Toward an Anti-Capitalist Drug Policy
The war on drugs has utterly failed to reduce drug consumption. But it has served to maintain US military and intelligence apparatuses in Latin America.
25 Articles by: Pablo Castaño
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Pablo Castaño is a freelance journalist and political scientist. He holds a PhD in Politics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and has written for Ctxt, Público, Regards, and the Independent.
Making Spanish Support for Palestine Real
Spain’s center-left prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has been one of the Western leaders most critical of Israel. But words often haven’t translated into action, and rising pro-Palestinian protests are criticizing his government too.
France Is in the Streets and Deep in Political Crisis
President Emmanuel Macron last week appointed France’s fifth prime minister since the start of 2024. This Thursday’s mass strike suggests that his gambit has done little to settle the country’s political crisis.
Spain’s Far-Right Vox Party Is Inciting Racist Violence
Spain’s Vox party typically masks its racism in more palatable rhetoric. But this summer, leading Vox MPs helped incite violence against residents of Maghrebi origin in the Murcia region in Spain.
The Far-Right Protest Vote in Romania
In Romania’s integration into European capitalism, the tough years after the 2008 crisis broke the illusion of continuous progress. The losers of that period are today swinging to far-right parties who tell a story of national victimhood.
Will Pope Leo XIV Confront MAGA?
Robert Francis Prevost, the first US-born pope, embodies Catholicism’s anti-nationalist ethos. Will he follow Pope Francis in confronting the resurgence of nativism in the US and abroad?
The Portuguese Election Marks a Shift to the Right
In the decades after Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, many considered the country immunized from the far right. This has been challenged by the rise of Chega, the anti-immigrant party that won almost a quarter of the vote in Sunday’s election.
Will Pope Leo XIV Confront MAGA?
Robert Francis Prevost, the first US-born pope, embodies Catholicism’s anti-nationalist ethos. Will he follow Pope Francis in confronting the resurgence of nativism in the US and abroad?
Will Latin America Unite Against Trump?
Rather than ushering in a new era of Latin American unity, Donald Trump’s tariffs, anti-immigrant policies, and withdrawal of humanitarian aid have mostly highlighted its divisions.
After Pope Francis, a Catholic Move Rightward Seems Likely
Pope Francis brought a limited but desperately needed progressive spirit to the Catholic Church. Under his successor, that spirit is likely to wither.
Gustavo Petro’s Final Year
Gustavo Petro became Colombia’s first left-wing president three years ago. With a hostile Congress threatening his landmark labor reform, he’s scrambling to make sure he’s not its last.
A Housing Crisis for Spain’s Center-Left Government
In Spain, rents have risen 74% over the last decade, with even steeper rises in the main cities. The Socialist-led government’s Housing Act has failed to rein in speculation, leaving many working-class Spaniards struggling to pay the bills.
Solidarity Has Saved Spanish Villages After Flooding
Flash floods in eastern Spain last month killed over 200 people. A massive solidarity effort by ordinary Spaniards helped to clean up devastated villages — and shamed the weak response by local authorities.
Sahra Wagenknecht’s Party Is a Bad Example for the Left
In Germany, the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance has scored well in its first electoral tests. Its burial of class politics and imitation of right-wing positions on migration show why its rise isn’t good news for the Left.
Bolivia’s Divided Left Is at Risk of Losing Power
A clumsy, short-lived coup last month couldn’t bring Bolivia’s discredited conservative forces back to power. But the divide between Luis Arce and Evo Morales over the legacy of the Movement for Socialism could give those forces a bigger opening.
The New Popular Front Can Win in France
According to polls for France’s snap election, the far right’s main opponent isn’t Emmanuel Macron but the left-wing New Popular Front. It has to rally working-class voters and show that the social damage of Macron’s rule can be undone.
Gustavo Petro Wants to End the War on Drugs
Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, has plainly declared the war on drugs a bloody failure.
Gustavo Petro Wants to Lead the Global Green Transition
Colombia’s left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, has put environmental justice at the center of his agenda, pairing it with the fight against poverty and inequality.
Gustavo Petro’s Left-Wing Government Is Facing Staunch Resistance in Colombia
After a hopeful start in 2022, Gustavo Petro’s leftist Colombian government has run into major obstacles from economic elites. But the powerful mobilizations that brought him to power, paired with parliamentary negotiating, may be able to turn that around.
Colombia’s Left Government Will Be Watched Closely by All of Latin America
Colombia’s new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, took office Sunday. His government will face massive challenges in carrying out its promised progressive agenda — but success could help spark similar left insurgents throughout Latin America.