The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. – Thomas Jefferson During his 13 years of rule in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez has presided over a dramatic increase in violence in Venezuela. In 1999, the year Chavez…
At least four countries in Latin America have implemented special economic zones designed to encourage development. These special zones with favorable economic liberties can be found in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and more recently Honduras. In February of 2011, the legislature of Honduras created the legal framework to initiate special zones intended to be largely autonomous,…
Santiago Chile is one of the most important financial and industrial cities in Latin America, and accounts for nearly 45% of the entire country’s GDP, but it has a nagging problem. Smog. The city is home to five million, and is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and as of the 25th…
Recorded history of the Falkland Islands spans more than 500 years. Active exploration in the area began in the 1700s, and a settlement was founded at the end of the 1800s. They have been claimed throughout that span by the French, Spaniards, British and Argentines Once the Panama Canal was opened to commerce in 1914,…
Día de las Glorias Navales is a public holiday celebrated on the 21st of May in Chile to commemorate the Battle of Iquique fought between Peru and Chile on May 21, 1879 during the War of the Pacific. While the battle ended as a victory for Peru, they lost their ironclad ship, the Independencia, which was one of…
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was recently reelected with just 54% of the popular vote despite a struggling economy, reports of lavish corruption, and inflation at unofficial rates nearing %25 (vs. 10% officially). Presumably, the president has drawn attention to the century old dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands, and has been trying to gin…
Since the year 2000, the government of Ecuador has instituted a policy instating the United States dollar as the official currency of Ecuador. El Salvador, likewise, instituted a policy instituting the United States dollar as their official currency in 2001 thereby becoming the third Latin American country to use a foreign money as their official…
Now celebrated in the United States much as a gateway celebration opening the doors to summer, and an excuse to partake of Mexican fare and beverages portioned by tequila, “Cinco de Mayo” is still only regionally celebrated in Mexico where it is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla. Marking the Battle of Puebla…
While the “Economic Miracle” of Chile is often tied to the Dictator Augusto Pinochet, the program and ideas which contributed to the stabilization and rapid growth of Chile’s economy began independently, …
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