Daily Headlines: January 14, 2011

* Venezuela: U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said that Venezuela doesn’t pose “a significant threat” to the U.S. but also admitted that he was concerned over the South American country’s arms purchases.

* Brazil: The death toll from a series of landslides and flooding in southeastern Brazil rose to nearly 500 fatalities.

* U.S.: A report by researchers at Seton Hall University found that New Jersey’s day laborers have been the targets of widespread abuse by employers.

* Argentina: Are plans to start a best soccer player in Europe award next season sour grapes over Argentina’s Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or last week?

Image – Carlos Garcia Rawlins/REUTERS via Christian Science Monitor (“Venezuelan soldiers take part in a military parade on June 24, 2009, to celebrate the 188th anniversary of the battle of Carabobo in Valencia, where Simon Bolivar's decisive victory against Spanish forces led to Venezuela's independence.”)
Online Sources- El Universal, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Herald Sun

Daily Headlines: January 13, 2011

* Brazil: Approximately 400 people are believed to have died as a result of heavy rain, flooding, and mudslides in southeastern Brazil.

* Panama: The government has requested that France extradite former strongman Manuel Noriega.

* Chile: A government spokesperson said that officials would be “open” to modifying gas price hikes after two people died in violent protests.

* Peru: At a judicial hearing on Monday, activist Lori Berenson requested to remain on parole and not return to prison.

Image – Bruno Domingos / Reuters via MSNBC (“An aerial view shows damage caused to a street after heavy rains in Nova Friburgo, Brazil, on Wednesday. Floods and landslides devastated towns in a mountainous area near Rio de Janeiro, killing hundreds of people.”)
Online Sources- Monsters and Critics, Democracy Now, LAHT, CNN

Today’s Video: The media on Haiti, revisited

One year ago today a massive earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck near Port-au-Prince and shook most of Haiti. At least 200,000 people died from the tremor, millions were left homeless, and hundreds of buildings tumbled to the ground.

Days after the earthquake, President Rene Preval declared that "Haiti will not die" but in the twelve months since the tremor the country has been on life support. Wild weather, a cholera outbreak, and political upheaval were just some of the maladies faced by quake survivors who for the most part live in the streets or in unsafe tent camps.

As was written in an article on CNN's website, grim reminders of the quake can still be observed while Haitians continue the Herculean task to rebuild their country:

Five days ago, three more bodies were pulled from the rubble in central Port-au-Prince.

In the upcoming days we'll look at several aspects of post-earthquake Haiti such as the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of billions of dollars in foreign donations. Today, however, we want to revisit a video examining the international press response to the earthquake. British comedian and journalist Charlie Brooker criticized how some media outlets shifted their narrative in order to exaggerate the "signs of conflict" among survivors:

Video Source - YouTube
Online Sources - CBS News. BBC News, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: January 12, 2011

* Central America: Costa Rica took its border dispute with Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice and accused Nicaragua of “tainting Costa Rica's long institutional and democratic tradition."

* Brazil: Heavy rain and flooding killed at least thirteen people in and around Sao Paulo.

* Colombia: An environmental damage lawsuit was filed in the name of 73 Colombian farmers against oil giant BP.

* Mexico: A long-running trade disagreement could soon end after the Mexican government announced changes in certain tariffs on U.S. products.

Image – Momento24 English (Both Costa Rica and Nicaragua have claimed sovereignty of a disputed area near the San Juan River border).
Online Sources- The Guardian, Xinhua, Reuters, MSNBC

Daily Headlines: January 11, 2011

* U.S.: Jury selection began in the immigration trial of former CIA operative and suspected bomber Luis Posada Carriles.

* Peru: Police in Lima arrested ex-media boss Jose Enrique Crousillat, who was involved in the infamous “vladi-videos” scandal in the 1990s.

* Brazil: Famed author Paulo Coelho claimed that Iran is banning his books and the Brazilian government should intervene in the matter.

* U.S.: Former NFL player Ron Rivera, who is of Puerto Rican and Mexican background, may be hired as head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Image – AP via BBC News (Luis Posada Carriles is wanted in Venezuela and Cuba where he’s accused of masterminding a pair of bombings in 1976 and 1999).
Online Sources- Miami Herald, The Guardian, boston.com, BBC News

LatAm Alphabet Soup

There's UNASUR and MERCOSUR, obviously NAFTA and CAFTA-DR.

ALBA, CAN (Andean Community of Nations), ACS (Association of Caribbean States), OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States) ALADI (The Latin American Integration Association which is Mexico plus most of South America but not Central America), and SICA (Central American Integration System).

And of course the US Congress is still evaluating passage of free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, with Canada working towards one with the Caribbean (CARICOM).

Whew.

For good measure, this year some new ones are being inaugurated: AIP (Área de Integración Profunda) - a new body made up of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. And Chile, Colombia and Peru are consolidating their stock markets.

As an aside, since every rising market needs a good name (BRICs, PIIGS, Civets), I'm going to go ahead and dub these the "Andean Jaguars." Can't wait for that to take off.

Ok, you get the idea. But aside from the myriad of summits that led Felipe Calderon to compare Latin American diplomacy to a mountain range, what is the tangible impact of all these agreements?

Despite the seemingly excessive, frequently overlapping agreements and integration systems, the recent rise of "Multi-latinas," a new class of competitive cross-border Latin American firms is one of the most positive developments of all these agreements.

The Multi-latinas are companies that operate across Latin America, primarily with Latin American capital, and that take advantage of their local expertise to find niches and beat international competitors. América Móvil is a perfect example.

Some are true multinationals - Vale, CEMEX, Bimbo, Embraer. Many more operate exclusively within the region. They are big drivers of growth in the region and could turn into what multinationals in Latin America emulate in order to succeed, rather than the other way around.

A provision of establishing the common stock market was that Peru lower its capital gains tax to 5% (previously it had ranged from 5-30%). By comparison, the US capital gains tax is 15% after the "Great Tax Compromise." Granted, it's difficult to actually incorporate a business in Peru. But 5% is attractive nonetheless.

Image Source: AmericaEconomia

Online Sources: Financial Times TILT Blog, Bloomberg, Colombia Reports, Wikipedia, The Economist, La Republica, Americas Society/Council of the Americas, BusinessWeek, Boston Consulting Group

The Larry Palmer Saga

It's the story that doesn't seem to want to end. Back in August, President Obama nominated Larry Palmer to be the US ambassador to Caracas.

During Palmer's Senate confirmation hearings, he got put in between a rock and a hard place. To secure his nomination he needed to talk a little tough on Hugo Chavez (nothing wins political points like bashing Chavez, after all). So in response to questions from Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Palmer noted that there was dissatisfaction among the Venezuelan military and that Colombian guerrilla movements operated out of Venezuela.

It didn't come as too much of a surprise then that Chavez refused to accept Palmer, saying, "How can you think I'd accept this gentleman coming here?...You'd best withdraw him, Obama. Don't insist, I'm asking you."

Obama (well, State) did insist. And so did Chavez. In return, the US revoked the visa of Venezuela Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez.

And then Palmer's nomination expired and it seemed like the US was ready to move on. But then State decided to stick to its guns (after pressure to not let Chavez dictate anything), and said they still wanted Palmer to head to Caracas.

Chavez has his favorites for the job: Oliver Stone, Sean Penn, Noam Chomsky or Bill Clinton. (Bill Clinton?)

Never one to miss an opportunity for a joke, Chavez mentioned his recent meeting with Hillary Clinton at the inauguration of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff: "I said to Mrs. Clinton 'How is your husband?' But I was wrong because I speak very bad English and I said ‘How is your wife?’"

And still no ambassadors in Washington or Caracas.

Image Source: New York Magazine

Online Sources: AFP, Google News, Wall St. Journal, El Universal, Washington Post, Americas Quarterly

The upcoming return of The Latin Americanist

As you may have noticed there has been an unfortunate absence of posting on this blog for the past three weeks. I made the terrible miscalculation of assuming that I would have regular access to the Internet during my family vacation to Colombia. Yet for a number reasons (which I won't get into) today is the first time since mid-December since I've been more than a few minutes online! Worse was my absent-minded decision not to seek a guest blogger for my time abroad.

ln short, I screwed up big time and I want to fully apologize to you, our readers, for my mistakes.

I'll return with "Daily Headlines", "Today's Video" and our usual mix of posts next Tuesday, January 11th. Don't forget that you can still vote in the top news stories of 2010 poll, which will close on Monday the 10th.

Thanks for your time, feedback, and loyalty since this blog was founded over five years ago.

Happy New Year everyone!

Weekend Headlines: December 18-19, 2010

* U.S.: Despite strong efforts by Latino community and youth activists the U.S. Senate voted against final passage of the DREAM Act.

* Bolivia: On Friday, Bolivia became the latest Latin American country to back the recognition of Palestine as an independent state.

* Colombia: Ex-president Alvaro Uribe continues to face serious allegations related to a major wiretap scandal that makes Watergate look like a walk in the park.

* Venezuela: Less than a month before a new legislature is sworn in outgoing members of the National Assembly passed a bill granting President Hugo Chavez decree powers for 18 months.

* Central America: Costa Rica and Nicaragua accepted an offer by Mexico and Guatemala to mediate in a sometimes heated border dispute.

* Mexico: Staff at a Tamaulipas prison are suspected of aiding in the escape of over 140 inmates on Friday.

* Haiti: Organization of American States chief Jose Miguel Insulza supposedly requested that the Haitian government delay reporting the results of last month's presidential election.

* Chile: A French court sentenced fourteen former officials who served under the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet for their roles in the "disappearances" of four Frenchmen.

Online Sources - The Telegraph, CBC, Insidecostarica.com, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, AFP, MSNBC, CBS News

Image - Damian Dovarganes/AP via CSMonitor.com ("Immigrants parents, students and others participate in a candle-light procession and vigil in support of the Federal DREAM Act in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 7.")

What was the top news story of 2010?

We're going to go on a brief hiatus for a few days.

In the meantime, what do you feel was the most important news story of 2010 regarding Latin America and Latinos? Was it a major story that covered plenty of headlines or an item that was overlooked by the press? Did it involve a regional leader, a sports team, the arts, or another area of interest?

Please vote in the poll located on our sidebar with twenty options as to what was the main story of this year. The results of the survey will be revealed after the poll closes on January 10, 2011.

If we missed something or if you want to respectfully debate one of the choices please feel free to comment to this post.

Your opinion counts!

Image - calendario2010.info
Online Source - The Latin Americanist

Wikipedia a la Cubana

In December 2008 we mentioned a “clear case of mistaken Internet priorities by the Cuban government” when officials “heavily promoted” a Spanish-based company running an online shopping site on the island during the holiday season. Few Cubans can afford a personal computer while roughly one in ten Cubans has access to the Internet. Furthermore, the Cuban government had had a very fractured relationship with the island’s bloggers that has included harassment and police pressure.

Therefore, it’s seems out of place that Cuba’s government has launched its own version of Wikipedia. Ecured.cu was launched on Tuesday with the aim of gathering and spreading " knowledge with a non-profit, pro-democracy aim from a decolonizing point of view." According to BBC News, the site’s entry on the U.S. describes it as an "empire of our time, which has historically taken by force territory and natural resources from other nations, to put at the service of its businesses and monopolies".

The site has nearly 20,000 entries in total on items like Fidel Castro and U.S.-Cuba relations but supposedly has nothing on the possible reforms to the country’s economic model.

Ecured did encounter some difficulties during its initial run and briefly crashed earlier today.

Image- The Telegraph
Online Sources- The Telegraph, The Latin Americanist, BBC News

Peru: Army chief rejects Wikileaks drug claims

A corny joke: denial is not a river in Egypt.

Peruvian army chief Paul da Silva is none too pleased at the implications made by a U.S. diplomatic cable uncovered by the Wikileaks website. The 2009 document from then-U.S. Ambassador Michael McKinley claimed that an unnamed source ''saw signs that (Peruvian army) officers may have continued to cooperate with drug traffickers''. McKinley’s “source” added that in 2007 da Silva met with a business executive who would later be arrested for trying to smuggle several hundred pounds of cocaine hidden inside frozen fish.
Da Silva replied to the accusations by threatening to take legal action against McKinley.

In addition, as reported in a Reuters article:

"This cable is defamatory and is aimed at damaging the honor of the armed forces," Da Silva said. "I can't close doors to people who want to meet with me. I didn't know at the time that this Mr. Velasco was implicated in drug trafficking."

Da Silva blamed Michael McKinley, the former U.S. ambassador to Peru, for writing the "irresponsible" memo and threatened to file a lawsuit against him.

On a related note, another U.S. diplomatic document uncovered by Wikileaks and reported in The Guardian will likely embarrass Jamaican authorities. The previously secret cable cited Cuban officials very “frustrated” at Jamaican antidrug efforts including “ignoring of Cuban attempts to increase the flow of drug-related information” between both countries.

Image- AP via CBS News (“Soldiers march during a military parade commemorating Independence Day in July. The top Army General Paul da Silva was accused in a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable of drug corruption.”)
Online Sources- The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters

Inter shocked in Club World Cup

It was four months ago that Brazilian soccer team Inter was on a high after having captured their second Copa Libertadores crown in five years. Earlier today, however, the Porto Alegre side was anything but jubilant after being shocked in the Club World Cup (CWC).

Inter became the first South American side not to reach the CWC title match after losing to African club champions TP Mazembe. Inter dominated the early stages of the match yet they missed several key chances partly due to the inspired play by goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba. In the second half the team from the Democratic Republic of Congo broke the game in their favor with strikes by Mulota Kabangu and Dioko Kaluyituka. Despite several great opportunities by Rafael Sobis and Giuliano Inter ended up on the short side of a 2-0 defeat.

Despite such an upset Inter coach Celso Roth was gracious in defeat:

"We created opportunities but unfortunately we couldn't turn them into goals. Mazembe had the opportunities and scored," Roth said. "Football is like this. Mazembe defended very well and I congratulate them. We played much better than them but we have this very bitter defeat."


In the CWC quarterfinals Mazembe won over Mexico’s Pachuca by a 1-0 score. Hence, Pachuca will play the fifth-place match against Al-Wahda of the United Arab Emirates while Inter awaits the loser of the other semifinal between South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa and Inter of Milan.

Image- CBC (“TP Mazembe Englebert's Stopilla Sunzu, right, is challenged by Francisco Torres of Club de Futbol Pachuca during the African champion's 1-0 win on Friday.”)
Online Sources- Reuters, The Telegraph, CBC

Daily Headlines: December 14, 2010

* Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez could seek special decree powers to be used before the new legislature comes into office on January 5th.

* Bolivia: Bolivia could take legal action at the International Court of Justice as part of their staunch opposition to a compromise deal reached at the UN Climate Summit in Cancun on Saturday.

* Ecuador: Global demand for oil will fall next year according to predictions by the OPEC oil cartel during their summit in the Ecuadorian city of Quito.

* Argentina: Is Carlos Tevez justified or petulant in his desire to leave Manchester City and play for another club?

Image – Reuters/Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters (“Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez shows a map during a news conference at Miraflores Palace in Caracas December 10, 2010.”)
Online Sources- Goal.com, UPI, Bloomberg, The Latin Americanist, Sify

The scars still linger

“Memories fade but the scars still linger”, is a verse from “Memories Fade” by Tears for Fears. Those lyrics would surely apply to the Legionaries of Christ (LOC) and its controversial founder.

The late Rev. Marciel Maciel founded the LOC in Mexico in 1941 and he used his links to the country's elite in order to build the LOC into “one of the most influential organizations in the Roman Catholic Church.” The conservative priest constantly denied rumors of personal improprieties while the LOC’s clout grew within the global Catholic Church movement.

The precarious house of cards that Maciel erected throughout his life came crashing down after his death in 2008. Allegations that he fathered multiple children were true according to LOC officials last March. "We express our sorrow and grief to each and every person damaged by our founder's actions," said a statement from sixteen LOC leaders that also admitted that they helped cover-up sexual abuse committed by Maciel.

The LOC has tried to overcome the terrible stigma left behind by Maciel’s callous actions. The Vatican authority appointed to run the LOC, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, announced several reforms to the sect including expanding the powers of the group’s general counsel. De Paolis last Friday also appointed members of a commission that will revise the LOC’s constitution.

Earlier today the LOC took several steps in trying to airbrush Maciel from its history:

The conservative order says photographs showing the late Rev. Marciel Maciel alone or with the pope must be removed from its installations…

The Legion also announced on its website Monday that it was prohibiting the celebration of Maciel's birthday. It also banned the sale of Maciel's writings inside Legion centers.

Aside from deeply damaging the LOC, Maciel’s legacy has shined a negative light on the Vatican that helped cover-up his wrongdoings.

Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, The Latin Americanist, BusinessWeek, CNN, MSNBC, AP

Report: LatAm economy to grow in ‘10

The recent international economic slowdown has hit plenty of countries hard and for the most part Latin America has been no exception to that. Yet it appears as if this year the region has bounced back faster than other parts of the world.

According to a study released today by the U.N.'s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, (ECLAC), the region’s gross domestic product will grow by a higher-than-expected 6% this year. The increase represents a big jump compared to a GDP drop of 1.9% last year, and the ECLAC anticipates that the region will continue growing throughout 2011 by 4.2%.

An ECLAC statement credited this year’s expected growth to several factors including an expansive monetary policy and rapidly increasing production. The report also mentioned that the governments in most countries in the region enacted public policies since mid-2009 that have allowed for “robust private consumption, which is due to a gradual improvement in employment, increasing credit conditions, and…an increase in real wages”.

Despite the positive outlook for next year, the ECLAC warned that there are challenges that still remain:

“The big challenge in the region is rebuilding its capacity to take contra-cyclical actions and create conditions for productive development that is not just based on exports of basic goods,” Cepal Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena said in the statement.

Not every country in the region will experience growth this year; Venezuela’s GDP is expected to fall by 1.6% while Haiti’s could nosedive by 7%. Aside from uneven growth, inflation also increased by 1.5% between 2009 and this year.

Paraguay with 9.7% of annual growth is the head of the class in Latin America, followed by Uruguay with 9.0% and Peru with 8.6%. Regional heavyweights Chile and Mexico will each grow by 5.3% based on the ECLAC’s analysis.

An ECLAC report released last month concluded that poverty in Latin America would drop by 33% this year.

Image- Mercopress (Workers at a Chilean fish processing plant).
Online Sources- Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Reuters, WSJ.com, Bloomberg, El Universal