Today, neoimperialist powers often undermine the autonomy of Latin American politics and economics, especially on environmental issues. Although it is usually not perceived in such a way, environmental degradation is essentially a site of neocolonial conquest through the exploitation of natural resources and marginalization of disenfranchised communities. The longstanding legal battle between Chevron and some … Read more
Sometimes it is the tiniest spark that lights the largest fires. Small pocketbook items have become the catalysts for large-scale protest movements around the globe in the past months. A four-cent raise in metro fares in Chile, fluctuations in the price of onions in India, and a twenty-cent tax on the use of the messaging … Read more
Adrienne Clarkson was born in Hong Kong but arrived in Canada at the age of 2, a refugee escaping the horrors of the Second World War. In an interview, Clarkson remembers finding a city “full of white people, white bread and white snow” and her journey in broadcasting, journalism, and public service was not an … Read more
“World Travelers and Collectors” exhibit at the Southwest Virginia Museum. What do the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and Hoa Hakananai’a have in common? They are some of humanity’s greatest treasures, and they are all housed in the British Museum. But none of them are British creations. In fact, each was taken from their original … Read more
This is part of a two-part series on the 2015 Canadian elections. To view the other article by Conor Healy, click here. While the American presidential campaign is only just beginning, Canada’s longest federal campaign season since 1872 will draw to a close on Monday. This year’s controversially protracted federal campaign of a whopping 78 … Read more
This is part of a two-part series on the 2015 Canadian elections. To view the other article by Sarah Wu, click here. When the Stephen Harper was elected prime minister in 2006, he defeated a distrusted Liberal Party administration beleaguered by scandal. He promised, above all, that the “time for accountability has arrived.” Today, it … Read more
As recently as a few months ago, Manuel Baldizon of the center-right Renewed Democratic Liberty party probably felt pretty good about his chances of becoming Guatemala’s 37th president. With a huge corruption scandal engulfing the leadership of the ruling party, the withdrawal from the race of his nearest rival, and a comfortable lead in the … Read more
In 1960, self-appointed Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro nationalized all American-owned businesses without providing compensation, increased trade with the Soviet Union, and levied taxes on all American imports. In response, the United States promptly ended diplomatic relations with the island nation and imposed a trade embargo that still stands today. It is estimated that this … Read more
Would you vote for John Oliver? Guatemala would. In the first round of Guatemala’s recent presidential election, comedian Jimmy Morales won 24 percent of the vote. Morales’ rise symbolizes widespread opposition toward Guatemala’s current government officials. With “Ni corrupto, ni ladrón” (“Neither corrupt nor a thief”) as his campaign slogan, Morales promised to end the … Read more
“I remember seeing large air force planes dropping strange packages over the area near where I lived. I did not know what these packages were. But then we saw these packages floating on the delta.” During the 1970s, Marcos Vidriani was a mechanic living in the Paraná Delta at the mouth of the Río de … Read more