Weekly Roundup: Bolivia's Recall Plans, EU-LatAm Summit, and Chilean Competitiveness

Recall Vote Authorized in Bolivia

Following a May 4 referendum in the province of Santa Cruz in which 84 percent of voters opted for greater regional autonomy, Bolivian President Evo Morales authorized a recall vote that could lead to a new election. Morales signed a bill on May 10 authorizing a recall vote to be held on August in which the president, vice president, and all nine state prefects “will be judged by Bolivian citizens,” said Morales. However, the referendum’s rules appear to be tilted in Morales’ favor.

The Christian Science Monitor reports about Fundación Unir Bolivia, which has trained more than 500 citizens in negotiation and conflict resolution in efforts to bridge political divides.

The Security in Latin America blog notes that Bolivia’s internal turmoil may force the hand of Brazil and Argentina to intervene if their energy lifeline gets abruptly interrupted: “Bolivia supplies Brazil and Argentina with the natural gas that moves industry in Brazil and warms Argentina. Disruption of the flow of gas is not an option for either country.”

A recent AS/COA analysis takes a closer look at the Santa Cruz referendum. 

President Alvaro Uribe announced the extradition of 14 paramilitary leaders to the United States, saying they continue to engage in illicit activities from prison and have failed to honor agreements involving victims’ reparations. The move aims to counter accusations about Uribe’s alleged links with paramilitary leaders but leaves in limbo thousands of families who suffered from paramilitary atrocities, according to an op-ed in El Tiempo.

Interpol to Weigh in on FARC Files

A recent speech from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and a European tour by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa were cataloged by L.A. Times blog as “signs of nervousness” in advance of Interpol’s final report on whether the electronic files found on late FARC leader Raul Reyes’ laptop were altered. The files could connect Chávez and Correa to the FARC rebels, a group included on the U.S. State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.

Mexico’s Drug War Escalates as Merida Initiative Moves Forward in U.S. House

A violent week in Mexico concluded with the murder of a high-ranking police officer Juan Antonio Roman Garcia. The Dallas Morning News reports that Roman was one of 25 officers—including senior federal police official Edgar Millan—killed in Mexico since May 1 as the country experiences a surge in drug cartel-related violence. On Friday, President Felipe Calderón called for the country to unite against organized crime. 

On Wednesday, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H.R. 6028 the “Merida Initiative to Combat Illicit Narcotics and Reduce Organize Crimes Authorization Act of 2008.” In a recent column, Miami Herald’s Andres Oppenheimer criticized congressional moves to reduce funds for the Merida Initiative, a program designed to combat drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America. 

Speaking at last week’s 38th Washington Conference on the Americas, U.S. President George W. Bush urged passage of the Merida Initiative.

Multimedia Look at Immigrant Detention Centers

The Washington Post takes an in-depth look at the lack of adequate medical care at immigration detention facilities, including an investigative report, an interactive map of facilities where detainee deaths have taken place, and a profile and congressional testimony of a Salvadorian detainee who died in February.

Leaders from 53 Latin American, European, and Caribbean nations will gather for the fifth EU-Latin America Summit on May 16 and 17 to discuss poverty, inequality, sustainable development, energy, and climate change. Leaders will also debate a proposal for the formal recognition of micro, small, and medium enterprises as key for regional growth, which generates at least 70 percent of jobs, reports IPS News. President Alan Garcia also plans to propose an oil tax to create a worldwide deforestation fund with the goal of combating climate change, a bid that expects to be controversial, according to Peru’s Health Minister Hernán Garrido Lecca.

Robert Zoellick visited Mexico City and Bogotá this week, during his first trip to Latin America as World Bank president. “These middle income countries are working very hard to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable development,” said Zoellick, who described the trip as providing an opportunity to “listen and learn from them about how we might be a better partner.”

Uruguayan experts have mixed reactions to the growing number of Argentine farmers operating there as a result of high export taxes on grain and oil seed in Argentina. Roughly 35 to 40 percent of Uruguay’s crop land is worked by Argentine investors, according to Uruguay’s main farming organization.

University of Pennsylvania’s Universia Knowledge takes a closer look at the recent closing of a Chilean ceramics manufacturer. The analysis says rising energy prices and a weak dollar could have a negative impact on Chilean competitiveness and, in particular, small and midsize companies. However, the declining dollar also presents opportunities, such low-interest loans and less expensive equipment. 

A Latin Business Chronicle reports that Brazil and Argentina serve as Latin America’s top sources of email spam. Brazil alone accounts for 36 percent of all spam activity and 40 percent of the region’s bot-infected computers.

America Movil will start to sell Apple’s iPhones in 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean this year. The move signals inroads in the battle for Latin America’s growing cellular phone market by allowing the company to compete with Telefónica for a bigger share of the market. But the gadget is not new to many affluent Latin Americans, who purchase theirs in the United States and unlock the phones to work with wireless carriers in the region, according to Bloomberg.