Analysis & Commentary

Truth Commission in Brazil is Part of Reconciliation Process

16 May 2012
Although the Truth Commission does not include provisions for prosecutions, there are some that hope, and others that fear, that the information revealed by the two-year investigation will create the momentum necessary to overturn the Amnesty Law.

WOLA Reaction to Radio Martí's Editorial on Cardinal Jaime Ortega

WOLA Joins Members of Congress in Calling for Obama Administration to Reject Radio Martí's Characterization of Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega
10 May 2012
Controversy about the role of the Catholic Church in Cuba aside, it was inappropriate and ill-advised for Radio Martí, as a U.S. government-funded information service, to write this editorial.

Confronting Drugs, Violence, and Organized Crime: In Response to The New York Times Online Debate on Military Roles

10 May 2012
The New York Times recently hosted an online debate on the use of the military in the war on drugs, particularly in Honduras. Some of the guest writers argue for the use of the military and most argue for a blended force of military and police, without looking at the history of U.S. involvement in Latin America.

Just How “New” is the 2012 National Drug Control Strategy?

8 May 2012
The Obama administration deserves credit for at least acknowledging the wasteful excesses of domestic drug enforcement and for taking steps to bolster treatment. But talk of a revolution in U.S. drug policy is still premature.

Tenth Anniversary of Bojayá, Colombia Massacre

Justice and reparations remain elusive for the victims of the massacre ten years later
2 May 2012
On May 2, 2002, over 79 people, including children, were massacred in the town of Bojayá, Colombia

Hostages in Our Own Territories

Afro-Colombian Rights under Siege in Chocó
27 Apr 2012
Report on WOLA's March 2012 research trip to Chocó

Paramilitaries Send Unionists an Invitation to Their Own Funeral

SINTRAEMCALI Subjected to More Death Threats
23 Apr 2012
This threat by the Black Eagles paramilitaries demonstrates that trade unionists and labor activists are targeted precisely for defending basic labor rights

Public Security Challenges in El Salvador Today

Comments by Rep. James McGovern
19 Apr 2012
In remarks at a recent forum on El Salvador sponsored by WOLA and the Moakley Institute at Suffolk University, Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) spoke about the public security crisis in El Salvador today, and what needs to be done to address the institutional challenges.

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