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Justice Beyond Borders
Pierre-Louis Le Goff
The Plan Condor trial that began on March 5, 2013 in Buenos Aires is an unprecedented opportunity for many victims of the human rights violations committed by South American military regimes in the 1970s and 1980s to finally see justice. The regional coordination of repression resulted in hundreds of disappearances and murders of Uruguayans, Chileans, ...
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Uruguay’s Culture of Impunity Continues to Rear its Head
Pierre-Louis Le Goff
The decision by Uruguay’s Supreme Court of Justice to transfer Judge Mariana Mota is evidence that the country’s culture of impunity for the crimes of the 1973-85 dictatorship still endures. Co-authored with Dr. Francesca Lessa, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Latin American Centre, St Anne’s College, University of Oxford. The judge was in charge of over ...
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Las Maestras: Amelia Peláez
Raquel
“I am not interested in copying the object….What matters is the relation of the motif with oneself, with one’s personality, and the power the artist has to organize his [her] emotions…. These are the words of Amelia Peláez y del Casal (1897-1968), in 1936. As a Cuban Modernist Painter, Ceramist, and Muralist her style has ...
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Brazilians justified in support of State surveillance
Daniel Rey
Residents of Rio de Janeiro have overtaken London as the most watched in the world, with a security camera per 860 inhabitants. But, whereas in the UK there was disquiet from civil liberties campaigners, there appears to have been widespread local enthusiasm for the move in the southern Brazilian city. Given the problems that persist ...
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South America’s Beautiful Game?
Daniel Rey
Association football came to South America via Europeans, probably through the port of Buenos Aires. Since then, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have all hosted the FIFA World Cup, and have between them won nine of the 19 World Cup Finals. With Brazil hosting in 2014, there are high hopes for further success. Football is a religion ...
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2012: a new cycle of peace?
Daniel Rey
Rather than heralding the world’s end, as per a dubious interpretation of Mayan prophecy, 2012 may go down as the year when a new cycle of peace-brokering began in the Hispanic world. The most high profile of these projects is Colombia’s negotiation with the FARC rebels, but other programs designed to stifle violence have germinated in El Salvador. Meanwhile ...
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Latin American Policy: Obama has work to do
Daniel Rey
Barack Obama’s re-election to the White House was in no small part due to the support of the US’ minorities. Latinos may be the largest racial minority in the country, but the President has been lukewarm in his intra-hemispheric relations. Although he received 71% of the Latino vote on 6 November, Latin American citizens and expatriates will ...
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Venezuelan and US elections: a comparison
Daniel Rey
There are several similarities between the recent elections in Venezuela and the United States. In both cases a charismatic incumbent faced an at times difficult campaign against a pro-business challenger to his right. The elections can also be regarded as referenda on the present governments; administrations that have polarised public opinion. Without seeking to be ...
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FARC settlement? Colombians must be pragmatic
Daniel Rey
After almost half a century of the FARC conflict, Colombians want peace. Unrealistically however, most of them want it dictated entirely on their terms. The Gallup Poll for the end of October signalled serious paradoxes in the nation’s hopes for the potential peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Despite 72% being ...