In 2003, Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica, appealed to the Constitutional Court (Sala IV), claiming that the article that prohibited the re-election of a president and vice-president was in violation of basic human rights guaranteed by the same Constitution, which declares that all laws must apply equally to every citizen. The Constitutional Court ruled 5-2 in favor of Arias, who was subsequently re-elected by a suspicious margin in a controversial election. In...
Whatever your politics, it is not easy to get at the truth about Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, a man whose supporters and detractors often appeared to have taken up their positions long ago and clung to them rigidly, new data be damned. His recent landslide re-election victory is a case in point. There was no denying that Ortega had a strong lead, consistently polling over 10 percent (sometimes a lot more) above the nearest...
Drug trafficking through Central America is more threatening than ever before. To combat high levels of organized crime, cartel activity, violence, and institutional corruption, Central American countries must develop coordinated efforts and joint security measures, with a particular focus on community development. The U.S. must recognize its role in the crisis and implement long-term financial and social commitments, and work toward effective policy changes to reduce the nation’s persistent demands for drugs. For years,...
Source: http://lokheilorrainecheung.wordpress.com/ In the final decades of the twentieth century, Latin America – once a prominent destination for migrants – slowly transitioned to become the largest migrant source, mainly as a result of the economic crises that took place in the 1980s. As the number of European and Asian immigrants to countries like Argentina and Brazil dramatically decreased, Latin American emigrants accounted for an astonishing nine percent of all emigrants worldwide. Today, migration patterns in...
Nicaragua solidified its previously rhetorical support for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, permitting senior Nicaraguan diplomat Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann to act as the United Nations delegate for Libya. The North African nation has struggled to maintain a seat at the U.N. since mass protests began there in February. Former Libyan delegate Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham resigned from his UN seat after the protests began, and his subsequent replacement, Ali Abdussalam Treki, was denied a visa to the United...
