EU-Cuba Relations Deteriorate Following Death of Hunger Striker

March 12, 2010

The European Union yesterday called on the Cuban Government to immediately release all political prisoners and urged EU institutions to give their “unconditional support to the launching of a peaceful process of political transition to multi-party democracy in Cuba.” The statement comes after the death last month of Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo, due to hunger strike.

The National Assembly of Cuba did not wait to respond to the resolution saying the EU was, “manipulating sentiments, distorting facts, deceiving people and obscuring reality." The Cuban declaration stressed that medical efforts were made to save Zapata’s life.

One reprecussion of the EU resolution is being felt in Spain, where its representative to the European Congress Willy Meyer commented that the scenario will complicate Spain’s efforts to improve the EU relations with Cuba and the end the European common position on Cuba.

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Colombia Frente al Nuevo Congreso: ¿Triunfarán los Herederos de la Parapolítica?

March 11, 2010

Mientras la campaña presidencial estaba congelada por cuenta del trámite de un referendo reeleccionista para saber si el presidente Álvaro Uribe sería candidato por tercera vez, proyecto que se cayó en la Corte Constitucional—a paso lento y en medio de algunos escándalos—avanzaban las campañas al Congreso de la República que por fin llegan a su recta final este domingo.

Cerca de 30 millones de colombianos que es el potencial electoral del país (sin contar con los niveles de abstención que alcanzan cifras hasta del 60%), podrán sufragar este 14 de marzo en más de 10 mil puestos de votación. El reto que tienen los electores es escoger nuevamente un congreso compuesto por 102 senadores y 166 representantes a la Cámara, que no repita las prácticas clientelistas y corruptas en que incurrieron al menos 90 parlamentarios de la pasada administración, quienes fueron vinculados a investigaciones relacionadas con parapolítica y en el peor de los casos, condenados por esos vínculos con grupos armados de derecha.

Un total de 2.538 candidatos se disputan los escaños del Parlamento, y en la baraja de aspirantes hay una variopinta selección que va desde ex reinas de belleza, actrices, locutores de fútbol y pastores cristianos, hasta parientes de políticos condenados, que buscan heredar el caudal de votos de sus antecesores y, muy seguramente, sus proyectos programáticos. Este fenómeno se ha conocido en el país como “política en cuerpo ajeno”.

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Chile’s Students Lead Latin America in Marijuana and Tobacco Consumption

March 11, 2010

A new study by the Organization of American States and the United Nations on alcohol, tobacco and drug consumption among high school students revealed that Chilean students consume more marijuana and tobacco than their regional counterparts. The study looked at more than 170 thousand students from Perú, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay.

Chile’s consumption rate of marijuana in the sampled age groups was 22.7 percent—more than double the regional average of 11 percent. Alcohol continues to be the most prevalent substance used by students in Chile with 70 percent of students reporting that they drank at least once before. The regional leaders in youth alcohol consumption were Ecuador and Uruguay at nearly 80 percent. Perú and Bolivia, by contrast, had rates of 52 and 43 percent respectively.

Among legal drugs, tobacco took the lead. Nearly 70 percent of Chilean students reported having smoked tobacco at least once. This was far above countries like Ecuador (48.8), Uruguay (47.9) and Argentina (47.2) percent.

Other key concerns revealed by the study are younger students in a number of countries trying marijuana for the first time and a rise in inhalant use in Perú, Bolivia and Ecuador.

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Santos to Lead Colombia’s U Party Ticket with Garzón as Vice President

March 10, 2010

Colombia’s Partido Social de la Unidad, a coalition of parties that support President Álvaro Uribe, officially presented former Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos as its candidate for the May 2010 presidential elections on Monday.  The next day, Santos chose Colombian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Angelino Garzón as his vice president and said he would offer Uribe a ministerial position if elected president. Garzón and Santos worked together in former President Andrés Pastrana’s cabinet between 1998 and 2002.   

A poll conducted by Ipsos Napoleon Franco had Santos leading with 23 percent of the vote on February 27, the day after Colombia’s Constitutional Court blocked a referendum that could have allowed Uribe to seek a third consecutive term. Other candidates include Senator Gustavo Petro, former Medellin Mayor Sergio Fajardo and veteran politician German Vargas Lleras.  The Conservative Party has not yet named a candidate. Since it is unlikely that a single candidate will secure the requisite 50 percent in the first round of voting on May 30, a second round in June will likely determine Uribe’s successor.

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How Will Colombians Vote on Sunday?

March 10, 2010

Colombians have a wide and strange array of options as they go to the polls this Sunday.

2,559 candidates are running for seats in the Senate, the Chamber of Representatives and the Andean Parliament; there seems to be a candidate for every taste. Some popular, if nontraditional candidates include the Partido de Integración Nacional’s (PIN) Benjamin Arrieta, (currently a Senator with the Convergencia Ciudadana party), who proposes free vasectomies and tubal ligations for the country’s poorest citizens and the Partido de la U’s María Fernanda Valencia, a former newscaster who promises to pose nude if elected. Cristián Fredy Murcia Guzmán, the brother of pyramid schemer David Murcia Guzman’s (DMG Holdings) is running for the Senate with Movimiento Apertura Liberal, on a platform that includes calls to restore his brother’s disgraced enterprise.

Complicating Sunday’s elections is a relatively new voting system first instituted in 2006.  Intended to strengthen the country’s political parties and movements, Colombians will vote first and foremost for their favorite party. If the party has an open list, voters may (but are not obligated to) specify which candidate they support within that party. But if the party has a closed list (which some do), then the party will have already assigned priority rankings to its candidates and voters will not be able to specify their personal preferences. As a result, many votes may ultimately help elect candidates who are not the voter’s preferred choice. Fortunately, almost all parties for this year’s elections (excluding, most noteably,  Movimiento MIRA for the senate race)  have presented open lists.

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Colombia, Paraguay to Enhance Security Cooperation

March 9, 2010

Colombia and Paraguay signed a declaration on Tuesday pledging to enhance bilateral cooperation primarily on security matters, but also in commerce, investment and tourism.

The agreement follows the resolution of a recent diplomatic dispute between the two countries that occurred prior to February’s Río Group Summit in Mexico. At the summit, Paraguayan Minister of Defense Luis Bareiro objected to the presence in Paraguay of Colombian military advisors, who had been assisting the Paraguayan military in efforts to capture members of the armed group Ejército Paraguayo del Pueblo (EPP). In an effort to patch things up, Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo then met with Colombia’s Álvaro Uribe in Mexico, after which he publicly thanked Colombia for its assistance.

After signing the agreement today in Asunción, Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez urged Paraguay to continue its efforts to weaken the EPP, which officials allege has been responsible for numerous kidnappings and attacks on police in recent years.

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Manuel Zelaya to Head Petrocaribe's Political Council

March 8, 2010

Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has accepted an invitation to head Petrocaribe’s newly formed political council, Venezuelan foreign minister Nicolás Maduro announced on Saturday. Minister Maduro said that in his new post, Zelaya would "oversee strengthening of political independence and the defense of 'popular democracy' in Latin America and the Caribbean."

Petrocaribe, a Venezuelan state initiative created in 2005, gives preferential oil prices to 18 Caribbean and Central American nations. The announcement came at a governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) meeting in Caracas, to which Zelaya had traveled from the Dominican Republic (where he is living under exile) to attend.

Zelaya, who was overthrown in a June 28, 2009 coup has been living in self-imposed exile since January 27, 2010, when Porfirio Lobo was sworn in as president.

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Estudiantes de postgrado monitorean la situaciòn en Chile

March 5, 2010

A 8.247 kilómetros de Santiago de Chile, en una pequeña sala de la Escuela de Asuntos Públicos e Internacionales (SIPA) de la Universidad de Columbia, en Nueva York, un grupo de estudiantes monitorea atentamente la situación en Chile, luego del terremoto que el pasado 27 febrero sacudió el centro y sur del país.

A través de Twitter, Facebook, blogs, y medios de comunicación, el grupo de voluntarios recolecta información humanitaria como la falta de luz o alimentos y, tras ubicar las coordenadas de la zona, la coloca en un mapa. El resultado es un mapa interactivo que permite, tanto a ciudadanos como a las organizaciones humanitarias conocer en tiempo real cuál es la situación en las zonas afectadas.

El programa, conocido como Ushahidi-Chile y disponible a través del portal chile.ushahidi.com, fue lanzado una hora después de que se reportara el terremoto. Desde entonces,  el portal ha registrado más de 630 incidentes.

“Al inicio, las informaciones eran sobre edificios caídos y otros tipos de emergencias, mientras que ahora la mayoría de los reportes son sobre farmacias y supermercados que están abiertos o hospitales que han reabierto sus puertas,” explica Anahí Ayala Iacucci, estudiante de SIPA y una de las coordinadoras del proyecto.

Según los voluntarios de Ushahidi-Chile, las redes sociales Twitter y Facebook se encuentran entre las principales fuentes de información pues ofrecen datos que no se encuentran en los medios de comunicación tradicionales. Entre los mensajes más frecuentes se encuentra la falta de luz y agua o los nombres de personas que permanecen desaparecidas y sobre las cuales se solicita información.

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Campaign Season in Colombia

March 5, 2010

Colombian President Álvaro Uribe and his allies were already taking candidate-like precautions before the country’s Constitutional Court ruled in a 7-2 decision that his run for a third term would be unconstitutional.

Juan Manuel Santos, one of Uribe’s closest disciples and a former defense minister, refused to launch his campaign as long as the possibility existed of a third term for Uribe.  Meanwhile, other candidates and pre-candidates for the presidency limited their campaign activity while waiting waited for the rules of the game to be set.

Hardly a few minutes after the president publicly accepted the court’s ruling, Santos launched his campaign, asking Colombians to show their support for the current administration’s policies by voting for him.  The next day Santos and Uribe met in Cali, where Uribe expressed his support for Santos’ political project.

But Santos is not alone as Uribe’s top pick. The president has also offered his strong backing to Agriculture Minister Andrés Felipe Arias.

Of the many who would like to succeed Uribe, Santos and Arias are among the few who are not registered candidates. Santos is expected to be chosen by the Partido de la U at a virtual national congress on Monday. Arias is competing in the Partido Conservador’s primaries against Uribe’s former ambassador to the United Kingdom and two-time presidential candidate Noemí Sanín.

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U.S. Blocks Mexican Shrimp Imports

March 5, 2010

The United States this week announced its intention to prohibit—effective April 20—the import of wild shrimp from Mexico after determining that the country has failed to adequately protect sea turtles. U.S. law (Section 609 of Public Law 101-162) prohibits imports of shrimp unless the harvesting nation has sea turtle protection programs comparable to those in effect in the United States. If the U.S. ban is upheld, it will jeopardize nearly 60,000 tons of Mexican shrimp exported annually. These exports are valued at more than $350 million, representing 42 percent of Mexico’s total seafood exports.

Manuel Montes Díaz, president of Mexico’s National Council for the Promotion of Commercial Fish and Aquaculture Products, came out strongly against the U.S. decision saying, “Mexico has a responsible and sustainable fishing industry” with the means to protect turtles.

Although the move has provoked a vocal Mexican response, the announcement appears to have been timed to coincide with the end of this year’s shrimping season and thus may not actually affect trade. Observers note Mexico will have ample time to improve its sea turtle-protection measures to comply with international standards; the U.S. would then likely drop its opposition to Mexican shrimp.

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The Age of Discontent in the Americas? Not Really

March 5, 2010

This piece was co-authored with Mitchell Seligson of Vanderbilt University.

According to the UN Commission on Trade and Development over 60 percent of the population south of the Rio Grande is under 35 years old.  Latin America’s young people will have an impact on political stability and the economy not just in their home countries but also in the U.S., where Latin America accounts for 20 percent of U.S. exports and is the major source of narcotics consumed in the U.S.  There’s also the issue of immigration, where a backlash against Hispanic immigration has fueled a growing desire to close borders and sometimes spilling over into an ugly racist anger against immigrants already within our borders.  With the huge demographic bubble south of U.S. border, the lack of economic opportunity faced by many of the young means that in the years ahead larger numbers of them will be knocking on U.S. doors for entry.

Below are the results from surveys conducted by the AmericasBarometer at Vanderbilt University in 2008 that examine youth attitudes and activities compared to their older counterparts.

The good news is that, despite lack of economic opportunity and the drug-fueled violence in Mexico and Central America and the Andes, two decades after the democratic transitions swept out military governments in every country throughout the region (except Cuba) Latin America’s “democratic generation” remains satisfied with democracy. But it’s not all good news.  There is a support for violent protest—along the lines of factory seizures and sealing of highways we have seen in countries like Chile and Argentina—and a limited interest in local politics.   But as we show below, the former does not mean support for such extra-legal activities enjoy broad support.  In fact it remains marginal, though it is larger in the under 35 generation in Chile.

One thing is clearly revealed in the graphs below: whether you’re a marketer or a politician, if your target is the younger generation: use the Internet.

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Leila Guerriero y la vida de los otros

March 4, 2010

Cuenta la periodista Leila Guerriero (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1967) que a algunas personas, cuando se sienten conmovidas por una historia real, se les da por comentar “sería una gran novela” . Pero Guerriero no quiere escribir una novela. Y no porque no le guste la ficción —al contrario, se alimenta de ella vorazmente. Lo que le molesta a Guerriero de la frase (“sería una gran novela”) es la percepción de que el periodismo es un género menor y que una historia solo aspira a trascender cuando está mediada por la ficción.
“Yo no creo que haya nada más feroz, desopilante, ambiguo, tétrico o hermoso que la realidad, ni que escribir periodismo sea una prueba piloto para llegar, alguna vez, a escribir ficción”, afirma Guerriero en Frutos extraños (Aguilar, 2009), el compendio de sus crónicas escritas entre 2001 y 2008. El trabajo de Guerriero—que publica en El Mercurio y Paula, de Chile, en Vanity Fair y El País, de España, en Gatopardo, revista que también edita para el Cono Sur, en SoHo y El Malpensante, de Colombia—es la mejor prueba de que el periodismo no tiene por qué ser pobre, aburrido o unidimensional. Su libro Los suicidas del fin del mundo (Tusquets, 2005), sobre una población en la Patagonia argentina con un alarmante índice de suicidios de jóvenes, es ya un clásico de la crónica latinoamericana contemporánea.

Guerriero reclama para el periodismo la categoría de arte, el arte de contar la vida de los otros con todas las herramientas de ficción que hacen que un cuento permanezca en la memoria, pero con el rigor investigativo que se espera de la no-ficción. Los sujetos de sus crónicas pueden ser inmigrantes chinos, clones de Freddie Mercury, magos mutilados o vendedoras de productos Mary Kay, y todos ellos nos revelan, con sus gestos y obsesiones y pequeñas o grandes tragedias, algún tipo de verdad sobre la condición humana.

Colanzi: ¿El cronista puede tomarse algunas libertades en beneficio de la narración, o se debe respetar el relato de los hechos tal y como sucedieron?

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Bogotá Transportation Strike Enters Fourth Consecutive Day

March 4, 2010

The city of Bogotá today entered into its fourth day of an ongoing transportation strike that is generating huge economic losses and sporadic civil unrest. The strike was called by an association of small-scale transportation providers, who oppose the city’s plan to continue implementing the Transmilenio project—a long term effort to revamp the city-wide transit system. The owners of the approximately 16,400 buses that have operated independently in Bogotá claim the new system will decimate their livelihoods.

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Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

March 3, 2010

From the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. AS/COA Online's news brief examines the major—as well as some of the overlooked—events and stories occurring across the Americas. Check back every Wednesday for the weekly roundup.

Sign up to receive the Weekly Roundup via email.

Leaders from Across Americas Reach out to Chile

In the days since an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile claimed roughly 800 lives and devastated infrastructure, leaders from across the Western Hemisphere have rallied to show their support for relief efforts. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton each traveled to Chile in the wake of the disaster to pledge assistance. Peruvian President Alan García, who has not traveled to Chile in a year due to a maritime-boundary dispute, also visited to pledge humanitarian aid, saying: “We need to strengthen our fraternity, our closeness, and in these moments of need, work toward a true union of peoples.” Bolivian President Evo Morales announced that he will donate half his salary to Chilean and Haitian earthquake relief efforts. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Peru are among the countries sending crucial supplies, such as satellite phones, field hospitals, medical equipment, and blankets.

Access an AS/COA Online resource guide to the Chilean earthquake, with links to maps, images, and additional sources of information.

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Chile’s Neighbors Step Up Relief Efforts

March 3, 2010

Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, and Ecuador are showing a display of solidarity with Chile in the aftermath of the February 27 earthquake.  On Tuesday, Bolivian President Evo Morales said he would donate half of his salary to aid Chile, and called for a five-day campaign in Bolivia to raise funds for earthquake relief in Haiti as well as in Chile.

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Go, Canada!

March 2, 2010

Once all the post-mortems of the just-completed Olympic Winter Games in Canada are written, one major success will stand out above the others: Canada’s national effort to ensure the success of their athletes on the slopes and frozen surfaces of British Columbia.  Say what you will about Canada’s “Own the Podium” initiative, but the bottom line is that it worked.

Canada previously hosted two Olympics: the Summer Games in Montreal in 1976 and the Winter Games in Calgary in 1988.  At neither of these games did the host nation win a gold medal, results that led to snickering about Canadians wanting to be such great hosts that they refused to upset their guests by claiming the top of the podium in any one event, including national sports like hockey.  Indeed, the Canadians were outstanding hosts this time, too, but they did not let that get in the way of a fierce determination to move up in the medal count.

Apparently, the third time is the charm.  At the final bell, Canada had amassed more gold medals than anyone else, and had finished third in the overall medal count.  The final event, the hockey championship against the United States, went according to some Hollywood script, calling for the hosts improbably to give up the tying goal just before time, while then fighting back in overtime for the game-winner from national golden boy Sidney Crosby.  Canada went berserk, and the celebration began in earnest.

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Spain Probes ETA-FARC Connection

March 2, 2010

Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a message to Venezuela on Tuesday, demanding an explanation from the government for its alleged support of an alliance between Basque separatist group ETA and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC).  

On Monday, Spanish High Court Judge Eloy Velasco accused Venezuela of helping the two groups plot attacks on Spanish soil and issued international arrest warrants for six alleged ETA members and seven Colombians thought to be members of the FARC.  The Venezuelan government facilitated communication between the two groups, the Court found, leading to the FARC asking ETA for help coordinating an assassination of Colombian officials visiting Spain, including Colombian president Álvaro Uribe.
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Velasco’s 26-page report outlines the contacts ETA is believed to have in Venezuela, and says the groups also collaborated on an assassination plot of former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana in 2000.

A statement from the Venezuelan government said the accusations were politically motivated.  At a press conference in Germany, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the Spanish government awaited an explanation from Venezuela before pursuing any further action. 

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Triunfó el estado de derecho con la no reelección de Uribe

March 2, 2010

La noticia más esperada del último año en Colombia, se conoció por fin el pasado viernes: Una abrumadora mayoría, 7 de los 9 magistrados de la Corte Constitucional, hundió el referendo que hubiera permitido al presidente Álvaro Uribe aspirar a una segunda reelección. Pese a que en los últimos días, algunas fuentes del alto tribunal habían filtrado información según la cual, triunfaría la ponencia negativa que frente al tema había expuesto el magistrado Humberto Sierra Porto, todas las cábalas eran impredecibles hasta el pronunciamiento oficial. Es más, el viernes en la mañana se vio al secretario jurídico de la Presidencia, Edmundo del Castillo, en los pasillos de la Sala Plena, un hecho que se interpretó como una jugada para intentar cambiar algunos votos de los magistrados. Pero finalmente el estado de derecho triunfó sobre el estado de opinión del que hiciera eco Uribe, para significar que eran las mayorías quienes aclamaban de él un tercer mandato y por eso era inevitable aprobar el proyecto.

No obstante, la Corte encontró como insalvables algunos vicios que sucedieron durante el trámite para convocarlo: La financiación de la recolección de firmas para la consulta, la discusión del tema en el legislativo sin contar con el aval de la Registraduría para el trámite; el cambio de la pregunta durante las plenarias, pues a la gente se le pidió en la calle apoyo para la reelección de Uribe en 2014; el transfuguismo de cinco congresistas de Cambio Radical que se fueron a la U para votar la conciliación del referendo; y la forma como se convocaron las sesiones extras en el legislativo en diciembre de 2008.

Una ponencia de 437 páginas dio fin a los sueños reeleccionistas de un presidente que movió toda la maquinaria para quedarse en el poder y que, resignado, se reunió el mismo sábado con dos candidatos que no sólo pretenden encarnar su legado de la seguridad democrática y la confianza inversionista, sino que en una segunda vuelta harían una coalición para que éste no se pierda: Andrés Felipe Arias y Juan Manuel Santos.

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Help Wanted at the Organization of American States

March 2, 2010

You’d never know it, but there’s a pretty big election coming up later this month at the Organization for American States (OAS). On Wednesday, March 3, representatives from the member states of the OAS (35 in total minus Cuba and Honduras) meet in a special session to formally introduce candidates to become the tenth secretary general.

The mission of the OAS, founded more than 60 years ago, is to promote and strengthen representative democracy, development and security, to act as the forum for governments in the hemisphere and to ensure peaceful settlement of disputes.

That’s a pretty tall order.

The current secretary general, José Miguel Insulza, wants to serve for another five-year term and recently said confidently that he would be confirmed on March 24. He needs to get at least 17 votes.

For the last year or so, current and former government officials have been murmuring that Insulza failed to lead the OAS and fulfill its mission. Instead, Insulza sat passively by as the executive powers in Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Ecuador gradually whittled away at the authority of the legislative and judicial branches. This weakening of democracies undermined the credibility and value of the OAS.

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Mexico City Judges Prepare for Same-Sex Marriages

March 1, 2010

Seventy judges in the Federal District of Mexico underwent sensitivity training today at the Instituto Mexicano de Sexología in preparation for this Thursday, when same-sex marriage becomes legal in the district. According to the Judicial and Legal Services Council the workshops are intended to ensure that ceremonies are performed without “discrimination”.

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Pelea protagónica en Cumbre del Grupo de Río

February 26, 2010

Más de un medio latinoamericano pagaría por las grabaciones que tienen en su poder los medios oficialistas mexicanos que presenciaron la pelea verbal entre los presidentes Álvaro Uribe y Hugo Chávez durante la Cumbre del Grupo de Río en Cancún. Los mandatarios de Colombia y Venezuela no solo fueron protagonistas de un incidente calificado como “bochornoso” por sus mismos colegas sino que, fruto de una relación de amor y odio desde que ambos están en el poder, el comercio entre estos vecinos, otrora grandes socios, se redujo en un 15 por ciento solo el año pasado.

La pelea colegial, en que Uribe le pide a Chávez que “sea varón, pues usted es valiente para hablar a distancia y cobarde para hablar de frente”, y éste le replica con un “vete al carajo”, vuelve circense el hecho de que las relaciones diplomáticas están seriamente deterioradas desde su congelamiento el año pasado, por acusaciones nada simples: Colombia dice que Venezuela alberga altos miembros de la guerrilla de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), mientras Chávez culpa al gobierno colombiano de enviar paramilitares a su país, para matarlo. Uribe compara el "sabotaje y bloqueo económico" de Chávez al comercio colombiano, con el bloqueo económico de Estados Unidos a Cuba desde la década de los años 60. Chávez le dice a Uribe que es un lacayo del imperio.

Los airados insultos no terminaron en golpes porque según lo dijo el mismo Chávez en entrevista con CNN, "la mesa y los amigos que estaban allí, impidieron que Uribe me hubiera agredido".

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Constitutional Court Orders Removal of Guatemalan Education Minister

February 26, 2010

On February 25, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court ordered the removal of Education Minister Bienvenido Argueta for failing to provide the court with complete information regarding the beneficiaries of President Álvaro Colóm’s flagship social program, Mi Familia Progresa.  This latest development in a months-old political drama augurs poorly for Guatemala’s fragile education system and President Colóm’s claims to be supporting transparency measures in this notoriously corrupt nation.

Mi Familia Progresa (MFP) is Guatemala’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, which provides cash payments to poor mothers, conditional upon them sending their children to school and for health check-ups.  CCT programs have become increasingly popular in Latin America, as they have shown demonstrably positive results on school enrolment and child health. 

President Colóm has hailed MFP as the cornerstone of his anti-poverty platform in Guatemala, but critics have argued that Colóm has used the program to reward voters who supported him in the 2007 elections.  Colóm’s critics also worry that the president has been transferring funds from other ministries to the program to use it as a campaign tool for his wife, Sandra Torres de Colóm, the coordinator and face of the Council of Social Cohesion that oversees MFP.

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Hillary Clinton to Meet Latin America’s New Leaders

February 26, 2010

The first trip to South America by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will take place amidst a series of U.S. policy changes in the region. By confirming that she will attend the new Uruguayan President Jose Mujica’s March 1 inauguration ceremony in Montevideo, Secretary Clinton will have the chance to meet with several of the region’s newly-elected presidents.

The agenda will include post-inauguration ceremony meetings with the new Uruguayan president and also with Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. On March 2, she will fly to Chile where she is scheduled to speak with outgoing President Michelle Bachelet and the newly-elected president, Sebastian Piñera. On Wednesday she will travel to Brasilia to meet with President Lula da Silva and on Thursday she will meet in Costa Rica with outgoing incumbent President Oscar Arias and with the incoming President Laura Chinchilla. Advance planning is also taking place for her to visit Guatemala, where she would meet with several heads of state from Central America and the Dominican Republic.

Some of the likely topics on the agenda are Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s recent expressions of disappointment with President Obama’s policies on the region. According to assistant secretary of state Arturo Valenzuela, talks in Chile will include joint policies to enhance economic competitiveness, and in Brazil she will lobby for Brazilian support for U.S. policies against Iran. Finally, in Costa Rica, Mrs. Clinton will give a speech at the 3rd ministerial meeting on the Road for Prosperity in the Americas where she is expected to emphasize the importance of trade.

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Colom's Message to the UN

February 25, 2010

The Guatemalan president has had a trying year. His country remains one of the murder capitals of Latin America, with an estimated 16 people killed every day. His national police are overstretched and often corrupt. And in May, he himself was (falsely) accused of murdering a prominent Guatemalan lawyer, in a crisis that came close to overturning his government.

Yet to hear President Álvaro Colom speak, you would think it had been smooth sailing all the way.

Colom, a gentle and reed-thin man in a sweater-vest, told reporters at the UN last week that “as president, I can express my satisfaction” with Guatemala’s fight against corruption in the government and the police force.

“I think we’re moving forward,” he added. “I wish it were faster, but I think it is moving forward.”

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Zona Sur – una película sobre la Bolivia en transición

February 25, 2010

Juan Carlos Valdivia tuvo que reinventarse como cineasta para filmar Zona Sur (2009), la película que narra la decadencia de una familia de la clase alta de Bolivia. “Me harté del cine”, confiesa el director boliviano, que ya tenía una trayectoria destacada en su país gracias a las películas Jonás y la ballena rosada (1995) y American Visa (2005). “Sentía que me debía a mí mismo una obra personal, honesta, sin pudor”, dice.

Después de una pausa de tres años, durante la cual no vio nada de cine pero sí se dedicó a leer intensamente, Valdivia regresó para contar una historia que conocía muy bien: la de una familia “blanca” acomodada de la ciudad de La Paz y sus complejas relaciones con los sirvientes indígenas de la casa. Zona Sur es quizás la primera película que refleja los cambios sociales que se producen actualmente en el país, y lo hace desde la intimidad de un hogar. “Es un nuevo capítulo de mi vida”, asegura Valdivia.

Los resultados ya se dejan ver: Zona Sur ganó este año los premios de mejor dirección y mejor guión en la categoría cine mundial del festival de Sundance. Con esta película, Valdivia se inscribe en la generación de cineastas latinoamericanos como Claudia Llosa (Perú) y Sebastián Silva (Chile), que exploran con talento las dinámicas de clase en el continente.

Colanzi: ¿Qué pasó entre la filmación de American Visa y Zona Sur? Ambas películas parecen realizadas por directores diferentes.

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Mexican Government Fines Popular TV Network

February 25, 2010

The governing body for the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute yesterday imposed a $9.5 million fine on the popular television network TV Azteca for its refusal to air more than 16,000 political advertisements for candidates and parties in four states where elections will be held 2010. According to Mexican electoral laws, all radio and television stations are required to allocate up to 48 minutes of programming per day to the electoral institute for candidates political messages.

Yesterday’s fine is the largest-ever for such a violation and comes after a similar $5.5 million fine—issued in January to the same network—for its failure to air 8,000 electoral ads in the states of Coahuila, Tabasco and Yucatán. TV Azteca’s actions have generated debate among members of the electoral institute about its role in safeguarding candidates’ access to media.

The discord between this particular network and the electoral institute is not new phenomenon. TV Azteca has been fined 38 times in the past, 26 of which have eventually been overruled by the judiciary. The network is owned by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, who himself has been plagued by a series of political and financial scandals. There is little speculation about whether the network’s decision is based on political, or purely economic considerations.

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Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

February 24, 2010

From the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. AS/COA Online's news brief examines the major—as well as some of the overlooked—events and stories occurring across the Americas. Check back every Wednesday for the weekly roundup.

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The New LatAm Group on the Bloc

Latin American leaders convened in Cancun, Mexico on February 22 and 23 for the 2010 Rio Group summit, where they agreed to form a new regional alternative that excludes the United States and Canada and that some posit could serve as an alternative to the Organization of American States. The specific details of the body will most likely be figured out at a 2011 summit in Caracas.

AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini discusses the newly created Latin American body on Worldfocus. “[The region’s] feeling its own diplomatic muscle and it wants to assert that,” says Sabatini.

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Colombia’s Indigenous Peoples Face Growing Abuse

February 24, 2010

Ongoing conflict and lack of state support threaten Colombia’s 1.4 million indigenous people, who face killings, sexual abuse, recruitment as child soldiers and the persecution of their leaders, according to a new report released Monday by the international human rights organization Amnesty International. The group is urging the Colombian government to adopt firmer measures to guarantee indigenous rights.

The release of the report follows Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) attacks on three communities in Southeastern Colombia this past weekend. 

Colombia’s Interior Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio, who assumed presidential duties while President Álvaro Uribe attended the Rio Group Summit this week, released a communiqué on Tuesday saying that the Amnesty report is too harsh. He contends that the group has failed to recognize the government’s achievements on indigenous rights, which were praised by the United Nations in July. The communiqué also says the cultivation of illicit drugs is a primary reason for the displacement of indigenous communities.

While indigenous people make up only 3.4 percent of Colombia’s population, they constitute 7 percent of the country’s displaced people, according to Amnesty International.

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Illegal trafficking in Haiti and Beyond

February 23, 2010

Eight out of the ten Americans who faced charges of child abduction soon after the earthquake hit Haiti, walked away from jail in Port-au-Prince last week. Orphanage founder Laura Silsby and her nanny have stayed behind to face more questioning and a judicial system that is trying, but is in shambles.

As the case moves forward, incriminating evidence has surfaced: the Americans have been linked to a notorious Dominican sex-trafficker-turned-legal-adviser and to business interests in the U.S. But all of this brings up many more questions about the nature of international adoptions.

This case is reminiscent of abduction charges against the French nonprofit Zoe's Ark in Chad in 2007. The organization was accused of airlifting 103 Sudanese children through the neighboring country illegally, with the hope of placing them in foster homes throughout Europe. In both cases, individuals carrying the banner of humanitarian will descended on a country weakened by war, or in Haiti's case, by a natural disaster.

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Honduras Debate Dropped at Rio Group Summit As New Organization is Formed

February 23, 2010

Latin American leaders attending the Rio Group summit in Cancún this week have formed a “tacit agreement” not to formally discuss the possible return of Honduras to the Organization of American States (OAS), said Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom Monday evening.  The heads of state and representatives in Cancún also approved the formation of an alternative organization to the OAS on Tuesday, tentatively called the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which would exclude the United States and Canada.

Despite the fact that  Honduras has restored diplomatic ties with 29 nations, including France, Spain, Italy, Guatemala and Germany, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo was not invited to the Rio Group meetings. Honduras was expelled from the OAS in June 2009 following the military ouster of then President Manuel Zelaya.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had said previously that he planned to work to mend Honduran relations with Latin America.  Notably, however, a debate on the formal recognition of Mr. Lobo as president of Honduras, which was originally a principal agenda item at the Rio Group summit, has not yet occurred.

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Canadian Premiers Meet with U.S. Governors

February 22, 2010

A delegation of seven Canadian premiers (provincial governors) completed a three-day visit to Washington DC yesterday where they met with U.S. lawmakers, cabinet officials and public policy professionals. According to the Canadian press, the highlight of the mission was the premiers’ participation, for the first time, in the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, which led to discussions with 20 U.S. governors on issues ranging from environmental protection to energy.

The premiers of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island also met with high-level Obama administration officials including the president’s economic advisor Larry Summers, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The cordial tone of the meetings was a stark contrast to the events unfolding in Vancouver, where the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team defeated the Canadians 5-3 on Sunday. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour boasted about the countries’ relationship saying, "the Canadians are not just our closest neighbors, they're our best friends…It's breathtaking; what a wonderful relationship." Pennsylvania's Edward Rendell even burst out singing Canada’s national anthem at a press conference. Before proceeding to crone an almost-accurate rendition of O Canada he said, “I've turned what I think are the best lyrics into one verse. I can't sing; I sound like a sick squirrel, but I will try my best."

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The Honduran Dam Controversy and Micheletti’s Legacy

February 19, 2010

Roberto Micheletti’s de facto government is back in the news. Last week, news broke in Honduras that the official newspaper, La Gaceta, published two different versions with the same number and date in the last days of Micheletti’s time in the Presidential Palace. The major difference? One version contained a controversial dam contract. After many months of Micheletti promoting his de facto government as the clean and honest side of the Liberal Party, the gacetazo (as the Honduran media has deemed the scandal) will further mar the legacy of Micheletti and his supporters.

In their last days in office, presidents often sign controversial decrees that would have proved too controversial earlier in their term. In the United States, for instance, recent presidents have extended pardons to convicts and established vast natural reserves. Presidents must be careful, however, not to over-step in their last days, or else their legacy will be stained by controversy. President Clinton, for instance, went too far when he pardoned Mark Rich, sparking allegations that the wealthy Rich had purchased his freedom with political contributions.

In Honduras, it seems that Roberto Micheletti’s de facto government, with the Congress his party controlled, could not resist the temptations of the last days in office, either. Just before relinquishing power, Micheletti and the Congress rushed to approve a $160 million contract to operate and improve the José Cecilio del Valle Dam (better known as the Nacaome Dam). In January, the Honduran Congress sped through the process of granting the contract to a Honduran-Italian consortium. Then-President of the Congress, José Alfredo Saavedra, argued that Congress had recently fast-tracked laws, including the general amnesty passed in January, so the contract should not raise concerns. After the congressional vote, Roberto Micheletti signed the contract into law in his last cabinet meeting.

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Redrado y el Congreso de la Nación de Argentina

February 19, 2010

El 2010 comenzó de manera muy agitada en el Congreso de la Nación de Argentina. Luego de varias semanas de reuniones informales, acusaciones y dichos, la Comisión Bicameral se expidió, por dos votos contra uno, a favor de la remoción de Martín Redrado de la presidencia del Banco Central de la República Argentina.

Esta Comisión Bicameral es la estipulada por la Carta Orgánica del Banco Central (Ley 20.539, posteriormente sustituida por la 24.144 del 23 de septiembre de 1992), que regula y especifica la naturaleza, funcionamiento y alcances de esa entidad autárquica del Estado Nacional. Según la ley debe conformarse por los presidentes de las comisiones de Presupuesto y Hacienda y de Finanzas de ambas cámaras. El quinto miembro es el Vicepresidente de la Nación (y Presidente del Senado).

La comisión, supuestamente conformada por cinco miembros, se constituyó con tres ya que los miembros del Senado aún no habían sido nombrados. En el caso de Diputados, las autoridades ya habían electas, pero el proceso de acuerdo alcanzado entre oficialismo y oposición en diciembre de 2009, no se había formalizado. Diputados lo formalizó a fines de enero, nombrando a Alfonso Prat Gay (CC- CABA) como presidente de la Comisión de Finanzas y Gustavo Marconato (FPV- PJ- Santa Fe) a cargo de Presupuesto y Hacienda.

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Presidents Correa and Uribe Announce Bilateral Talks

February 19, 2010

Official sources in both governments have confirmed that Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will hold talks at the Rio Group Summit in Cancún, Mexico. The summit will take place from Monday, February 22 to Tuesday, February 23, but the exact date and time of the bilateral meeting has yet to be confirmed.

This will be the first time the leaders have come together bilaterally since Ecuador severed diplomatic relations with Colombia in 2008.  According to several sources, the meeting comes as the result of an informal conversation they had at the Cumbre de la Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (UNASUR) meeting earlier this month on Haitian relief efforts.

Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez has said his government has committed to bringing proposals to the meeting that address a variety of sensitive issues in the hope of “restoring full diplomatic relations.” Ecuador’s president has also expressed his goodwill: “We are glad to be able to work on rebuilding the historically fraternal relations between Ecuador and Colombia.”

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New Uruguayan Government to Keep Honduras Position

February 18, 2010

In a clear signal of continuity of President Tabaré Vázquez' Honduras policy, President-elect José Mujica’s future minister of foreign affairs has said that Uruguay will not recognize Honduras’ new government until “new elements appear that guarantee democratic openness and stability.”

Luis Almagro made the statement at a meeting with foreign press correspondents, where he called the November 2009 election in Honduras an attempt to “whitewash” the coup. In December, Uruguay joined its Mercosur counterparts in again calling for Manuel Zelaya’s “return without restrictions” to power.

Mr. Mujica, like President Vázquez, is a member of the Frente Amplio coalition, and will take office on March 1.

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