Editor’s Note: This article is the first of a two-part series on the gang culture and violence in Guatemala. Read Part II. GUATEMALA CITY — The ambulance arrives with its siren wailing and a team of medics runs to the emergency room entrance. The doors of the vehicle burst open and a trolley is lowered down with a young man lying on it groaning. It is 2:19 in the morning and Gersen Armando Ramirez Santus, a tattooed gang member, has just been shot twice in the chest on the crime-teeming streets of this city. Guatemala is a nation still traumatized [...]
ACCRA, Ghana — The green, red and yellow colors and the black star of Ghana’s flag symbolized the rush of pride felt by many people here as their country celebrated 50 years of independence from Britain. Some sported hats and wristbands, while others wore t-shirts, emblazoned with the government slogan, “Championing African excellence.” A few even donned the flag like a cape as they enjoyed their Mar. 6 holiday, the date of founding President Kwame Nkrumah’s declaration of independence in 1957. The vibrant displays of patriotic fashion certainly pleased the eye, but they could not disguise the dissatisfaction with Ghana’s [...]
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — If Colombians were ever in doubt about the special relationship their leader enjoys with the White House, then President George W. Bush’s words last week left no room for speculation. As Bush embarked on his five-nation tour of Latin America, he gave Colombia’s President, Alvaro Uribe, a glowing report. “In my judgment, President Uribe has done a fabulous job in leading this country. He has been very firm and very dedicated and the results are impressive,” said Bush, in an interview with Latin American journalists at the White House last week. “I think his leadership places him [...]
