Weekly Roundup: Biden's LatAm Tour, Brazil's Mega-Event Security, Mexico's Congressional Gridlock

>>Subscribe to the Weekly Roundup!

VP Biden’s LatAm Tour

This week, Vice President Joe Biden went on a tour of three countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In his first stop on May 26, he met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, where the leaders discussed trade and security issues, as well as progress made one year after implementing a bilateral free-trade agreement. Next, he flew to Trinidad and Tobago, where the vice president met with heads of state from the Caribbean Community bloc and signed a framework agreement on trade and investment with the group. In Brazil, Biden addressed local officials and business leaders in Rio de Janeiro, and talked trade and energy with President Dilma Rousseff on May 31.

“[T]he vice president’s trip accomplished much and is to be applauded,” writes COA’s Eric Farnsworth. “It would have been a game changer, however, to take a proposal for concrete energy cooperation based on U.S. exports of natural gas to the meeting in Trinidad. In Bogota, beyond announcing a desire to observe the Pacific Alliance, the United States could have explicitly called for Colombia’s entrance into negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”

Chinese Leader Arrives in LatAm as Biden Departs

President of China Xi Jinping arrives in Trinidad and Tobago on May 31, starting a tour of the Western Hemisphere, which will also take him to Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States. The leader arrives as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden finishes his Latin American tour. The overlapping visits, writes Bloomberg, “underscore how Latin America’s natural resources and rising middle class are making it an increasingly attractive trade partner for the world’s top two economies.”

Piñera to Meet with Obama in Washington

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera arrives in Canada on May 31 during the first stop on a Western Hemisphere tour. He’s slated to visit in Washington beginning on June 1. During his U.S. trip, he will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, IMF chief Christine Lagarde, and World Bank head Jim Yong Kim. On June 5, Piñera heads to El Salvador and Panama.

Chile Mulls Bill to Criminalize Insulting Police Officers

On May 29, President Sebastián Piñera signed a bill that would make it a crime to insult or threaten police officers. The proposed legislation would also increase the penalties for those who physically assault uniformed police, and would make it a crime to attack police headquarters and vehicles. Congress will now consider the bill.

Mexico’s Congress: For Every Bill Passed, Four Voted Down

A May 30 article from ADN Politico reports that for every bill Mexico’s Congress passes, another four bills are rejected. In addition, for every bill passed, another 44 are left on the docket awaiting vote. From September 2012 to April 2013, legislators introduced 1,463 bills, but only 28 passed, while another 1,249 await discussion in committee.

Long Working Hours but High Life Satisfaction in Mexico

Released this week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s 2013 Better Life Index compares well-being in 34 countries based on 11 factors, such as housing, safety, and health. While Mexico ranks poorly in areas such as income and education, the country ranks higher in life satisfaction than every OECD country in the Americas except Canada. The Christian Science Monitor reports that despite problems such as “low wages, gaping income inequality, poor education, long workdays, shorter life expectancy,” some “85 percent of Mexicans say they have more positive experiences than negative ones in a given day.”

An April OECD report put Mexico at the top of another ranking—for longest working hours. As William Booth wrote for The Washington Post: “When the OECD report made the news here, and quickly became the subject of talk radio in the capital, many Mexicans agreed it was finally time to put the stereotype of the ‘mañana’ culture to bed.”

Brazil Beefs up Security ahead of Confederations Cup

Begun ahead of the Confederations Cup in June and the Pope’s visit in July, a massive border operation encompassing more than 30,000 members of Brazil’s armed forces will be “continuous,” said Vice President Michel Temer this week. Operation Ágata 7 led to the inspection of 42,200 vehicles and 2,778 vessels in its first week alone. The government also plans to fly drones over stadiums in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro during the mega-event next month.

Opposition TV Station Tones Down in Venezuela

Globovisión, a Venezuelan TV station known for supporting the opposition, is changing its tune after being sold to owners thought to be sympathetic to the current administration. The station will allegedly no longer show live broadcasts of opposition leader Henrique Capriles, and ended two shows known for criticizing the government. However, a statement from the station denied that the board of directors banned any officials from appearing on air.

Venezuelan Government Irked by Capriles’ Colombia Visit

Venezuela’s opposition visited Colombia this week, causing ire in President Nicolás Maduro’s administration. But cabinet officials actually visited earlier in the week; on May 27, Venezuela’s ministers of agriculture, trade, and food met with their Colombian counterparts in a bid to boost trade. Two days later, opposition leader Henrique Capriles met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, and noted that the Union of South American States had promised to support an audit of Venezuela’s April presidential election. In response to Santos’ meeting with Capriles, the Venezuelan government recalled its ambassador in Bogota, and Foreign Minister Elías Jaua said that Venezuela may withdraw support for Colombia’s peace talks.

State Department Keeps Cuba on Terror List

Issued on May 30, the U.S. State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism keeps Cuba on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, though it notes conditions in Cuba have improved. The document lists three primary reasons for Cuba’s status: harboring members of Spanish terrorist group Basque Fatherland and Liberty and fugitives wanted in the United States, as well as inefficiencies in combating money laundering and financing of terrorism.

Cuba to Expand Internet Access—at a High Cost

On May 28, the Cuban government announced that it would expand internet access starting June 4 at 118 outlets throughout the country. Cubans will be able to get online at offices of the state telecommunications monopoly. However, BBC Mundo’s Cartas desde Cuba blog points out that at $4.50 an hour, the internet will prove expensive for many Cubans, and that offices will only offer 334 computers in total.

CICIG Director Leaving Guatemala

Francisco Dall'Anese, director of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), will step down in September. In his May 28 announcement, Dall’Anese said he wanted to spend more time with his family and would leave the UN-backed organization to improve rule of law in the Central American country. A report from Guatemala’s Contra Poder suggests the CICIG director may have fallen out of favor with both the UN and President Otto Pérez Molina. (H/T Pan American Post)

Guatemalan Ex-President Faces Trial in U.S.

After being extradited to the United States last week, former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo faced trial in a New York court on May 28. He pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to launder money through U.S. banks. The hearing will resume on June 28, and if found guilty, Portillo could face up to 20 years in prison.

Congress vs. Courts in Colombia Gay Marriage Debate

Foreign Affairs provides a brief history of Colombia’s gay marriage debate, and explains a 2011 Constitutional Court decision that gave Congress a two-year deadline to decide on same-sex unions. Congress voted down a gay marriage bill last month, and if no other legislative decision is made by June 20, notaries and judges may start registering same-sex unions. “[S]erious thoughtful debate may be more likely in the courtroom than in the Congress, particularly where religion maintains a stronghold in legislative debate,” writes Colombian lawyer Lina M. Cespedes-Baez.

Number One Producer of Counterfeit U.S. Bills: Peru

Peru is now the world’s top producer of counterfeit U.S. dollar bills, reports GlobalPost. Fake bills made in the Andean country account for 17 percent of forged currency in the United States. Peruvian counterfeit producers “are specialists in giving it the tonality, texture, the watermark,” said Colonel Segundo Portocarrero, head of the Peruvian police’s anti-fraud unit. “Each of these bills goes through a rigorous process.”

In Pacific Alliance Bid, Paraguay Seeks FTA with Mexico

Paraguay is in negotiations to ink a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Mexico, a prerequisite for membership in the Pacific Alliance trade bloc, Chancellor José F. Fernández Estigarribia said on May 28. While Paraguay received observer status at the Alliance this month, President-elect Horácio Cartes will determine when the country officially applies for membership. Paraguay already has FTAs with Chile, Colombia, and Peru, the other Alliance members.

Mujica Talks Investment in China and Spain

During his trip to China and Spain this week, Uruguayan President José Mujica promoted investments, pushing for greater integration with Asian markets. In China, he said that Argentina and Brazil are “afraid” of the Asian giant, which “has higher productivity and sells very cheap.” In Spain, he spoke to 150 businessmen, touting Uruguay as a destination for investment but said that Uruguayans “are not known for working [themselves] to death.”

LatAm’s Evolving Mobile Messaging Space

The Wharton School’s Universia Knowledge examines Latin America’s mobile messaging sector, which has moved away from traditional SMS texting to free apps such as WhatsApp, allowing users to send an unlimited number of messages for free. Competition in mobile messaging is increasing, the article explains, especially as cell phone subscriptions in the region increased 127 percent a year during the past five years. According to ComScore, Brazilians spend more time sending instant messages than any country in the world—around 8.5 hours each month.