Iran’s Breach of the Monroe Doctrine
The fifth American president could never have imagined a Persian nation breaching his famous doctrine.
Latin America
The Challenges Lula Left
Brazil’s new president will have to enact economic reforms at home and tread carefully abroad.
Brazil Elects New President
Brazil is likely to elect its first female president today with Workers’ Party candidate Dilma Rousseff leading in the polls.
Are the BRICs Ready to Lead?
They are becoming more assertive, but it is still unclear if rising powers will accept more responsibility.
The End of Ideology in South America
Conservative leaders are stepping up in Latin America, but the region isn’t shifting to the right.
In Lula’s Shadow
Brazilians will be heading for the polls come October to elect a new president. For the first time since democracy was returned to the Latin American country in the 1980s, the name of Luiz Inácio da Silva will not appear on any ballot. But for the major party candidates, it’s hard to escape the shadow […]
Chávez Destroying Venezuela’s Food Industry
Government monopolies cause food shortages and shopping frenzies in Venezuela.
The Current Problem in the Falklands
An examination of the standoff between Argentina and the United Kingdom.
Haiti’s Avoidable Death Toll
Some expect Haiti’s 7.0 earthquake death toll to reach over 200,000 lives. Why the high death toll? Northern California’s 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was more violent, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, resulting in 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, about eight times more violent […]
Spheres of Waning Influence
Let’s not worry too much about non-Western actors cooperating on their own. The West might even benefit.
Chávez Shuts Down Shops
Until a few years ago, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez was sometimes described as the benevolent kind but in recent years, his reign has grown ever more authoritarian. He abolished presidential term limits, withdrew Venezuela from both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 2007, nationalized the oil industry and built relations with countries […]