The GOP May Have a Florida Problem

There has been quite a deluge of opinions circulating out there recently by various political strategists about how the impact of the pandemic could “upend” the electoral map in the 2020 presidential elections and further imperil the Republican Party’s effort to stay in the White House and even maintain control of the Senate. I’m usually […]

COVID-19 Bailouts Put a Target on Offshore Finance

As the novel coronavirus has continued its deadly rampage across Europe the United States, the economic consequences have been devastating. In the United States, so far more than 22 million jobless workers have filed for unemployment benefits in the past month. A shortage of storage capacity has forced oil futures in negative territory for the […]

There’s no better time than a pandemic lockdown to start blogging again

Welcome back, readers! As many of you know, I had the good fortune of passing through Washington DC when the stay-at-home orders began descending down in response to the explosive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. I waited for a few days to see if I could get back to London or Istanbul to wait it […]

Robert Amsterdam in The Hill on Anti-Corruption

Robert Amsterdam has published a new op-ed in The Hill this past week arguing that Brazil’s recent experience with anti-corruption, which involved a star judge-cum-Minister of Justice getting caught coordinating cases with prosecutors, is a reminder that political motivations often overlap on law enforcement and lead to abuses in due process and presumption of innocence: […]

Departures Podcast: Interview with Edward Watts, Author of ‘Mortal Republic’

On our latest episode of the Departures podcast, we are excited to feature the bestselling history author Edward J. Watts, author of “Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell into Tyranny.” As the Romans designed it, a representative democracy is designed to ‘move slowly’ and ‘build consensus’ on policies to mitigate societal issues – but if the history […]

DESA Executives in Berta Cáceres Trial Are ‘Political Prisoners,’ Argue Lawyers in New White Paper

The following press release was distributed to media today. Report from Amsterdam & Partners LLP accuses activists of spreading false information, attacking right to fair trial, and blocking economic development in Honduras The ongoing prosecution of two businessmen accused of involvement in the 2016 killing of activist Berta Cáceres is based on false claims, riddled […]

Venezuela Loses an Icon

Under the brutal tenure of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans have grown accustomed to crisis. Crisis that’s marked by incredible inflation, shortages of food and medicine, and the encroachment of authoritarianism upon the nation’s once celebrated democracy. Many Venezuelans, pushed to desperation, have sought refuge elsewhere as their home country continues its descent into darkness. And as […]

Nota de prensa: Abogado por DESA sostiene que el objetivo de COPINH es despojar a los acusados de sus derechos, especialmente del derecho a un juicio justo

El pasado fin de semana, la acusación particular, el equipo legal que representa a la familia de la difunta Berta Cáceres y Gustavo Castro, siendo éstos los mismos abogados que representan al Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH), fueron excluidos de toda participación en el juicio pendiente tras no haberse personado […]

Press Release: COPINH’s Objective is to Deprive Fair Trial Rights from Defendants in Berta Cáceres Trial

Over this past weekend, the private accusers representing the family of the late Berta Cáceres, and Gustavo Castro, who have the same attorneys as the Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH), were barred from future participation in the ongoing trial after they did not show up for its start. This was […]

Nota de Prensa: El COPINH no puede pedir “cabezas” a base de información falsa

Les informamos que la siguiente nota de prensa ha sido difundida a los medios en Honduras. Nota de Prensa El COPINH no puede pedir “cabezas” a base de información falsa, dice Robert Amsterdam, abogado de DESA 8 de agosto de 2018 El Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas de Honduras (COPINH) y la familia […]