Alleged wiretapping hearings lead by a politician, the shutdown of an Internet provider and the investigation of a newsprint factory have all occurred in Argentina over the last few days. They all connect in one clear way: they signify the climax of Cristina Kirchner’s presidency; they represent a moment of truth for the controversial figure.
Since 2008, Argentine politicians have been labeled as “K” (for supporting Kirchner) or “anti-K.” It is universally known that the Buenos Aires-based and most read newspaper, Clarín, is Cristina Kirchner’s mortal enemy and that it continually poses obstacles to her political agenda. This was particularly apparent during the debacle surrounding Resolution 125, when Kirchner sought to increase taxes on agrarian exports. In the end, congressional opposition nullified the initiative. Clarín is owned by Grupo Clarín, one of the biggest media business conglomerates in Latin America, which also owns Cablevisión, a cable company, and Fibertel, an internet provider. Grupo Clarín has the support of some of Argentina’s leading businessmen and the most important land-owners in the country, who constitute the strongest opposition to the Kirchner administration.
A Hot Few Days in Argentina
U.S.-Venezuela Links Teeter on the Brink, Dragging a Prudent Foreign Policy With It
•Would-be U.S. Ambassador designate Palmer fails at behaving diplomatically.
•You do not insult your prospective host and then expect to be warmly greeted in the house.
•While Chavez sometimes acts boorishly, he has the right to challenge U.S. charges against him when they are often driven by propaganda rather than by hard facts.
•U.S. Latin American Policy under Obama continues to be vintage Bush.
Since Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999, Caracas has maintained a testy relationship with the United States, a nation which Chávez views as the primary threat to his dream of reproducing the Bolivarian Revolution. Although the U.S. and Venezuela experienced a very brief honeymoon once President Barack Obama assumed office, the two countries’ relationship has quickly begun to sour.
In addition to chiding the Obama administration for its claims that the Venezuelan government may be supporting terrorist organizations and for the U.S. increased military presence in Latin America, Chávez has slammed Obama’s nominee for Ambassador to Venezuela. Larry Palmer, an experienced if somewhat back-slapping, Foreign Service officer who served as Ambassador to Honduras from 2002-2005, drew heavy criticism from Chávez and other Venezuelan officials because of a series of scathing remarks he had made regarding the Caracas regime during a fast-pace hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 27. In a question and answer session with Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN), Palmer questioned the morale of Venezuela’s military, warned of the nation’s increased cooperation with Cuba, and further hinted at the government’s compliance with leftist rebel groups like the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) as well as its counterpart, the National Liberation Army (ELN).
Temporary-Protected Status: Does Guatemala Deserve It?
On May 27th, Guatemala’s volcano, Pacaya, located just 19 miles from the capital, erupted. Lava flowed and rocks spewed from the volcano’s mouth, killing at least two people and injuring approximately 50 more.
To make matters worse, about two weeks later, on June 10th, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court dismissed Attorney General Conrado Reyes, who had only held the position since May 25th. But his questionable past already had made him into a controversial figure. Just three days before he was removed from office, the Spanish judge Carlos Castresana resigned from his post as head of a United Nations body responsible for fighting impunity in Guatemala. He left in extreme frustration, citing the appointment of Reyes, who he claimed had close ties to organized crime. He further emphasized that Guatemala was doing little to combat corruption.
The Dominican Republic and Haiti After the Earthquake: Nervous Ties and Fractious Tensions Persist
July 12 marked the six-month anniversary of the earthquake that took the lives of more than 200,000 Haitians and left about 1.5 million homeless. The natural disaster helped revive international attention to the disappointingly slow recovery process in Haiti.
In the subsequent months, President Fernández has advocated Haiti’s cause internationally, urging countries to deliver pledged aid funds and supporting René Préval’s government as it tries to wrest control of aid money from the hands of NGOs. The Dominican Republic has independently committed to spending $40 million of its funds on a new university in Haiti, the Universidad del Norte, that will serve 10,000 students. The university, which represents the core of the Dominican Republic’s wide-ranging relief activity in Haiti, is scheduled to be inaugurated on the two-year anniversary of the earthquake in January 2012.
by COHA Research Associate Carl Patchen
U.S.-Venezuela Links Teeter on the Brink, Dragging a Prudent Foreign Policy With It
•Washington should take advantage of the temporary détente between Colombia and Venezuela and relate to Caracas constructively. •Would-be U.S. Ambassador designate Palmer fails at behaving diplomatically. •You do not insult your prospective host and then expect to be warmly greeted in the hou... Continue Reading
by COHA Research Associate Carly Steinberger
Temporary-Protected Status: Does Guatemala Deserve It?
On May 27th, Guatemala’s volcano, Pacaya, located just 19 miles from the capital, erupted. Lava flowed and rocks spewed from the volcano’s mouth, killing at least two people and injuring approximately 50 more. Just two days later, Hurricane Agatha hit Guatemala, causing both extreme flooding an... Continue Reading
by COHA Research Associate Katherine Haas
Inhumane, Ineffective, Intolerable: Brazil’s Prison System
Since its transition from dictatorship to democracy in the mid 1980s, Brazil has undergone an extraordinary transformation, becoming the political and economic leader of Latin America.But despite Brazil’s rise as a world power, willing on occasion to challenge the hegemony of the United States, a... Continue Reading
by COHA Research Associate Luiza Mello Franco
Brazil – The Environment, Lula and Marina Silva. “There is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come”: Marina Silva’s Unwinnable But Noble Bid for the Brazilian Presidency, and Why it Matters
When Marina Silva was still Brazil’s environment minister, she took a trip to the Xingu River in the Amazon. On the day she began her travels, José Dirceu, President Lula’s incorrigible former chief of staff, invited Germano Rigotto, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, to fly to Brasilia. The g... Continue Reading
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