Blog entries

Re-establishing relations with neighboring Venezuela will be a “priority” of the Santos government, says Maria Ángela Holguín, Colombia’s incoming foreign minister. Following a meeting with Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez, Holguín stated that the President-elect had maintained an interest in re-establishing relations with Venezuela throughout his campaign.  “For that to happen,” she stated, “there is a … Read more

We hear it often: the rule of law is essential for investment.  For over a decade, a legion of organizations and scholars–from the World Bank to Douglass North–have argued that if countries really want to develop they need to develop an independent, impartial, pro-market system for the application of laws and their adjudication.  And those … Read more

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner began a five-day visit to China on Sunday in an effort to strengthen the China-Argentine strategic partnership. As part of her first presidential visit to China since, she is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, who according to foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang “attaches great importance to … Read more

In recent weeks, there have been celebrations of what are called “National Holidays” in the U.S. (July 4), Canada (July 1) and Québec (June 24). People gather in a festive way, take a well-earned moment of rest and praise the joys of living in societies that clearly are the envy of the world. While each … Read more

Four weeks before his August 7 inauguration, president-elect Juan Manuel Santos is already using the occasion to alter the tone of Colombian foreign policy. President Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez have both been invited to the ceremony despite their countries’ strained relations with Colombia, and Mr. Correa has indicated that he … Read more

Representatives of the Partido Revolucionario Intitucional (PRI) agreed to allow electoral votes cast in this past Sunday’s gubernatorial elections in the state of Veracruz to be opened and counted one by one to confirm that their candidate, Javier Duarte de Ochoa, won the election outright. Opposition coalition “Viva Veracruz” continues to claim that their candidate, … Read more

As soon as I arrived in Paraguay last week, I could see that the country was in the grips of football fever. It was impossible to forget, even for a minute, that the World Cup was on and that Paraguay’s team was doing extremely well. Every public space was draped with a Paraguayan flag. Every … Read more

Well, it was fun while it lasted.  What was shaping up to be the year of Latin America in the early rounds of this year’s World Cup will see two European teams fighting for the championship on July 11.  The best that Latin America can now hope for is a 3rd place finish for Uruguay.  … Read more

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCHRNR) reported yesterday that the number of political prisoners held by the Cuban government has declined over the past six months. According to the independent watchdog based in Cuba, the number of prisoners has fallen from 201 in January to 167 in July. CCHRNR director Elizardo … Read more

On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Francisco Dall’Anese Ruiz the new head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, known by its initials in Spanish as CICIG. Ruiz is a well-known advocate against corruption and, since 2003, he has served as attorney general in Costa Rica, where he has led major anti-corruption investigations … Read more

On the eve of this 4th of July, I think about our servicemen and women whose lives are at risk defending U.S. interests and the cause of freedom around the world. I also think about Cuba, so close to the United States, where a despotic regime continues to misrule; and about the Ladies in White, … Read more

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Spanish Deputy Premier Manuel Chaves held a ceremony yesterday in Panama City celebrating the expansion of the Panama Canal—a massive infrastructure project to be completed in 2014. Also joined by the presidents of Guatemala, Colombia and Honduras, the ceremony marked the beginning of the construction … Read more

One year ago this week, the Honduran military expelled President Manuel Zelaya from the country. The coup immediately prompted domestic tumult and international condemnation.  With elections in November, however, the Honduran political establishment and the Obama administration banked on the country moving beyond the coup domestically and normalizing relations with the world.  But theirs were … Read more

El Salvador is a nation with more cell phones than inhabitants. In fact, according to the Superintendencia General de Electricidad y Telecomunicaciones, there are 7,445,736 mobile telephone lines for a country of 5.74 million people. Of these mobile connections, 6,286,967 are pay-as-you-go and only 663,736 are based on a fixed payment contract. These numbers speak … Read more

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. Honduras Marks Coup Anniversary A year after the overthrow of Manuel Zelaya, … Read more