I'm passionate about international relations and Latin America, especially about human rights and human development issues in the region. I join Global Voices with the conviction that accurate information about these issues can in fact improve the lives of many. I blog at http://mundopolitics.wordpress.com.
I earned a B.A. in Political Science from Westminster College in Missouri, U.S. Prior to this, I lived and studied at Lester B. Pearson College in Victoria, Canada. I have worked at Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo (CED) in Santiago, at the Rwanda Community Partnership Project in the U.S, and was a volunteer in the project Refugees in the Making of Peace in Sincelejo, Colombia in 2007.
Latest posts by Felipe Cordero
Chile: Police Special Forces Evict Mapuche Community From Contested Lands
A self-denominated “autonomous” indigenous community, Temucuicui has occupied what they consider to be ancestral lands for over two years, resisting several eviction attempts.
Chile: Firewood Prohibition Decree Freezes Temuco
Residents of Temuco, Chile, have protested an emergency decree that bans the use of firewood to provide heating in the middle of the winter.
Chileans Protest in Support of Gaza
The latest hostilities between the Israeli government and Hamas in the Gaza Strip prompted an unusual protest in front of the Israeli Embassy in Santiago, Chile. Reactions come from a country that, despite the physical distance, is home to around 350,000 ethnic Palestinians, making it host to the largest community of Palestinians outside the Arab World.
Chile: Looming Anti-protest Law Sparks Concern
Chile's Minister of Interior, Rodrigo Hinzpeter has called on the Congress to approve a law that seeks harsher punishments for protesters, reigniting a controversy that started a year ago. The law forbids the occupation of public or privately owned buildings for protest and also seeks prison time for protesters.
Chile: “Anti-Occupation” Law Sparks Controversy
The Chilean Ministry of Interior (responsible for public order and security), drafted and sent to Congress a piece of legislation that would criminalize occupations of public or privately-owned buildings, arguably because of the recent occupation of schools and universities by Chilean students.
Bolivia: New Ministry of Comunications Raises Doubts
Rodrigo Reque Mejía, owner of the blog Puro Papo [es], compares the Bolivian government's newly created Ministry of Communications with the fictitious Ministry of Truth in Geroge Orwell's 1984 novel. His concerns have to do with potential Internet censorshio, among others.
Chile: Should State TV Play Hidroaysen Ads?
Luis Cuello in El Quinto Poder, describes how [es] Television Nacional de Chile, the State's television channel, played the latest of ads by Hidroaisen campaign during the night news (prime time in Chile). He asks readers whether this is the right approach, considering that thousands have repeatedly protested in past weeks...
El Salvador: Food Insecurity Rising in Rural Areas
The blog “Locavore del Mundo” [someone who eats locally grown foods around the world] discusses how rural Salvadorian families are struggling to secure food for themselves, not particularly because they lack access to nutritious food, but rather because they are having to sell it to cover expenses that once they did not...
Uruguay: Congress Upholds Amnesty Law for Military
The Latin America News Dispatch writes about the Uruguayan Congress’ decision to uphold a 1986 amnesty law that “prevents the prosecution of military officials from the 1973-1985 dictatorship for crimes against humanity.” Hours after the Congressional vote, 8,000 Uruguayans marched in Montevideo in a “March of Silence,” an annual walk to...
Peru: World Internet Day Seminar in Lima
Juan Arellano, author of the blog Globalizado [es] and Global Voices Spanish Editor, shares his impressions about the World Internet Day Seminar [es], a 3-day event held in Lima, Peru. In detail, he shares interesting reflections on the first [es], second [es] and third day [es] of the conference.
Guatemala: Presidential Divorce Allows First Lady to Run in Elections
In the blog CARPE DIEM [es], Luis Figueroa describes [es] how the approval of President Colom´s divorce by Guatemalan courts may actually be a “violation of a norm.” The granted divorce now allows his wife, Sandra Torres, to run for the presidency in the upcoming September, 2011 elections.
Mexico: President Felipe Calderon´s Twitter Use
Pepe Flores [es], writer for ALT1040 [es], reflects on how President Felipe Calderon has used Twitter since he first joined. He points that the Presidency sees sees this medium as a way to inform citizens [es], but not to initiate or participate in conversations that are critical of his performance.
Chile: 33 Miners Rescued Successfully
In northern Chile, efforts to free 33 miners trapped inside the San Jose copper and gold mine concluded successfully. All the men, including rescue workers, were brought back to the surface using a small capsule. Chileans have not only used blogs and social media to react to the accident and the rescue, but also to discuss related issues, like miner's working conditions.
Chile: All Mapuche Prisoners End Hunger Strike
The general hunger strike carried out by Mapuche prisoners prosecuted under Chile's anti-terrorism law reached its final closure today. The end was reached after prisoners in the cities of Angol and Victoria, as well as a Mapuche youth held in youth detention center, ended their strike. Most Mapuche prisoners had ended the protest on October 2.
Chile: Most Mapuche Prisoners End Hunger Strike
Following intense negotiations with the Chilean government, 25 Mapuche prisoners being held at jails in the cities of Concepción, Angol, Temuco and Valdivia, ended a hunger strike that lasted 82 days. Nonetheless, 14 Mapuche prisoners held and hospitalized in several cities have not ended the strike.
Cyber-Event Organized by Biblioredes Takes over Twitter
On August 10, a 1-hour cyber-event was organized by Biblioredes, a Chilean network of public libraries. The cyber-event was hosted on Twitter and positioned the hashtag #biblioteca (#library) as a worldwide trending topic in a matter of hours. The event aimed to raise the profile of libraries as institutions of learning in a digital world.
Chile: Strong Citizen Response Against Thermal Energy Project
The approval of a thermal energy project sparked a strong online and on-the-ground citizen response; the plant was to be built near the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve and Punta de Choros, a small beach town known for its natural beauty and rich biodiversity. The announcement mobilized unprecedented numbers of protesters in one of the most successful instances of online organizing carried out in Chile.
Chile: 33 Trapped Miners Are Alive
33 miners trapped inside a collapsed copper and gold mine in northern Chile confirmed on a small note that all of them are alive inside a shelter, thus revitalizing search and rescue efforts when hopes of finding them alive were fading. The note surfaced inside a bag attached to one of the drills that managed to reach the exact location where they are located, 2,300 feet (700 meters) underground.
Chile: Mapuche on Hunger Strike over Anti-terror Law
On July 12, 2010, fourteen Mapuche indigenous detainees began a hunger strike to denounce the Chilean State’s treatment of Mapuche communities in southern Chile. The strike is aimed mainly at ending the use of Chile’s Anti-terrorism Law against Mapuche prisoners, a Pinochet-era decree widely used during the seventeen years of the Pinochet dictatorship.
Chile: Controversial Use of Popular Song in TV Commercial
In Chile, a television advertisement for Almacenes Paris, a large department store chain, that uses a song by the popular folk-rock band Los Jaivas without their authorization, is stirring up controversy about intellectual property rights and the extent to which cultural forms of expression are compatible with consumerism.
Chile: The Process of Earthquake Reconstruction
Exactly a month after the devastating earthquake in Chile, President Sebastián Piñera announced a reconstruction plan for the country’s infrastructure and housing, prompting Chileans to provide opinions about how this process should be implemented and monitored.
