Weekly Roundup: Correa's Reelection, Brazil's Defense Talks, U.S. Border Security

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Correa’s Role in LatAm after Reelection

Foreign Policy’s The Call blog looks at Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa’s reelection in the context of regional leadership. Given the poor health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Correa may aspire to assume leadership of the leftist bloc Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas during his third term in office. But his success on that front seems unlikely, says the blog, arguing that Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro may take on that role, while Correa lacks the financial resources.

The Future of Venezuelan Oil Aid, Post-Chávez

The Wharton School’s Universia Knowledge assesses the long-term prospects for Venezuela’s preferential oil deals, given President Hugo Chávez’s declining health. The article explores the subsidized oil deals offered to places such as the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, noting that many recipient countries “are pondering life after Chávez and weighing the economic impact of his death and the potential loss of aid.” Sustainability could be an issue as the government may be experiencing a “cash flow problem,” said Karen Hooper, director of Latin America analysis for Strategic Forecasting.

Amid Ongoing Conflict, Colombian Peace Talks Resume

The latest round of peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) began again on Monday despite ongoing violence. The FARC’s temporary ceasefire ended on January 20, and, last week, the group bombed a police station and attacked a group of soldiers. A Datexco survey released February 18 found that only 20 percent of Colombians believe the talks will end in a deal.

Colombia Inks FTA with South Korea

In Seoul on Thursday, Colombian Minister of Trade Sergio Díaz-Granados signed a free-trade accord with his South Korean counterpart, eliminating tariffs on around 96 percent of goods. The agreement now requires approval by both countries’ legislatures before going into effect. Colombia-South Korea trade reached nearly $1.9 billion last year.

The U.S.-Mexico Border: More Secure Than Ever?

In light of the U.S. immigration reform debate and the push to increase enforcement, Bloomberg looks at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that it’s “more secure than it’s been in decades.” President Barack Obama spent $73 billion on immigration enforcement since he entered office, and over 21,000 agents patrol the border—a fivefold increase since 2009. “An immigrant living in the U.S. today is more likely to have flown in through JFK International Airport with a tourist visa than crawled in through a tunnel with fake papers,” the article argues.

Brazil’s Rousseff in Defense System Talks with Medvedev

Russian Prime Minister Medvedev met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia on February 20 to discuss the sale of anti-aircraft missile systems to Brazil. The South American country aims to boost its air defense weapons capacity ahead of the 2016 Olympics. Russia hopes to clinch a deal with Brazil, which “would largely be seen as a symbolic penetration of the Latin American defense market,” reports Reuters. On February 21, Medvedev continued on to Cuba, where he signed a deal to leasing eight jets to the Caribbean country. The Russian PM also reached a deal to write off part of Cuba’s $30 billion debt and to refinance the remainder, in an agreement to be signed by the end of the year.

Presidential Hopeful Launches New Party in Brazil

On February 16, Brazil’s former environment minister and 2010 presidential candidate Marina Silva launched the Sustainability Network, a new political party. Silva needs 500,000 signatures to officially register the party ahead of the 2014 presidential elections. Though no major politicians joined yet, Silva said the party aims to break the monopoly that other parties have on Brazilian politics. The Sustainability Network will focus on transparency, with term limits for party representatives and a ban on alliances with those accused of corruption.

No Smoking: Chile’s Tobacco Law to Go into Effect

Restaurant owners in Chile worry about the repercussions of the country’s new Tobacco Law, which bans smoking from all closed public spaces and takes effect on March 1. Fernando de la Fuente of the Chilean Gastronomy Association predicts that 40 percent of facilities will be unable to accommodate smokers and also meet the law’s regulations, resulting in losses of nearly $480,000 a day. Chilean Health Minister Jaime Mañalich said that the “spirit of the law is to protect non-smokers,” reports La Tercera.

Morales Nationalizes International Airports in Bolivia

Bolivian President Evo Morales nationalized three international airports run by Spanish company Abertis on February 18, the third time in 10 months that the government took control of Spanish-run assets. The airport operator asked for $90 million in compensation, while Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo warned there would be consequences for bilateral relations.

Illegal Logging Crackdown Nets 200 Interpol Arrests in LatAm

From September to November of 2012, approximately 200 people were arrested and 2,000 truckloads of timber seized in “Operation Lead,” one of the largest raids on illegal logging in Latin America. The newly disclosed Interpol investigation lasted from September to November of last year and took place in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Around 100 people are still under investigation.

Interactive: El Salvador’s Women Expatriates

The website Mujeres El Salvador published an interactive map showing Salvadoran women living in dozens of countries all over the world, from Congo to Iceland. Each country features at least one Salvadoran expatriate with a description of her experiences abroad. (H/T Central American Politics)

In Pictures: Recovering from Haiti’s 2010 Earthquake

Three years after an earthquake left nearly 300,000 dead and 1.5 million homeless, Haiti continues to rebuild. The Guardian published an image gallery of Port-au-Prince, showing scenes immediately after the 2010 earthquake and the current state of reconstruction.

CARICOM Leaders Say “Oui” to French

A two-day summit of Caribbean leaders closed this week with a decision to make French the second language after English in the 15-country CARICOM bloc, reports The Miami Herald. Held in Port-au-Prince and with Haitian President and six-month CARICOM Chair Michel Martelly at the helm, the summit also focused on economic integration, debt concerns, trade expansion, and security.