Twitter: latamthought- MT @FrancMex: Mexico's competition watchdog has upheld a fine of almost $1 billion against Telcel, Carlos Slim's mobile phone company.
- Relatively detailed account of money laundering from Guatemala to Panama http://t.co/Whkxu19p
- Via @RioGringa: Symbolism really does matter http://t.co/JI0xxewE
- Blog: Mexico dodges a bullet http://t.co/mbgZOYcA
Author Archives: Sebastian Chaskel
Do Colombians Care About Democratic Values and Human Rights?
Recently released Gallup opinion data on Colombia received media attention because it is the first to show that if President Uribe were not to run again for the presidency and the elections were to take place tomorrow, Sergio Fajardo and Juan Manuel Santos would be toe to toe for the presidency. However, the data has [...]
Posted in Colombia Tagged corruption, democracy, Human Rights, Operation Jaque, polling data, Uribe Leave a comment
The End of the Drug War?
U.S. policy on drugs is as close to center stage as it has been probably since ten years ago, when Plan Colombia was first debated in Congress. This is mostly due to the rising levels of violence in Mexico, with over 6,000 people murdered last year in drug-related killings, and the crossing of [...]
El Salvador and U.S. dependence
It has become a cliché to say that Latin America is no longer the United States’ backyard. An Inter-American Dialogue report that came out yesterday mentions “[t]he growing assertiveness and independence of Latin America and the Caribbean,” as well as the “declining ability of the United States to exert authority and shape outcomes in the [...]
Creative thinking on the drug war?
The taboo that kept some from outright admitting that current antinarcotics policies have failed has all but disappeared. A recent report by former Brazilian President Crdoso, former Colombian President Gaviria, and former Mexican President Zedillo made precisely this point and an op-ed by the three this week in the WSJ with the headline “The War [...]
Venezuela Referendum 2009: Why it matters
Some have argued that the upcoming referendum this Sunday in Venezuela is not all that significant, pointing out that if Chavez loses he will simply try again until he succeeds or that Venezuela’s economic situation is so dire that even if he wins, the next few years will overshadow this particular referendum. While I believe [...]
Latin America as a Role Model for Drug Policy
“Cardoso, Gaviria, Zedillo Urge Obama to Decriminalize Marijuana” read the Bloomberg News headline today on a new report released by The Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, a group led by former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, and former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, on the future of counternarcotics strategies. [...]
Chavez and Anti-Semitism in Venezuela
In the past few days Venezuelan President Chavez has been accused by many of instigating the attacks on the oldest synagogue in Caracas last Friday, which left damaged Torahs and graffiti on walls with statements such as “Get out, Jews!” While the accusations have focused mostly on Chavez’s statements on the recent events with Gaza [...]
The Role of the State and the Black Markets of La Guajira
Riding in an old Renault at night in La Guajira, Colombia’s northernmost state, our driver, Edison, recognizes an opportunity to fill up his tank not by Chevron, Shell, or Texaco signs over a gas station, but by the sight of a large red plastic container under the only lit lightbulb in sight on the side [...]
Posted in Colombia, Venezuela Tagged Alvaro Uribe, Black Markets, border issues, drug war, Hugo Chavez, Oil Leave a comment
LASA: Some thoughts on security in Brazil and Central America