Around the Americas. In news around the Americas this week, questions of development and the economy take center-stage as the world’s 20 largest economies meet in London for the G-20 financial summit. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, and the United States will all be among the participating nations. And President Lula da Silva of Brazil has been particularly outspoken in the days leading up to the summit, writing in Le Monde that the restoration of credit and the fight against the "drug" of protectionism were the most urgent problems facing G20 leaders. Lula met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown late last week and the two leaders called for measures to boost global economic demand and for action to protect emerging market economies from financial volatility.
As El País (Spain) reports, the summit comes amidst a global financial crisis which is creating fears within Latin America that a period of economic boom will not only come to a sudden halt but reverse direction. According to the Spanish paper, an average regional growth rate of 5% over the last six years allowed 40 million people in Latin America to be brought out of poverty. The report also notes that McDonald's sold more hamburgers in Latin America than any other part of the world in 2008, apparently a sign of healthy economic times. But a new report from the World Bank estimates a growth rate of just 0.3% for the coming year, down from an earlier prediction of 3.9%.
As an era of prosperity fades likely fades for now, some are leveling blame against development policies that once again may be damned as unsustainable. An Inter Press Service story says that many development NGO’s are criticizing the Inter American Development Bank--which recently met in Medellin, Colombia--for not promoting policies for a sustainable development in the region. The IDB has lent out six to nine billion dollars a year over the last five years, most of which has gone towards strengthening infrastructure and export competitiveness in Latin America and the Caribbean. Social Watch, an Uruguay-based NGO who participated in an alternative meeting of civil society groups during the IDB’s meetings in Colombia, said the bank continues to neglect “the human and environmental costs of the failed ‘development’ policies…which are largely focused on the promotion of ecologically damaging mega-projects that provide few benefits for disadvantaged local populations and fail to respect the rights of indigenous communities and other traditional ethnic groups.”
The IDB has also come under fire from U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), among others, because its portfolio lost 1.9 billion dollars in value over the last year and a half due to its investments in "toxic assets" backed by subprime mortgages.
Latin America nations have sought to build stronger economic ties with other countries in order to weaken dependence on traditional multilateral organizations like the IDB. This week, in Qatar, the second Arab-South American summit will bring Brazil’s president Lula da Silva, Argentina’s Cristina Kirchner, and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez to one such region with whom new relations are being formed. The Latin Americanist reports that building greater economic ties will be one major objective during the summit, and as Qatar business association head Faisal bin Qassem al-Thani acknowledged, the potential markets in both regions are large. About 10% of the world’s population lives in the two regions.
The U.S. also attempted to reassert and redefine its position in the Americas this week with a visit by Vice President Joe Biden. In an op-ed which appeared in many Latin American papers, Biden wrote: “We recognize that the United States is still striving to meet its constitutional goal of forming a “more perfect union” and that we have, in the past, fallen short of our own ideals. But we pledge every day to honor the values that animate our democracy, and to lead by example. This is why, on his third day in office, the President ordered the closure of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.” The piece focused on the six themes of the economic crisis, security, democracy, poverty, energy, and the environment.
But while the Vice President attempted to renew U.S. moral authority by citing the closure of Guantanamo, a new Amnesty International report released this week concluded that human rights violations are prevalent in the U.S.’s own immigration system as well. The types of abuses include excessive periods of detention and substandard detention centers, and are evidence of how there still remains much room for human rights improvements in the U.S.
Weekly Briefs.
Central America. Reuters reports that Guatemalan security forces have discovered a training camp and illegal airstrip run by Mexico's most violent drug gang, the Zetas, where traffickers trained dozens of gunmen.
And Roberto Lovato of The Nation reports on the victory of the FMLN in El Salvador from the small village of Izalco where the FMLN had won a surprising mayoral victory in January, backed by a unique coalition of Catholics, students and evangelicals.
Argentina. Al-Jazeera writes that a week-long farm strike led by Argentine farmers came to an end this week, but protestors vowed to continue lobbying Congress to cut the soy export taxes that have fueled a year-long conflict with the government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
Bolivia. EFE reports that the largest cocaine lab in Bolivia in over a decade was discovered near the Brazilian border. Three individuals were arrested.
Xinhua writes that the United Nations announced on Friday its desire to cooperate with Bolivia on the exploration of uranium mines, as well UN aid programs in areas of health, animal diseases, improvements of the agriculture production, and sustainable water use.
Jim Schulz of the Cochabamba-based Democracy Center writes that there are three things the U.S. and Bolivian governments can do to have a real impact on people’s lives in both countries: 1. Restoring Bolivia's Participation in Andean Trade Preferences by U.S., 2. Re-opening Adoptions to the U.S by Bolivia, and 3. Bringing the Peace Corps Back to Bolivia.
And a Time video report from Bolivia on Evo Morales and the Bolivian opposition.
Brazil. More on the economy and the visit by British PM Gordon Brown to Brazil in a Real Clear World piece that examines the buzz around Lula’s statement that “white people with blue eyes” are to blame for the world financial crisis.
El Nuevo Herald writes that Brazil will reduce taxes in the automotive and construction industries to stimulate production and confront the global recession.
Lula da Silva writes in an opinion piece in The Guardian how Brazil is investing in sustainable management of the Amazon rainforest that will provide a decent living for its inhabitants while also fighting global climate change.
And in The Economist, a piece this week says a wave of impeachment cases against Brazilian state governors are a sign of how Brazilian courts are continuing to raise election standards, adding that the benefits of these moves may be felt beyond Brazil’s own borders.
Chile. At Freedominfo.org, run by the National Security Archive, a piece by Peter Kornbluh examines the new "Law of Transparency of the Public Service and Access to Information of State Administration" that will go into effect April 20th in Chile. An interview with Chilean Transparency Council official Juan Pablo Olmedo is included.
Colombia. The Financial Times reports that President Alvaro Uribe secured the support of his coalition partners for a bill that would approve a national referendum to alter the constitution to allow for his re-election. Boz analyzes the proposal and reasons why Uribe may be pushing for re-election once again.
At Plan Colombia and Beyond the usual weekly series of Colombia pieces. I highlight pieces on the Inter-American Human Rights Commission’s hearings.
The weekly Semana writes on provincial leaders in Colombia who on the verge of being sent to prison for their close ties with paramilitary groups.
And the BBC reports that President Uribe has said he is ready to hold peace talks with Colombia's FARC rebels if the group halts all criminal activities and there is a verifiable ceasefire.
Cuba. US News and World Report writes in a lengthy article that Washington may move before Cuba in ending the decades-old standoff between the two countries. According to the magazine, the Obama administration's review of U.S. policy toward Cuba may spur additional steps to engage Cuba and is likely to go public in the coming weeks.
Amnesty International, in a new statement this week, says the US government should “lift the nearly five–decade long economic and trade embargo against Cuba as it is detrimental to the fulfillment of the economic and social rights of the Cuban people.”
In an El País (Spain) story, the criticism of Fidel Castro regarding news coverage of the global economic crisis is reported on. Castro emphasizes the importance of China in the world economy—a country he believes has been undervalued in recent press accounts of the global situation.
Ecuador. In the Washington Post a report this week looks at new protectionist economic measures in Ecuador that are intended to dampen demand for imported good and increase the consumption of domestic goods. The policies are in contrast with those of Brazil, Chile, and Mexico which are all helping key industries with tax breaks while increasing spending on infrastructure projects to spur growth, says the paper.
Mexico. A round-up of stories from Mexico this week:
· On drug violence, a series of NBC /MSNBC video reports including a story by Andrea Mitchell from Mexico City, an interview with former drug czar, Gen. Barry McCaffery, and a report on Sinaloa drug kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
· Also, on drug violence, Peter Hakim of the Inter-American Dialogue writes in an opinion piece for El Universal about four approaches the U.S. should take in dealing with crime and violence in Mexico and beyond.
· On US-Mexico trade and the global economy, a Financial Times interview with Mexican President Felipe Calderón who says that pressure from special interests in the US has hindered government policy
· On border control at the U.S.-Mexico border, a BBC report on the challenges of keeping drugs out of the U.S. and guns out of Mexico.
· On cross-border cooperation, the Dallas Morning News says the FBI has begun a pilot program in Mexico using DNA to identify the remains of missing Americans.
· On the U.S. Senate’s field hearing in El Paso, the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute provides Sen. Richard Lugar’s (R-IN) statement expressing support for the Calderon government and the Merida Initiative.
· On the view from Ciudad Juarez, Foreign Policy has a very good story on Juarez mayor José Reyes Ferriz who lives in exile in El Paso while crossing the border each day to work in Ciudad Juarez.
· On Sec. of State Clinton’s trip to Mexico, a Real Clear World piece looks at the issue of “shared responsibility” between the U.S. and Mexico in stopping drug violence.
· On the Mexican justice system, Narco News examines and critiques the U.S. funding for judicial reform included in the Mérida Initiative.
· And, on accountability, the AP reports that a Mexican court upheld a ruling that exempted former president Luis Echeverria from facing genocide charges for his alleged involvement in a 1968 student massacre at Tlatelolco Plaza.
Paraguay. The AP reports that campesinos in Paraguay have threatened to block major national highways and occupy private property if President Fernando Lugo does not move forward with agrarian reform by April 30.
And, from the other side, a report from the Americas Program says large soy producers are confronting the new government with a series of "tractor blockades” in the streets of Asunción and other cities in protest against campesino land occupations.
Venezuela. Finally, the Huffington Post has a piece on President Hugo Chávez’s newest campaign for an oil-backed currency to compete with the U.S. dollar. Chávez made the proposal in front of Arab leaders at this week’s summit in Qatar.
The Harvard International Review has a very good article on petrol politics in Venezuela (and the contrast with Brazil). The article says that, in Venezuela, “by pegging the oil industry’s economic viability to the government’s political fortunes, politicization directs the oil-industry’s priorities toward the fleeting, short-sighted goals of politicians and precludes the long-term strength of an accountable, economically-focused business model.”
The Latin Americanist reports that Alaska is the newest recipient of Venezuela’s oil as “millions of dollars in free heating fuel will flow through Alaska villages early next month.”
And at NACLA, a piece examining the Venezuelan opposition in the wake of Chávez’s referendum victory in February.
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