Writings

Selected publications: 

• In Rio de Janeiro, Carnival Persists Despite Bolsonaro’s Evangelical Protests (NPR’s Latino USA, 2019)
• One Year After Marielle Franco’s Death, Brazil’s Human Rights Activists Demand Answers (Public Radio International, 2019)
• Hurricane Maria, A Year Later: An Interview with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz (English | Spanish, Newsweek, 2018)
• Hurricane Maria, A Year Later: An Interview with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló (Newsweek, 2018)
• Exclusive Interview: A Former Member of A Notorious Colombian Guerrilla Group Is Running for President. Will Gustavo Petro Win? (English | Spanish, Newsweek, 2018)
• Is Latin America’s Left Really Dead? (World Politics Review, 2016)
• Maduro’s Hunger Games (Splinter, formerly known as Fusion TV, 2015)
• After Mujica, Can Uruguay Maintain Its Progressive Model? (World Politics Review, 2015)
• U.S. and China: The Fight for Latin America (WPJ, 2013)
• The Pacific Alliance: A Promising Yardstick of Latin America’s Prosperity (Georgetown, 2013)
• Colombia and FARC: Will the Internal Conflict Reach an End? Yale Journal of International Affairs, Summer 2012.
• Mexican Drug Cartels Are Not Terrorists: Behind the Alleged Iranian Quds-Zetas Ties (WPJ, 2011)

The following publications are arranged in chronological order

2018

• Trump a Year Later: Washington Is Losing to Be a Leader in Latin America, Experts Say (Newsweek)
• Will Trump Invade Venezuela? Caracas Accuses Colombia of A ‘Bombing Campaign’ After U.S. Military Visit (Newsweek)
• North Korea Violated U.N. Sanctions to Earn $200 Million From Prohibited Exports  (Newsweek)
• Will Cryptocurrency Save Maduro’s Venezuela from Trump in 2018? (Newsweek)

2017

• Jeff Sessions on Immigration: Here are the 11 times he voted against immigration reform (Mic.com)
• How many executive orders can a president use? Here are the limits on Trump’s influence (Mic.com)
• Illegal voting: Trump claims millions voted illegally, but where’s the evidence? (Mic.com)
• Who is Oscar López Rivera? The story behind the man who received Barack Obama’s clemency (Mic.com)
• Why MLK’s legacy matters in a post-Obama America (Mic.com)

2016

• Here’s how the Electoral College, the process that selects the next U.S. president, works (Mic.com)
• 225 years ago the Bill of Rights was signed. Here’s how it is under attack from Trump (Mic.com)
• The biggest civil rights moments of 2016 that proved not all was lost (Mic.com)
• Standing Rock facts: How a Sioux reservation became the center of a government shutdown (Mic.com)
• Is flag burning illegal? The history of one of the most striking acts of dissent (Mic.com)
• Fidel Castro’s Death: What the Communist leader’s passing means for U.S.-Cuba relations (Mic.com)
• Are the new U.S.-Cuba relations in jeopardy under Trump? (Mic.com)

2015

• Venezuela: Latin America’s Lone Wolf, (WPJ)
• Can This US Presidential Hopeful Capture Republican and Latino Hearts? (Global Voices)

2014

• Can Brazil Help Roll Back U.S. Surveillance? (openDemocracy)
• The Role of the Paramilitary in Mexican Security (WPJ)
• Nicolás Maduro’s Role in Venezuela’s Current Turmoil (WPJ)
• El Chapo’s Arrest: The End of the Drug War? (WPJ, 2014)
• Should Uruguay be an Alternative to 21^st Century Socialism? (Georgetown)
• Defending Human Rights in Latin America (WPJ)
• Gabriel García Márquez: Latin America’s Body and Soul (WPJ)

2013

• Dead or Alive? Chávez Brings Uncertainty to Venezuela (World Policy Institute)
• From Montevideo to Washington: A New Dawn for Drug Policy (World Policy Institute)
• The Curious Case of the World Court’s Territorial Rulings (World Policy Institute)
• For Latin America, The Meaning of John Kerry as Secretary of State (Georgetown)
• Diplomatic Efforts in Latin America Require Fresh Faces (ISN Zurich)
• The Persistence of the Latin American Left (WPJ)
• Pandering a Strongman: South American Leaders Visit Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang (COHA)
• A Silver Lining in the Juvenile Justice System (Latinovations)
• Mater Si, Magistra No? Pope Francis and the Latin American Left (Georgetown)
• After Chavez’s Demise, A Shot at Real Change for Venezuela (WPJ)
• Give Colombia’s Long-Overdue Peace a Chance (WPJ)
• Chilean Movie “No” Teaches a Lesson to Progressive Latinos (Latinovations)
• Maduro’s Slim Win: An Omen of Waning Chavismo (WPJ)
• Chávez and Vitriolic Rhetoric Still Prevail in Venezuela’s Elections (Georgetown)
• Guatemala’s Quest for Justice (WPJ)
• U.S. and Latin America: Economic Cooperation without Militarization? (WPJ)
• Why would Edward Snowden Want to Go to Ecuador? (Global Voices Advocacy)
• Looking South: Weighing Snowden’s Options (WPJ)
• Nicolas Maduro’s First 100 Days (WPJ)
• From Montevideo to Washington: The Case for Drug Legislation in the Americas (Georgetown)
• Colombia’s Farmers Need Help Now (WPJ)
• The World In Turbulent Waters (WPJ)
• Has the Ibero-American Summit Lost Its Mojo? (WPJ)
• In Venezuela, A Much-Questioned Pursuit of Supreme Happiness (Georgetown)
• Lessons for Colombia’s Peace Process (WPJ)
• Can Fútbol Foster Peace in Colombia? (WPJ)

2011-2012

• It’s Not Over Till It’s Over: Why The Recent Killings of FARC’s Leaders Do Not Represent the End of Colombia’s Armed Conflict  (World Policy Journal, 2011) available at
• With Chavez’s Illness, Is the Left All Right in Venezuela? (Council on Hemispheric Affairs)
• The Ugly Truth: the State of the Union and the Republican Debate in Florida on U.S. Latin American Relations (COHA)
• Latin American Prison Deaths: No Mere Coincidence (World Policy Journal)
• In Cartagena, Romancing the Undone: Analysis of the Sixth Summit of the Americas (World Policy Journal)
• Straight Talk on the War on Drugs: An Interview with Ethan Nadelmann (World Policy Journal)
• Latin American Leaders Stepping Out from the Shadows (WPJ)
• A Mexican Cartel’s Day at the Races (World Policy Journal),
• Colombia Faces Its Demons: Justice for the Escobar Era (World Policy Journal)
• The Andean Tigers: Will Colombia and Peru Land on their Feet? (World Policy Journal)
• The Deceptive Gains of the War on Drugs (World Policy Journal)
• Calming Colombia and Nicaragua’s Murky Waters (World Policy Journal)
• Are Vice Presidents Necessary? The Case of Latin America’s Second-In-Command (World Policy Journal)
• It’s Time to Nip Colombia’s Internal Conflict in the Bud (Georgetown Journal)
• What Patriotism Means for Latinos in a Post 9/11 World (Latinovations)
• Venezuela’s Future in the Crosshairs: The Chávez-Capriles Election (WPJ)
• Redemption After Jail: How the World Reintegrates Ex-Prisoners (WPJ)
• The War Within: How the U.S. War on Drugs Casts a Shadow over Communities of Color (Latinovations)
• Despite Chávez Victory, Venezuelan Opposition Gains Ground (WPJ)
• Colombia and the Philippines: Worlds Apart but on the Same Path to Peace (WPJ)
• The U.S. Should Stop Ignoring Latin America: A Post-Election Analysis (WPJ)
• State of Democracy: A Conversation with former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo (WPJ)
• Latin America’s Top 5 News Stories of 2012 (WPJ)

 2010-2011

• Post-Guerrilla Colombia—A Silver Lining? (WPJ)
• Immigration Reform: Reconciling the Views of Business and Labor (COHA)
• Reclaiming the OAS’s Future in the Americas (WPJ)
• WikiLeaks and Latin America: New Revelations, Same Policies (WPJ)
• Colombia’s Petition to Join the OECD: The New Kid on the Block? (WPJ)
• Blurred Borders in the ‘War on Drugs’ (WPJ)
• After Bin Laden’s Demise, Are U.S.-Latin American Relations At Bay Again? (COHA)
• The (Other) Longest War: The Fight on Drugs Turns 40 (WPJ)
• State of Affairs: The Nascent Colombian-Venezuelan Relations (COHA)
• United States: Latino Perspectives on the Anniversary of 9/11 (Global Voices, also available in Spanish,French, Malagasy, and Chinese.)
• United States: ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Takes the Heart of New York’s Financial District (Global Voices, also available in Spanish, French, Malagasy, Greek, Bangla, Italian, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia).
• ‘Alliance for Progress’ Still a Noble Goal in Latin America (WPJ)
• Is Free Trade Good for Colombia and the United States? (COHA)
• The Wait Is Over: Congress Awards Free Trade Agreements, Ignoring Workers’ Plight (COHA)

2008-2009

1. A Second Public Hearing in Mombasa: Muslims for Human Rights and Social Auditing in Kenya (International Budget Partnership)
2. NGOs Gear Toward Transparency and Greater Participation in the Philippines’ Budget Process (International Budget Partnership)
3. The Chavez Shuffle (Center for American Progress, also available in Spanish)
4. It’s All About Fútbol: Soccer Helps Build Multicultural Integration (Center for American Progress, also available in Spanish)