Hugo Chavez Might Keep Congress Despite Vote
Andres Oppenheimer

I wish we could ask Paul the Octopus, the amazing German mollusk that accurately predicted World Cup outcomes, who will win Venezuela's crucial Sept. 26 congressional elections: Polls are so tight that it might take an oracle to predict their results. There is a lot at stake for narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Chavez in the mid-term elections

Reform Movement in Cuba
Julia E. Sweig

The announcement by Cardinal Jaime Ortega, archbishop of Havana, that the Cuban government has agreed to the release of fifty-two political prisoners follows a pattern of imprisonment and release of regime opponents for the last fifty years and is the first of this scale since 1998. Why the move and what is its significance?

Cuba's Prisoner Release No Sign of New Era
Andres Oppenheimer

Cuba's announcement that it will free 52 political prisoners over the next four months is a welcome development, but Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos' claim that this opens a 'new phase in Cuba' is ludicrous.

'Maradona Syndrome' Bad for Argentina
Andres Oppenheimer

In Argentina, where soccer and politics are so closely intertwined, the humiliating defeat of superstar coach Diego Maradona's national team in the World Cup could be an excellent opportunity for the country to rethink its worship of individualism over teamwork. But it's not clear that it will happen.

Obama Wasting Opportunities in Latin America
Andres Oppenheimer

A new poll conducted in 18 Latin American countries confirms that the United States has significantly improved its image in the region since President Barack Obama's election. Too bad that the U.S. president is not using that political capital to launch trade agreements with key nations in the hemisphere

Obama Immigration Speech All Words -- No Action
Andres Oppenheimer

Before we get into the things Obama should have said -- but didn't -- in his much-awaited address on immigration, let's give him credit for tackling one of the hottest issues in America today and for doing it in a balanced way.

Mexico: The New Cocaine Cowboys
Robert C. Bonner

In the last two decades, Mexican drug cartels have acquired unprecedented power to corrupt and intimidate. Three factors account for their rise: preexisting corruption, the inability of weak law enforcement institutions to counter them, and the demand for illegal drugs in the United States.

Under Santos Colombia Could Rise to the Next Level
Andres Oppenheimer

Keep an eye on Colombia! After president-elect Juan Manuel Santos' landslide victory, Colombia could follow the steps of Brazil, Chile and Peru, and become South America's next economic success story. Granted, many things can go wrong. But well-placed Colombia watchers cite four major reasons why Colombia could take off under Santos

Autocrats' Latest Weapon: Indirect Censorship
Andres Oppenheimer

Here is why we should be more worried than usual about press freedoms in the Americas: several democratically elected authoritarian presidents are seeing their popularity rates plummet, and are clamping down on independent media ahead of upcoming elections. It's happening in several countries, but nowhere as clearly as in Venezuela

Latin America's Rich Should Be More Generous
Andres Oppenheimer

A new report stating that Latin America's rich have gotten richer despite the region's economic downturn is likely to enrage populist leaders. But what should be more worrisome is that the region's wealthy plan to give less to charity than their counterparts elsewhere.

Castrocare in Crisis
Laurie Garrett

Cuba's economic situation has been dire since 1989, when the country lost its Soviet benefactors and its economy experienced a 35 percent contraction. Today, Cuba's major industries -- tourism, nickel mining, tobacco and rum production, and health care -- are fragile. Cubans blame the long-standing U.S. trade embargo

World Cup Soccer Can Have Political Impact
Andres Oppenheimer

Like many of you, I'm already glued to the TV set watching the soccer World Cup. But while enjoying every minute of the world's biggest sports event, I can't help wondering whether its outcome will help or hurt governments in several soccer-crazy countries.

Gulf Oil Spill Could Bring U.S. and Cuba Closer
Andres Oppenheimer

Here's an interesting theory: the disastrous British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will help increase U.S.-Cuba ties.

Colombia Vote Showed Social Media's Limits
Andres Oppenheimer

The crushing defeat of Colombia's opposition candidate Antanas Mockus -- who had a record following on Facebook -- in Colombia's first-round elections confirms what I have long suspected: The political and business impact of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has been widely overrated.

U.N. Probe of Israeli Raid Is a Joke
Andres Oppenheimer

Latin America's immediate condemnation of the Israeli raid on a pro-Palestinian flotilla is understandable, but the region's support for an investigation by the United Nations Human Rights Council is outrageous. The U.N. group is dominated by some of the world's worst dictatorships and most viscerally anti-Israeli regimes

New Political Winds in Latin America
Andres Oppenheimer

There is a growing consensus among Latin American diplomats that new political winds are blowing in the region -- after a decade of radical leftist populism, we are entering a new era of centrist pragmatism. Are such forecasts right? Let's look at the evidence

Colombia: Moving Beyond 'Narco-Democracy'
Cynthia Arnson

Colombia's vote for the successor to two-term President Alvaro Uribe pits a former top Uribe aide against a populist who has drawn strong support from young Colombians. Despite dramatic security gains achieved under Uribe, a strong U.S. ally, the strength of support for Antanas Mockus of the Green Party represents a backlash against years of political corruption

Is Colombia's Front-runner Too Romantic? Not Really
Andres Oppenheimer

Colombia's opposition candidate, Antanas Mockus, who according to the latest polls has the best chance of becoming his country's next president, says he will make education, science and technology his government's top priorities. Critics say he would be a great president -- but of Finland, not Colombia.

Mexico has its own 'Arizona' problem
Andres Oppenheimer

One of the most frequent arguments of supporters of Arizona's anti-immigration law is that it doesn't do anything different than what Mexico does with undocumented Central American migrants, or what most Latin American countries do with their own illegal immigrants. It's a powerful argument, and partially true.

Brazil Diplomacy Needed Closer to Home
Andres Oppenheimer

Brazil's self-proclaimed diplomatic victory in Iran led pundits to speculate that the South American country has become a major new player in world affairs. But they were most likely wrong, or at the very least spoke to soon.

Six Questions for Supporters of Arizona Law
Andres Oppenheimer

Last week was a bad one for those of us opposing Arizona's anti-immigration law: Polls show a huge majority of Americans support the legislation, and key candidates for November's midterm elections want similar laws for their own states. But I would like to ask six questions to supporters of the Arizona law, and to politicians who are considering similar legislation

Hugo Chavez Ceding too Much Control to Cuba
Andres Oppenheimer

When Venezuela's former ambassador to the United Nations, Diego Arria, learned that President Hugo Chavez had expropriated his ranch, his first reaction was to announce that he would submit a complaint to the Cuban Embassy. That's where the real power in Venezuela lies, he said.

Greek Debt Crisis May Hurt Latin America Economy
Andres Oppenheimer

I don't want to be a party pooper, but I'm not convinced by the latest headlines projecting that foreign investments in Latin America will soar by up to 50 percent this year. If the problem remains restricted to Greece, the forecast for Latin America stands. However, if the financial crisis spreads to other European countries, especially Spain, it's a different story

Is Latin America Booming? Not Quite Yet
Andres Oppenheimer

If a Martian had descended on earth last week and read the headlines, he would have thought that Latin America is the world's new superpower.

Cuban Cardinal Says Too Little Too Late
Andres Oppenheimer

After many years of shameful passivity, Cuba's Roman Catholic Church leader is finally beginning to speak out against the most blatant abuses of Cuba's dictatorship. But he may be doing it too timidly and too late.

Enforcing Human Rights for World's Poor
Gary Haugen and Victor Boutros

Efforts by the modern human rights movement over the last 60 years have contributed to the criminalization of violent human rights abuses, including those against Hilda, Sriram, and Veronica, in nearly every country. The problem for the poor, however, is that those laws are rarely enforced

Why Don't They Come Legally? They Can't
Andres Oppenheimer

After my last column criticizing Arizona's xenophobic immigration law, I got an avalanche of readers' comments. Most of them were angry anti-immigrant tirades, but some made important points that deserve an answer.

U.S. Latin Policy: Big Gestures and Little Substance
Andres Oppenheimer

President Obama's official proclamation declaring April 11-17 Pan American Week was a nice gesture, but it's time for him to turn from words to action and take specific steps to improve U.S. - Latin American ties. Granted, Obama has bigger fish to fry. The U.S. economy is still hurting, al Qaeda terrorists may strike at any time and America is waging two costly wars abroad.

Mexico's Big Hope: Get 5 Million U.S. Retirees
Andres Oppenheimer

Mexico is silently working on proposals aimed at drawing millions of U.S. retirees to this country, which could eventually lead to the most ambitious U.S. - Mexican project since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.

Latin America Must Diversify Trade With China
Andres Oppenheimer

There are reasons to worry about the future of the China-Latin America love affair. While China's massive purchases of Latin American goods have been a godsend to the region growing numbers of economists say China-Latin America trade flows are likely to grow at a slower pace in coming years.

Cuba After Fidel and Raul Castro
Andres Oppenheimer

Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas is making headlines around the world with his 6-week-old hunger strike to denounce Cuba's dictatorship. But what struck me the most in an interview from his hospital bed was the modesty of his demands, and the pragmatism of his expectations. Farinas says he does not believe there will be any changes in Cuba while Fidel Castro and his brother Raul are alive.

China Should Be Ashamed of Its Aid to Haiti
Andres Oppenheimer

When China's President Hu Jintao visits Latin America, somebody should tell him in unmistakable terms: If China wants to be a well-respected world power, it should be a better global citizen. That's the first thing that came to my mind when I read the results of the UN Donors Conference for Haiti. The Chinese contribution was, to put it nicely, pitiful

Colombian Race Rhetoric Could End up Aiding Hugo Chavez
Andres Oppenheimer

Watching Colombia's presidential race, I can't help wondering whether Colombian candidates, in the heat of the campaign, won't say something that will give embattled Venezuelan autocrat Hugo Chavez a much-needed excuse to cancel Venezuela's September legislative elections.

Mexico Facing Six Wars Not Just One
Andres Oppenheimer

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to Mexico drew a lot of media attention to the bloody U.S.-backed war on the drug cartels along the border. But Mexico is facing five other wars that nobody is talking about, and that may pose even bigger threats than the drug lords.

Mexican Violence Rising but Less Than in Washington
Andres Oppenheimer

Despite the escalation of drug-related violence in several Mexican cities, and the pictures of mutilated bodies dumped on the streets of Ciudad Juarez and other cities along the U.S. border, a dispassionate look at Mexico's murder rates shows that some parts of the country are indeed dangerous, but the country as a whole is safer than what the latest headlines suggest.

Why Natural Disasters Are More Expensive But Less Deadly
Matthew Bandyk

The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile come at the end of what may be history's most expensive decade for natural disasters. The Inter-American Development Bank estimates that the Haitian earthquake dealt about $14 billion in damage. As large as that figure is, it's relatively small compared with the costliest disaster of the past decade: Hurricane Katrina

2010 Census: We Don't Fit Neatly Into Little Boxes
Ana Veciana-Suarez

Eager to be counted and get my fair share, whatever that might be, I recently filled out my Census form like a dutiful citizen -- and stepped into a controversy along the way. It wasn't intentional, but that's what happens when, for practical reasons, we box in the complex.

Latin America Leads in School Laptops
Andres Oppenheimer

The massive delivery of free laptops for schoolchildren -- begun on an experimental basis nearly three years ago in Uruguay -- is booming throughout Latin America, and will have both positive and disturbing effects on future generations in the region.

Trees for Haiti Campaign Starts -- Slowly
Andres Oppenheimer

Shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I wrote that the hundreds of millions of dollars pledged by the international community to rebuild the country would be a waste of money unless accompanied by a massive re-forestation effort. Nearly two months later, we're beginning to see the first -- admittedly limited -- steps in that direction.

Some Latin Currencies May Be Too Strong
Andres Oppenheimer

Just when Latin America had come out relatively unscathed from the world economic crisis, a new threat could endanger the region's growth: its increasingly strong currencies. On the surface, the steady appreciation of most Latin American currencies has a feel-good domestic effect. But, at the same time, strong local currencies will hurt the region's exports.

Brazilian President for U.N. Chief? Hopefully Not
Andres Oppenheimer

A short news item in Brazil's news magazine Veja suggests that President Luiz In‡cio Lula da Silva is considering running for United Nations Secretary General after he leaves office at the end of this year. If true, that would explain a lot of things.

Drug Cartels Don't Die; They Just Move
Andres Oppenheimer

Watching how the drug cartels are penetrating the highest levels of some Central American governments, I can't help wondering whether the nearly 40-year-old U.S. war on drugs has only helped push the drug barons from Colombia to Mexico and now from Mexico to Central America.

Earthquake May Delay Chile's First World Goal
Andres Oppenheimer

I hope I'm wrong about this, but I fear that the devastating earthquake that rocked Chile recently will not only leave a tragic human toll, but could delay Chile's goal of becoming the first Latin American country to join the First World this decade.

Dissident's Death Will Put Cuba on the Spot
Andres Oppenheimer

Cuba's military dictatorship -- that's what it is, by any dictionary's definition -- is in an awkward position following the death of political prisoner Orlando Zapata after an 83-day hunger strike, and the decision of four other jailed dissidents to stop eating to demand the release of all prisoners of conscience.

No Allies -- But Plenty of Enemies
Victor Davis Hanson

Almost 30 years after losing a war over the Falkland Islands, Argentina is once again warning Britain that it still wants back what it calls the Malvinas. In response, the Obama administration announced that it would remain neutral. There are many reasons why American neutrality here is a bad idea.

New Latin American Group Unlikely to Have Teeth
Andres Oppenheimer

A summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, decided to create a new regional bloc excluding the United States and Canada, in what most international media described as an act of defiance against Washington. But there are three big reasons to believe that it will be something very different.

Hubris Behind Brazil's Ties With Iran
Andres Oppenheimer

Brazil's key diplomatic support of Iran's increasingly isolated regime is baffling the international community. There are several theories about Brazil's behavior, some of them quite troubling.

Time to Make the OAS More Effective
Andres Oppenheimer

The future of the Organization of American States is definitely not something that keeps Washington D.C. awake at night, but OAS chief Jose Miguel Insulza's campaign to win reelection has created a noisy clash in the U.S. capital.

Chile's New Leader Vows to Speak Out for Democracy
Andres Oppenheimer

Chile's president-elect Sebastian Pi–era, the right-of-center billionaire who is scheduled to chair the 23-country Rio Group of Latin American nations, sounds like he will not be shy about pushing for the collective defense of democratic freedoms in Venezuela, Cuba and other autocratic countries.

Brazil Election to Offer Definite Contrast
Andres Oppenheimer

With Brazil's government-backed presidential hopeful Dilma Roussef rising in the polls, some of her most prominent critics are raising the specter that South America's biggest country will move closer to the radical left if she wins the October elections

U.S. Foreign Aid Cutback Plan Sends Wrong Message
Andres Oppenheimer

Perhaps, Obama's 2011 foreign aid budget request reflects priorities in world affairs as it looks like Obama is saying 'adios' to Latin America. Obama's foreign aid request to Congress calls for a 13 percent increase for Africa, 7 percent increase for the Middle East and nearly 60 percent increase for South and Central Asia. By comparison, a nearly 10 percent cut in aid for Latin America.

Venezuela Needs a Violeta Chamorro
Andres Oppenheimer

Venezuela's narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Chavez is facing one of the worst political moments of his 11-year presidency, and new polls show that -- for the first time in several years -- there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the opposition. In recent weeks, things have gone from bad to worse for Ch‡vez.

Haiti: Reforestation Should Be Part of Rebuilding Process
Andres Oppenheimer

Haiti has long been the poorest country in the hemisphere, to a large extent because of deforestation. Early in the 20th century, about 60 percent of Haiti's landscape was covered with forests. But since then, Haitians have cut down nearly 99 percent of the trees in the country to use them as firewood or charcoal for cooking.

Pentagon Wrestles With Haiti Relief
Anna Mulrine

In one of the largest humanitarian efforts in its history, the U.S. military has sent nearly 20,000 personnel, 23 ships, and an estimated 100 flights a day in and out of Haiti since it was hit by a horrific earthquake. But as the casualty figures mount and the scale of the destruction becomes more clear, Pentagon officials are now wrestling with what comes next

President Porfirio Lobo Might Put End to Honduran Crisis
Andres Oppenheimer

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo's inauguration was a pretty lonely affair, with most Latin American presidents shunning the ceremony because of the country's 2009 coup. But judging from what I'm told by key Latin American and U.S. officials, Lobo's isolation won't last long.

Chile Unlikely to Lead Anti-Ch‡vez Bloc
Andres Oppenheimer

There is a lot of speculation that Chile's president-elect, Sebasti‡n Pi–era, a Harvard-educated economist and business tycoon, will lead an anti-populist bloc in Latin America. But judging from what I'm hearing from people in his inner circle, it won't happen.

Chile's Sebastian Pinera Unlikely to Be South American Silvio Berlusconi
Andres Oppenheimer

The conventional wisdom in the media is that Chile's president-elect Sebasti‡n Pi–era will be Latin America's version of Italy's scandal-ridden leader Silvio Berlusconi. Both are right-of-center business tycoons who won their countries' elections with the help of their media empires and soccer teams. In fact, there are five powerful reasons why he may do better than the Italian leader

Politics Behind Hugo Chavez's Currency Devaluation
Andres Oppenheimer

A lot has been written in recent days about the economic impact of drastic devaluation of the Venezuelan currency announced by Venezuela's authoritarian-populist President Hugo Ch‡vez. But the measure's political impact may be just as important, if not more.

Uruguay's Leader May Join 'Responsible Left' Bloc
Andres Oppenheimer

Uruguay has just elected a former guerrilla fighter who has surrounded himself by radical leftist aides, but there is no climate of panic among opposition politicians and business leaders.

Corruption Puts Argentines in Sour Mood
Andres Oppenheimer

Contrary to what one might think, the general sense of hopelessness is not due to the economy. Argentina has sailed through the world economic crisis relatively unscathed thanks to high commodity prices, and economists project a growth of at least 4 percent this year. Rather, it's because Argentines see no way out for the massive political corruption

Latin America's Economy Risks a Chicken's Flight in 2010
Andres Oppenheimer

The good news is that Latin American economies are expected to do reasonably well in 2010. But economists warn that unless they become more competitive, their recovery will look like a chicken's flight -- they get a few feet off the ground, and fall

A Few Not-So-Crazy Ideas for Latin America in 2010
Andres Oppenheimer

Now that it's 2010, let me apply some of the things I learned in 2009 while writing my columns on Latin American affairs. Some of them are surprisingly simple, but could make a big difference in 2010. Here they go, in no particular order

Latin America: For Trade, Obama Doesn't Look South
Andres Oppenheimer

The Obama administration's first big move on international trade is good news for Asia, but it doesn't bode well for much of Latin America.

Latin America: Chile Now One Step Closer to First World
Andres Oppenheimer

Recently, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) -- the club of the world's richest democracies -- formally invited Chile to become a member. Chile had applied for membership two years ago. Chile will become the first South American member of the OECD

Latin America: For Chavez, Money no Longer Buys Love
Andres Oppenheimer

Venezuela's narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Ch‡vez is not getting his money's worth for the billions of dollars he is spending in public relations abroad: According to a new poll, his approval ratings in Latin America could hardly be worse.

U.S. May Take New Look at 'War on Drugs'
Andres Oppenheimer

In a tacit admission that current U.S. anti-drug policies are not working, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to create an independent commission to review whether the U.S. anti-drug policies of the past three decades in Latin America are producing positive results. What's interesting about the planned independent drug policy commission ...

Latin America's Honeymoon With Obama May Be Over
Andres Oppenheimer

Only a few months ago, Latin American leaders hailed the Obama administration as a new beginning in hemispheric relations. But now, the honeymoon is over as Brazil is leading criticism of U.S. foreign policy

Brazil, United States, OAS Flunked Honduras Test
Andres Oppenheimer

Brazil, the United States and the Organization of American States deserve a gold medal each for their awful handling of recent presidential elections in Honduras. Let's examine how the main international players behaved ...

New Corruption Ranking Says a Lot
Andres Oppenheimer

A new survey on corruption around the world confirms what many of us have long suspected: Fiery populist leaders who rise to power vowing to eradicate corruption often end up leading sleazier governments than their predecessors

Latin America Sends Few Students to United States
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

While looking at a new report on foreign students at U.S. universities, it's hard not to conclude that the gap among developing nations is widening: While Asian countries are sending more students to some of the world's best colleges, Latin American countries are lagging behind

Latin America: Street Blockades Breed 'Anything-Goes' Culture
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

The street blockades that almost paralyzed Mexico City and Buenos Aires in recent days, interrupting traffic and keeping millions of people from going to work, are becoming a major economic problem. But their invisible costs may be larger than their immediate monetary impact

Latin America: Chavez's Headline Addiction Might Cause Conflict
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Watching Venezuelan President Hugo Ch‡vez call on his armed forces to 'prepare for war' with Colombia, I couldn't help wondering whether he will end up like the late star of the TV series The Crocodile Hunter -- a victim of his own addiction to headlines

Latin American Economy Will Do Well, but Not Great
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

The news that Brazil and Mexico have come out of the recession and are poised for solid growth in 2010 should be celebrated, and both countries' leaders should be given credit for their sound economic management. But in the global economic context, the two Latin American giants' recovery will be modest.

Latin America Low on Obama's Priority List
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

One year after the election of President Barack Obama, it's time to ask whether his ambitious campaign promises about Latin America are being fulfilled, or whether, like others before him, he has placed the region at the bottom of his foreign policy priorities. Let's look at Obama's key campaign promises for Latin America

Time for Common Latin American Visa
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

While the 27-nation European Union has just approved creation of a common foreign service with embassies throughout the world, Latin American countries cannot even agree on a common visa for tourists from other parts of the world in time for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Brazil.

Royal Spanish Academy Ponders Changes to Spanish Language
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

One of the pleasant surprises I found during a recent visit to Spain is a new trend by the Royal Spanish Academy to officially modernize the Spanish language and make it much easier to read and write.

Spain Nudging European Union to Ease Cuba Stand
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Spain's announcement that it will seek a major improvement in European ties with Cuba's dictatorship once it takes over the presidency of the 27-country European Union on Jan. 1 is bad news not only for pro-democracy activists on the island, but also for oppositionists in several other authoritarian-ruled Latin American countries.

Brazil a Nuclear Power? Probably Not
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Brazil's Vice President Jose Alencar made big headlines recently when he stated that Brazil should have the right to have nuclear weapons, which he said would give his country a greater 'dissuasive' power and more 'respectability' in world affairs.

Politics Not Economics Sinking Mexico
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Everything that could possibly go wrong seems to be going wrong for Mexico, Latin America's worst performing economy this year. But a new government idea could put this country back on the road to prosperity for decades to come -- if government officials really are serious about it.

Alvaro Uribe Is Closer to a Third Term and to Self-destruction
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who enjoys sky-high popularity rates at home thanks to his successful crackdown on narco-terrorist groups, is a step closer to changing the constitution and running for a third consecutive term. The big question is whether this will turn Colombia into a banana republic.

Some Latin Nations Lead World in Red Tape
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Once upon a time, it used to be that communist countries like China had more business-phobic bureaucracies, more red tape and a worse business environment than capitalist ones. Not anymore. According to Doing Business in 2010, a new World Bank study, China and Vietnam offer better conditions to local and foreign business people than most Latin American countries.

Despite Crisis, Latin Countries' Military Spending Rising
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Despite the world's worst economic slump since the 1930s and projections that the number of poor in Latin America will rise this year, countries in the region have embarked on their biggest military spending spree in recent memory.

Venezuela's Iran Ties Raise Eyebrows
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Here's an issue that is drawing growing attention in Washington, but is going almost unnoticed in Latin America -- allegations that Venezuela is helping Iran develop nuclear weapons, and that Iran's fundamentalist regime is setting up a foothold in Latin America from where to threaten the United States

Fate of Honduras Crisis Will Hinge on Riots
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Diplomats see three possible outcomes of the bizarre political crisis in Honduras, a country with two leaders -- one in control, the other powerless but recognized by the world community -- since ousted President Manuel Zelaya's brazen return. The final outcome will ultimately depend on.

Presidential Candidates Key to Solving Honduras Crisis
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

There is a new possible solution to the Honduran crisis that is gaining traction in Washington and key Latin American capitals: Bypass the country's two presidents, and get leading presidential candidates to work out a deal that would give credibility to the Nov. 29 elections.

Joseph Stiglitz Left's Favorite U.S. Nobel Economist
by Andres Oppenheimer

U.S. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz has become a sort of rock star in left-of-center Latin American countries for his vocal criticism of free-for-all capitalism. But in a wide-ranging interview, he offered some advice that many of his fans in the region may not want to hear.

Childhood Tragedy May Affect President Rafael Correa's Policies
by Andres Oppenheimer

I'm not a great fan of using psychological profiles to explain people's political leanings, but a report on Ecuador's rabidly anti-U.S. President Rafael Correa, which I read during a visit to Colombia last week, left me wondering.

Growth With Equity: Brazil's Path to Economic Recovery
by Patrus Ananias

The financial crisis has left few corners of the global economy unscathed, but many of the loudest cries reflecting the deepest pain are largely ignored. These are the cries of the world's poorest citizens whose suffering is not measured in battered portfolios and retirement plans but in their daily survival

'U.S. Bases' in Colombia May Be Less Than Meets the Eye
Andres Oppenheimer

What's most surprising about South America's growing uproar over Colombia's plans to allow 'U.S. military bases' on its territory is that there may be no such thing in the making -- but rather a major Colombian PR blunder.

What's most surprising about South America's growing uproar over Colombia's plans to allow 'U.S. military bases' on its territory is that there may be no such thing in the making -- but rather a major Colombian PR blunder.

Israel Fortifies Presence in Latin America
Andres Oppenheimer

Following three years of frantic Iranian activities in Latin America that included three trips by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the region -- a fourth visit is scheduled in August to Brazil -- and the opening or enlargement of a half-dozen Iranian embassies, Israel is beginning to raise its own profile in the region.

Partisan Split on Honduras Can Be Costly
Andres Oppenheimer

The conflict in Honduras is rapidly becoming the focus of a fierce partisan fight in Washington, D.C. -- and that may not bode well for the future of U.S. policy in Latin America. Sources in Washington tell me that 17 senators -- mostly conservative Republicans and not part of the usual crowd of legislators interested in Latin American affairs -- are trying to open a new front against Obama on top of healthcare accusing him of being "soft" on anti-American leaders in Latin America.

China Rising in Latin America, but Won't Overtake United States
Andres Oppenheimer

The latest figures showing that China is emerging from the global crisis sooner than anticipated is triggering speculation that China will soon overtake the United States as Latin America's top business partner. Granted, speculation about China's impending leap to becoming Latin America's top economic partner spread like wildfire recently when Brazil announced that it will trade more with China than with the United States this year for the first time. It sounds very interesting, but don't bet on it.

Latin America's Economic Forecast Good but Not Good Enough
Andres Oppenheimer

Good news for Latin America: a new United Nations study projects that the region's economy will start recovering in the second half this year, and that it will grow by a respectable 3.1 percent next year.

OAS Oddly Silent on 'Coup' in Caracas
Andres Oppenheimer

While the Organization of American States is rightly denouncing the coup against ousted President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras, there are growing questions about why it hasn't said a word about the coup against Antonio Ledezma in Venezuela.

Argentine Finance Chief's Tenure an Economic Indicator
Andres Oppenheimer

When Argentina earlier this week appointed its sixth minister of economy in the past six years, it was hard not to conclude that there should be a new economic indicator to measure countries' reliability: the length of their economy minister's time in office.

Chile Should Tout Its Passage to First World
Andres Oppenheimer

By the end of this year, Chile is likely to become the first South American country to join the exclusive club of the world's 30 richest countries.

ALBA Bloc Leaders' Main Obsession: Indefinite Rule
Andres Oppenheimer

It's hard to keep cool while watching the dismantling of democracy in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Honduras. When the presidents of these countries met in Venezuela, for a special ALBA bloc summit -- the Venezuelan-led alliance of mostly radical leftist countries -- it was hard not to see the group as a society of mutual support for self-perpetuation in power.

The Real War in Mexico
Shannon O'Neil

Mexico is engulfed by escalating violence. The question is not whether the Mexican state will fail. It will not. The actual risk of the violence today is that it will undermine democracy tomorrow

Another Swine-Flu Casualty: Good Journalism
by Andres Oppenheimer

The swine flu outbreak that has wrecked Mexico's economy may become a case study in reckless journalism. Like most of you, I had taken it for granted that the disease had started in Mexico.

Latin American Region Silent Amid Attacks on the Media
Andres Oppenheimer

The most immediate threat to democracy in Latin America: a concerted move by authoritarian leaders to silence independent media throughout the region. Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, a disciple of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, said that when he takes over as president of the 12-nation Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in July he will propose creation of a regional body to defend governments against critics in the media.

Brazil Deserves Criticism for Awful Foreign Policy
by Andres Oppenheimer

Brazil, Latin America's biggest country, has received well-deserved praise in recent years for its responsible economic policies. There is hardly a dictator -- or repressive government -- that Brazil doesn't like, human rights groups say.

Brazil Stretching Clout to Central America
Andres Oppenheimer

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's largely unnoticed trip to Central America last week underscored an interesting phenomenon: Brazil is making big inroads into a region that was traditionally seen as Mexico's backyard

U.S. Should Do More to Compete With Cuba's Student Programs
Andres Oppenheimer

The House of Representatives approved a proposal last week to dramatically increase the number of U.S. college students studying in Latin America and other parts of the developing world.

Latin America Foreign Investment Outlook Grim
Andres Oppenheimer

A new United Nations report predicts a 40 percent drop in foreign investments in Latin America this year. I hope I'm wrong about this, but the fall in foreign funds may be even steeper.

Commodity Price Hikes Might Not Save Venezuela, Others
Andres Oppenheimer

The nearly 30 percent rise in the price of oil and other raw materials over the past month raises a big question: Will commodity-dependent populist governments in Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador get a second wind? They are certainly hoping for that to happen.

Will Colombia's President Uribe Run Again?
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

After Tuesday's vote in the Colombian Senate many well-placed Colombians tell me they are convinced that President Álvaro Uribe is serious about running in 2010.

Many Believe End of Argentina's 'K' Era Nears
Latin American Current Events, News & Affairs - Andres Oppenheimer

Seven weeks before Argentina's much-awaited June 28 legislative elections, there is a growing consensus that populist President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will lose her majority in Congress, and that there will be major political changes in this country.

Brazil, China & India Can Mitigate Global Crisis
Global Economic Viewpoint

Brazil, India and even China will not be able, by themselves, to correct the dysfunctions that produced the global crisis. But it is true that the economic power of these three countries can mitigate its negative consequences. ...

Baja state official allegedly worked on both sides of the law
Jesus Quinones Marques, arrested during a traffic stop in San Diego last Thursday, had been director of the international liaison office for the Baja California attorney general's office, which meant he provided information on traffickers to U.S. investigators -- while working for the traffickers.

A Chamorro wins journalism prize -- again
Thirty-three years after his father was awarded the prestigious Maria Moors Cabot journalism prize, Carlos Fernando Chamorro has received the same honor. The veteran Nicaraguan journalist said he was "overwhelmed and humbled" and inspired to redouble efforts to honor his father's memory. The parallels were lost on no one. Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, the father, was the editor of La Prensa in the 1970s who challenged dictator Anastasio Somoza. Pedro Joaquin won the Cabot Prize in 1977; months later, he was assassinated by Somoza loyalists, an event that helped galvanize opposition and trigger the revolution that brought the Sandinista Liberation Front to power two years later. Today, Carlos Fernando, the son, is one of the most vocal critics of the Sandinista government under President Daniel Ortega, whom enemies see as a Somoza-like dictator. The Cabot Prize is administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, which said in its citation that Chamorro "serves as an outstanding example of courage in standing up to abuse by an authoritarian regime." Chamorro, one of four 2010 Cabot Prize recipients, directs a nightly television program, Esta Noche, and a newsletter, Confidencial. Reading a statement on the program (link in Spanish), Chamorro said the prize...

Latin America Digest: Cuba, Venezuela and Guatemala
TODAY'S ONE-LINE NEWS BRIEFS: Havana -- Cuba has accused Chilean businessman Max Marambio, a former close friend of Fidel Castro, of bribery, fraud and other crimes, and summoned him to appear before investigators in a high-profile corruption case, according to a decree published Tuesday. Caracas, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would put a representative on the board of directors for opposition television station Globovision, the leftist leader's boldest move yet against his fiercest media critic. Guatemala City -- Information once buried in Guatemalan police archives led a judge to send former police officers Hector Ramirez and Abraham Gomez to trial on accusations related to the forced disappearance of union leader Fernando Garcia in 1984. --Times wire reports

Argentina legalizes same-sex marriage, first nation in Latin America
The law allows gay married gay couples to adopt children and inherit wealth. With its passage, Argentina joins only the Mexican Federal District (or Mexico City) in Latin America allowing same-sex marriage, in addition to the region's former colonial powers of Portugal and Spain. In the Americas, Canada is only other country with a similar law.

Hurricane Alex catches Mexico off-guard
Relief and aid is creeping into the affected areas, but rainfall keeps hammering the region, causing more flooding, more damage, and more misery. On Wednesday, the daily Excelsior reported that food is being rationed in the border city of Nuevo Laredo. Worries are growing about possible outbreaks of infection or water-borne illnesses, the federal health secretariat said in a statement. The safety of drinking water has also become an issue.

'Footprints of the Bauhaus' in Mexico: Exploring the legacy of Michael Van Beuren
In 1941, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City organized "Organic Design for Home Furnishings," a competition opened to design teams from Latin America. The winning submissions earned the prize of having their designs industrialized and sold by the Bloomingdale's department store. As detailed by the auction house Christie's, one of the winning entries in the competition was a chaise longue designed by a team from Mexico made up of Klaus Grabe, Morely Webb, and Michael Van Beuren. The team, led by Van Beuren, made a splash in the U.S. with its stylish lounge chair, Christie's notes on a page for an original Van Beuren chaise that sold for more than $18,000 in 2009: "During the first half of 1941, the Mexican team's chaise was seen in ads or articles in, among many other publications, Retailing, Newark News, New York Herald Tribune, New York Times, Women's Wear Daily, Pencil Points and Decorative Furniture." The chair even showed up in photos by Julius Shulman of homes in Southern California. By then, Van Beuren, born in the U.S. in 1911 and trained at the influential Bauhaus school in Germany, was already making its mark on home furnishing design on a...

Drug gang hit man narrates assassination of prosecutor in Mexico
Rosado admits to being a member of "La Linea," a binational gang known as the enforcement arm of the Juarez cartel. He explains how he and a crew of gunmen carried out orders to killed Salas. Here's a rough transcript of the first part of the clip.

Colombian journalist denied visa for Harvard fellowship
Uribe, a strong U.S. ally, has singled out Morris for criticism, the AP says: "On Feb. 3, 2009, Uribe called Morris 'an accomplice of terrorism' posing as a journalist after Morris showed up with FARC rebels to cover the insurgents' liberation of four Colombian security force members."

Cuban dissident calls off hunger strike after 134 days
Prominent Cuban opposition blogger Yoani Sanchez was among the first to report the end to Farinas's strike, via a tweet, from the hospital in the city of Santa Clara where Farinas has been receiving nutrients intravenously since March. Sanchez also posted a photo, seen at left, of Farinas taking "his first glass of water."

Sanchez gets his street back
In April, I wrote about the long-frustrated effort of one Los Angeles resident, 90-year-old Jack Sanchez, to have a street sign reinstalled downtown. Jack Sanchez is the great-great-nephew of the man Sanchez Street was named for: Vicente Sanchez, who was a mayor of Los Angeles when it was still a frontier outpost of the Republic of Mexico. Sanchez Street is a one-block alley that runs south from the old Plaza downtown, opposite the small square from Olvera Street. It's still listed as Sanchez Street on official city maps, but the street sign was taken down decades ago. On Thursday, the street sign went back up, thanks to Los Angeles City Council members Jose Huizar and Tom LaBonge. It's a small recognition of the city's Mexican past, and of the American family that's kept alive the memory of "Don Vicente" for 150 years. Sanchez, his son Greg Sanchez, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren were there for the ceremony. -- Hector Tobar in Los Angeles Photo Credit: City of Los Angeles

Jorge Videla, former dictator, faces new trial in Argentina
The former dictator ruled Argentina between 1976 and 1981, when tens of thousands were killed or "disappeared." Videla had been sentenced in life in prison in 1985 after democracy was restored in the country, but in 1990, he was pardoned and freed by President Carlos Menem. In 2007, the Supreme Court restored his convictions and his life sentence, sending Videla back to prison in 2008.

In Mexico, Times report on network's use of blackface renews racism debate
Mexicans, it turns out, just don't see caricatures of Africans or black people as inherently racist, bringing to mind the flap in 2005 over a historic comic book character named Memin Pinguin, beloved by Mexicans but reviled in the U.S. for his exaggerated African features.

Drug-smuggling sub seized by Ecuador reportedly able to dive 65 feet
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency participated in the operation that netted the sub. It was not clear who built it. Jay Bergman, the D.E.A. Andean director, told Kraul in an interview that the ship, with twin diesel engines, had an estimated cost of $4 million. Bergman said the periscope appeared to be "military-issue."

Mexico elections: Left and right consider more alliances against PRI in Mexico
Ideologically awkward alliances appear to be the only way to beat back a resurgent PRI as it hunts for the presidency in 2012. The PRI is eager to capitalize on Mexicans' weariness with two successive PAN presidents. Yet at the same time, a national ticket between the PAN and PRD in 2012 would be "unthinkable," said the current PAN party president Cesar Nava (pictured above).

Dissident on hunger strike in danger of dying, Cuba says
The Granma story is unusual in that it filled two pages in the eight-page newspaper but does not mention that Farinas is on hunger strike to demand the release of political prisoners in Cuba. The 48-year-old psychologist and journalist has been on hunger strike since Feb. 24, and was moved to the Milian Castro hospital on March 11, where he has access to a direct telephone line and a television. The dissident has undergone 22 hunger strikes in the last 15 years, reports said.

Giant whale fossil found in desert in Peru
Upon catching glimpse of the whale skull's giant teeth, the researchers at first thought they had come across elephant tusks.

In Mexico elections, PRI makes gains but appears to lose 3 key states
The voting raises the stakes considerably for the next national election.

Hurricane Alex: 'Monterrey is beyond recognition'
Alex, the first hurricane of the season, left two people dead in the Monterrey area.

Mexico City, Beijing top list for worst 'commuter pain'
Mexico City and Beijing top a list released this week for the world's worst "commuter pain," citing length of commutes and effects such as stress and the effect of traffic on work. The IBM study interviewed more than 8,000 commuters in 20 cities, and gave the Chinese and Mexican capitals a mark of 99 on a scale of 100, followed by Johannesburg, South Africa, Moscow, and New Delhi. Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires were the other Latin American cities ranking high in the IBM list. Not surprisingly perhaps, Los Angeles also makes the list. In Mexico City, 22% of commuters said they spend at least an hour in the daily journey to work. "This is no ordinary traffic," says this post at The Financial Times, waxing on gridlock in the D.F., or Distrito Federal, as Mexico City is known. "We are talking knots of steel and rubber so tight that they can turn a 30-minute journey into an ordeal lasting the length of a feature film. Whatever the delays, they are frequent and the daily jams make the city a bad place to do business." But the study also noted that Beijing and Mexico City continue to invest heavily in...

Mexican authorities nab suspected cartel hit man, a former police commander
Ortiz joined Michoacan's police in 1999 and left in 2008. By then he had been working for La Familia, a quasi-religious organization that specializes in methamphetamine production, since 2005. After his arrest on Tuesday, "Ortiz described five days of indoctrination when he joined La Familia that included Bible-reading, self-help seminars and weapons training," The Times reports.

L.A. Times - Latin America Blog
News from Latin America and the Caribbean

 

Galapagos Islands removed from UN list of World Heritage sites in danger
Ecuador's headway in combating threats posed by invasive species, unbridled tourism and over-fishing has allowed the Galapagos Islands to be removed from the list of World Heritage sites considered to be in danger by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Dismissal of Honduran judges sends an intimidating message - UN
The recent dismissal of three judges and a magistrate in Honduras, apparently because they spoke out during the political crisis that engulfed the country last year, sends a disturbing message to other jurists in the Central American country, three independent United Nations human rights experts warned today.

UN development chief begins visit to Brazil
The United Nations development chief today began a two-day visit to Brazil during which she will meet with senior Government officials and discuss progress towards achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

More Haitian children to be vaccinated in UN-backed campaign
The United Nations and its partners are aiming to reach an additional 500,000 Haitian children during a second round of emergency immunizations in the Caribbean nation that was struck by a devastating earthquake just over six months ago.

Latin America and the Caribbean is world's most unequal region, UN report shows
Populations in Latin America and the Caribbean have the world's highest levels of differences in wealth and income, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says in a new report that calls for social policies which tackle the problem of inequality in the region.

UN agency launches initiative to ship donated books to Haitian children
The United Nations agency tasked with promoting education has launched an initiative to send donated books to camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti, in an effort to restart the learning process for the country's children whose schools and libraries were destroyed by the earthquake in January.

UN chief urges dialogue to resolve Colombia-Venezuela tensions
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on Colombia and Venezuela to resolve their differences through dialogue after Venezuela reportedly broke off diplomatic ties with Colombia, which accused it of harbouring rebel groups.

UN Police in Haiti arrest fugitives suspected of rapes inside camps for displaced
United Nations Police (UNPOL) serving in Haiti have arrested two men who had escaped from jail and are suspected of being responsible for several subsequent rapes in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) set up after the massive earthquake that struck the country at the start of the year.

UNESCO chief speaks out against murders of two Mexican journalists
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned the murders of two Mexican journalists, which bring the total number of media professionals killed in the country this year to ten.

Haiti: UN-backed project for assessing quake damage to buildings surpasses target
More than 200,000 buildings in Haiti have been assessed for structural damage after January's massive earthquake as part of United Nations-backed efforts to boost reconstruction activities in the Caribbean country.

UN News Centre - Americas
A world of news from the world organization.

 

Security forces kill Mexican drug lord
Security forces have killed a leading figure in one of the country's most powerful drugs cartels, army officials have confirmed

Bolívar's bones and the battle of ideas
The stage is now set: on the one side, Colombian legal arguments backed by apparently strong evidence; on the other, ideology. The battle for Latin America's soul has resumed

Uribe ramps up tension with Venezuela
Colombia claims that Venezuela is harbouring up to 1,500 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia members. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, has cut all ties with his neighbours, accusing Colombia of 'García Márquez-esque fantasies'

Chavez breaks diplomatic ties with Colombia
Venezuela ceases relations with its South American neighbour after the Organisation of American States hears accusations that Caracas is harbouring some 1,500 guerrillas

Brazil raises interest rates to 10.75%
Brazil's central bank raised its policy interest rate by less than expected, adding to a growing consensus that the country' economy is running out of steam and is vulnerable to slower growth in the world's other big economies

Business of state
Sebastián Piñera scraped to victory on a promise of change and has made a promising start but to really deliver it he needs to show more statesmanship

Chávez targets TV news station
Venezuelan president to impose a state representative on the board of directors of Globovision, stepping up his attack on the 24-hour news channel that is fiercely critical of his government

Brazil's fledgling deep-sea oil industry faces up to risks
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has punctured the exuberance that swept Brazil and the oil industry when the country discovered deep-sea reserves

Earthquake adds to challenges for Piñera
The face of Chile's new, respectable right, wants to be a statesman. But four months into his presidency, he looks and sounds more like a businessman on a turnround mission

Chile finance chief upbeat on growth
Felipe Larraín predicts 6% expansion from 2011 and is equally optimistic on President Sebastián Piñera's pledge to create an average 200,000 jobs a year during his term

Uneven economies
Latin America has long suffered the world's most unequal distribution of income. So it is good news that it has enjoyed a sustained decline in inequality of late

Argentina legalises same-sex marriage
After a marathon Congressional debate spiked with fierce exchanges, Argentina has become the first country in socially conservative Latin America to legalise gay marriage

Study shows dramatic fall in illegal logging
Illegal logging has fallen 22 per cent worldwide in the past decade with tougher government policies and better governance playing a key role

Home minister's exit forces Mexican reshuffle
The most prominent minister in the Mexican cabinet resigned, forcing an immediate reshuffle and raising doubts about the administration's reform agenda over the next two years.

Rebound cuts odds on Kirchner return
Argentina's former president Néstor Kirchner suffered a stinging defeat in legislative elections in June 2009. But now he is back and is the man to beat in October next year

FT.com - World, Americas
FT.com - World, Americas

 

US Closes Consulate in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez
Consulate closes for security evaluation, three months after drug gangs killed three people linked to diplomatic post

Mexican Government Says Top Drug Cartel Leader Killed
Authorities confirm reports that Inacio 'Nacho' Coronel, senior member of Sinaloa cartel, was killed in military raid near Guadalajara

USAID Chief: Shelter, Rubble Removal Are Priorities in Haiti Reconstruction Effort
Rajiv Shah tells House Foreign Relations Committee lawmakers challenges remain despite progress made six months after January 12 quake

Mexico Welcomes US Judge's Ruling on Arizona Immigration Law
Mexican foreign minister describes judge's decision as step in right direction; says Mexico prepared to take measures

US Rice Farmers Push For Cuba Trade Opening
Farmers want to adjust US embargo to allow agricultural exports

UNESCO Says Galapagos Islands No Longer Threatened
United Nations panel has voted to remove Ecuador's Galapagos Islands from its list of endangered sites.

Fidel Castro to Publish Book that Chronicles Cuban Revolution
'The Strategic Victory' will give Castro's account from childhood through the violent overthrow that brought him to power

Haitian Singer Mulls Presidential Bid
Wyclef Jean's family releases statement saying Grammy Award-winning musician is 'committed to his homeland,' but no formal announcement

US Rules Out Military Action Against Venezuela
Venezuela's president threatened cutting off oil supplies if US backed an attack against Venezuela by Colombia

Raul Castro Silent, Fidel Absent at Cuban Revolution Day Ceremony
Tens of thousands of Cubans gather to celebrate 57th anniversary of country's communist revolution

Hurricane Preparations Underway in Haiti
IOM says hurricane season poses particular danger because 1.5 million earthquake survivors are living in flimsy tents, shelters

Turkey, Iran, Brazil Holding Talks on Nuclear Plan
Turkey's FM says Iran to ask IAEA to start technical negotiations on nucler fuel swap

VOA News: Americas
Americas Voice of America

 

Haiti's earthquake: Frustration sets in

The presidential election is a chance to rebuild ties between Haiti’s struggling government and its discouraged donors

ONE of the many differences between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, its closest neighbour, muses Jean-Max Bellerive, the stricken country’s prime minister, is that it has seen just two democratic handovers of power compared with a dozen next door. He is being tactful, since some of the Dominican Republic’s elections were far from fair. But his point is that organising a presidential election in Haiti this year will eventually be as important as giving food, shelter and jobs to the 1.5m people made homeless by January’s earthquake.

Haiti needs an effective and legitimate government if it is to rebuild itself—and if the outside world is to part with the cash it has promised the country. After a rousing show of unity at a donors’ conference in March, when Haiti was pledged $5.5 billion of aid, relations between the government and donors and charities have become increasingly strained. That has made a slow reconstruction effort still slower. ...

Mexico's environment: A breath of fresh air

The capital’s filthy atmosphere has improved at last

HEMMED in by mountains and volcanoes, Mexico City is the perfect smog-trap. At its altitude of 2,250m the air is already thin; on days when the toxic “cream”, as the familiar brown cloud of pollution is locally known, descends on the city, it is hard to breathe. Locals used to joke that the only life that could survive in the skies was jumbo jets.

Yet the smog is lifting. The average concentration of ozone, one of the most common pollutants, is about half its level in the early 1990s, when the air was at its dirtiest (see chart). In those days the national ozone limit of 0.11 parts per million was breached for at least an hour on nine days out of ten. Yet last year over half the days were below the cap. Joggers are back in parks and wildlife is airborne once more: a hummingbird regularly looks in on The Economist’s offices. ...

Brazil's presidential campaign: Vice squad

The stakes are high for the hapless running-mates

AMERICA’S vice-presidency, one of its occupants once asserted in an oft-bowdlerised remark, is “not worth a bucket of warm piss”. Brazil’s is different. The man—they have all been men—serving as vice-president has inherited the top job four times since 1954, following a military coup, a resignation, a death and an impeachment. That is only one fewer than the number of presidents who took power through election in that period.

The office is in the spotlight once again in the current presidential campaign, because the leading candidate, Dilma Rousseff of the governing Workers’ Party (PT), has been seriously ill. She spent much of the past year being treated for lymphatic cancer. So it is more than a mere curiosity that the running-mates of both Ms Rousseff and her main challenger, Jose Serra of the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy (PSDB), are causing problems. Both presidential candidates would probably have preferred different partners. ...

Honduras's post-coup president: Patching things up

The new government is doing better abroad than at home

IT IS over a year since Honduras’s leftist president, Manuel Zelaya, was bundled out of his home at dawn by the army and exiled to Costa Rica. Yet friendships, business deals and families are still split by rows over the events of June 28th 2009: whether Mr Zelaya’s illegal attempt to rewrite the constitution, seen by many as a bid to hang on to power, justified his removal at gunpoint; and whether his expulsion, backed by Congress and the Supreme Court, was a coup or a “constitutional succession”. Tegucigalpa, the small capital surrounded by empty silver mines, remains scarred by graffiti denouncing the coup’s authors, and their mothers.

The squabbling has been no less furious on the international stage. In response to the coup, Honduras was kicked out of the Organisation of American States (OAS), and lost promised foreign aid worth 6% of GDP. Constitutional order formally returned when Porfirio Lobo, who won a reasonably fair election held under the de facto regime, was inaugurated on January 27th. But Mexico and most South American countries still do not recognise his government. In May Brazil, which housed Mr Zelaya in its Tegucigalpa embassy for 129 days to shield him from arrest, stopped Mr Lobo from attending an EU-Latin America summit by warning that at least ten countries would skip it if he did. ...

Bolívar's exhumation: TB or not TB

Venezuela’s president buries bad news by disinterring a national icon

FOR a president facing a weak economy and declining popularity, a centuries-old murder mystery could prove a useful distraction. Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is not one to let the lack of any such mystery stand in his way. On July 15th, at the president’s order, a team of white-clad soldiers and forensic scientists opened the lead coffin holding the remains of Simon Bolivar, the Caracas-born South American independence hero. He was exhumed to see if he died of tuberculosis, as historians assert, or was poisoned by political rivals—“crucified like Christ,” as Mr Chavez insists.

The president has long idolised Bolivar, the nation’s secular saint. He even renamed the country the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.” Although Bolivar was in fact quite conservative, Mr Chavez sees him as a socialist, and advertises his own movement as the long-delayed realisation of the Liberator’s dream. In this scheme, the descendants of the “oligarchs” and “imperialists” who purportedly killed Bolivar are now plotting to assassinate his ideological heir. ...

Correction: Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães

In our story on Brazil's foreign aid (”Speak softly and carry a blank cheque”, July 17th) we referred to Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes as the secretary-general of Brazil's foreign ministry. He used to be; he is now the minister for strategic affairs. Sorry.

...

Colombia's presidential transition: Still in charge

Alvaro Uribe tries to undermine his successor’s tentative reconciliation with Venezuela’s government

DURING Colombia’s presidential campaign, Alvaro Uribe supported Juan Manuel Santos, his former defence minister, as vocally as the election laws permitted. In return Mr Santos, who ran promising to continue Mr Uribe’s security policies, was appropriately grateful, making sure to credit the incumbent for his victory and promising to retain him as a “permanent adviser”. Yet Mr Uribe did not leave office willingly—his bid for a third term was found unconstitutional—and he started backing Mr Santos only after his preferred candidate lost in a primary. The cracks in this alliance of convenience are now starting to show. With Mr Santos’s inauguration just two weeks away, Mr Uribe seems to be trying to dictate his successor’s foreign policy, raising concerns that he may continue to meddle in national politics after leaving office.

Few issues are more sensitive for Mr Uribe than the alleged sheltering of Colombia’s FARC and ELN guerrillas by its neighbours. Thanks to the president’s relentless military assault, many fighters from both groups have fled across the borders. In 2008 Mr Uribe had Mr Santos raid a FARC camp in Ecuador, and complained that FARC arsenals included Swedish-made weapons that were originally sold to the Venezuelan government. ...

Caribbean crime-fighting: Help wanted

Wracked by violence, the islands recruit foreign police chiefs

ALONG with league tables for sun and sand, English-speaking Caribbean countries dominate the world’s violence rankings. Jamaica suffers the planet’s second-highest murder rate, and St Kitts and Nevis ranks third. Safety concerns have driven the middle classes into gated compounds and tourists into all-inclusive resorts. Crime-fighters compete with rappers for celebrity: most people can name half a dozen lawyers, judges or police chiefs.

Facing growing demands for law and order, the islands’ leaders are now looking abroad for help. This month Trinidad and Tobago tapped Dwayne Gibbs, who hails from Edmonton in frigid north-western Canada, as its new police chief. Antigua and Barbuda has also turned to Canada, hiring a team from the country to head its police. The Jamaican force has three British assistant commissioners. ...

Argentina's Congress: Strange bedfellows

An old foe helps the first couple

WHEN Carlos Menem was sworn in as a senator in 2005, Argentina’s then president, Nestor Kirchner, reached out and tapped a wooden dais to ward off bad luck. This display of unparliamentary manners had some justification: two years earlier Mr Menem had denied him a convincing mandate when he withdrew from a run-off election. Mr Kirchner in turn had excoriated Mr Menem, Argentina’s president during the 1990s, for “neoliberalism” which he said caused Argentina’s economic collapse of 2001. But both men are Peronists, and Argentina’s dominant political movement is nothing if not flexible. Now Mr Kirchner and Cristina Fernandez, his wife, ally and successor, seem to have teamed up again with their old foe.

In midterm elections in 2009 the Front for Victory (FPV), the Kirchners’ faction of Peronism, lost its majorities in both houses of Congress, forcing the first couple to scrounge for allies. Mr Menem has not actually voted for any contested FPV initiatives this year. But on July 15th the former president, a close ally of the Catholic church, missed a close vote approving gay marriage, helping the first couple win a big victory. His no-show continued a pattern of missing or abstaining from votes where a “no” would have defeated the FPV. In February his absence denied the opposition the quorum necessary to take over the majority of Senate committees. Two months later, his abstention allowed the confirmation of Ms Fernandez’s controversial nominee for the central-bank presidency. He then promptly walked out of the chamber, leaving the opposition one vote short of passing a tax reform that would weaken the Kirchners’ control over spending. The betrayals led to accusations that he had cut a deal with the first couple. ...

Ecuador's leftist strife: Spearheading dissent

Indigenous groups accuse a radical president of selling out

WHEN Rafael Correa is mentioned in the foreign press, he is usually bracketed with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales as part of the leftist Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA). Yet whereas Mr Morales is Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Mr Correa has turned Ecuador’s indigenous movement against him. Last month, at an ALBA summit in Ecuador on racial diversity, Mr Chavez and Mr Morales saw hundreds of protesters bearing wooden spears break through security cordons and chant “Correa, racist, false socialist”.

Mr Correa’s background makes him an unlikely revolutionary. Mr Morales heads a coca-growers’ union and Mr Chavez was a soldier. In contrast, Mr Correa earned a doctorate in economics from an American university and speaks French and English (and some Quichua, the most widely spoken native tongue). ...

Venezuela's politics: Commune-ism

Yet another method to entrench the president's power

WHEN Jorge Urosa, the archbishop of Caracas, said recently that Hugo Chavez was installing a “Marxist-communist” regime in Venezuela, the country’s leftist president called him a “troglodyte” and accused him of “instilling fear in the people.” Yet Mr Chavez, an avowed socialist, is openly seeking to introduce what looks like a novel form of communism. After taking over the courts and provoking an opposition boycott of legislative elections, he is now targeting state and municipal governments, currently the last bulwark against his rule among elected officials. By forcing them to compete for resources with pliable “communes”, he may starve them to death.

In June his legislative allies approved on first reading a draft bill creating the commune, a “socialist local entity…on the basis of which socialist society is to be built,” with legislative, judicial and executive functions. The communes are supposed to be partly self-sufficient, thanks to a “socialist productive model”, outlined in a separate bill, that will replace the existing capitalist economy. But in practice, the state will provide most of their resources, determine which communes can register, and impose “development” laws and decrees. ...

Brazil's foreign-aid programme: Speak softly and carry a blank cheque

In search of soft power, Brazil is turning itself into one of the world's biggest aid donors. But is it going too far, too fast?

Correction to this article

ONE of the most successful post-earthquake initiatives in Haiti is the expansion of Let Agogo (Lots of Milk, in Creole), a dairy co-operative, into a project encouraging mothers to take their children to school in exchange for free meals. It is based on Bolsa Familia, a Brazilian welfare scheme, and financed with Brazilian government money. In Mali cotton yields are soaring at an experimental farm run by Embrapa, a Brazilian research outfit. Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction firm, is building much of Angola’s water supply and is one of the biggest contractors in Africa. ...

Canadian health care: Follow the leader

The provinces crack down on prescription-drug spending

AS AMERICA debated health-care reform last year, many advocates of universal coverage looked approvingly at Canada, which spends less per head on medical care than the United States does and has a longer life expectancy. Yet this pillar of Canada’s national identity is now creaking under the burden of cost. Health spending, which is administered by the provinces, has increased from nearly 35% of their budgets in 1999 to 46% today. In Ontario, the most populous province, it is set to reach 80% by 2030, leaving pennies for everything else the government does, not counting tax increases or new federal transfers. The biggest culprit is prescription drugs, which have seen their share of public-health spending triple since 1980. Cash-strapped provincial premiers are starting to focus on medicine costs—prompting fierce resistance from the drugs industry.

South of the border, Canada is renowned as a source of cheap drugs on the internet. But whereas branded medicines cost less in Canada, because provinces making giant orders can negotiate lower prices with manufacturers, generic-drug costs in Canada are among the world’s highest. Although provinces cap the amount they pay for generic drugs at a fixed fraction of the branded price, they have set the bar too high. That has allowed manufacturers to pay pharmacists legal kickbacks—worth C$750m ($717m) a year in Ontario alone—for stocking their products, while still earning large profits. ...

Mexico's state elections: Joining forces

A motley political alliance scrambles the presidential race

DURING the campaign ahead of Mexico’s state elections on July 4th, many feared that the gruesome run-up to the vote would overshadow the results. Two candidates were murdered, and countless others were intimidated: one would-be mayor found a decapitated corpse deposited outside his home. The atrocities, including four dead bodies hung from bridges on election day, were attributed to drug gangs reminding the country who rules the roost.

Yet the vote itself, in 14 of Mexico’s 31 states, provided a surprise that could redraw the country’s political map. The opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico from 1929 to 2000, took over the lower house of Congress from Felipe Calderon’s conservative National Action Party (PAN) in 2009. It had been forecast to sweep all 12 of this year’s contests for governorships before winning the presidency after Mr Calderon steps down in 2012. Instead, it took just nine, the same number it held before the vote. ...

Argentine football: The Diego show

Why fans forgave their team’s early exit

WHEN England’s World Cup team was sent packing, the players were pilloried in the press. France’s president held a crisis meeting in response to the defeat of Les Bleus. Yet after Argentina was humiliated by Germany 4-0, la albiceleste came home to a hero’s welcome. Tens of thousands of fans greeted the squad, chanting “we do not regret the love.” Women and children wept. Cristina Fernandez, the president, invited the players to the Casa Rosada palace.

Although many fans consider loyalty to a losing side a badge of honour, no such tradition exists for Argentina’s national team. In 2006 Germany won a much closer match than this year’s, but the players’ return home was a non-event. Why was a group with an uglier exit from the cup better received? ...

Cuba's political prisoners: Hankering for freedom

Hunger strikes force the Castros to release dissidents

CUBA’S leadership understands only too well how starving to death can help a cause. In 2000 Fidel Castro, who had apparently been moved by the plight of Irish republican hunger-strikers, approved the construction in Havana of a memorial to Bobby Sands and his fellow prisoners. Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein’s leader, attended its unveiling.

Now, the same form of protest has been turned on Cuba’s rulers. In February Orlando Zapata, a 42-year-old plumber and bricklayer, died after 12 weeks without food. He was demanding better conditions in Cuba’s grim prisons. A second hunger-striker, Guillermo Farinas, is critically ill. Although not in jail, he is calling for the release of 25 ailing prisoners. In an online letter he said dying would be an “honour”. ...

Brazil's congress: Cleaning up

A campaign against corruption

ORGANISED crime takes several forms in Brazil. One is politics—a lucrative trade. Of the 513 members of the lower house of Congress, 147 face criminal charges in the supreme court or are under investigation, and the same goes for 21 of the 81 senators, according to Congresso em Foco, a website that acts as a watchdog. Some—nobody knows quite how many—have already been convicted in lower courts. Most of the crimes involve either violating campaign-finance laws or stealing public money.

Hitherto the politicians had little to worry about. Although the law was changed to limit parliamentary immunity for corruption, Brazilian justice is patient. Politicians have the right to be tried by the supreme court, but many cases lapse before they are heard. When the supreme court recently convicted two politicians for corruption, it was the first successful prosecution since democracy was restored in 1985. Since legislators who are impeached lose their right to run for office, many of those in serious trouble simply resign pre-emptively. They then stand in the next election and get straight back to business. ...

Brazil's presidential campaign: In Lula's footsteps

Dilma Rousseff is cruising towards victory on the coat-tails of a popular president. But there is more at stake in October’s election than meets the eye

AT THE moment only one thing matters to Brazilians: the performance of the national football team in the World Cup, where lifting the trophy for the sixth time is considered almost a right. Even a normally hard-working city like Sao Paulo, where supermarkets open at 7.00am and heavy traffic is a way of life, came to a standstill for Brazil’s matches. Across the country factories, offices and even health posts shut down. But the country’s politicians are limbering up for a different contest. On July 6th the campaign for October’s general election formally kicks off. It will be the first presidential election since democracy was restored in the 1980s in which the name of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva does not appear on the ballot. But Lula, Brazil’s president since 2003, is nevertheless the dominant figure in the campaign.

For the past 18 months he has put all his efforts into trying to get Dilma Rousseff, his former chief of staff, elected as his successor. She is not an obvious presidential candidate: an efficient though notoriously bad-tempered administrator, she only joined Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) in 2001. She has never before stood for elected office. But several more senior figures in the PT were forced out of politics by a corruption scandal during Lula’s first term, and others have proved electoral flops. ...

Maternal health in Mexico: A perilous journey

The mortal danger of poverty

OUTSIDE the main hospital in San Cristobal de las Casas, women in traditional multicoloured garb queue up to see a doctor. Many are pregnant or carry infants on their backs. One expectant mother says she fears there will not be a bed for her when she enters labour—all too common in the overcrowded hospital. Tales of deaths from hypertension, haemorrhage or infection during or after giving birth are common in the second city of the state of Chiapas. In a nearby village, one doctor recalls a woman whose journey took so long that she died on the street outside his clinic.

Maternal mortality in Mexico has fallen by 36% since 1990, but it is still higher than in other Latin American countries. The problem is far worse among Indians and in the poorer south. Mothers in Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero states die in childbirth 70% more often than the national average, and indigenous women are three times less likely to survive birth than non-indigenous women. Most of these deaths are preventable. ...

The Economist: The Americas
The Americas