Weekly Roundup: Lula's Quest, Talking Trash, and an Andean Anniversary

The Andean Crisis: A Year Later

On March 1, the ongoing diplomatic rift between Colombia and Ecuador reached its first anniversary, with tensions continuing between Bogotá, Quito, and Caracas. The crisis began when Colombian commandos followed Raúl Reyes—the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) second-in-command—into Ecuadorian territory, where they bombarded his hideout camp, killing him and several other guerrillas. The attack was made without prior authorization from Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. A tenuous truce was reached days after the incident, diplomatic relations have been troubled since then. Information recovered from Reyes’ laptop incriminated Ecuadorian officials accused of having ties with the FARC, angering Correa after he vehemently denied any connections between his government and the Colombian guerrilla group.

In its latest installment, the Colombian Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos was reprimanded by President Álvaro Uribe after comments made asserting the legitimacy of conducting military operations against terrorists anywhere in the world in defense.
 
Read an AS/COA analysis on how the FARC has shifted gears after a devastating year.

Colombia’s President Takes Action after Scandal
 
In a swift response to smooth over a controversy, President Álvaro Uribe ordered that the Department of Administrative Security (DAS) will no longer have the authority to conduct wiretapping without the involvement and participation of the National Police, even with a court order. A recent wiretapping scandal prompted several intelligence official to resign and unveiled a complicated internal web connecting former DAS operatives and officials, Cambio magazine reports.

Argentine Farmers, Government Reach Shaky Deal
 
The government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner reached an accord with farmers to lower taxes on dairy products and boost beef exports on March 3. But some industry activists have voiced discomfort with the deal, saying that promises have been broken before by the government, Bloomberg reports.

Lula’s Anti-Protectionist Quest
 
The Latin Americanist blog reports about Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s mission to advocate against protectionism in perilous economic times. Lula argued, through protectionist regulations, the United States, the European Union, and Brazil itself would dig themselves into deeper economic holes. Furthermore, Lula pointed out that given that elections in United States and India have passed, there are no obstacles to completing the Doha Round. His comments came earlier this week, at the same time that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released an annual report identifying Brazil as one of the world’s most important emerging markets. Lula will pay a visit to the White House on March 17.

Read Building the Hemispheric Growth Agenda, a report recently released by AS/COA’s Trade Advisory Group.

A Step Forward for Security in Rio

Days after Carnaval, AS/COA’s Jason Marczak blogs that, despite news about some robberies during the celebration, the security situation has improved in the state of Rio de Janeiro; the murder rate has dropped by more than a third since reaching its highest level in the mid-1990s. Marczak examines some of the tools being employed by Rio’s officials and police forces to combat crime.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso Talks Drug Policy
 
In a web exclusive interview with Foreign Policy, former President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso answers questions about his assertion that the war on drugs has failed, discussing why the number of drug users is on the rise in Latin America, proposals to decriminalize some substances, and antismoking campaigns as a model to fight drug consumption.

Read AS/COA analysis about the debate over drug policy.

Debate over Correspondent Banking in Mexico
 
According to the Financial Times, only 25 percent of the Mexican working population has access to a bank account or mainstream financial services. New legislation on correspondent banking is up for debate in this week’s congressional agenda. This type of banking will allow small businesses such as corner shops to become agencies for banks and locations to perform basic financial transactions. But some portions of Mexico’s banking industry wants Congress to keep discretionary control over a proposed cap for the amount of money that can be collected using the system.

Mexico City Looks to Convert Trash into Power

Al Jazeera reports on a Mexico City government proposal to take a green step by turning waste from its massive landfill—the world’s third largest—into electricity. But farmers based in the area south of the city, the potential host area of the plant, are less sure about the idea.

Buying Bullets, Bringing Them across the Border

On the heels of an uptick in media coverage about arms smuggling from U.S. border states into Mexico, a GlobalPost analysis focuses in particular on ammunition—and the booming bullet business in the U.S. border region. “[B]ullets are a commodity almost as unregulated as milk or bread, with no record-keeping requirements, no limits on the number of bullets an individual can purchase, and no way to disqualify potential buyers based on criminal history,” writes Todd Bensman.

Migrant Lives Saved in the Desert—with Litter

ISN Security Watch examines humanitarian programs to provide access to water for illegal migrants traveling through the deserts of the U.S. Southwest, focusing on a littering case brought against one volunteer who left water jugs along one trail. The report also offers up a grim statistic: the high cost of recovering and repatriating the dead bodies found in the desert in comparison to maintaining water tanks in strategic points throughout the desert.

Division Caused by Bill to Ease Cuba Restrictions

A spending bill making its way through U.S. Congress includes a provision that would ease restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, sparking a protest from Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who has responded by blocking two White House nominees selected for top science posts.

Read a new AS/COA analysis about Havana’s ministerial shuffle and Washington’s possible reconsideration of its Cuba policy.

Cuba Could Join Energy Big Leagues
 
Havana might become a major player in the global game of energy, according to an article in U.S. News & World Report. It remains unknown just how much oil lies off the island’s coast, although Cuba’s state oil company released figures that would put it in the top 15 oil-reserve countries. While the United States currently cannot participate in exploration because of its embargo against Cuba, firms from a range of other countries are engaged in exploration in the island’s territory.

Interactive: A Look Back at Canada’s Role in Afghanistan

PBS’ Worldfocus offers a multimedia view of Canadian troops’ role in Afghanistan, from the point when then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien pledged troops in 2001 to the 2011 planned withdrawal. A majority of Canadians support Ottawa’s plan to remove combat forces. There are currently 2,700 Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan.
 
Fears about FMLN’s Electoral Win in El Salvador
 
The Revista Perspectiva blog writes about how big business and investors feel wary of a possible victory at the polls on March 15 by the Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN), based on what they consider negative to be experiences in Venezuela and Nicaragua. However, FLMN’s presidential candidate Mauricio Funes has tried to draw a line between himself and both Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, according to the blog post.

Female Candidates to Battle for Costa Rica’s Presidency

GlobalPost reports that two women could face each other in the race to replace Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in next year’s elections. Should Laura Chinchilla or Epsy Campbell win, the Central American country would have its first female president. A 1996 reform requires that 40 percent of Costa Rican political parties’ candidates must be female.

Reconstruction Plan Urged for Haiti
 
Ahead of April 19 elections, The International Crisis Group (ICG) released a set of policy directives to prevent violence and foster political stability in Haiti. The ICG underlines the importance of guaranteeing pluralism in the upcoming elections with the assistance of international observers, providing a clear roadmap for donors and investors to speed up reconstruction efforts, and boosting security.