All Eyes on Brazil

1 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/43548/
2 http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1430677720090818

i http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6900JW20101001
ii http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704791004575520171395595534.html

A Democratic Dictator? Unhelpful Caricatures and Venezuelan Democracy

i - The Guardian. ‘Are you a Chavista?’ September 27th, 2010. ‘http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2010/sep/27/venezuela-hugo-chavez

ii - Wall Street Journal. ‘Venezuelans Cast Parliamentary Votes’ September 27th, 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704760704575515722977805594.html?mod=WSJ_World_LEFTSecondNews

Venezuela's Parliamentary Elections: Everybody Wins

i- http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press_releases/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-353/10

ii- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4487686.stm

iii- http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/world/101497344.html

iv- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11423927

v- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4496586.stm

vi- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11416238 and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4496586.stm

vii- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11423927

viii- For example, see http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/23/chavezs-fraud-game/

ix- http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/21/1836039/election-observers-coming-to-venezuela.html

x- http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5600

xi- http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b40e945e-c9c2-11df-b3d6-00144feab49a.html and http://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/news/peace_publications/democracy/venezuela_2006_eng.pdf

xii- http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/09/02/eco_ava_cne:-oposicion-tiene_02A4420731.shtml

xiii- http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5627 and http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/27/world/main6903849.shtml

xiv- http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/capriles/cadena-global/detalle.aspx?idart=3355726&idcat=56657&tipo=2

xv- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/27/world/main6903849.shtml

Venezuela’s Communes: Not as Radical as You Might Think

1 Kennis, Andrew “The Quiet Revolution: Venezuelans Experiment wth Participatory Democracy,” Venezuelanalysis.com, 2010, http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5558.

2 “Venezuela's politics: Commune-ism,” The Economist, 2010, http://www.economist.com/node/16595071.

3 Giusti, Roberto “Ley de Comunas amenaza la democracia,” La Prensa (Managua, July 5, 2010), sec. Internacionales:12A, http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2010/07/05/internacionales/30342.

4Lerner, Josh “Communal Councils in Venezuela: Can 200 Families Revolutionize Democracy?,” Venezuelanalysis.com, 2007, venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2257.

5 For example, see "“Consejos comunales de Monagas reciben recursos para desarrollar hábitat,” Agencia Venezolana de Noticias, 2010, http://www.avn.info.ve/node/9159, “ONA y consejos comunales impulsan lucha contra la drogas con más deporte,” Agencia Venezolana de Noticias, 2010, http://www.avn.info.ve/node/12458, and Trujillo: Mas de BS.F 40 milliones fueron destinados a proyectos de vivienda,” Radio Nacional de Venezuela, 2010, http://www.rnv.gov.ve/noticias/index.php?act=ST&f=19&t=135162.

6 López, Jaime “Venezuela aprueba la primera ley sobre comunas y busca legalizar el trueque,” El Mundo, 2010, http://www.elmundo.es/america/2010/06/23/venezuela/1277310400.html. and Kennis 2010. The former article cites 11,761 councils. The later cites 30,179 (with 500 more moving through the registration process).
7 Kennis 2010

8 López 2010.

9 For example, see “PCV niega que con nuevas leyes se implante comunismo,” El Tiempo, 2010, http://www.eltiempo.com.ve/noticias/default.asp?id=340144.

10 López 2010.

11 “Venezuela's politics: Commune-ism,” The Economist, 2010, http://www.economist.com/node/16595071.

12 Baicocchi 2003, Dennisi Rodgers,, Subverting the Spaces of Invitation? Local Politics and Participatory Budgeting in Post-Crisis in Buenos Aires (London: Crisis States Research Center, 2005), and Yves Cabannes, “Participatory budgeting: a significant contribution to participatory democracy,” Environment and Urbanization 16, no. 27 (2004): 27-46. See Cabannes 2004 for a full list of the Latin American cities in which participatory budgeting programs have been tried, and details on each program.

13 Forero, Juan “Venezuela Lets Councils Bloom,” The Washington Post, 2007, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/16/AR2007051602547.html and Pearson, Tamara, “Venezuela’s Reformed Communal Council Law: When Laws Aren’t Just for Lawyers and Power Is Public,” Venezuelanalysis.com, 2009, http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4980.

14 Pascal Fletcher, “Chavez communes stoke Venezuela democracy debate,” Reuters, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66E7E420100715.

15 Ibid. and Pascal Fletcher, “Chavez communes stoke Venezuela democracy debate,” Reuters, 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66E7E420100715.

16 López 2010

17 Baiocchi, Gianpaolo, “Participation, Activism, and Politics: The Porto Alegre Experiment,” in Deepening Democracy: Institutional Innovations in Empowered Particpatory Governance, ed. Archon Fung and Erik Olin Wright, The Real Utopias Project (New York: Verso, 2003), 45-76.

18 Baiocchi 2003.

19 Baiocchi 2003.

20 A number of other studies have supported the conclusion that the Brazilian paticipatory budger process has been overwhelmingly positive for its community. For example, see Leonora angeles, “Democratizing Regional Govenrance: Constraints and Opportunities for Brazilian and Other Metropolitan Regions in Latin America” (presented at the Congress of the Latin American Studies Association, Rio De Janeiro, June 11, 2009), Benjamin Goldfrank “Lessons from Latin American Experience in Particpatory Budgeting” (presented at the Latin American Studies Association Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 2006), Frank Fischer, Participatory Governance, Jerusalem Papers in Regulation and Governance (Jerusalem: Jerusalem Forum on Regulation and Governance, 2010), and Participatory Governance and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Economic and Social Affairs (New York: United Nations, 2008).

21 Baicocchi 2003, Dennis Rodgers, Subverting the Spaces of Invitation? Local Politics and Participatory Budgeting in Post-Crisis in Buenos Aires (London: Crisis States Research Center, 2005), and Yves Cabannes, “Participatory budgeting: a significant contribution to participatory democracy,” Environment and Urbanization 16, no. 27 (2004): 27-46. See Cabannes 2004 for a full list of the Latin American cities in which particpatory budgeting programs have been tried, and details on each program.

22 Goldfrank 2006.
23 Fischer 2010.

Consequences of the State’s Negligence to Lower Gas Export Prices

SOURCES:
http://www.economist.com/node/16281343?story_id=16281343&fsrc=rss

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2322651820100624

http://www.larepublica.pe/economia/23/08/2010/gas-seguira-siendo-mas-caro-para-peruanos
http://e.larepublica.pe/image/2010/agosto/23/eco01.jpg

http://viewswire.eiu.com/index.asp?layout=ib3Article&pubtypeid=1142462499&article_id=1257319110&fs=true&rf=0

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51443

http://www.amazonwatch.org/amazon/PE/camisea/

________________________________________________

NOTES

In January 2006, Hunt Oil broke ground on a $1 billion plant to liquefy natural gas for export to planned markets in mainland Mexico and Western United States.

The government doent seem to be pursuing any changes to these contracts so that the price of (natural) gas bought for exports is not too different from the price of the gas bought for domestic (clients)," García told reporters. He said that Peru would seek to reach an agreement with natural gas companies because he does not want investors to take Peru to court for breach of contract.

Para mas informacion puedes revisar: los articulos de Humberto campodonico, en el diario la republica, alli estan sus articulos sobre el tema en los ultimos 3 meses han sido varios. Su columna se llama cristal de mira. Tambien esta el ing. carlos herrera descalzi, del colegio de ingenieros del peru. En la web de Propuesta ciudadana hay un documento llamado "gas de camisea" entre la exportacion y el mercado interno que tiene informacion que puede ser util.

Producto de las protestas en la provincia de La Convencion en el cusco, el gobierno ha sacado otro decreto supremo estableciendo que el gas del lote 88 quedara exclusivamente para el mercado interno, ya no se exportara. Ahora falta que el gobierno negocio esto con el consorcio camisea.

En tu opinion experta, se lograra que suban los precios del gas natural exportado del lote 88, o parece ser improbable dada la poca voluntad politica?
En relacion al precio de exportacion. El cuestionamiento vino porque actualmente el precio Henry Hub del gas al que se empezo a exportar esta bajo (alrededor de 4 dolares), lo que descontando los costos de transporte y otros dan un precio en boca de pozo de 0.54 +- dolares por millon de BTU (y la regalia resultante para el estado 0.14 centavos), cuando el mercado interno esta pagando mas (entre 1 y 2.5 dolares). Por eso hace poco ante los reclamos del sur del pais el gobierno emitio un decreto supremo estableciendo que la regalia que paga la exportacion no sera en promedio menor que la que paga el mercado interno. En boca de pozo quiere decir, en el lugar donde se extrae el gas del subsuelo.

[3] Maybe the price paid by foreign importers is in fact not equal to the world price, but rather some kind of negotiated price that gives the foreign buyers a very sweet deal. This could give you the gap you describe regardless of the royalty rate. What is happening is that domestic firms selling a bunch of exports to favored buyers -- who happen to be foreign -- at a loss. You would want to know why that sweet deal is in place: is it permanent, was it a condition of attracting foreign investment, etc.


The urgency of this matter has even made it a prominent issue in the upcoming Peruvian presidential elections of 2001. With the exploitation of natural resources likely to be a central issue in the presidential election, Mr Humala's radical position (he has promised to turn Block 88 of the Camisea field, which is currently destined for exports, over to supply the domestic market) may prove attractive in some parts of the country. Against this backdrop, the current government and the Camisea Consortium may look to speed up a new agreement and avoid further confrontation.

To avoid the loss of the 3,750$, the Peruvian government would have to enforce a reduction in domestic taxes on natural gas, or regulate or constrain the ability of natural gas producers to charge higher prices to Peruvians than to foreign importers.

know you don't have time for it at the moment, but Paul Collier's recent book The Plundered Planet would be a good source. I think he argues there that many countries charge too low a royalty rate, in effect giving away their natural resources too cheaply.

--High domestic prices discourage the consumption of natural gas and its use in production, and encourage the substitution of other forms of energy. Environmental impacts depend on comparing natural gas with other energy sources.

Further adverse fiscal impacts could come from a higher cost of borrowing in international markets, because of lower creditworthiness associated with the weaker revenue base.

Suriname Elects the Country’s Most Controversial Political Figure as President

i “Collaboration between Anton de Kom university and VU University of Amsterdam,” January 2009. http://www.cis.vu.nl/en/our-expertise/education-and-development/current-projects/surinam-project/index.asp. (9 August 2010).

ii Badawy Manuela, “Investors Cool to Suriname Presidential Choice.” Forexyard. 30 July 2010. http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/ANALYSIS-Investors-cool-to-Suriname-presidential-choice-2010-07-29T215347Z. (29 September 2010).

iii Riley, Brendan. “Nicaragua and ALBANISA: The Privatization of Venezuelan Aid.” Council on Hemispheric Affairs, 13 August 2010. http://www.coha.org/nicaragua-albanisa-the-privatization-of-venezuelan-aid/. (16 August 2010).

iv “Ex-Suriname Head Faces Murder Trial.” 2 February 2009. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/02/2009220201340400544.html. (2 August 2010).

Hardline Immigration Reform: Misconceptions and National Identity

1 Goodnough, Abby. Surprising Immigration Crackdown Advances. The New York Times, June 10, 2010. Available online: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/us/11boston.html
Ibid. Massachusets: Immigration Crackdown is Eased. The New York Times, June 27, 2010. Available online: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/us/25brfs-IMMIGRANTCRA_BRF.html

2 Powell, Benjamin, An Economic Case for Immigration. Library of Economics and Liberty. (2010). Available online: http://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2010/Powellimmigration.html

3 Wall, Steven. No Social Security number? Use ITIN to pay federal income taxes. LexisNexis News, April 10, 2010. Available online: http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=27009&docId=l:1160893321&start=6

4 Immigrants and Crime: Are they Connected? Immigration Fact Check. Immigration Policy Center, (2008). Available online: http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/docs/Crime%20Fact%20Check%2012-12-07.pdf

5 Boerman, T, Central American Gangs: An Overview of the Phenomenon in Latin America and the U.S. Journal of Gang Research, 15(1), (2007). Pp. 35-32.

6 Passel, Jeffrey S. The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S.: Estimates Based on the March 2005 Current Population Survey. Pew Hispanic Center, (2006). Available online: http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf

7 H-2B Program: Access to seasonal workers to fill temporary positions during peak business periods is critical to the American lodging industry. American Hotel and Lodging Association, (2009). Available online: http://www.ahla.com/issuebrief.aspx?id=19512

8 Price, Michelle. In Arizona, A call to redefine citizen. The Boston Globe, June 16, 2010. Available online: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/06/16/in_ariz_a_call_to_redefine_citizen/?camp=obinsite
Available online: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/06/16/in_ariz_a_call_to_redefine_citizen/?camp=obinsite

No Justice for Nicaraguan Banana Workers

1 “US judge overturns Dole Nicaragua banana ruling,” BBC News, July 13, 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10660068.

2 “1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane (DBCP),” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Technology Transfer Network-Air Toxics Web Site, http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/dibromo-.html. The EPA’s web site cites the following for this data: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Toxicological Profile for 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA. 1992.

3 “Nicaragua/bananeros: año sin respuesta,” BBC Mundo, March, 28, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_4376000/4376031.stm.

4 “Victims of Nemagon Hit the Road,” Revista Envío, No. 287, June 2005. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/2972.

5 Some also claim that DBCP was used in Nicaragua until 1992. It is also worth noting that there are reports of nationalized banana companies using these pesticides.

6 "Chemical Information: 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane (DBCP." Center for Disease Control and Prevention. April 13, 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/data_tables/DBCP_ChemicalInformation.html

7 "1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane (DBCP)," Environmental Protection Agency. November 6, 2007. http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/dibromo-.html

8 H. Babich, D.L. Davis, and G. Stotzky, "Dibromochloropropane (DBCP): a review", Sci Total Environ. 1981 Mar;17(3):207-21. Abstract available at the National Center for Biotechnology Information website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7015501

9 For more information on DBCP and studies concerning its toxicity, please see the following sources: CDC; EPA; NCBI; Heather Clark and
Suzanne Snedeker, "An Evaluation of Dibromochloropropane (DBCP)", Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State, July 2004, available at http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/pesticide/fs50.dbcp.cfm

10 “Victims of Nemagon Hit the Road.”

11 Giorgio Trucchi, “Afectados por el Nemagón nuevamente en marcha,” América Latina en Movimiento, June 4, 2007. http://alainet.org/active/17911&lang=es.

12 “Victims of Nemagon Hit the Road.”

13 BBC reports that 468 victims were awarded the compensation. “Nicaragua/bananeros: año sin respuesta.”

14 “Dole se defiende,” BBC Mundo, March 28, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_4376000/4376421.stm.

15 Trucchi.

16 “Gobierno ‘de manos atadas,’” BBC Mundo, March 28, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_4376000/4376951.stm.

17 “Victims of Nemagon Hit the Road.”

18 Translated from “Gobierno ‘de manos atadas.’” Original text: “…Pero el gobierno no tiene su representación, pues es un problema individual, personal, con la compañía a quien se demanda.”

19 Translated from “Gobierno ‘de manos atadas.’” Original text: “…nuestros brazos no alcanzan a llegar a las fuentes de poder en otros países.”

20 “Banana Workers Get $3.3M In Pesticide Case,” CBS News, November 5, 2007. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/05/business/main3454902.shtml.

21 “Oral Ruling,” Mejía v. Dole, et al., April 23, 2009, 5-6, http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CBsQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dole.com%2Fservedocument.aspx%3Ffp%3Ddocuments%2Fdole%2F04-23-09_Chaney_Oral_Ruling.pdf&ei=tXJhTLuiF4T48AbYjuGwCg&usg=AFQjCNEbqysEAPUGUOaXA_OT36E1s5Hp-g&sig2=8An2VLYDD2O2a6AdwnxwoA.

22 Anthony McCartney, “LA judge in Banana Workers Case Cites Threats,” ABC News, June 7, 2010. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10851148.

23 Marcos Alemán, “Nicaraguan banana workers deny they conspired in fraud to win pesticides case against Dole,” The Washington Examiner, May 14th, 2009. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/ap/nicaraguan-banana-workers-deny-they-conspired-in-fraud-to-win-pesticides-case-against-dole-93824874.html#ixzz0oBjCUsgg.

24 “Gobierno ‘de manos atadas.’”

The Dominican Republic and Haiti After the Earthquake Nervous Ties and Fractious Tensions Persist

1 http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/16/1734536/six-months-after-the-earthquake.html

2 http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/12/president-obama-president-fernandez-meet-trade-drug-trafficking-and-haiti

3 http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2010/7/27/36461/The-US-pledges-to-help-Dominican-Republic-on-aid-for-Haiti

4http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2010/7/30/36492/Officials-says-agenda-for-Haitian-Dominican-leaders-meeting-is-ready

5 UNDP report p. 89 translation

6 UNDP report p. 99 translation

7http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2010/08/09/haitian_children_turn_to_begging_in_dr_after_quake/

Expanding Alliances in the 21st Century: The U.S. and Brazil Unite to Address Overlapping Matters of National Security

1. “Brazil: Foreign Military Influence,” April 1997, http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-1795.html (24 May 2010)

2. “The Terrorist Enemy: Defining the Enemy,” http://www.state.gov/s/ct/enemy/index.htm (24 May 2010)

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. “A U.S. base in Rio?” http://www.cipcol.org/?p=1455 (24 May 2010)

7. “U.S.- Brazil Defense Cooperation Agreement,” 12 April 2010, http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-1795.html (24 May 2010)

8. “Foreign Policy Overview,” http://www.brasilemb.org/foreign-policy/overview (24 May 2010)

9. John G. Ikenberry "Liberal Order Building." To Lead the World. Oxford: Melvyn P. Leffler and Jefferey W. Legro, 2008, p. 94.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid. p. 100.

12. Sara Miller Llana and Andrew Downie, “Why Brazil Signed a Military Agreement with the US,” 13 April 2010, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0413/Why-Brazil-signed-a-military-agreement-with-the-US (24 May 2010)

Inhumane, Ineffective, Intolerable: Prisons of a Rising Power

(1) Branford, Becky, “Brazil’s ‘Medieval’ Prisons,” BBC News, 2 June 2004, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3768145.stm


(2) Brazil Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review, First session of the UPR Working Group, 7-11 April 2008, AI Index: AMR 19/023/2007, pp. 4, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/amr19/023/2007/en/5f56cf8e-a2bf-11dc-8d74-6f45f39984e5/amr190232007en.pdf


(3) 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Brazil, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 25 February 2009, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/wha/119150.htm

(4) “One in Five: The crisis in Brazil’s prisons and criminal justice system,” International Bar Association, Human Rights Institute Report, February 2010, pp. 15

(5) Barrionuevo, Alexei, “Rape of Girl, 15, Exposes Abuses in Brazil Prison System,” New York Times, 12 Dec 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/world/americas/12brazil.html

(6) “Tackling the Chaos in Brazil’s Prisons,” The Economist, 22 Feb 2001, http://www.economist.com/node/511505

(7) Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Mr. Philip Alston, Mission to Brazil, A/HRC/11/2/Add.2 future, 28 August 2008, pp. 26, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/11session/a.hrc.11.2.add.2_en.pdf

(8) Amnesty International Report 2010: The State of the World’s Human Rights, AI Index: POL 10/001/2010, pp. 85, http://thereport.amnesty.org/sites/default/files/air2010_az_en.pdf#page=31

(9) “Tackling the Chaos”

(10) “One in Five,” pp. 7

(11) “One in Five,” pp. 11

(12) “No One Here Sleeps Safely: Human rights violations against detainees,” 23 June 1999, AI Index: AMR 19/09/99, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/amr19/009/1999/en/b659eadf-e1e1-11dd-a03a-6b5b1e49bce3/amr190091999en.pdf

(13) Amnesty International Report 2010, pp. 85

(14) “One in Five,” pp. 12

(15) “One in Five,” pp. 33

(16) “Tackling the Chaos”

(17) “One in Five,” pp. 5

(18) “One in Five,” pp. 7

(19) “One in Five,” pp. 8

(20) See “Not-so-swift justice,” The Economist, 25 Mar 2004, http://www.economist.com/node/2542089

(21) Branford, “Brazil’s ‘Medieval’ Prisons”

(22) “One in Five,” pp. 52

(23) “One in Five,” pp. 17

(24) “In the House of Horror,” The Economist, 9 Nov 2000, http://www.economist.com/node/417839

(25) “One in Five,” pp. 7

Nicaragua & ALBANISA: The Privatization of Venezuelan Aid

1. “The Sea, the Ship, and the Uncertain Course,” Revista Envío, May 2008, Number 322. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/3775

2. “Comptroller’s Office to Audit ALBANISA,” NicaNet, February 9, 2010. http://www.nicanet.org/?p=915

3. Tim Rogers, “Gov’t: Power Blackouts to End Dec. 1,” Nica Times, November 9-15, 2007. http://www.nicatimes.net/nicaarchive/110907.htm

4. Luis Galeano and José Adán Silva, “Apartan a Chico López,” El Nuevo Diario, December 27, 2009. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/64891

5. “Reported embezzlement at ALBA in Nicaragua,” El Universal, December 29, 2009. http://english.eluniversal.com/2009/12/29/en_eco_art_reported-embezzlemen_29A3239051.shtml

6. Figure calculated using exchange rate from January 2009 (http://www.exchange-rates.org/history/NIO/USD/T). The córdoba has hovered around an exchange rate of 20:1 U.S. for the past couple years, but it continues to lose its value.

7. Translation of statement by Rafael Paniagua, quoted in: “Alemán rechaza palabras de representante del ALBA,” El Nuevo Herald, February 1, 2010. http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2010/02/01/643153/aleman-rechaza-palabras-de-representante.html#storylink=rss

8. Translated from quotes in: “Arce: “está loco” el ejecutivo del ALBA,” Radio La Primerísima, February 2, 2010. http://www.rlp.com.ni/noticias/69828

9. “Nicaragua News Bulletin: 6. Channel 8 purchased by Sandinista group,” NicaNet, January 26, 2010. http://www.nicanet.org/?p=906

10. Ibid.

11. Luis Galeano, “Albanisa es un pulpo,” El Nuevo Diario, September 28, 2009. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/58180

12. “CGR auditará ALBA, NISA,” Radio La Primerísima, February 4, 2010. http://www.radiolaprimerisima.com/noticias/general/70020

13. “Nicaragua: Alba cooperation under the spotlight,” Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, February 2010, RC-10-02.

14. Victor Hugo Tinoco, “Corruption is the Most Serious Aspect of the Ortega-Chávez Relationship,” Revista Envío, September 2009, Number 338. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/4061

15. “Nicaragua: Alba cooperation under the spotlight.”

16. Galeano.

17. “Nicaragua: Alba cooperation deepens,” Latin American Weekly Report, November 19, 2009, WR-09-46.

18. “What Surprises Will the End of this Third Year Bring?”Revista Envío, October 2009, Number 339. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/4075

19. “Venezuelan aid for Nicaragua,” LatinNews Daily, June 15, 2009.

20. “Selection indicators,” The Millenium Challenge Corporation. http://www.mcc.gov/mcc/selection/indicators/index.shtml

21. “Nicaragua: IMF visit inconclusive,” Latin American Weekly Report, March 13, 2008, WR-08-10.

22. “Nicaragua: Questions surround funding for fuel subsidies,” Latin American Weekly Report, March 22, 2008, WR-08-20.

23. Hugo Tinoco.

24. “Nicaragua: ‘Alba’ bonuses stall talks with IMF,” Latin American Weekly Report, May 13, 2010, WR-10-19.

25. Translated from the following: “Si Albanisa fuese una empresa transnacional, ustedes creen que va a facilitar para mejorar el salario de los trabajadores, ¿cuándo?” cited from “Ortega reta a transnacionales repartir riqueza como Albanisa,” Radio la Primerísima, May 8, 2010. http://www.radiolaprimerisima.com/noticias/general/76131

PRI Began its Ascent to Power as U.S. Looks for Formula to Bring Down Mexican Drug Syndicates

[1] Mitofsky is a polling organization founded by Warren Mitofsky, who is often regarded as: “The founding father of exit polling.”

[2] BGC is a global consulting and finance firm. Excelsior is a polling company based in the Netherlands.

[3] U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation: Next Steps for the Merida Initiative. 111^th Cong., 2^nd sess., (2010) (Testimony of Shannon O’Neil). The proposals in this section are compiled from testimony to the Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere; and Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism.

[4] Mascaro, Lisa. Senate Passes Border Security Bill. August 13, 2010. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-border-security-20100813,0,6127202.story (accessed August 13, 2010).

Pacific Rim v. El Salvador and the Perils of Free Trade in the Americas

1. Barack Obama, “Why I oppose CAFTA”, Chicago Tribune, June 30, 2005, Commentary section.

2. Alexis Stoumbelis, “Landmark hearing begins at World Bank arbitration center,” CISPES, http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=715.

3. Robert E. Moran, “Technical Review of the El Dorado Mine Project Environmental Assessment (EIA), El Salvador,” October 2005, http://www.miningwatch.ca/en/technical-review-el-dorado-mine-project-environmental-impact-assessment-eia-el-salvador.

4. Ibid.

5. “El Dorado, El Salvador,” Pacific Rim Mining Corp, http://www.pacrim-mining.com/s/ES_Eldorado.asp.

6. Cameron Herrington, interview by author, June 28, 2010.

7. Moran

8. Raúl Gutiérrez, “Gold Mining ‘Is a Huge Rip-Off’ - Environmentalists,” Inter-Press Service, December 8, 2008, http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45035.

9. Cited in Moran

10. Keith Slack, interview by author, July 13, 2010.

11. “Metals, Mining, and Sustainable Development in Central America,” OxFam America, February 17, 2009, http://www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/metals-mining-and-sustainable-development-in-central-america.

12. “El Dorado, El Salvador”

13. Zach Dyer, “El Salvador Faces CAFTA Suit Over Mine Project,” NACLA, February 6, 2009, http://nacla.org/node/5499.

14. Travis McArthur, “CAFTA Case Challenges Mining Laws,” Public Citizen, June 4, 2010, http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2010/06/cafta-case-challenges-mining-laws.html.

15. Mary O’Grady, “Will El Salvador Veer Left?,” The Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2008, Americas section, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122990333544725099.html?mod=googlenews_wsj.

16. O’Grady

17. McArthur

18. “El Dorado, El Salvador”

19. Lee Hudson Teslkik, “Fast-Track Trade Promotion Authority and Its Impact on U.S. Trade Policy,” Council on Foreign Relations, June 25, 2007, http://www.cfr.org/publication/13663/fasttrack_trade_promotion_authority_and_its_impact_on_us_trade_policy.html.

20. David Ratner and Robert E. Scott, “NAFTA’s cautionary tale: Recent history suggests CAFTA could lead to further U.S. job displacement,” Economic Policy Institute, July 20, 2005, http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/ib214/.

21. “Overview,” Pacific Rim Mining Corp, http://www.pacrim-mining.com/s/AboutUs_Overview.asp.

22. Sarah Anderson, Manuel Perez-Rocha, and Rebecca Dreyfus, “Mining for Profits in International Tribunals,” Institute for Policy Studies, April 29, 2010, http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/mining_for_profits_in_international_tribunals.

23. Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement, August 2, 2005, ch. 10, http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/cafta-dr-dominican-republic-central-america-fta/final-text.

24. Karyn Keenan, “Canadian Mining: Still Unaccountable,” NACLA, May/June 2010, http://nacla.org/node/6555.

25. Ibid.

Peeling Back the Truth on Guatemalan Bananas

1. Dan Koeppel, Banana-the Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2008). [Hereafter: (Koeppel, 2008).]

2. Banana Republic was first used by O. Henry, Cabbages and Kings

3. (Koeppel, 2008).

4. P. Landmeier, Banana Republic: The United Fruit Company, April 22, 2010, http://www.mayaparadise.com/united_fruit_company.htm (accessed June 15, 2010).

5. T. Barry, Roots of Rebellion (Boston, MA: South End Press, 1987).

6. Commonly known as the Truth Commission.

7. Guatemala Human Rights Commission / USA, Labor Rights in Guatemala, October 25, 2009, http://www.ghrc-usa.org/Publications/factsheet_LaborRights.pdf (accessed May 21, 2010). [Hereafter: (GHRC 2009).]

8. Information found from personal exploration of grocery stores around the U.S. Maybe state this in a more informal way in the sentence, perhaps… “those who frequent grocery stores may notice that prices do not vary much…”

9. Mongabay.com, Banana US Price Chart, June 10, 2010, http://www.mongabay.com/images/commodities/charts/chart-bananas_us.html (accessed June 16, 2010). No guarantee as to the accuracy of this statistic.

10. www.fairtrade.org.uk

11. A German company that at the time was owned by Dole.

12. http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2008/10/commission-fines-banana-cartel/62671.aspx

13. Not including the companies’ extra profits.

14. Office of the United States Trade Representative, Guatemala, July 23, 2009, http://www.ustr.gov/countries-regions/americas/guatemala (accessed May 21, 2010).

15. This information is from an interview with Manuela Chavéz and the documentation she provided.

16. (GHRC 2009).

17. 40% of the population does not even receive minimum wage. UNDP, Human Development Report, 2005

18. (GHRC 2009).

19. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2008)

20. (GHRC 2009).

21. (GHRC 2009).

22. Reports differ depending on the newspaper and article.

23. Freedom of Association and collective violation (ILO)

24. At minimum, kindergarten.

25. From an interview with Manuela Chavéz on June 10, 2010

Venezuela's Media War: Is the Internet the Next Battleground?

1. “Web 2.0 versus Control 2.0,” Reporters Without Borders, 18 March 2010, http://en.rsf.org/web-2-0-versus-control-2-0-18-03-2010,36697

2. “Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez Takes To Twitter,” USA Today, 29 April 2010, http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2010-04-28-venezuela-chavez-twitter_N.htm

3. “False posts cannot be used to justify arbitrary control over the internet,” Reporters Without Borders, 15 March 2010, http://en.rsf.org/venezuela-false-posts-cannot-be-used-to-15-03-2010,36737.html

4. Rory Carroll, “Hugo Chávez embraces Twitter to fight online ‘conspiracy,’” The Guardian, 28 April 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/28/hugo-chavez-twitter-venezuela

5. Nick Allen, “Hugo Chavez to join Twitter,” Telegraph, 27 April 2010, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/7637168/Hugo-Chavez-to-join-Twitter.html

6. “Chavez Strikes Back at Critics With His Own Blog,” Aol News, 22 March 2010, http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/venezuelas-president-hugo-chavez-strikes-back-at-critics-with-his-own-blog/19408903

7. Shane Richmond, “Hugo Chavez hires army of Twitter managers,” Telegraph Blogs, 9 May 2010, http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/100005100/hugo-chavez-hires-army-of-twitter-managers/

8. Frank Jack Daniels, “Venezuela denies plans to censor Internet,” National Post, 15 March 2010, http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2686264

9. “Venezuela’s Chavez Starts Blog – But Shuts Down Venezuela Websites Including LAHT for 2 days,” http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=357467&CategoryId=10717

10. Daniel Cancel and Corina Rodriguez Pons, “Venezuela to Set Currency Trading Band, Merentes Says,” Bloomberg Businessweek, 18 May 2010, http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-18/venezuela-to-set-currency-trading-band-merentes-says-update3-.html

11. José Luis Cordeiro, “Chávez inició la censura del Internet,” El Universal, 31 May 2010, http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/05/31/opi_art_chavez-inicio-la-cen_1912636.shtml

12. Corina Rodrigez Pons and Daniel Cancel, Bloomberg Businessweek, 14 June 2010, http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-14/chavez-s-popularity-rises-on-crackdown-as-gdp-suffers-update1-.html

This Ongoing Institutional Crisis Brought to You by Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega

1. Shelley A. McConnell, “Nicaragua’s Turning Point”, Current History, Volume 106, Number 697 (February 2007),86, http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=43C19796C2399B26BE00

2. Katherine Hoyt, “Parties and Pacts in Contemporary Nicaragua,” in Undoing Democracy, ed. David Close and Kalowatie Deonandan, (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2004), 23.

3. Tim Rogers, “Why Nicaragua’s Caged Bird Sings,” Time, May 2, 2007. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1616952,00.html?xid=rss-world

4. “Ortega’s Crab Dance”, The Economist, October 13, 2007, The Americas.

5. “How to steal an election; Nicaragua”, The Economist, November 15, 2008. The Americas.

6. “Nicaragua’s contested vote,” Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2008, Main News, Editorial pages desk, part A, pg 28.

7. “La Ley Orgánica de Poder Judicial/la Ley 260”, Título II, Artículo 31.

8. “La Ley de Amparo”, Tít. III, Cap. IV, Arto. 46.

9. “Nicaragua’s Chief Justice Denounces Pro-Ortega Ruling”, Latin American Herald Tribune, 20 Oct. 2009.

10. “Chaos All Around,” Revista Envío, March 2010, Number 334. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/4146

11. “Brochazos y Pinceladas,” Revista Envío, May 2010, Number 338. http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/4172

12. “Nicaragua: International Community Back on the Alert,” Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, May 2010, RC-10-05, ISSN 1465-0010.

13. Ibid.

14. “Opositores rechazan disolución del Parlamento,” La Prensa, May 27, 2010. http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2010/05/27/politica/25881

15. “Nicaragua’s Ortega to dissolve Congress?” LatinNews Daily, May 28, 2010. http://www.latinnews.com/ldb/LDB22113.asp?instance=11

16. Rory Carroll, “Oxfam targeted as Nicaragua attacks ‘trojan horse’ NGOs: Sandinista crackdown to ‘clean up’ political funding: Fears grow for freedom of speech and European aid,” The Guardian (London), October 14, 2007, Guardian International Pages, pg. 27.

17. Blake Schmidt, “Nicaraguan Former President Aleman Vows to Oust Sandinistas,” Bloomberg Businessweek, February 19, 2010. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-19/nicaraguan-former-president-aleman-vows-to-oust-sandinistas.html

Are Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales Enemies of the United States?

SOURCES

I want to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for the help of Susan Miller Kaplan, an expert librarian and researcher, who graciously took the time out on a Sunday afternoon (when she no doubt was cooking dinner for her family) to give me invaluable assistance in accessing articles on Latin America through Nexis – Lexis. Thank you again, Susan.

** In this paper, I use the word “American” interchangeably with U.S. to refer to residents or policies of the United States. However, I don’t mean to imply that we have exclusive ownership of the word “American.” I recall a conversation I had years ago with a student from Argentina who objected to my calling fellow citizens Americans. Citizens from Central and South America had just as much right to call themselves “Americans,” he argued. I agreed with him then and still do now.

1. The World Markets Research story, BBC Monitoring Service and the Associated Press story of 4/5/10 were accessed through Lexis- Nexis - http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/Inacademic/results/docview

Information for this paper also comes from various news articles and sources gathered from the Web sites of two highly respected research and advocacy organizations on Latin America:

2. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA)
1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW, suite 1C, Washington, D.C. 20036
www.coha.org

3. The InterAmerican Dialogue
1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW, suite 510, Washington, D.C. 20036
www.thedialogue. Org

4. The entry for Simon Bolivar in Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia
(2000 edition) reads in part: “The Liberator (1783 – 1830). Soldier and statesman who led the revolutions against Spanish rule in New Granada (now Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador), Peru and Upper Peru (now Bolivia).” Page 206.

5. “In Brazil, the ‘Middle Path’ Helps Expand the Middle Class, “ by Juan Forero. The Washington Post, 1/3/2010, page A6.

6. “Leader May Join ‘Responsible Left’ Bloc,” by Andes Oppenheimer.
The Oppenheimer Report, Miami Herald, 1/10/2010.

7. “A Quiet Revolution: Latin America’s Unheralded Progress,” by Francis Fukuyama. Foreign Affairs. November/December 2007, pages 177 – 182.
Foreign Affairs is a journal published six times a year by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Fukuyama is a professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. At one time he was prominently associated with the school of neoconservatives at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., who led the call for a U.S. invasion of Iraq. His comments were part of a review of a book by Michael Reid – Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America’s Soul.