Hace unas semanas, cuando regresé a Bolivia después de una temporada en los Estados Unidos, lo primero que hice fue preguntar por la Coca Colla, la bebida energizante hecha a base de hojas de coca que, según la voz popular, pretende competir contra la Coca Cola (los fabricantes, sin embargo, han negado esta aseveración).

La producción de esta bebida es otra de las iniciativas promovidas por Evo Morales para fomentar la industrialización de la coca, que desde hace años se usa en la fabricación de pasta dental, caramelos, mates o pasteles. Sin embargo, ¿existía de verdad la Coca Colla? El proyecto sonaba más a parodia o broma que a realidad: la bebida tendría no sólo un nombre muy cercano al de la Coca Cola, sino también la misma etiqueta roja y el color oscuro. Además, nadie que yo conociera la había visto. Aunque pregunté en toda clase de restaurantes y bares por una botella de Coca Colla, la respuesta invariable de los vendedores era una sonrisa algo irónica y la sensación de que les estaba tomando el pelo. Y es que de la Coca Colla se han lanzado solamente  alrededor de11.000 botellas en todo el país, y por el momento, hacerse de una de ellas es como poseer un objeto de colección. Después de preguntar en varios lugares de Santa Cruz, un amigo me señaló una licorería del primer anillo donde, finalmente, pude comprar una Coca Colla de medio litro por 12 bolivianos (poco menos de 2 dólares, un precio algo más bajo que el de una lata de RedBull).

Four chances, four victories.  As predicted, all four original MERCOSUR nations have now gone through to the round of eight in the World Cup, joining three teams from Europe and one from Africa.  Only one team from South America has been eliminated (Chile), and it was bounced by another team from the region (Brazil).  Head to head against competition from outside the hemisphere, South America continues to impress.  From the opening round, the region has been a dominating presence in this year’s tournament.

It wasn’t always easy or pretty, witness Paraguay’s shootout victory over a motivated Japanese team, but to this point, South America has gotten the job done.  Moving forward to the final four, however, will be another thing altogether.  There are no “gimme” games at this point; both the Brazil-Netherlands and the Argentina-Germany games could be legitimate championship games this year, were the teams not destined to meet in the round of eight.  It’s possible that the winners of these two games could well meet up in the actual final. 

The question of whether to institute in-game technology in the World Cup has been a consideration for FIFA year after year. Yet one of strongest voices against the idea is the federation’s president, Sepp Blatter. Given that this year’s World Cup has been riddled with disallowed goals and unflagged offsides, Blatter is starting to change his stance on the matter. Following two incorrect, game-changing calls in the round of 16, Blatter has publicly apologized on Tuesday to the fans and players of England and Mexico, who were both knocked out of the tournament on Sunday.

In addition to his apology, Blatter agreed to re-open talks on the one issue that he has actively opposed for decades: instituting in-game technology in all FIFA-sanctioned matches. Such technology could have prevented both of Sunday’s missed calls, which included a clear offside goal from Argentina’s Carlos Tevez against Mexico, and a disallowed goal for England’s Frank Lampard.

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo made a passionate call to Congress on Saturday for legislators to approve Venezuela’s entry into the Mercosur trade bloc. “Let’s think seriously in terms of the future…this will inevitably benefit both economically and commercially our country [Paraguay],” Lugo announced.

He also called on lawmakers not to limit a country of millions “to only a name,” referring to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Paraguayan Vice-President Federico is in favor of the trade agreement as long as Chávez is no longer president of Venezuela.

Paraguay is the last hurdle to Venezuela’s joining the group. The three other permanent Mercosur members—Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay—have already voted in favor of its inclusion.

When the knock-out round of the World Cup begins Saturday morning, the Western Hemisphere will have almost half of the final 16 teams in contention, and at least two teams (the winners of Argentina vs. Mexico on Sunday and also Brazil vs. Chile) guaranteed in the final eight.  Even more compelling: both 2006 finalists, Italy and France, will be watching the games from the sidelines, the first time that’s ever happened.  Other European teams that were early on picked to outperform have struggled; so far Holland appears to be the strongest European team although Slovakia has certainly surprised and Spain has finally recovered from an early setback to Switzerland.  Latin America and also the United States have acquitted themselves well so far.

In soccer terms the Western Hemisphere has appeared to equal its former colonials overseers.  The United States tied England 1-1; Brazil tied its “second team,” Portugal, 0-0.  For good measure, even Mexico defeated its one-time colonial aspirant, France, 2-0.  Mexicans should consider adding June 17 to their holiday calendar, to compliment Cinco de Mayo which celebrates the defeat of the French at the Battle of Juarez.  Only Spain was able to prevail against its former colonies, defeating hapless Honduras, 2-0, and Chile by 2-1.  (Honduras did eke out a tie in its last game.)

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria begins a tour of several Latin American countries today with the goal of extending its diplomatic reach and attracting investment in Syria.  Assad is scheduled to arrive in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday and will visit then Brazil and Venezuela—countries with significant Syrian expat communities. Syrian media also reports that he will be visiting Cuba.  The visit reciprocates previous official visits to Damascus by Fidel Castro in 2001, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003 and Hugo Chávez in 2006. 

The president’s trip, his first to the region since taking power in 2001, comes as Damascus seeks to continue opening diplomatic channels with the West. This follows their involvement in brokering a deal with Iran to send low-enriched uranium abroad for reactor fuel, in cooperation with Brazil and Turkey.  Damascus is also seeking over $40 billion in investments over the next five years, nearly 80 percent of Syria’s annual GDP, to repair and replace Syria’s ageing infrastructure. 

The majority of the millions of Syrian-origin émigrés in Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela are businessmen, engineers, doctors, and politicians including former Argentinean president Carlos Menem.  President Assad also plans to meet with members of the Arab communities during his visit.

“Bilateral relations and developments in the Middle East and Latin America” will dominate discussions during the trip, according to the official SANA news agency.  Brazil plans to sign trade and technology cooperation protocols with Syria, and Argentina is anticipated to sign nine transportation, tourism and cultural agreements.

While the rest of the world stared down the bottomless hole in Guatemala City's Zone 2, the small town of San Antonio Palopó around Guatemala's Lake Atitlan, was digging its way out of the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agatha using sticks, brooms, shovels, and their bare hands.

The mostly indigenous town of 14,000 suffered the destruction of 43 houses, 19 deaths, 2 still missing, 4 hospitalized, and more than 500 people evacuated to six shelters around the town's municipal building. Like many small rural towns in Guatemala, San Antonio's water system was destroyed during the storm so potable water was scarce and in this case came from run-off or contaminated water.

Here, women and children crowded around to scoop up the muddy water into their large ceramic jars three times bigger than their heads. After the women filled their jars they climbed, sometimes barefoot, over recently fallen rocks and large pieces of corrugated tin and broken wood that stuck out like over-sized muddied splinters. The community's only means of entering or leaving their town continues to be by small boats because the four bridges remained collapsed. This also meant being cut off from supplies, food, water, and machinery to help dig people out of the rubble.

In a spell of good news for the handpicked candidate of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, an Ibope poll released yesterday shows Dilma Rousseff leading opposition candidate José Serra, 40 percent to 35 percent.

According to Rafael Lucchesi, director of operations for the national confederation of industry, which commissioned the poll, Dilma’s position is bolstered by “the economy, the popularity of the government, the popularity of the president, and his capacity to influence the electoral process." Economic growth reached 9 percent in the first quarter of 2010, the best performance in 14 years, despite continued malaise in the global economy.

Lula’s effect on the race is also growing. He has a 75 percent approval rating—the record for a Brazilian president—and is working with his party, the Partido dos Trabalhadores, to raise Dilma’s name recognition among voters. In March, Ibope found that only 58 percent of Brazilians could identify the candidate that Lula supports; in yesterday’s poll, that number grew to 73 percent.

The campaign for the October 3, 2010, presidential vote is still in its early stage. The candidates formally accepted their nominations just two weeks ago, and until the World Cup is over on July 11, much of Brazil’s attention is on South Africa.

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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Santos Wins Big in Colombia

Former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos won Colombia’s June 20 runoff elections by a landslide, pulling in more than 69 percent of ballots compared to the 27.5 percent earned by his rival, ex-Mayor of Bogota Antanas Mockus. Santos also won a greater share of the vote than did popular President Álvaro Uribe in 2006. “The hour of national unity has arrived,” said the president-elect after his victory. Semana reports that Santos will have one of the largest mandates of any Colombian leader, given coalition support in Congress, and explores the solidity of that support base. La Silla Vacia analyzes some of Santos’ initial appointments, including his chief of staff, finance minister, and personal secretary. Santos will be sworn into office on August 7.

Read an AS/COA analysis of Santos’ victory.

Colombia’s Neighbors React to Santos Victory

The Hemispheric Brief blog reports on reactions to the victory of Colombian President-Elect Juan Manuel Santos, paying particular attention to Quito and Caracas, both of which have had troubled relations with Bogota.

After barely qualifying to play in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa this year, Argentina breezed through group play yesterday defeating Greece, 2-0 and securing a spot in the knockout round of the tournament.  The Albicelestes allowed only one goal in group play by the South Korean team, who will accompany the Argentines into the next phase of the tournament. 

Argentina’s performance is a turn around for a team whose entry into the tournament wasn’t secured until their last match in the World Cup qualifiers. Stars like Lionel Messi, Carlos Tévez, and Javier Mascherano, have regained their form and have thus far fulfilled expectations.

Arguably, however, Argentina faced no major challengers in group play. The next round will present tougher competitors like Mexico, where there will be no room for errors or slow starts. Overall, Latin America has performed better than most other regions, with six of seven teams either already advancing, or with good odds of advancing in the coming days.

Como estaba previsto en las encuestas electorales y gracias a que el candidato presidencial Juan Manuel Santos se había erigido como el natural sucesor de Álvaro Uribe, los resultados de los comicios del domingo le dieron un triunfo arrollador al aspirante del partido de la U. Con 9 millones de votos, Santos alcanzó el 69% de la votación mientras su contendor Antanas Mockus, obtuvo el 27% y el voto en blanco el 3% restante.

Juan Manuel Santos se convirtió en el presidente No. 70 de Colombia y se echó sobre los hombros la nada fácil tarea de reemplazar a uno de los mandatarios más populares del último siglo en Colombia. Tiene dos opciones, sin duda cabalgar sobre su popularidad o enfrentarse a las prácticas mafiosas que tanto se criticaron de su gobierno. Algunos analistas estiman que Santos se rodearía de un equipo más tecnócrata y menos politiquero aunque en su acuerdo de unidad nacional le dio la bienvenida a todos los sectores, y en ellos entraron colados algunos altamente cuestionados en el país como la bancada del PIN, un partido cuyo principal líder, Juan Carlos Martínez, está en la cárcel La Picota. De hecho fueron las adhesiones públicas de los partidos Conservador y Cambio Radical y la de algunos militantes del Partido Liberal, las que le permitieron aumentar su votación en 2 millones 300 mil votos.

U.S. Senator John F. Kerry, Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, today released a report on Haitian President René Préval’s handling of earthquake recovery efforts. The report is critical of Mr. Préval’s reconstruction leadership, noting that ``key decisions remain in flux and critical humanitarian issues related to shelter and resettlement are not resolved.”

The international community has also voiced concerns, particularly at the UN Security Council, that promises of aid by some countries for recovery assistance may not fully materialize.

This is not the first time that U.S. lawmakers have criticized the Haitian government’s handling of the post-earthquake rebuilding process. Earlier this month Senator Richard Lugar, also on the Foreign Relations Committee, urged President Préval to move more aggressively on reconstruction so as not to lose the confidence of the United States.

Former Defense Minister and Partido de la U presidential candidate, Juan Manuel Santos, won a resounding victory in Colombia’s second-round election yesterday against former Bogotá Mayor Antanas Mockus, winning 67 percent of the vote, compared to Mockus’s 27.6 percent, with a total of 9 million ballots cast. 

“The time has come for national unity, the time has come for harmony, the time has come for us to work together for the prosperity of Colombia,” Santos declared during his victory speech.

The results underscore Colombian voters’ desire for a continuation of the policies of the administration of President Álvaro Uribe, whose government has been widely credited with achieving sustained economic growth and major security gains against guerilla groups. What lie ahead, according to Marcela Prieto of the Bogotá-based Instituto de Ciencias Politicas, are challenges of poverty and unemployment which remain among the highest in Latin America.

Each World Cup brings a new storyline, and this one is no different.  The rise of African football, the year that Spain finally met expectations, the return of England to World Cup prominence; all of these and others have been mooted as possibilities for 2010.  But to this point, all have proven a bust.  In fact, having just watched Chile defeat Switzerland, the real story of this year’s competition is the dominance of the Western Hemisphere.

Latin American nations, as well as the United States, have not lost one game yet in the preliminary rounds, except for Honduras’ 1-0 defeat by another Latin American nation, Chile, and 2-0 to Spain.  With the final game left to play in the opening round, it’s likely that no fewer than six or even seven of the eight Western Hemisphere representatives will go through, almost half of the final 16 in the quarter finals.  This contrasts with the underperforming Europeans, only one of which (Holland) is at the top of its group. England, Germany, and Italy have all underperformed, whereas the French have just been inept, poetic justice for the handball that brought them through qualifying against the Irish.  Portugal looked languid until a wipeout of North Korea; Spain needed to play the weakest team in the tournament from the Western Hemisphere to notch its first points.

Head to head, Western Hemisphere against Europe, the results have so far been amazing.  Chile has knocked off Switzerland, which earlier beat Spain.  Paraguay defeated Slovakia and tied Italy; Mexico defeated France; the United States tied both England and Slovenia. 

El día llegó. Y no precisamente porque se vaya a cumplir el estribillo de la canción que se convirtió en el tema de campaña del candidato del Partido Verde Antanas Mockus “Antanas llegó”. Lo que llegó fue el epílogo de una campaña emocionante que a pocos días de la primera vuelta se volvió predecible y que a vísperas de la segunda, no deja duda alguna de que el próximo presidente de Colombia será Juan Manuel Santos.

El heredero natural de Uribe no obstante no la tuvo fácil. Se enfrentó a un candidato que encarna en buena medida, opuestos interesantes al gobierno actual que se marcaron como nunca en los últimos debates signados por la controversia. Mockus mostró su indignación por haber sido víctima de una campaña negra en la que se dijo todo sobre él: Que era ateo, que acabaría con la policía y algunos programas estatales, que no podría gobernar porque padece del mal de Parkinson. El aspirante, que impregnó su campaña de símbolos como el lápiz y el girasol, terminó andando bajo el brazo con un papel firmado ante notario en el que se comprometía a no hacer todo eso que estaban diciendo de él.

Delegations from the United States and Cuba will meet today to continue discussions on the Migration Accords initiated in 1994.  The immigration discussions are in keeping with the “Obama administration’s commitment to promote safe, legal, and orderly migration between Cuba and the United States,” noted U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  This marks the third time that the two countries will meet to discuss immigration since President Obama’s inauguration in 2009.  The discussions had been suspended by the Bush administration in 2003 and were reinstated by the Obama administraion in July 2009. 

The resumption of talks comes as the U.S. is negotiating the release of Alan Gross, a contractor for a U.S.-based global consulting firm, who has been held by Cuban authorities under charges of espionage for the past six months for allegedly distributing telecommunications equipment to dissidents in Cuba.  The U.S. delegation is likely to use the meeting to press Cuban officials to release Gross.  Secretary Clinton noted that Gross’s continued detention “is harming U.S.-Cuba relations,” and despite the resumption in talks, expectations are low that any significant progress will be made on the 16-year-old accords.  "The migration talks have the potential to serve as a medium for resolution of the long-standing issues between the two nations," said Paul Wander of the Inter-American Dialogue "but they are unlikely to do so because real diplomatic developments remain stymied by the fact that both countries feel as though the ball is in the other's court."

At last week’s 40th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, member states agreed to form a commission to evaluate Honduras’s return to the OAS following the June 2009 coup and the election of President Porfirio Lobo. OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, who had expressed support for allowing Honduras to rejoin the organization but recognized pending concerns, has now indicated that the high level commission will be formed next week, and it will include two members from South America, two from Central America and one each from the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.

The names of those participating have not yet been released, pending confirmation of the full slate of committee delegates.

The commission will meet separately with representatives of the current Honduras government and with representatives of ex-president Manuel Zelaya. A report is due back to the OAS on July 30. Insulza has said that the main obstacle to readmission is Zelaya’s continued exile in the Dominican Republic and called for his being allowed to return “in a condition without humiliation.”

For more on the Honduran situation, AQ’s own Christopher Sabatini and Eric Farnsworth offered their own takes before the Summit kicked off.

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.

Colombians to Pick Next Prez in June 20 Vote

Former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos polls well ahead of his rival Antanas Mockus ahead of Sunday’s second-round presidential election. A new Datexco survey undertaken for El Tiempo and la W  gives Santos a 37.1 percent advantage over the former mayor of Bogota. Polls inaccurately predicted a close result in the May 30 election, when Santos pulled in more than double the votes of Mockus and came within a few points of winning the necessary 50 percent majority to avoid a runoff.

Semana offers profiles of the two candidates while La Silla Vacía takes a look at who is financing Santos’ campaign. Terra’s Votebien offers ongoing election reporting, from coverage of debates to candidate proposals. Colombia Reports offers English-language coverage, including polls and profiles.

Read an AS/COA analysis of the upcoming election.

The Outlook for Santos’ Economic Plan for Colombia

Dinero takes an in-depth look at the economic proposals of Juan Manuel Santos, the frontrunner in Colombia’s presidential race. The article says Santos, an economist by training who has voiced opposition to tax increases, has pitched five areas for growth and job creation but that revisions to the tax system and labor market will be necessary for the country’s economic expansion.

AS/COA hosts its annual Bogota conference, “Colombia in the Eyes of Wall Street,” on June 17.

As of June 15, Costa Rica can export 13,880 metric tons of sugar to the U.S. tariff-free, as stipulated under CAFTA-DR. But Washington had suspended Costa Rica’s preferential sugar treatment in January of this year. A move that the country’s sugar cane chamber said cost the sector an estimated $1 million in potential sales.

Costa Rica joined the CAFTA-DR trade club in 2009, but only after supporters won a first-ever public referendum two years earlier. However, it hadn’t finished pushing through all the legislative reforms required to play ball and be a full partner.

Even after the U.S. had granted two deadline extensions, one bill remained unapproved: a tougher intellectual property rights law. The U.S. imposed a block on the sweet sugar deal until Costa Rica approved the last bill.

Legislators here finally passed it in April of this year—but not without a fight. Many loathed the intellectual property rights reform. It posed uncomfortable changes in areas ranging from agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals to textbook photocopying and music.

El fin de semana fue de júbilo para las familias de cuatro miembros de las Fuerzas Militares secuestrados desde hace doce años por las FARC. El Coronel Luis Enrique Murillo y el General Luis Mendieta de la Policía, quien ascendió al máximo grado de esa institución estando en cautiverio y era hasta ayer el plagiado de mayor rango en manos del grupo guerrillero, recuperaron la libertad luego de la tristemente célebre toma del municipio de Mitú (Vaupés) el 1 de noviembre de 1998, incursión en la que al menos un millar de guerrilleros encabezados por el Mono Jojoy, dejaron a su paso 43 muertos, 47 heridos y 61 plagiados.

También volvieron a la civilización el coronel de la Policía William Donato y el sargento del Ejército Arbey Delgado Argote, quienes habían sido plagiados el 3 de agosto de 1998 en la toma de esa guerrilla a la base antinarcóticos de Miraflores, Guaviare.

El rescate bautizado como Operación ‘Camaleón’ fue ejecutado por un comando conjunto de policía y ejército el domingo 13 de junio en las selvas de Calamar, Guaviare, en un campamento ubicado a escasos 28 kilómetros de donde hace casi dos años la Operación Jaque también rescató sanos y salvos a 15 rehenes, entre ellos Ingrid Betancourt. Es más, algunos de estos hombres participaron también en la controversial Operación Fénix que dio muerte tras un bombardeo en territorio ecuatoriano al número dos de las Farc, Raúl Reyes.

News director for Channel 19 in El Paraíso, Honduras, Luis Arturo Mondragon, was assassinated last night as he sat with his son outside his home. This brings the number of media professionals killed this year to nine.  Mr. Mondragon had been the target of threats in the weeks leading up to his death for his work in exposing corrupt local and national officials.  All the journalists killed this year had been reporting on corruption as well as human rights violations and drug trafficking. 

Violence against journalists in Honduras has increased since last year’s coup in June.  Both journalists and their families alike have been the targets of over 300 reported attacks including assassinations, abuse, intimidation, and censorship.  Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez insists that the killing of journalists is not an organized effort to silence or intimidate the news media. However, only one murder case has plausible suspects while all other cases continue to go unsolved. 

The violence has made Honduras one of the most dangerous places for journalists and has forced some to flee the country for their safety.  Last week, Karol Cabrera fled to Canada and sought political asylum after surviving two attempts on her life.  The first attempt in December left her pregnant 16-year-old daughter dead.

Some good news for Colombia on the trade front: Canada’s House of Commons passed the pending free trade agreement with Colombia on June 14, by a better than 2-1 margin.  The Senate will now vote on the accord for final approval.  Nonetheless, this is an important step for both countries, and a signal of support—both from Prime Minister Harper’s governing Conservatives and the opposition Liberals—for the priority effort to build Canada’s ties with the hemisphere.

Two-way trade between the countries is already over $1.25 billion each year; expect that to expand, especially in agricultural products, now that Canada has a privileged position in Colombia’s economy vis-à-vis other trade partners, including the United States.  Expect the United States to continue to lose market share in Colombia, a market we have traditionally dominated, even as the White House calls for a doubling of U.S. exports over a five-year period.

Many observers have complained that there is no trade agenda in the hemisphere.  In fact, that’s incorrect.  There is a huge trade agenda in the hemisphere.  It’s just that, for the first time in history, the United States is sitting on the sidelines.  Not only are we not leading the effort, we’re not even playing.  It’s difficult to win at anything, in fact, if you’re not in the game, which is where we are right now with U.S. trade policy in the Americas.

The two richest men in the world joined forces on Monday for the cause of delivering basic preventative health care to marginalized populations of the Americas. Carlos Slim, Mexican telecom tycoon and founder of Instituto Carlos Slim de la Salud, and Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will join the Spanish government in each donating $50 million to the 2015 Meso-American Health Initiative for a total of $150 million.

The initiative was announced at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City. It will target Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. The health figures among these countries are staggering: 600,000 infants suffer from malnutrition, 500,000 of them do not have access to vaccination and 10 million adults and children are at high risk of disease. Over five years, the initiative aims to improve nutrition and maternal health and distribute vaccinations against dengue fever and malaria to 20 percent of the poorest population, or about 14 million individuals.

This project is the largest of its kind to specifically address the health needs of the indigenous populations in Mexico and Central America, particularly women and children. An influx of on-the0ground health care investments, combined with the usual media storm that accompanies Slim and Gates, have the potential to drastically change the health conditions for the most marginalized populations in the region.

Shortly after his inauguration, President Barack Obama outlined a plan to develop America’s first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service. Using the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Obama Administration made $8 billion available for developing or laying the groundwork for 13 corridors across the U.S. including the Northeast (where one out of five Americans live). Supporters of this initiative soon hailed it as the most significant infrastructure program since the Eisenhower Interstate Program of the 1950’s.

Building high speed corridors provides numerous public advantages. In addition to providing greater interconnectivity between communities and developing transportation alternatives, the success of high speed rail offers new opportunities for manufacturing, the movement of goods and services and brings environmental benefits.  U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood sees this as a legacy project that will make America more competitive, more productive and more united. I agree and the early response from the investment program has been encouraging as the U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that nearly $80 million in grants have already been delivered to states.

The Northeast corridor is of special interest to Québec. In April 2009, the Boston to Montréal corridor was identified as one of the major corridors by the Obama administration. As recently as October 2009, Québec Premier Jean Charest met with New York State Governor David Paterson about the possibility of exploring a second Northeast option: the New York-Albany-Montréal corridor. The latter idea is not new as it was first advocated in the 1970’s by then Montréal mayor, Jean Drapeau. Finally, Secretary LaHood in a February meeting in Washington with Premier Charest agreed to support the creation of task forces to actively study that option. Just a few days ago, the Québec government appointed former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Chrétien to co-head the Québec-New York task force.

Dilma Rousseff, the former cabinet chief for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, accepted the formal nomination on Sunday of Lula’s Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) for the October presidential election. Among her opponents will be José Serra of the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB) who also received his party’s nomination this past weekend.  

In accepting her nomination, Rouseff pledged to continue Lula’s policy of reducing poverty and improve the tax system, but sought to distinguish herself from Lula as well, announcing that she would govern with the “heart and soul of a woman.”

Serra, an economist who has long served in state and federal government, criticized the current administration for turning a blind eye toward corruption and announced his concern for human rights issues. Lula has engaged closely with Cuba and Iran, despite their poor track record on human rights.

An Ibope poll released on June 5 reveals a close race, with each of the leading candidates registering 37 percent approval.  It also showed that Rousseff is more popular among female supporters than her counterpart, Serra.

 Lula is barred from a third consecutive term by the Brazilian constitution.

Cuban state-owned telecom company ETECSA has again cut the activation fee for cell phones. Yesterday’s reduction means that the overall fee has now dropped 80 percent since cell phones were first allowed on the island in April 2008.  The initial activation fee for pre-paid phone service has fallen to $43 from $120.  The price reductions come less than two weeks after ETECSA announced reduced rates for existing service to start June 1, 2011, including reductions to the price per minute for off-peak calls. 

With nearly 1 million cell phones currently in use in Cuba, ETECSA expects that the cut in price of activating a cell phone will increase their accessibility to Cubans and usage.  ETECSA expects to exceed 1 million users by the end of this year and hopes to have 2.4 million users by 2015.  However, ETECSA communications director Luis Manuel Naranjo told Juventud Rebelde that the slashing of fees “is not enough” noting the expense of servicing a cell phone bill continues to be “a costly challenge in terms of investment and resources” for many Cubans. 

Security forces in Mexico yesterday captured and took into custody Héctor Raúl Luna Luna, an alleged leader of the violent drug cartel known as Los Zetas. Luna Luna, also known as El Tori, was captured during a military operation in Ciudad Solidaridad, a neighborhood in Monterrey, in northern Mexico.

In the wake of the arrest, gunmen temporarily set up at least ten narcobloqueos (roadblocks by drug gangs), in Monterrey using cars and stolen buses to block traffic. Attacks on police stations have also been reported. 

Los Zetas are notorious for a failed 2008 grenade attack on the U.S. consulate in Monterrey, carried out in collaboration with the Gulf Cartel. (Explore our Spring 2010 AQ map of narco-networks in the Americas for more about the Mexican cartels).

The U.S. has committed $1.6 billion in security assistance through the Mérida Initiative, which includes helicopters and police training, but during President Calderón’s visit last month to Washington, DC, he appealed to Congress for a different kind of help. “There is one area where Mexico needs your help,” Calderón said, “that is stopping the flow of assault weapons and other deadly weapons across the border.”

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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Secretary Clinton Delivers Major Policy Speech in Quito

Before an audience at El Centro Cultural Metropolitano in Ecuador, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a major policy speech in which she articulated the Obama Administration’s vision for U.S.-Latin American relations, with a focus on combating social inequity. Clinton spoke on a range of issues from access to education, to economic equality and social justice to the environment. During her remarks, Clinton paraphrased Latin American historical figures such as South American independence leader Simon Bolivar—a hero of U.S.-critic and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez—and Cuban national hero José Martí as she highlighted points about overcoming social inequities. But she stressed the role of the private sector as well, emphasizing five areas of "opportunity" to overcome impediments to social inclusion: education, reforming inefficient tax systems, empowering women, job creation, and public-private sector partnerships. "If you pit the government against the private sector, that’s a lose-lose proposition," she said. She rounded out her speech with a call to the future rather than the past. "Sometimes, we in America are accused of not paying enough attention to our history," she said. "But the obverse can also be true. Sometimes people are captives of their history. So let us resolve to meet in the present."

Foreign Policy's Madam Secretary blog comments that Clinton charmed Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, who said during her visit: "[W]e are not anti-American. We love the U.S. very much. It is a trade partner. In fact, I spent the happiest four years of my life with my family in that great country."

The United States today dismissed a proposed agreement between Brazil, Turkey and Iran that would allow Iran to swap enriched uranium for reactor fuel.  The deal was brokered by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his trip in May to Tehran.  The U.S., however, appears to think that the Brazilian agreement would leave Iran with enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon.

Brazil’s role in the nuclear negotiations is part of a broader effort to increase its profile on the international stage, but the U.S. has downplayed its diplomatic efforts on Iran.  Prior to Mr. Lula da Silva’s May trip to Tehran, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton repeatedly said that only UN Security Council action would be effective in curbing Iran’s ambitions.  When the Brazilian president succeeded in brokering the deal, Washington declined to recognize it as an important breakthrough.

The UN Security Council is soon expected to approve a fourth round of economic sanctions against Iran, which Brazil has opposed.  U.S. officials met with the Brazilian deputy foreign minister on Monday in an effort to convince Brazil to abstain from voting against the sanctions at today’s Security Council meeting, rather than cast a “no” vote.  Turkey, which joined Brazil in the negotiations with Iran, and Lebanon are also expected to oppose the newest round of sanctions.

Word from the annual OAS General Assembly in Lima this week is that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed to the hemispheric community to re-instate Honduras to full membership, but that a number of other hemispheric countries, notably Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, demurred.  After a year wandering in the hemispheric wilderness since being expelled from the OAS in 2009, Hondurans are wondering what they need to do, to paraphrase BP’s chief executive Tony Hayward, to get their lives back.  Indeed, duly-elected Honduran President Porfirio Lobo must be thinking right about now that he faces political difficulties approximating the Gulf oil spill, and that the clean-up efforts from last year’s coup ousting then-president Mel Zelaya are just as oily.

Centroamérica es muy propensa a desastres naturales, muy pero muy propensa. Como si no fuera poco con la pobreza, incipiente institucionalidad y frágil democracia cada cierto tiempo uno o varios de los países del Istmo se ven afrontando algún desastre natural: huracanes, tormentas tropicales, terremotos, deslaves, erupciones volcánicas, etc.

La más reciente es el paso de la Tormenta Agatha que dejó incalculable daño material en infraestructura, cultivos perdidos y pérdida de vida humana. Mas allá de las necesidades, de todos conocidas, que existen de impulsar políticas de gestión y mitigación del riesgo, sistemas de alerta temprana y capacidad de respuesta institucional; todos temas que se discuten con alguna frecuencia en este prestigioso medio en esta ocasión consideré compartir una historia que se repite todos los años en cualquiera de nuestros países latinoamericanos.

Bolivia’s national congress today passed legislation that officially codifies the application of “original” or “communal” justice in indigenous communities. The measure was approved in an early morning session of the Cámara de Diputados with strong support from President Morales’s Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party. According to some reports, however, the law was approved with little debate and in the absence of legislators from Bolivia’s opposition parties.

Passage of the law comes only two weeks after four police officers were attacked by individuals claiming to uphold the principles of “indigenous justice.” Critics of the law, including Elizabeth Reyes of the Unidad Nacional party, argue that similar attacks are likely to occur in the future because the law does not sufficiently address when and where the application of “indigenous justice” would be permissible. Supporters contend the bill includes adequate provisions outlining when community justice could be applied.

The law will now move to the Senate for approval where it is expected to pass and MAS officials have stated their belief that the measure will be approved by President Morales by the end of this week.

Representatives from the 33 countries comprising the Organization of American States (OAS) convened in Lima, Peru on Sunday for its 40th general assembly. Top issues on the agenda include the readmission of Honduras into the hemispheric body and Arizona’s tough new immigration bill SB 1070, which numerous Latin American leaders have decried.

Also high on the agenda are growing concerns throughout the region about large-scale arms acquisitions by numerous countries, which some fear could lead to an unintended arms race. In a speech yesterday, Peruvian President Alan García asked, “If we are the most peaceful region in the world, why have we purchased more weapons? It is foolish to see enemies where there are none.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is also in Lima for the OAS assembly, where she will hold bilateral talks today with the foreign ministers of Bolivia, Mexico and Panama. Secretary Clinton will then travel to Ecuador, Colombia and Barbados.

This week, from June 6 to 8, the Organization of American States (OAS) will hold its General Assembly with all the region’s foreign ministers and secretaries gathering in Lima to discuss affairs in the hemisphere....well, almost. Last year the theme of the General Assembly, held in Honduras, was supposed to be security, but the event was derailed by a movement to revoke Cuba’s suspension from the OAS. This year, it’s likely to be the return of the government of President Porfirio Lobo Sosa of Honduras to the OAS that will consume the attention of the gathered diplomats.

Different country, same divisions, on different sides. As with the outcome at the last OAS General Assembly, some artful diplomacy could produce a positive step that will finally--for the good of regional diplomacy and Honduras--help to move this process along.

A year ago this past weekend 34 people died near a section of road in Peru’s Amazon known as “Devil’s curve.” 

In many ways it was a typical Peruvian protest. The indigenous people who had congregated from all over the region to call for the right to be consulted over energy and mining projects on their land had blocked the road for several days.

Pressure built as essential supplies into the town of Bagua ground to a halt, until finally a Peruvian cabinet ordered police to disperse the protest.

It was at this point that Bagua departed from the normal pattern of protest in Peru and became the worst violent confrontation in Peru since the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru insurgencies of the 1980s and 1990s.

Twenty-two people died in the ensuing clash, and protesters at an Imacita pumping station took hostage and later killed 12 police officers. The violence spilled over onto the streets of Bagua Chica and Bagua Grande.