Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

January 27, 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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Honduras Tries to Turn Page with Lobo’s Inauguration

Seven months after the overthrow of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya left Honduras in a state of political chaos, the Central American country inaugurated Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo as the new leader on January 27. In his first act as president, Lobo declared amnesty for all involved in what was widely regarded as a coup. He won the November election by a large margin, though its recognition was hotly disputed by several Latin American governments.

On the eve of the inauguration, the Honduran Congress also approved amnesty for Zelaya and those involved in his ousting. That, along with a Supreme Court decision to clear chief military officers of coup-related charges, is seen as a step toward reconciliation as the new president takes power.

Read an AS/COA analysis of the inauguration.

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Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

January 20, 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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Aftershock Hits Ravaged Haiti

A 6.1-magnitude aftershock hit Haiti early Wednesday morning even as the country reels from last week’s ruinous earthquake. At least one person suffered injuries immediately after the aftershock. No deaths or damages were immediately reported. Even in the midst of chaos, officials around the world are considering what efforts can be implemented to aid Haiti’s long-term recovery. In a blog post on NationalJournal.com, COA’s Eric Farnsworth writes: “A long term project will require long term attention, and political will that goes beyond the provision of emergency relief efforts.” Foreign Policy features five views on how to help Haiti rebuild using emergency aid and development.

Piñera Victory Ends Concertación Rule

Business tycoon Sebastián Piñera won Chile’s runoff elections on January 17, marking the first win for a conservative presidential candidate since the country’s return to democracy. According to an article in The Washington Post, Chile will most likely continue to follow free-market policies that rendered the country prosperous since the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. COA’s Christopher Sabatini, quoted in the article, said Latin Americans “are making the choice to support market economies and rational leaders.”

Read an AS/COA analysis of recent and upcoming Latin American elections.

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Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

January 13, 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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Haiti Rocked by Destructive Earthquake

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, resulting in widespread chaos and substantial casualties. “Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed,” said Haiti’s President René Préval in an interview with The Miami Herald, who described the catastrophe as “unimaginable.” The United Nations and other agencies have warned that the rampant devastation is hampering efforts and The International Red Cross says as many as three million people have been affected and tens of thousands may have been killed by the earthquake, the epicenter of which lies just outside the Haitian capital. Images and reports of the destruction have been widely distributed via Internet and social media. Get updates via Twitter at #Haiti.

AS/COA has compiled a resource page with information about how to support relief efforts and get more information.

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Evo Morales and His Coca Vision

January 12, 2010

The Coca-Cola Company must not be happy about this: a new soft drink is hoping to someday make its way into the American market, and what's worse, it basically has the same name, except for an extra “l.” Bolivian President Evo Morales has been talking about the drink for years, and this month, his vision was finally materialized under the name "Coca Colla" printed on a red label.

The choice for the name is no accident. Coca leaves are the main ingredient, and colla (or kolla, in both the Quechua and Aymara languages) are the people of the Andean highlands where coca has been chewed for centuries. Once upon a time, Coca-Cola's recipe called for five ounces of coca leaves per gallon of syrup. But these days, coca is more often identified with being the main ingredient of the drug, cocaine.

As a former coca grower and union leader, Morales has repeatedly tried to put an end to coca's negative association. “We're for the coca leaf, but against cocaine,” said Morales at a UN summit on drugs last year. “The coca leaf should no longer be vilified and criminalized.” Coca has been consumed in raw form in the Andes for as long as people have inhabited the region. It is considered a sacred plant that is believed to cure altitude sickness, hunger and dizziness, and its use and importance in Bolivian traditions goes beyond what most outsiders see. Coca is legal only within Bolivian territory.

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Bolivia Launches Harsh Accusations against Peru

January 5, 2010

The Bolivian government accused Peruvian President Alan García on Monday of auctioning Peru’s natural resources to transnational companies and repressing his country’s indigenous population.

The accusations from Iván Canelas, Bolivia's presidential spokesman, were made in response to a statement from García over the weekend that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez orders Bolivian President Evo Morales to verbally attack Peru.  Canelas authored a piece in a Bolivian state-run newspaper claiming that García intervenes in other country’s foreign affairs to detract attention from Peru’s internal problems. 

Morales has long condemned the García government’s decrees ending certain restrictions on mining and oil drilling in regions inhabited by native Amazonian people.  On December 30, the Peruvian Awajún leader responsible for coordinating an investigation into the June deaths of 33 indigenous protesters said he would not sign the final report because it was biased.  The protesters were demonstrating against the opening of rainforest land to oil, mining and logging companies. International analysts are also concerned that the root causes of the conflict that took place between indigenous protesters and police near Bagua have not been addressed.    

Venezuela’s foreign ministry also issued a statement denouncing García for provoking regional division. 

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Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

December 9, 2009

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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Mercosur Rejects Honduran Elections, Stalls on Other Matters

Leaders of the Mercosur countries—Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—along with Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez gathered for a two-day presidential summit in Montevideo. They rejected Honduras’ November 29 elections, saying the elections took place in an illegal context. The presidents also agreed to move forward on free-trade negotiations with the EU but made little headway on their external tariff code, infrastructure projects for smaller countries, or a mechanism for the body’s Parliament to approve legislation. Leaders from the bloc also said they expect Venezuela to become a full member of Mercosur, pending approval by Brazil’s Senate and Paraguay’s Congress. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he expected his country’s Senate to approve Venezuela’s accession as early as December 9.

Latin Americans Worry over Climate Change

With Copenhagen climate change talks underway, a BBC and Globescan poll found that global warming concerns most Latin Americans. Eighty-six percent of Brazilians and Chileans, 83 percent of Costa Ricans, 81 percent of Mexicans, and 72 percent of Panamanians thought it was a “serious problem.” But far fewer believed their government should play a leadership role in setting targets to address the issue. For example, only 53 percent of Brazilians and 25 percent of Panamanians answered affirmatively. This news comes as Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pushes for international agreements to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent compared to 1990 levels.

The Fall 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly explores environmental priorities for the Western Hemisphere.

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Evo Morales Re-elected In Bolivia, MAS Party Wins Senate Majority

December 7, 2009

Bolivian President Evo Morales was elected for another five-year term on Sunday, winning 62.5 percent of the national vote and 78.5 percent in La Paz. With the previous constitution prohibiting consecutive re-election, it is the first time in 45 years that a Bolivian president will serve two consecutive terms. The runner-up, Manfred Reyes Villa of the Plan Progreso Bolivia-Convergencia Nacional party (PPB-CN), won 27.6 percent of votes nationally and 9.4 percent in La Paz.

The governing party, Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) also obtained a majority of seats in the senate. Having won 24 seats, MAS now controls two-thirds of the chamber and has senators in regions that have traditionally opposed the president. The government has announced that its new senate majority will allow it to accelerate reforms. The first legislation that will be introduced on December 12 is a Federal Autonomy law (Ley Marco de Autonomía) that will shape the legal framework for the autonomy status of the nine departments, the region of Gran Chaco and 11 autonomous indigenous municipalities.

Morales announced today that under the terms of the 2009 constitution, which permits re-election to one additional term, this constitutes his first election: "If we talk of the new constitution... this is the first election of Evo Morales," he argued. Voters will return to the polls on April 4 for municipal and departmental elections.

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Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

December 2, 2009

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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Lobo Wins Controversial Honduran Election

The National Party’s Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo came out the clear winner in Sunday’s controversial presidential election, pulling in over 55 percent of the vote to mark a double-digit victory over his leading contender, the Liberal Party’s Elvin Santos. Reporting from Tegucigalpa, AQ blogger Daniel Altschuler writes about speculation over voter turnout figures. The Honduran electoral tribunal placed the figure at 61 percent while observer group Hagamos Democracia announced counts closer to 48 percent. Read the National Democratic Institute’s assessment of the electoral process.

Leaders from 22 countries joined at the Ibero-American summit this weekend in Estoril, Portugal, where divisions ran high over whether to recognize the results of last Sunday’s election in Honduras. All countries present condemned the June 28 ouster of Manuel Zelaya, but the United States, Peru, Costa Rica, and Panama announced they would recognize the elections. Critics opposing the election object to it being carried out by the interim government even as deposed leader Manuel Zelaya’s political fate remains uncertain.

The Honduran Congress is slated to vote on Zelaya’s reinstatement today, December 2. The ousted leader’s term would run through the end of January. Last week, the Supreme Court advised against his return to power.

Access an AS/COA timeline of the Honduran Congress.

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Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas

October 28, 2009

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.

Mujica to Face “Pink” Alliance

During the first round of Uruguay’s presidential elections on Sunday, the Broad Front coalition’s José Mujica lost the majority needed to avoid a November runoff against the National Party’s Luis Alberto Lacalle. Mujica won a large majority at the polls, pulling in 48 percent—20 points above Lacalle. However, Mujica signaled concern about the “Pink” alliance made up of the National and Colorado Parties. While the Broad Front maintains a majority in Congress, it could lose its majority control in the lower house.

Read a new Americas Quarterly web exclusive on the Uruguayan elections by Adolfo Garcé of the Institute of Political Science at the University of the Republic in Montevideo.

Colombia, Venezuela Exchange Barbs over Espionage Accusations

Caracas announced the arrest this week of two officers from the Administrative Department of Security (DAS), Colombia’s intelligence agency. Bogota denied the allegations. Colombia’s ambassador in Venezuela, María Luisa Chiappe countered that Colombia is more concerned with identifying those responsible for the recent abduction and murder of ten amateur Colombian soccer players in a Venezuelan border town.

Tensions between Colombia and Venezuela have been heightened over a bilateral U.S.-Colombian agreement to give Washington access to seven of its military bases. Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva announced that the deal could be signed as early as Friday this week. He added that the deal was not a recent development, but an extension of US-Colombian cooperation against drug trafficking.

Read an AS/COA analysis of the military deal.

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Ecuadorian Water Law Sparks Outrage from Indigenous Communities

October 23, 2009

Last month, around a thousand peasants marched and blockaded the streets of Cuenca, Ecuador, and many more came out in protests throughout the Ecuadorian Amazon, calling for the cancellation of a new water law.  If passed, the law would privatize water services, limit community and neighborhood water management, relax current measures on water contamination, and (to the great frustration of the activists) prioritize water access to private companies.  The demonstrations also came in reaction to a new mining measure, which would allow two Canadian companies—Corriente Resources Inc. and Kinross Gold Corp.—to resume gold explorations in contested areas of the Amazon where indigenous communities live.

The situation has only worsened since the beginning of October, leading to violent raids by police.  In the community of Macas, in the Southern Upano Valley, the attack left at least one confirmed dead and almost 50 injured.  President Rafael Correa has accused the leading indigenous organization, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), of trying to destabilize his government with “lies.” He claims that the protesters were acting on behalf of the country's conservatives who would like to see Correa fail.

Showdowns between the people and the government over indigenous rights and natural resources are nothing new in the Andes.  But in the case of Ecuador, the current conflict over the privatization of water is bringing to mind the so-called "Water War" that erupted in Bolivia in 2000. That dispute ended in a victory for the protesters.

It all started in 1999, when a partnership between the American multinational, Bechtel, and the Bolivian government—at the suggestion of the World Bank—signed a deal to improve water supplies to the city of Cochabamba.  The move increased the cost of the service by 35 percent, to about $20 a month. (The average salary in Cochabamba remained at $100 a month.)  Then hundreds of protesters took to the streets when one of the new water executives said, "If people fail to pay their accounts, we'll cut their service." Protests continued for three weeks until the government backed down.

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Weekly News Roundup from Across the Americas

October 7, 2009

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.

OAS Sends Mission to Honduras

It’s been over two weeks since deposed Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya snuck back into his country and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Three months after his removal from power and with the clock ticking down to the November 29 presidential elections, a stalemate drags on between Zelaya and the de facto government headed by Roberto Micheletti. The Organization of American States (OAS) will give talks another try starting October 7, when a delegation arrives in Honduras. The OAS mission includes high-level officials from Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Canada, Jamaica, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, the United States, and Spain. OAS Secretary-General José Miguel Insulza leads the delegation. The mission also includes Thomas Shannon, who continues to serve as U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs while awaiting his stalled confirmation to become U.S. ambassador to Brazil.

Read AS/COA analysis on the Honduran crisis, including coverage of related rifts in Washington.

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China, Bolivia Announce Joint Technology Venture

September 24, 2009

China will construct a $300 million communications satellite in Bolivia, President Evo Morales announced Thursday.

Morales discussed future plans for cooperation with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, in New York during the annual United Nations General Assembly session.  The two leaders’ discussion comes a week after the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, pledged to assist Bolivia with orbital positions and frequency bands.

The project could be financed with Bolivia’s own resources, Morales told AFP Thursday, adding that securing access to preferential credit from a country like China would help his country.  He anticipates the satellite’s launch into orbit within three years.  Morales also explained that a satellite would greatly benefit the country by connecting poor Bolivians with the modern world through improved Internet access. This remains a challenge in Bolivia where ITU reports that only 10 out of every 100 people are Internet users—far below Chile, 32 per 100, and Venezuela, 25 per 100.

In 2008, Chinese scientists built and launched the Venezuelan satellite, Simon Bolivar (ABC). For President Hugo Chávez, a goal of that satellite is to secure technological independence from the West.

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Weekly News Roundup from Across the Americas

September 23, 2009

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.

Zelaya Sneaks Back into Honduras, Catapaults Brazil into Center of Crisis

Three months after the military forced him out of Honduras, deposed President Manuel Zelaya reentered the country and gained sanctuary in the Brazilian embassy on September 21. Since then—and at the time of this report—the country remains in a tense standoff. The interim government of Roberto Micheletti closed airports, declared a curfew, and cut water supplies and electricity to the embassy. Police forces broke up protests with tear gas, with some canisters falling inside the embassy’s compound.

Such moves did little to please Brasilia, where the House approved a motion repudiating Honduras’ blockade of the embassy. While Brazil said it did not play a role in bringing Zelaya back into Honduras, officials allowed him to take shelter and reiterated support for his reinstatement. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in New York for the UN General Assembly, urged an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the crisis and requested to be present at the meeting.

In a Christian Science Monitor article exploring Brazil’s role in the center of the crisis, COA’s Eric Farnsworth explains why Zelaya chose that country to turn to. “Seeking asylum with Brazil shows that [Zelaya] thinks Brazil is the neutral voice in the crisis, not the U.S., Costa Rica, [or] Venezuela. He's essentially throwing in his lot with the party he thinks has the best chance to get him restored to power,” said Farnsworth, “It's a tangible representation of a power shift in the region.”

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Weekly News Roundup from Across the Americas

September 9, 2009

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.

Calderón Undertakes Housecleaning

Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón announced that his government plans to close down the secretariats of tourism, agrarian reform, and public service in an austerity measure that could save hundreds of millions of dollars. The three agencies will be absorbed into others. The move followed a cabinet reshuffling that involved replacing the attorney general, the head of state oil firm Pemex, and the secretary of agriculture. An Associated Press report suggests Calderón’s decision to replace Attorney General Medina-Mora with Arturo Chávez represents a choice to go with a stronger approach toward fighting drug cartels. However, women’s rights groups have protested the choice, saying Chávez did little while attorney general in the border state of Chihuahua to resolve the disappearances of hundreds of women in Ciudad Juarez. Chávez must gain confirmation from the Mexican Senate.

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Paraguay Expresses Alarm over Recent Bolivian Arms Purchases

August 31, 2009

The Paraguayan government requested a bilateral meeting with Bolivian authorities on Saturday to discuss Bolivia’s recent announcement that it will purchase up to $100 million in military equipment with credit from Russia. The deal, which is reportedly for helicopters, airplanes and other military equipment, was announced on August 12 by Bolivian defense minister Walker San Miguel.

Bolivian officials have repeatedly contended that the arms purchases pose no threat to its neighbors, yet its decision to expand its military capacity has even caught the attention of the U.S. which last year tried to block a Bolivian arms purchase from the Czech Republic.  In response, the Morales administration responded to U.S. actions by expressing his intention to instead purchase similar equipment from Chinese or Brazilian suppliers.

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Peruvian President Suspects Secret Maritime Accord between Bolivia and Chile

August 25, 2009

President Alan García of Peru announced on Monday his belief that Bolivian President Evo Morales has successfully negotiated an “under-the-table” maritime deal with Chile that will grant sea access to the landlocked republic. The announcement provoked swift denials from both governments and is the latest development in the acrimonious diplomatic relationship between Bolivia and Peru. Chilean foreign minister Mariano Fernández called Mr. García’s allegations a “provocation” against Chile, but also expressed a commitment to settling the dispute peacefully.

According to a treaty dating back to 1929, Peru is permitted to approve any future bilateral agreement between Bolivia and Chile that pertains to ocean access that would require the use of territory that Peru lost to Chile in the War of the Pacific in 1884. Bolivia’s efforts to secure sea access have intensified in recent years as it has sought new markets for its expanding natural gas exports.

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Letter Bomb Attacks Leave Seven Seriously Injured in Bolivia

August 13, 2009

Two separate explosions on Wednesday afternoon left seven people injured in La Paz, including Armonia Colque, wife of opposition leader Fidel Surco and two police officers. Although no one has officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, President Evo Morales has voiced his belief that the bombings were carried out by the “neo-liberal right” as part of a strategy to disrupt Bolivia’s December elections. Although both attacks were undertaken using letter bombs, authorities have not yet established a connection between the incidents.

Ms. Colque’s husband, Fidel Surco, who is a leader of the Consejo Nacional del Cambio (Conalcam) political party, denied President Morales’ comments and claimed that the attacks were in fact the start of a “dirty war” intended to terrorize social movements and opposition figures at the beginning of the general elections campaign. This sentiment was echoed by presidential candidates Manfred Reyes Villa and Samuel Doria Medina, who also denied opposition involvement in the attacks.

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Bolivia: De Cara A Las Elecciones Presidenciales

August 13, 2009

Después de las relativamente tranquilas celebraciones del Día de la Patria en Bolivia, la atmósfera empieza a cargarse de nuevo ante la proximidad de las elecciones presidenciales previstas para diciembre. Las encuestas mencionan a candidatos como el ex vicepresidente aymará Víctor Hugo Cárdenas, el alcalde de Potosí René Joaquino, los ya conocidos políticos Samuel Doria Media, Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga y Manfred Reyes Villa, y el empresario cruceño Oscar Ortiz. También se baraja el nombre de la politóloga Jimena Costa, una de las críticas más lúcidas del gobierno actual.

Sin embargo, todo parece indicar que Evo Morales tendrá la victoria asegurada. Pese a los esfuerzos de la oposición, las encuestas señalan que Evo todavía convoca el apoyo abrumador de la región andina del país, donde la mayoría de la población es indígena—81 por ciento de los votos en El Alto, 66 por ciento en La Paz, 52 por ciento en Potosí y 50 por ciento en Oruro, según el sondeo de julio realizado por Ipsos. A eso se le suma el hecho de que en algunos departamentos de la opositora “media luna” Evo llega al 30 por ciento en intención de voto, hecho de por sí notable. 

La oposición no ha conseguido organizar un frente unido; por el contrario, se ha dispersado entre varios candidatos con poco peso político. Samuel Doria Medina, empresario cementero, es el único que pasa del 10 por ciento. Esto parece la historia de Blancanieves y los siete enanitos (Evo, claro está, sería Blancanieves). Según las encuestas, si la oposición presentara un candidato único, podría llegar a una votación del 48 por ciento, lo cual muestra por un lado la polarización del país y por otro, la urgencia que tienen los partidos que se enfrentan a Evo de encontrar un candidato de consenso.

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Bolivia granted $280 million loan from Iran

July 30, 2009

Iran's top diplomat in Bolivia, Masoud Edrisi, announced on Wednesday that Iran’s government has approved a $280 million low-interest loan for the Bolivian government to use as they see fit, including oil and natural gas exploration projects. Edrisi said that the final terms of the loan have not yet been established.

This announcement comes just after the Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman wrapped up a 10-day tour of Latin America last week, aiming to counter Iran’s influence in the region.

Since taking office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has established stronger ties with Latin America, especially with Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. In August 2007, Iran pledged to invest 1.1 billion euros ($1.54 billion US) in Bolivia's agriculture, energy, industry, and humanitarian sectors.

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Drop Seen in Brazil's Demand for Bolivian Natural Gas Imports

July 28, 2009

Brazilian imports of natural gas from Bolivia have fallen steadily from a high of 31.5 million cubic meters per day at the end of 2008, to 25 million earlier this month and now to only 21 million cubic meters daily. Hydrocarbon sales, which have dropped almost 20 percent, are widely considered Bolivia’s “engine of growth.” But even amid lowered natural gas exports, Bolivia’s National Statistics Institute reported last week that the economy grew at a rate of 2.1 percent in the first half of 2009.

Among the reasons cited for the decrease in demand are increased domestic gas production in Brazil, the recovery of water levels for hydroelectric dams in southern Brazil and the completion of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) re-gasification plants capable of receiving LNG from global exporters. Historically, when Brazil’s gas purchases have fallen, Bolivia has tended to sell more gas to Argentina. This time, sales to Argentina appear to be holding steady. Brazil is contractually obligated through 2019 to purchase a minimum of 20 million cubic meters daily.

Also notable is an increase in recent months of Bolivian imports of liquefied natural gas despite abundant domestic gas reserves. Analysts indicate that this is likely a consequence of inadequate investment in downstream infrastructure—a result of the hydrocarbon nationalization process began by the administration of President Evo Morales in 2006.

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Plan Advanced to Grant Bolivia Sea Access Through Uruguayan Ports

July 15, 2009

On Monday, Bolivian President Evo Morales met with Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez in Montevideo to negotiate an agreement that would provide Bolivia with access to the Atlantic Ocean in exchange for the use of Bolivia’s natural gas resources. The deal will give free port privileges to Bolivia in Nueva Palmira—a key port on the Paraná River— and Montevideo.

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Bolivia Raid of a "Mega" Cocaine Lab is the Largest Seizure in Decades

July 7, 2009

Reports began trickling out of Bolivia on Sunday of a major counternarcotics operation in Chiquitania, an area in the eastern province of Santa Cruz. Officials now say that the raid led to the seizure of what may be the biggest cocaine factory ever found in Bolivia—the world’s third largest cocaine producer.

On Monday, Oscar Nina, director of the government’s special anti-narcotics force, called the seizure of the factory, which was capable of producing 100 kilograms per day of highly refined cocaine, “the biggest setback to narcotrafficking to have occurred in recent years.” The factory is the fourth major lab to be discovered in 2009 in Bolivia.  As in the other cases this year, a number of Colombian nationals were arrested and were believed to be working in collaboration with local teams.

Alfredo Rada, Bolivia’s minister of government, used coverage of the action to voice his criticism of past U.S. anti-drug actions in the region and pointed out that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which had been active in the region, failed to discover the labs. Cocaine production in Bolivia grew in 2008 and the government has come under pressure to control the problem, particularly after receiving heavy criticism for expelling U.S. anti-narcotics officials from the country.

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Bolivia Seeks to Re-Establish Relations with Peru

June 18, 2009

On a visit to Colombia yesterday, Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca said that Bolivia would seek to re-establish formal diplomatic ties with Peru as soon as possible.  In a statement, Mr. Choquehuanca attributed the change of stance to popular demand saying, “Our peoples want harmonious relations...government officials must obey our peoples’ wishes.” A deterioriation in relations led to Peru recalling its ambassador to Bolivia on Tuesday.

This was in response to comments earlier this week by Bolivian President Evo Morales, describing the Peruvian government’s response to recent unrest in the Amazon as a “genocide” caused by free trade.  Prior to recalling its ambassador, Peruvian Foreign Minister José Garcia Belaunde labeled Mr. Morales “an enemy of Peru.”  Other Peruvian officials have suggested that Bolivia was interfering in Peru’s domestic affairs by actively inciting protests by indigenous groups that have so far left at least 34 people dead.

A warming of the rhetoric between the two Andean neighbors could be a first step toward improving the bilateral relationship which some experts believe “has never been so bad.”

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Weekly News Roundup from Across the Americas

June 10, 2009

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.

Political Fallout in Peru after Bloody Clash

Indigenous protesters and police forces clashed in Peru’s northern Amazon region over the weekend in a violent clash that claimed dozens of lives on both sides. The unrest followed months of demonstrations against a set of decrees that protesters said violated their ancestral claims on land and resources in the region. The Minister for Women and Social Development Carmen Vildoso resigned as a result of the controversy over the government’s handling of the clashes. Indigenous leader and head of the Inter-ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle Alberto Pizango was granted political asylum by the Nicaraguan government on June 8, after the government accused him of inciting violence against the police on June 5.

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La Nueva Generación de Escritores en Bolivia

May 29, 2009

La literatura boliviana vive un gran momento a nivel internacional. En abril, la revista Zoetrope, de Francis Ford Coppola, incluyó un cuento de Rodrigo Hasbún en el número que le dedicó a los autores latinoamericanos con más futuro. Este mes, la editorial española Bartleby publica el libro de cuentos Niñas y detectives, de Giovanna Rivero, quien también apareció el año pasado en la antología latinoamericana de relatos El futuro no es nuestro. Y en los próximos meses, Maximiliano Barrientos publicará el libro de cuentos Primeras canciones en la editorial Periférica, también de España.

Curiosamente, ninguno de los autores aborda de forma directa los cambios sociales de Bolivia en sus libros, pese a que, como nunca antes, el país está en la mira del resto del mundo gracias a las movidas políticas de Evo Morales. En otras épocas, los autores bolivianos sentían la obligación de retratar los conflictos del país. El ejemplo más emblemático fue el de la guerra del Chaco (1932 a 1935), que dio lugar a una generación de escritores que produjeron obras clásicas retratando la complejidad de la guerra (Sangre de mestizos, de Augusto Céspedes; Aluvión de Fuego, de Óscar Cerruto) e influyeron en el ideario del Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR), partido que llevaría a cabo la revolución de 1952 y embarcaría al país en un profundo proceso de transformación social.

Pero todas las tradiciones se convierten en una carga pesada cuando son vividas como obligaciones. La generación que está cruzando fronteras prefiere desmarcarse y explorar la individualidad. Que no haya correlato entre el hecho histórico y su expresión literaria puede ser algo positivo, liberador. Para Rivero, “el hecho de no escribir explícitamente sobre la situación política actual no significa que estés haciendo literatura del escapismo. Yo creo que la tematización literaria de los conflictos políticos de un país toma su tiempo. En Argentina, por ejemplo, los de la ‘joven guardia’ han esperado algunos años para narrar la euforia del menemismo y su terrible decepción de manera explícita”.

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Weekly News Roundup from Across the Americas

May 27, 2009

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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White House Chooses First Hispanic for SCOTUS

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced his choice for a Supreme Court justice to replace David Souter, picking the first Hispanic judge in history to be selected for the highest court in the United States. Sotomayor, whose credentials include three decades in the field of law and 16 years as a federal appeals judge, is from the South Bronx and of Puerto Rican descent. Pundits suggest that her ethnic background could serve as an obstacle for Republicans fighting her confirmation. Read AS/COA analysis about the nomination.

The Houston Chronicle’s Immigration Chronicles blog points out that several media outlets made the mistake of saying Sotomayor was born to immigrant parents. Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917.

AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini joined PBS’ Worldfocus to talk about the historic nature of Sotomayor’s appointment, as well as how Latin America is receiving her nomination.

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Daily Focus: U.S. and Bolivia Attempt to Improve Relations

May 21, 2009

Thomas Shannon, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs arrived in Bolivia yesterday to meet with President Evo Morales and his foreign minister, David Choquehuanca.  This visit follows an agreement made at the Summit of the Americas between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mr. Choquehuanca to reduce tensions and increase dialogue between the two nations. 

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Daily Focus: Peru Grants Asylum to Former Bolivian Minister

May 11, 2009

The Peruvian government provoked Bolivian President Evo Morales’ ire over the weekend, granting asylum to a former minister charged with aiding the killing of 65 civilians. The deaths occurred in 2003, during the military repression of protests that eventually ousted the government of Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.

“If the Peruvian government grants asylum or refuge, it would be committing a serious crime,” said Morales, “because we’ve reviewed the regulations of the Peruvian state and they cannot (give asylum) to people who have committed crimes against humanity and who are indicted.”

Two additional Bolivian ministers facing similar charges have also submitted applications for asylum in Peru. They are currently under review. This is the second high-profile asylum case for Peru this year, the first coming in March when it approved the application of Venezuela’s opposition leader Manuel Rosales. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reacted by withdrawing his ambassador to Peru.

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Daily Focus: U.S.-Bolivian Relations

April 21, 2009

Lost among all the buzz surrounding the widely publicized handshakes between President Obama and President Chávez in Trinidad and Tobago is yet another conciliatory gesture the U.S. President made this weekend—this time toward Bolivia.

President Evo Morales, who was recently a victim of an alleged assassination plot that left three dead in Santa Cruz last week—including two non-Bolivian conspirators—had publicly raised suspicions that the plot was related to a coup attempt last year, in which he cast blame on the U.S. government.  On Saturday, Morales reportedly approached Obama and asked him to publicly repudiate the attempt on his life.

At one of Obama’s final news conferences on Sunday, he specifically mentioned Bolivia in a statement opposing any violent overthrows of democratically elected governments in the hemisphere.  The U.S. relationship with Bolivia has been icy in recent years.  It appears, however, that behind the shadow of the Obama-Chávez handshakes, there may be room for renewed dialogue between the new administration and leftist governments in the region that had vocally opposed the Bush administration.  Morales, who is speaking at a public forum in Harlem (New York City) tomorrow, will have the opportunity to follow suit on Obama's gesture over the weekend—whether he decides to actually do so, however, is another question altogether.

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Evo y la Huelga de Hambre

April 21, 2009

La huelga de hambre que protagonizó Evo Morales hace algunos días puede haber asombrado a los que no conocen su trayectoria política. Pero no es una novedad para los que han seguido de cerca su carrera sindical. Evo se ha mostrado siempre muy hábil para jugar dentro y fuera de la ley al mismo tiempo. Dentro de la ley, es el jefe de un partido político que impulsa una nueva Constitución para legitimarse; fuera de la ley, se convierte en el líder carismático al mando de los movimientos sociales, y en cualquier momento puede sorprender con gestos espectaculares como el de la huelga de hambre.

Durante los últimos 20 años en los que Morales ejerció como dirigente de los productores de coca, medidas de presión como los bloqueos de caminos, las marchas multitudinarias y las huelgas de hambre resultaron efectivas al momento de forzar negociaciones con el gobierno.

En el pasado, los cocaleros utilizaron con éxito estas medidas en situaciones cruciales como la Guerra del Agua en 2000, el desafuero de Morales de la Cámara de Diputados en 2002, y durante el intento de Carlos Mesa de aprobar una Ley de Hidrocarburos en 2005. En todos estos casos, se impuso la presión de los movimientos sociales.

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Intolerancia Política en Bolivia: La Expulsión de Víctor Hugo Cárdenas

March 20, 2009

El 7 de marzo, un grupo de pobladores aymaras del cantón paceño Huatajata tomó y saqueó la casa de Víctor Hugo Cárdenas, ex vicepresidente de Bolivia. Bajo la consigna de que se estaba escarmentando a un traidor del pueblo, los campesinos expulsaron a la familia, no sin antes apalear a la esposa de Cárdenas y a dos de sus hijos. Un cabildo campesino decidió provisionalmente convertir la casa en un asilo de ancianos.

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BOLIVIA: EL REGRESO DEL CHE

February 19, 2009

A principios del 2006 visité El Chapare. Iba en busca de datos biográficos sobre Evo Morales; también quería escuchar anécdotas de los propios cocaleros sobre la lucha contra la erradicación de la coca, batalla que los ha enfrentado desde hace más de dos décadas con los Estados Unidos.

Mientras recorría los pueblos del trópico cochabambino, me llamó la atención un hecho curioso: en las oficinas de las federaciones de cocaleros no ondeaba la bandera tricolor boliviana, sino la whipala—la bandera de los pueblos indígenas andinos—y casi todas las paredes estaban pintadas con la imagen de Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

Desde el triunfo electoral de Evo Morales, el gobierno ha rendido tributo abiertamente al guerrillero argentino asesinado en Bolivia en 1967. Se construyen monumentos en honor al Che Guevara. Morales ha adoptado en muchos de sus discursos el saludo “Patria o muerte!”, característico de la revolución cubana, y llegó a compararse a sí mismo con el Che.

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