On May 27th, Guatemala’s volcano, Pacaya, located just 19 miles from the capital, erupted. Lava flowed and rocks spewed from the volcano’s mouth, killing at least two people and injuring approximately 50 more. Just two days later, Hurricane Agatha hit Guatemala, causing both extreme flooding an[...]
Archive for the Category: "Guatemala"
Temporary-Protected Status: Does Guatemala Deserve It?
Obama’s Hard Stance on Guatemalan Labor: A Monumental Step for Labor Rights or Mere Political Maneuvering?
On July 30th, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that the U.S. would file a formal complaint against the Guatemalan government for violating labor standards under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Rep[...]
Voces Garífunas guatemaltecas: el segmento olvidado de la diáspora africana en América Central
A pesar de estar olvidado dentro de la lista de eventos actuales en Latino América, la diáspora africana es una parte integral de la cultura hispánica y su historia contemporánea. Los africanos superaron en número a los europeos en la mayor parte del periodo colonial latino americano, y los i[...]
Mexico’s Other Border: Immigration and Drugs Along the Mexico/Guatemala Frontier
“It was a nice little town,” Maria explains as she sets the food on the table. Sitting down she continues, “a safe place to grow up.” Her eyes are full of memories as she drifts back to a previous time; she even draws a little map of the local fútbol field and her old [...][...]
The International Violence Against Women Act: Could IVAWA Save Guatemala from Femicide?
In February, a bill entitled the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. A remarkably comprehensive and progressive piece of legislation, IVAWA would provide an unprecedented amount of aid to countries deemed to be am[...]
Peeling Back the Truth on Guatemalan Bananas
• More people eat bananas than apples and oranges combined • Bananas are one of Guatemala’s five main export items • Guatemala is the second most dangerous country in Latin America for trade unionists (July 2009, International Trade Union Confederation) “Tell me what you want [...]
Guatemala’s Eternally-Woeful Tale: The country’s problematic fight against impunity
On June 7th, Carlos Castresana announced his resignation from the UN-brokered International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). This joint venture between the United Nations and the Guatemalan government was formed to help eradicate clandestine security groups within the country; spe[...]
Garífuna Voices of Guatemala: Central America’s Overlooked Segment of the African Diaspora
Although often disregarded by the roster of contemporary Latin American events, the African diaspora is an integral part of Hispanic culture and its contemporary history. Africans outnumbered Europeans throughout much of the Latin American colonial period, and West Indian blacks were a motive force [...]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Does Latin America
• Argentina squeezed in at the last minute • Why Guatemala? • Brazil phase is rough • Secretary of State Clinton and her Assistant Secretary, on this try, do not seem to perceive that it is a changed world in terms of inter-American relations and that traditional concepts of pan-Americanism [...]
While His Citizens Suffer, Guatemalan President Colom’s Administration Spawns Setbacks
- The latest bizarre killing in the Rosenberg case – Mark Monson, an assistant to the judge presiding over the video recorded murder case – was shot and killed on Friday, representing one more crime without punishment which routinely takes place in today’s Guatemala. - Violence, abject[...]
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