Latin American history

The Comics Writer Who Became a Legend-and a Martyr of Argentina's Dirty War

Héctor Germán Oesterheld died in an Argentine prison as an enemy of the country's dictatorship after a long career of depicting the political aspirations of Argentine leftists like himself. In death, his admirers made him a comic hero. 

"Argentina, 1985" is a Warning for 2023

The film's most important contribution is to remind that the rule of law must be maintained.

Who Poisoned Pablo Neruda?

by Ariel Dorfman

"In retrospect I wonder if perhaps I was so tired of tales of torture and disappearances, so full of death and grief, that I could not deal with one more affront. I preferred to shield the sacred figure of Neruda from the violence."

Forensic Experts: Chilean Poet and Pinochet Opponent Pablo Neruda Killed by Poison in 1973

The poet, a Communist and ally of democratically-elected President Salvador Allende, died shortly after the coup that installed General Augusto Pinochet as dictator. There had been longstanding suspicion of the official explanation of his death. 

In "Argentina, 1985" Progressive Values Win

by Walter G. Moss

The true story depicted in the Oscar-nominated film shows the necessity of persistence and the power of hope. 

Bolsonaro's Long Shadow

by Nara Roberta Silva

The recently departed president is only the latest, and probably not the last, avatar of antidemocratic impulses in Brazilian politics, generally reflected by the elite recruiting the anxieties of the middle class to thwart broader social rights for the nation's poor. 

"Argentina, 1985" Gets Oscar Nod

The film has sparked debate in Argentina over its representation of events, but tells the story of the first successful civilian trial of a military dictatorship. 

"Bolsonarismo" After Bolsonaro: Lula's Return and Antifascist Organizing in Brazil

by Sean Purdy

Entrenched support for Bolsonaro in Brazil's police, military, and institutions mean that the left will need to sustain grassroots mobilization to prevent the right from sweeping back into power. 

Understanding Colombia's Truth Commission Report after 60 Years of Civil Conflict

by Rachel Nolan

Colombia's armed conflict between government forces, leftist rebels, and paramilitary death squads is the world's longest continuous conflict. The nation's massive Truth Commission report undermines decades of official government narrative about the apportionment of blame for atrocities. 

The Long Shadow of Pinochet Over Chile's Constitutional Referendum

A protest movement against inequality and oligarchy convinced almost 80 percent of Chileans to vote for a constitutional convention, and led to the election of a young leftist president. Why did more than 60 percent of voters then reject the new charter? 

New Colombian Leadership Means it's Time for the US to End the Disastrous Drug War

by Christy Thornton

The US has taken steps to pull back from the domestic war on drugs. But the violent, repressive and expensive campaign to fund militarized drug interdiction in Latin America has carried on uninterrupted, fueling political violence abroad and fentanyl overdoses at home. 

The Rising "Pink Tide" in Latin America Shows the Need for US Policy to Adapt

by Aileen T. Teague

Colombia has historically been a conservative firewall in Latin America, anchoring American policy on the hemispheric drug war and development policy. The election of that nation's first leftist leader, along with the rise of Chinese influence, signals the need for American policy to change. 

Century-Old Racist Tropes Guide US Policy on Venezuela

by Tim Gill

In justifying a neocolonial exercise of power over Latin America, U.S. policymakers have depended on many of the same racist ideas as their 19th-century forebears.

"Time We Can't Get Back": Chilean Adoptees Uncover Their Past

Chile's right-wing dictatorship took hundreds – possibly thousands – of infants from their families and concealed the facts of their birth from them. 

Voters Choose Young Leftist Gabriel Boric in Chile by Wide Margin

"At 35, Mr. Boric will be the nation’s youngest leader and by far its most liberal since President Salvador Allende, who died by suicide during the 1973 military coup that ushered in a brutal 17-year dictatorship."

A Timeline of US-Colombia Relations Shows Influence of Cold War, War on Drugs

Over the two centuries since Colombia’s independence, the relationship between Washington and Bogota has evolved into a close economic and security partnership. But it has at times been strained by U.S. intervention, Cold War geopolitics, and the war on drugs.

Ada Ferrer on the Missed Opportunity to Influence Cuba's Future for the Better

Ada Ferrer, author of the new "Cuba: An American History" discusses the entanglement of the two nation's histories and how the Biden administration might approach Cuba at a moment of transition. 

The US Should be Wary of Interfering in Cuba

by Joseph J. Gonzalez

Young Cuban protesters may be forming a revolutionary generation. They may succeed in advancing democracy if the US can resist the historical temptation to interfere.

Migration Is Not the Crisis

by Aviva Chomsky

Migration from Central America is rooted in American support for exploitative oligarchies and export-oriented industry under the guises of anticommunism and economic development. 

The Root Cause of Central American Migration? The United States

by Aviva Chomsky

Joe Biden's pledge to pay attention to the conditions in Central America that are driving migration is a good start, but policy needs to be based in a recognition that those conditions have been created by the economic and military influence of the United States.