The LatinNews Podcast LatinNews

Speculation about a potential early election call in Belize has been dismissed by Prime Minister John Briceño. Тhе Рrіmе Міnіѕtеr’ѕ соmmеntѕ fоllоw thе Реорlе’ѕ Unіtеd Раrtу’ѕ (РUР) rесеnt vісtоrу іn munісіраl еlесtіоnѕ, in which thеу ѕесurеd а ѕіgnіfісаnt mајоrіtу over the United Democratic Party (UDP). Тhе РUР’ѕ ѕtrоng ѕhоwіng hаd lеd ѕоmе оbѕеrvеrѕ tо bеlіеvе thаt thе раrtу mіght саріtаlіzе оn іtѕ mоmеntum аnd ѕееk аn еаrlу mаndаtе frоm thе реорlе.
This week on The LatinNews Podcast, we speak to Victor Bulmer-Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of London and Honorary Professor with the Institute of the Americas at University College London about the challenges facing Belize in the immediate future. 
As Вrісеnо’ѕ ѕtаtеmеnts undеrѕсоrе а dіffеrеnt ѕtrаtеgу, ѕuggеѕting thаt thе government іntеndѕ tо fосuѕ оn dеlіvеrіng оn іtѕ рrоmіѕеѕ аnd ѕоlіdіfуіng іtѕ trасk rесоrd bеfоrе thе nехt gеnеrаl еlесtіоn there are pending issues, such as clarifying the location of a deep water port, the multidimensional poverty suffered by much of the population, border disputes with Guatemala, and where does Lord Aschroft of Chichester fit into 2025's elections? 

On The LatinNews Podcast we discuss the Environmental and Social History of Deforestation in the Amazon and the Latin American region. In a far-reaching episode, we take a look at the tenurial structure, technologies and political regimes in understanding rapid forest conversions, and the complex dynamics of forest resurgence now found throughout the tropical world. 
Our guest, Professor Susanna Hecht is a specialist on tropical development in Latin America, especially the Amazon Basin and Central America. Her research focuses on the political economies of development ranging from corporate frontiers of cattle and export commodity agriculture (like soy, oil palm) to populist land occupation. She also studies their comparative environmental and social impacts. She also explores alternatives to destructive development, and analyzes the forms of conservation in inhabited landscapes whether through indigenous technologies, non timber extractive products, niche markets, social movements and globalization, including the role of remittances and migratory networks in reshaping rural land uses. The impacts of emerging green markets and greenhouse gas offsets for smaller scale farmers also form part of her research concerns.

The combination of a weak state and strong criminal forces has led to a near-doubling of homicides each year in Ecuador since 2020 and the nation's murder rate for 2023 was around 40 per 100,000 people, making it the highest in Ecuador's history and therefore one of the most violent in Latin America. 
In this episode of The LatinNews Podcast, we ask Ivan Briscoe, Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Crisis Group and Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche, a Fellow at Crisis Group, are President Noboa's new measures working for Ecuador? 
We cover details leading up to the crisis in Ecuador, the main players behind the violence, President Noboa's actions and the issue of forthcoming presidential elections. 

On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we ask Dr Jacqueline Jimenez Polanco, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Bronx Community College of the City University of New York, to what can we attribute the success of the anti-corruption and anti-impunity politics in the Dominican Republic? 
With elections on the horizon for May 2024, will the victor continue in the same vein of combating official corruption, addressing tensions with Haiti and protecting the country's all-important tourism revenue? We explore these topics and the historical background to current politics in the Dominican Republic. 
Dr Jimenez Polanco is the author of numerous books and articles including, "Dominican Politics in the 21st Century: Continuity and Change," "Divagaciones II, An Anthology by Dominican Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Women," and the forthcoming, "Dominican American Politics: Immigrants, Activists and Politicians." 

On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we speak to Martin Weinstein, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at William Paterson University in New Jersey and author of dozens of books on Uruguay, his opinions on the upcoming presidential elections in Uruguay in October 2024. 
Uruguay is unlikely to lose its reputation as the "Switzerland of Latin America," however there are challenges ahead for the successful candidate in the elections, be they from the leftist Frente Amplio or right-of-centre Partido Nacional. These include the issues of security and narco-trafficking, continued tensions with Mercosur and an urgent need to reform the primary and secondary education systems. 
Tune in for this far-reaching conversation on the LatinNews podcast. 

On this episode of The LatinNews Podcast, we ask Rosemary Joyce, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, how governable is Honduras considering the challenges facing the country and President Xiomara Castro? 
In reality, Hondurans can point to the 2009 coup against President Zelaya (current President Xiomara Castro's husband) as a pivotal moment of seismic proportions and consequences in Honduras' political landscape. After that moment, the country endured 12 years or three presidential terms of mismanagement under President Porfirio Lobo (now charged by the US with having taken bribes from narco-trafficking organizations) and President Juan Orlando Hernández, who has been extradited to the US on corruption charges. 
How can President Castro govern a country and address the three main issues affecting the Central American nation? 1. Corruption, 2. Improving the Economy, 3. Safety and Security. We look at these issues and address the current state of Honduras.