articles
What's Next for Honduras?
Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has reiterated his vow to quickly return to his country to re-assume his rightful place as the nation's president. This week will be a determinant moment in the outcome of the crisis caused by the June 28 military coup against Zelaya. The major players in this crisis have all shown signs of growing impatience with the current situation, meaning that everything could come to a head.
Puerto Rico to Lay Off 30,000 Workers
Amid one of the gravest economic crises in global history, Puerto Rico announced that it is laying off 30,000 public sector employees and freezing government salaries for two years. The island’s current economic crisis can be traced partly to "Operation Bootstrap," a set of radical free market policies implemented in the 1950s on the island that were later replicated across Latin America.
Latin American Media See Mexico as New Drug King
While U.S. media express concern about Mexican narco-violence spreading into the United States, media in Latin American countries highlight a different reason for worry: Mexican cartels are already there.
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Upcoming Climate Change Summit Could be Decisive
Poor countries and small island nations deemed the global climate talks in Copenhagen last year a death sentence. Bolivia is now leading efforts to build a bolder and more democratic initiative, hosting the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth from April 19-22 in the city of Cochabamba.
Mr. President: Don't Make Colombia Another Afghanistan
The Obama administration should reconsider its decision to escalate U.S. involvement in Colombia's long-running civil war. The White House already has its hands full with Iraq and Afghanistan; it does not need to be drawn deeper into another bloody conflict.
Obama Administration Needs to Maintain Tough Stance Against Honduran Coup
The Obama administration deserves praise for its response to the coup in Honduras. It sends a hopeful signal that Washington’s traditional support for such undemocratic power grabs has ended. But the White House still has a lot of housecleaning to do.
blog
Impressive Map of Guatemala's Natural Resources
Someday I'd like to make a map like this for Colombia. This map shows key natural resource extraction sites in Guatemala and allows viewers to manipulate the information included on the map. One pretty interesting conclusion shown by the map is the close correlation between road construction and extractive projects.
U.S. Escalates Military Presence in Colombia
A just-published article by my friend and colleague John Lindsay-Poland raises alarming questions about the revamping of U.S. militarization in Colombia. He calls current plans in the works "the worst thing to happen to U.S. policy in the Andes since Plan Colombia began a decade ago."
Fugitive 'Narco-Hippo' Slain
Colombian authorities have finally caught up with a hippopotamus who had been on the run for two years. The hippo had escaped, along with his mate, from the narco-estate of slain drug don Pablo Escobar. The hippos had produced an offspring in the wild of the Magdalena River valley, and the two remaining hippos are still unaccounted for.
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In Depth: Plan Colombia and Oil Palm
An in depth interview on how Plan Colombia provided US-taxpayer funds to murderous paramilitary groups and drug traffickers. The funds were to support the cultivation of oil palms, which can be used to make biofuels. All in an effort that's part of the U.S.-backed war on drugs and the Colombian government's drive to become a biofuels powerhouse.
USAID Funds Traced to Drug Traffickers and Paramilitaries
U.S. anti-drug aid to Colombia found its way into the hands of businesses owned by violent narco-paramilitaries, according to an article published by The Nation. Investigative journalist – and FSRN contributor – Teo Ballvé wrote the report. He recently spoke to FSRN about his findings.
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bio
I'm a journalist and researcher with years of experience working and living in Latin America. I was born in Argentina and grew up in the United States, Mexico, and Venezuela, and I now live in Bogotá, Colombia. My long-standing journalistic and academic interests concern how processes like violence, rural development, trade, and US-Latin American relations affect people's lives in the region.
For the past three years, my reporting has focused on the violent displacement caused by Colombia's civil war. This reporting seeks to show that civilians are not simply victims caught in the cross-fire of the armed actors, but rather their principle targets. A large part of this work has involved helping the victims of the conflict tell their stories. Read More »
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Teo Ballvé
New York, New York
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