In a recent article on Project Syndicate, Jorge Castañeda equates President Calderón’s war on drugs to President Bush’s invasion of Iraq. He argues: “Just like Bush’s invasion of Iraq, Mexico’s drug war was a war of choice. It was a war that Calderón should not have declared, that cannot be won, and that is doing […]
Scanning the FPB site a few days back, I couldn’t help peeking at the Global Film Blog. In his last post Sean Patrick Murphy deemed “Sin Nombre” the best film he has reviewed over the past year. I just happened to watch it over the holidays, and I can’t think of an equal. The flick […]
It should not surprise anyone that President Lula’s foreign policy would come under greater scrutiny during an election year to determine his successor. What is shocking is the stark contrast between the government’s foreign policy to restore democratic rule in Tegucigalpa while rolling out the red carpet for […]
Rafael Caldera, the last Venezuelan president to serve in office prior to the administration of Hugo Chávez, passed away on Thursday. Interestingly, Caldera’s terms seem to have book-ended the more democratic period of the country’s history. In 1946 Caldera founded COPEI, a Social-Christian political party. In 1958 he played an instrumental role in the Punto […]
As Brazil’s economy has taken off, international companies have jumped at the opportunity to provide the Brazilian market with in-demand products and services. Some of the most successful areas include automobiles, home appliances (i.e. washing machines, TVs, etc), banking, and telecommunications. But according to a new study by IMS Health, the next big market in […]
On Monday, Hugo Chávez accused Colombia of using a US-manufactured spy plane to over-fly its airspace. Colombian officials denied not only that this happened, but stated that their military did not have such the required military technology. The retort from Bogotá via its Defense Minister, Gabriel Silva, included a little bit of humor: perhaps the […]
This week, one of the biggest stories in the international media about Brazil focused on the Goldman abduction case and the latest international repercussions of the case. Sean Goldman was abducted by his Brazilian mother, Bruna Bianchi, in June 2004 from New Jersey. She brought him to Rio de Janeiro under the pretext of a […]
Overview This past year was another interesting one for Venezuela, and it is a country where one never knows what will happen next. Overall, Chávez continued to advance his “Bolivarian revolution”. This effort included a number of laws passed by the National Assembly, a body that typically rubber stamps initiatives proposed by the Venezuelan president. […]
President Lula made his case for greenhouse gas emissions reductions at the UNFCCC fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP15) at Copenhagen. In an open letter published in the Christian Science Monitor, Lula admonished, “It is beyond doubt that both the benefits of economic development as well as the costs of environmental degradation over the past […]
Overview Mexicans could be forgiven for thinking they were in hell on earth last year. The economy skidded into recession while drug violence ravaged Juárez and other major cities, leaving more than 5,000 dead. North of the border there was scuttlebutt of Mexico becoming a failed state. Turns out 2008 may have only been purgatory, […]
A random story, but the NYT recently covered grave-robbing in Caracas, which is apparently on the rise, and as are many negative social indicators there these days. The bones are sold for use in a religion called Palo, originating with Cubans who migrated to Venezuela decades ago. Some of those interviewed for the story wonder […]
US military officials ceremoniously handed over five helicopters to the Mexican air force on Tuesday, part of the Merida Initiative. Aircraft account for half of the $1.3 billion aid package, signed in 2007, designed to help the Mexican government combat drug traffickers. But 15 other aircraft slated for delivery likely won’t arrive until 2011. As […]
Brazil’s climate change policy performance now leads the world according to Climate Change Performance Index results for 2010 published by GermanWatch and the Climate Action Network of Europe.
President Hugo Chávez may be known for his rhetoric, but at the same time he often makes good on his statements. He rails against imperialism and increasingly pushes the country’s political institutions, as well as its society, towards socialism. A Reuters article chronicles some of Chávez’s recent moves in the country’s economy. The government has […]