Monthly Archives: July 2004

Mexico and Cuba Welcome Back Ambassadors:

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Lindsay Thomas
July 30, 2004

Will Mexico Prove its Independence or Defer to Washington’s Confrontational Havana Policies? Now Available Online: “Washington Unmakes Guatemala, 1954″ By COHA Research Fellow Matthew Ward Mexican-Cuban diplomatic relations fully restored with the reinstatement of ambassadors on July 26. Ties between the two Latin American nations have traditionally been characterized as close but cautious, but Mexico suspended diplomatic ties with Havana in May of this year. Mexico cannot expect to court the U.S. while simultaneously...

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Mexican Truck Saga Indicative of the Power NAFTA Wields in U.S. Politics

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Abigail Jones
July 29, 2004

As Democrats and Republicans vie for U.S. political power the implementation of NAFTA provisions is aggressively manipulated to fit opposing ideological agendas. Left-leaning interests – namely unions and the environment – enjoyed protection under Clinton and now suffer under Bush, as the current U.S. President advocates on behalf of his well-heeled constituency. Drug and human trafficking are expected to spike to unprecedented levels once the trucks begin to roll. This administration has yet to...

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Guyana: Born a Broken Nation, Always a Broken Nation?

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Lauren Schmale
July 29, 2004

A country riddled with racial conflicts rooted deep in its history struggles to establish a working democracy. After decades without political inter-dependence and cooperation, Guyana is at a loss for mending its most pressing economic and societal issues. Poverty on the rise – a difficult problem to curb considering the nation’s persistent political duels. President Jagdeo’s formation of the Ethnic Relations Commission and the Disciplined Forces Commission gives some hope for peace and change...

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After the Fact, the International Community Moves to Bail Out Its Counterfeit Protégé in Port-au-Prince

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associates Kirstin Kramer, Alicia Paez and Ginger Smith
July 27, 2004

Chile’s Juan Gabriél Valdés takes over as UN Special Envoy for Haiti, bringing hope that the international community led by Secretary General Kofi Annan will improve upon its deeply troubling previous behavior. Chile’s President Ricardo Lagos and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have been given an opportunity to expiate their sins against Haiti, and in Lagos’ case, his act of perfidy against Valdés and Chile’s honor. The June 27 arrest of former Haitian Prime...

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President Lagos, Chile’s Tony Blair, Visits Washington

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Will Conkling
July 20, 2004

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos’ foreign and domestic policy is rapidly gaining his country a reputation as Washington’s lap dog. Chilean President Ricardo Lagos came to the White House yesterday to meet President Bush and discuss “democracy and trade relations in the Western Hemisphere as well as expanding economic opportunity in the region.” After this meeting Lagos convened with key U.S. foreign policy officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice...

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