The Dominican Republic just had the opportunity to show its citizens and its neighbors in the region the beauty of democracy during its 2012 presidential election. In an election-heavy year across the globe, I have been monitoring those occurring in the Americas. Many Latin American elections end in allegations of voter fraud, corruption or foreign … Continue reading »
Author Archives: Max Rava
How much will the US-Mexico Relationship Change After July 1?
The Washington Post ran an article on May 14 by Nick Miroff and William Booth about Enrique Peña Nieto, the front-runner in Mexico’s upcoming presidential election. The article centers on the fact that few Mexican voters and political analysts on both sides of the US-Mexico border have much of a sense about the man known … Continue reading »
UNASUR Moving Forward with Its Integration Efforts
According to reports from a ceremony in Quito, Ecuador, the 12 countries that make up the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) are moving forward with their plans to create an alternative to the “Organization of American States and any other group lobbied from North America.” One of the main goals of UNASUR is to … Continue reading »
The War For Drug Legalization?
In previous posts I have mentioned the growing debate over drug legalization in the Western Hemisphere. Over the past year, many Latin American leaders have sought to table the idea of legalization, or at least decriminalization, as a possible ingredient in the remedy for the negative impact that the global narcotics trade has had on … Continue reading »
Challenges Facing the ABC/Univision Hispanic Programming Venture
In Melissa Pitts’ recent Huffington Post article “Here Are Five Ways to Turn Off Latinos,” regarding the recently announced partnership between ABC News and Univision to create a news channel targeting Hispanics, the author outlines her thoughts on what would make for a successful English language television channel for Latinos. I believe her opinions are … Continue reading »
Hugo Chavez’s Health Could Have a Number of Consequences for the Western Hemisphere
All eyes are on poll numbers, gay marriage, the economy, and most definitely not focused on Venezuela. Well, in my opinion, the United States might want to keep an eye on the current electoral situation in Venezuela and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s health is a major part of the electoral picture in that country. There … Continue reading »
Colombia as a Regional Leader?
Since taking office in 2010, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has sought to fill the regional leadership role left vacant by Brazil’s former President Lula da Silva when the latter left his post in the same year. Many analysts believe that the days of US hemispheric hegemony are over. I would go a step further … Continue reading »
Why I Believe Neither Obama nor Romney Deserves the “Hispanic Vote”
As my esteemed colleague, Marlena Papavartis, and I have stated various times in our blogs: there is no single monolithic “Hispanic vote.” Political pundits and politicians, however, often fail to understand this basic concept. This past weekend was no different, with President Barack Obama telling Univision that he would attempt to “tackle immigration policy in … Continue reading »
Another Reason the United States Should Recognize the Power of Its Growing Latino Population
When it comes to Latin America, the United States and its citizens do not need a full history lesson. It might be easier to skip over the history of US military interventionism and economic imperialism, and focus on more recent events. Rather, I believe, the United States needs to take a good long look at … Continue reading »
Another Example of Why the United States Will Never “Win” Its War on Drugs
The United States is most assuredly not winning the war on drugs. Anyone who tells you otherwise is woefully uninformed or playing politics. The most recent example of how badly the United States is losing this war can be evidenced by its decision to adopt counter-measures to the Mexican drug cartels’ newspaper advertisement campaign. I … Continue reading »
