Arizona Puts Immigration on Center Stage
Immigration has returned to center stage in the U.S. for wrong but not unreasonable motives. The law (S.B. 1070) signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in April has set off an explosion of condemnations, justifications, and demonstrations. This brouhaha has brought the issue back to the fore, leading thousands to muse about, hope for, or decry the possibility of comprehensive reform. It is long overdue.
Jorge Castañeda on How Fidel Snookered Everyone
The summit exposed Castro's peers in Latin America, not Obama, as the real innocents abroad.
Jorge Castaneda On The Plot Against Raul Castro
Two of Cuba's star politicians seem to have been a part of a conspiracy or a coup to overthrow Raúl Castro
Jorge Castaneda on Why Chavez May Outlast Us All
He used every instrument of the state and every trick in the book to stack the deck against his opponents.
Jorge Castañeda On Mexico's Troubles
Mexico is no failed state, but on several fronts the government may be losing ground rather than gaining.
The Sorry Legacy of Cuba's Revolution 50 Years On
It's true that many Latin countries are now governed by the left, but few subscribe to the Cuban model.
Jorge Castaneda on Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua
To the myriad foreign challenges Barack Obama will have to confront upon taking office we may have to add a complex conundrum next door in Latin America. On three fronts that have posed serious problems for the United States before, there is a growing and worrisome democratic challenge in the hemisphere—and no one knows quite how to handle it.The first problem is Nicaragua, where the Sandinista Front rigged and stole municipal elections in such an egregious fashion Nov. 9 that even the old...
The Silly Ideas of the South
Over the past few weeks, some silly ideas have circulated on the impact of the financial crisis on Latin America. The most dangerous was that Latin American would be largely impervious to a debacle which was, as Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva imprudently phrased it, "Bush's crisis." Leaders ranging from Mexico's Felipe Calderón on the center-right to Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez on the extreme left all claimed, for different reasons, that orthodox macro-economic policies,...
Jorge Castaneda on the Global Financial Crisis
Over the past few weeks, some silly ideas have circulated on the impact of the financial crisis on Latin America. The most dangerous was that Latin America would be largely impervious to a debacle that was, as Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva imprudently phrased it, "Bush's crisis." Leaders ranging from Mexico's Felipe Calderón on the center-right to Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez on the extreme left all claimed, for different reasons, that orthodox macroeconomic policies, recent...
Jorge Castaneda on Chile's Past--and Its Future
Despite its achievements, Chile remains strangely reluctant to give advice or act as a model for others.
Jorge Castaneda on Russia in Latin America
Russia's push into the region could force others into an arms race that no one wants or can afford.
Jorge Castañeda On Why Cuba Is No Vietnam
At a recent meeting in Hanoi of a new global outfit called the Emerging Markets Forum, a group that is positioning itself as an emerging-economy, though business-oriented, alternative to Davos, participants were exposed to a fascinating perspective on the Vietnamese experiment.
Is Threat of Iran Attack Raising Oil Prices?
Speculators may be assuming that Israel and the United States will 'take out' Iranian nuclear facilities.
A Bunch Of Crooks On The Run
With the death of its leader, the band faces extinction. It would be high time. They've degenerated into criminals.
Raúl Castro's Big Gamble
He is betting that he can improve living standards while also keeping the lid on political dissent.
Castañeda: Ending The Cuban Exception
For Cuba and all Latin America, it is unacceptable for Raúl Castro to follow a China model.
Ending The Electoral Monopoly
A key question is whether electoral rights should be treated the same way as better-known human rights.
A 'Cinnamon-Skinned' President
To much of the world, Obama is not black but dark-skinned, like anyone of the poorer two thirds of the planet.
Opinion: Chávez Tried to Steal Vote
Hugo Chávez tried to overturn the results of Venezuela's recent vote but was rebuffed by the military.
Opinion: Venezuela's Chavez Is Nervous
The high price of oil is about the only thing Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has got going for him.
The Battle to Clean Up Mexico
The people trained to use the technology could use it for nefarious purposes. It has happened before.
Jorge Castañeda: Latin America's Stunted Left
Che's ideology outlived him—to devastating effect.