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La posibilidad de una nueva etapa
Thursday, August 12, 2010
El martes, sólo cuatro días después de tomar las riendas de la presidencia colombiana, Juan Manuel Santos y su homólogo venezolano se pusieron de acuerdo para reestablecer las relaciones diplomáticas y comerciales. Este avance político pone al revés la decisión del presidente Hugo Chávez en romper las relaciones bilaterales el pasado 22 de julio, después de las denuncias del ahora ex presidente Álvaro Uribe sobre la presunta presencia de guerrillas en territorio venezolano.
To read the rest of the column, click here.
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AS/COA's Chris Sabatini Answers Questions about Bolivia-Chile Maritime Dispute
Monday, August 9, 2010
The foreign ministers of Chile and Bolivia met in La Paz last month to begin negotiations on an agenda that includes Bolivia's request for Pacific Ocean access. In an e-mail interview for World Politics Review, Council of the Americas Senior Director of Policy Christopher Sabatini -- with historical research by COA policy associate Nina Agrawal -- explains the context for the Bolivia-Chile maritime dispute.
WPR: What is the origin of the dispute?Christopher Sabatini: The Bolivia-Chile maritime dispute is actually over landlocked Bolivia's access to the Pacific Ocean. It goes back to colonial times, when viceroys had competing claims over the area -- the Atacama desert -- that lies today in northern Chile and to the southwest of Bolivia. When the South American military leader Simon Bolívar liberated Bolivia in 1825 -- and with it much of present-day Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela -- he declared Bolivia's sovereignty over the Atacama corridor to the Pacific Ocean. It remained disputed, though nominally Bolivian territory until the War of the Pacific (1873-1879) which pitted Chile against Peru and Bolivia. Chile won the war, and part of its spoils was Bolivia's access to the sea, the Atacama corridor.
WPR: How has it impacted bilateral relations historically and more recently?
Sabatini: Chile's sovereignty over Bolivia's one-time ocean-front property has remained a point of contention between the two countries. It's also remained a raw topic inside Bolivia. In 2003, news of a plan to export Bolivian natural gas through Chile to the Pacific sparked popular protests that brought down then-President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. The leader of those protests, the then-head of the coca-growers union, Evo Morales, was later elected president in December 2005.
An ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Morales' election catapulted the issue of Bolivia's contested maritime access to the regional stage when President Chávez famously proclaimed that he would one day "bathe in a Bolivian beach." Relations between Chile and Bolivia at that point deteriorated, and they have continued to vary since that time.
To read the rest of the interview, click here.
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IACHR Publishes Report on Maternal Health
Monday, August 2, 2010
Today the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published its report Access to Maternal Health Services from a Human Rights Perspective. The report describes the obligation of the State to guarantee that women—especially those who have historically been marginalized—have equal access to health services related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care, as well as other reproductive issues.
The maternal mortality rate in the Americas numbers 22,680 deaths per year. A disproportionate fraction of these cases affect women who are poor, indigenous or of African descent, most of whom live in rural areas. Barriers limiting their access to health care include structural factors in service delivery, inadequate laws and policies, and entrenched practices, attitudes and stereotypes. Among other recommendations, the IACHR suggests that lawmakers incorporate a gender perspective when designing future laws and public policies relating to health services provision.
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New AQ Released
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Broadening access to health care is one of the hemisphere’s biggest challenges. This was made even clearer by the debate in the United States over President Obama’s health care reform bill. But the U.S. was late in coming to this debate. Across the Americas, governments, civil society and business are now moving in innovative ways to reform health care models.
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New Report on Paraguayan Judicial System
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Centro de Estudios Judiciales del Paraguay (CEJ) recently released the second edition of its report La Justicia Paraguaya en Cifras (Justice in
This latest publication by CEJ comprises part of a broader effort to increase transparency and modernize the judicial system in
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New Report on Human Rights Defenders in Mexico
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A new report from the Due Process of Law Foundation, Criminalization of Human Rights Defenders and Social Protest in Mexico, examines the criminalization of social protest and human rights defenders in Guerrero as well as the culture of impunity surrounding the torture, forced disappearance and extrajudicial executions of these defenders. This report is the product of two events in which DPLF and partner human rights organizations previously collaborated—a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and a professional workshop to discuss strategies for litigation.
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Latin America on the Rebound
Thursday, July 1, 2010
While Europe, Asia and the U.S. are still recovering from the global crash in 2008-2009, many economies across Latin America have rebounded. The demand for Latin America commodities such as Mexico’s oil, Chile’s copper and Brazils Iron Ore means that economists predict a period of sustained growth. On Tuesday Brazil revealed the biggest economy growth since 1996 when the government implemented its current methodology in the first quarter of this year of 9%. At last Latin America is having their voice heard and finding themselves with a greater persuasive power.
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AQ Launches Winter Issue in Bogotá
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
On June 16 the Americas Society and Council of the Americas will host the official Colombia launch of the Winter 2010 issue of Americas Quarterly, dedicated to the new generation of leaders in the Americas. The issue features articles by young leaders in business, politics and civil society from throughout the hemisphere. The Bogotá launch will look at ”Connectivity and Youth.” Colombia’s Minister of Information Technology and Communications, Daniel Medina, will open the event, followed by a panel with representatives from Microsoft, CA Technologies and young Colombian entrepreneurs discussing the role of information technology in development, entrepreneurship and education.
The launch will be held at the Universidad de los Andes campus in Bogotá from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m with a welcoming reception beginning at 4:00 p.m.
For more information about the launch, or to register for the event, please click here.
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VoteBien.com Ready for Elections in Colombia
Thursday, May 27, 2010
When Americas Quarterly young leader and blogger Jenny Manrique visited New York last February, she was getting ready the upcoming legislative elections in Colombia.
Now she and her colleagues at VoteBien.com are gearing up again, this time for Sunday’s presidential election, which is a close race between former Bogotá Mayor Antanas Mockus and former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos. (Read more coverage of the election on the AQ blog).
As part of the coverage, VoteBien.com has prepared interactive profiles of each candidate with official biographies, financial overviews and other details that help to educate and inform voters. They’ve also pulled back the curtain to look at the political machinery and powerful supporters behind each candidate, as well as the internal operations of the campaigns themselves.
We took a few minutes of Jenny’s time to hear more about what’s happening with VoteBien as Colombia prepares to elect its next president (or at least set the roster for a run-off on June 20).
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Rebuilding Haiti House by House
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Un Techo Para Mi País was featured as a civic innovator in the Fall 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly. This piece by Claudio Castro is featured in Viewpoints Americas on AS/COA Online.
The story of Haiti’s devastating earthquake is still being written today. Haitian youth, Dominican university students, and others are working hand-in-hand to rebuild homes and do their part in reconstructing the country.
This team—brought together by Un Techo Para Mi País (A Roof for My Country)—is on pace to build 2,000 homes by year end. By 2014, the goal is to provide housing for 10,000 families. Founded in 1997 and highlighted as innovators in the Fall issue of Americas Quarterly, Un Techo is the inspiration of Chilean university students who see adequate housing as a way out of the deep poverty witnessed both at home and throughout the Americas.
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Americas Quarterly Spring Issue Launch: Transnational Crime and Security
Monday, May 17, 2010
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Welcoming Remarks: Susan Segal, President and CEO, AS/COA, Publisher, Americas Quarterly
Keynote Speaker: Sérgio Cabral, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Panelists:
Rodrigo Abreu, President, Cisco do Brasil, Ltda.
Dr. José Mariano Beltrame, Secretary of Security for the State of Rio de Janeiro
William Bratton, former New York City Police Commissioner, Los Angeles Police Chief and AQ contributor
Kevin Casas-Zamora, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, former Vice President of Costa Rica and AQ contributor
Thereza Lobo, Executive Coordinator, Rio Como Vamos
Christopher Sabatini, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly, Senior Director of Policy, AS/COA (Moderator)
Summary:
Security experts from the private sector, government, and civil society launched the “Transnational Crime and Security” issue (Spring 2010) of Americas Quarterly at a program that highlighted Rio de Janeiro’s security challenges and innovations as it prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. The event in Rio de Janeiro was coordinated with the state government and sponsored by Cisco.
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New Americas Quarterly Released
Monday, May 10, 2010
Narcotics and transnational crime have become one of the greatest threats to democracy and democratic institutions in our hemisphere, undermining the rule of law, threatening human rights, stifling free expression, and corrupting economies.
The new Americas Quarterly (released on May 10, 2010) reveals the intricate architecture of this illicit, multi-billion dollar global economy and highlights ways in which communities and policy makers can reassert democratic control. Expert authors include former New York City Police Commissioner and chief of the Los Angeles Police Department William J. Bratton, Rio de Janeiro Governor Sérgio Cabral, former Costa Rican Vice President Kevin Casas-Zamora, and more.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Eight Steps to Reduce Crime
WILLIAM J. BRATTON and WILLIAM ANDREWS
Two U.S. policing experts propose a new strategy for Latin America.Graphic: Crime’s Family Tree
Read More
SAM LOGAN
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New Report on Indigenous Rights In Peru
Monday, April 26, 2010
Washington DC-based Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF) recently published a report on the right to prior consultation of indigenous peoples in Peru. It is based on materials submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in October 2009. The report, which is a joint effort between DPLF, the Human Rights Clinic of Seattle University School of Law and the Instituto de Defensa Legal (IDL) of Peru, addresses theoretical and practical issues surrounding the right to prior consultation. This issue has become increasingly important in recent years, as it is a cornerstone of many social conflicts in Latin America, especially those involving natural resources, land rights and territorial claims by indigenous peoples.
Read the report here.
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Online Discussion: Breaking Digital Barriers
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
AQ hosted a live online discussion on March 31 about how to extend technological inclusion to minorities across the hemisphere.
The discussion took place at: www.americasquarterly.org/online-discussion-digital-barriers.
Participants dialogued with one of
Paulo Rogério, author of The Digital Integrator in the Winter issue of Americas Quarterly and founder of
Read the full discussion thread, or a summary of the discussion.
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Make the OAS Relevant
by
Senators John F. Kerry and Robert Menendez
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
*This op-ed originally appeared in The Miami Herald. It has been reprinted here with the permission of the authors.
Last month, when even our key Latin American allies supported the creation of an alternative to the Organization of American States that included Cuba but excluded the United States and Canada, alarm bells went off in Washington -- and rightfully so.
This was not your traditional statement of frustration with U.S. policy, but rather an indictment of the OAS -- the institution charged with helping all countries in the hemisphere speak with a unified voice.
We agree that the OAS is an embattled institution. It has had its wins and its share of losses -- as well as missed opportunities. However, as others have said about the United Nations, if it did not exist, it would have to be created. Our task is to make the OAS better, not irrelevant.
Our hemisphere, with few exceptions, is unified in its commitment to an enduring set of noble objectives -- democracy, human rights, fairness, transparency and justice. Latin America today is home to some of the greatest democratic transition success stories of the last 50 years, and they reflect those values. But there is more work to be done. The ongoing abuses of the Castro regime, the erratic authoritarianism in Venezuela, the recent coup in Honduras and human-rights abuses in Colombia underscore that progress is not universal.
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March 8, 2010: Border Angels, Border Realities and Immigration Today
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
New School University, Hirshon Suite, Arnold Hall 55 W 13th St
BORDER ANGELS, BORDER REALITIES AND IMMIGRATION TODAY
The New School
March 8, 2010
6:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m.
Hirshon Suite, Arnold Hall
55 W 13th StTo RSVP or for additional information, please email globalstudies@newschool.edu or jcmec@newschool.edu.
Global Studies, Eugene Lang College, Latin America Forum and the International Center for Migration, Ethnicity and Citizenship (ICMEC) invite you to the talk "Border Angels, Border Realities and Immigration Today" by Enrique Morones.
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AQ Authors Interviewed on NY1
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Following the AQ Youth Conference, Juan Manuel Benítez of NY1 interviewed AQ contributors Karen Digbyana Baten Riquiac, Adrián Pérez, Andrés Barragán, and Jenny Manrique on the new challenges facing human rights, strengthening democratic governments and social activism in Latin America. Watch a video of the interview.
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How to Help Chile's Earthquake Recovery
Monday, March 1, 2010
President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early Saturday morning. Chile's second-largest city, Concepción, was the hardest hit - located just 70 miles (115 kilometers) from the epicenter of the earthquake.
Read a resource guide to the earthquake prepared by AS/COA Online.
Here's how you can help.
All of the below efforts have been approved by the Mobile Giving Foundation, which organized text message relief for Haiti.
Text "CHILE" to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision.
Text "CHILE" to 52000 to donate $10 on behalf of the Salvation Army.
Text "SAVE" to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of Save the Children Federation, Inc.
Text "CHILE" to 85944 to donate $10 on behalf of International Medical Corp.
Text "4CHILE" to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Convoy of Hope.
Text "CHILE" to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Friends of the World Program.
Text "REBUILD" to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Friends of the Operation USA.
Post your comment below on other efforts to assist Chileans.
(Photograph. From Dichato, Chile - one of the zones most affected by the earthquake. Courtesy of Ximena Valenzuela.)
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Americas Quarterly Winter Issue Launch: Voices from the New Generation
Monday, February 22, 2010
AS/COA Headquarters, 680 Park Ave, New York, NY
In conjunction with the release of Americas Quarterly—featuring 29 essays by young business, political, and civic leaders from across the Americas—AS/COA hosted a selection of these leaders to discuss what they see as the future of the hemisphere and how their generation can play a role in shaping it.
Summary
Welcome: Susan Segal, President and CEO AS/COA, publisher, AQ
Introduction: Christopher Sabatini, Senior Director of Policy AS/COA and Editor-in-Chief, AQKeynote Address: Alma Guillermoprieto, Journalist
Leadership Panel:
- Megan Leslie, (Canada) Member of Parliament
- Jenny Manrique Cortés (Colombia) Journalist, www.votebien.com
- Sebastián Mendoza (Panama) Chief Strategy Officer, Container Consultants & Systems
- Adrián Pérez, (Argentina) National Deputy, Republic of Argentina
- Paulo Rogério, (Brazil) Founder, Instituto Mídia Étnica
- Moderator: Christopher Sabatini, Senior Director AS/COA and Editor-in-Chief, AQ
Young Leaders ConferenceA group of young leaders from 17 countries in the Western hemisphere attended a three-day conference at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas headquarters during the week of February 15 to share their goals for the region’s future. Business, political, and civic leaders discussed entrepreneurship, cooperation across sectors, new communications technology, and lingering challenges as they sought ways to ensure a future marked by greater intraregional cooperation.
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- Megan Leslie, (Canada) Member of Parliament
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New Americas Quarterly to Hit Newsstands
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Release Date: February 17
The new issue of Americas Quarterly features 29 essays by young business entrepreneurs, social activists, and political and civic leaders from across the Americas on their demands, challenges, visions, and how they represent a change from the past.
The new issue also includes an exclusive interview with Mexican actor Diego Luna on documenting Mexico’s human rights abuses as well as updates on Latin America’s airline industry and crime against migrants. Other authors include: Naomi Mapstone, the Andean correspondent for the Financial Times, on how weapons buying stokes regional tensions and David Barton Bray, a professor at Florida International University, on how a Mexican indigenous community runs a multi-million-dollar forest industry.
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Wired.com Launches Haiti Rewired
Friday, January 29, 2010
AQ is collaborating with Wired.com's new online community geared to keep
Join Wired.com’s Haiti Rewired community and start sharing your ideas on the rebuilding process at: http://haitirewired.wired.com
As a member of Haiti Rewired you will gain access to Wired.com's 12 million monthly unique readers, 5 million RSS subscribers and 200,000 (and growing) Twitter followers. You’ll also be helping to create an elite circle of thinkers and influencers with the goal of improving humanitarian efforts in
Wired.com will bring people together and create a platform for discussion, and ultimately solutions. The expertise of this group will be limited only by the quality of the community. That is why they need more members.
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Obama's Tango
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
AQ Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini and AQ Senior Editor/AmericasQuarterly.org Managing Editor Jason Marczak look at how partnership alone cannot be the fulcrum of the U.S. relationship with Latin America in an article published on Foreign Affairs today.
The article comes just one week before President Obama is to celebrate his one-year anniversary in office.
Read Obama's Tango: Restoring U.S. Leadership in Latin America.
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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Hits the Blogosphere
Monday, January 11, 2010
In 2010, follow the State Department's latest insight on the Western Hemisphere through its DipNote Blog.
Arturo Valenzuela, the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, will blog regularly. A Promising Time for the Americas, today's entry, outlines his overall vision for regional policy this year, which includes sustainable economic growth, stronger democratic governance and enhanced social and economic inclusion.
Assistant Secretary Valenzuela's previous and forthcoming entries can all be easily accessed through DipNote.
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Reforming the State of Chile: Vision and Process
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
In a new report for the Center for Opening and Development of Latin America, an AmericasQuarterly.org partner organization, Jorge Marshall Rivera argues that to confront Chile’s lingering development challenges, state institutions must be reformed.
While Chile has already made tremendous progress, a new generation of reforms must now address civil society, the management of public policy and a deficiency in social services, the report says. Rivera’s work complements and analyzes proposals from Chile’s Consortium for State Reform. <http://www.reformadelestado.cl/>
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Audio Slideshow with Wyclef Jean
Monday, December 14, 2009
In an interview with Americas Quarterly, the Grammy-Award-winning musician talked about why he created Yéle, a Haiti-based youth outreach program.
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Editor-in-Chief Answers Questions about Cuba for PBS's World Focus
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Americas Quarterly Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini answered questions from PBS yesterday about the launch of a new blog in Cuba by the Catholic Church.
According to an annoucement, the Church's new blog is intended to serve as a meeting place for “those who live, dream, work and hope in Cuba and the Cuban community overseas.” The precise content of the blog remains to be seen, but the move to launch a blog raises the public profile of church leaders in Cuba. It also raises interesting questions: how will Cubans, who have limited access to internet services in Cuba, access the content of the blog? Will blog writers criticize government policies?
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Editor-in-Chief and AQ Blogger Write in ForeignPolicy.com
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
AQ Editor-in-Chief
The new article, “Calling a Coup a Coup,” looks at how some conservatives’ position that the Obama administration’s unwillingness to support the de facto regime in
The full-text article is available at ForeignPolicy.com.
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Haitian Times Republishes from AQ’s Fall Issue
Monday, November 2, 2009
Haitian Times and Americas Quarterly have teamed up to feature two full-length articles from the new AQ.
Haitian Times editor Garry Pierre-Pierre’s Our Man in Haiti: Bill Clinton discusses Bill Clinton’s appointment as United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti and the prospects for renewed international engagement with the country. AQ’s interview with Wylcef Jean highlights Jean’s foundation, Yéle Haiti and efforts to combat deforestation and engage youth in Jean’s native Haiti.
Both can seen at www.haitiantimes.com.
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New Americas Quarterly to Hit Newsstands
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Release Date: October 15
Looking ahead to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, the Fall issue of Americas Quarterly focuses on the environment and how the hemisphere can help to preserve it.
In his lead article, Ricardo Lagos, the former Chilean President and current Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Climate Change, calls for a new global metric to measure products’ carbon footprint and a measure to reward low-carbon production in the global market. Other authors include: Senator John F. Kerrry (co-sponsor of the Senate’s new climate change bill) who calls for hemisphere-wide collaboration around Copenhagen; Jaime Lerner, the three-time mayor of Curitiba, Brazil; and Steven Sanderson, president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The new issue also includes an exclusive interview with multi-platinum and Grammy-Award-winning musician and producer Wyclef Jean as well as a debate over the OAS’ readmission of
IN THIS ISSUE:
Negotiating a Green Commitment
RICARDO LAGOS
Both developed and developing countries need to get serious about the risk of global warming. One way to this is to establish a global trade system that provides market incentives for low-carbon products.The Fulcrum of Our New Relationship in the
JOHN F. KERRY
An environmental partnership betweenFat City
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MICHAEL SORKIN
Cities have become bloated by bad planning. Here’s how to put them on a diet.
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New Publication on Colombian Politics
Monday, September 28, 2009
The bi-monthly magazine Política Colombiana analyzes political events in Colombia and seeks to further national-level political discussions.
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The Dictator’s Shadow Wins WOLA-Duke University Book Award
by
AQ Online
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Dictator’s Shadow: Life Under Pinochet, a memoir of dictatorship and exile and their long aftermath in Chile, won the 2009 WOLA-Duke Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America. Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz, will receive a $1,000 cash award and an invitation to receive the prize at WOLA’s (Washington Office on Latin America) headquarters later this year, as well as an invitation to offer a reading at Duke University in Durham, NC.
Muñoz’ book, published by Basic Books, explores Augusto Pinochet’s legacy of violence and corruption from a uniquely personal perspective. The author, currently Chile's ambassador to the United Nations, was imprisoned by the Pinochet regime because of his political views and in his memoir recounts how Chileans fought and brought the former dictator to account for some of his crimes right until his death in 2006.
The book, reviewed in the Winter 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly by Paul Sigmund, was also launched at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas last October.
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Buenos Aires AQ Launch
Monday, August 24, 2009
On August 24, AQ launched its Summer issue in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Th event addressed the theme of the issue—advances and challenges to human rights in the hemisphere today.
Keynote Speaker
Hon. Ricardo Lorenzetti - President, Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina
Welcoming Remarks
Roberto Saba - Dean, Facultad de Derecho, Universidad de Palermo
Speakers
Santiago Canton - Executive Secretary, Inter-American Human Rights Commission
Víctor Abramovich - First Vice President, Inter-American Human Rights Commission
Eduardo Bertoni - Director, Centro de Estudios en Libertad de Expresión y Aceso a la Información; Professor, Universidad de Palermo
Christopher Sabatini - Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly; Senior Director of Policy, AS/COA, Moderator
Check back here for a summary of the program.
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Mexico: A not-so-distant neighbor
by
Andrew Selee
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
*This op-ed originally appeared in the Houston Chronicle. It draws on Andrew Selee’s article titled "Security. U.S.-Mexico Cooperation: A New Opportunity?" which appears in the Summer 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly.
The new era of U.S-Mexico co-responsibility took another step forward last month. In Mexico City, Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina-Mora and U.S. Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Morton announced new guidelines to allow for the two countries to cooperate in sharing information on arms trafficking cases.
The collaboration builds on intense bilateral activity since President Barack Obama came to office. Obama has already met with President Felipe Calderón twice. Three U.S. cabinet secretaries, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have traveled to Mexico City, and there have been at least seven congressional trips and a dozen congressional hearings focused on the United States' southern neighbor.
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The Americas Re-Elect: George Washington's Ghost
by
John M. Carey
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
*This op-ed originally appeared in openDemocracy. It draws on John M. Carey's article titled "The Re-electionistas: The Debate Continues" which appears in the Summer 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly.
In the early hours of 28 June 2009, Manuel Zelaya was removed from the Honduran presidency and deported to Costa Rica by his own military. A month on, a key issue in the unfolding Honduran crisis remains Zelaya's ambition to change the Honduran constitution to allow himself to run for a second term.
A day after the drama in Tegucigalpa, the presidents of Colombia and the United States met at the White House. Barack Obama and Álvaro Uribe discussed the future of the US-Colombia free-trade pact, human rights, and drug policy; but looming over the conversation was the question of whether in the coming months Uribe would himself attempt to alter the Colombian constitution to allow himself to run for a third consecutive term in the 2010 elections.
As the meeting drew to a close, Obama noted that George Washington had buttressed his own reputation, and American democracy, by refusing a third term and stepping down in 1797. Obama's message to Uribe was lost on no one...
To read the full text of this article please go to the openDemocracy website.
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Launch of New AQ
Friday, July 24, 2009
McNally Jackson Bookstore - 52 Prince St. New York, NY 10012
On Friday, July 24, Americas Quarterly launched its Summer issue at a New York bookstore. The issue commemorates 50 years of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and discusses contemporary challenges to human rights in our hemisphere. Both speakers are contributors to the Summer issue.
Featured Speakers
- Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, Deputy Executive Secretary, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- Marieclaire Acosta, Americas Director, International Center for Transitional Justice
- Micheal Casey, Senior Reporter, Senior Reporter, Dow Jones Newswires (keynote speaker)
- Katya Salazar, Executive Director, Due Process of Law Foundation
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The Risks of Deforestation in the Amazon
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Americas Society/Council of the Americas – 680 Park Avenue (corner of 68th street), New York, NY 10065
AQ Summer author Bruce Babbit and New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin discussed development in the Amazon and effects on the ecosystem. Babbit’s remarks drew from his article in the Summer issue (released on July 20) titled “Manifest Destiny in the Amazon Basin,” which looks at the soon-to-be-constructed Trans-South American Highway.
Featured Speakers
- Bruce Babbit, Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and former Governor of Arizona
- Andrew Revkin, Science reporter, New York Times; Author of several books, including The Burning Season: The Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest
- Moderator: Christopher Sabatini, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly; Senior Director of Policy, AS/COA
Listen to an audio podcast of the program.
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Summer AQ Released
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Summer 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly hits newsstands this week. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Inter-American Human Rights system and exploring its evolution. With the recent military coup in Honduras, questions of democracy, constitutional rights and institutional erosion are again surging to the fore in Latin America. The Summer 2009 AQ issue includes articles by former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo; Santiago Cantón, the executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; and Claudio Grossman, the Dean of American University Washington College of Law.
In his essay, President Toledo’s reflects on rebuilding Peru’s democratic institutions after President Fujimori and the importance of organizations such as the Organization of American States in upholding democratic ideals. “Non-democratic governments often complain about a supposed ‘extraterritoriality,’ which is a codeword for what they consider intrusion in their national affairs.…But a genuine democracy should not fear being part of the effort to advance and improve the Inter-American system’s institutions,” he writes.
Other articles evaluate the current successes and challenges that confront the human rights system in the Americas, including crime and social inequality.
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Human Rights Journal Issues Call for Papers
Monday, July 13, 2009
SUR– International Journal on Human Rights is accepting contributions to be published in its upcoming issues. Articles should optimally be original and unpublished.
The biannual journal is edited in English, Portuguese and Spanish and can be accessed online at: http://www.surjournal.org. Submissions received by July 15, 2009, will be considered for the 2nd issue of this year. Articles received after that date will be considered for subsequent issues.
Featured in the Panorama section of the Fall 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly, Sur draws material from the 130-plus members of the Brazil-based Sur – Human Rights University Network, enabling it to tackle issues beyond the traditional scope of a human-rights publication. The journal is aimed at academics and activists dedicated to the study and protection of human rights.
More information on article submission guidelines is available on Sur's website.
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CADAL Launches New Study
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Center for Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL), an AQ partner organization, launched a new study analyzing the economic model used by Argentine provinces since the country emerged from the economic crisis in 2002. Authored by Adrián Lucardi, El "modelo" en las provincias (The Model in the Provinces) finds that provincial governments have adopted a procyclical economic model that favors a continuous increase in public spending and job creation.
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New Issue of Perspectiva Released
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Perspectiva, one of AQ’s partner organizations, launched its latest issue titled Política exterior latinoamericana en el actual (des) orden mundial (Latin American Foreign Policy in the Current Global (Dis)order). The recently published magazine has a great variety of contributors such as Stephen Johnson, Rosendo Fraga, Fernando Dworak, María Teresa Romero, Angel Soto and Nelson Fernández. Topics addressed in the issue include the Bolivian constitutional referendum, 10 years of the Hugo Chávez presidency in Venezuela and a critique of Carlos Sabino’s book Todos nos equivocamos (We All Make Mistakes). The issue is currently available in stores and newsstands.
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The Financial Crisis and Latin America: Green Shoots or Black Clouds?
Monday, June 1, 2009
AS/COA - 680 Park Avenue, New York, NY
On June 1, Spring AQ author Ricardo Hausmann joined panelists in a discussion at the AS/COA tited, "The Financial Crisis and Latin America: Green Shoots or Black Clouds?." The full text of Hausmann's AQ article "Here We Go Again" is available at AmericasQuarterly.org. The panel included:- John Authers, Investment Editor, Financial Times (Moderator)
- Geoffrey Dennis, Managing Director, Latin America Equity Research, Citigroup, Inc.
- Ricardo Hausmann, Director, Center for International Development, Harvard University
- Peter Marber, Global Head of GEM Fixed Income and Currencies, Halbis Capital Management (USA), Inc.
Listen to the audio of the discussion at AS/COA Online.
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Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini on CNN's GloboEconomia
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
CNN GloboEconomia
In a segment on CNN's GloboEconomía, AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini discusses the implications of Latin America's digital divide and highlights promising initiatives in Brazil and Uruguay to increase internet access and education. While not a legally protected right, access to the internet is incredibly important to reach the levels of education and development necessary to compete in the global economy, says Sabatini. The Winter 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly focused on how to bridge the digital gap and featured an article by the President of Uruguay on his plans to make Uruguay the most connected country in the world. (en español)
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Transparency, Accountability and Integrity in the Judiciary
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Santiago, Chile
The international event titled Transparency, Accountability and Integrity in the Judiciary was held on May 14 and 15 in Santiago, Chile. Presidents of Iberoamerican Supreme Courts and Councils of the Judiciary met, as well as other high-level legal officials and experts. This event was organized by the Cumbre Judicial Iberoamericana, the Center for Justice Studies of the Americas (CEJA), the World Bank Institute, Transparency International, the Supreme Court of Chile, and the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF).
The Due Process of Law Foundation, an AQ partner organization, promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in Latin American judiciaries.
The DPLF has published several studies on the subject including El acceso a la información judicial en México: una vision comparada (Access to Judicial Information in Mexico: A Comparative Vision), a book published in 2005 after the adoption of Mexico's freedom of information law.
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AQ Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini on PBS' World Focus
by
AQ Online
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
PBS World Focus Hour Long Special on H1N1 Flu Virus
Americas Quarterly Editor-in-chief Christopher Sabatini appeared on PBS' World Focus first hour-long special, Outbreak, which examined the spread of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. On the show he addresses the consequences for the Mexican economy, discrimination against Mexican citizens, and the long-term impacts of the outbreak.
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AQ Spring Issue Launch and Panel Discussion
Friday, April 24, 2009
McNally Jackson Bookstore at 52 Prince St., New York
The Spring issue of Americas Quarterly looks at how the global economic crisis is affecting the Americas and what policymakers and investors can do to pull out of it. In this issue contributors offer a new twist to today’s financial news, providing answers and proposals from a variety of perspectives: trade, investment, international financial institutions, politics and policymaking, and social policy.
Panelists at the launch examined both the regional and country-specific effects of the crisis and policy responses.
Introduction
Christopher Sabatini, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly; Senior Director of Policy, AS/COA
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Spring AQ Hits Newsstands
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The newest issue of Americas Quarterly (Spring 2009) is being released today. It looks at how the global economic crisis is affecting the Americas and what policymakers and investors can do to pull out of it. Contributors offer a new twist to today’s financial news, providing answers and proposals from a variety of perspectives: trade, investment, international financial institutions, politics and policymaking, and social policy.
Use our Find a Retailer tool to locate the nearest Borders, Barnes & Nobles or B. Dalton bookstore that carries AQ. Or, subscribe today and receive an instant digital copy of the Spring issue.
Inside, you’ll find articles from former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso on the do’s and don’ts for policymakers during an economic crisis and Harvard University’s Ricardo Hausmann on the crucial role that financial institutions can play in restoring global liquidity and growth. Michael Reid of The Economist discusses the risks of a return of populist politics in Latin America, while Florencia Torche of New York University discusses the risk to the region’s middle class.
We also asked various experts, including Mohamed A. El-Erian, Pamela Cox, Francisco Gil Díaz and Susan Segal—to share their opinions on how the world can pull out of the economic slump. In "Hard Talk Forum," Patricio Navia and Steven Griner debate the merits of presidential term limits. In our non-feature section, Javier Corrales predicts what Latin American economies will look like in 25 years, and Lisa Viscidi discusses the need for a hemispheric energy policy.
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CIGI at the Summit of the Americas
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
The Center for International Governance Innovation will be live-blogging at the Fifth Summit of the Americas taking place on April 17-19 in Trinidad and Tobago. Check in often for trenchant analysis of the proceedings.
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Obama Should Shift Focus to Interdependence on Oil
by
Lisa Viscidi
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
*This op-ed originally appeared in the Houston Chronicle. It draws on Lisa Viscidi's article titled "Untapped," which appears in the Spring 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly.
When President Obama attends the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago this week, he will have an opportunity to address one of the most pressing issues on his policy agenda—energy.
Yet, as the economic crisis absorbs most of his administration’s attention, lower oil prices make alternative energy sources look costlier and U.S. oil demand remains fairly solid despite the recession, an unfortunate reality is setting in. Oil imports, like it or not, will remain a substantial part of the U.S.’s energy base for decades to come.
But there is also good news. The Summit of the Americas provides a forum for Obama to shift focus from energy independence to a more practical and even a more desirable goal—energy interdependence.
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Cuba representa para Obama lo que el Canal de Panamá fue para Carter
Sunday, April 12, 2009
**This interview with Javier Corrales originally appeared in Clarín. Javier Corrales is the author of "Markets, States and Neighbors," which appears in the Spring issue of AQ (to be released on April 16, 2009).
Por Fabián Bosoer, Clarín
En las últimas dos semanas el presidente Obama tuvo oportunidad de estrenar su protagonismo internacional en las Cumbres del G-20 en Londres y de la OTAN en Estrasburgo, y junto a los líderes de la Unión Europea en Praga y en Ankara, la capital turca, mientras se realizaba en Estambul la reunión de la Alianza de Civilizaciones entre Oriente y Occidente. Es ahora el turno de América
Bosoer (Clarín): ¿Qué podemos esperar de esta nueva cumbre hemisférica?
Creo que no debemos esperar un gran cambio, un anuncio que nos sorprenda. No creo que este vaya a ser el momento para hacer ese tipo de anuncios y no creo que el gobierno de Obama esté listo para hacerlos. Hay que entender que Obama tiene una carga de temas muy críticos, y la mayoría de estos no están afortunadamente en la región. No tiene incentivo de lanzar ningún tipo de cambio fundamental precisamente porque, desde el punto de vista de Obama, nada está peligrando por ahora acá. Lo que sí vamos a ver es un clima muy diferente, menos antiamericano o menos. "resistente". Será una Cumbre mucho más armónica y con más sintonía que las anteriores.
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AQ Winter Issue Launch and Panel Discussion
Friday, March 6, 2009
680 Park Avenue (at 68th Street), New York, NY
The launch of the Winter issue of Americas Quarterly featured a panel discussion on the prospects and challenges for technology advancement in the Americas.
Opening Remarks
Evan Hansen, Editor-in-chief, Wired.com
Featured Panelists
Matt Keller, Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, One Laptop per Child
Tarkan Maner, President and CEO, Wyse Technologies
Eduardo Saravia, Marketing Director, Telefónica International Wholesale Services, USA
Christopher Sabatini, Editor-in -Chief, Americas Quarterly (Moderator)
Listen to a podcast of the program.
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O Paradoxo da Amazônia
by
Bruce Babitt and Thomas Lovejoy
Friday, March 6, 2009
**This article originally appeared in Folha de São Paulo. Author Bruce Babbitt will explore the same topic in a piece in the forthcoming Summer issue of AQ.
A DESTRUIÇÃO das florestas ameaça a sobrevivência de todo o planeta. Em todo o mundo, a derrubada e a queima de florestas causam 20% do aquecimento global, mais do que as emissões de gases de todos os automóveis e caminhões. A maioria dos países vem falando muito e fazendo pouco para enfrentar o aquecimento global. O Brasil, porém, é diferente. O ministro do Meio Ambiente, Carlos Minc, anunciou que o Brasil vai reduzir o desmatamento da Amazônia em 70% até 2017.
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Houston Chronicle Reprints Winter 2009 AQ Article
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Houston Chronicle and Americas Quarterly have again teamed up to feature a full-length AQ article in a weekend edition of The Chronicle.
On February 14, 2009, The Chroncie reprinted a policy update from the Winter 2009 issue of AQ in which Sharon Squassoni of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace examines Latin America's renewed interest in nuclear energy. Hes article was reprinted as Latin America Warms Up to Nuclear Expansion.
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New AQ Hitting Newsstands
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The newest issue of Americas Quarterly (Winter 2009) is being released today. This issue looks at connectivity and the digital divide, with contributors discussing topics ranging from innovation and inequality in the information age and the growth of e-commerce, to transparency and e-government and the regulatory environment affecting IT. AQ also unravels the regional implications of the financial crisis and how Latin America will weather it and if President Obama can meet high expectations across the Americas.
Use our Find a Retailer tool to locate the nearest Borders, Barnes & Nobles or B. Dalton bookstore that carries AQ. Or, subscribe today and receive an instant digital copy of Winter issue.
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Gays in Latin America: Is the Closet Half Empty?
by
Javier Corrales
Sunday, February 1, 2009
(This article first appeared at ForeignPolicy.com, and can be viewed there in its entirety.)
Most analysts haven't noticed, but a major social revolution is taking place in Latin America. The region is becoming gayer. It's not that there are more gays and lesbians living in Latin America (we would never know). Rather, the region is becoming more gay-friendly. A generation ago, Latin America was the land of the closet and the home of the macho. Today, movements fighting for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are taking advantage of the region's more globalized, open regimes. They are promoting their cause through smart, mainstream political and economic alliances. So, though closets and machos are still ubiquitous, Latin America is now the site of some of the most pro-gay legislation in the developing world.
Gay rights expanded in democratic Western Europe starting in the late 1960s, and in the United States more gradually since the 1970s. Despite being democratic and kind-of-Western, Latin America lagged behind. Then, in the late 1990s, legislation started to change. In 1998, Ecuador's new constitution introduced protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 1999, Chile decriminalized same-sex intercourse. Rio de Janeiro's state legislature banned sexual-orientation discrimination in public and private establishments in 2000. In 2002, Buenos Aires guaranteed all couples, regardless of gender, the right to register civil unions.
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AQ Online Poll: President Obama and the Americas
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
In an online poll conducted over the last two months, 32 percent of respondents agreed that President Obama's top priority in the Americas should be to reduce poverty. Of the 126 votes cast, 20 percent believed that trade ties should be his top concern followed by migration (18 percent). Additional categories and voting percentages include: Cuba (10 percent); security (10 percent); human rights (6 percent); and the environment (5 percent).
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Obama Augurs Better Regional Relations
by
Christopher Sabatini
Sunday, December 14, 2008
*This article oringally appeared in The Miami Herald.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a former president of Brazil, once quipped that the U.S. presidency carries so much importance globally that everyone should have the right to cast a ballot. He was not proposing a radical change of national sovereignty so much as reflecting the stake the world has in the U.S. elections, and now in President-elect Barack Obama.
Nowhere is this felt more closely than in Latin America. Directly affected by U.S. policies on immigration, anti-narcotics, security and trade, Latin Americans watched the campaign intensely, parsed every candidate's comments and many rejoiced in Obama's election.
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Houston Chronicle Features Second Article from Fall AQ
Monday, December 8, 2008
In the second of four Sunday edition installments, The Houston Chronicle reprinted the AQ memo to the U.S. President elect by Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, former Bolivian president and current opposition leader in the Bolivian Congress. His article, which ran in The Chronicle as President-elect Barack Obama has a Chance to Establish New Relationships with Other Coutnries in Western Hemisphere outlines a concrete working agenda for the next administration in the Americas.
The next AQ article will appear on Sunday, December 14.
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Productive Partnerships Make Region Stronger
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
By Admiral Jim Stavridis, Commander of the U.S. Southern Command
Building on his feature article in the Fall 2007 Americs Quarterly, Admiral Jim Stavridis outlines some of the Southern Command's key initiatives in Latin America, including traveling hospital ships to provide training and medical services.
*This article oringally appeared in The Miami Herald.
For the past two years at U.S. Southern Command our approach to security cooperation with the 45 nations and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean has been simple -- ''real and vibrant partnership for the Americas.''
We try to do this while supporting and complementing the activities conducted by the State Department, Agency for International Development, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Coast Guard and others. So looking back over the past two years, is there real and vibrant partnership in the Americas?
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AQ in The Houston Chronicle
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Houston Chronicle and Americas Quarterly have teamed up to feature Fall 2008 AQ articles in four successive Sunday editions of The Chronicle.
On November 30, 2008, The Chroncie reprinted Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez's memo to the U.S. President elect. His article, reprinted as Help develop local responses to food and energy crises calls for investing a portion of oil profits in countries that have been hit hardest by rising oil and food prices.
Check out The Chronicle on Sunday, December 7, 2008, when it reprints Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga's article on a concrete working agenda for the next administration in the Americas. Here's a sneak peak.
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Christopher Sabatini on Chinese Interest in Latin America
Friday, November 21, 2008
In an interview on PBS news program Worldfocus, AQ Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini discusses the expanding export market between China and Latin America, and its political and economic implications for the entire Western Hemisphere.
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Voices from the Region: Ideas for the U.S. President-elect’s Agenda for the Americas
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW - Washington, DC 20036
Keynote Speaker:
Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development BankPanelists:
H.E. Antonio Patriota, Ambassador of
H.E. Arturo Sarukhan, Ambassador of
Alberto Vollmer, Chief Executive Officer, Ron
Viviana Krstecivic, Executive Director, Center for Justice and International Law,*Read remarks by Luis Alberto Moreno
*Read a summary of the program.
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Turbulent Transition Begins
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
By AQ Managing Editor Stephen Handelman
*This article oringally appeared in The Toronto Star.
Within the next few days, teams of dark-suited operatives working for the U.S. president-elect will fan out across Washington with a singular mission. They will sit down with the heads of every federal agency to prepare for the transfer of power on Jan. 20.
It's the way things have been done in presidential transitions for several decades, and Americans have generally – with a few hiccups along the way – managed the awkward 77-day gap between the election of a new president and his inauguration with aplomb and crisp efficiency.
But the clock is racing faster this time. If this year's U.S. elections were a transformative moment in American politics, this year's transition of power amounts to an equally historic – and nail-biting – crossroads.
Rarely have so many potential tests of authority faced a new president on the eve of walking into the Oval Office, forcing him to make decisions that could make or break his presidency even before he swears the oath of office.
The coming weeks are a dress rehearsal for the first wartime handover of power in the U.S. in more than 40 years, and a new White House team-in-waiting will need to set in place priorities for the conduct of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that will not wait for the measured unfolding of transition calendars.
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Welcome to the New AQ Website
Monday, November 3, 2008
Welcome to the new Americas Quarterly website-a space for fresh ideas and voices about the future of our hemisphere.
Join the discussion and offer new points of view on topics ranging from politics and economics to music and new innovations. Check out the new AQ Blog, post comments on our articles, and keep up-to-date with the newest developments in the region. Questions/comments, please send them our way at: aqinfo@as-coa.org
-The AQ Team
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AQ Launches First Video
Blending multimedia, new facts about the region and images from our latest issue, the new AQ video looks at our shared challenges and destinies in the region. Americas Quarterly offers fresh ideas and perspectives on crucial policy issues affecting the Western Hemisphere. Spread the word - share this video with friends, colleagues and others who are interested in the future of our hemisphere.
Great overview you wrote! Never actually thought about ...1
I found so many interesting topics on your blog. From the tons of ...1
A partnership is only good as long as both parties adhere to their ...1
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