Latin America

Venezuela, An Imaginary Threat

US-Latin American relations fell to record lows during the George Bush years, and there have been hopes - both north and south of the border - that President Barack Obama will bring a fresh approach. So far, however, most signals are pointing to continuity rather than change.

Posted in foreign policy, Latin America, venezuela

Venezuela’s Referendum: Media’s Double Standards

With Sunday's Venezuelan referendum on term limits, we can expect to hear a lot about Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez's "plan to become president for life" and its reflection on "Venezuela's battered democracy"--as the New York Times editors put it (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/opinion/01sat2.html) around the time of Venezuela's last (failed) term limits referendum.

Posted in Latin America, venezuela

Latin American Leaders Say 'No' to U.S. Drug War

WASHINGTON - A commission led by three former Latin American heads of state has called the 30-year U.S. "war on drugs" in Latin America a failure and urged a drastic change in policy.

Posted in war on drugs, Latin America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2009
4:27 PM

CONTACT: Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460

New CEPR Study Looks at Recent Inflation In Latin America, in Context of Current Economic Slowdown

WASHINGTON - February 11 - A new study released by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) today looks at inflation in Latin America in 2007 and 2008, as governments throughout the region decide how to cope with the world economic slowdown.

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The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) was established in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. In order for citizens to effectively exercise their voices in a democracy, they should be informed about the problems and choices that they face. CEPR is committed to presenting issues in an accurate and understandable manner, so that the public is better prepared to choose among the various policy options.

Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Links:

Posted in Economy/Trade, Latin America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2009
3:57 PM

CONTACT: North American Congress on Latin America
Joao Da Silva,
646 - 613-1440 Ext. 203,
joao@nacla.org

Latin America Solidarity Activists to Address US Militarization at Washington, DC Conference

Human rights advocates, community organizers, academics and students will discuss U.S. intervention in Latin America at Howard University workshop on Sunday, February 15

NEW YORK - February 9 - School of the Americas Watch (SOAW), the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) and the Latin American Solidarity Coalition (LASC) will conduct an anti-militarization program on Sunday, February 15 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The program is a part of NACLA and LASC's "Not Just Change, But Justice Campaign" which is intended to raise public awareness and pressure the Obama administration to adopt a new and more progressive policy towards Latin America.

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Posted in Militarism, Latin America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2009
1:59 PM

CONTACT: FAIR
Isabel Macdonald
FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting)
212-633-6700 x 310
imacdonald@fair.org

FAIR Study: Human Rights Coverage Serving Washington's Needs

NEW YORK - February 2 - A new FAIR study finds that leading newspapers have been putting political considerations ahead of humanitarian concerns in their editorials on human rights in Latin America.

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FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.

FAIR Links:

Posted in Human Rights, Media, Latin America

Farewell, Monroe Doctrine

President Barack Obama could swiftly improve U.S. relations with Latin America by announcing the death of the Monroe Doctrine and then presiding over its funeral. Such a statement would cost him little domestically, and win him praise and appreciation throughout Latin America and much of the world.

Posted in foreign policy, Latin America

Lula Urges Obama to Change US View of Latin America

CORUMBA, Brazil - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday to drop outdated U.S. views of Latin America as a region of communists, terrorists and drug traffickers.

Lula said Washington needs to see Latin American countries as democratic partners rather than problems, and offer better trade ties with the region.

Posted in after bush, foreign policy, obama, Latin America

The Challenge of South America's Populist Left

Just over a decade ago, a sea of supporters dressed in red and lining the streets of Caracas celebrated Hugo Chávez's landslide election victory in Venezuela, marking a watershed in the Latin American political landscape and signaling the emergence of the so-called populist left in the region.

Posted in Latin America

Mercenaries at Large in Colombia

GENEVA - Mercenaries hired by private military and security companies are playing an increasingly broad range of roles in Latin America, such as guarding mines, borders, prisons, and now humanitarian aid, said the members of the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries at a meeting in this Swiss city.

At the same time, some 3,000 Latin Americans, mainly Chileans, Peruvians, Colombians and Hondurans, are serving as mercenaries in conflict zones in Iraq.

Posted in privatization, Latin America