News and Politics

Opposition coalition bands together--again--in effort to impeach Peruvian President Kuczynski

By Kristen Martinez-Gugerli
March 13, 2018

Just this week, leftist leaders in Peru have begun to band together in a movement to impeach sitting president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on grounds of a ‘moral incapacity’ to lead the country, in part due to his alleged ties to Odebrecht. This effort to oust Kuczynski, better known by the nickname ‘PPK’, comes just a few months after his highly controversial decision to pardon former dictator Alberto Fujimori.

How Latin America is handling the Venezuelan Refugee Crisis

By Rachel Bierly
March 7, 2018

As Venezuela faces an economic crisis that has left the nation’s citizens in abhorrent conditions, without access to necessities such as food and medicine, Venezuelans are fleeing to neighboring countries that are already dealing with an unprecedented influx of middle eastern refugees, as well as internal conflicts between gangs, guerilla groups, and corruption scandals. Neighboring countries, though sympathetic to Venezuela’s worsening condition, are struggling to accept Venezuelan migrants.

Brazilian troops storm favelas of Rio de Janeiro to combat rising drug violence

By Kristen Martinez-Gugerli
March 6, 2018

Just last week, Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree to allow the military to take over as the primary security force in the state of Rio de Janeiro as an extreme attempt to crackdown on rising gang violence in the region’s poor shantytowns, or favelas. The upper and lower houses of Brazil’s Congress both voted overwhelmingly in favor of this decision, in spite of rising public criticism and concern over the protection of human rights under the military’s control.

DACA: Advocacy and Response at UPitt

By Rosa De Ferrari
February 27, 2018
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, began in June 2012 under the Obama Administration. The policy allowed for some individuals who had entered the country as minors to receive deferred action from deportation and work permits. When the program was first established, over 800,000 individuals applied, although it is estimated that up to 1.7 million may be eligible.
 

ELN Attacks prompt suspension of ongoing peace talks

By Rachel Bierly
February 22, 2018

The Ejército de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Army), or ELN as it is more commonly known, is one of Colombia’s two main leftist guerilla groups, and the last of the country’s three main guerilla groups in full operation. Founded in the 1960’s following a period of Colombian History known as “La Violencia” or “the violence”, the ELN was created based on Marxist ideals and liberation theology, a religious movement inspired by shifts in the Catholic church that teaches liberation from social, political, and economic.

British NGO faces backlash for alleged sexual misconduct in Haiti

By Kristen Martinez-Gugerli
February 21, 2018

British-based NGO Oxfam—short for ‘The Oxford Office on Famine Relief’—has recently been plagued by a wave of allegations of sexual misconduct in developing countries by humanitarian aid workers. The most widely publicized of these incidents is the alleged use of prostitutes by several Oxfam workers, including the director of the program, while operating in Haiti to provide aid following the 2010 earthquake.

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