Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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
Canada Passes Trade Agreement with Colombia
Some good news for Colombia on the trade front: Canada’s House of Commons passed the pending free trade agreement with Colombia on June 14, by a better than 2-1 margin. The Senate will now vote on the accord for final approval. Nonetheless, this is an important step for both countries, and a signal of support—both … Read more
Gates, Slim Team Up on Health Care
The two richest men in the world joined forces on Monday for the cause of delivering basic preventative health care to marginalized populations of the Americas. Carlos Slim, Mexican telecom tycoon and founder of Instituto Carlos Slim de la Salud, and Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, … Read more
OAS Holds its 40th General Assembly in Peru
Representatives from the 33 countries comprising the Organization of American States (OAS) convened in Lima, Peru on Sunday for its 40th general assembly. Top issues on the agenda include the readmission of Honduras into the hemispheric body and Arizona’s tough new immigration bill SB 1070, which numerous Latin American leaders have decried. Also high on … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. Mockus, Santos in a Tight Race ahead of Colombian Elections Campaigning for … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. Calderón and Obama Condemn Arizona Immigration Law U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. Secretary Clinton Stresses Private-Sector Role in Hemispheric Relations At the Council of … Read more
[i]El insomnio de Bolívar: Cuatro consideraciones intempestivas sobre América Latina en el siglo XXI[/i] by Jorge Volpi
Panama Canal Zone, 2050. After years of growing tensions, the armies of the Southern Alliance (a confederation of all South American nations) and the North American Union (formed by Mexico, Canada and the U.S.) clash in what comes to be known as the Seven-Day War. Hostilities cease when the Southern Alliance president is removed from … Read more
Rising Tide: On the Islands of the Kuna
Early one morning last October, my husband and I boarded a small 20-seater plane in Panama City and headed to Usdup, a village in the Kuna Yala archipelago. The fog was receding through mountain valleys as the sun peeked over the horizon. Only 45 minutes northeast of the capital, this island was a world away. … Read more
No Ordinary Trade Agreement
Anyone who remembers the 2004 debate in the U.S. Congress over the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) likely recalls a contentious and emotional tug of war over the commercial merits and the adequacy of labor provisions in the bill. Nearly five years, $84 million to support labor capacity building and more than … Read more
Dirty Money
Politics has long been a magnet for drug money in Latin America. In the 1970s, Costa Rican politicians were accused of accepting contributions from the late Robert Vesco, a U.S. financier who settled in Costa Rica after fleeing prosecution at home. Vesco, some of whose money purportedly came from heroin smuggling, was a major backer … Read more
Let’s Get Engaged
The future of inter-American affairs is anything but certain. Our divisions and struggles are not new, but our troubles and interests have become increasingly intertwined. The challenges facing our hemisphere—poverty and inequality, political stability and citizen insecurity—have not dissipated. But for too long, we have been unable to settle our differences to find common ground … Read more
Jamie Alemán
Jaime Alemán is the Ambassador of Panama to the United States.
Trafficking and Transnational Crime
Articles: Eight Steps to Reduce Crime by William J. Bratton and William Andrews Two U.S. policing experts propose a new strategy for Latin America. Full text available. Dirty Money by Kevin Casas-Zamora How to break the link between organized crime and politics. Full text available. published article?1 Crime’s Breeding Ground by Alma Guillermoprieto Poverty is … Read more
Weekly Roundup from Across the Americas
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. Mexico Issues Arizona Travel Warning In response to Arizona’s tough new immigration … Read more
