It seems appropriate on International Women’s Day and the day of the Wyoming caucus to begin by honoring the Equality State for electing the United States’ very first female governor, Nellie Ross.

Unfortunately, around the world and even within the USA, there is still a long way to go in the struggle for equality and human rights. From domestic violence to genital mutilation to child slavery, many women’s daily reality is one of constant suffering.

"We are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants," Barack Obama has frequently said on the campaign trail and in debates. I could not agree more.  However, listening last night through my ex-pat lenses, I found myself mildly frustrated with the discussion of the immigration issue during the debate. Solving the legal and security issues is important, but what about the larger issue of why the United States continues to have such a serious illegal immigration problem in the first place?

After 10 years of increases in border patrols, partial walls, higher budgets, and more advanced sensor technology, shouldn’t we have seen some better results? Maybe we would have, if the security measures were actually the answer to the root cause of immigration. But they aren’t.  

"[Fill-in-the-blank] has survived because he is a shrewd street-fighter. All of his decisions -- political, economic, and personal -- are made with the goals of maintaining his personal power and pursuing his private...vendetta, regardless of how these decisions might affect the welfare of his countrymen."

The quote above refers toFidel Castro, but it could be an analysis of any number of leaders in Latin America and around the world in the last hundred years. Having a good fight in you is certainly an indispensible quality as a politician, there is no doubt. But when is it time to let go? When is it time to let a new generation lead?

For me, the moment has arrived.

I once heard someone say that people from other countries should have the right to vote in US elections, because our president affects the lives of men, women, and children in every corner of the globe. While I'm not about to advocate a change in the voting laws of my tierra, I do think it's important to consider the impact of any candidate on the global stage.

Here in Nicaragua, the press is following this historic US election year with unprecedented interest, and various journalists and analysts in Latin America are already showing a special enthusiasm for one candidate in particular--Barack Obama.

What are they saying, and why does it matter?