A Guide to ALBA
by Joel D. Hirst What is the Bolivarian Alternative to the Americas and What Does It Do? “…all who served the revolution have plowed the sea.” Simón Bolívar, 1830 A little over a year after taking office under his new Bolivarian Constitution, at a conference of Caribbean states on the Island of Margarita in 2001, … Read more
Civic Innovators: Diego de Sola, Ken Baker and Celina de Sola, El Salvador
Real change begins when communities learn how to help themselves, believe Diego de Sola, his sister Celina, and her husband Ken Baker. This idea guided the three former Connecticut residents to pack their bags and move to El Salvador four years ago to start a small NGO, Glasswing International. Inspired by groups like Habitat for … Read more
[i]Leopoldo López v. Venezuela[/i]: A Case Not About Venezuela
The date is November 17, 1969. In San José, Costa Rica, the states of the Americas are about to decide what degree of protection to grant citizens’ political rights under the American Convention on Human Rights. After three days of discussion, the text of Article 23.2 reads as follows, “The law may regulate the exercise … Read more
Mexican Senate Vows Legislation to Protect Migrants
In a meeting with diplomats from various Central American countries yesterday, Mexican Senate president Manlio Fabio Beltrones promised to draft new immigration legislation that will protect and guarantee the human rights of undocumented migrants in Mexico. The new legislation proposes to resolve issues not yet addressed by current law including protections for migrants who witness … Read more
U.S. Promises $200 Million to Combat Drug Trafficking
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield was in Honduras last week to sign over $1.75 million in Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) funds—part of a larger $200 million sum he pledged to Central American nations. Brownfield, who heads the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, noted that the funding … Read more
Our pragmatic approach marks a clean break from ideologically driven, outmoded definitions of foreign policy.
The Americas are our shared home. To build a stronger and more resilient neighborhood, the Obama administration is promoting a safe, stable, prosperous, and democratic hemisphere where the United States and our partners share responsibility on key regional and global issues. In keeping with the President’s National Security Strategy, we are leveraging our deep ties … Read more
Ask the Experts: Market Access and Free Trade
Ron Kirk Answers: Trade liberalization has moved hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into the global middle class. If countries make serious commitments to open up their markets and play by the rules, trade will continue to support more jobs for working families in the United States and around the world. Even … Read more
Wake Up, Washington!
In December 3, 2009, President Barack Obama hosted a special White House summit on jobs. With the United States deep in the throes of the most severe economic downturn since the 1930s, and with unemployment hovering around 10 percent, the administration was determined to show an anxious public its commitment to finding ways to get … Read more
Birthright Citizenship is the Wrong Debate
Rather than focus on crafting real solutions to our broken immigration system, legislators have started the new year again playing politics. Last week, on the first day of Congress, Representative Steve King (IA) introduced the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011 (HR 140) as legislators from Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Carolina also unveiled their … Read more
El Salvador Considers Establishing Diplomatic Relations with China
Ahead of this week’s first annual China-oriented trade exposition in San Salvador that is expected to include over 50 Chinese business representatives, President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador said Monday that his administration would explore establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Funes added that he would do so only if it were … Read more
Nicaragua Threatens Withdrawal from OAS As Border Dispute Escalates
In defiance of mounting international pressure, Nicaragua again refused to withdraw troops from the island of Calero as its border dispute with Costa Rica entered a fourth week. After the Organization of American States (OAS) Permanent Council voted 22-2 on Saturday night to recommend removal of all forces from Calero, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega accused … Read more
Aquifers, a Second Chance
Recent news on the management of water has not been very uplifting. Disagreements between countries that share water resources are leading to increasing conflicts over control of and access to this vital resource. For example, the ongoing dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica over the San Juan River has reached such levels of discord that … Read more
From the Think Tanks
Plomo o plata, a phrase well-known to Mexican journalists, simply means: we own you. Accept a drug cartel’s plata (slang for money) and publish what they tell you, or get shot, plomo (lead). The horrifying spike in drug violence in Mexico over the last four years has taken a heavy toll on the lives and … Read more
Gender: Violence Against Women
Violence against women, a result of gender inequality and unequal power relations between men and women, is a pervasive phenomenon. It occurs in all social classes and in all countries, from the most developed to the least developed. Despite progress in policies and legislation, it remains one of the top human rights issues in the … Read more
Security Challenges in Peru
*Homepage photo courtesy of Jorge Andrade While Peru has continued to grow at high rates over the past four years during the second Alan García presidency, public safety conditions have deteriorated. Drug trafficking has spread, the military offensive to defeat remnants of the country’s guerrilla movements has failed, urban safety has deteriorated, and social conflicts … Read more
