guatemala

Trump’s “Safe Third Country” Policy

By Dana Cornacchio
July 22, 2019

While Donald Trump’s presidency has polarized America with voters vehemently for or against his policies, his actions in regards to immigration in the United States have been among the most controversial of his time in office. From the 2017 travel ban-most commonly referred to as the “Muslim ban”- to promises of building a physical wall between Mexico and the United States, developing new immigration policies has been a prominent issue for President Trump since taking office in 2017.

Nick Cullather’s Secret History and US Intervention in Guatemala

By Rachel Bierly
January 7, 2019

The CIA’s intervention in Guatemala was the first of its kind. Due to the U.S. government’s secrecy on the matter, we are only able to make assumptions based on the facts given to us to determine the rationale of the CIA in terms of this invasion. Nick Cullather’s Secret History, Second Edition: The CIA’s Classified Account of its Operations in Guatemala, 1952-1954 collects the newly unredacted documents detailing the U.S.’s intervention in Guatemala, and the fallout that occurred as a result.

The Prison System: Guatemala's Separate Society

By Carley Clontz
December 10, 2018

Guatemala places in the top ten among the most overcrowded prison systems in the world. A lack of infrastructure and financial corruption has left Guatemala in this situation. The economy of Guatemala correlates with this poorly maintained structure and system of prisons. A contributing factor to Guatemalan prison overpopulation is likely overpopulation within the country as well.

Latin Americans living in the Shadow of Volcanoes

By Rachel Bierly
November 26, 2018

In June of this year, Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego erupted with catastrophic consequences. Over two months after the eruption, the death toll from the volcano was 165, and 260 people were still missing as villages were flooded with ash and lava. In total, more than 1.7 million people were affected by the deadly eruption (World Vision, 2018). In 1985, Colombia’s Nevado del Ruíz volcano in the Andes mountains erupted resulting in one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in modern history.

Magic water scandal shows the deep roots of corruption in Guatemalan politics

By Rachel Rozak
October 24, 2018

Last week it was reported that the former vice president of Guatemala, Roxana Baldetti, had been formally sentenced to 15 years in prison following her involvement in what is being called the “Magic Water” scandal.  Baldetti was found guilty of participating in and directing a criminal network in the multimillion-dollar scheme, which redirected state funds intended to clean the contaminated Lake Amatitlan (Al Jazeera 2018).

Naming Controversy Surrounding Parran Hall

By Mallory Perillo
May 28, 2018

In light of the developing national debate on whether or not we should celebrate historical figures with problematic pasts, Parran Hall, the main building for the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health, has recently come under scrutiny due to the legacy of the man it is named after. Thomas Parran Jr, the former U.S. Surgeon General and Founding Dean of the school, played an active role in drafting the Social Security Act and founding the World Health Organization and advocated for universal healthcare. However, he was also the U.S.

What should we be asking about the new discovery of advanced ancient Maya civilization?

By Rachel Rozak
March 14, 2018

In February, a team of researchers in the jungles of northern Guatemala uncovered a secret which has been buried for thousands of years under its dense forested cloak.  According to the exclusive released by Tom Clynes from National Geographic, their mission revealed ruins of over “60,000 houses, palaces, elevated highways, and other human-made features” previously unbeknownst to scientists and scholars who study Maya history.  

Waves of trash several kilometers wide inundate Caribbean coastlines

By Rachel Rozak
January 18, 2018

In Honduras, coastlines are suffocating under the overwhelming amount of trash which has been arriving relentlessly with the tides.  Unlike the various bottles and wrappers that occasionally wash up on the busy beaches frequented in the U.S., the phenomenon, which has particularly rocked the ecosystem of the Honduran island of Roatan, is better described as a wall of trash; it spans several kilometers and extends seven meters below the surface of the water (Sanchez 2017).

Israel's close relationship with Guatemala has roots in country's civil war

By Rosa De Ferrari
January 8, 2018

Last month President Donald Trump announced plans to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and marking a break with years of U.S. policy that Jerusalem’s status must be decided in peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. On December 21st, the UN General Assembly voted 128 to 9, with 35 abstaining, on a resolution demanding the U.S. rescind the decision. Of the nine votes siding with the U.S., Guatemala and Honduras were the only Latin American countries.

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