Guatemala and Belize settle border dispute

In a deal brokered by the OAS, Guatemala and Belize agreed to negotiate a resolution over a disputed maritime area in the border shared by both states.

guatemala , belize , OAS

Marcela Sanchez

Washington Post's Marcela Sanchez discusses the World Bank's announcement that Latin America needs to cut poverty in order to stimulate growth, a departure from the strict adherence to market reforms the Bank has advocated in the past. (WAPO)

The nature of democracy

Eli Blake has an interesting post on the Haitian elections. When an administration like our promotes democracy abroad, what happens when others elect leaders we don't like? (Post)

Haitians celebrate Preval victory

Rene Preval was declared the winner of Haiti's presidential election Thursday under an agreement between the interim government and electoral council, staving off a crisis over last week's disputed vote in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country. (WAPO) Newsweek also discusses the victory. (Newsweek)

caribbean, haiti, international politics, rene preval

Iran’s president accepts invitation to visit Cuba

Iran’s president will visit Cuba in September in gratitude to Cuba’s International Atomic Energy Agency vote against reporting Iran to the U.N. Security Council. (Hindustan Times)

Op/ed: Latin American leftward shift is not as simple as it may appear

“Characterizing (Latin America) as hopelessly drifting away from US interests…underestimates the complexity of both US relations and democracy in the region,” according to an op/ed article in this weekend's Christian Science Monitor. Moreover, the article analyzes recent and future presidential elections, and points out that U.S. policy should be one of engaging with Latin American leaders beyond an “ideological lens.”
Recent entries on Latin America's political shift to the left: Mexico's Elections: Out-Foxing the Left; Kirchner's "tilt to the left " unnerves the Bush administration; Latin America: Elections in Review (November 2005).

Ticos take electoral recount in stride

Costa Ricans await the results of last week’s presidential election “with a quiet uncommon in Central America,” according to the Houston Chronicle. The waiting game affects citizens and politicians alike, especially Costa Rica's Congressional debate on its involvement in the Central America Free Trade Agreement.

Ten gang members found dead in Guatemala City gutter

Five men and five women that belonged to Guatemala’s Mara 18 gang were found shot and killed as part of a vigilante killing spree. Notes left on the bodies of the dead said “some people fell into their clutches and paid the money they demanded, others weren't so stupid and opted to eradicate them. God forever.” (Reuters)

Mexican government supports ICC

Mexico’s government will back the right of the International Criminal Court to prosecute U.S. troops even though the U.S. has threatened to withhold nearly $1 million in aid to Mexico. "This country will be irrefutable in supporting the protocols of the international court, whatever the cost," said a spokesman for Mexican president Vicente Fox. (El Universal)

Bolivian coca growing should be limited, says Evo

Bolivia’s coca farmers should not grow more than their personal share, said president Evo Morales in a speech on Saturday. Morales also criticized the heavy reduction of U.S. military aid to Bolivia by declaring that "the lives of Bolivians are not worth a million dollars." (CNN)

Haitian presidential election: Preval should be prez says Brazil; used ballots found in dump

Supporters of candidate Rene Preval have intensified their protests in light of television footage showing ballots and other election material discarded in a Port-au-Prince garbage dump.

Meanwhile, there have been calls from Brazil and Haiti’s interim government for Preval to be recognized as Haiti’s next president. With over 90% of votes counted, Preval holds a 37.1% lead over his closest rival, but is 1.3% short of avoiding a runoff.

Recent entries on Haiti’s presidential election:

http://ourlatinamerica.blogspot.com/2006/02/haitian-presidential-election-preval.html

http://ourlatinamerica.blogspot.com/2006/02/haitian-presidential-election-vote.html

http://ourlatinamerica.blogspot.com/2006/02/former-president-likely-winner-in.html

http://ourlatinamerica.blogspot.com/2006/02/photography-elections-in-haiti.html

Interrogation center under Pinochet remodeled into art museum

-Contributed by Erwin Cifuentes. The Salvador Allende Solidarity Museum in Santiago, Chile is set to open next month in the same mansion used as a spy center under Pinochet's rule. Workers that remodeled the former spy center found objects such as passports and diagrams of locations under surveillance. (The Australian)

U.S. cuts military aid to Bolivia

The Center for International Policy's blog on the Colombia Program discusses the U.S. cut in military aid to Bolivia and the practical consequences it will have. (Plan Colombia and Beyond)

Ticos take electoral recount in stride

-Contributed by presidential election, with a quiet uncommon in Central America, according to the Houston Chronicle. The waiting game affects citizens and politicians alike, including Congress's debate on Costa Rica's involvement with the Central America Free Trade Agreement. (Merco Press)

Venezuela: Chavez publicly insults Bush and Blair

-Contributed by the greatest terrorist in the world" British head Tony Blair a pawn of imperialism who should hand the Falkland Islands to Argentina. Meanwhile, Venezuelan police apprehended Colombian drug lord Alonso Ojeda, one of the most wanted drug barons in Latin America.

Haitian presidential election: Preval supporters

-Contributed by (CTV) On the cusp of what appears to be Preval's victory, the Miami Herald shows the obstacles that lay ahead for Haiti's next president as well as Preval's problems during his previous administration. (Miami)