Venezuela is by far the most interesting country to study from an IR point of view in the Americas (except for the US, of course). They’re essentially a completely failed state with a “socialist” dictator, and they represent one of the worst humanitarian crises in the 21st century. Venezuela has the problems it does because of its economic weakness and… Read more »
Just weeks before hosting its world famous carnival – and with summer temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) – Rio de Janeiro is on edge as residents across the city complain of murky and foul-smelling tap water. Scores of neighbourhoods in the city of 6.7 million people, as well as six nearby towns, have been affected by the crisis, which has dragged on… Read more »
Ayear ago, on 23 January 2019, Juan Guaidó, chairman of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled national assembly, proclaimed himself president of the country and vowed to remove Nicolás Maduro from power. Guaidó’s pretender government was swiftly recognised by the Trump administration, as well as by the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Brazil, and eventually some 50 countries in total. As street protests flared in Caracas, it… Read more »
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — For the second time in 12 months, Portuguese police discovered a large stash of cocaine concealed in a shipment of bananas from Latin America. This time the haul was 825 kilograms with a street value of more than 30 million euros ($33 million). Last year, the seizure was 430 kilograms and worth around 15 million euros… Read more »
The US unveiled its latest sanctions against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, announcing that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 15 aircraft as blocked property of the state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA. Several of the aircraft were used to “transport senior members of the former Maduro regime in a continuation of the… Read more »
A new study shows that air pollutants from the smoke of fires from as far as Canada and the southeastern U.S. traveled hundreds of miles and several days to reach Connecticut and New York City, where it caused significant increases in pollution concentrations. Flames rise from an experimental forest fire in Canada’s remote Northwest Territories. Leer en español: La calidad… Read more »
In Bolivia, an arrest warrant has been issued for former president Evo Morales. Morales is accused of sedition and terrorism after a controversial video surfaced. This video shows a Bolivian man talking on the phone about plans for a road blockade. The man on the other end, who appears to be directing the blockade, is said to be Morales, although… Read more »