Have you ever thought about how insane the way we elect our President is? Consider the following: it has been 2 and a half years since the first democratic hopeful—John Delaney—officially announced his candidacy. Since then we have had 18 candidates announce and drop out all before a single vote was cast. We will now…
Author: Luis F. Jiménez
On Lt. Col. Vindman’s Brand of Patriotism
Unlike some of you, dear readers, I chose to become an American. Unlike Lt. Col. Vindman, I did not come to the United States as a toddler. By the time I did, I was well-aware of borders and nations–I had already embraced my country of birth’s national myth and my place in it. It is,…
The 2019 Bolivian Crisis – A Brief Explainer
What did we just see happen overnight in Bolivia? The answer is complicated, so let me give some background. Evo Morales, the Bolivian President who resigned last night, was first elected in 2006. At the time, his elevation to the highest office was hailed as a major victory because he was the first indigenous person…
Why So Much Political Turmoil in Latin America This Month?
What in the world is happening in Latin America? In the last month there has been major political turmoil and protests in Haiti, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras, Chile and just this week Bolivia. There have been multiple deaths, hundreds wounded, government buildings attacked, subway stations set on fire, and state of emergency declared in Ecuador, Chile,…
President Trump’s Attack on the Legal Immigration System
“I believe [immigrants are one] of the most important sources of America’s greatness. We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people — our strength — from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past,…
The United States, Asylum Policy, and Central America
One of the constants about immigration as a topic is how emotional people of all stripes get talking about it despite little to no understanding of immigration law. This is not necessarily their fault. The salience of the immigration phenomenon and the complexity of the rules, coupled with misinformation stemming from politicians, media organizations and…
The Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi and the International System
The most basic aspect of the international system is the fact that it lacks a centralized overarching authority. This is the sort of thing one learns on the first day of a basic intro course on international relations, but it makes it no less significant because given this characteristic, any positive international outcome that occurs…
American Presidents and Their Removal From Office.
One of the most studied tenets in comparative politics is the inherent instability in presidential systems. First proposed by Juan Linz, the basic insight is that in a system where the main actors have contrasting sources of legitimacy, deadlock is not just more likely, but the norm. This, in turn, leads to governmental incapacity, public…
Tariffs as Economic Policy: Lessons from Latin America
President Trump loves tariffs. “They are the greatest!” he tweeted recently. The sentiment would be familiar to most Latin American leaders from the middle of the 20th century. At the time, Latin America was engaged in a massive attempt to develop local industries, so following the ideas of the Argentinian economist Raúl Prebisch, the region…