Blog

Mauricio Funes Becomes First Leftist President of El Salvador

by Claudia Rodriguez, SHARE Foundation on June 09, 2009

Mauricio Funes was sworn as President of El Salvador last June 1st. As Funes and his wife, Vanda Pignato, arrived at the inaugural ceremony, they were received by a cheering crowd chanting, "Yes, we did!" As the couple reached the stage, the chants turned into the traditional Latin American leftist hymn, "The people, united, will never be defeated." Monday's inauguration marks a turning point in the country's history, since it is the first time El Salvador elected a leftist president. Since colonial times, the smallest Central American country has had a troublesome history characterized by brutal repression of indigenous uprisings, decades of military dictatorship, a bloody twelve-year civil war and more recently, 20 years of right-wing party rule. Therefore, the FMLN victory represents a new era of hope and change for Salvadorans.

:Guest, Latin America

Activists Rally for Comprehensive Immigration Reform on Capitol Hill

by Christa Schelter and Jenny Johnson on June 05, 2009

:2009, Blog Posts

Shedding Light on the 'Iron River': Stemming Firearms Trafficking Across Our Southern Border

by Christa Schelter on May 27, 2009

In recent years, thousands of military-style rifles and other firearms have been purchased in the United States and trafficked over our southern border, ultimately ending up in the hands of Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). If the U.S. is to hold true to its promise of being a good neighbor, we know that bold moves must be made to effectively stem this illicit flow of U.S.-sourced firearms into Mexico. Yet the question arises: What steps need to be taken to achieve this?

:2009, Blog Posts

Bravo Pres. Obama! Good Direction with Cuba Policy

by Paulo Gusmao on May 27, 2009

The State Department on Friday, May 22, took an incremental, yet important step toward reestablishing a limited diplomatic relationship with Cuba similar to what existed under the Clinton Administration -- high-level migration meetings between Havana and Washington. See AP article here.

:Blog Posts, Cuba

First Peek at the Obama Administrations 2010 Aid Request for Colombia

by Adam Isacson, Center for International Policy on May 21, 2009

The Obama administration’s State Department has released a “Summary and Highlights” document for its 2010 foreign assistance request, which offers some significant clues about where future aid is headed.