Module 4 assignment: Latin America in the media

Posted on by ERIC MARTINEZVALERIO Module 4 assignment: Latin America in the media

Latin American Immigration coming to American Metropolisses once more

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/migrant-buses-southern-border-new-york-city-60-minutes-2022-11-06

The article “Migrants bused from the southern border to New York City enter a backlogged and broken asylum system” essentially encompasses the harsh realities that many new migrants are facing now that they are in the United States. Recent immigrants from Central and South America who are coming into the United States are being automatically sent to cities such as Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York. This is a result of other states such as Texas and Arizona having dealt with the brunt of immigration due to their correspondence with the border. States such as New York have not prepared for something like this and Mayor Eric Adams has declared a state of emergency in light of these unexpected events. This article asks newly entered migrants about their experiences and what the unfortunate reality will be for most of these immigrants coming into the United States. This is not something that will change overnight and will take the better part of a couple of years before any substantial change can be seen. 

Concentrating specifically on Venezuela, many migrants had no choice but to leave their home country in hopes of better opportunities elsewhere. President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro has been a key factor in all of this as his repressive regime has only brought out constant social and economic turmoil. Currently, local Venezuelans under this regime see their country as one that attempts to take away their basic freedoms. As Cooper reports the main reason many are fleeing from Venezuela and coming to the United States is due to “poverty, violence, and authoritarian rule” and this can be compared to other authoritarian leaders in South and Central America (Cooper, 2022).  

When comparing this to other discussions had throughout the course one can draw parallels to other authoritarian leaders who have tried to systematically oppress their citizens and thus force them to migrate to other countries such as the United States. For example, Dawson illustrates how Humberto Romeros’ victory in the 1977 Salvadoran presidential elections only brought about a similar way of life toward its citizens and forced migration to other countries. His victory brought about “spawned protests” which resulted in deaths ranging from “200 and 1500” (Dawson, 266). In addition to this, Dawson also mentions how the economic opportunity was dwindling as the years progressed as “inequality had increased since the 1960s” and that “landlessness was increasing” (Dawson, 266). While stating that landlessness has increased from 40% to 65%, Salvadorian citizens needed to realize that they needed to seek better living conditions elsewhere. As a result of all this political and economic turmoil, “a million Salvadorians…fled their country, 800,000 of whom made their way to the United States” (Dawson, 275). 

Despite this having occurred well over 40 years ago, parallels can be drawn from those events in El Salvador in 1977 and now with the contemporary events going on related to Venezuela which is also forcing migrants to leave their homes and come to the United States in hope of better opportunities. The importance that media has as an outlet certainly benefits those who are unaware as to what is going on as it allows them to be informed on what is happening not just in the United States but elsewhere such as Latin America.

Works Cited 

Dawson, Alexander S. Latin America since Independence a History with Primary Sources, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, New York, 2022.

“Migrants Bused from Southern Border to New York City Enter a Backlogged and Broken Asylum System.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/migrant-buses-southern-border-new-york-city-60-minutes-2022-11-06.

Posted on by KUNGA DHONDUP Module 4 assignment: Latin America in the media, Uncategorized

Maduro glimpses political lifeline as US rethinks Venezuela policy

President Nicolas Maduro was hand pick to succeed President Hugo Chavez, when Chavez died on 5 March 2013 from the struggle against cancer. Maduro became the President of Venezula.He took over the “Bolivarian Mission” task started by the Late President Hugo Chavez. During the reign of President Hugo Chavez, the government nationalized many industries. President Chavez was a socialist and anti-neoliberal who viewed the neoliberal model created a rise in poverty, a deterioration of social conditions, and heightened inequalities(b). The country’s economy was export depended on oil production, which accounts for 86% of all exports. In addition, he initiated a social program funded by the high price per barrel of oil. The situation worsened during President Maduro’s presidency when in 2014 price of oil prices fell from $100/bbl to $40/bbl. Thus, Venezuela was no longer able to support its massive social programs. His presidency has been affected by hyperinflation, shortage of food, lack of medical service, unemployment, crime, and mass emigration to Columbia and Brazil.

Maduro also faced political deadlock in the country. In 2017 Maduro established a new Venezuelan Constituent Assembly replacing the opposition majority National Assembly. His 2018 election victory was not considered legitimate and not accepted by the United States, Canada, Germany, France, and many more countries. The United States considered Juan Guaido as the legitimate President of Venezuela. There is a general understanding between Maduro and the opposition, as stated by Guaido’s deputy foreign minister, Isadora Zubillaga admitted:” The reality is that we must talk. We were not able to wipe them out, and they were not able to wipe us out either. There are present negotiations between the Maduro government and the opposition. Vice President Delcy Rodrígue’s brother Jorge Rodriquez, top Chavista, shared a photograph of himself shaking hands with the chief negotiator for Venezuela’s opposition, Gerardo Blyde, signaling the reactivation of stalled talks designed to bridge the country’s toxic political schism.

There are possible changes in the United States policy toward Venezuela compared to the Trump era “maximum pressure” policy, which used harsh sanctions to try to topple Maduro. The Current President, Maduro, has survived severe sanctions against his government at the expense of ordinary Venezuelans who faced a shortage of food, shelter, and economic opportunity. 

The willingness to negotiate between Maduro’s government and the opposition and the United States’ change in policy has lifted the hope of the end of suffering for the Venezuelan people. At the same time, the opposition welcomes the lifting of sanctions against the Maduro government by the international community. However, the opposition cautioned the United States not to provide too much concession without the penalty of not meeting the expectation set during negotiation. 

 The present outreach by the United States toward Venezuela stems from the need for Venezuelan oil to offset the lack of oil created by sanctions against Russia. Washington is willing to work with the Maduro government and encourage negotiation with the opposition. Maduro also found this an opportunity to gain the desperately needed new markets for its oil and access to western refineries, banking systems, and investment. Venezuela also benefits since the Russians are selling oil to China at a much lower price than Venezuela, thus losing significant export to its principal market. The question is, how would Maduro react to the change in policy from Washington?

Works Cited

a)By Tom Phillips, Patrick Winour, and Julian Bonger in Washington

“Maduro glimpses political lifeline as US rethinks Venezuela policy.”

The Guardian,19 May 2022

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/19/venezuela-nicolas-maduro-us-relations

b)Dawson, Alexander.Latin America Since Independence: A History with Primary Sources

Document 1.3 Speech by President Hugo Chavez at the Opening of XIIG-15 Summit, Monday,1 March 2004. (26-32)

Posted on by BRANDON CRUZ Module 4 assignment: Latin America in the media, Uncategorized

La Pesadilla en Mexico

The nightmare never seems to end, and clear solutions are difficult to imagine when the system that should be there to protect you sees you as a threat. The oppression towards the Mexican people is vastly recognized throughout the country with a large amount of self-awareness. Not only are the people feeling the pressure from the different cartels and gang members throughout the different cities, but also from police and government officials are running the country. Corruption within the system has led to many tragedies that have been attempted to stay under the rug but escaped creating mass hysteria. Sex trafficking, women’s violence, and murders against student protestors have been recent issues that have not been resolved. 

The article, Los niños de Alcapulco, begins with the story of an eight-year-old boy who was given the name “chupi chupi” which translates slurp slurp (Niña). The boy lives in the region of Unidos por Guerrero, located in the city of Juarez, where he lives poorly without shoes and dirt all over him. His father is a drug dealer, and the boy also helps him steal drugs for the father to consume. The father sends the boy and his three brothers to “baby showers,” where each is being prostituted for money (Niña). Children near beaches where tourists often visit are threatened and taken to hotels. The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development ranked Mexico in child sexual abuse, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children revealed that Mexico ranks first as an issuer of child pornography and the End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT) Association ranked Mexico as the second in making and distributing child pornography to other countries in Latin America (Niña). People are now attempting to gravitate more attention to the situation, but tackling these problems cost many people’s lives. The owners of these businesses state that the police officers would just accept a bribe and let them escape. Different journalists started to listen to other people’s testimonies and bring light to the situation. Feminist and journalist Lydia Cacho wrote a book called Los Demonios de Eden, describing the business, the people involved, who defended them, and the famous politicians involved. Her book was banned, and she got arrested for her book exposure as she exposed mayors and governors such as Mario Marin, former governor of Puebla (Niña). 

The abuse continues with the murders of students against the government. On September 26, 2014, college students from the city of Ayotzinapa were detained and murdered by the municipal police. The students were on their way to Mexico City to attend a march in a commercial bus when they were stopped by the police and were brutalized; shortly after, 43 students were taken away and disappeared. The bodies were not found but were cremated at the Cocula garbage dump and thrown away at a river nearby (Dawson 351). There were a total of 80 arrests, with 43 of them being police officers, but the public believed justice was not served (Dawson 351). About 60,000 to 120,000 protestors marched with the hashtag #yamecansé after attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam, stated the case was solved (Dawson 351). The case set an example for students who had had enough of corruption. Numerous times in the past, students were murdered, such as in the massacre of Tlatelolco, which occurred in 1968. However, with the help of social media, the new wave of protests helped spread the news of how drastic the tragedy was, gaining more support and followers.

Bibliography

Dawson, A. (2022). Latin America since Independence: A History with Primary Sources (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/10.4324/9781003146094 

Niña de Rivera, Saskia. “Los Niños De Acapulco.” El Universal, 10 Feb. 2021, https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/opinion/saskia-nino-de-rivera-cover/los-ninos-de-acapulco?utm_source=web&utm_medium=social_buttons&utm_campaign=social_sharing&utm_content=copy_link.

Posted on by Megan Russo Module 4 assignment: Latin America in the media

Module Four by Megan Russo

The leader Fidel Castro, who became prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 until 2008. As president, “[Castro] announced land reforms, the nationalization of foreign property, and built closer ties to the Soviet Union. He drove thousands of opponents into exile. At once radical and authoritarian, his government was simultaneously a revolution and a socialist regime intent on concentrating power” (Dawson, Latin America Since Independence, p. 209). Castro’s regime did maintain concentrated power and its socialist character, and its effects continue to have a stain on Cuban life and politics in the 21st century. 

The Communist Party of Cuba, the sole ruling party in Cuba, was founded in 1965, and continues to be the ruling force in Cuba today. The people are suffering daily. The economy throughout the years has gotten so terrible, and many Cubans make very little a month despite what their job might be. The economic crisis in Cuba has become unbearable for the common people. In the New York Times article “In Cuba, Desires for Food and Freedom May Spark a Rare Day of Protest”, Ed Augustin discusses the effect the government has on the people in Cuba and their growing discontent with it. In Cuba, “The line [for food] starts during the day and stretches into the night. In the dark before dawn, there are hundreds of people waiting. Four women sleep on cardboard boxes, sharing a thin blanket. Others chat to stay awake. A nurse arrives after a 24-hour shift and takes her place. They each hold a ticket to enter a Cuban government supermarket, which is the only place to find basics like chicken, ground beef and toiletries” (Ed Augustin, The New York Times). The Cuban government has such a grip on Cuba’s economy and businesses that the only legal place residents of the island can obtain certain essential food items for everyday life is at a government supermarket. 

For these reasons and others, young Cubans, at the time of the article being written, were planning a protest called “Civic March for Change.” Protesters, some of whom were afraid to take to the streets in fear of being punished, were “encouraged to hang white sheets outside their homes, applaud at 3 p.m. and find other creative ways to demonstrate if they do not feel comfortable taking to the streets (Augustin)”. Some people were arrested protesting against President Miguel Diaz, and Augustin mentioned that the younger generation of Cubans, who grew up under Fidel Castro and Raul, often dissent against the government’s strict policies. More and more people, in 2021, were taking to the streets to show their disapproval against the government. The number of protestors and public opinions against the government is “unprecedented” and “never seen before.” An activist stated, “The first cries were not for freedom. The first cries were more urgent: food, medicine, electricity,” she said. “Freedom came afterward” (Augustin).

Works Cited

Augustin, Ed. “In Cuba, Desires for Food and Freedom May Spark a Rare Day of Protest.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Nov. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/14/world/americas/cuba-protest.html.

Dawson, Alexander. Latin America since Independence: A History with Primary Sources . https://www-taylorfrancis-com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/books/mono/10.4324/9781003146094/latin-america-since-independence-alexander-dawson.