Category Archives: Colombia

The future of science in Colombia

By Aleszu Bajak | Published: May 21, 2012
Can Colombia attract top scientists and spur innovation? On a continent where Brazil, Chile and Argentina are home to distinguished research institutes and robust science budgets, Colombia is taking the cue to invest more in scientific research. Colciencias, the Colombian government’s science, technology and innovation department, is petitioning for a larger budget and has planned a [...]
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Colombia on the International Stage

By Sebastian Chaskel | Published: March 7, 2012
Today, Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos travels to Havana to meet with Cuban officials and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, currently convalescing in a Havana hospital. This hastily planned visit will last just a few hours,but the main item on the agenda holds broader regional significance. Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua have pledged to boycott the [...]
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The FARC’s announcement to halt kidnapping: why?

By Sebastian Chaskel | Published: February 27, 2012
The FARC’s announcement last Sunday that the organization will no longer kidnap civilians was a surprise to most observes and experts of the region. The mainstream media has reported on the event, but has been unsuccessful at explaining why the FARC would do this. In the past 48 hours, online media and blogs have [...]
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On Extraditions and Colombian-Panamanian Ties

By Eliot Brockner | Published: January 4, 2012
Much has been made about Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ success at mending relations with his neighbors to the east and south. Rightly so. Given the difficult situation he inherited from his predecessor, this is no small feat. But Santos’ newest diplomatic test may now come from the north. On Jan. 3, Panamanian Foreign Minister Roberto Henriquez [...]
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In Ciudad Mier, deploying troops is not enough

By Eliot Brockner | Published: September 5, 2011
Back in November 2010, a small town on the US-Mexico border, Ciudad Mier, made headlines when most of the town’s residents left because of intense fighting between the Zetas and Gulf cartels. Both groups wanted the plaza, which is a strategic smuggling corridor for weapons, cash, and money between the United States and Mexico, and [...]
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Different Means, Same Ends

By Eliot Brockner | Published: August 5, 2011
Oil production in Colombia is a popular topic these days. Domestic production levels are at an all time high, and Colombian state-owned oil behemoth Ecopetrol is considering selling 10 percent of its stake in the firm to the public. Dow Jones reports the deal will likely go down in 2012. Silla Vacia has an excellent [...]
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Ideas, not money, will make Central America safer

By Eliot Brockner | Published: June 24, 2011
Boz has a great point about the fresh funding headed to Central America: I think a lesson is that there is no amount of money that the US could put on the table and no amount of attention the US could give that would guarantee Central America’s success in fighting organized crime. The US is not [...]
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Central America, crime, and what the Americas are doing about it

By Eliot Brockner | Published: January 28, 2011
On 3 March 2009, The Wall Street Journal published an Op-Ed titled “In Praise of Mexico’s War on Drugs”. Although it was written nearly two years ago, it is still a highly relevant and recommended read. A day later, LatAmThought wrote the following in response to the article Bret Stephens’ commentary “In Priase of Mexico’s War on [...]
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In Colombia, Growth in Construction of New Hotel Rooms

By Eliot Brockner | Published: January 11, 2011
Europa Press recently reported on the expected construction of 16,000 new hotel rooms in Colombia in 2011. The number is a 9 percent increase in the number of hotel rooms built in 2010. The number represents a 4,011 percent increase in the number of new hotel rooms built in 2004. The tourist boom has officially arrived. It [...]
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Colombia Elections – Alliances in Numbers

By Eliot Brockner | Published: June 3, 2010
A recent poll in Colombia released on June 3 says Juan Manuel Santos would win 61.6 percent of a vote, whereas Antanas Mockus would win just 29. 8 percent. The results of the first round of elections on May 30 proved that polls are often unreliable. Precise numbers aside, the June 3 poll suggests that Santos [...]
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