. soldier acting alone allegedly killed at least 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, on Sunday. The shootings, taking place near a base …
Can Colombia’s Santos Solve the Cuba Conundrum?
It isn’t easy playing mediator in the chest-thumping, Cold War time warp of U.S.-Cuba relations. It’s even harder to resolve Washington-Havana disputes in a way that pleases both sides. But Colombian President Juan Manuel …