Argentina Intimidates Chilean Airline

Argentina has a history of disrespecting private property, especially under the Kirchner administration. Kristina Fernandez’s administration nationalized Aerolíneas Argentinas in 2008. And so it came as little surprise to outside observers, when Argentinian officials gave a Chilean airline a 10 day ultimatum to evacuate their hangar in Jorge Newbery, one of the country’s busiest airports…

The Mailman Isn’t Delivering in Chile

Approximately 4600 employees of Correos de Chile have been on strike since July 23rd. This means that all packages, letters, and deliveries depending on Chile’s equivalent of the United States Postal Service, have presumably been stockpiling for over a month, in the Andean country of 17 million. Workers have initiated the stoppage over a demand…

“Tragedy of the Commons” in Cuba

An estimated 10% of Cuba’s population is believed to have left the country for the United States, with many making a dangerous crossing in the open sea using makeshift rafts to escape Fidel Castro’s regime. Average monthly salaries sit at an abysmal $25 a month. Far lower than the $7,643 GDP per capita for Central America, and even…

Uruguay Aims to Be First to Legalize Marijuana

Uruguay’s eccentric President, José Mujica, recently stated that even though marijuana is still underground in the nation of just over three million people, "you can smell it everywhere." Recent legislation aims to normalize and legalize the substance. On the last day of July, Uruguay’s lower house, known as the "Chamber of Deputies," approved legislation to…

Longing for Dominion Over the South Atlantic

Argentina and Britain have endured a spat over the Falkland Islands since the beginning of the nineteenth century. The resentment from Argentinians has only increased with the discovery of the potential of oil in the region. Matthew Omolesky explores the history of this bickering in his article “Behind a Quilt of Mist,” and explains the…

Ecuador Supports Snowden While Curbing Liberties

The foreign ministry of Ecuador recently confirmed it received a request for asylum, and described Snowden as "a man attempting to bring light and transparency to facts that affect everyone’s fundamental liberties." Despite requests for extradition to the United States by the US State Department, Snowden has apparently managed to travel from Hong Kong to…

Socialists Accelerate Voter Intimidation in Venezuela

Venezuela’s president admitted to identifying those who voted against him this past election. In a recent speech to the public, Nicolas Maduro singled out those who failed to vote for him as Hugo Chavez’s hand picked successor, after having voted for Chavez in previous elections. “We have identified the 900.000 compatriots with IDs and all”…