Latin Pulse

Originating in Puerto Rico again this week, Latin Pulse looks at issues of identity, the media and politics on both the island and in Mexico. The program discusses how U.S. and Latino media often homogenize programming and forget the Puerto Rican experience.  The program also reveals how in Mexico, issues of equity and media corruption distort the political debate.  How do the political left and right find space for debate in a system dominated by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (the PRI).  The news segment of the program covers set backs in the peace process for the Colombian civil war. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Federico Subervi of Kent State University; and Manuel Alejandro Guerrero of the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America Mexico politics PRI media culture Puerto Rico education Colombia United States protest movement drug cartels democracy justice corruption crime television FARC sports baseball PAN PRD gambling civil war Enrique Pena Nieto peace talks prejudice Televisa Univision Telemundo free speech Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador MORENA

Originating in Puerto Rico this week, Latin Pulse takes a look at the status of the island and whether there is movement forward on a change to statehood or independence.  The program also covers the issues of identity, culture and economics facing the island commonwealth.  The program also delves into the special relationship the U.S. has developed with Mexico and how trade pacts and economic reforms have brought the countries closer.  The news segment of the program deals with the latest charges and counter-charges related to allegations that powerful leaders in Venezuela are connected to the drug trade. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Maria Acosta Cruz of Clark University; and Shannon O'Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America Mexico trade politics PRI Venezuela media emigration immigration economics music culture terrorism Drug War Puerto Rico education Colombia United States protest movement drug cartels United States Diosdado Cabello Enrique Pena Nieto Nicolas Maduro debt crisis colonialism NAFTA Calle 13 democracy justice Canada oil energy disappearances corruption impunity violence police diplomacy crime human rights gun smuggling

What happens when you mix drug cartels with religion? This week, Latin Pulse explores the rise of narco-religion in Mexico.  The discussion includes a heady mix of discussion regarding the veneration of Catholic saints by violent criminals but also the rise of the devotion of folk saints such as Santa Muerte.  The program also discusses curanderos and the use of witchcraft by the cartels.  The news segment of the program covers the outbreak of violence in student protests in Chile; the protestors are calling for more equity in higher education in the country. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Andrew Chesnut of Virginia Commonwealth University; and Tim Knab of the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America Mexico religion Chile students education Michoacan media internet YouTube violence blasphemy curanderos Drug War Catholic Church Argentina Colombia folk saints protest movement drug cartels Jesus Malverde Sinaloa Cartel St. Jude Thaddeus Knights Templar Cartel Servando "La Tuta" Gomez Martinez La Virgen de Guadalupe Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman San La Muerte Los Zetas Cartel Tijuana Cartel Arellano-Felix Cartel narco-religion Sinaloa Santa Muerte Paraguay death cults Beltran-Leyva Cartel folk religion Pope Francis indigenous religion

This week, Latin Pulse concludes its spring series of programs looking at the roiling political waters in Venezuela. Experts on the program look at the use of conspiracy theories and how they are used to make propaganda gains and control the political discourse.  The program also discusses the breakdown of democratic institutions in the country and the credibility of elections. The news segment of the program covers accusations by the head of the Venezuelan National Assembly that he expects the political opposition to use fraud to make political gains in elections for the assembly later this year. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Hugo Perez Hernaiz* of the Universidad Central de Venezuela; and Michael McCarthy of American University's Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS). Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.) *Hugo Perez Hernaiz is also the author of the Venezuela Conspiracy Theories Monitor blog.  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy politics Venezuela autocracy justice elections PSUV socialists media conspiracy propaganda military United States coup plots democracy violence domestic espionage Nicolas Maduro Diosdado Cabello Leopoldo Lopez Antonio Ledezma Drug Enforcement Administration political repression Hugo Chavez coup DEA Drug War imperialism Maria Corina Machado Operation Jericho plot conspiracy theories human rights Henrique Capriles Julio Borges military tribunal Copei secret police free expression Carlos Andres Perez

Debating conditions in Venezuela provides a special topic this week on Latin Pulse, as the program provides an extended time for a diplomatic representative of the Bolivarian government to respond to questions. Beyond an official representative of the Venezuelan government a left-wing critic of the government also discusses his view that Venezuela is slipping into autocracy. The news segment of the program covers the call this week for further investigations into illegal domestic spying in Colombia and the sentencing of former government officials to long prison sentences for ordering such illegal activities. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza, Consul General for the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela; and James Bloodworth, editor of Left Foot Forward. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 60 minutes in length and the file size is 83 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy politics Venezuela autocracy justice authoritarianism Cuba spying media economics politics military United States Barack Obama energy housing domestic espionage riots Alvaro Uribe human rights Nicolas Maduro economic sanctions coup oil democracy dictatorship inflation national security Summit of the Americas George W. Bush Antonio Ledezma Drug Enforcement Administration political repression Hugo Chavez protest movement electrical grid hydro-electric dams alternative media cocaine smuggling Raul Castro Fidel Castro Drug War Leopoldo Lopez secret police infrastructure imperialism DEA Spain France torture CELAC ALBA colonialism environmentalism Bolivia Diosdado Cabello SEBIN

Justice, human rights and immigration policy regarding Central America provide the triple themes this week on Latin Pulse. The program focuses on the extradition case of Inocente Montano, a former colonel and leader for the Salvadoran military during El Salvador's civil war.  Spanish authorities want Montano sent to Spain to face human rights charges connected to the massacre of Jesuit priests at a university in San Salvador.  The program also looks at Congressional concerns over U.S. immigration policy in Central America. The news segment of the program reviews the controversial trade mission to Cuba of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Geoff Thale of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA); and Eric Olson of the Woodrow Wilson Center. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy politics Guatemala Honduras justice immigration Cuba Catholics Jesuits Mexico military United States Barack Obama impunity crime El Salvador police Central America human rights Inocente Montano civil war economics violence homocide gangs corruption trade U.S. Congress Inter-American Development Bank death squads United Nations Joe Biden migrant children economic development undocumented immigration

Memories and reviews of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his work take center stage this week on Latin Pulse as this week marks a year since the death of this winner of the Nobel Prize for literature. The program traces Garcia Marquez from his beginnings as a journalist through his fame as an author setting an example for writers worldwide.  The program also discusses the writer's ties to Cuba. The news segment of the program reviews the outcome of the Summit of the Americas and Panama and how the United States and Cuba continue working toward normalized diplomatic relations. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Gustavo Arango of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta; and Nuria Vilanova of American University. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock; and Announcer: Guillermo Rodriguez. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy politics Argentina writers literature Uruguay Colombia culture Mexico Cuba Panama United States Barack Obama colonialism imperialism free speech Russia Raul Castro Fidel Castro Eduardo Galeano magical realism media Juan Rulfo Gabriel Garcia Marquez Mario Vargas Llosa Miguel de Cervantes Cuban revolution Augusto Pinochet Jorge Videla Cuban cinema James Joyce Virginia Woolf William Faulkner

The United States and its participation in the Summit of the Americas this weekend provides the central theme this week on Latin Pulse. Although the summit has a specific agenda to deal with economic inequality in Latin America, experts expect that diplomacy between the U.S. and Cuba, and U.S. relations with Venezuela will dominate what happens at this meeting. The news segment of the program covers deportations and extraditions concerning former members of the Salvadoran military who sought asylum from prosecution on human rights charges stemming from their actions in the Salvadoran Civil War. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Eric Olson of the Woodrow Wilson Center; and Peter Hakim of the Inter-American Dialogue. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy politics Argentina military immigration Uruguay Brazil justice Mexico Cuba Panama United States Barack Obama poverty economics human rights Colombia El Salvador Central America economic sanctions UNASUR Luis Almagro Raul Castro Venezuela Honduras Summit of the Americas prisoners of war Drug War Chile Guatemala crime violence OAS Guantanamo Peru

Judaism, anti-semitism, and Argentina provide the main themes this week on Latin Pulse.  The program revisits the mysterious case of the death of Alberto Nisman, a special prosecutor looking at terrorism cases that may have links to Iran.  The program discusses how the Nisman case continues to provide a crisis atmosphere in Argentina.  Also, the program reflects on the history of Judaism in Latin America and the various waves of prejudice that the Jewish population of the region has weathered. The news segment of the program covers the latest round of diplomacy between Cuba and the United States regarding human rights. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Shannon O'Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations; and Marjorie Agosin of Wellesley College. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America elections politics Argentina military espionage Cuba Alberto Nisman United States culture economics anti-semitism human rights Juan Peron Hector Timmerman debt crisis religion Maximo Kirchner Daniel Scioli Sergio Massa Judaism diplomacy Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Salvador Allende Augusto Pinochet Chile Peronism default debt finances terrorism Iran Brazil justice Mexico colonialism Spain Nazis immigration Uruguay coup Israel Hezbollah Palestinians Peru Carlos Menem corruption

The arts and the internet in Cuba provide the twin themes this week on Latin Pulse.  The program includes an in-depth discussion with two of Cuba's leaders in the arts, discussing artistic freedom and freedom of expression, along with the cultural themes of their work in the theater. The program also discusses the development of the internet and dissident media in Cuba. The news segment of the program covers the rise in tensions between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, and the U.K.'s plans to modernize its defenses on the islands. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Flora Lauten & Raquel Carrio of Cuba's Teatro Buendia; and Ted Henken of Baruch College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America dissidents Cuba Yoani Sanchez Raul Castro Fidel Castro United States Afro-Cuban issues elections politics Argentina military arts Falkland Islands culture economics military human rights Antonio Rodiles free speech culture theater Afro-Latin American culture United Kingdom Las Malvinas internet Santeria dance socialism censorship dissidents travel media writers

The martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador provides the theme this week on Latin Pulse.  The program includes discussions of the philosophical debate embodied in the stalled progress of Romero's status as an official Catholic martyr.  The program also includes a discussion of Vatican politics that stretches over the past 30 years.  The program also includes reflections on U.S. policy and how it sparked a climate of violence in Central America.  The news segment of the program covers the controversial economic sanctions from the United States aimed at Venezuela and how that move was condemned by UNASUR. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Jeanette Rodriguez of Seattle University; and Andrew Chesnut of Virginia Commonwealth University. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America dissidents Venezuela Nicolas Maduro El Salvador Oscar Romero liberation theology Catholicism politics religion UNASUR poverty Drug War inequality United States economics military social justice Central America paramilitaries insurgents capitalism Russia gangs history pentecostalism Jesuits economic sanctions human rights U.S. State Department Pope John Paul II Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis civil war Ronald Reagan Cold War evangelical Christianity Catholic Church the Vatican

Two years after the death of Hugo Chavez, this week Latin Pulse reviews the legacy of this polarizing political figure and what policies from the Chavez era still affect the current state of affairs in Venezuela. The program includes analysis on the handling of politics and economics by the government of President Nicolas Maduro and whether that government is now slipping into authoritarianism as it jails members of opposition groups.  The news segment of the program tracks the successful arrests this past week in Mexico and Bolivia of both drug cartel leaders and those in government working with illegal organizations. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Hugo Perez Hernaiz* of the Universidad Central de Venezuela & the Venezuelan Politics & Human Rights blog; and Dan Hellinger of Webster University. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)   *Hugo Perez Hernaiz is also the author of the Venezuela Conspiracy Theories Monitor blog.  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy Venezuela Nicolas Maduro Antonio Ledezma Leopoldo Lopez Hugo Chavez repression Mexico politics Bolivia Argentina Drug War protest United States corruption Zetas cartel Central America cocaine imperialism justice Chavismo coup economics COPEI democracy poverty economic crisis conspiracy theories elections Honduras violence media oil OPEC military authoritarianism dissent Knights Templar cartel Barack Obama economic sanctions economic equality El Salvador Bolivarian Revolution drug cartels

Turmoil in Venezuela and the progress in the peace talks for the civil war in Colombia are the twin themes this week on Latin Pulse. The first half of the program analyzes the politics surrounding the arrest of Mayor Antonio Ledezma of Caracas and how that arrest has drawn international reaction.  The second half of the program tracks the ongoing talks attempting to end the 51-year-old war in Colombia.  The news segment of the program covers the latest in the case of Alberto Nisman in Argentina and how a judge has set aside an indictment against the country's president. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Michael McCarthy of American University's Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS); and Adam Isacson of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy Colombia Venezuela Ecuador politics repression Argentina Alberto Nisman protest United States Brazil protest movement civil war FARC Cuba justice Peru terrorism economics espionage UNASUR OAS Julio Borges Salvador Allende inflation Spain Chile media coup ceasefire military weapons imperialism Juan Manuel Santos Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Nicolas Maduro Antonio Ledezma Leopoldo Lopez Joe Biden peace talks Ernesto Samper United Nations Hugo Chavez

China and its economic and geopolitical strategy and cultural influence provide the central themes for this week's edition of Latin Pulse. The first half of the program examines the trade and economic issues connected to China's strategies in Latin America.  And the program debates the response of the U.S. to this economic expansion.  The second half of the program examines the history and cultural influence of Chinese emigration to Peru.  The news segment of the program covers the protests this week against the handling of the investigation into the death of special prosecutor Alberto Nisman in Argentina. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Mark Jones of Rice University;  Kevin Gallagher of Boston University; Larry Clayton of the University of Alabama; and  Adam McKeown, author of Chinese Migrant Networks and Cultural Change. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 60 minutes in length and the file size is 83 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy trade Argentina Alberto Nisman Iran United States Brazil Barack Obama Chinese diaspora China Mexico Peru terrorism economics culture justice immigration Xi Jinping Nicaraguan canal CELAC oil OAS Nicaragua environmentalism Venezuela Ecuador banking Cuba Panama politics IMF Paraguay International Monetary Fund Argentine debt crisis Afro-Latin American issues Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Uruguay Colombia manufacturing transportation agriculture commodities coal mining soybeans deforestation opium labor food cuisine Japanese prejudice corruption history chifa hydro-electric plants Nicolas Maduro Diosdado Cabello high-speed rail extractive industries The Amazon Alberto Fujimori LGBT issues indentured servitude Panama Canal Asian-Latin American issues Japanese-Latin Americans Mario Vargas Llosa The Shining Path

Mystery and celebration are the twin themes of Latin Pulse this week. The mystery is provided through an analysis of the complex case regarding the death of Alberto Nisman, a special prosecutor in Argentina.  The program sorts through the case linked to the bombing of a Jewish community center in the 1990s.  The celebration theme comes in the form of Carnival in Brazil. The news segment of the program discusses how the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team has cast doubt on the explanation of the Mexican government regarding 43 missing students, a case that has galvanized a protest movement in Mexico. The program includes in-depth interviews with: Fulton Armstrong*, of American University's Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS); and  Rachel Glickhouse, author of the Rio Gringa blog. Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell;  Producer: Jim Singer; and Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola. *More from Fulton Armstrong on the Nisman case can be found here. (To download or stream this podcast, click here.)  (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)   podcast news Latin America diplomacy trade Argentina Alberto Nisman Iran Hector Timmerman Brazil Intelligence Secretariat Drug War espionage Mexico violence terrorism scandal culture music Afro-Brazilians AMIA bombing Carlos Menem Hezbollah oil justice conspiracy Israel impunity media China Catholicism Carnival samba parades celebration Jewish community center Antonio Jaime Stiusso Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner