Some Tidbits on Honduras
The World Briefing section of the New York Times features a mere two paragraphs on Honduras today, with the first reporting on a new Amnesty International report that accuses the military and police of human rights violations, such as beatings and mass arrests, during pro-Zelaya protests. The official report features photos and testimonies.
In the second paragraph, the Times notes that Micheletti regime has demanded that Argentine diplomats from Honduras leave within three days. Coming just days before a group of foreign ministers (including from Argentina) is set to visit Honduras on behalf of the OAS, this is the second time that the Micheletti government has sought to expel foreign diplomats since the June 28 coup. (Notably, in the first case, the expelled Venezuelan diplomats have thus far refused to leave.) An article in Xinhua news notes that Argentina, like Venezuela before it, will ignore Micheletti’s ultimatum to withdraw its diplomats from Honduras. The Honduran demand follows Argentina’s request last week for the departure of the Micheletti-inclined Honduran ambassador to that country.
Colombia: Former DAS head found guilty; Clinton tries to quell fears of U.S. military role
In one of two articles on Colombia today, the BBC writes that new information has surfaced on the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan in 1989. Colombian officials arrested General Miguel Maza Marquez, a former head of the secret police, known as the Das, who was said to be been ordered to kill Galan by the Medellin drug cartel boss Pablo Escobar. The second BBC article discusses Secretary of State Clinton’s efforts to calm fears in Latin America about the new U.S.-Colombia Agreement to increase U.S. military presence in Colombia. Clinton reassured Latin America that the U.S. would respect Colombian sovereignty, make sure to not affect other countries in the region, not significantly increase the number of U.S. troops, and ultimately, not create U.S. bases in Colombia. Clinton also stated that the agreement "is about the bilateral co-operation between the United States and Colombia regarding security matters within Colombia," hoping to deter neighboring countries, especially Venezuela, in thinking that the U.S. was planning to invade South America.
Mexico and Human Rights
In a story on the release of the U.S. State Department’s report on Mexico, the New York Times has a critical take on the information provided. It notes that Mexico’s war on drugs has “generated a sixfold increase in human rights complaints against the Mexican military between 2006 and 2008, and it is unclear that any of those complaints resulted in prosecutions.” This report was part of the Merida Initiative a joint counternarcotics program, a $1.4 billion, three-year aid package for Mexico's campaign. The Merida Initiative is currently withholding 15% of the money until the State Department verifies that the government is meeting four human rights requirements. According to the Times writers (Marc Lacey and Ginger Thompson), “while the State Department cited several examples of progress, it was hardly a glowing endorsement.” Quite a different reading of the same State Department report came from the editorial board of the Christian Science Monitor, which wrote yesterday: “The State Department told Congress in an official evaluation that Mexico is successfully reforming its justice system with better accountability and transparency. Such reforms include removal of corrupt officials, punishment of soldiers who harm civilians, civilian oversight of federal police, and a broad education effort to raise respect for the rule of law.”
On another note, President Calderon just finished a three-day meeting with President Lula da Silva in Brazil, where the two leaders agreed to explore a possible free trade agreement, which would have to be ratified by MERCOSUR. Lula said: "This crisis has demonstrated that the more we diversify our trade balance and interact with other countries, the less dependent we will be on one single economy. Brazil no longer depends solely on the United States or the European Union.” His dream: "Mexico with a greater focus on Latin America and a Brazil more focused on Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico."
Boz writes that “Lula's request to Calderon goes against the occasional comment that Brazil and Mexico are competing in Latin America for regional leadership. There's no doubt Brazil wants regional leadership, but Lula is smart enough to understand that no amount of ‘leadership’ will allow Latin America to succeed without the support of the region's second largest economy also contributing.”
U.S.-Cuba Relations
Several news stories today concern U.S.-Cuba relations. An Associated Press article sheds light on leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. pressuring President Obama to end the Cuba embargo, dubbing it as “an unfair economic policy that punished ordinary Cubans.” Supporters of lifting the embargo see the current moment as a “rare opportunity to bridge an immense psychological distance that has marred relations.” An article and radio report on NPR notes that, while Congress works on legislation that could lift the travel ban, Cuba remains a popular destination for American travelers. If lifted, potentially one million Americans could visit the island each year, questioning whether Cuba would be ready for this influx of people.
Bolivia’s Controversial Policies: Coca and the Constitution
An article in the Wall Street Journal describes a correlation between an increase in Bolivia’s coca production and an increase in its cocaine trade. Although Bolivia does not produce as much cocaine as Colombia or Mexico, nor has it become nearly as dangerous as the war on drugs in those two countries, U.S. law enforcement officials claim that Bolivia’s production is potentially up as much as 65% this year, and is predicted to continue rising. Neighboring countries have begun to complain about the increase in cocaine smuggling coming from Bolivia, and despite threats of U.S. involvement to eradicate coca fields, it seems that as long as President Morales is in power, coca cultivation will continue to be legal. An article in the Guardian reports on the world’s first cocaine bar, located in La Paz, which has become a popular tourist destination. Wow.
Elsewhere, the Miami Herald reported that after months of debate that at times turned violent, President Morales is having trouble implementing the new constitution that Bolivians voted for last January. The new constitution, which better integrates the country’s large indigenous communities and allows Morales to run for another five-year term, is set for the elections in December. But President Morales is already receiving heavy opposition from business leaders, who claim that “the government is pitting racial groups against each another and encouraging its indigenous followers to hate the mestizos and whites.” Michael Shifter, the vice president for policy at the Washington, D.C.-based Latin American Dialogue, claims the constitution contains many “positive features, but in some ways, it resembles a wish list and may be tough to put in practice [for Bolivia].”
-- Maddie Thomson
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