All Latin America Monitor
- El Salvador sees drop in murders but rise in disappearancesAn 8 percent rise in disappearances could undermine the achievements of a gang truce, which has seen murders in El Salvador drop by nearly 60 percent since March, writes a guest blogger.
Chavez re-election: Many Venezuelan voters are undecidedAn influx of new voters and widespread apathy may be key factors, writes guest blogger Miguel Octavio.- Chile's car boomBeyond urban sprawl there's an economic issue with Chile's car boom: crude oil is already Chile's biggest import, and an increasing reliance on gas could impact the country's trade balance.
Who is responsible for the Bogota, Colombia bombing this week?Some question why the FARC would carry out such a high profile attack as the May 15 Bogota bombing when the government has broached the idea of peace talks, writes a guest blogger.
Oil proceeds: Venezuelan driver wins F1 race with $66 million from ChavezVenezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, sponsored Formula One champion Pastor Maldonado, stirring controversy over the PR campaign at home, writes a guest blogger.- Child drug traffickers: What can be done?Between 5,000 and 14,000 children are recruited as soldiers in Colombia, writes a guest blogger, and the recruitment of minors by gangs is increasingly a problem across Latin America.
- Should Argentina remain a member of the G20?Argentina's history is a continuous series of economic and political crises and they'll probably face another before the decade is out, but they still deserve a seat at the G20, writes a guest blogger.
- Majority of Mexicans support military leading fight against cartelsThe next president should include some military operations in his organized crime strategy, but focus on a transition back to civilian policing, writes guest blogger James Bosworth.
Violence in Mexico and Brazil: How droughts play a roleNo one will claim the recent massacre in Mexico was caused by a drought, but water shortages in the north of both Mexico and Brazil are aggravating already difficult situations, writes a blogger.
Is Bogota's gun ban responsible for a drop in homicides?If a new gun ban in Colombia's capital is linked to a drop in the murder rate, it could potentially serve as a model for the rest of Latin America, writes guest blogger Geoffrey Ramsey.
Rio+20: Rio's dry run for the Olympics and World CupRio+20 comes at a time when more and more events are being held in Rio, and will serve as an important test for the city's ability to accommodate and transport visitors, writes Rachel Glickhouse.
The Beatles' No. 1 fan? MexicoWhen Paul McCartney sings in Mexico City tonight, he'll be fulfilling countless people's dreams to hear Beatles' songs live. The Beatles were blocked from playing in Mexico in 1965.- Slain American's legacy continues in NicaraguaBen Linder, the only US citizen killed by US-backed contras during Nicaragua鈥檚 war in the 1980s, continues to inspire a new generation of foreign activists working with the country's poor.
- 8 charged with negligence after calling off 2010 Chilean tsunami warningEmployees of Chile's emergency response offices have been charged after misinforming the public that there was no threat of a tsunami that killed 156 people, writes guest blogger Steven Bodzin.
Is French journalist kidnapped in Colombia a prisoner of war?The ambiguities over FARC-kidnapped Romeo Langlois' status as a POW is indicative of a wider debate over the status of journalists in modern conflict zones, writes a guest blogger.
Nicaragua divided over death of revolutionary leaderTom谩s Borge was the last living founder of Nicaragua鈥檚 Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN).
Press freedom falls in Latin America, French journalist missing in ColombiaFreedom of the press is under threat in much of the Americas, according to a Freedom House report.- Why everyone wants to be like BrazilAcross the Americas candidates promise to follow the footsteps of Brazil's former President Lula. But 'Brazil envy' makes it possible to gloss over the country's shortcomings, writes a guest blogger.
- Interpol launches anti-piracy operation across the AmericasThere is evidence that drug trafficking organizations in countries including Mexico and Colombia have moved into counterfeiting, writes guest blogger Hannah Stone.
Will the Dominican Republic election be decided by voters in the US?A number of Latin American countries have created absentee voting systems to allow their expats to vote in national elections. But what if an election is decided by voters abroad, asks a blogger.
