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	<title>Council on Hemispheric Affairs &#187; Reports</title>
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	<link>http://www.coha.org</link>
	<description>COHA is an NGO specialized in monitoring Latin American and Canadian Relations for more than 30 years...</description>
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		<title>A Victory for Gay Rights in Latin America</title>
		<link>http://www.coha.org/latin-america-progresses-forward-a-victory-for-gay-rights/</link>
		<comments>http://www.coha.org/latin-america-progresses-forward-a-victory-for-gay-rights/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 20:31:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Brazil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COHA Research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.coha.org/?p=12729</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; The Brazilian Supreme Court’s recognition of same-sex unions in early May marks the latest victory for gay rights in Latin America. The Court’s ruling grants equal legal rights to same-sex civil unions as those enjoyed by married heterosexuals, including retirement benefits, joint tax declarations, inheritance rights, and child adoption. While the Supreme Court did not go so far as to legalize gay marriage, gay rights groups such as Rio de Janeiro’s Rainbow Group have nevertheless praised the decision as an “historic achievement.”1 The decision passed 10-0 with one abstention, but the justice who abstained had previously spoken in favor of same-sex unions. An Unlikely Victory As the world’s largest Roman Catholic country, Brazil was an unlikely venue for such a promising gay rights victory. The Roman Catholic Church has actively fought proposals for same-sex unions in Brazil, arguing that the Brazilian Constitution defines a “family entity” as “a stable union between a man and a woman.”2 The Catholic Church responded to the recent ruling with outrage. As Archbishop Anuar Battisti put it, the Supreme Court’s decision marked a “frontal assault” on the sanctity of the family.3 &#160; The Catholic Church is losing its power in Brazil, which helped pave [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>‘Death Squads’ Target Salvadoran Journalists</title>
		<link>http://www.coha.org/coha-memorandum-death-squads-target-salvadoran-journalists/</link>
		<comments>http://www.coha.org/coha-memorandum-death-squads-target-salvadoran-journalists/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 19:52:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[COHA Research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[El Salvador]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.coha.org/?p=12722</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Death threats targeting journalists were distressingly common during the tumultuous Salvadoran Civil War that took place in the late seventies and eighties. Over the course of the war, a total of twenty-five to thirty journalists fell victim to the various death squads operating in the country. Alarmingly, today in El Salvador, journalists are once again the objects of threats aimed at silencing human rights advocates working within its borders. On May 5th, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) posted an urgent notice stating that death threats have been issued against Radio Victoria journalists. &#160; Radio Victoria, based in the department of Cabañas, provides a critical source of news and information concerning the social, environmental, and controversial labor impacts of The Pacific Rim Mining Company.1 Radio Victoria’s forthright journalistic style and its tenacious anti-mining stance, as well as its vigorous investigative journalism, may have prompted these threats, which were issued undoubtedly in an effort to stifle freedom of expression. Despite national police security officers posted to stand guard outside the station, the anonymous &#8220;extermination group&#8221; has successfully delivered a series of threats both to the Cabañas office of the radio station and to the journalists’ personal phones via text [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Clearing Out without Cleaning Up: The U.S. and Vieques Island</title>
		<link>http://www.coha.org/clearing-out-without-cleaning-up-the-u-s-and-vieques-island/</link>
		<comments>http://www.coha.org/clearing-out-without-cleaning-up-the-u-s-and-vieques-island/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 18:58:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[COHA Research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Puerto Rico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.coha.org/?p=12688</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The island of Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, has long been known for its beauty and its distinct culture, which are unique to the island. The name of the island itself means “rich port” in Spanish, indicating that for years Puerto Rico has served as an economic asset for Spain and the U.S. and, more recently, as a tourist paradise in the Caribbean. The commonwealth of Puerto Rico historically has been subjected to abuse by foreign powers intent on exploiting its rich resources, including a small stretch of land off the island’s east coast called Vieques. The U.S. Navy made extensive use of Vieques for weapons testing up until 2003, when it abandoned the island without cleaning up the traces of years of gunnery practice and test bombings, which were capriciously left behind. The consequences of these bombings continue to surface as cancer rates and incidents of ecological damage begin to mount. U.S. Congressman Steve Rothman has said that, “The injustice toward the people of Vieques, Puerto Rico must end. The time for the U.S. government to right this wrong is long overdue.”1 This is a sentiment shared by thousands of Puerto Ricans who today seek to rectify the past [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
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		<title>Brazil&#8217;s Golden Age&#8211;or Parade of White Elephants?</title>
		<link>http://www.coha.org/brazils-golden-age-or-parade-of-white-elephants/</link>
		<comments>http://www.coha.org/brazils-golden-age-or-parade-of-white-elephants/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 18:17:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Brazil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COHA Research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.coha.org/?p=12678</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics Winning the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic bids continues to have both intended and unexpected consequences for this year’s miracle country. On November 28, 2010, Brazilian police and soldiers seized the Complexo do Alemão, a large favela in the Northern Zone of Rio, from drug lords. This may have marked a decisive turning point when it comes to safety and stability in the sprawling favela. With the drug lords displaced, Rio officials installed “Pacification Police Units”—or UPPs—which act as permanent military police centers for the city’s numerous favelas. Months after control had been wrested from drug paramilitary groups, citizens felt safer and far more content with the new UPPs, which should prevent the criminal lords from easily returning. The action was one of the more substantial public relations steps in Brazil’s recent efforts to prepare for its upcoming world spotlight. A part of Brazil’s national effort to prepare for the World Cup and Olympics includes preparing for the safety and success of the anticipated tourist flood. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signified that the UPPs would be a semi-permanent installation through the completion of the Olympics.1 Although the purge was not necessarily [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>Favela Tourism: Stranger than Fiction</title>
		<link>http://www.coha.org/favela-tourism-stranger-than-fiction/</link>
		<comments>http://www.coha.org/favela-tourism-stranger-than-fiction/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2011 14:03:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Brazil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COHA Research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.coha.org/?p=12634</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the wake of President Obama’s recent visit to Rio de Janeiro, which included a tour through the notorious City of God slum, questions have been raised regarding the fate of Brazil’s hill-draped favelas. Brazilian and foreign officials have expressed concern related to the crime-infested favelas, especially in light of the upcoming Brazil-hosted 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. In an effort to qualm international and domestic anxiety, municipal and federal forces are acting together to combat drug lords and rid favelas of potentially spoiling transgressors who could have a devastating impact on the country’s image. However, law enforcement agencies are not the only factions trying to bring about severely needed change. Favela tourism is also playing a role, with tourists acting alongside government officials to revise global attitudes toward these impoverished communities.  In this setting, tourism is helping to stimulate the traditionally hapless economies of the favelas. However, as it is not the official responsibility of foreign tourists to break down the barriers between favela residents and the rest of Brazilian society, Brasília is attempting to invest genuine enthusiasm in the renovation of favelas, beyond the current pacification programs, in which violence is freely used. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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