The news comes as something of a shock—not because Castro has died, but because he was still alive till now and only 90 years old. After all, this was a man who came to power during the Eisenhower presidency, and … Continue reading →
Interesting: By a razor-thin margin of less than half a percentage point, Colombian voters narrowly rejected a proposed peace plan that would have formally ended the longest-running war in the Western Hemisphere. Almost everyone thought the referendum would pass… For … Continue reading →
Trump has a low bar to clear: all he has to do to go up in the polls is to appear sane, steady, rational. The more he can do that, the more chance he has of actually beating Hillary Clinton. … Continue reading →
Here’s a case of impeachment/conviction: Brazil’s Senate voted 61-20 to convict Ms. Rousseff on charges that she used illegal bookkeeping maneuvers to hide a growing budget deficit, deemed an impeachable crime in a nation with a history of hyperinflation and … Continue reading →
Oh-oh—in Venezuela, the fact that they may have run out of other people’s money seems to have trickled down: Party officials stressed to The London Times that Maduro’s distribution system has “broken down and that conditions are ripe for civil … Continue reading →
Here’s an excellent “compare and contrast” article by Michael Totten on Colombia and Venezuela. Remember what a mess Colombia used to be? I certainly do. But although I had some vague notion it was doing at least a little better … Continue reading →
Venezuela continues its freefall: The courts? Closed most days. The bureau to start a business? Same thing. The public defender’s office? That’s been converted into a food bank for government employees. Step by step, Venezuela has been shutting down… Many … Continue reading →
Joel Hirst offers a description of what happened to Venezuela: I have watched the suicide of a nation; and I know now how it happens. Venezuela is slowly, and very publically, dying; an act that has spanned more than fifteen … Continue reading →
I can’t remember where I read it, but someone said that Obama has improved US relations with two countries during his administration: Iran and Cuba. That about says it. But here’s more on Obama’s current Cuban visit: Cuban dissidents have … Continue reading →
Yes, I know he’s been dead for a while. But his legacy lingered on in the Maduro government in power. But maybe, just maybe, the people of Venezuela have finally become fed up and have rejected the socialist dream, which … Continue reading →
It’s becoming clear that the “throw the bums out and elect an untried and untested personality” impulse is international. First we had Canada, which elected an inexperienced but telegenic son of a former prime minister, a young man who until … Continue reading →
Last night I was thinking once again about Donald Trump’s statement that rapists are coming into this country—not about the political ramifications, or about Trump’s candidacy (I’m not a Trump fan), but about the question of whether it’s true, and … Continue reading →