Four Months Until Colombia’s Election: Is President Uribe Already Running?

January 21, 2010

It’s hard to believe that President Uribe won’t run for a third term after more than two years of keeping the country in political limbo. In yet another sign that he wants to be re-elected for a third term, he is now stopping the TV transmission of his weekly communal council meetings in towns across Colombia. This may yet be another signal that he does not want to have an unfair advantage over other candidates. Could his “soul” no longer be at the crossroads?

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A Green Opportunity in Mexico

June 30, 2009

Passage of climate change legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives last Friday was the United States’ first step in a more robust, forward-looking policy to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. But look to the other side of the Rio Grande and you’ll find a country that is showing new leadership in going green.

Yes, the outlook for Mexico may be somewhat grey these days if you're looking at the economic situation or the loss in tourism revenue. But Mexico is fast becoming one of Latin America’s best examples of how a government can address climate change and open the door for greater use of alternative energy.

Mexico’s role is quite welcome in a region that lags behind the world in terms of its investments in alternative renewable energy and in fighting climate change.  In 2007, Latin America produced just 1.7 percent of global renewable energy, including wind, solar, geothermal, and small hydro energy. This correlated with the region’s ability to attract a meager 3 percent of the $87 billion globally invested in renewable projects. And while Latin America may not be a big contributor of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, climate change is intensifying tropical rains, tornados, hurricanes, and dry seasons across the world. Mexico and the rest of the region stand to lose out by not taking action now.

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It's Politics, Stupid!

April 1, 2009

This Thursday, for a second time, the G-20 leaders in London will embrace free trade and commit themselves to avoiding protectionist measures, just as they did four months ago in Washington.

Their efforts will likely fail.

Not that they haven’t failed already, mind you. According to a report by the World Bank, several countries implemented trade-restricting measures after the G-20 November meeting, including 17 countries that were in the meeting. And although the scope and depth of these measures is small relative to the size of the world market, they bode poorly for the near future.

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México: ¿Estado fallido o estrategia fallida?

March 3, 2009

La violencia en México no para. La mafia y sus horrendos crímenes son cada vez más asiduos y tristemente empiezan a sentirse como el pan de cada día. Tal vez peor, las esperanzas de que la situación se solucione rápido son mínimas. Hace poco el Presidente Calderón cayó en cuenta de que los carteles son más poderosos, tienen más influencia y están  mejor armados de lo que se creía (gracias en buena parte a su vecino del norte). ¡Vaya sorpresa!

Para el departamento de estado norteamericano, México puede estar convirtiéndose un estado fallido. Pero esta visión es alarmista, miope e hipócrita. México podrá estar lejos de reducir los actuales niveles de violencia, pero lo está mucho más de perder el control del Estado a manos de grupos mafiosos.

A mi juicio el verdadero problema no son los narcotraficantes sino su razón de ser, que surge de la miopía de la “guerra contra las drogas”, cuya incansable promoción ha estado a cargo de Estados Unidos desde hace más de 30 años.

Y es que repitámoslo una vez más: la guerra contra las drogas ha sido un gran fracaso.

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