Blog entries

A delegation of seven Canadian premiers (provincial governors) completed a three-day visit to Washington DC yesterday where they met with U.S. lawmakers, cabinet officials and public policy professionals. According to the Canadian press, the highlight of the mission was the premiers’ participation, for the first time, in the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, … Read more

Roberto Micheletti’s de facto government is back in the news. Last week, news broke in Honduras that the official newspaper, La Gaceta, published two different versions with the same number and date in the last days of Micheletti’s time in the Presidential Palace. The major difference? One version contained a controversial dam contract. After many … Read more

El 2010 comenzó de manera muy agitada en el Congreso de la Nación de Argentina. Luego de varias semanas de reuniones informales, acusaciones y dichos, la Comisión Bicameral se expidió, por dos votos contra uno, a favor de la remoción de Martín Redrado de la presidencia del Banco Central de la República Argentina. Esta Comisión … Read more

Official sources in both governments have confirmed that Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will hold talks at the Rio Group Summit in Cancún, Mexico. The summit will take place from Monday, February 22 to Tuesday, February 23, but the exact date and time of the bilateral meeting has yet to be … Read more

In a clear signal of continuity of President Tabaré Vázquez’ Honduras policy, President-elect José Mujica’s future minister of foreign affairs has said that Uruguay will not recognize Honduras’ new government until “new elements appear that guarantee democratic openness and stability.” Luis Almagro made the statement at a meeting with foreign press correspondents, where he called … 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. Haiti Reconstruction Costs Higher than Anticipated A new Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) … Read more

As headlines continue to report a tale of horror, violence and massacre in what had seemed to be a peaceful country, a growing debate stirs on whether or not Mexico’s government stands a chance to win the war on drugs. The general consensus is that President Felipe Calderón has inherited a cancer that the Partido … Read more

A Canadian member of parliament, a gay rights activist from Jamaica, an Argentine National Deputy, and a dental entrepreneur from Mexico are among the young leaders who lend their voices to the Winter edition of Americas Quarterly, released today. The essayists’ views are as diverse as they are, representing new political and social ideas that … Read more

The Mexican Attorney General’s Office announced a new federal prosecutor for crimes against the media on Monday following complaints about the government’s investigations into the increasing number of journalist deaths.  Gustavo Salas Chávez, a former employee of the federal crimes investigation unit, will replace Octavio Orellana. The Attorney General’s Office did not give a reason … Read more

Members of Ecuador’s opposition parties staged massive demonstrations yesterday in Guayaquil to protest the government of President Rafael Correa. The demonstration was called by Guayaquil Mayor Jaime Nebot in response to the federal government’s decision to slash the city’s budget by $17 million, which the opposition believes was a calculated moved designed to undermine officials … Read more

On a smoggy Thursday afternoon in late January, Mark Camp, director for U.S.-based Cultural Survival Project, drives a big red truck with Massachusetts plates through Guatemala City traffic toward Congress. Camp—who looks more like an insurance salesman with a ponytail of gray hair, suit and polka dot red tie—has organized volunteers from community radio stations … Read more

A court in Uruguay today sentenced former dictator Juan María Bordaberry to 30 years in prison on charges of “unconstitutional behavior,” “forced disappearance” and “political homicide.” Lower court judge Mariana Motta’s sentence means that Mr. Bordaberry, who has spent the last few years under house arrest for related crimes, will likely be headed back to … 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. UNASUR Pledges $300 Million in Aid for Haiti The Union of South … Read more

The results of a survey on adult tobacco use around the world were unveiled in Uruguay yesterday, the first country in Latin America to ban smoking in the workplace and in enclosed public spaces. The World Health Organization’s Global Adult Tobacco Survey was administered in the 15 countries with the highest number of smokers per capita, … Read more

Two recent crises have overtaken the U.S.’s broader policy framework and agenda for the region. First, there was the coup in Honduras, now the tragedy in Haiti. The first was a potentially avoidable political train wreck that ended up dividing the hemisphere, the latter, one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the hemisphere’s history and … Read more