Impunity Observer

Mauricio Ríos—founder of Crusoe Research and a macroeconomic analyst—explains in this podcast episode how Bolivia has become a narco paradise. He contends most of the people in Bolivia work in the informal economy, specifically in black markets. Black markets have been growing in Bolivia due to excessive taxes, regulations on the labor market, lack of respect for private property, and investors fleeing the country. The trend suggests a black market growing even further. Ríos also analyzes how regionalism has soared in Bolivia since the Evo Morales constitution in 2009. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/08/10/why-bolivia-is-a-narco-paradise/

Fergus Hodgson—managing editor of the Impunity Observer—hosted the first live roundtable discussion about the riots in Ecuador. Paz Gómez and Mauro Echeverría—analysts on the ground—explained the riots’ consequences for the country. Ecuador’s risk premium doubled during the riots, making the Andean country less attractive to local and foreign investors. In addition, President Guillermo Lasso faces a complex scenario for his three remaining years in office, including a lack of support in Congress and susceptibility to the pressure from leftist irregular groups such as urban guerrillas. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/08/03/what-riots-in-ecuador-portend/

Analysis of the Steve Bannon Trial | Steve Hecht by Impunity Observer

Steve Hecht: "Guatemalans saw the disaster of politicized justice and are now trying to free themselves from State Department domination."

The Zones of Employment and Economic Development (ZEDEs) in Honduras have already proved effective in attracting foreign capital and importing socioeconomic institutions for prosperity. For Ryan Berg, senior fellow for the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), ZEDEs also offer diplomatic leverage for the United States to counteract Chinese expansion in the region. China is garnering economic power in Central America with a significant presence in Salvadoran trade zones. Berg opines US officials should pay more attention to ZEDEs and their geopolitical potential. As the head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative, Berg explains how CSIS also contributes to the fight for democracy in Venezuela. In addition to improving the effectiveness of humanitarian aid, CSIS is working with opposition and business leaders on delineating political transition scenarios. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/07/06/how-zedes-can-be-a-geopolitical-tool-against-china/

In April 2022, the Honduran Congress repealed the law that created the Zones of Economic Development and Employment (ZEDEs). The measure has raised doubts about the state of the ongoing ZEDEs and future investments in the country. In this podcast episode, Nicholas C. Dranias—the general counsel at Honduras Próspera Inc.—and Humberto N. Macias—the deputy general counsel at Honduras Próspera Inc. and the chief executive officer of the Próspera Arbitration Center LLC—provide us with their insights. International agreements and investment security contracts guarantee that Próspera, the first Honduran ZEDE launched in 2020, will operate for 50 more years. The development platform has attracted over $80 million in investment in two years. Próspera has become an attractive capital destination for foreigners and Hondurans. In light of recent events, more Honduran businessmen and investors see Prospera as a fiscal shelter. For Dranias and Macias, policies of the newly elected administration lean ideological and wil

Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies joins us to explain why illegal immigration is ballooning in the United States under Joe Biden—despite available infrastructure and technology to tackle the challenge. She also analyzes a potential withdrawal of Title 42, which allows swift deportations of illegal arrivals in the United States. It suggests even higher levels of illegal flows in the remainder of 2022. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/05/11/what-has-enabled-open-season-for-illegal-migration/

In an exclusive interview, Colombian Senator María Fernanda Cabal addresses the country’s major challenges, especially foreign interference. She also reflects on running for president against leftist candidate and former guerrilla member Gustavo Petro. Cabal shares why she supports and has confidence in former Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez over Petro in the May 29 presidential election. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/04/19/maria-fernanda-cabal-the-left-sells-nothing-but-poverty-misery-spanish/

Foreign organizations are heavily involved in Guatemala’s internal affairs. Nicholas Virzi explains how the US State Department, a member of the G13, is one of the most influential, aggressive, and dominant of the bunch. Virzi’s concern is that foreign intervention is counterproductive, since it impedes economic development and stability. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/03/24/how-the-united-states-g13-are-meddling-in-guatemala/

The Costa Rican presidential elections held on February 6 had a record-breaking 25 candidates amid major government corruption scandals. Juan Diego Sánchez, PhD, a lawyer, professor, and columnist explains the political situation in Costa Rica. Furthermore, he analyzes the electoral process, corruption cases, and the April 3, 2022 runoff election between Figueres and Chaves. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/02/10/costa-ricans-pick-their-socialist-poison-in-presidential-runoff/

La designación de Gloria Porras por parte de la Universidad San Carlos como magistrada ante la Corte de Constitucionalidad de Guatemala se ha paralizado por irregularidades. José Luis González Dubón, abogado, catedrático y doctor guatemalteco en derecho, explica las objeciones legales, las denuncias de presiones y cómo podría terminar el caso. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/01/05/us-handpicking-of-guatemalan-magistrate-will-fail-spanish

Guatemala remains mired in poverty, violence, and dependence on remittances from its migrant population. Martin Barillas, a journalist and former US diplomat, explores the causes and offers a way out. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2021/12/08/how-can-guatemala-escape-dependency/

La historia de Guatemala y Centroamérica es un campo de batalla cultural entre conservadores y progresistas, principalmente. Carlos Sabino y María Lorena Castellanos, historiadores y catedráticos en universidades guatemaltecas, explican cómo estos grupos tergiversan sucesos como la colonización, la independencia, los conflictos armados y los gobiernos dictatoriales para fines políticos e ideológicos. Notas: https://impunityobserver.com/2021/11/10/instrumentalizacion-historia-de-guatemala/

En una entrevista exclusiva con Impunity Observer, la fiscal general María Consuelo Porras argumentó que el Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. y sus aliados están involucrados en una campaña para desacreditar a la institución que representa: “Ellos están obstruyendo la justicia en Guatemala,” presumiblemente para tomar el control junto con un un selecto grupo de aliados progresistas. https://impunityobserver.com/2021/10/26/fiscal-general-guatemala-departamento-estado-impide-alcanzar-imperio-ley/

Nicaragua's road to serfdom under strongman Daniel Ortega has mesmerized observers. Marco Navarro-Genie, a Nicaraguan political scientist living in Canada, explains how the Sandinistas took over the country and whether the United States should brace for another wave of Central American migrants. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2021/10/12/nicaraguas-untold-story-under-daniel-ortega/

In the inaugural episode of our podcast, Steve Hecht explains what led him to found the Impunity Observer after living in Guatemala for decades and what stories the mainstream media in the United States are failing to cover. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2021/09/22/the-need-for-alternative-media-in-central-america/

IO Podcast: How Biden Will Fund Criminal Socialists in Guatemala by Impunity Observer

By Steve Hecht.

Listen to Steve Hecht on the Steve Gruber Show discussing why the fight against electoral fraud is a fight against totalitarianism, and Trump’s efforts to expose it are noble. Aired on December 8, 2020: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-vuy25-f46ab9

Niger Innis of the "Wayne Allyn Root Show" interviews Impunity Observer's Editor-at-Large Steven Hecht on October 26, 2020.