http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/south-america Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:48:32 -0400 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:48:32 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1633/how-have-corruption-scandals-and-president-roussefs-impeachment-in-brazil-impacted-its-economy By Flvia Bedicks - In 2009, Brazil was in the path to become a superpower. Immune to the economic crises of 2008, the country's economy benefitted from the commodity boom, achieving a growth rate of 7.5 per cent in 2010, when Rousseff was elected. A few years later, nonetheless, Brazil's boom turned into an economic bust. In 2014, the largest corruption scandal in its history denounced the involvement of major politicians, including then-President Rousseff, in schemes of money laundering. In this essay, I analyze the impacts of such scandals and Rousseff's impeachment on the Brazilian economy. I argue that these... Sun, 30 Apr 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1633/how-have-corruption-scandals-and-president-roussefs-impeachment-in-brazil-impacted-its-economy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1542/reinterpreting-the-treatment-of-the-rural-population-by-perus-shining-path By Auston Stiefer - The Peruvian Communist Party (PCP) was founded as the Peruvian Socialist Party in 1928 by José Carlos Mariátegui after his analysis of the “semifeudal” Peruvian economic state, which did not strictly follow Marx’s socialist model.1 Just over 30 years later, the PCP began to radically transform under the teaching of Maoist thought by Abimael Guzmán, a philosophy professor at the National University of Haumanga and future leader of the party.2 Over the next two decades, the PCP renamed the Sendero Lumnioso (“Shining Path”) drew upon Mariá... Wed, 22 Feb 2017 11:33 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1542/reinterpreting-the-treatment-of-the-rural-population-by-perus-shining-path http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1517/navigating-the-leftist-spectrum-in-argentina-an-economic-classification-of-the-kirchner-era By Matt Finkel - Argentina’s economic policies under Nestor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were hugely impactful in the country’s recovery and general development, yet the Kirchner administrations are often painted with the same broad leftist brush often used to categorize Latin American governments. This kind of blanketed cataloguing obscures the economic nuances of important features of Argentina’s governance like social safety nets, market openness, and property rights. This report will classify Kirchnerism in a more appropriate context, measured against economic policy... Sun, 08 Jan 2017 03:10 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1517/navigating-the-leftist-spectrum-in-argentina-an-economic-classification-of-the-kirchner-era http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1180/colombias-opportunity-for-transitional-justice By Ana Luquerna - This paper will focus on the extreme tension between the Colombian government, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Patriotic Union (UP) political party. Even though Colombia has been labeled a democratic country since the 1970s, its failure to successfully participate in transitional justice has inhibited the growth of a full democracy. In addition to explaining the tensions between the FARC, UP, and the Colombian government, this paper will explain how elements of transitional justice, such as the integration/demobilization of armed groups back into society and... Wed, 15 Apr 2015 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1180/colombias-opportunity-for-transitional-justice http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1225/militarization-of-aid-and-its-implications-for-colombia By Ian King - Military training can include lessons on human rights practices as well as teaching respect for international law, both of which typically yield positive results.14 The US government can also provide incentives to follow its message of promoting democratic ideals by refusing assistance to governments known to engage in corruption. In 2005, the State Department denounced certain parts of the Colombian Armed Forces because of its known cooperation with corrupt rightwing paramilitary forces.15 This incentive to promote human rights stems from the Leahy Amendment, which prohibits the US government... Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1225/militarization-of-aid-and-its-implications-for-colombia http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1108/social-change-in-venezuela By Alex Serafimov - This study will show that, at a national level, there is a process of innovative democratic structures being set up. For example, 30,000 Communal Councils and over 60,000 workers’ cooperatives have been established and tentative steps towards workers’ self-management have been made. On a regional level, Venezuela has been central in implementing and hosting new international institutions. One example is the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA),1 a heterodox political, economic and social cooperative organisation innovatively including social movements in its decision... Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1108/social-change-in-venezuela http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/38/human-rights-in-chile-remembrance-and-reckoning By Ruth E. Dominguez - This has been especially true because of the nature of dictatorships, where opposition is repeatedly silenced and repressed; international organization of secrecy and covert action; security policies of cold war politics; and the societal traumatization that has undoubtedly influenced many to remain silent and/or anonymous. Most recently, when there was public pressure to prosecute Pinochet in Chile in 2001, the military itself made a “contribution to national reconciliation” and issued a list of 180 victims of the coup, whose bodies had been dumped into the sea. (http://www.remember... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:07 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/38/human-rights-in-chile-remembrance-and-reckoning http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1284/us-policy-towards-colombia-a-focus-on-the-wrong-issue By Darian Singer - Colombia has been the epicenter of the war on drugs and is considered a crucial front in the war on terror. The politics within Colombia have been profoundly affected under the constant watch of the United States. Much of the recent policy in Colombia has focused on the wars on drugs and terror to appease America and its leaders. In light of all this effort, little has fundamentally changed. Colombia, though its famous Medellín and Cali drug cartels have fled, remains a haven for coca cultivation and home to many violent paramilitary and guerrilla groups who frequently spread violence throughout... Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1284/us-policy-towards-colombia-a-focus-on-the-wrong-issue http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1297/a-tale-of-two-countries-lessons-from-the-latin-quest-for-the-balance-of-equity-progress-and-freedom By Francis J. Pedraza - In 1917 foreign oil companies came to Venezuela to start drilling in the shallow waters of Lake Maracaibo.1 By 1928 Venezuela had emerged as the world’s top oil exporter, and this touched off a wider economic boom.2 Visionaries saw an opportunity to turn a profit outside the oil sector by laying the foundations of a modern economy. Standard Oil heir Nelson Rockefeller, for example, founded the International Basic Economy Corporation (IBEC) to channel venture capital into Venezuelan fishing, agriculture, and supermarkets.3 Local businessmen were invited to become shareholders to “teach... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1297/a-tale-of-two-countries-lessons-from-the-latin-quest-for-the-balance-of-equity-progress-and-freedom http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1147/what-do-we-do-with-pinochet By Isaac Bigio - The Spanish super-judge Baltazar Garzón managed to receive the support of his own National Court in his claim to extradite the Chilean ex-dictator. He is accused for crimes against humanity: for violently overthrew a democratically elected government, violating the Chilean constitution and producing the death of the constitutional President; for killing at least 3,000 people; for tortured, kidnapped or detained tens of thousands; for allowing animals and torturers to rape women; for building an international terrorist Cóndor command; for murdering Chilean personalities... Fri, 01 Jan 1999 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1147/what-do-we-do-with-pinochet