Rooted in thousands of pages of Access to Information documents and dozens of interviews carried out throughout Latin America, Blood of Extraction examines the increasing presence of Canadian mining companies in Latin America and the environmental and human rights abuses that have occurred as a result. By following the money, Gordon and Webber illustrate the myriad ways Canadian-based multinational corporations, backed by the Canadian state, have developed extensive economic interests in Latin America over the last two decades at the expense of Latin American people and the environment. Latin American communities affected by Canadian resource extraction are now organized into hundreds of opposition movements, from Mexico to Argentina, and the authors illustrate the strategies used by the Canadian state to silence this resistance and advance corporate interests.

Recent events in the western hemisphere have led to a dramatic shift in the strategic and political importance of Latin America. But with relations still cool between the United States and Cuba, and Venezuela becoming more distant every day, there is considerable potential for Canada – with its longstanding commitment to constructive engagement – to forge mutually beneficial relations with these nations as well as rising industrial and economic players such as Mexico and Brazil. In Canada Looks South, experts on foreign policy in Canada and Central America provide a timely exploration of Canada’s growing role in the Americas and the most pressing issues of the region. Starting with the historical scope of the bilateral relationship, the volume goes on to cover such subjects as trade engagement, democratization, and security. As current and future Canadian governments embrace expanding linkages with this region, this collection fills a significant gap in scholarship on Canadian-Latin American relations.

No two nations in the world are as integrated, economically and socially, as are the United States and Canada. We share geography, values and the largest unprotected border in the world. Regardless of this close friendship, our two countries are on a slow-motion collision course—with each other and with the rest of the world. While we wrestle with internal political gridlock and fiscal challenges and clash over border problems, the economies of the larger world change and flourish. Emerging economies sailed through the meltdown of 2008. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that by 2018, China's economy will be bigger than that of the United States; when combined with India, Japan and the four Asian Tigers—South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong--China's economy will be bigger than that of the G8 (minus Japan). Rather than continuing on this road to mutual decline, our two nations should chart a new course. Bestselling author Diane Francis proposes a simple and obvious solution: What if the United States and Canada merged into one country? The most audacious initiative since the Louisiana Purchase would solve the biggest problems each country expects to face: the U.S.'s national security threats and declining living standards; and Canada's difficulty controlling and developing its huge land mass stemming from a lack of capital, workers, technology and military might. Merger of the Century builds both a strong political argument and a compelling business case, treating our two countries not only as sovereign entities but as merging companies. We stand on the cusp of a new world order. Together, by marshalling resources and combining efforts, Canada and America have a greater chance of succeeding. As separate nations, the future is in much greater doubt indeed.

Political, economic and social barriers among Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada are giving way to global forces and the "global dreams" they inspire. This collection of original articles and essays examines popular culture, literature, theatre, belief systems, indigenous practices and questions of identity, exile and alienation. The interconnectedness and distinction of cultural production throughout the Americas, "transplanted" interests, the mediation of African and European influences, and the expression of shifting identities, all reflect the development of a new American neighbourhood.

In Canada, Latin America, and the New Internationalism Brian Stevenson argues that Canada's foreign policy toward Latin America has been profoundly affected by these three factors and has evolved in response to both changing domestic demands and shifting international circumstances. By analysing a pivotal period in Canada-Latin American relations, he shows us how successive Canadian governments made important initiatives toward closer relationships with Latin America and were also pressured by non-governmental organizations to play a bigger role in the region. Canada's increased role can be seen in official foreign policy commitments, such as the decision to join the Organization of American States, and in policy decisions on political refugees. He explains that while the United States has played a key role in sometimes constraining Canadian foreign policy in the region, it is important to realize that Canadian foreign policy has been steadied by a long-standing tradition of internationalism. Canada, Latin America, and the New Internationalism demonstrates that the tradition of internationalism in Canadian foreign policy as viewed from the perspective of foreign policy analysis provides the framework within which to understand and accommodate changes in its policy toward Latin America. The period which the book explores is critical in order to understand the contemporary nature and future direction of Canada-Latin America relations.

This collection explores the perpetually changing notion of Latin American identity, particularly as illustrated in literature and other forms of cultural expression. Editor Elizabeth Montes Garcés has gathered contributions from specialists who examine the effects of such major phenomena as migration, globalization, and gender on the construct of Latin American identities, and, as such, are reshaping the traditional understanding of Latin America's cultural history. The contributors to this volume are experts in Latin American literature and culture. Covering a diverse range of genres from poetry to film, their essays explore themes such as feminism, deconstruction, and postcolonial theory as they are reflected in the Latin American cultural milieu.