Congress routinely engages in targeted, short-term tariff cuts through “miscellaneous tariff bills.” Although conventional wisdom says that unilateral tariff cuts are politically impossible, these bills show that it is possible to reduce tariffs given the right political environment. Proponents of such tariff cuts argue that the cuts support U.S. jobs; critics argue that…
President Obama undertakes his March 19–23 trip to Latin America at a time when the international scene is in enormous flux. In three stops—Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador—the President will send an upbeat message of equal partnership and offer broader U.S. engagement in Latin America. President Obama will meet with three leaders whose views count when it comes to…
Between March 19 and 23, President Obama will embark on a rapid visit to Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador. This is his first visit to South or Central America as President. Despite considerable fanfare, the trip comes at an awkward time, when global attention is riveted on the tragedy in Japan and continued unrest in the Middle East, particularly Libya’s brutal civil war.…
Abstract: In the past, “Bolivarian” referred to those Andean countries that had been liberated by Simón Bolívar. Today, for the three countries in the Andes that are following Hugo Chávez’s “Bolivarian Alternative” path— Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela—it has come to signify declining economic freedom. A closer look at those countries’ scores on the 10 indicators in The…
Felipe Calderón, who began his single sexenio (six-year term) as President of Mexico in December 2006, has made significant progress in the fight against narcotrafficking, but Mexicans are still waiting to see whether his government will successfully challenge the private- and public-sector monopolies and duopolies that dominate huge portions of mexico economy. These…
The death of Margaret Thatcher received extensive media coverage in Chile, proving that the “Dama de Hierro” (“Iron...…
The recently launched “Americas Barometer,” by Vanderbilt University’s Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP),...…
In Santiago, Chile, on January 28, the new regional body, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC),...…
With a score of 78.3 in the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom published by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street...…
Last week, in Merída, Mexico, the leaders of Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia met to affirm their shared commitment to...…
Forty-five kindergarten children sit attentively in a cold classroom in a poor school on the outskirts of Santiago,...…
Ever since President Obama announced in his State of the Union speech that he will travel in March to Brazil, Chile,...…
The successful rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped for 69 days has produced an outpouring of joy and triumph around the...…
When Chilean President Sebástian Piñera was sworn into office last month, he did so with the walls around the National...…
Less than two months after the January 12 earthquake in Haiti, another Hemispheric neighbor has fallen victim to the...…