Weekly Roundup: Chávez's Popularity Test, Uruguay's Digital Divide, and Violins Replace Violence

Chávez Faces Referendum

Venezuelans head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether President Hugo Chávez can run for reelection indefinitely or not. The referendum will measure Chávez’ popularity at a time when inflation and crime rates have soared while falling oil prices threaten subsidies on food, fuel, and medical care. Pollsters say that the margin between the “Yes” and the “No” vote remains too close to forecast which side should win.

Chávez hopes to secure victory by using government entities under his control to organize and mobilize his supporters as well as filling the airwaves with a disproportionate amount of political publicity right before the vote. In response, the opposition has staged massive rallies, including one in Caracas on February 7 where roughly one million people demonstrated in support of the No vote and against an end to presidential term limits.

Chinese Leaders Tour Latin America

Two leaders from China make high profile visit Latin America and the Caribbean this week, reports China Digital Times. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu travels to Argentina, Ecuador, Barbados and the Bahamas and Vice President Xi Jinping heads to Jamaica, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Mexico. The trips come on the heels of President Hu Jintao’s travel to the region at the end of last year. The BBC reports that Beijing is “is desperate to open up new markets in the region” as a result of shrinking markets in Europe and North America.

Read an AS/COA update about Asian-Latin American ties.

The Economic Impact of Bolivia’s New Constitution

Bolivia’s new constitution took effect Sunday, February 8. While its passage appears to be a victory for Bolivia’s indigenous majority, the new document may have economic consequences that could limit the ability to produce the funds needed to guarantee promised rights, argue Columbia University’s Juan Antonio Morales and Thomas Trebat in RGE’s Latin America EconoMonitor. “The bottom line is that new constitution is not going to help to increase investment or productivity; in fact, it may actually undermine growth by discouraging private investment,” they write.

Women Close Gap in Governments of (Some) LatAm Countries

In an analysis for openDemocracy.net, International IDEA’s Kristen Sample looks at the increasing participation of women in Latin American politics, embodied by the presidencies of Chile’s Michelle Bachelet and Argentina’s Cristina Fernández. But the portion of women represented in elected office varies widely from country to country; while women make up 40 percent of Argentina’s legislature, they make up just 8 percent of Colombia’s. The reason behind these discrepancies lies in electoral-system design, argues Sample.

Anti-Semitic Attacks in Venezuela Under the Microscope

Latin American Thought blog offers up an analysis of rising anti-Semitic attacks in Venezuela following a diplomatic breakdown between that country and Israel and examines how language used by President Hugo Chávez and his supporters may have fostered such attacks.

Boosting the U.S.-Mexican Relationship

The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute released a new report, The United States and Mexico: Towards a Strategic Partnership. This report, developed by four working groups, looks at practical policy options in security cooperation, economic integration, immigration, and border management for forging a better relationship with Mexico.

Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón Talks Shop

The Excelsior published an extensive interview with Mexican President Felipe Calderón in which he discussed the country’s scourge of violence related to drug cartels and the recent killing of an army general in Cancun. He also discussed the ailing economy, his government’s recipe to avert financial disaster, and his rejection of suggestions that Mexico could become a failed state.

Read a new AS/COA analysis about the Mexico’s recent economic ups and downs.

Cancun Police Force Questioned

Mexican authorities brought Cancun’s police chief to Mexico City for questioning in relation to the killing of Army General Mauro Enrique Tello on February 10. Tello’s bodyguard and driver were also killed. The retired general had been hired to train elite troops to battle organized crime in Quintana Roo state, according to an in-depth report by the Washington Post.

Fingerprinting Necessary to Buy Mexican Cell Phones

As part of efforts to combat organized crime, extortion, and kidnapping, the Mexican government passed a law requiring telecommunications firms to provide authorities with not only vital information but also fingerprints of customers, reports the University of Pittsburgh’s JURIST. The law takes effect in April.

Uruguay’s Ambitious Plan to Close the Digital Gap

Ensuring that students have access to computers and the skills to use them will make Uruguay the most wired country in the world, writes President Tabaré Vázquez. This feature article appears in the Winter 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly, which examines connectivity and the digital divide. For more information, visit www.americasquarterly.org.

Latin American Lessons for Wealthy Countries

Financial Times columnist Philip Stevens highlights the Chilean economic success story as a model for other countries to follow, especially at a time when almost every country faces recession and credit woes. “There are broader lessons here for the richer nations of the west. Most obviously, politicians should practice what they preach,” writes Stevens.

Brazil Ranks High on Budget Transparency Scale

According to the International Budget Partnership’s survey of 85 countries in terms of budget transparency, Brazil ranked in the top ten. Peru was not far behind, taking at the number 11 spot, while Colombia took eighteenth place as the third highest placed Latin American country.

Correa Confirms his Reelection Candidacy

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa joined the reelection wagon, announcing intentions to run for a second term in the upcoming presidential election, to be held on April 26. RCN Radio reports that the announcement was tainted by a corruption scandal involving a former senior official who was arrested and charged with having ties with drug cartels and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Bachelet’s Take on Cuba

El Mercurio columnist Carlos Peña writes that Chilean President Michelle Bachelet should use her first official visit to La Havana to clearly repudiate the lack of civil liberties in Cuba rather than to be complacent with the Castro regime. Bachelet’s trip represents the first visit to Cuba by a Chilean head of state since the presidency of Salvador Allende.

Scientists Puzzled by Southern Cone’s Drought

A persistent drought that affects Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay has scientists pondering the reasons behind it. A Tierramérica article reports that experts disagree about whether this phenomena is product of global warming or a consequence of La Niña’s recurrence at a point where Pacific Ocean waters near the equator cool and possibly affect climate patterns.

Read an AS/COA analysis on the effects of the drought hitting the Southern Cone and Brazil.

Nicaragua: Not Like Iceland After All?

PBS’ WorldFocus shows that the number of U.S. tourists and investors in Nicaragua is on the rise, despite some perceptions that the Central America government is not business-friendly.

Youths Pick Violins over Violence in Medellin

Anastasia Moloney writes in the Guardian Weekly about the Amadeus Foundation in Medellin, Colombia, which offers music training to some 4,000 children in some of the poorest and more dangerous districts of what used to be one the most violent cities in the world.

Editor's note: Due to the President's Day holiday, the Weekly Roundup will not be published on February 18. Distribution will resume on February 25.