Twitter: latamthought- New Post/Video - Cómo votar en Colombia Marzo 2010 http://bit.ly/94cuQv
- New Post: Vene-Col Relations http://bit.ly/dcmyDS
- Colombia, known for its coffee worldwide, begins campaign to increase below-average levels of domestic consumption http://bit.ly/96zAW6
- Evo Morales will meet with new Uruguayan President Jose Mujica to talk about potential Bolivian port in Uruguay http://bit.ly/cIdZZL
- Julia Sweig on Secretary of State's visit to Brazil: http://www.tinyurl.com/yfdd8xh
Tag Archives: border issues
Anti-drug bases in Panama and the Drug War in 2010
One of the biggest stories emerging from the Americas in 2009 was Colombia’s decision to let the United States access military installations throughout Colombia in efforts to combat narcotrafficking. The move exacerbated already tenuous relations between Colombia and Venezuela, with the latter claiming that US presence in Colombia was a direct threat to sovereignty, another [...]
Paraguay’s Anti-Terrorist Group and the US
On 4 November 2009, the United States announced they would donate US$1.39 million in equipment towards the formation of an elite unit of highly trained troops in the Paraguayan army. Backed by US funding (sources put the total amount of the expedition at US$3 million) and training from SOUTHCOM, the troops are trained in counterterrorism [...]
Posted in Brazil, Paraguay, United States Also tagged Fernando Lugo, security, Terrorism Leave a comment
Coffee Smuggling and the Importance of Successful Nation Branding
At first glance, the Honduran-Guatemalan border at El Florido appears no different from any other international land border crossing in Latin America. Migrant day workers mix with road-weary truckers, soldiers, little kids selling everything from candy to cigarettes, and myriad other overland travelers destined for points unknown. Customs officials dutifully check documentation of each person [...]
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 Also tagged Alvaro Uribe, Black Markets, drug war, Hugo Chavez, Oil 4 Comments
Colombia as Israel and the Andes as the Middle East?
On March 3, Venezuelan President Chávez called the Colombian government the “Israel of Latin America” stating, “we aren’t going to permit Colombia to become the Israel of these lands.” But this week’s comparisons of the Andes with the Middle East and Colombia with Israel did not stop there. Some of the comments were simply [...]
Posted in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela Also tagged Alvaro Uribe, ELN, FARC, Israel, Ivan Rios, Rafael Correa, Raul Reyes Leave a comment
The Crisis Has Been Overcome?
After six days of tension which led some to fear inter-state armed conflict in the Andes, the conflict was declared “overcome” by Presidents Uribe, Correa, Chávez, and Ortega on Friday afternoon at the Rio Summit in the Dominican Republic. After a week of insulting each other, the Presidents reacted positively to Dominican President Fernandez’s [...]
Posted in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela Also tagged Alvaro Uribe, ELN, FARC, Hugo Chavez, Rafael Correa 1 Comment
Civil Society Reacts in Latin America
This week has been characterized by a lot of saber-rattling and microphone diplomacy by the region’s dignitaries. At the OAS, virtually every country in the region took a stance on the conflict between Ecuador and Colombia. Today, civil society reacted to recent events. As the screenshot above from Ecuador’s El [...]
Posted in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela Also tagged Alvaro Uribe, civil society, Hugo Chavez, Rafael Correa Leave a comment
Arming the Colombia-Venezuela Border
As relations between Colombia and Venezuela deteriorate, U.S. officials took the opportunity this week to express their disappointment with Venezuelan President Chávez during visits to Colombia. On Thursday Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed his concern about Venezuela’s military buildup. According to Reuters, Mullen said that while he [...]
Beyond Playa del Carmen: Tourism and Diplomacy in Ecuador and Colombia