Weekly Roundup: Bachelet Visits Obama, Argentine Mid-terms, and a Hispanic Census Divide

Chile’s President Receives Warm White House Reception

President Barack Obama hosted his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet at the White House on June 23. Obama congratulated her government “for managing the Chilean economy and the political process in Chile in such a excellent fashion” and described her as “outstanding.” Bachelet responded, not only by describing Obama as “an idol in our country” but also with comments about bilateral efforts in areas such as climate change.

Reuters “Front Row Washington” blog reports that Obama fielded a question from the Chilean press asking whether it was time for the United States to apologize for the Central Intelligence Agency’s activities related to the 1973 overthrow of President Salvador Allende. Obama responded by saying, “I’m interested in going forward, not looking backward.” But he responded to another request and posed in a photo with Bachelet and the Chilean press.

AmericaEconomía offers more coverage of the Bachelet-Obama summit and a photo gallery.

AS/COA hosts its annual conference in Santiago on July 2, including remarks by Finance Minister Andres Velasco.

Shifting Balance Predicted in Argentina’s Elections

Argentina holds mid-term elections on June 28, called early by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Her husband and former President Nestor Kirchner may win the Buenos Aires seat he seeks, yet finds himself in a close race against rival Francisco de Narváez. The Kirchners will likely lose their majority in Argentina’s lower house of Congress, reports The Economist. Nicolas Magud writes for RGE’s Latin America EconoMonitor about what the election outcome might mean for the country’s financial situation, giving a long-term view about the intersection of Kirchner policies and the economy. 

New Oil Bill, State Firm Proposed in Brazil

MercoPress reports on new regularity legislation for oil exploration that President Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government intends to present to Brazil’s Congress in July. According to the proposal, oil firms offering the biggest output share during the auctioning of exploration blocks will win concessions. The plan also proposes the creation of a new state-owned oil company to manage government stakes. The framework has been developed with the exploration of the vast offshore, pre-salt Tupi oil fields in mind.

Read a new AS/COA interview with Petrobras CEO José Gabrielli de Azevedo in which he discusses Brazil’s plan to change the regulatory framework for auctioning concessions.

Land Reform Law Seeks to Slow Deforestation In Brazil’s Amazon

The New Republic’s environmental blog “The Vine” comments on data showing that systematic deforestation of the Amazon by rural Brazilians does little to boost economic development. To fight against illegal land seizure and logging, Brazilian lawmakers recently approved land-reform legislation that seeks to control deforestation by granting formal titles to current Amazon occupants and return larger parcels of illegally seized land to state control. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to sign it and to veto provisions that would allow for foreigners and corporations to own land. Debate persists over whether land reform will stop rainforest destruction.

GAO Sees Challenges for U.S. Efforts to Stem Illegal Gun Trade to Mexico

A new report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that over 20,000—or 87 percent—of illegal guns seized in Mexico over the past five years could be traced back to the United States. The report says U.S. authorities face obstacles in combating illegal arms trafficking into Mexico. Challenges include U.S. gun laws and lack of interagency coordination.

DHS Secretary Talks Immigration Reform

In an interview with Politics Daily, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano answered multiple questions about immigration reform and enforcement. “Our country has had a healthy history of immigration and it bolsters our economy if done in the right way,” said Napolitano. She will be present for a twice-rescheduled meeting on immigration reform to be held by the White House on June 25.

White House to Hold Thrice-Scheduled Immigration Meeting

After two postponements, the White House convenes top lawmakers and immigration experts and advocates to discuss prospects for reform. Migration Policy Institute’s Will Somerville blogs for The Guardian that many commentators see immigration reform as a long-shot effort in the short-term. Still, he gives three reasons it could pass it in the near future: the growing clout of Hispanic voters, public pressure for movement on the issue, and “the personality and huge ambition of the current White House.”

Latino Groups Divided in Census Debate

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on divisions between Hispanic organizations when it comes to the U.S.  Census. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is recommending that undocumented immigrants should boycott the survey—taken every ten years—as a tool to pressure for immigration reform. “[M]any other Latino leaders have lambasted the boycott as a terrible idea—counterproductive, born of frustration,” according to the article.

Bienvenidos to a Multimedia Look at the U.S. Latino Population

In a recent interactive feature titled “Bienvenidos to the New America,” FLYP looks at how Hispanics are transforming the United States and vice versa. The interactive examines issues ranging from poverty rates to Latino voters to the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, and also includes an interview with former Housing Secretary in the Clinton administration Henry Cisneros.

In a new interview, AS/COA’s Hispanic Integration Initiative spoke with Luis Pastor of the Latino Community Credit Union in North Carolina about financial literacy programs geared toward immigrants.

Mexican President Proposes $10 Billion Global Green Fund

In a June 22 meeting on energy and climate change that drew environmental ministers from top polluting countries, Mexican President Felipe Calderón proposed a $10 billion green fund to combat climate change. “Inaction is more expensive than action,” Calderón said. His plan involves raising money from developed and developing nations alike in what he says would be more efficient than carbon credits.

Wind Energy Debate in Mexico

A USAToday report looks at how Mexico’s Isthmus of Tehuantepec “is becoming the Saudi Arabia of alternative energy as U.S. and European companies, emboldened by new technology and high oil prices, rush to stake their claims in one of the world's windiest places.” But the construction of the wind parks has drawn the ire of local farmers who say they are underpaid for land rental and have seen agricultural areas damaged by windmill construction.

Cuba Could Attract Tech-Luck of the Irish

Wired magazine makes the argument that Cuba, with its highly educated but underemployed population, could remake itself into an island of technology innovation, much like Ireland did in the 1990s. The article argues that in Cuba organic farming could also be big, given that the embargo has meant a lack of pesticide use. “To really open up trade, the Castros will have to liberalize their repressive regime,” writes Clive Thompson. “There's no telling if or when that will happen. But let's hope it does. In sheer human potential, Cuba is an economic and technological miracle waiting to happen.”

UN Rapporteur: Colombian Extrajudicial Executions “Systematic”

After a 10-day visit to Colombia to investigate extrajudicial killings carried out in the 2008 “false positives” scandal, a UN rapporteur said the number and geographic extension led him to believe the practice was “systematic.” However, he said he had not seen evidence that the killings constituted a state practice. The scandal broke in September, when it came to light that members of the Colombian military killed civilians and framed them as guerilla fighters. During the rapporteur’s fact-finding mission, the government of President Álvaro Uribe fired 27 military officers (including 3 generals) connected with the scandal and undertook 15 recommendations of the UN Human Rights Commission.

Coca Cultivation Drops in Colombia, Up in Bolivia and Peru

The UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that coca cultivation dropped in Colombia last year by 18 percent, making potential production at its lowest in a decade. But data shows that cultivation rose in Bolivia and Peru by 6 percent and 4.5 percent respectively. UNODC head Antonio Maria Costa urged more development assistance in Andean countries and warned that drugs threaten to damage the environment in that region. He also warned about the link in Peru between terrorism and trafficking: “Peru must guard against a return to the days when terrorists and insurgents, like the Shining Path, profited from drugs and crime.” The UNODC released its annual World Drug Report on June 24.

U.S.-Venezuela on Path to Restoring Ties

According to official murmurings, Washington and Caracas will restore withdrawn diplomats ten months ten months after they were withdrawn. The BBC reports that Venezuela’s foreign minister said the restoration of diplomatics would occur within a few days. Reuters reports that the former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela Patrick Duddy will return to Caracas, according to an anonymous U.S. official.

A Call for Unity and Opposition Primaries in Venezuela

Former mayor of the Chacao locality in Caracas Leopoldo López called for primary elections in an attempt to unify the fractioned opposition movement in Venezuela. López argues that primaries will give candidates greater legitimacy. Venezuela’s El Universal offers more information, including a graphical look at how a united opposition would change the country’s political landscape.

Opposition Leader Summoned to Trial in Nicaragua

Former presidential candidate Eduardo Montealegre faces charges for alleged participation in a 2000-2001 banking bailout scheme that cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars. Montealegre says the charges constitute a political persecution campaign by President Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista party. The opposition leader lost the race for the mayoralty of Managua last fall during elections lacking independent observers.

Nicaraguan Election Concerns Linger as Aid Reneged

AS/COA’s Jason Marczak blogs for Americas Quarterly about the Millenium Challenge Corporation’s recent decision to pull $62 million in aid from Nicaragua because of ongoing concerns about possible fraud in the country’s November municipal elections. Caracas will step in with $50 million in funding. “With few strings attached or means for oversight one can only wonder where the $50 million dollars of Bolivarian largesse will go.” Writes Marczak.