Topic: Mike Allison
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Guatemalan court faces calls to halt former dictator's genocide trial
As a verdict in Ríos Montt's trial nears, some – including the president – deny the alleged 1980s genocide took place and warn that a guilty verdict could throw Guatemala into chaos.
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Latin America Monitor Guatemala gets a bump in its police force
Guatemala has one of the world's highest murder rates, and one way President Molina has tried to address this is by adding 2,000 more police since January 2012.
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Latin America Monitor US suspends aid to Honduras over human rights concerns
Alleged ties between the Honduran police chief and death squads of a decade ago have led the US to withhold some funds.
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Latin America Monitor Gang truce in El Salvador: An opportunity the region can't afford to miss
El Salvador's gang truce needs to be followed by job training, rehabilitation programs, and humane prison conditions in order to create a sustainable peace, writes a guest blogger.
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Latin America Monitor Homicides down in Costa Rica and other Central American countries
The annual homicide rate dropped in Costa Rica for the first time in six years, writes guest blogger Mike Allison. Better governance could be a factor in regional progress.
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Latin America Monitor Legalizing drugs gains ground in Latin America
Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has suggested decriminalizing drugs in order to reduce violence in the Americas.
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Peace Corps pullout a sad day for Central America
Because of worsening security, the Peace Corps is suspending operations in Honduras and freezing new applicants in Guatemala and El Salvador. It could be a long time before they return.
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Back to the future in Latin America? Sandinistas, generals, and Manuel Noriega
Back in Panama to serve more prison time, ex-dictator Manuel Noriega might be surprised how little the regional neighborhood has changed, writes guest blogger Mike Allison.
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Spain seeks extradition of Salvadoran officers accused of murdering priests
The men are wanted in connection with the massacre of eight people, including six Jesuit priests, in El Salvador in 1989. But guest blogger Mike Allison doubts they will be extradited.
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'Femicide' in Guatemala: Does the concept obscure more than it illuminates?
Guest blogger Mike Allison argues that when we talk about 'femicide' or the killing of women – a major concern in Guatemala – one should look beyond murder rates to victims' conditions.
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Illegal immigration: Most illegal immigrants deported in 2010 were criminals – but what does that mean?
Illegal immigration: The Obama administration says that 55 percent of the nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants deported in 2010 had criminal records. Guest blogger Mike Allison says those numbers need further context.
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Most Guatemalans unhappy with options in this weekend's presidential election
Violence is down compared to the last presidential election, but Guatemalans deserve more than what they have been offered in this campaign of candidates with questionable backgrounds.
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Guatemala's murder rate down, despite talk of 'failed state'
The murder rate, if it holds steady for this year, will be lower than when President Álvaro Colom took office in 2008. Yet he has not capitalized on this ahead of the Sept. 11 election.
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Extradition request threatens to reopen civil war wounds in El Salvador
Nine former military officials are fighting extradition to Spain over the killings of six Jesuits during El Salvador's civil war. Salvadoran opinion is divided over whether to reopen old wounds.
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6,060 year sentence in Guatemala only a beginning
The 6,060 year sentence handed out to soldiers for a 1982 massacre during Guatemala's civil war was hailed by rights groups. But this is only the second massacre of 669 to be brought to trial.
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Guatemala's divorced first lady barred from running for president
Critics said Sandra Torres' divorce from President Colom was a scam to dodge a ban on relatives running for office. Her party promises to appeal, but the candidates' list is due July 11.
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Can Nicaragua continue to play both sides?
The Sandinistas of the Cold War requested aid from countries across the globe, landing themselves in neither the Soviet nor American camps. Today President Daniel Ortega is in many ways following those same steps. But he soon may be forced to make some choices.
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