Blogs

Reading about Argentina’s Dirty War, I began to ask myself why I had not heard of this meaningful historical event before this course. To some degree, this is due to my own ignorance, but I can’t help but wonder why, … Continue reading → read full post >>

It seems to me like the western hemisphere reacted to the Cuban Revolution and “The Cuban Missile Crisis” with fear. It is as if the rightist side of the political spectrum responded to the swell of leftist ideologies taking hold of power in Cuba. It is as if it all came too close to home—Russia […] read full post >>

I think the change needs to start in the political system itself. A strong, democratic state should (theoretically at least) have safeguards against corruption, at least to a degree that maintains the functionality of the institutions. Without a separation of powers in the political structure, and built in checks and balances, corruption is impossible to overcome. The question is how to get there. read full post >>

This final week has brought discussions of Latin America today and the implications on the future. After watching the interview... read full post >>

As the last week comes to a close, I have greatly increased my knowledge on the history and predicaments of countries within Latin America compared to when I first walked into class in September. I find it troubling, besides being unsurprised, that the majority of Latin American history depicts the affects of oppression on disenfranchised […] read full post >>

Sadly, the time has come to write the ultimate blog for LAST100 😦 Last week, we talked about the horrendous violence and the victims of the dictatorship that took place in 1976. This week we are moving on and focusing on the tendency of the Latin American countries to shift towards leftism, especially in recent … Continue reading Week 13 read full post >>

Before doing the reading for this week, my knowledge of the 1985 Mexico City Earthquake was quite limited. I knew it had been big, and that it took many lives, but I was not aware of the political implications of that death toll. What I found most jarring in the reading was the notion that […] read full post >>

I found the story of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo to be very touching and compelling. I think that... read full post >>

It is interesting to think that after so many stories of violence, upheaval, revolution, and war, the positive that comes from all of it, is that Latin America has gained experience, almost a form of survivalism. Because of this, it is ahead of the rest of the world, where many countries  are only just beginning […] read full post >>

I thought this weeks video was fascinating. Peru’s unique history holds a lot of interest for me- and I think there’s a lot we can learn from it. In my opinion, one of the most fascinating things about Peru’s military takeover in 1968 is that, for maybe the first time ever- and since- there was […] read full post >>