RSSOn January 8th, Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías announced the devaluation of the Bolivarian Republic’s currency, the bolivar. In his address, Chávez distinguished between two classes of products, establishing separate exchange rates for “essential” and “non-essential” good[...]
Archive for the ‘Economic’ Category
Honduras: the devastating effects of the June 28th coup on the Honduran economy are not likely to be undone by illegitimate elections
Whether one sides with the ousted President Manuel Zelaya or with the interim leader Roberto Micheletti, there is no denying the devastating impact of the June 28 anti-Zelaya coup d’etat on the Honduran economy. With the November 29 election of Porfirio ‘Pepe’ Lobo of the conservative Partido[...]
The Doha Round: An Examination of Where the Development Round is Headed, Regarding Free Trade in Latin America and Worldwide
The World Trade Organization is currently facing an unprecedented challenge in its attempt to galvanize the stagnant Doha Development Round, which has been dragging on since 2001. In light of globalization trends and an increasing inequality gap with the rich getting richer, as many of the poor get [...]
Argentina Seeks to Resolve Defaulted Debt Issues, While “Vulture Funds” Are Determined to Undermine Process
- Ill-reputed funds threaten to seize Argentine state assets by means of Public Seizures The Argentine government recently announced a plan to offer a debt swap to investors still holding US$20 billion (plus interest) in unpaid bonds from the country’s 2001 debt default. Economy Minister Amado Bo[...]
Mexico: An Oil Nation in Crisis
Mexico is currently facing one of the biggest economic recessions in the country’s two hundred-year history of independence. Some Mexican policy makers blame the economic crisis on this year’s decrease in tourism, while others attribute it to the continued dependence of the Mexican economy on t[...]
Cuba: Gardening its Way Out of Crisis
Sunlight brightens the paved streets and historic buildings of Havana, Cuba, bouncing off the tents of vendors and the tin drums of a street band. Once stricken by poverty and inequality, the city has slowly blossomed as a result of the bustling enterprise of urban agriculture. Between buildings and[...]
August 11th, 2009 - 8:01 am § in Economic, Ecuador, Environment, Front Page, Galapagos, Press Releases
Immigration Issues in the Galapagos Islands
The crown jewel of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, is one of the world’s most fascinating wonders. Located 1,000 kilometers off Ecuador’s Pacific Coast, it is home to a unique array of flora and fauna, including some of the rarest species. The islands’ aquatic life, including marine iguanas, b[...]
Colombian Unionists Still Under Attack
August 8, 2009 By Kari Lydersen In These Times When I first met union leader Luis Adolfo Cardona in Chicago five years ago, I was stunned to hear his story, told in a nonchalant voice, of fleeing would-be kidnappers and barely escaping assassination attempts in his home country. Thanks to internatio[...]
August 10th, 2009 - 9:11 am § in Colombia, Commodities, Economic, Ecuador, Environment, Front Page, Press Releases
Colombia and Ecuador: Two Different Countries, Two Mining Futures
They may have torn relations and be at constant loggerheads, they may have wildly contrasting political cultures and leaders, but Colombia and Ecuador do have at least one thing in common: they both appear destined to become major mining countries. They also have both been slow developers on the min[...]
China’s Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean
On November 5, 2008, the Chinese government released a policy paper on Latin America and the Caribbean, as it had previously done so for Europe in 2003 and for Africa in 2006. Although it may not come as a huge surprise that Latin America is the most recent region for which China has formally [...][...]