Latin America

Thought at one time to be the likely centrepiece of its foreign policy, the Bush administration's relations with Latin America are in disarray.

Argentina, once Washington's neo-liberal darling, is in the midst of an economic and social meltdown. In Venezuela, the White House is backtracking after having been caught giving its blessing to an aborted coup attempt. US military involvement in Colombia is growing. And Brazil, one of the few bright spots in Latin America, is hammering the US… more

A generation of large-scale Latin American immigration has turned Spanish into the unofficial second language of the United States.

In early March, Texas held the nation's first-ever gubernatorial debate in Spanish. President Bush never misses an opportunity to show that he, too, can speak the language of Cervantes. Meanwhile, with the press of a button, most automated teller machines can communicate with customers in digital Spanish. From the streets of Miami to Los Angeles, it sometimes feels as if… more

While visiting Ellis Island at the turn of the 20th century, Henry James wondered how the sweeping tide of immigrants would ultimately affect… more

Even before his historic election to Mexico's presidency in July, Vicente Fox startled U.S. observers when he vowed to govern on behalf of 118 million Mexicans--the … more

Anyone who has followed America's culture wars of the past few decades can be excused for thinking that the process of assimilation is a thing of the past. Right-wing nativists have been chanting their mantra that contemporary immigrants are actively resisting mainstream culture and will never integrate. Left-wing multiculturalists and ethnic nationalists… more