United States

The Multiple Causes of the Border Crisis

By Dinorah Azpuru

October 13, 2016

Much was written and discussed in the Summer of 2014 about the causes of the migration of thousands of undocumented minors and women with young children from Central America’s Northern Triangle region (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras) to the United States.¹ Many analysts focused on finding "the culprit", the one single cause that provoked the dramatic increase in the number of children arriving at the border and turning themselves to US authorities.

Benefits to the US-Cuba Opening

By Scott Morgenstern

October 12, 2016

The surprise opening to Cuba will not necessarily have dramatic effects on either country, though there will be tangible and intangible changes for both.¹ For Cuba, the opening brings the prospect for a strong influx of dollars and tourists. The diplomatic opening does not allow unfettered travel, but it reduces the barriers significantly. Pitt's Study Abroad program to Cuba had to be canceled last year due to banking restrictions. That type of problem will surely disappear. Perhaps, shadowing the new policy with regards to undocumented immigrants, Ob

Paid to Wait: Effects of the Venezuelan Economic Crisis

By Asa Equels

October 11, 2016

While much of the United States has been figuratively dancing in the streets about the incredibly low gas prices as of late, others have not been so fortunate to enjoy the plummet. Rather, their economies have been suffering because of it. One such nation is Venezuela, which has recently entered into a recession due to the global lack of demand for oil. Oil has been Venezuela’s primary export for years, which accounts for 96 percent of its foreign currency reception.1 The central Venezuelan bank also noted 63.6 percent inflation between November 2013 and November 2014.

Breaking the Ice, Not Melting It: The U.S. Rapprochement with Cuba

By Jesse Smith

October 11, 2016

The suitability of the word, “rapprochement,” remains to be seen. U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba took a major swing in December with the proposed resumption of diplomatic relations for the first time in 54 years. In January, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta Jacobson, became the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit the island in 35 years. But despite this improvement and those forthcoming, the events of the past month mean seemingly little—the embargo remains in place, as does one-party rule in Cuba.

North American Regional Security: A Trilateral Framework

By Asa Equels

October 5, 2016

Richard J. Kilroy, a professor of regional and analytical studies at the National Defense University, Abelardo Rodríguez Sumano, a professor of international studies and international security at the University of Guadalajara, and Todd S. Hataley, an adjunct professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and research fellow at the Centre for International and Defense Policy at Queen’s University, discuss the security relations between the United States, Canada, and Mexico in North American Regional Security: A Trilateral Framework.

A 54 Year Old Vestige of the Cold War Finally Thaws

By Sophia Winston

October 5, 2016

On August 15, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry, was the first US secretary of state to visit Cuba in 70 years. His visit marks the historic end of sour relations between the US and Cuba and the re-opening of the US embassy in Havana. As he addressed the crowd, in both English and Spanish, he talked about the possibility of lifting the 54-year-old trade embargo, as well as the restoration of a true democratic system on the island.

Property Rights in Cuba, A Lurking Legal Nightmare

By Susan Wiedel

October 5, 2016

The year is 1959. Imagine you are an American tourist. During your stay, you withdraw money from an American-owned bank, use American-owned electricity, smoke American-grown tobacco, use American-owned phone lines, buy beachwear at an American-owned store, and sleep at an American-owned hotel. Where would you guess you are vacationing?

If your guess is somewhere in the United States––Florida, perhaps––you’re within 200 miles of being correct.

Cultural and Political Factors in the Development of the Nonprofit Sector in the US and L. America

By Alexis Vargas

October 5, 2016

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) proliferated due to the inability of governments to provide solutions to problems such as extreme poverty, shortage of health systems and education, lack of basic services, and the bureaucracy of state institutions. The development of these organizations began in various regions, including Latin America. However, cultural and political factors of Latin American societies have determined a path for the development of these organizations, a path that is markedly different from that in the United States.

Interview with Don Bartletti on Central American Immigration to the U.S.

By Susan Wiedel

October 4, 2016

While many eyes are turned towards the humanitarian crisis engulfing the Middle East and extending into Europe, many have lost focus on the humanitarian crisis that is taking place in the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Although less immigrant children from the Central American countries of Guatemala due to tougher border control, Honduras, and El Salvador are being apprehended at the U.S./Mexico border, that does not mean less children are attempting the journey.

Campaigning Against Immigration

By Hilary Heath

October 4, 2016

Monday, September 21, 2015, marked the one year anniversary of the death of Paola Acosta, a woman who suffered her fate at the hands of her ex-partner¹, Gonzalo Lizarralde. She was raped, killed and dumped in a sewer together with her one-year-old daughter, Martina, who she had in common with her attacker. Remarkably, Martina survived. Wednesday, September 23, Gonzalo Lizarralde, marked the first day of the prosecution for the murder of Paola².

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