Without a doubt, the week’s top story is the opposition’s continuing demonstrations in Venezuela, eclipsing even the capture in Mexico of Chapo Guzmán, the most-wanted criminal of the hemisphere (and who will face charges in at least three US federal courts), . You can click on #LaSalida for all my posts covering the story.
. . . three deep-lying explanations help to illuminate the country’s diminishment. Firstly, Argentina may have been rich 100 years ago but it was not modern. That made adjustment hard when external shocks hit. The second theory stresses the role of trade policy. Third, when it needed to change, Argentina lacked the institutions to create successful policies.
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“We have spent 50 years thinking about maintaining government spending, not about investing to grow,” says Fernando de la Rúa, a former president who resigned during the 2001 crisis.This short-termism distinguishes Argentina from other Latin American countries that have suffered institutional breakdowns. Chile’s military dictatorship was a catastrophic fracture with democracy but it introduced long-lasting reforms. Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party governed steadily for most of the 20th century. “In Argentina institution-building has taken the form of very quick and clientilist redistribution,” says Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Elliott vs Argentina: 3 possible resolutions
BAHAMAS
China makes inroads in the Bahamas with Baha Mar mega-resort
BELIZE
Belize Sign On To Jaguar Corridor Initiative
Turnabout in Bolivia as Economy Rises From Instability
BRAZIL
Optics? THE ROUSSEFF TWO STEP
Brazil Sidestepping to the Right via Instapundit.
Drought Could Drain More Than Brazil’s Coffee Crop
CHILE
Pedophile Priest Defies Vatican Order
COLOMBIA
Colombia`s left; human rights hypocrites
COSTA RICA
5 things that happened this week in Costa Rica’s presidential runoff campaign
CUBA
Venezuela: Another Reason Why Cuba Remains a State-Sponsor of Terrorism
On eighth day of hunger strike, Cuban activist Antunez vomiting blood (UPDATED)
DOMINICA
A husband-and-wife pair of Olympic skiers representing Dominica are having a nightmare week in Sochi
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Haitians will not be stripped of Dominican Republic citizenship
Plastic Surgery in the Dominican Republic: Is the Cheap Cost of Medical Tourism Worth the Risk?
GUATEMALA
At least 8 dead, 12 wounded in Guatemala violence
JAMAICA
Jamaican bobsled team faces uncertain future
Obama finds that the world intrudes on his travels
Yet Another Devastating Blow to the Drug Gangs! Another Decisive Victory in the War on Drugs!
Humor:
NICARAGUA
A canal across Nicaragua: Is this for real? Here’s a hint: “The price tag alone is nearly four times Nicaragua’s economic output.”
PANAMA
Panama Canal expansion project resumes after work stoppage
PARAGUAY
Maria Doyle Kennedy speaks about filming ‘Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay’
PERU
Video: Peru creates a special place for expectant mothers to wait — and wait
PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Plans $2.86 Billion Offering for 16 Months of Cash, supposedly “to regain financial footing” until June 2015. And then what?
Puerto Rico Diocese Opposes Criminal Investigation Into Sex Abuse Cases
VENEZUELA
Cubanization at work: Venenozuela drives out its Jewish community
Venezuela says ‘fascists’ CNN can stay but calls on media to rectify coverage
Caracas: Venezuelan Opposition Leader Leopoldo López Faces 10 Years in Prison
Will Venezuela Follow Ukraine?
Video: Venezuelan Citizens Scream At National Guard “We Are The People, Do Not Hurt Us!”
The week’s posts, radio, and podcast:
Venezuela: #24F Barricading the country
CSpan Panel: #Venezuela and Democracy
Venezuela: En español, las grandes fortunas de los chavistas en el Imperio mismo
Venezuela: More protests today #22F
Venezuela: Not “a slow news week”
En español: Libro Desarrollo económico y pobreza en América Latina: El rol de los Planes Sociales”
Venezuela: Shooting in the streets
Mexico: Obama arrives for summit
Venezuela: What’s happening today #18F #PrayForVenezuela
At Da Tech Guy: Venezuela: “We must become the media”
Radio: DaTechGuy on DaRadio Noon-2 Fausta & Da Magnificent Panel
This week’s podcast had to be cancelled due to software difficulties at Blog Talk Radio.