Synopses & Reviews
From McGraw-Hill Contemporary Learning Series (formerly known as McGraw-Hill/Dushkin), the Global Studies volumes are designed to provide comprehensive background information and selected world press articles on the regions and countires of the world. This twelfth edition of GLOBAL STUDIES: LATIN AMERICA includes introductory essays on Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Carribbean region, with concise reports and current statistics for each of the countries within these regions. This background information is complemented by a selection of articles from the world press.
Table of Contents
Global Studies: Latin America
Latin America: Myth and Reality
Map: Mexico
Mexico: On the Verge of Change?
Map: Central America
Central America: Lands in Turmoil
Country Reports:
Belize; Hondouras; Costa Rica; Nicaragua; El Savador; Panama; Guatemala
Map: South America
South America: An Imperfect Prism
Country Reports:
Argentina; Guyana; Bolivia; Paraguay; Brazil; Peru; Chile; Suriname; Colombia; Uruguay; Ecuador; Venezuela
Map: The Caribbean
The Caribbean: Sea of Diversity
Country Reports:
Antigua and Barbuda; Haiti; The Bahamas; Jamaica; Barbados; St. Kitts-Nevis; Cuba; St. Lucia; Dominica; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Dominican Republic; Grenada; Trinidad and Tobabo
Articles from the World Press
1. Latin America Losing Hope in Democracy, Warren Hodge, The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, April 22, 2004.
Latin America is facing a new challenge with democratic rule because of popular disenchantment with its elected governments, which is also causing voter turnout to fall across the region.
2. Drug Economies of the Americas, JoAnn Kawell,NACLA Report on the Americas, September/October 2002.
It is becoming clearer that many Latin American nations now earn as much, or more, from the drug trade than they do from any other single legal commodity or industry. This article profiles and compares the drug economies of several countrees.
3. Reagan's Legacy Gets Mixed Reactions in Latin America, Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan,The Hartford Courant, June 14, 2004.
This article discusses what the late President, Ronald Reagan, did for Latin America and how his work will be remembered.
4. Lost City' Yielding Its Secrets, John Noble Wilford, The New York Times, March 18, 2003.
Working with new evidence and re-examined relics, archaeologists have revised their thinking about the significance of Machu Picchu, the most famous "lost city" of the Incas.
5. Hidden Harmony of the Q'ero, Victor Englebert, Americas, August 2003.
This article discusses the isolated Indian community that tenaciously preserves traditions that reflect their spiritual union with their natural surroundings.
6. Mexico-The Sick Man of NAFTA, Christian Stracke, World Policy Journal, Summer 2003.
The failure of NAFTA to improve the lives and incomes of ordinary Mexicans presents a serious challenge to policymakers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
7. With Little Loans, Mexican Women Overcome, Tim Weiner, The New York Times, March 19, 2003.
With a little help from loan organizations that are popping up all over Mexico, Mexican women are finding ways to get ahead.
8. A Changing Economy, Alejandro Antoino Chafuen, The World & I, March 2003.
Central America continues to produce coffee and bananas, but computer chips and textiles are becoming more important.
9. True Gold of Our Future, Mark Engler and Nadia Martinez, New Internationalist, October 2003.
This article covers the determination of the people of Costa Rica to keep outside oil companies from drilling off their shores.
10. The Colossus of the North, William Ratliff, The World & I, March 2003.
It is in U.S. political and economic interests for Central America to be stable and prosperous, as this would promote investment there and make terrorism, drugs, and immigration more manageable.
11. Discovery Pushes Back Date of "Classic" Maya, John Noble Wilford, The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, May 5, 2004.
A discovery of monumental carved masks and elaborate jade ritual objects is raising serious questions about the chronology of enigmatic Mayan civilization.
12. Even Amid Economic Woes, Argentines Live it Up, Brian Byrnes, The Christian Science Monitor, April 2003.
Despite high unemployment, currency devaluation and food shortages, many Argentines are still in surprisingly good spirits.
13. New Hope for Brazil?, Stanley Gacek, Dissent, Spring 2003.
The new Lula "Era" in Brazil, which calls for macroeconomic growth and the reduction of poverty and inequality, offers a powerful and tangible alternative to the dominant paradigm of globalization.
14. Chile, the Rich Kid on the Block (It Starts to Feel Lonely), Larry Rohter, The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, April 28, 2004.
The free trade agreement with the United States has reignited a sometimes anguished debate about what it means to be Latin American and whether Chile has somehow lost those essential characteristics.
15. South America's New Leaders With Muscle, Martín Rodriguez Yebra, La Nación, June 15, 2003.
The presidents of Argentina and Brazil have teamed up to expand the political and economic clout of their countries.
16. Europe and South America Near Trade Accord, Todd Benson, The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, April 20, 2004.
Steps are being taken between the European Union and South America to seal a trade agreement, with a possibility of making progress in agriculture.
17. Contraband is Big Business in Paraguay, Tony Smith, The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, June 10, 2003.
The tobacco industry seems to be thriving in Paraguay, but in reality most of the cigarettes are illegally exported.
18. Indigenous Bolivians Are Rising Up and Taking Back Power, Hector Tobar, The Hartford Courant, April 20, 2004.
In Sorata, Bolivia, a crowd of Aymara Indians, armed with little more than sticks and stones, is taking back their little corner of the country.
19.China Fuels Brazil's Dream of Being Steel Power, Todd Benson, The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, May 21, 2004.
Brazil is looking to become a major player in the global steel industry with the help of some deep-pocketed foreign friends.
20. Between Hard and Soft, Victor Englebert, The World & I, March 2003.
This article discusses the Guambiano Indians, who can be found in the Andes' mountains in the southwestern corner of Colombia.
21. Venezuela's Chavez as Everyman,Clifford Krauss, Gary PayneVenequelanalysis.com, March 29, 2004.
Huego Chavez is seen not merely as the President of the poor majority, but he is also seen as the long-stifled expression of its collective historical frustration and the embodiment of its hopes.
22. From Maid to Rio Governor, and Still Fighting, Larry Rohter, New York Times, August 19, 2002.
This article talks of Benedita da Silva, the first black woman to be governor, and the journey that got her into office.
23. String, and Knot, Theory of Inca Writing, John Noble Wilford,The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, August 12, 2003.
See why some believe the only possible Incan example of encoding and recording information could have been cryptic knotted strings know as khipu.
24. Castro Attacks Europe for Meddling, Richard Lapper, The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, July 27, 2003.
The Cuban president has criticized the European Union on issues ranging from rules on foreign aid to their historical involvement in the slave trade.