A private meeting between the Venezuelan and Colombian leaders apparently ended in a shouting match on Monday. They were both attending a Latin American summit in Cancun, Mexico. An already tense discussion appeared to blow up when Chávez raised the issue of Colombian paramilitaries. The explanation of the words used is critical, since the meeting […]
After a bruising 2009, Mexico’s economy should return to positive growth of around 3% this year, but the path to sustainable development remains uncertain. Reforming state-owned industries risks massive political backlash, but improving Mexico’s trade regime offers promise without the peril. What trade strategies can boost Mexico’s growth? Several prospects have been bandied about. Talk […]
Likely a further sign of his government’s economic woes, President Hugo Chávez’s administration is offering oil contracts to foreign companies. The response to the bidding for concessions was not as strong as it has been in the past, as many companies have been burned by Chávez’s expropriation of assets. Still, Chevron and Repsol (of Spain) […]
A report issued on Monday by the Mexican Council of Bishops expressed concern over the militarization of many Mexican cities and venality among law enforcement. Human rights, the report argued, were increasingly at risk of violation because of the protracted presence of federal troops in Cuidad Juarez, and elsewhere. The report comes in the wake […]
Brazil’s success in diplomacy, international commerce, and becoming a world player have been in part dependent on President Lula’s success during his administration. Now, with an election coming up this year, there is a possibility that the tides will change and Brazil may change its course with new leadership. José Serra, the governor of São […]
After years of decisions and appeals before the World Trade Organization, Brazil is preparing to levy sanctions on U.S. imports and intellectual property rights because of illegal export subsidies provided by the U.S. government to domestic cotton producers. Brazil initially brought the case before the WTO to demonstrate the harmful impact of such subsidies upon […]
Ramiro Valdes, a Cuban revolutionary closely tied to Fidel Castro for decades, is now working with the Venezuelan government in Caracas. Valdes currently serves as Cuba’s Minister in communications and information. The Venezuelan opposition is incensed, pointing out Valdes’ previous role as Interior Minister in Cuba, where he was in charge of surveillance and accused […]
On Sunday 15 people were murdered in Cuidad Juarez. Thirteen were teenagers. In the wake of the “high school massacre” the culprit in waiting is the president. Shortly after the tragedy families of the murdered erected a banner outside of the house of the slayings: “Until we find who is responsible, you Mr. President are […]
Much of this deal is about Brazil’s own domestic market, but it is also proof of the biofuel bonanza as both Cosan and Shell prepare for a global market in ethanol.
Last week the Venezuelan government cut off six cable TV stations, citing a failure to comply with regulations. These stations included Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), a channel known for opposing the administration of Hugo Chávez. RCTV had already lost its ability to broadcast on a public channel in 2007, but remained available to cable subscribers […]
Lula, o Filho do Brasil, the film by Fabio Barreto that was recently released in Brazil, has been controversial since its release. The biopic about President Lula da Silva has come under fire for various reasons, including the plot and the political message. While President Lula is a popular president with high approval ratings, the […]
The 2003 WSF put the movement on map, in large measure because President-Elect Lula chose to emphasize his larger than Brazil leadership making an historic speech at this unique global gathering of social movement activists before boarding a jet to Davos where he called on world leaders from the corporate world and government to combat poverty and make the institutions of global authority more accountable and democratic. Lula was the perfect interlocutor between the rice and bean rebels of the WSF and the champagne soaked elite of Davos.
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