Americas
Americas
Fair Observer provides insightful analysis of the widely differing countries on both American continents./div>
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Argentina / Bogota / Catholic / Colombia / Dylan Herrera / Gay Marriage / Gay Rights / Heterosexuality / Homosexuality / Latin America / Peru / Politics / Roman Catholic Church / Spain / Venezuela / Focus Article / Arts & Culture / AmericasA campaign against discrimination has been launched by gay activists in Colombia. Denying civil rights to a specific group in society, resembles the struggle against anti-Semitism and the African-American civil rights movement. In 2005, the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in Spain approved gay marriage. The big question was whether the approval was going to be the small landslide that would cause the avalanche in Latin America, the stronghold of the Catholic Church. December 2009 saw Mexico City become the first city in Latin America to approve gay marriage; although, this approval does not apply for all states in the country. The leading step taken by Mexico City...
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Ban Ki Moon / carbon dioxide / Carbon Emissions / climate change / Cristina Simonetti / greenhouse gases / United States / Europe / 360° Context / Global Change / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / Environment & SustainabilityAs the last significant climate change conference took place six months ago, it is essential to observe developments and create awareness about the issue. Background It was not until after the efforts of a few highly committed scientists in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Hubert Lamb in England and J. Murray Mitchell in the US, that climate change was accepted as a scientific concept. Today, however, the issue is no longer about finding proof, but solutions. At the simplest level, we can define weather as what is happening to the atmosphere at any given time, while climate is what would be expected to occur at any given time of the year based on statistics built up over a long period of time....
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Argentina / Calderon War / Colombia / crime / drug cartel / Drug War / drugs / General Victims' Law / Human Rights / Matthew Furlong / Mexico / Politics / War on Drugs / Focus Article / AmericasMexico's new General Victims' Law has been widely acclaimed, but some critics quietly wonder: might criminality itself profit from a society that tends to equate "citizen" and "victim"? The Emerging Society of Victims "Draw the scaffolding so that the last step of the ladder comes in clearly. The criminal must be just stepping onto it, his face as white as note-paper. The priest is holding a cross to his blue lips, and the criminal kisses it, and knows and sees and understands everything. The cross and the head — there's your picture; the priest and the executioner, with his two assistants, and a few heads and eyes below. Those might come in as...
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Best of the Month / Egypt / European Union / Glenn Carle / India / North Korea / Politics / Sarah Eltantawi / United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Middle East / Americas / Africa / AsiaFair Observer's five best articles of April. It is already the end of April and 2013 is speeding up fast. Boston has suffered the tragedy of a bombing, Italy finally has a government, New Zealand and France have legalized gay marriage, Syria continues to implode, and the North Korean drama seems to be simmering down. Obama's budget continues to upset many people and the battle for gun control rages on in the US. Margaret Thatcher, an iconic British leader, died at the age of 87. The Economist called her a freedom fighter because she championed free markets when her Big Bang unleashed the City of London to emerge as a rival to Wall Street. Yet, the August 1843 publication...
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Argentina / Buenos Aires / Joseph Knobel Freud / Julián Chappa / Psychoanalysis / Psychologist / Sigmund Freud / Focus Article / Arts & Culture / AmericasJulián Chappa talks to the great nephew of Sigmund Freud. A glimpse at the Freud family and its legacy. This is the last of a two-part series. Read part one here. Julián Chappa: You have three relatives in Buenos Aires who share the surname Freud. Could you please tell us a litlle bit more about them? Joseph Knobel Freud:I have many more relatives who have the surname Freud in Buenos Aires. Those three are the ones who are directly related to me. In fact, my mother Clara Freud had a sister who had two children that currently live in Buenos Aires. It is fair to say that I don't have a very strong relationship with them, but they are my cousins nonetheless. My mom also...
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Argentina / Iran / Jewish-Argentina Mutual Association / Politics / President Kirchner / Focus Article / Middle East / AmericasArgentina and Iran agreed to establish a “truth commission” aimed at analyzing responsibility for the 1994 attacks on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The rapprochement, however, follows a larger rationale, argue Shawn VL and Giorgio Cafiero. Iran’s alleged role in the 1994 attack on the Jewish-Argentina Mutual Association (AMIA) community center in Buenos Aires was followed by eighteen years of tense relations between Argentina and Iran. Earlier this year, however, Argentine and Iranian officials agreed to establish a “truth commission” pertaining to the terrorist attack that killed 85 people, which indicates that Argentine-Iranian relations have...
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Politics / United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / OceaniaFair Observer's five best articles of March. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. Perhaps that is why China is moderating its approach to the disputed Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands. Pakistan has just seen an elected government complete its first full term, marking a victory for democracy. Now it will have to confront the more intractable issue of poor governance that its democratic neighbor India is still struggling with. Another woman was tragically gang raped in India; this time a married Swiss tourist who was on a camping trip with her husband. President Obama visited Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. He gave a great speech...
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Speculation has been mounting in Venezuela following the death of Hugo Chavez over the late leader's successor and the country's regional leadership. On March 5, after a long battle with cancer, the death of Hugo Chavez Frias was announced. The late Venezuelan leader led the country since early 1999 and established a regional leadership status among the new left that emerged in Latin America (Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Nicaragua, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay). A dedicated follower of Bolivar's anti-imperialism ideals, Chavez was a known adversary of the United States especially for the Bush administration. His death not only affects Latin America but also countries worldwide,...
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360° Analysis / brazil / Middle Class / Social Welfare / Finance & Economics / BRIC / Global Change / AmericasBrazil, while quickly becoming an emerging economic power, is still struggling to improve the socioeconomic problems brought on from the legacy of its autocratic past. This is the final part. Read part one here. Policy Options For Brazil’s Future For Brazil to completely emerge from the quagmire of poverty, corruption and inequality, the people and government must engage in a public debate, as well as a frank and open discussion about how to construct viable poverty alleviation models. This discussion must pertain to Brazil’s structural conditions, and her policy weaknesses. Still, it must not ignore her world renowned strengths and her lesser known attributes. Even...