http://www.americasquarterly.org/ With the goal of filling this void, the Americas Society and Council of the Americas launched Americas Quarterly—a journal dedicated to deepening policy analysis and debate on economics, finance, and politics in the region. The editorial mission of the journal is to target this new generation and to engage them in a discussion of future policy alternatives, highlight specific reforms throughout the hemisphere, and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. 2012-05-16T16:12:56Z AS-COA Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3637 2012-05-16T15:44:25Z

From 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... ...

Jenny Manrique http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3636 2012-05-16T11:25:38Z

Please find the original text below, submitted in Spanish. A former minister hospitalized. Two of his bodyguards dead. Fifty wounded. Dozens of businesses destroyed. The vivid scenes in Bogotá on Tuesday reminded Colombians of the worst periods of narco-violence in the country. And whenever events occur in the capital, angry responses came from all sectors. Colombia has recently been on a reverse trajectory when it comes to pain and violence. Still, a wounded ex-minister is more important than, say 10 civilians killed, and Bogotá, of course, is more relevant than Catatumbo or Choco-places that today show the raw and living reality of war.The terrorists know this. It is common sense. Further, such an act has the potential to radicalize the most extreme forces.  The reprehensible attack on Tuesday had all the ingredients for a real blow to the country. 1. The place: It occurred in the north of Bogotá, where, in... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3635 2012-05-16T07:00:00Z

Renowned Mexican author and influential political commentator Carlos Fuentes died of unknown causes yesterday in Mexico City. Fuentes was the author of many literary works and had continued writing up to his death. His most notable novels include La región más transparente (Where the Air is Clear), La muerte de Artemio Cruz (The Death of Artemio Cruz), Terra Nostra, and Las buenas conciencias (The Good Conscience). Fuentes was often cited as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but never won it.Although controversial at times, Carlos Fuentes is considered one of three great contemporary Latin American writers, alongside Colombia's Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Peru's Mario Vargas Llosa. Political leaders from all around the world have expressed their condolences, including the president of his home country. Mexican President Felipe Calderón noted on Twitter that he "deeply laments the death of the beloved and admired Carlos Fuentes, a writer and universal Mexican."Fuentes was... ...

Eric Farnsworth http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3634 2012-05-15T14:50:18Z

Today marks the date of entry into force of the U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement (FTA).  What a long, strange trip it's been since the agreement was signed in 2006.  The rear-guard action of those opposed to trade generally, those opposed to the United States in Latin America specifically, and those who sought to use the agreement as leverage to promote narrower special interests has been fierce.  In the end, however, it became politically untenable and strategically short-sighted to continue to deny both Colombian as well as U.S. citizens the benefits of the trade agreement, and, as a result, today marks the beginning of a new chapter in U.S.-Colombian relations.Nonetheless, amid well-deserved celebrations within the trade community, we should not lose sight of the fact that the current moment is just the next step.  It is a critically important step, to be sure, one that should have occurred years ago, and one... ...

Jenny Manrique http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3633 2012-05-15T14:38:30Z

El secuestro de un periodista y sus últimos ataques contradicen la idea del término de la guerrilla generada por la liberación de rehenes. Después de 47 años de lucha guerrillera en Colombia y el secuestro de 2,000 civiles y 250 militares, de acuerdo con el gobierno, las FARC anunciaron en marzo el fin del secuestro y la entrega de los últimos 10 rehenes uniformados. El gobierno interpretó el mensaje como el inicio del fin de la guerrilla, pero sus últimos ataques y el reciente secuestro de Roméo Langlois, periodista francés, demuestran su actividad. La carta de las FARC con el anuncio del fin del secuestro supuso para algunos la puerta abierta a las negociaciones. "Es un paso impresionante que hay que aplaudir, pero hay una serie de obstáculos sociales, como las mismas fuerzas militares o los ganaderos que no quieren negociar. La comunidad internacional se va a meter y el mensaje con... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3631 2012-05-15T07:00:00Z

The value of the Brazilian real dropped to less than two reais per U.S. dollar on Monday for the first time in three years. Responding to investor concerns over Greece's possible exit from the Eurozone and slowing global economic growth, the euro dropped to its lowest level since mid-January, dragging the real and other emerging-market currencies along with it. The real has seen a 13 percent depreciation since late February, and at 1.99 reais to the dollar, surpassed its previous low point from July 2009.Traders expect Brazil's central bank to begin selling dollars in order to support importers and temper a potential spike in inflation usually associated with a drop in currency value. "Over the next three months, monthly inflation will be slower than in April," said Brazilian Central Bank President Alexandre Tombini in Rio de Jainero last week. Tombini added that the real is weakening as part of a... ...

Robert Fatton Jr. http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3629 2012-05-14T12:23:09Z

After a year in power, President Michel Martelly still faces the huge challenges of reconstructing a country destroyed by natural catastrophes and bad governance. In spite of growing foreign investments, the economy remains weak and vulnerable. The enormous task of finding adequate housing for over a million displaced individuals persists, and there are fears that the country is facing another outbreak of cholera, which has already claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people. So far, the "moun en deyo"-the marginalized-continue to be left out of any meaningful participation in the decision-making process, and the deep divisions that have defined Haitian politics show no signs of abating.... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3627 2012-05-14T09:36:21Z

Top stories this week are likely to include: Hugo Chávez post-radiation therapy; Michel Martelly begins his second year as president; Dominicans head to the polls; Peru minus two ministers; and Brazil creates a new social program.Chávez Ends Cancer Treatment: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returned from Cuba on Friday claiming that he had ended his radiation therapy session in Havana "in a successful manner." This appears to be the first full week in the past several weeks where Chávez governs the country while on its soil. Despite his repeated absences, the latest poll by Datanálisis reports that Chávez returns home with a 17 percentage point advantage over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski ahead of the October presidential election. Now the question is whether Chávez is truly recovered; the recently-formed Council of the State casts some doubt. AQ Editor-in-Chief Christopher Sabatini points out, "Sure Chávez says he is in the clear, and... ...

John Parisella http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3626 2012-05-11T09:00:00Z

President Barrack Obama's pronouncement in favor of gay marriage certainly qualifies as both historic and courageous, not only for its content but also for its timing. Some critics already see some political machinations in this statement, which came shortly after Vice President Joe Biden seemed to indicate support for gay marriage. The polling data, however, would indicate that the president made a somewhat risky move whose ramifications remain uncertain. The issue of gay marriage has been a polarizing issue more so in America than in my home country of Canada. In the 2004 presidential election, the Bush campaign cleverly used state referenda on banning gay marriage or defending traditional marriage as an instrument to bring out the religious right in favor the president. Considering the narrow victory by Mr. Bush over Senator John Kerry, it has become conventional wisdom to consider the tactic a success. ... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3624 2012-05-11T07:00:00Z

A 19-year old Haitian man who accused six Uruguayan UN peacekeepers of sexually assaulting him testified in a closed Uruguayan civilian court on Thursday. According to the victim, Johnny Jean, the six marines who were serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) raped him on a UN base in Port Salut last September. The peacekeepers involved, including one who recorded the incident with his cell phone, were recalled to Uruguay and imprisoned shortly after the case began making headlines. A preliminary investigation conducted by the UN and the Uruguayan Navy concluded that the peacekeepers had acted indecently but had not raped the Haitian man. As a result, the peacekeepers were released in late 2011, pending the outcome of the current investigation. According to Uruguayan Supreme Court spokesman Raul Oxandabarat, next steps in the case will depend on how Judge Alejandro Guido received Mr. Jean's testimonyTensions between UN peacekeepers... ...

Jos� Miguel Cruz http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3625 2012-05-10T16:53:51Z

In the mid-1990s, the Inter-American Development Bank published various reports indicating that El Salvador and Guatemala had the highest homicide rates in Latin America. Fast-forward sixteen years later and these two countries form, along with neighboring Honduras, the most violent region in the world by all accounts. With a combined population of 28 million, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador constitute the northern triangle of Central America; a sub-region that has experienced almost twice-as-much violence as Mexico has since 2006, when Calderon's war on drugs started. According to official data, approximately 50 thousand people have been killed in Mexico since 2006. In contrast, the northern triangle, with a population four times smaller than Mexico, has endured nearly 90,000 murders during that same period. But while Mexico, with an annual homicide rate of 18 deaths per one hundred thousand inhabitants, is a tragedy, the northern triangle, with average homicide rates surpassing 60... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3621 2012-05-10T07:00:50Z

In Beijing yesterday Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said China is "very interested" in investing in an oil pipeline that would run from Venezuela to Colombia's Pacific coast. President Santos is currently in China on a five-day trip to promote trade and investment ties between the two countries. China is already Colombia's second-largest export market, mainly for oil and coal, and with demand growing there while the U.S.' energy market evolves, "we have to start shifting our markets to Asia," said Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy Mauricio Cárdenas.On Wednesday the state-owned Chinese Development Bank signed a preliminary agreement with Colombian state oil company EcoPetrol to provide financing for the pipeline. The final route has not been determined, but it is expected to transport 600,000 barrels of Venezuelan and Colombian oil per day by the time it is completed in 2018, ensuring quicker transport of oil to China and other... ...

Julio Rank Wright http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3622 2012-05-09T19:35:27Z

El Salvador has undergone various political events in the past couple of months. Political drama and institutional bickering have been present in daily news. For one, the legislative and municipal elections that took place this past March were fair and clean, while the same cannot be said about other countries in the region-namely Nicaragua. The outcome of El Salvador's election results was bleak for the ruling Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (Farabundo Martí Liberation Front, or FMLN) party; FMLN's largest loss was in the country's most populous and important municipalities. Second, the main opposition party, Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (Nationalist Republican Alliance, or ARENA), simply recuperated what they had historically obtained in legislative elections before the defection of 12 of their deputies in 2009. ARENA's main win was in taking the larger, emblematic municipalities from the FMLN which are also founding shareholders of Alba Petroleos, the gasoline-importing Venezuelan joint... ...

AS-COA Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3620 2012-05-09T15:49:43Z

From 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 ... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3619 2012-05-09T07:00:00Z

Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza will arrive in Ecuador tomorrow to begin discussions with President Rafael Correa over his government's decision not to participate in last month's Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. Insulza will likely also address recent calls by the Ecuadorian government to modify the OAS constitution to reduce U.S. influence within the organization. Ecuador's decision to boycott April's summit in protest over Cuba's exclusion the meeting comes alongside other recent Ecuadorian complaints, such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' (IACHR) request to suspend the defamation sentence against El Universo newspaper. A columnist and three directors of the newspaper have since been pardoned. Correa has recently said publicly that the only legitimate multilateral organization in Latin America is the Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC)-created in Venezuela last year-which excludes the United States and Canada. Additional details of Thursday's planned meetings have... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3618 2012-05-08T07:04:50Z

European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht yesterday announced that Argentina may face retaliatory measures following the nationalization of Spanish energy giant Repsol's majority stake in YPF, Argentina's largest oil and gas company. De Gucht's comments were delivered during a seminar in Brussels, Belgium, on "Strategic Challenges in the EU–Brazil Relationship."  "We will soon be moving forward with a response to Argentina's action in the Repsol case," said De Gucht, adding, "There has for many years been a debate about open markets in the region[…] In recent weeks, we have seen that debate heat up again with Argentina's move against a Spanish company's stake in YPF."  Although De Gucht did not specify what actions the EU is considering, any moves would presumably be in addition to the European Community's plans to file a WTO complaint over Argentina's alleged use of protectionist policies, such as the use of non-automatic import licensing for... ...

Christopher Sabatini http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3617 2012-05-07T13:24:17Z

Shortly before he left for Cuba for another round of cancer treatment, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced his plan to pull his country out of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The last president to make a similar threat was Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori in 2000 when the IACHR had handed down a series of recommendations about death squad killings, the seizure of a private television station and the sacking of a constitutional court judge.  The spectacle of two supposed ends of the ideological spectrum-the self-proclaimed socialist Chávez and the neoliberal Fujimori-railing against the IACHR is really not as surprising as it sounds. It's the common bond of autocratic regimes that want to be free of international scrutiny and the obligations to protect and defend their own citizens that transcends ideology.  And for those, the IACHR-which has stood in defense of human rights for over 50 years irrespective of... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3616 2012-05-07T10:56:14Z

Top stories this week are likely to include: Mexico's presidential candidates debate; Dilma and the forestry law; Humala and Santos travel to Asia; and Venezuela proposes an alternative to the IACHR.  Challengers Hammer Peña Nieto in Presidential Debate: The leading presidential candidates in Mexico held their first debate last night, and frontrunner Enrique Peña Nieto of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) was the biggest target of attacks from  candidates Josefina Vázquez Mota (Partido Acción Nacional) and Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Partido de la Revolución Democrática). Peña Nieto's challengers painted him as a corrupt politician who oversaw a poor economy in Mexico state. During the debate, Peña Nieto noted that Vázquez Mota and López Obrador "seem to have come to an agreement… they're coming with knives sharpened." However, political analyst Jorge Zepeda opined that "Peña Nieto survived…I don't think the debate will have a big impact." Adds AQ Senior Editor Jason... ...

http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3615 2012-05-04T15:06:05Z

Please find the original text below, submitted in Portuguese. A 10–0 decision by Brazil's Supreme Court, O Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) on April 26 was a landmark verdict for Brazil's Afro-descendant population. The STF approved the incentive program for black and underprivileged students to attend college in Brazil, ProUni (Programa Universidade para Todos-University Program for All); after the end of slavery and the passage of the Racial Equality Law, this was the most important public policy addressing the Afro-Brazilian population. The challenge to ProUni's constitutionality was filed by the Democratas party, which argued that the universities' adoption of the system violated constitutional principles of equality. On the other hand, social organizations claimed that quotas are a mechanism to reverse historic exclusion and create opportunities for thousands of descendants of African slaves. In 2003, only 3 percent of Afro-Brazilians had a university degree; in 2010 this number was 10 percent. These figures pale... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3612 2012-05-04T10:45:23Z

Haitian legislators yesterday approved President Michel Martelly's nominee for Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe, ending a confirmation standoff that has brought Haiti's federal government to a virtual standstill for nearly two months. Lamothe, a former special adviser to President Martelly before being appointed foreign minister in September 2011, was confirmed by a vote of 62–3 after a six-hour long debate centered on whether he met residency requirements for public officials stipulated in the country's constitution.In an interview after the vote with the Associated Press, Lamothe vowed to immediately begin working to get Haiti's post-earthquake recovery back on track saying, "We have a lot of work to do now… I feel that the country finally has the opportunity to work on the people's problems. We have a lot of different issues to deal with and finally we have the team in place to start solving the people's problems."The confirmation will also ease... ...

Jenny Manrique http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3611 2012-05-03T12:53:58Z

Sería realmente alentador, además de novedoso, que llegara una celebración del Día Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa sin malas noticias para el gremio. Pues este 3 de mayo no logró ser la excepción, ya que además de repasar las cifras que no ceden en lo que a violaciones a la libertad de expresión se refiere (Reporteros sin Fronteras (RSF) dijo que ya van 21 comunicadores asesinados en 2012 y que las FARC y las Águilas Negras siguen siendo predadores de la libertad de prensa en Colombia), desde hace seis días es incierta la suerte del reportero francés Romeo Langlois, freelance para la cadena France 24 y el diario Le Figaro en el país.La historia es así: Langlois se fue con el Ejército colombiano a cubrir una operación antinarcóticos en Unión Peneya, un sector del municipio Montañitas de Caquetá, al sur del país. Un municipio, dicho sea de paso, que... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3610 2012-05-03T07:00:27Z

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said Wednesday "it would be deeply regrettable" if Venezuela were to leave the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). President Hugo Chávez announced on Monday that Venezuela would seek to withdraw from the inter-governmental body, describing it as "a mechanism that the United States uses against us." The IACHR is an autonomous branch of the Organization of American States tasked with the promotion and protection of human rights in the hemisphere. Also on Monday, Chávez named various allies to seats on a newly created advisory body, the State Council, and tasked the committee with assessing the process for withdrawal. On Wednesday, the Venezuelan State representative for human rights, Germán Saltrón, argued that the IACHR is biased against Venezuela, and claimed that it endorsed the April 2002 attempted coup to unseat Chávez. Venezuela, said Saltrón, "is a democratic country and no one can come... ...

Andr�s Berm�dez Li�vano http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3609 2012-05-02T16:42:41Z

A couple of weeks ago, a small but evocative display of 30 abstract sculptures, paintings and engravings by artist Manuel Felguérez opened in the stunning boomerang-shaped museum designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki for Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts. The exhibition of recent works by Felguérez, one of the most prominent members of the generation that helped pave a new way in Mexican art beyond the aesthetic ideas of Diego Rivera and the Mexican muralists, was quite an event. And indeed it was intended to mark a special occasion: the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and China.Despite the quality of the exhibition and the presence of the sculptor and painter himself, in reality this is not a common event. Not only is a Latin American art exhibition in China a rare occurrence but, sadly, this cultural exchange mirrors how little importance nations in the... ...

AS-COA Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3608 2012-05-02T14:33:31Z

From 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... ...

AQ Online http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/3607 2012-05-02T07:00:00Z

Bolivian President Evo Morales on Tuesday announced his intention to nationalize a majority of the country's electricity transmission system, which is currently administered by a number of private-sector companies. Transportadora de Electricidad S.A., part of the Spanish multinational, Grupo Red Electrica de España, holds a 74 percent stake in Bolivia's electric grid and administers approximately 1,720 miles of high voltage lines. The remaining 26 percent of the grid is owned by individual domestic and foreign companies serving specific regions of the country. The government justified this decision by characterizing as insufficient the $81 million that firms have spent on maintaining and expanding the grid over the past 16 years. In a press conference in La Paz' Palacio Quemado, Morales said, "we are nationalizing the Transportadora de Electricidad in the name of the Bolivian people as homage to the workers who fought for the recovery of our natural resources and basic services."... ...