Latin Pulse

The martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador provides the theme this week on Latin Pulse.  The program includes discussions of the philosophical debate embodied in the stalled progress of Romero's status as an official Catholic martyr.  The program also includes a discussion of Vatican politics that stretches over the past 30 years.  The program also includes reflections on U.S. policy and how it sparked a climate of violence in Central America.  The news segment of the program covers the controversial economic sanctions from the United States aimed at Venezuela and how that move was condemned by UNASUR.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

dissidents

Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro

El Salvador

Oscar Romero

liberation theology

Catholicism

politics

religion

UNASUR

poverty

Drug War

inequality

United States

economics

military

social justice

Central America

paramilitaries

insurgents

capitalism

Russia

gangs

history

pentecostalism

Jesuits

economic sanctions

human rights

U.S. State Department

Pope John Paul II

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Francis

civil war

Ronald Reagan

Cold War

evangelical Christianity

Catholic Church

the Vatican

Two years after the death of Hugo Chavez, this week Latin Pulse reviews the legacy of this polarizing political figure and what policies from the Chavez era still affect the current state of affairs in Venezuela. The program includes analysis on the handling of politics and economics by the government of President Nicolas Maduro and whether that government is now slipping into authoritarianism as it jails members of opposition groups.  The news segment of the program tracks the successful arrests this past week in Mexico and Bolivia of both drug cartel leaders and those in government working with illegal organizations.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

*Hugo Perez Hernaiz is also the author of the Venezuela Conspiracy Theories Monitor blog.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro

Antonio Ledezma

Leopoldo Lopez

Hugo Chavez

repression

Mexico

politics

Bolivia

Argentina

Drug War

protest

United States

corruption

Zetas cartel

Central America

cocaine

imperialism

justice

Chavismo

coup

economics

COPEI

democracy

poverty

economic crisis

conspiracy theories

elections

Honduras

violence

media

oil

OPEC

military

authoritarianism

dissent

Knights Templar cartel

Barack Obama

economic sanctions

economic equality

El Salvador

Bolivarian Revolution

drug cartels

Turmoil in Venezuela and the progress in the peace talks for the civil war in Colombia are the twin themes this week on Latin Pulse. The first half of the program analyzes the politics surrounding the arrest of Mayor Antonio Ledezma of Caracas and how that arrest has drawn international reaction.  The second half of the program tracks the ongoing talks attempting to end the 51-year-old war in Colombia.  The news segment of the program covers the latest in the case of Alberto Nisman in Argentina and how a judge has set aside an indictment against the country's president.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

Colombia

Venezuela

Ecuador

politics

repression

Argentina

Alberto Nisman

protest

United States

Brazil

protest movement

civil war

FARC

Cuba

justice

Peru

terrorism

economics

espionage

UNASUR

OAS

Julio Borges

Salvador Allende

inflation

Spain

Chile

media

coup

ceasefire

military

weapons

imperialism

Juan Manuel Santos

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Nicolas Maduro

Antonio Ledezma

Leopoldo Lopez

Joe Biden

peace talks

Ernesto Samper

United Nations

Hugo Chavez

China and its economic and geopolitical strategy and cultural influence provide the central themes for this week's edition of Latin Pulse. The first half of the program examines the trade and economic issues connected to China's strategies in Latin America.  And the program debates the response of the U.S. to this economic expansion.  The second half of the program examines the history and cultural influence of Chinese emigration to Peru.  The news segment of the program covers the protests this week against the handling of the investigation into the death of special prosecutor Alberto Nisman in Argentina.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 60 minutes in length and the file size is 83 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

trade

Argentina

Alberto Nisman

Iran

United States

Brazil

Barack Obama

Chinese diaspora

China

Mexico

Peru

terrorism

economics

culture

justice

immigration

Xi Jinping

Nicaraguan canal

CELAC

oil

OAS

Nicaragua

environmentalism

Venezuela

Ecuador

banking

Cuba

Panama

politics

IMF

Paraguay

International Monetary Fund

Argentine debt crisis

Afro-Latin American issues

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Uruguay

Colombia

manufacturing

transportation

agriculture

commodities

coal

mining

soybeans

deforestation

opium

labor

food

cuisine

Japanese

prejudice

corruption

history

chifa

hydro-electric plants

Nicolas Maduro

Diosdado Cabello

high-speed rail

extractive industries

The Amazon

Alberto Fujimori

LGBT issues

indentured servitude

Panama Canal

Asian-Latin American issues

Japanese-Latin Americans

Mario Vargas Llosa

The Shining Path

Mystery and celebration are the twin themes of Latin Pulse this week. The mystery is provided through an analysis of the complex case regarding the death of Alberto Nisman, a special prosecutor in Argentina.  The program sorts through the case linked to the bombing of a Jewish community center in the 1990s.  The celebration theme comes in the form of Carnival in Brazil. The news segment of the program discusses how the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team has cast doubt on the explanation of the Mexican government regarding 43 missing students, a case that has galvanized a protest movement in Mexico.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

*More from Fulton Armstrong on the Nisman case can be found here.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

trade

Argentina

Alberto Nisman

Iran

Hector Timmerman

Brazil

Intelligence Secretariat

Drug War

espionage

Mexico

violence

terrorism

scandal

culture

music

Afro-Brazilians

AMIA bombing

Carlos Menem

Hezbollah

oil

justice

conspiracy

Israel

impunity

media

China

Catholicism

Carnival

samba

parades

celebration

Jewish community center

Antonio Jaime Stiusso

Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

The debate over immigration in the U.S. took center stage in Washington, DC, and with the U.S. Congress this week, and that provides one of the main themes for this edition of Latin Pulse this week. The program looks at the historical context of the immigration debate and analyzes the potential for progress on immigration reform.  The program also provides an update on the Zapatistas in Chiapas and discusses the problems that they face with violence and repression. The news segment of the program looks the series of hearings this week regarding diplomacy between the U.S. and Cuba.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

*Clarke's photo essay on the Zapatistas for Business Insider can be found here.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Cuba

diplomacy

trade

United States

tourism

Raul Castro

travel

Barack Obama

U.S. Congress

espionage

Brazil

Colombia

immigration

economics

politics

Argentina

terrorism

Intelligence Secretariat

Alberto Nisman

violence

free speech

internet

Guantanamo

baseball

cigars

remittances

embargo

shipping

democracy

censorship

music

Panama

USAID

economic sanctions

Panama Canal

Cuban rappers

rap music

hip hop

Los Aldeanos

Robert Menendez

Marco Rubio

U.S. State Department

Colombian Civil War

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

The tensions within U.S. policy toward Cuba provide the main focus on Latin Pulse this week. The program analyzes how domestic politics in the United States continue to have an effect on the diplomatic changes in Cuba.  The program also focuses on the continuation of controversial democracy building programs from USAID, aimed at Cuba. The news segment of the program looks at the complex case in Argentina linking the country's spy agency and the murder of a special prosecutor.  The program covers the surprise reaction of the country's president this week.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Cuba

diplomacy

trade

United States

tourism

Raul Castro

travel

Barack Obama

U.S. Congress

espionage

Brazil

Colombia

immigration

economics

politics

Argentina

terrorism

Intelligence Secretariat

Alberto Nisman

violence

free speech

internet

Guantanamo

baseball

cigars

remittances

embargo

shipping

democracy

censorship

music

Panama

USAID

economic sanctions

Panama Canal

Cuban rappers

rap music

hip hop

Los Aldeanos

Robert Menendez

Marco Rubio

U.S. State Department

Colombian Civil War

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

The historic changes between Cuba and the United States are rolling out but the Obama administration is also making aggressive diplomatic moves throughout Latin America.  That strategic shift provides the centerpiece for discussion on Latin Pulse this week. The program takes a wide-ranging view of the geopolitical situation in Latin America and provides a preview of the summit next week of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).  The news segment of the program focuses on the negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba and President Barack Obama's policy pronouncements on Cuba.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Cuba

Mexico

Guatemala

diplomacy

trade

United States

tourism

Raul Castro

travel

Central America

Barack Obama

U.S. Congress

espionage

Alan Gross

NSA

Pope Francis

Iran

China

Canada

CELAC

Brazil

Bolivia

Colombia

Honduras

Nicaragua

immigration

Venezuela

economics

politics

coups

OAS

Panama

John Kerry

Joe Biden

Dilma Rousseff

Evo Morales

El Salvador

Costa Rica

Nicolas Maduro

Patrick Leahy

Jeff Flake

Robert Menendez

Marco Rubio

Ted Cruz

Edward Snowden

Laura Chinchilla

Daniel Ortega

Monroe Doctrine

Summit of the Americas

U.S. State Department

Chris Van Hollen

Luis Guillermo Solis

During the first month of the new year, Latin Pulse focuses on the spiritual aspects of indigenous communities as a way of providing reflection on this time of change.  The program features the stories and analysis of experts on archaeology and anthropology to provide context on these deep topics.  The program looks at spiritual practice and history in Mexico and Guatemala.  The news segment of the program discusses the latest change in travel and trade regulations between the U.S. and Cuba, allowing travelers from the United States to travel to Cuba unfettered for the first time in many decades.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Cuba

Mexico

Guatemala

indigenous religion

diplomacy

trade

United States

tourism

Raul Castro

travel

political prisoners

archaeology

ancestor worship

Day of the Dead

anthropology

Central America

dream analysis

Maya

Aztecs

Nahuatl

agriculture

shamans

curanderos

Tikal

Teotihuacan

colonialism

Catholicism

culture

health

Venezuela, its economy, and its structure as a petro-state are the central themes this week on Latin Pulse.  As Venezuela slips into recession and shortages of consumer goods become more acute, criticism of the government of President Nicolas Maduro is increasing.  The program looks at the patterns of how oil prices have often dictated the popularity of presidents and the shape of politics in Venezuela.  The news segment of the program covers the meeting this week between U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and how protests broke out in the United States due to the visit.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Venezuela

Cuba

oil

Nicolas Maduro

diplomacy

Mexico

United States

politics

drug cartels

violence

Barack Obama

economics

Hugo Chavez

Enrique Pena Nieto

protests

social programs

currency exchange

Jorge Castaneda

corruption

petro-state

gasoline

inflation

recession

China

socialism

Russia

OPEC

riots

military

coups

PSUV

history

Bolivia

Ecuador

Brazil

Chile

trade

media

Carlos Andres Perez

Alvaro Garcia Linera