News & Commentary
In Memory of His Holiness Pope Francis
Monday April 21, 2025
The Pan American Association of Philadelphia joins the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness...
Elections for President in Ecuador
Thursday February 13, 2025
Daniel Noboa, the 37 year old current president of Ecuador, failed to get a plurality of the votes i...
Save the Date: Judge Nelson A. Díaz Professorship Series at Temple Law – Featuring Anthony Romero
Tuesday February 4, 2025
On March 19, 2025, at 4:00 PM, Temple University Beasley School of Law will host the Annual Judge Ne...
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The Pan American Association
P.O. Box 22655
Philadelphia, PA 19110-2655
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The Pan American Association provides News & Notes for the Philadelphia community and for all those interested in developing a better understanding of the vibrant and deep relationship between the United States and the people of the Americas. For over 80 years the Pan American Association has been the preeminent forum for dialogue in the Delaware Valley on a relationship which is intensifying daily. We hope that News & Updates will serve as a solid bridge of communication among all the countries of the Americas. Never in history has the need for such a dialogue been greater than it is today.
Brownfield to Resign
The top American diplomat for counternarcotics policy, William Brownfield, is apparently resigning. Brownfield spoke at the Pan American Association in October, 2013.
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Presidential Legal Woes
From kidnapping and murder to money laundering and misuse of public funds, contemporary Latin American leaders have been investigated for a broad range of crimes, underscoring the structural challenges the region faces in the ongoing struggle to end the impunity enjoyed by its political elite.
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Uprooting Corruption in Brazil
“But corruption’s roots run so deep in Brazil that, like a tree as old as the garden it grows in, uprooting it can cause tremendous upheaval. Mr. da Silva’s once unthinkable decline is just one expression of the turmoil reaching across Brazil. A stunning number of establishment political figures have been implicated, leaving the world’s fifth most populous country with few credible leaders. Political infighting and public distrust are skyrocketing. So is polarization, as citizens increasingly blame the other side for their country’s problems.”
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Ambassador William Brownfield
Ambassador William Brownfield, a very distinguished diplomat, is being considered for Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Brownfield has spoken at the Pan American Association.
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Venezuela Toward Civil War?
Peru fears Venezuela may be headed toward civil war as a political crisis deepens and its economy implodes under the rule of socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Peru's foreign minister told Reuters on Wednesday.
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Brazilian Army
What should the Brazilian Army do in the absence of threats to the country? Perhaps the answer is to assume more police type missions, which it is increasingly and reluctantly doing. This is an important question that affects not only Brazil’s, but a number of Latin American military institutions.
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Shifting Latin American Trade favors China
A sobering assessment of trade relations:
“What happened to free trade? The United States has free trade agreements with Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, and Central America, yet China has still managed to establish itself as a major economic presence in these countries. Despite the lack of constraints and the expectation that trade flows would jump dramatically between the U.S. and its southern neighbors, China has either displaced the U.S. (in Chile and Peru) or begun to pose a threat to its economic dominance (in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean). President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership sends an additional signal to Latin America that the U.S. is retreating from the world stage. The door is open for China and other emerging powers to fill the void and become the new hegemonic economic power in the region.”
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FARC Out of the Jungle
Article describes how a FARC commander, a man of bourgeois taste, prepares for peace after years of war. Provides valuable insights into the contradictions and brutalities of Colombia’s conflict.
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Russia in Nicaragua
Three decades after this tiny Central American nation became the prize in a Cold War battle with Washington, Russia is once again planting its flag in Nicaragua. Over the past two years, the Russian government has added muscle to its security partnership here, selling tanks and weapons, sending troops, and building facilities intended to train Central American forces to fight drug trafficking.
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Wisdom about NAFTA
A strong, stable Mexican economy, led by a government committed to working with the US, is clearly in America’s interests. Trump would be well advised to work quickly to ensure that the NAFTA renegotiations he has demanded generate this outcome.
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