Latin America

Fidel Castro once famously acknowledged that his revolution required an "enemy," an "antithesis," a "counterrevolution" in order to develop. For nearly half a century, Cuban Americans have also largely defined themselves, socially and politically, in opposition to their enemy, Castro’s regime.

Preferring to see themselves as exiles rather than as immigrants, Cubans in the United States cling to a powerful exodus story -- full of loss, longing and redemptive possibilities -- that has given meaning to their hardships and inspired their… more

MORELIA, MEXICO -- Not until last week did I understand why populism -- the political philosophy that promotes the interests of the masses over those of the elite -- is so often tarnished in practice by anti-democratic tendencies. After all, one would think that a true populist would be the ultimate democrat; he would want the people to have real electoral power.

But that's not the case. Throughout Mexico's presidential campaign, critics accused Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of harboring… more

So George W. Bush wants to get tough on border enforcement. Nothing like an approval rating in the low 30s -- including a hemorrhage in his conservative base -- to concentrate the political mind.

Bush talked like a cop last night, but, of course, he also reiterated his support for a guest-worker plan, which everyone knows will eventually morph into an amnesty for illegal immigrants. So Bush is a cop who wants to let the crooks go… more

Throughout the 20th century, competing interests sought to portray Mexican immigrants in diametrically opposed ways. In 1911, a congressional panel known as the Dillingham Commission concluded that railroad companies such as Southern Pacific and Santa Fe preferred to hire Mexican workers because of their alleged "passive obedience" and reluctance to engage in "concerted action."

In the 1970s, an emerging generation of activist Mexican American scholars sought to destroy the myth of Mexican docility by revising history. In their… more

For the United States, the second most important foreign policy developments are occurring in South America. Maybe soon, the most important.

The news from Bolivia -- a country that is nationalizing, or, if you prefer, stealing, foreign-owned assets -- is just the latest in a string of anti-capitalist, anti-American developments in South America. In recent years, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile have all elected left-leaning governments, determined to reverse "globalization" and thwart American influence. And similar governments are… more

Immigration issues are always ripe for demagoguery, particularly in an election year. But the solution to the very real problems along the U.S.-Mexican border can be found, ironically, in that other part of the world that American demagogues love to ridicule: old Europe.

Two years ago, the European Union admitted 10 new members. Like Mexico, all of these nations were poor, some of them fairly backward and most recently ravaged by war and communist dictatorship.

… more

Senior Research Fellow, Economic Growth Program

Central America is the oldest region of U.S. external influence. It also remains one of the most important for U.S. interests. The history of American involvement in the region is a mixed one, with great successes, but also tragic failures and crimes. In recent decades, American supremacy has been maintained, the Communist threat in the region defeated, and forms of democracy established. But the cost to the peoples of the region, and to the international reputation of the U.S., has… more

Let's face it, if an unarmed U.S. citizen had been shot in the back and killed by a Mexican federal agent at the border, the American public would be up in arms. Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo would probably call for a punitive military expedition into Mexico, and television's Bill O'Reilly and Lou Dobbs would be right behind him.

So, on the one hand, the outrage being expressed by Mexican politicians and commentators over the fatal shooting Dec. 30 of… more

You can buy a plastic-bound copy of the Venezuelan Constitution for 60 cents, a leather-clad copy for $3, a coffee-table edition for $5. Not that you really need a copy of your own, since someone standing near you on the subway in Caracas will have one in his pocket. Or you can always listen to one of the ongoing debates at a downtown park. "Look at this article," someone will shout, and a half dozen people will flip through the… more