One year into Donald Trump’s second presidency, the United States finds itself in the midst of a trade war, a cultural war – and, some would argue, an actual war. Trump’s shockwave politics have in particular sent ripples across Latin America and the Caribbean. Is the region standing on crossroads?
Masked agents of the ICE migrant police service are arresting migrants, mostly of Latin American origin, on a large scale and at random with little regard for the rule of law or human rights. Meanwhile, as part of the American ‘war on drugs,’ the U.S. military has already sunk at least ten Venezuelan boats, and the U.S. is hinting at an intervention in the South American country. It ominously brings to mind the previous century, when the CIA brought about regime changes in the American ‘backyard’ at will.
During this programme we reflect on current parallels with Latin American populism, the geopolitical ramifications of the American revamped War on Drugs and Trump’s authoritarian tendencies through the militarization of ICE. How does Trump’s brand of populism reshape both American as well as Latin American politics?
This evening, co-hosted with the UvA Centre for Latin American Documentation and Research (CEDLA)
Speakers
