Rio de Janeiro has engaged in an ambitious security operation aimed at freeing its favelas from the control of gangs in time for the 2016 Olympics. But security is not the only rationale behind the program. As with everything, economic interests and international exposure drive Rio's makeover.
Gleaming plans for urban revitalization ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics include the not-so-shiny removal of thousands of families in lower-class communities.
One of the criticisms made of the emerging economies is that they are using cooperation to gain markets, political influence and access to natural resources. But that is what the countries of the North are also seeking.
Corruption traditionally involves the spiriting away of public funds for private gain, here the ultimate gains were arguably public. Poverty levels in the country fell more than 51% between 2002 and 2010.
Relations between the US and Latin American countries have always been tense, from economic rivalry to political assassinations. During his first term, Barack Obama has failed to build bridges between the Americas - what can peoples from Latin America and the Caribbean expect from the next preside
As a future great power emerging right in the USA's backyard, Brazil takes a special interest in the presidential race.
Brazil's president is facing great challenges in a great manner, says Arthur Ituassu.
Fernando Lugo, the radical priest elected Paraguay's president in 2008 after decades of authoritarian rule, has been deposed less than a year before the end of his term. This dramatic turn of events is rooted in the strains produced by economic transformation and the limits of the country's democr
The valuable experience of Latin American states on key nuclear and conflict issues needs to be heard in the dialogue over Iran, says Juan Gabriel Tokatlian.
How far can the flourishing "participatory state feminism" in Brazil expand into the state apparatus in order to counter the absence of women in decision making positions and redefine women's place in society?
The global power-balance is being changed by the rise of the non-western "Brics" states. This makes the pioneering work of a body committed to linking trade and development in the interest of the world's poor more relevant than ever.
A major political contest over the city of São Paulo could also be a rehearsal for Brazil's next presidential election, says Arthur Ituassu.
