Impunity Observer
The Impunity Observer is committed to fearless investigative journalism and policy research. Our mission is to foster positive relations between the United States and Latin America. Independent journalism enables common understanding and the rule of law towards trade and economic development.
Wed, April 02, 2025
Maxime Bernier: Only the People's Party Opposes Mass Immigration
Buy Fergus Hodgson's book "Financial Sovereignty for Canadians": https://econamericas.com/financial-sovereignty-canadians/ In Canada, especially given the housing crisis, 65 percent of the population want an end to mass immigration. However, neither the Conservatives nor the Liberals have addressed the problem. Maxime Bernier, the PPC leader, contends that discussing the topics that concern Canadians will allow the PPC to expand its political support and get candidates in Parliament. However, for Bernier, addressing mass immigration is not only a political strategy but a necessary step on the path to tackling Canada's structural problems. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/04/02/maxime-bernier-only-the-peoples-party-sides-with-canadians-on-immigration/
Tue, April 01, 2025
Olav Dirkmaat: Foreign Aid Exports Culture Wars to Third World
Buy Fergus Hodgson's "The Latin America Red Pill" on Amazon! Kindle: https://amzn.to/4fAv4An Paperback: https://amzn.to/49Q01zd Olav Dirkmaat, who holds a PhD in economics from Rey Juan Carlos University, joins the Impunity Observer podcast to discuss his latest research on the ideological influence of foreign aid. His study, “Foreign Aid: An Ideological Hobby,” published by Francisco Marroquín University’s Public Policy Analysis Center (CADEP), examines how taxpayer dollars from the United States and Europe are shaping public policy and public opinion in Guatemala. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/04/01/olav-dirkmaat-foreign-aid-exports-culture-wars-to-third-world/
Wed, March 12, 2025
Francisco Zalles: Misguided Environmentalism Has Harmed the Galápagos
Francisco Zalles, a professor at Hespérides University and a researcher at the Ecuadorian Institute of Economic Policy ( IEEP ), moved to the Galápagos and quickly identified these pressing challenges. Alongside IEEP, Zalles led the creation of the Galápagos Observatory. This initiative recently published its first investigative report, analyzing the adverse effects of population control, subsidies, and a sprawling bureaucracy. https://impunityobserver.com/2025/03/12/francisco-zalles-misguided-environmentalism-has-harmed-the-galapagos/
Tue, March 11, 2025
Responding to Your Comments about Canada's Future
Buy the books:- "Time to Leave", Michael Wagner: https://amzn.to/4hiUIv5- "Financial Sovereignty for Canadians" Fergus Hodgson: https://econamericas.com/financial-sovereignty-canadians/Some topics justify more coverage, and Canada's constitutional crisis is one of them. Perhaps because the Canadian media are so bought off, with notable exceptions, Ottawa's critics have received precious little attention. Hence, my recent video, “Three Reasons Why Canada's Days Are Numbered,” proved our most popular ever. Here I will provide responses to three recurring themes in the more than 600 comments, which I appreciate.Read the full article: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/03/11/responding-to-your-comments-about-canadas-future/
Tue, March 04, 2025
Paths to a Value-Added Cacao Harvest for Honduras
My Yojoa premium options are now live: * the full selection (eight) https://ebay.com/itm/388032482652 * 10 dark (70 percent cacao) https://ebay.com/itm/388032562183 * 10 milk (45 percent cacao) https://ebay.com/itm/388032562183 In this episode, Elmer Pineda shares how they faced a pivotal moment: shut down the business or innovate. They chose innovation, spending two to three years developing a compelling brand with flavors that match Honduras's rich cacao, which has a slightly more fat (cacao butter) content. Pineda's unique approach, pushing the boundaries of taste creativity, allowed them to compete with well-known US and Swiss brands at Honduran supermarkets and garner international prizes. Pineda has also weaned his farm off pesticides and is pursuing organic certification, in an effort to meet the needs of the high-end market.I was able to bring back a small quantity of Pineda's chocolate with me to Colorado. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/03/04/paths-value-added-cacao-harvest-honduras/
Tue, February 25, 2025
San Pedro Sula Mayor: Remittances Are Blood Money
.Buy Fergus Hodgson's "The Latin America Red Pill" on Amazon!Kindle: https://amzn.to/4fAv4AnPaperback: https://amzn.to/49Q01zd Roberto “Pollo” Contreras, the mayor of San Pedro Sula, argues remittances are blood money. Emigration from Honduras means leaving behind siblings, children, and other family members—many of whom end up joining gangs. San Pedro Sula has been struggling with a serious challenge: its youth are leaving for the United States or Spain. Contreras argues this exodus is primarily due to the government's failure to enable economic opportunities. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/02/25/san-pedro-sula-mayor-remittances-are-blood-money/
Mon, February 17, 2025
Three Reasons Why Canada's Days Are Numbered
The new US president has done more for provincial separatism than any Albertan or Quebecker in recent years. His tariffs and the retaliatory escalation have revealed an incompetent and disconnected Ottawa political class, but that scratches the surface of the confederation's precariousness. As Michael Wagner notes in Time to Leave (2024), “Canada cannot be fixed.”Watch this video to find out the paths out of confederation!Buy the books:- "Time to Leave", Michael Wagner: https://amzn.to/4hiUIv5- "Financial Sovereignty for Canadians" Fergus Hodgson: https://econamericas.com/financial-sovereignty-canadians/Read the full article: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/02/03/three-reasons-why-canadas-days-are-numbered/
Mon, February 03, 2025
Gabriela Guerrero: Foreign Alliances Loom Large over Ecuadorian Election
In our latest podcast, Gabriella Guerrero, executive director of La Politeka—a political education initiative—shares her insights on the upcoming presidential and congressional elections in Ecuador. Amid a complex landscape, Guerrero explores the potential scenarios should President Daniel Noboa win or lose against Luisa Gonzalez, the Revolución Ciudadana candidate, representing 21st-century socialism. Ecuador is grappling with two pressing challenges: an energy crisis and soaring violence. While the energy crisis remains a pressing concern for Ecuadorian voters, Guerrero notes that public opinion has become increasingly desensitized to violence, despite the tragic murder of a presidential candidate just two years ago. January 2025 has set a disturbing record as the most violent month in modern Ecuadorian history, with nearly 700 registered murders nationwide. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/02/03/gabriella-guerrero-foreign-alliances-loom-large-ecuador-election/
Thu, January 30, 2025
Trevor Loudon: Tulsi Gabbard Is Enemy within MAGA Movement
Trevor Loudon, one of the most authoritative experts on communist movements, joins the Impunity Observer to discuss US President Donald Trump's recent nominations. A key figure raising concerns is Tulsi Gabbard, who served as a Democratic representative from Hawaii in Congress from 2013 to 2021. After switching to the Republican Party in 2024, Trump nominated her to be director of national intelligence. Loudon explains that Gabbard's former affiliation with the Democratic Party is not necessarily a red flag. What raises alarms for him is her alignment with Russian foreign-policy priorities. For Loudon, Gabbard is a land mine waiting to go off and sully the Trump administration. He believes she could assist Russia's pursuit of an anti-US global agenda, which includes a multipolar international order—favoring China, Iran, and Russia. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/01/30/what-donald-trumps-new-intel-pick-implies-for-foreign-policy/
Wed, January 22, 2025
Progressivism and Liberalism Are Enemies | Jim Ostrowski
Buy Fergus Hodgson's "The Latin America Red Pill" on Amazon! Kindle: https://amzn.to/4fAv4An Paperback: https://amzn.to/49Q01zd Attorney Jim Ostrowski, based in Buffalo, New York, has for more than a decade been on a mission to convey the true nature of progressivism and retake the liberal tradition for the liberty movement. In "Progressivism: A Primer on the Idea Destroying America" (226 pages, 2014), Ostrowski explains how the interventionist mindset has swept the United States since 1900 and is an archenemy of liberalism. He describes the primer as his “best book,” among many he has authored, and he contrasts the United States of today with that found by Alexis de Tocqueville in the early 19th century and described in Democracy in America. Buy the book: https://amzn.to/3Wrl5Xj
Wed, January 22, 2025
Liberation Theology Outlives Gustavo Gutierrez, Popularizes Marxism | Marco Navarro-Génie
Marxism remains Marxism, even when it goes by different names. This is true for liberation theology, which has evolved into a religious partner to today’s progressivism. Marco Navarro-Génie—founding president of the Haultain Research Institute and author of Augusto "César" Sandino: Messiah of Light and Truth (2002)—contends that liberation theology can be as dangerous as any other movement that attempts to "liberate" the oppressed through force. In his analysis, “The Legacy of Gustavo Gutiérrez: Liberation Theology,” Navarro-Génie warns, “One cannot establish a regime of justice based on exploiting divisions among people based on envy and resentment.” In this podcast episode, Navarro-Génie explores Pope Francis’s stance on liberation theology, fragmentation within the Catholic Church, and potential dangers this ideology poses to society. Further, he comments on when and how to combat liberation theology. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2025/01/14/liberation-theology-outlives-gustavo-gutierrez-popularizes-marxism/
Tue, December 24, 2024
How Nayib Bukele Played the IMF with Bitcoin Bargaining Chip
Buy Fergus Hodgson's "The Latin America Red Pill" on Amazon! Kindle: https://amzn.to/4fAv4An Paperback: https://amzn.to/49Q01zd After adopting bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador in June 2021, President Nayib Bukele has agreed to reform the Bitcoin Law to access a US$1.3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. Bukele’s government has been negotiating with the IMF for three years. Initially, the IMF firmly rejected any deal so long as El Salvador continued recognizing bitcoin as legal tender. However, in recent negotiations, Bukele has used the Bitcoin Law as a strategic tool, turning it into an asset in his favor. As a result, El Salvador is set to soon receive IMF funds without losing its Bitcoin Law. Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/12/18/how-nayib-bukele-imf-with-bitcoin-bargaining-chip/
Tue, December 17, 2024
Jorge Cálix: Los narcotraficantes siguen en el poder en Honduras
En nuestra serie de episodios sobre las elecciones primarias del Partido Liberal en Honduras, el Impunity Observer entrevistó al precandidato: Jorge Cálix. El candidato más joven de la contienda, se ubica segundo en las encuestas dentro del Partido Liberal. Cálix comenta sobre los graves desafíos que enfrenta Honduras. En particular, la pobreza afecta a más de la mitad de la población. También menciona la elevada criminalidad, lo cual ahuyenta las oportunidades económicas y a las personas, exacerbando la crisis migratoria. Cálix advierte: “si la actual situación persiste, ningún muro detendrá la emigración”. Diputado desde 2014, primero como suplente (2014–2018) y luego como principal (2018–actualidad), Calix ha presenciado decisiones políticas efectivas y deficientes. Por ello, cree que el país necesita soluciones e ideas frescas para abordar sus desafíos. Sin profundizar, Cálix menciona sus propuestas en asuntos económicos clave, incluyendo la creación de empleo, atracción de inversiones y mejorar la seguridad. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/12/17/jorge-calix-drug-traffickers-in-office-honduras/
Wed, December 11, 2024
Javier Milei’s One-Year Scorecard: Reforms Now Bearing Fruit | Adam Dubove
Subscribe to Global Analyst by Adrian Day. Receive a 10 percent discount when you subscribe with the FERG coupon code: https://www.adriandayglobalanalyst.com/subscribe-now Argentine President Javier Milei appears to be implementing as much of his political agenda as possible, with the proviso that he has limited support in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. According to financial advisor Adam Dubove, Milei has effectively leveraged high citizen approval—a rare and compelling mandate—to push forward critical reforms. Milei’s initial strategy focused on reforming or removing regulations that negatively impact Argentineans' daily lives. As Dubove explains, these actions have already begun to show positive results: "We’re seeing a wider variety of products on supermarket shelves, and in some cases, prices are even decreasing due to increased competition … There’s still much to be done, but we’re heading in the right direction." When it comes to Milei's dollarization proposal, Dubove remains optimistic. He believes that Milei has been working to stabilize the Argentine peso and is taking careful, measured steps to avoid any unintended consequences, such as capital flight or a run on the US dollar. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/12/11/javier-mileis-one-year-scorecard-reforms-now-bearing-fruit/
Mon, December 02, 2024
What the Media Overlook When Reporting on Israel
Russell, host of The Canadian Conservative Podcast, joins our latest episode to discuss his trip to Israel in October 2024. He went in with a little understanding of the country’s history and conflicts, and he sought to be open to different perspectives with a relatively blank slate. However, he found that Western legacy media fail to provide an accurate overview. On the other hand, Russell contends that some independent media are doing a good job with their coverage, insofar as they can from abroad. Western legacy media, he contends, downplay or ignore the diversity within Israel's proud nationalism. Russel contrasts that with what he sees as a lack of national identity in Canada. Regarding religion, Russell explains that there are divided Jewish communities, such as orthodox and reconstructionist: “There is also a Muslim community that is respectful with Jewish symbols.” However, foreign threats appear to have galvanized the population behind the Zionist cause. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/12/03/what-the-media-overlook-when-reporting-on-israel/
Wed, November 27, 2024
MAGA Won. Will MEGA Come Next?
Historian Mark Mazower’s recent essay on the implications of Donald Trump’s electoral victory for global democracy illustrates how academic and political elites continue to misunderstand the greatest political phenomenon of our times: Trump and the MAGA movement. As European society is being degraded due to the massive influx of unassimilable migrants with sociocultural norms unsuited for democracy, it would do the cause of democracy well to see a European version of MAGA. Mazower is right about one thing. Europe is exceptional and worth saving. A democratic effort to Make Europe Great Again might someday gain traction, before it is too late. Read the analysis: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/11/26/maga-won-will-mega-come-next/
Tue, November 19, 2024
What Is Really behind Forest Fires in Bolivia | Juan Pablo Chamón
Almost 46,000 fires have been reported in the Bolivian Amazon so far this year, accounting for more than 4 million hectares of burned forest. While this has been the largest registered number since 2012, Global Forest Watch has warned wildfires have sharply increased since 2019 due to growing illicit activities in the region. To better understand this development, the Impunity Observer interviewed Juan Pablo Chamon—director of free-market think tank Libera Bolivia. Chamon explains the fastest way for criminal groups to get clandestine roads for trafficking drugs, illegal minerals, and exotic animals is burning the forest. Contrary to mainstream media narratives blaming the private sector, he points to drug traffickers and smugglers working with Chinese or Hezbollah factions operating in the region. Moreover, Chamon highlights that Bolivian officials are colluding with criminal groups. For instance, three drug enforcement chiefs have been found guilty of drug trafficking by the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The United States has already extradited one of them. Finally, Chamon explains Bolivia’s location and resources are not the country’s sole attractions for transnational crime. The fact that international media do not cover Bolivia makes her more attractive, particularly for the interests of rogue nations like Iran and China. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/11/20/what-is-really-behind-forest-fires-in-bolivia/
Tue, November 12, 2024
Claudia Amaya: Elections Will Test Honduran Rule of Law
Claudia Amaya, a Honduran lawyer and politician, is running for a legislative candidacy in the primary election of the Liberal Party. Traditional and founded in 1891, the Liberal Party is now the chief rival to the ruling Libre party. In this podcast episode, Amaya—executive director of the Honduran Palm Oil Industry Association (AIPAH)—shares her political career and her motivation to be a candidate. She analyzes the political and economic challenges that the country is facing under the mandate of Xiomara Castro and proposes a way forward. As Honduras struggles with high unemployment, emigration, and crime, Amaya explains that strengthening the rule of law is pivotal. In that way, she contends, Honduras can attract more foreign investors and, maybe, the companies that have left the country during the Castro regime will return. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/11/15/claudia-amaya-elections-will-test-honduran-rule-of-law/
Mon, November 04, 2024
The Latin America Plan for Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Erik Suárez
Erik Suárez, a Venezuelan expatriate settled in the United States, joins the Impunity Observer podcast to comment on the impact of the US presidential election in Latin America. For Suárez, US foreign policy towards the region will experience a significant change. Republican senators and congressmen with Latino roots, such as Marco Rubio, María Salazar, and Mario Díaz-Balart, have been actively working to increase Latin American prominence in US foreign policy. Moreover, political commentator Suarez argues that a new Donald Trump administration could support Venezuela's return to democracy. Since Republicans will have a majority in the House and Senate, they will have the enough strength to pressure dictatorial regimes in the region. However, creating the conditions to change the regime through US policies is not enough. For Suárez, Venezuelans should lead the transition. Regarding migration, Suarez believes Trump will continue the migration policy he implemented before. He acknowledges that welcoming people that flee from totalitarian regimes like Venezuela, unfortunately, affects the prosperity of the home nation. He comments on the severe brain drain that Venezuela has experienced during Chavismo, and warns that some expatriates are now unlikely to ever return. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/11/06/a-latam-plan-for-likely-secretary-of-state-marco-rubio/
Mon, October 28, 2024
Jim Simpson: Destabilization Is Tactic to Undermine US Institutions
Our podcast guest, James Simpson, has authored Manufactured Crisis: The War to End America (2024). His goal is to raise awareness of the tactics the left uses to weaken the political system in the United States. According to Simpson, the left—embodied by both the dominant faction of the Democratic Party and woke ideologues—executed the strategy a long time ago, when they tried to collapse the welfare system and foment violence. In the 1990s, Bill Clinton reformed the welfare system by adding requirements to recipients, but Barack Obama reversed that reform in 2010. Simpson notes some Democrat state legislators turning Republican. They understand the radical goals their party now holds. The podcast episode finishes with a brief US election analysis. Simpson explains the challenges and opportunities derived from the election results and how Trump can seize the momentum for change if he wins. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/10/29/jim-simpson-destabilization-is-tactic-to-undermine-us-institutions/
Tue, October 22, 2024
Child-trafficking scandal is test of electorate engagement
Failure to react to scandalous government abuse of power will destroy freedom by giving power to corrupt tyrants. There is no greater scandal than the Biden-Harris regime putting children into slavery and covering it up. That means the 2024 election will determine if we still have the capacity to be morally outraged and protect ourselves. More than 320,000 migrant children who crossed the border without parents and whom the Health and Human Services Department released to “qualified sponsors” are missing. This is according to an August 19 Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report that says the minors are at risk of sex trafficking, forced labor, and other forms of exploitation. Editor-at-Large Steve Hecht discusses why the desensitized voters will lose liberty. Read the full article: https://www.bizpacreview.com/2024/10/10/child-trafficking-scandal-is-test-of-electorate-engagement-1493818/
Mon, October 21, 2024
Tara Rodas: US Taxpayers Are Funding Child Trafficking
Tara Lee Rodas started working at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) full of enthusiasm for assisting migrant children that arrived in the United States without their parents. However, when she realized some officials were colluding with criminal gangs to have them sponsor the children she reported that and was dismissed. As an HHS whistleblower, Rodas has spread the tragic reality of the US program: Unaccompanied Children Released to Sponsors. In April 2023, for instance, she gave her testimony at a House hearing: “The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children.” In this podcast episode, Rodas explains that the HHS has the records with the names of the children and the corresponding sponsors. HHS officials can follow up and identify the endangered children. Nevertheless, she reveals there is a lack of political will. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/10/23/tara-rodas-us-taxpayers-are-funding-child-trafficking/
Wed, October 16, 2024
‘The Apprentice’ Rises Above Partisanship, Humanizes Donald Trump
Discount code (10 percent) for Edge Designations: FERGhttps://edgedesignations.com/ Like its protagonist, The Apprentice (123 minutes, 2024) will mean different things to different people and enable an odd mix of confirmation biases. Those watching the same enthralling portrayal of the young Donald Trump and his attorney-mentor Roy Cohn (1927–1986) will extract starkly different conclusions. MAGA partisans will likely highlight Trump’s courage, ambition, and productivity. Those infected with Trump derangement syndrome will dwell on his ruthlessness, ego, and, at times, cold demeanor. Both are right and have more than a kernel of truth to their versions of the story. However, given the October 11 US release, less than a month before the presidential election, both sides are amid the battle and likely to miss the point of The Apprentice. As Iranian-born and Denmark-based Director Ali Abbasi explained on the leftist Democracy Now! program, he does not have a partisan ax to grind, and he sought to provide the broader human side of both Trump and Cohn. Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/10/14/the-apprentice-rises-above-partisanship-humanizes-donald-trump/
Mon, October 14, 2024
Por qué la clase media de México rechaza la agenda de Claudia Sheinbaum
En este episodio, conversamos con la profesora de derecho y filosofía Joanna Guerra y la experta en blockchain Mariana Carmona sobre el nuevo gobierno de Claudia Sheinbaum, así como los desafíos críticos que México enfrenta en la actualidad. Tanto Guerra como Carmona son profesionales talentosas en sus ámbitos y, como muchos de la clase media y alta-media en México, están planeando dejar el país pronto. Ellas predicen que Sheinbaum continuará la agenda de AMLO pero con un tinte más autoritario. Morena, su partido político, ha asegurado mayoría significativa en el Congreso, permitiendo que sean ellos quienes pongan a los jueces de la Corte Suprema. De acuerdo con la reforma judicial más reciente, las funciones ejecutiva y legislativa pueden elegir directamente a algunos magistrados. Ellas mencionan que el creciente interés de China para invertir en el país puede afectar las relaciones con Estados Unidos y afectar a los mexicanos. Las compañías chinas usualmente llevan su fuerza de trabajo, mientras que las estadounidenses pueden irse del país, traduciéndose en despidos masivos. Además, los acuerdos entre China y México, junto con la violencia rampante (más de 100 asesinatos suceden al mes en los estados más peligrosos) disuaden a los negocios a quedarse en el país. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/10/15/mexico-middle-class-want-out-claudia-sheinbaum/
Wed, October 02, 2024
Stephen Harper’s Tough Love for Never Trumpers
Subscribe to Global Analyst by Adrian Day. Receive a 10 percent discount when you subscribe with the FERG coupon code: https://www.adriandayglobalanalyst.com/subscribe-now Publisher Fergus Hodgson delves into "Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption," written by former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In this video, Hodgson presents the book as an essential guide to modern conservative thought. Harper eloquently argues that conservatism is about “seeing the world as it is,” rather than striving for ideological purity. He emphasizes the significance of the nation-state as a crucial institution, countering globalist dominance. He believes that the nation-state provides a core identity for people, and that patriotism should be embraced—especially within Western civilization. During times of rapid innovation and uncertainty, people naturally gravitate toward their nations. "Right Here, Right Now" offers insightful ideas on how conservatives can navigate these disruptive times effectively. Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2020/09/02/stephen-harper-tough-love-never-trumpers/
Thu, September 19, 2024
Electoral Integrity Is Death Knell for Amoral Democrat Machine
Those who now control the Democrat Party intend to turn our country into a dictatorship. Calling Democrats incompetent implicitly conveys they have good intentions. To preserve liberty, we must recognize we face an amoral machine that seeks power at all costs. Watch our Editor-at-Large Steve Hecht discussing how tying the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to a continuing spending resolution provides an opportunity to show Democrats' priority is to win elections through cheating. Read the full article: https://www.bizpacreview.com/2024/09/17/electoral-integrity-is-death-knell-for-amoral-democrat-machine-1487987/
Wed, September 18, 2024
Matt Walsh Joins Hustlers with Vacuous ‘Am I Racist?’
Discount code FERG (10 percent) for Green Pasture. Value-size cod liver oil: https://www.greenpasture.org/product/value-size-fermented-cod-liver-oil-liquid-msc-certified/?ref=15577 Concentrated butter oil: https://greenpasture.org/product/concentrated-butter-oil-capsules/?ref=15577 If you enjoyed "What Is a Woman?", you will be horrified at how far Matt Walsh has fallen with "Am I Racist?" The negative adjectives that apply to this film are many. However, the tragedy is that his feeble attempt at comedy derails what could have been a historic examination and humiliation of race hustlers. Fergus Hodgson offers a thorough review of Walsh’s latest film, “Am I Racist?,” which attempts to address DEI issues through a mockumentary lens. Hodgson critiques the film's lack of focus and comedic missteps, highlighting what could have been a powerful message. Read the full review: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/09/16/matt-walsh-joins-hustlers-with-vacuous-am-i-racist-film/
Tue, September 17, 2024
The ESG Framework Hurts Developing Countries
Discount code (10 percent) for Edge Designations: FERG https://edgedesignations.com/ The ESG framework is a progressive agenda that harms market prospects for both companies and national economies. Yet, it has managed to gain widespread traction. The number of ESG exchange-traded funds (ETFs) went from $12 billion in 2006 to $1,826 billion in 2023, an increase of over 15,000 percent! This result emanates from the perverse incentives of big companies in rich countries to toe the ideological line of the governments with which they collude. In his latest article, Nicholas Virzi explains why the ESG framework harms developing countries. It pressures developing country governments to apply untested theories that they did not themselves consider, much less follow, in their developmental paths. This is the third in a series of Impunity Observer articles that expose the problems associated with applying the ESG framework to developing countries. Part One: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/07/10/how-esg-politicizes-country-risk-evaluations/ Part Two: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/07/22/guatemala-pays-unjustified-esg-penalty/ Part Three: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/09/12/the-esg-framework-hurts-developing-countries/
Tue, September 10, 2024
Lessons from Building a New Political Party
Subscribe to Global Analyst by Adrian Day. Receive a 10 percent discount when you subscribe with the FERG coupon code: https://www.adriandayglobalanalyst.com/subscribe-now This episode features Ryan Smyth, former treasurer of the Atlantica Party from Nova Scotia, Canada. He explains the challenges and successes of managing a startup political organization focused on free markets and individualism in the classical-liberal tradition. After four years of inactivity, the Atlantic Party re-entered the political scene in 2016, contesting the 2017 and 2021 provincial elections. While they did not secure seats in the legislature, Smyth believes they shifted Nova Scotia's political dialogue. In April 2024, the Atlantica Party opted to deregister, given a lack of volunteers. However, Smyth contends that operating the Atlantica Party was a worthwhile endeavor, albeit from the margins. Despite modest electoral results, the party succeeded in bringing classic-liberal concerns to the electorate. Several of their proposals have been adopted by other political parties and leaders, marking a lasting influence even without legislative representation. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/09/10/lessons-from-building-a-new-political-party/
Wed, September 04, 2024
Kamala Harris sacrifices children, women for political gain
Contrary to her acceptance-speech claim that her sole client is the people, Kamala Harris is a handpicked frontman for an amoral, antidemocratic regime. While regime media falsely portray her as caring, regime policies direct people from south of the border straight into the hands of Mexican cartels that enslave children and rape women. In his latest analysis, Editor-at-Large Steve Hecht examines the consequences of Harris's foreign policies and alliances in Central America, particularly Guatemala. Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/09/04/kamala-harris-sacrifices-children-women-for-political-gain/ Recommended links: - Interview with Ángel Pineda by Robby Starbuck: https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1790082374270623755 - Interview with Mario Duarte by Tucker Carlson: https://tuckercarlson.com/uncensored-mario-duarte - Tara Lee Rodas's statement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y06vLTRZNKM
Tue, September 03, 2024
Mark Moyar Pulls Back Curtain on 'Masters of Corruption' in Washington, DC
Mark Moyar joins our show to discuss his latest book, Masters of Corruption. He exposes a deep culture of corruption and partisanship within federal institutions, sadly even among the offices supposedly there to protect whistleblowers. In addition, Moyar shares his insights on the Democratic and Republican parties as the November election approaches. He discusses how Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would likely shape their administrations and US foreign policy toward Latin America. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/09/03/mark-moyar-pulls-back-curtain-masters-corruption/
Tue, August 27, 2024
What Chinese Mining in Nicaragua Reveals about the Sandinista Dictatorship
Chinese Mining in Nicaragua: A Window into the Sandinista Dictatorship The impact of Chinese mining in Nicaragua goes far beyond the environment. It raises critical questions about governance, sovereignty, and the future of the nation under the Sandinista regime. In our latest video, we explore how these mining activities reflect the deeper issues at play within the Sandinista dictatorship. Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/08/21/chinese-mining-nicaragua-reveals-sandinista-dictatorship/
Tue, August 20, 2024
Salvador Nasralla: Honduras debe aliarse con EE. UU., no con los comunistas chinos
El aumento de la migración hondureña durante el gobierno de Xiomara Castro ha puesto en evidencia la ineficiencia de sus políticas socialistas, así como del oportunismo y clientelismo reinante entre la élite política emergente. Salvador Nasralla, en calidad de primer designado presidencial de Honduras, fue testigo de ello desde que asumió el cargo en 2022. Bajo el argumento de que no tenía capacidad de influencia política, ni autorización para hacer su trabajo, renunció y lanzó su precandidatura presidencial con el Partido Liberal. Nasralla se mantiene como una figura política prominente y asegura que es el opositor con mayor posibilidad de ganar al partido oficialista. En esta entrevista exclusiva con el Impunity Observer, Nasralla –ex presentador de televisión y candidato presidencial en dos ocasiones anteriores– explica cuáles son los mayores desafíos actuales que enfrenta Honduras. También aborda los riesgos a los que se enfrenta Honduras por el reciente fortalecimiento de las relaciones con China y las señales de una posible manipulación en las próximas elecciones. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/08/20/salvador-nasralla-honduras-welcome-us-trade-not-chinese/
Tue, August 13, 2024
Why Buenos Aires Is the World’s Therapy Capital
Fergus Hodgson uncovers the primary reasons as to why therapy is highly important in Argentina. Due to their extensive history of corruption and wrongdoers in economics, Buenos Aires has become the therapy capital of the world. Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/08/06/why-buenos-aires-is-the-worlds-therapy-capital/ Watch the documentary: https://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/11176/argentina-in-therapy
Thu, August 08, 2024
Lula’s Mediation Is a Farce | Alejandro Peña Esclusa
What happened in Venezuela after the announcement of the faux electoral results, was a major concern for the international left. One of its main allies, the “son of Hugo Chávez,” had committed a monumental fraud in broad daylight and was massacring the people. How could they tackle the crisis, so that the left did not sink along with him? Antonio Peña Esclusa explains the socialist's narrative, implemented by Lula da Silva and his allies to address this issue, in his latest article translated by the Impunity Observer. Read the full review: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/08/07/lulas-mediation-is-a-farce/ Lea en español: https://fuerzasolidaria.org/?p=4831
Thu, August 01, 2024
Economic Literacy Is Not Enough
Per Bylund's "How to think economics" (2022) compiles all the valuable economics concepts we need to know. In the book review, Fergus Hodgson explains how this book opens the reader's mind and what challenges it does not address. Read the full review: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/07/03/economic-literacy-is-not-enough/ Buy the book: https://a.co/d/iygUBUz
Wed, July 24, 2024
There Can Be No Unity with Enemies of Liberty
In his latest article for BizPac Review, our Editor-at-Large, Steve Hecht, explains the challenges MAGA faces after Donald Trump's attack. Although Trump seeks to unite the nation, the polarization strategy is a real challenge to consider. Read the article: https://www.bizpacreview.com/2024/07/16/there-can-be-no-unity-with-enemies-of-liberty-1472732/ Lea es artículo en español: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/07/17/no-puede-haber-unidad-con-enemigos-libertad/
Wed, July 24, 2024
Exclusiva: candidata presidencial hondureña condena la tiranía socialista
Los grupos gemelos del Foro de Sao Paulo y el Grupo de Puebla se reunieron a finales de junio en Honduras para planificar su nueva ofensiva autoritaria en la región, todo bajo el auspicio del gobierno socialista de Xiomara Castro. Maribel Espinoza, diputada del Congreso de Honduras, teme que, siguiendo esta línea, el gobierno no apruebe el presupuesto del Consejo Nacional Electoral a tiempo, lo que impediría que se realicen las elecciones primarias de los partidos opositores en marzo de 2025. Espinoza, quien es precandidata a la presidencia de la República, asegura que, si gana en las elecciones de noviembre de 2025, implementará una serie de reformas liberales para frenar la corrupción enquistada en las instituciones y promover la seguridad jurídica para atraer inversiones al país. Show notes (in English): https://impunityobserver.com/2024/07/17/exclusive-honduran-presidential-candidate-condemns-socialist-tyranny/
Tue, July 09, 2024
The Key to Leveraging Mining for Economic Development
Many Third-World nations have valuable natural resources within their borders. Converting them into lasting economic development, rather than a one-off shot in the arm, is easier said than done. The first step is to consider the perspectives of investors, and our Publisher Fergus Hodgson argues that the investor’s perspective is found in Investing in Resources (341 pages, 2010) by Adrian Day. Hodgson reviews Day's book, and explains why it offers gems for open-minded policymakers. Read the full review: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/06/19/the-key-to-leveraging-mining-for-economic-development/ Buy the book: https://amzn.to/4ekMFgh #mining #investment #latinamerica
Tue, July 02, 2024
La Agenda del Foro de São Paulo para América Latina | Ricardo Méndez Ruiz
El presidente de Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, visitó a la presidenta de Honduras, Xiomara Castro, antes del Foro de São Paulo en Tegucigalpa, Honduras, del 27 al 29 de junio de 2024. Según Ricardo Méndez, presidente de la Fundación contra el Terrorismo, esta reunión podría impactar negativamente la aprobación de Arévalo entre sus electores. Guatemala es un país predominantemente conservador, y sus ciudadanos podrían comprender mejor las asociaciones de Arévalo con los regímenes comunistas y dictaduras de la región. Méndez también sostiene que, mientras el Foro de São Paulo y sus representantes mantengan el poder en la región, el crimen organizado y el narcotráfico proliferarán. Explica que estos regímenes dependen del desorden y las instituciones débiles para implementar sus agendas y consolidar su poder. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/07/02/sao-paulo-forum-agenda-latin-america/
Tue, June 25, 2024
What a Secret Chinese Police Station Did in Ecuador
On May 14, 2024, media outlets Código Vidrio and Vistazo exposed a covert Chinese police station in Quito, Ecuador. Operating under the guise of a travel agency, this station was part of a global network under the CCP's Fox Hunt operation. Discover the details of this investigation, including an exclusive interview with Arturo Torres, director of Código Vidrio, who provides unique insights into the implications for Ecuador's sovereignty and security. Read the full investigation at Impunity Observer: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/06/24/secret-chinese-police-station-ecuador/
Tue, June 18, 2024
Explained: Evidence of Electoral Fraud in Guatemala
In December 2023, the Prosecutor General’s Office in Guatemala announced the 2023 elections were fraudulent. Fergus Hodgson comments on our investigation in the topic, where we explain the irregularities that could invalidate the results and lead to the Guatemalan President's prosecution. Read the investigation here: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/05/07/explained-evidence-of-electoral-fraud-in-guatemala/
Tue, June 11, 2024
Yusuf Amdani on Third-World Business: Build a Nation within a Nation
Yusuf Amdani of Pakistan first visited Honduras in 1990, on the lookout for a textile-factory location. Fast forward 34 years: he is a Honduran citizen and one of the nation’s most prominent, innovative, and successful entrepreneurs with about 10 factories to his name. Read the full review: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/04/22/yusuf-amdani-build-a-nation-within-a-nation/ Buy the book: https://amzn.to/3xMZWxa
Tue, June 04, 2024
Mexico Is Now a One-Party State
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) spared no expense to support the candidacy of Claudia Sheinbaum. She won the presidential election on June 2, 2024, with 59.5 percent of the votes. AMLO’s political party, Morena, also won two-thirds of the seats at Congress. For Rafael Ramirez de Alba, an economics professor at the IPADE Business School, AMLO will stay behind the throne, and Morena will seek to apply its agenda through legislative reforms. Priorities include reforming the pension system, completely nationalizing the energy sector, and broadening trade integration with China. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/06/04/mexico-is-now-a-one-party-state/
Tue, May 28, 2024
How China Bolstered Influence in Latin America after COVID-19
The Latin American Liberal Network (RELIAL)—which gathers around 50 think tanks and political parties advocating for free markets, the rule of law, and individual rights—has launched a permanent seminar to develop annual in-depth research projects. In 2023, researchers explored the growing influence of China in Latin America. Santiago Carranco holds a doctorate in international studies from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences. He is an international-relations professor at the International University of Ecuador and one of the researchers with the RELIAL permanent seminar. In this podcast episode, Carranco discusses the changes to relations between China and small countries, in particular Ecuador and Peru, where he conducted his investigation. Carranco analyzes how the effects of the pandemic and the measures to curb it provided an opportunity to expand the influence of rising powers such as China. China took advantage of its economic leverage when the United States and Europe experienced economic downturns and inflation to boost its geopolitical positioning in developing countries by furthering diplomatic relations and cooperation. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/05/28/china-bolstered-influence-latin-america-after-covid
Tue, May 21, 2024
The week US media caught on to State Department criminality in Guatemala
Carlson interviewed former Guatemala Secretary of Intelligence (2016–2020) Mario Duarte about his first-hand experience of the US State Department imposition on Guatemala. Duarte, also a US citizen, said DOS has weaponized the government to force upon allied nations its “ideological projects and socialist narratives.” Editor-at-Large Steve Hecht comments on the recent coverage of US media on the topic and recommends congressional investigations. Read the article: https://www.bizpacreview.com/2024/05/16/the-week-us-media-caught-on-to-state-department-criminality-in-guatemala-1459802/ Español: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/05/16/medios-estadounidenses-criminalidad-departamento-estado-guatemala/
Wed, May 15, 2024
When Moving to El Salvador Is a Win-Win
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has made an intriguing offer: immediate citizenship for 5,000 intellectuals who wish to make the move. Albeit scant on details and merely an X post, his pitch poses a pertinent and fascinating question: when would this make sense for both the host nation and the new arrivals? Publisher Fergus Hodgson explores the opportunities for foreigners in El Salvador and how the country could benefit from the migration of talented individuals. Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/05/14/when-moving-to-el-salvador-is-a-win-win/ Buy the books: Hive Mind https://amzn.to/3yldAbf World of Opportunity https://amzn.to/3xMZWxa
Wed, May 08, 2024
Colombia’s Greenwashing: Venezuelan Regime Steps in with Fossil Fuels
Colombian President Gustavo Petro made energy transition one of his 2022 presidential campaign’s flagship policies. He pledged to replace fossil fuels with renewables and turn Ecopetrol, the fourth largest oil company in Latin America, into the region’s most influential green-energy firm. In this podcast episode, our Research Director Paz Gómez discusses her investigation on the reliability and state of Colombia's energy transition plan. She explains why, in the meantime, the lack of legal certainty has made his policy typical of populist pledges from Latin American caudillos. Read the investigation here: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/04/15/colombias-greenwashing-venezuelan-regime-steps-in-with-fossil-fuels/
Wed, May 01, 2024
How the Joe Biden Regime Aligns with Enemies of Humanity
The Joe Biden regime's policy priorities coincide with the agendas of US adversaries abroad. A February 20 letter by eight US senators told Biden that his administration's sanctions had attacked US allies and ignored corruption by US enemies. Editor-at-Large Steve Hecht explains how the Biden regime's relaxation of sanctions and enabling of money for Iran has empowered the dictatorship and its terrorist proxies: Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Read the article here: https://www.bizpacreview.com/2024/04/30/how-pro-hamas-protests-further-joe-bidens-tyranny-1456086/
Tue, April 23, 2024
The Exodus Is Turning Honduras into Cuba
Cuban exiles enjoy nostalgia for the homes and times they once knew. Those days are long gone, and they will never return. Honduras is creeping toward the same fate. Impunity Observer Publisher Fergus Hodgson comments on his article "The Exodus Is Turning Honduras into Cuba" and explains why this exodus will grow exponentially if socialist policies and autocratic trends continue. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ1UdKsAWYQ&t=124s Read the article: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/04/08/the-exodus-is-turning-honduras-into-cuba/ Read in Spanish: https://www.latribuna.hn/2024/04/07/el-exodo-esta-convirtiendo-a-honduras-en-una-nueva-cuba/
Tue, April 16, 2024
How Chinese Illegals Get to the United States
The Impunity Observer podcast is scaling up to a weekly episode and new formats that allow us to get closer to our audience. Our contributor Mauro Echeverría begins this weekly series with a deeper look at one of his investigations. His latest investigation revealed that a rising number of Chinese citizens are flying to Ecuador, where they begin their journey north. Echeverría discusses how he conducted the research—which included reaching out to three human smugglers and a Google Trends analysis—and his findings. For him, despite restrictions from the Chinese Communist Party, social media plays a major role in helping Chinese citizens obtain information about zouxian. That is a term coined by Chinese citizens to describe the risky route to the United States by land, much of it on foot. Read the investigation here: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/03/05/how-chinese-illegals-get-to-united-states/ #ecuador #migration #china
Tue, April 09, 2024
Cuban Regime Cannot Refute Rosa María Payá
Rosa María Payá, founder of nonprofit Cuba Decide and daughter of assassinated Cuban political dissident Oswaldo Payá, took the floor on the last day of the examination of Cuba by the UN Human Rights Council. Her petition was simple: expel Cuba from the council. A Cuban official responded by attacking her character, but he said nothing in response to her summary of the regime's activities. The Impunity Observer reached out to Payá to learn firsthand what motivated her speech. In addition to broad and consistent violations of human rights on the island, Payá stressed that Cuba has been an instrumental partner to Russia during the invasion of Ukraine. Over 2,000 Cuban youth are serving with the Russian front in Ukraine, and the regime forbids young males to leave the island without permission. Moreover, the dictatorship has been echoing Russia Today’s programming—bypassing sanctions—and broadcasting it worldwide. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/04/09/cuban-regime-cannot-refute-rosa-maria-paya
Fri, March 01, 2024
Fernando Linares: Guatemalan Election Results Do Not Pass Smell Test
Fernando Linares—a Guatemalan lawyer and former congressman—has initiated the legal process to remove the president and 24 congressmen. All belong to President Bernardo Arévalo’s suspended Semilla party. According to Linares, this party has committed numerous illegalities, such as falsely registering more than 8,000 members to qualify for the ballot. He explains that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal should annul the 2023 elections and hold fresh elections in 2024. For Linares, the 2023 Guatemalan presidential election was a fraud. He contends that the US State Department and the European Union catapulted then unknown Arévalo to qualify and eventually win the electoral runoff. With the fraud, he contends, foreign socialist bureaucrats will have a globalist in office in Guatemala, an otherwise conservative nation. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/03/01/fernando-linares-election-results-do-not-pass-smell-test/
Wed, February 28, 2024
Luis Espinosa Goded: Ecuadorians, Not Criminals, Pay for Narco War (Spanish)
Luis Espinosa Goded—a Spanish professor of economics at San Francisco University of Quito, Ecuador—explains how citizens and private businesses will pay a high price for the government's conflict with narcoterrorists. Curfew impositions, reduced mobility, and narco extortion are already some ways in which individuals—rather than the state or the narcos—are suffering from the escalating conflict that has inflamed the nation. For Espinosa Goded, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s strategy of a higher value-added tax to purportedly finance the war against narcos hurts citizens instead of criminals. Noboa could have instead tightened government spending elsewhere to free up taxpayer resources. Espinosa Goded highlights that the Ecuadorian economy is in a dire situation, so the tax increase is a blow to businesses and individuals who cannot afford it. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/02/28/luis-espinosa-goded-ecuadorians-not-criminals-pay-narco-war/
Wed, January 24, 2024
Mario Duarte: The Border Crisis Is Deliberate
Mario Duarte—co-founder and CEO of DH Global Strategy, a global consulting and lobbying firm—predicts 2024 will be a hectic year worldwide for geopolitics. He believes the Democratic Party is promoting the US border crisis: "the Western Hemisphere appears to be being weaponized to influence the US November elections in the United States." For Duarte, many illegal migrants cross the US border to get new economic opportunities, but others work together with narcos and terrorists. He adds that developed countries have contributed to the weakening of Third-World countries’ economies by promoting socialist politicians. Duarte explains why he coined the term Latinists. It refers to the unelected bureaucrats who want to intervene in the decision-making of Third-World countries. He claims these bureaucrats are arrogant because they think they know more than locals and what is best for their nations. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/01/24/mario-duarte-the-border-crisis-is-deliberate/
Mon, January 15, 2024
Martín Litwak: Javier Milei Must Target Toxic Taxation
Martín Litwak—an Argentine tax and wealth structuring expert—explains that the next three months are key to the Javier Milei administration for implementation of liberal reforms. Milei is enjoying a honeymoon period, and Argentines are on their summer vacations. Although Litwak expressed his excitement regarding a liberal government to be in power in Argentina and deregulate the economy, he is concerned the Milei administration has not led with tax cuts. Litwak contends that although Argentina has 170 taxes, 10 of them generate more than 92 percent of the state’s revenue. Further, since the burden is so high there is the potential to remove the other 160 and still bring in more revenue, following the logic of the Laffer Curve. For Litwak, Milei’s presidency can be either a total success or a complete failure; there is no middle ground. The latter will be a disaster for Argentina, since it will invite a return to power of Peronismo. Litwak also contends that the left will continue to fight in the streets against the incumbent administration’s policies. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/01/15/martin-litwak-javier-milei-must-target-toxic-taxation/
Thu, January 11, 2024
Narcoterrorists Declare War on Ecuador (Spanish)
Mauro Echeverría—deputy editor of the Impunity Observer—and Sebastián Díaz—policy analyst with the Impunity Observer—explain the internal armed conflict in Ecuador. For them, the violence has been increasing since 2020. Díaz adds that gangs declared war on Ecuador after Adolfo “Fito” Macías, leader of the Los Choneros gang, escaped from prison on January 7. Since then, gangs have occupied many streets, firing on anyone in their way, and taken control of a TV network and a university. Díaz contends that the lack of state control in prisons has been an ongoing problem for the past three years. He adds that gangs have turned prisons into their operation centers. Currently, law enforcement agencies are attacking and capturing gang members in the streets, but there are no official statements regarding the situation inside the prisons. Díaz and Echeverría analyze the reactions to the violence crisis from politicians in the Americas such as US Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Díaz explains that even former socialist president and fugitive Rafael Correa sent a message backing the armed forces. In the same message, Correa played the victim by saying he was suffering from political persecution. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2024/01/11/narcoterrorists-declare-war-on-ecuador-spanish/
Thu, December 14, 2023
How Foreigners Were Accomplices to Electoral Fraud in Guatemala (Spanish)
José Luis González Dubón—a Guatemalan lawyer, university professor, and independent journalist—explains the irregularities associated with President-Elect Bernardo Arévalo’s Semilla party. These include more than 8,000 forged signatures used to register the party. He contends that international community members such as the Organization of American States were accomplices to electoral fraud and favored their preferred candidate: Arévalo. For González, Arévalo should not take office in January 2024 because it is immoral and unlawful. If Arévalo does not take office, he explains, Congress must elect a temporary president and vice president until Guatemala holds a new presidential election. González contends that the US State Department’s modus operandi in Guatemala is to sanction its adversaries—anyone who promotes sovereignty and the rule of law—by revoking their US travel visas. He adds that the State Department has violated laws in the United States and Guatemala by applying the Engel List arbitrarily in Guatemala, where civilians and politicians have seen their US visas revoked. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/12/14/how-foreigners-were-accomplices-to-electoral-fraud-in-guatemala/
Mon, December 04, 2023
Guatemalan Loses Visa after Condemning US Meddling
Carlos Torrebiarte—a director with the Association for the Defense of Private Property and a Nuestro Diario weekly columnist—explains how the US Embassy in Guatemala revoked his and his wife’s US travel visa. He contends that the embassy did this to spite him for speaking up against “the policies that the United States wants to impose in Guatemala.” For Torrebiarte, the Prosecutor General’s Office must continue its investigation of the Semilla party's fraudulent registration. He explains that if Semilla goes unpunished, it could lead to similar situations in future elections. Torrebiarte contends that US officials should not meddle in Guatemala’s internal affairs, especially in a dishonest way that reduces electoral integrity. He adds that the majority of citizens do not trust the electoral system and that this undermines democracy and the rule of law. Further, Torrebiarte claims citizens self-censor because they are afraid to speak up against US actions in Guatemala. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/12/04/guatemalan-loses-visa-after-condemning-us-meddling/
Tue, November 21, 2023
Argentina's Libertarian Moment
Adam Dubove, cofounder and director of financial-intelligence service Ichimoku Fibonacci, and Eduardo Marty, founder and president of the Foundation for Intellectual Responsibility in Argentina, contend that Argentine President-Elect Javier Milei has a historic opportunity to succeed in his incoming administration. Milei, however, needs to work his way through Congress—where his party does not have a majority. Further, he needs to find a competent team to execute his market-liberalization plan. For Marty, former President Mauricio Macri behaved as a statesman by supporting Milei in the runoff election. Macri did so the day after his preferred candidate lost in the first round of the election. This helped Milei to win the runoff against Peronista candidate and Economy Minister Sergio Massa. For Marty, Milei is better prepared intellectually than right-leaning politicians such as Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro or the United States’s Donald Trump. Dubove and Marty agree that Milei’s team will follow Ecuador, El Salvador, and Panama’s dollarization strategy. However, they note that unions and other collectivists will aggressively resist Milei’s classical-liberal ideas. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/11/21/argentina-libertarian-moment/
Mon, November 06, 2023
Maribel Espinoza: Libre Party Skirts Law to Appoint Attorney General (Spanish)
Maribel Espinoza—a Honduran congresswoman of the Salvador Party—contends that Xiomara Castro’s socialist Libre Party is on a mission to control every branch of the state. She explains that Libre congressmen have violated the Honduran Constitution and the Public Ministry Law with their appointment of a new attorney general. The decision has been in stalemate since August, so the past appointee, Daniel Sibrián, has remained in his position past his planned departure. Article 205 of the Constitution establishes that Congress must gather at least 86 votes out of 128 members (a two-thirds majority) to elect new Public Ministry authorities. However, only nine Libre congressmen appointed a new attorney general. Opposition congressmen are working to reverse the appointment of Johel Zelaya, who has no experience in criminal prosecution and appears to merely be the candidate most aligned with Libre. For Espinoza, Congress failed to appoint the new attorney general earlier because incumbent Libre refused to negotiate for votes during congressional sessions. She explains that the Castro administration will accept no one but an attorney general loyal to them, so they can politicize justice in the country: “The real motivation behind this appointment is not to fight corruption.” Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/11/06/maribel-espinoza-libre-party-skirts-law-to-appoint-attorney-general/
Tue, October 24, 2023
Can the Javier Milei Liberalization Prevail?
Adam Dubove—cofounder and director of financial consulting firm Ichimoku Fibonacci—explains that Javier Milei can still beat Peronista Sergio Massa in the runoff. However, he predicts the results will be tight. Further, he contends that the incumbent Peronista government made an elaborate effort to undermine Milei’s candidacy through negative propaganda against the paleolibertarian through media allies and state-owned companies such as Argentine Railways. For Dubove, the Together for Change coalition, which he describes as the mainstream opposition, will be divided over whom they will support in the runoff. In addition, Dubove explains that if Milei wins the presidency, he will have to negotiate in Congress to pass his bills since he does not have a majority in the legislature. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/10/24/can-the-javier-milei-liberalization-prevail/
Tue, October 17, 2023
What to Make of Ecuador's Crisis Election (Spanish)
Sebastián Díaz—an Impunity Observer policy analyst—and Mauro Echeverría—Impunity Observer deputy editor—explain how Ecuadorian President-Elect Daniel Noboa won the election against Correísmo. Further, they analyze the main challenges that Noboa will face in his term, which will last one year and a half, given that Guillermo Lasso dissolved Congress six months ago. For Díaz and Echeverría, Noboa’s capacity to address the chief concerns of Ecuadorians—the insecurity crisis and lack of economic opportunities—remains a mystery. They contend, however, that the president-elect will work swiftly to tackle these issues because he will need to make a name for himself before seeking reelection in 2025. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/10/17/what-to-make-of-ecuadors-crisis-election/
Tue, October 10, 2023
How Colombia's Cities Rank for Economic Freedom (Spanish)
Jair Viana—economist and research director at the Colombian Libertank policy institute—explains the importance of a free-market economy for development. He contends that the freest cities in Colombia, such as Montería, have been economically growing at a rapid clip relative to larger cities. Viana also explains how Bogotá, despite having the highest taxes and the least economic freedom in the country, has the largest number of private businesses. That number of companies, he says, would grow exponentially if authorities were to cut through the red tape. For Viana, the upcoming local elections on October 29 will have crucial effects on economic freedom in every city. He contends that only a few candidates offer to lower taxes and encourage the private sector. Instead, most candidates, in line with President Gustavo Petro’s socialist ideals, promote the redistribution of wealth and undermine the role of private businesses in the economy. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/10/10/how-colombia-cities-rank-for-economic-freedom/
Mon, September 25, 2023
Two Female Candidates Show Realignment of Mexican Politics (Spanish)
Arturo Damm Arnal—economics and philosophy professor at Panamerican University in Mexico—explains how a coalition of three traditional parties will challenge Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party. The National Action Party (PAN), the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) have named Xóchitl Gálvez, an indigenous woman, as their presidential candidate for the June 2024 election. Damm Arnal contends the main difference between Gálvez and Morena candidate Claudia Sheinbaum is that Gálvez understands and favors the role of business in the economy. For Damm Arnal, although Sheinbaum started the electoral race as the clear favorite, it is still too early to predict the winner. The election's importance, though, is clear: the upcoming election will be fundamental to recovering the separation of powers in Mexico, which the incumbent administration has undermined. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/09/25/two-female-candidates-show-realignment-of-mexican-politics/
Mon, August 14, 2023
Ecuador in Crisis: Assassination Is Tip of Criminal Iceberg
Join our Deputy Editor Mauro Echeverría, who will discuss his latest insights regarding Ecuador's insecurity crisis. Recommended links: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/06/01/why-ecuador-law-enforcement-is-no-match-for-narcos/ https://impunityobserver.com/2022/10/31/the-origins-of-escalating-violence-in-ecuador/
Tue, July 25, 2023
What Indiana Observers Saw at the Guatemalan Elections
Alisa Gray—interim training and assessment specialist at the Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP)—and Chad Kinsella—co-director of VSTOP—visited Guatemala as foreign electoral observers. They explain the role of foreign observers in the Guatemalan general elections on June 25. Further, Gray and Kinsella describe the main procedural differences between elections in Guatemala and Indiana, United States. These differences include the use of paper ballots and manual vote counting in Guatemala instead of digital processes in Indiana. For Gray and Kinsella, some Guatemalans were frustrated with the presidential candidates on the ballot, which could explain the large number of void and blank votes. In addition, they contend that voting polls in Guatemala had the presence of multiple parties’ representatives. Gray added that the observers’ trip from Indiana to Guatemala was an important educational experience. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/07/25/what-indiana-observers-saw-at-the-guatemalan-elections/
Thu, July 13, 2023
Chile’s Republican Party Founder Seeks Citizen Unity (Spanish) | Chiara Barchiesi
Chiara Barchiesi—Chilean congresswoman and founder of the Republican Party—explains that citizens rejected the previous constitutional draft because it ignored the country’s reality and key principles such as the rule of law. She contends that the Republican Party—which has 22 of 51 advisers that will write the new constitutional draft—will work for the people and their problems. Barchiesi, who was elected when she was 24 years old, says the Republican Party is open to negotiations with leftist parties during the ongoing constitutional process. On the other hand, she contends there are principles such as freedom and private property that cannot be dismissed. Barchiesi adds that the Gabriel Boric administration lied to Chileans during the electoral campaign and they are realizing it. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/07/13/chile-republican-party-founder-seeks-citizen-unity-spanish/
Sat, June 24, 2023
Why Indiana's Latino Secretary of State Backs Voter ID
Read the analysis in English: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/06/24/why-indianas-latino-secretary-of-state-backs-voter-id/ Lee el análisis en español: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/06/24/por-que-el-secretario-de-estado-latino-de-indiana-respalda-la-identificacion-del-votante/
Mon, June 12, 2023
Agustín Etchebarne: Javier Milei Is a Game-Changer (Spanish)
For Agustín Etchebarne—director at the Freedom and Progress Foundation—Argentines have the opportunity to change the country’s course in the October 2023 presidential election. He explains how Javier Milei's rise, as a classical-liberal economist and presidential candidate, will take votes from both the Peronistas and the Mauricio Macri-led opposition. Either way, there will most likely be a runoff between the final two candidates. Etchebarne asserts that the next president, if he manages to reduce public spending, will face stiff opposition from crony-oriented lobbies and the media. He also contends that Argentines perceive the economic crisis as the country's chief policy challenge. However, increasing crime is a second priority for citizens. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/06/13/javier-milei-is-a-game-changer-agustin-etchebarne/
Mon, May 15, 2023
Emmanuel Rincón: María Corina Machado Is True Opposition Leader (Spanish)
For Emmanuel Rincón—senior editor at Americano Media—María Corina Machado is the best option to face Nicolás Maduro in next year’s presidential election. Machado is leading in the polls for the 2023 opposition primary election in Venezuela, and Rincón contends that most opposition members are controlled opposition: socialists who promote leftist policies. An electoral victory by this “fake” opposition would only offer new faces, while the failed socialist structure would remain in place. Regarding the relationship between the United States and Venezuela, Rincón explains that the Joe Biden administration is providing oxygen to the Chavista regime by easing sanctions on oil exports. In addition, the US government released two of Maduro’s nephews, who were sentenced to more than eight years in prison for narcotrafficking. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/05/15/emmanuel-rincon-maria-corina-machado-is-true-opposition-leader/
Tue, April 11, 2023
The United States Must Use Soft Power to Counter China | Dan Runde
For Daniel Runde—director of the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)—the Chinese regime has met infrastructure and economic demands that US aid to Latin America has overlooked. He warns that China seeks global dominance in economic spheres, with negative implications for Western values. Runde, author of The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power (2023), contends that China’s ballooning presence in Latin America portends significant changes in power dynamics worldwide. He also asserts the United States has not been reciprocal with Guatemala, one of the US most steadfast allies that still recognizes Taiwan. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/04/11/the-united-states-must-use-soft-power-to-counter-chinese/
Wed, March 15, 2023
Guatemalan Prosecutor Alleges Persecution by US State Department (Spanish) | Rafael Curruchiche
Rafael Curruchiche—Guatemalan special prosecutor against impunity since August 2021—shares how the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI) has been used in previous years to persecute political opponents. For example, former FECI chief Juan Francisco Sandoval—praised on multiple occasions by the US State Department—has four active arrest warrants for abuse of authority, breach of duty, and obstruction of judicial processes. Curruchiche contends his own inclusion on the Engel List of purportedly corrupt and/or antidemocratic actors is mainly a political decision of the US State Department. He has not been able to present his side of the story. Unlike those who prepare the Engel List, Curruchiche believes public workers in FECI must follow due process and set a precedent of robust legal cases. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/03/15/guatemalan-prosecutor-alleges-persecution-state-department/
Thu, February 09, 2023
The Rising Specter of Rafael Correa over Ecuador (Spanish) | Mauricio Alarcón-Salvador
Mauricio Alarcón-Salvador—the executive director of the Foundation for Citizenship and Development (FCD)—explains why Ecuadorians rejected President Guillermo Lasso’s referendum in the February 5 elections. It included proposals to allow the extradition of Ecuadorian drug traffickers and to reduce congressmen from 137 to 121. He also contends that Correísmo has become the largest political force in the country after the elections. Due to nationwide discontent, Alarcón-Salvador fears Lasso might not be able to finish his term, which is supposed to end in 2025. For Alarcón-Salvador, the Lasso administration will continue to face a governability crisis for its remaining years in power. He adds that the increase in electoral violence directly correlates with the exponential growth of narcopolitics in Ecuador. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/02/09/the-rising-specter-of-rafael-correa-over-ecuador-spanish/
Thu, January 12, 2023
Peru's Political Crisis Explained (Spanish) | Ricardo Escudero
Ricardo Escudero—editor of Minuto Digital Peru and founder of the Savings Institute—explains how former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo’s tenure came to an abrupt end in December 2022, after several corruption investigations against him and his family. Escudero contends that Castillo, in desperation, tried to implement a communist dictatorship in Peru but failed. Escudero believes Dina Boluarte’s presidency remains tenuous. He highlights, however, that Boluarte is removing all the far-left officials from her cabinet. Escudero emphasizes the need for Peruvians to actively participate in politics to avoid the implementation of another authoritarian government in the near future. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2023/01/12/perus-political-crisis-explained-spanish/
Thu, December 15, 2022
AMLO’s Next Steps to Transform Mexico’s Electoral System | Joanna Guerra
Joanna Guerra—a lawyer, philosopher, and director of Ladies of Liberty Alliance and Fundación Federalismo y Libertad in Mexico—discusses the electoral reform Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) proposed to Congress. For Guerra, the proposed reform was a threat to democracy and a step backward in the country’s efforts to maintain political alternation. Guerra also analyzes how the AMLO administration will act after Congress rejected the proposal on December 6. AMLO’s plan B includes smaller reforms and laws without modifying the Constitution, as originally intended. Guerra believes the discussion is far from over and that Mexicans will still have to fight to defend their democracy. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/12/15/amlos-next-steps-to-transform-mexicos-electoral-system/
Wed, November 16, 2022
What Cubans Want the World to Know | Mauro Echeverría
Mauro Echeverría, deputy editor and researcher at the Impunity Observer, visited Cuba in October to report on the island’s political and economic situation. Interviewees told Echeverría that citizens struggle with dire shortages of food, gasoline, and medicine. Similarly, electricity blackouts throughout the day are now a standard feature of life. Cubans no longer trust the regime, which is evident with daily protests across the island. For Echeverría, internet access has strongly influenced the views about the Communist Party dictatorship. In addition to contrasting their lifestyle with other nations, Cubans can get information from alternative sources and use social media to organize resistance. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/11/16/what-cubans-want-the-world-to-know/
Mon, October 17, 2022
Brazil: One Step Away from Picking Its Socialist Poison
Maria Zuppello—an Italian journalist and political analyst living in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for over a decade—discusses why Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro outperformed the polls. His main contender, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, won the election with 48 percent of the votes, with Bolsonaro only 5 percent behind. Zuppello argues that, despite Lula still being the favorite to win the presidency, the scenario is uncertain. She believes Lula failed to present a coherent plan to Brazilians, which could take a toll in the runoff on October 30. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/10/17/brazil-one-step-away-from-picking-its-socialist-poison/
Tue, October 04, 2022
Steve Hecht: The Agenda behind Biden's Rhetoric
Join our Editor at Large Steve Hecht, who will discuss his latest insights regarding the United States and Latin America.
Fri, September 30, 2022
How Ideology Dictates Gustavo Petro's Energy Policy
Alejandra Moreno—data analyst, chemical engineer, and chapter leader of Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) in Medellin—analyzes Gustavo Petro’s plans of reform, including an energy transition in Colombia. She explains, however, that an energy transition is not urgent, because Colombia is a leading producer of clean energy in the region. Moreno also discusses the tax reform that Petro and the Historical Pact—his political party—have proposed. She explains how the negotiations between the FARC guerrilla and the government in 2016 have resulted in the imminent creation of an agricultural reform that would redistribute land through expropriation with compensation. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/09/30/how-ideology-dictates-gustavo-petros-energy-policy/
Wed, September 07, 2022
Ocean Builders Bring Innovative, Frontier Lifestyle to Panama | Grant Romundt
On August 22, Ocean Builders launched their ecofriendly land and sea pods (houses) in Linton Bay Marina, Panama. With 3D-printed architecture and high-tech infrastructure, Ocean Builders is manufacturing an innovative and self-sustainable lifestyle. In this episode, Grant Romundt—CEO at Ocean Builders—explains why they chose Panama as the destination to start the groundbreaking business. Romundt, who has lived in sea pods for over five years, shares his experience living closer to nature in a cutting-edge way. He also reveals that other countries are asking Ocean Builders to start building pods. His priority, however, remains in Panama, where the firm has contributed to community development. Creating skilled and high-tech jobs—and training locals—Ocean Builders has become the largest employer in the area. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/09/07/ocean-builders-bring-innovative-frontier-lifestyle-to-panama/
Mon, September 05, 2022
Observing Impunity with Steve Hecht
Join our Editor at Large Steve Hecht, who will discuss his latest insights regarding the United States and Latin America.
Tue, August 30, 2022
Chile's Constitutional-Convention Train Wreck | Cristina Villagómez
Cristina Villagómez—a legislative advisor in Chile’s constitutional convention—argues the new proposed constitution would undermine the rule of law and threaten fundamental rights. It is similar to those approved over the last two decades in Bolivia, Venezuela, and Ecuador: an extensive positive-rights (entitlements) document. After witnessing for 10 years the poor performance of the new constitution in her home country of Ecuador, Villagómez concludes that Chile’s proposed constitution would not lead to the expected outcomes. Chileans supported a new Magna Carta to pursue further liberty and economic opportunities, but the final document is unclear and ambiguous. Moreover, some proposed constitutional provisions could be used against the population by authoritarian regimes. Although recent polls reveal significant opposition to the new constitution, Villagómez clarifies Chileans will have to wait until September 4 to find the definitive results. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/08/31/chiles-constitutional-convention-train-wreck/
Wed, August 10, 2022
Why Bolivia Is a Narco Paradise | Mauricio Ríos García
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/
Wed, August 03, 2022
What Riots in Ecuador Portend
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/
Tue, August 02, 2022
Analysis of the Steve Bannon Trial | Steve Hecht
Analysis of the Steve Bannon Trial | Steve Hecht by Impunity Observer
Wed, July 27, 2022
Analysis of the Joe Biden Regime | Steve Hecht
Steve Hecht: "Guatemalans saw the disaster of politicized justice and are now trying to free themselves from State Department domination."
Wed, July 06, 2022
How ZEDEs Can Be a Geopolitical Tool against China | Ryan Berg
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/
Wed, June 01, 2022
The Future of ZEDEs in Honduras | Nicholas Dranias & Humberto Macias
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 will become more balanced as officials realize how ZEDEs are contributing to the Honduran economy. Dranias and Macias expect to find mutually beneficial solutions with the government to promote economic growth for Hondurans. Show notes: https://impunityobserver.com/2022/06/01/the-future-of-zedes-in-honduras/
Wed, May 11, 2022
What Has Enabled Open Season for Illegal Migration | Jessica Vaughan
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/
Tue, April 19, 2022
María Fernanda Cabal: The Left Sells Nothing but Poverty, Misery (Spanish)
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/
Thu, March 24, 2022
How the United States, G13 Are Meddling in Guatemala
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/
Thu, February 10, 2022
Costa Ricans Pick Their Socialist Poison in Presidential Runoff
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/
Wed, January 05, 2022
US Handpicking of Guatemalan Magistrate Will Fail (Spanish)
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
Tue, December 21, 2021
How Guatemala Can Escape Dependency
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/
Wed, November 10, 2021
La instrumentalización de la historia de Guatemala
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/
Mon, November 01, 2021
Entrevista a la fiscal general de Guatemala, María Consuelo Porras
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/
Tue, October 12, 2021
Nicaragua’s Untold Story under Daniel Ortega
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/
Wed, September 22, 2021
The Need for Alternative Media in Central America
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/
Mon, June 07, 2021
IO Podcast: How Biden Will Fund Criminal Socialists in Guatemala
IO Podcast: How Biden Will Fund Criminal Socialists in Guatemala by Impunity Observer
Mon, June 07, 2021
IO Podcast: Kamala Harris's Real Plans in Guatemala
By Steve Hecht.
Tue, December 08, 2020
Steve Gruber Interviews Steve Hecht on the Fight against Electoral Fraud, Totalitarianism.
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
Tue, October 27, 2020
Niger Innis Interviews Steve Hecht on Why Trump Should Win Reelection
Niger Innis of the "Wayne Allyn Root Show" interviews Impunity Observer's Editor-at-Large Steven Hecht on October 26, 2020.
Mon, October 26, 2020
David Landau Explains Cuban Revolution to New Orleans Audience
Interview on "Ringside Politics" with Jeff Crouere on WGS0 990 AM, New Orleans. October 20, 2020. https://wgso.com/ringside-politics-october-20th-2020/
Fri, October 23, 2020
Radio Almavisión entrevista a Steve Hecht sobre el peligro socialista en las elecciones de EE. UU.
http://almavision.tv/shows/buenos-dias-miami/
Wed, September 30, 2020
Niger Innis Interviews Steve Hecht on How Democrat Actions in Guatemala Relate to the United States
Niger Innis interviews Impunity Observer's Editor-at-Large Steven Hecht on September 28, 2020. "Wayne Allyn Root: Raw & Unfiltered," 790 KBET Las Vegas.
Tue, August 11, 2020
Joyce Kaufman Interviews Steve Hecht on Obama's Attempt to Control 2020 US Election
Listen to Steve Hecht on the Joyce Kaufman Show discussing his article regarding Obama controlling the democratic party and attempting to control and win the election. Aired on August 7, 2020: https://www.podcastone.com/episode/The-Joyce-Kaufman-Show-8-7-2020
Mon, August 03, 2020
David Landau on His New Book: "Brothers from Time to Time"
Author David Landau explains how his new book on Cuban history, "Brothers from Time to Time," came about. Get the book and read excerpts: https://impunityobserver.com/brothers/
Tue, June 09, 2020
Steve Gruber Interviews Steve Hecht: Why Narcos, Socialists Want a President Biden
Aired on June 7, 2020: https://stevegruber.podbean.com/e/steve-hecht-why-narco-drug-bosses-socialists-want-a-president-biden/
Wed, April 29, 2020
Joyce Kaufman interviews Steve Hecht on Joe Biden's Florida Prospects
Listen to Steve Hecht on the Joyce Kaufman Show discussing the reception of Joe Biden's campaign in Florida, where many families have experienced socialism firsthand. Aired on April 27, 2020: https://www.850wftl.com/shows/joyce/
Thu, November 28, 2019
Joyce Kaufman interviews Steve Hecht on the 'Deep State Department'
Listen to Steve Hecht on the Joyce Kaufman Show discussing what is going on in the Deep State Department and with the people it is protecting but should not be. Aired on November 26, 2019: https://www.850wftl.com/audio/the-joyce-kaufman-show-11-26-19-hr-1/
Mon, September 16, 2019
Steve Hecht on Economic Migrants Flowing to the United States
Steve Hecht on the Wilkow Majority. September 6, 2019.
Mon, September 16, 2019
Steve Hecht on Minors Migrating to the United States (TMKS)
Steve Hecht on the Michael Koolidge Show.
Tue, September 10, 2019
La lección de Venezuela para América Latina
Venezuela, una vez la nación más próspera de la región, demuestra que “nunca es imposible que el comunismo y la destrucción lleguen”. Con este mensaje de alarma, Lawrence Castro, diputado venezolano y colaborador de Juan Guaidó, transmite al mundo la situación actual de su país y el esfuerzo de la oposición por restituir las instituciones republicanas. En una ilustrativa entrevista con Steve Hecht, director editorial de Impunity Observer, Castro afirma que la imposición del modelo comunista, la corrupción sistemática y la alianza con organizaciones criminales llevaron al pueblo venezolano a la miseria.
Fri, July 12, 2019
Steve Hecht Discusses Guatemala's Election on the Joyce Kaufman Show
Aired on July 11, the Joyce Kaufman Show: https://www.850wftl.com/shows/joyce/
Wed, April 17, 2019
Steve Hecht: Democrats Worsen Migration Crisis in Guatemala
Aired on April 16, the Joyce Kaufman Show: https://www.podcastone.com/the-joyce-kaufman-show
Tue, April 02, 2019
Lawfare in the United States, Israel, and Guatemala
On March 29, Impunity Observer's Editor-at-Large Steve Hecht went on the Andrew Wilcow Show on Sirius FM to discuss the latest developments in Guatemala.
Tue, February 12, 2019
Steve Hecht on Illegal Immigration from Guatemala, Collectivism, and Ocasio-Cortez
The editor-at-large of the Impunity Observer, Steve Hecht, went on the Wilkow Majority to discuss his latest article on what is driving illegal immigration to the United States from Guatemala. https://wilkowmajority.com https://impunityobserver.com
Wed, October 18, 2017
Steve Hecht: Obama Holdovers Continue Their Destruction under Trump
Impunity Observer Editor at Large Steve Hecht joins Andrew Wilkow on the Wilkow Majority radio show, which broadcasts on Sirius XM: http://wilkowmajority.com/.
Mon, October 02, 2017
Free Fire Radio: Steve Hecht on the Backdoor to the United States
Why Guatemala is pivotal to the foreign policy of the United States, and has the potential to rise become a more independent nation.
Mon, October 02, 2017
KZIM KSIM: Steve Hecht in Guatemala on Immigration, Guns, Drugs
Original upload here: http://www.kzimksim.com/podcast/steve-hecht-in-guatemala-on-immigration-guns-and-drugs/.
Tue, March 14, 2017
Will the Trump Administration Halt US Meddling in Rural Guatemala?
Steve Hecht explains the impact that Obama's Policies have had in Guatemala and states that Trump Administration should pay more attention to the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, Todd Robinson. Source: http://www.tombrownshow.com/2017/03/08/todays-podcast-3-8-2017/
Sat, February 11, 2017
Steve Hecht: Guatemala Border Is Low-Hanging Fruit on Illegal Immigration (AM Tampa Bay)
Source: http://970wfla.iheart.com/. "Guatemala Holds the Key to Defeating Illegal Immigration" http://impunityobserver.com/2016/12/20/guatemala-holds-the-key-to-defeating-illegal-immigration/
Thu, February 09, 2017
Guatemala Facts with Steve Hecht (Michael Koolidge Show)
Source: http://koolidge.com/.
Mon, January 09, 2017
Testimony of Kidnapping in the Countryside of Guatemala - Report From KPFA Radio (23 Jan 2015)
This report continues to follow the story of Casimiro Pérez. Casimiro is kidnapped by the FRENA militia and forced to participate in their violent attack on a hydroelectric plant. Local police, greatly outnumbered, must stand down as the demonstrators go on their rampage. Casimiro manages to escape from the militia and is rescued by police. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria. (www.lavoz.gt)
Mon, January 09, 2017
Peasants Are Threatened by The FRENA Militia - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (14 Jan 2015)
The broadcast of January 14, 2015 builds on the September 28 report from San Marcos. It describes how the FRENA militia suppresses the rights of local peasants. One man, Casimiro Pérez, tells of being illegally imprisoned, and of doing hard labor under threat of being burned alive. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria. (www.lavoz.gt)
Mon, January 09, 2017
The Unlawful Activities of the FRENA Militia - KPFA In San Pablo, San Marcos (09 August 2014)
The following is the full encounter between KPFA correspondents in the town of San Marcos, and members of the group FRENA. It highlights the unlawful activities of the group and part of their modus operandi. We fear that our countryside is a powder cage waiting to explode. Since September 2012 KPFA 94.1 FM, a public radio station in California, has been broadcasting news reports about Guatemala, with particular attention to developments in our nation’s countryside. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria. (www.lavoz.gt)
Mon, January 09, 2017
Press is Oppressed by The FRENA Militia - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (28 Sept 2014)
The broadcast of September 28, 2014 is a vivid account of the social conflict in San Pablo, San Marcos. Two American journalists and their guide are threatened by members of the FRENA militia. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria. (www.lavoz.gt)
Mon, January 09, 2017
Background and Nature of the Conflict in San Pablo - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (07 July 2014)
The following reports on the conflict in San Pablo, San Marcos in southwestern Guatemala; in particular, on the dispute between Bishop Álvaro Ramazzini and former prosecutor Gilda Aguilar, now a private attorney representing a hydroelectric group. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria. (www.lavoz.gt)
Mon, January 09, 2017
U.S. embassy's Interference in the Genocide Trial - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (27 April 2014)
This broadcast reports on the U.S. embassy’s interference in Guatemalan internal affairs with respect to the genocide trial. Specifically, it covers the embassy's attack on the bar association for its disciplinary measures against Yassmin Barrios, the presiding judge. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria. (www.lavoz.gt)
Mon, January 09, 2017
Why Gilda Aguilar Was Fired? - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (04 August 2013)
On August 2, 2013, Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz fired prosecutor Gilda Aguilar. Our report of two days later covers the events that led to the firing. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria.
Mon, January 09, 2017
Paz y Paz Intimidates to Her Prosecutors - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (09 Jun 2013)
With this broadcast we report on Attorney Paz y Paz as she punishes one of her prosecutors--Hilma Ruano of Villanueva--for refusing to inflate justice ministry statistics. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria.
Mon, January 09, 2017
Different Perspectives on the Genocide Trial - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (28 April 2013)
The broadcast reports on the genocide trial of former General Efraín Rios Montt. The spokesperson for a Washington, D.C.-based “human rights” group, and Guatemala's Armando de la Torre, comment on the trial from different perspectives. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria.
Sun, January 08, 2017
The Attempted Assassination of Prosecutor Aguilar - Guatemala Report From KPFA Radio (03 Sept 2012)
Our first broadcast tells the story of justice ministry prosecutor Gilda Aguilar and her confrontation with Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz. The report highlights the attempted assassination of prosecutor Aguilar. Since 2012 KPFA radio, from Berkley USA, has been pretty active following the Guatemalan situation, particularly in the countryside of our nation. This radio report first appeared in Liga Pro-Patria
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