The Wall Street Journal reports and, outside the major papers, Foreign Policy comments on rising worries about common crime and violence around Latin America. From Argentina, the WSJ says an increase in crime has become a major election issue ahead of late-June legislative elections, and a series of “high-profile incidents” has led to a multiple anti-crime street protests. About 38% of respondents in a recent survey say someone in their family has been a crime victim in the past year. And, says the paper, opinion polls have consistently shown security to be the main public-policy priority of Argentines, ahead of even the economy. Businessman Francisco de Narvaez, who leads a an opposition faction of the governing Peronist party, has proposed increasing the security budget by 50% and attacked the Kirchner government for not paying enough attention to the deteriorating security situation in the country. For her part, President Cristina Kirchner has said that the media exaggerates the crime problem, but nevertheless, in March she did announce a plan to deploy almost 7,000 additional law-enforcement officers in to the sometimes dangerous periphery of Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, Shannon O’Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations writes in FP that when talking about murder in Latin America, Venezuela must be mentioned. The country has a violent death rate of 48 per 100,000 -- more than twice that of Mexico, and Venezuelans also cite crime and violence as their #1 public policy concern. Interestingly, according to Latinobarometer, Venezuela is the only Latin American country where crime is cited as both the most important national and personal issue, says O’Neil. She adds that part of the spike in violence likely relates to the drug trade while others stem from an inept police force in which “loyalty is often prized over capacity.” The fact that Venezuela’s justice system only sentences three of every 100 murderers likely exacerbates the problem as well.
From the Miami Herald a report on an apparent shift in the U.S. position vis a vis the issue of allowing Cuba back into the OAS. The paper writes that the “U.S. State Department threw a curve ball at the debate late Tuesday by submitting a new proposal that would eventually allow Cuba back to the OAS -- as long as Havana abides by the organization's democratic principles.” Three proposals will be reviewed Wednesday when the OAS permanent council meets, each with the goal of ending the OAS’s isolation of Cuba. The proposal chosen in Wednesday’s meeting will then be voted on when the General Assembly meets next week in Honduras. Nicaragua submitted a resolution calling for Cuba's suspension to be lifted because it is an “unjust affront to the OAS” that “violates international law.” Honduras submitted a similar resolution while the U.S. language calls for the OAS to '”initiate a dialogue'” with Cuba about its eventual reintegration to the hemispheric body – “consistent with principles and values of the OAS charter, the InterAmerican Democratic charter and other instruments.” If approved, the OAS permanent council would start those talks, and report back in a year.
The New York Times writes that an investigation into Brazilian state oil giant, Petrobras, could hold up government efforts develop new deepwater oil fields that are “expected to transform the country into a global energy power.” The Brazilian Senate voted to investigate the company for tax issues and possible illegal contracts, and the investigation could drag on for months, analysts say. The inquiry may also strike a blow to the candidacy of Dilma Rousseff, Mr. da Silva’s chief of staff and self-selected successor, since she is also the chairwoman of the Petrobras board of directors. Mr. da Silva has responded to the investigation calling it “irresponsible” and “unpatriotic,” especially at a time when the country was coping with the global economic crisis. Allies of the president have denounced the inquiry as politically motivated.
And the LA Times says a major drug bust that brought down mayors and other city officials earlier this week marks a shift in Mexico’s anti-drug fight. Prior to the arrests, President Calderón had focused his efforts on corrupt police and drug cartel affiliates, but, according to the LAT, now, just how deeply the narcos have infiltrated local political elites is being questioned. More than two dozen officials were detained in Michoacan, the President’s own home state, on Tuesday. Included among the officials were 10 city mayors. In an editorial, the popular daily El Universal wrote, “If the accusations are confirmed, we will have incontrovertible proof that the cartels have entirely penetrated the country's local political elites.” According to Jorge Chabat, a Mexico City-based security analyst, “It is at the local level that traffickers have their most important protection. They don’t buy off the president of the republic. They buy off the local officials, the mayors, the police chiefs.”
In other news, two more pieces from Venezuela. In the NYT, the AP says hundreds filled the streets of Caracas on Wednesday in protest of President Chávez’s threats against private media company, Globovision. The AP writes that protesters carried torches to Venezuela's National Telecommunications Commission where they turned over a symbolic copy of the constitution. Hundreds of police and National Guard troops looked on but no major incidents were reported. Contradicting the claims of protestors, Mariela Romero, 48, a street vendor, said “They don't think there's freedom of expression -- but there is,” gesturing toward the marchers. Also, from the MH, a McClatchy report says the Venezuelan government’s strategy for saving dollars is rippling through the national economy. “Prices for home appliances have skyrocketed, pharmacies are reporting shortages of drugs, and General Motors is planning to stop car production here next month,” says the report. The Central Bank is estimated to have $28 billion in hard currency, an amount that some believe could last for just nine months. Thus, the government has begun limiting the dollars it provides to importers at the preferential official exchange rate.
And, in a string of ambassadorial announcements made by the White House, Vilma Martinez, most recently a partner at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, was nominated as U.S. ambassador to Argentina, while outgoing Asst. Secretary of State Tom Shannon has been nominated for a posting in the U.S. Embassy in Brazil.
Finally, two opinions this morning in the MH. Andres Oppenheimer says a new ECLAC report predicts a 40% drop in foreign investment to Latin America this year, after rising 18% in 2008 to a record $128 billion. The projections are based primarily on trends in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, notes Oppenheimer, who also adds investment in the region may fall even more as this “tends to happen during election seasons because of fears that new governments will change the rules of the game.” And the MH editorial board takes a hard line position on the re-entry of Cuba to the OAS, writing the following: “If the OAS decides to unilaterally readmit Cuba, it would be sacrificing its principles to appease a dictatorship. At that point, it would be fair to ask whether the continued existence of the OAS -- and U.S. membership and financial support for it -- would serve any useful purpose.”
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