Latin America Bureau
-
Colombia
Colombia is a country of dramatic and contradictory images. Officially it is a Latin American successs story , with steady growth, political stability and a large middle class. Yet it has become notorious for the activities of the so-called Medellin and Cali cartels and the violence surrounding the...
-
Politics Transformed
Sue Branford, Bernardo Kucinski, Hilary Wainwright
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) became Latin America's first democratically elected socialist leaders since Salvador Allende on October 27, 2002. He achieved nearly 62 per cent of the vote, to become the first left-wing politician to win his country's presidency. But behind this victory for Lula an...
-
Patterns of Protest
Bolivia leapt onto the front pages of the news in October 2003, when the 'Gas Wars' protests caused the ousting of Bolivia's President, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. In the Gas Wars the indigenous inhabitants, trade unions, and other civil society groups came together to protest the sale of Bolivian na...
-
Colombia in Focus
One in ten of the world's murders takes place in Colombia. Since the 1950s, the country has been the scene of civil war, protracted guerrilla insurgencies and massive human rights violations. Its notorious drug cartels have become synonymous with ruthlessness and ill-gotten wealth. But Colombia is a...
-
The Dominican Republic
"The Dominican Republic is the land Columbus loved best" runs the advertising slogan. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the explorer's arrival on the island of Hispaniola, the government has spent a reported US$40 millions on building a bizarre commemorative lighthouse. In the process, it h...
-
Whose Gold?
An examination of the banana trade from planting in the Eastern Caribbean to purchase in Britain, raising questions concerning trade between countries in the South and the North. Using personal experiences and case studies, it encourages pupils to see the implications of their own consumption.
-
The Battle of Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugh Chavez inspires hatred and devotion in equal measure in his country. Historically one of South America's more stable democracies, since 2000 Venezuela has become increasingly polarised politically, as the divide among the pro- and anti-Chavistas has grown ever wider. Chavez...
-
Ecuador In Focus
Wilma Roos, Omer Van Renterghem
Ecuador is one of the major tourist destinations in the Americas, offering unparalleled colonial architecture, dramatic landscapes and the eco-tourist mecca of the Galapagos Islands. But behind its colourful markets and mountain scenery lies a more complex country, divided by geography and race and...
-
Argentina In Focus
Famous as the birthplace of tango, Argentina has known spectacular prosperity and devastating crises. Once the export powerhouse of Latin America, the country has suffered a cycle of military repression and economic mismangement. But despite wasted potential, Argentina remains one of the region's mo...
-
Peru: Paths to Poverty
Peru has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. Industrialisation has further marginalised the Andean peasantry from national life but provided minimal gains for the millions of newly-urbanised poor. The country's economy, historically disadvantaged in the world market, has entered into a...