Weekly Roundup: From the G20 to APEC

From the G20 in Washington…

Leaders gathered in Washington over the weekend for a G20 summit called to address the impact of and finding solutions to the global credit crunch. Despite low expectations expressed in some media reports,  others viewed the summit, which brought together G8 members and leaders from emerging economies, as a sign of changing global politics that could help “reshape the global economy.” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, which chairs the G20 this year, saw the meeting as “historic” and said that “there is no logic whatsoever anymore in making decisions regarding economy and politics without taking this forum into consideration.” Hispanic Business reports that the summit resulted in an action plan “to strengthen transparency and accountability, to enhance regulatory regimes, prudential oversight, risk management, and to promote integrity in financial markets.” The next summit of G20 leaders will take place April 30 2009.

…to APEC in Lima

From the G20 conference in Washington, several leaders head on to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, including a particularly large Chinese delegation made up of roughly 600 business leaders and 12 ministers. The Financial Times reports that China and Peru will likely sign a bilateral trade deal on the sidelines of the summit; such an agreement could result in China overtaking the United States as Peru’s primary trading partner. Beijing’s trade with Latin America jumped from $13 billion in 2000 to $111 billion so far in 2008 and the Asian giant stands as the region’s second biggest trading partner after Washington.

The APEC summit, which will draw 21 heads of state, could help Peru attract as much as $6 million in investment.

The summit in Lima also serves as U.S. President George W. Bush’s final foreign trip while in office. Bush is scheduled to speak on Saturday and is expected to deliver an anti-protectionist message.

A new AS/COA analysis takes a look at President Hu Jintao’s Latin American travels through Costa Rica and Cuba on his way to Peru.

Medvedev’s Latin American Tour

After stopping in Lima for APEC, Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev will continue travels in Latin America, making stops in Venezuela, Cuba, and Brazil while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to visit Colombia and Ecuador. The Moscow Times reports that the trade volume between Russia and Latin America has being growing at rates as high as 30 percent annually to reach $15 billion this year.

Read an AS/COA analysis on military ties between Caracas and Moscow.

North African Travels for Cristina

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner travels through North Africa this week, stopping in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya to deepen Buenos Aires’ trade ties with the region. During her stop in Algeria, Fernández de Kirchner signed cooperation pacts on nuclear energy, public health, and information exchange.

Concern Grows about Possible Bond Default in Ecuador

Ecuador’s Finance Minister Elsa Viteri called on bondholders to exercise patience as concerns rose over President Rafael Correa’s decision to use a 30-day grace period to evaluate whether to repay $30 million in bond interest due on November 15. Bloomberg reports that, should Quito decide to default, Venezuela could take a hit; Ecuador’s political ally owns structured notes tied to the bonds that would force Caracas to pay $400 million.

The Democrats and the Colombia Deal

“It's a long way from Washington to Bogotá, but that distance is growing,” writes Mac Margolis for Newsweek’s “Why It Matters” blog in a look at prospects for passage of the Colombia trade pact. It remains difficult to predict whether or not President-elect Barack Obama will sign off on the deal writes Margolis, who cites Democrats’ hesitation to push through the deal based on human rights and drug eradication issues. He also covers Colombia’s success in terms of improving security in recent years, the fact that the trade pact would reduce tariffs on U.S. exports to Colombia, and the European Union’s interest in pursing its own free-trade agreement with Bogota.

An AS/COA analysis examines the Bush administration’s push for the Colombia trade deal.

Bogota Acts on Outcry over “Pyramid Scheme”

The Colombian government declared a state of emergency earlier this week, shutting down branches of a company called DMG accused of stealing some $200 million in what has been called a “pyramid scheme.” News that the company had defrauded 3 million people sparked public unrest that led to three deaths last week. Semana reports on the Uribe administration's investigation of the company and plan to return funds to the scheme’s victims.

The Toll of Displacement on Colombian Children

With 3 million internally displaced people (IDP) in Colombia, children of IDPs face multiple hurdles when it comes to attaining education. A multimedia presentation by PBS NewsHour takes a look at the obstacles to schooling, as well as strategies by NGOs including UNICEF to boost inclusion of displaced children in the Colombian school system.

Educating Japan's Brazilian Residents

The Foreign Policy Association’s blog takes a look at a new challenge presented by migration between Japan and Brazil: educating Brazilian children in Japan and integrating them into Japanese society. Of the 33,000 Brazilians between the ages of 5 and 14 in Japan, there are 10,000 in Japanese schools and 10,000 in Brazilian schools with the remainder “not registered in any formal education at all.”

Drug Cartels Steal Christmas in Ciudad Juárez

The Dallas Morning News reports that Ciudad Juárez saw widespread school closings after crime gangs threatened that they would harm families and students of elementary teachers who failed to hand over Christmas bonuses.

Meanwhile, in Tijuana, the Mexican government pulled 500 police officers from duty for retraining and background checks, replacing them with soldiers and federal agents.

Brazil’s Political Divisions Demonstrate Democracy at Work

The two rounds of October municipal elections in Brazil may have demonstrated polarization over policy, but “Brazil's political divisions can be seen to have served Brazil's democracy well,” writes Arthur Ituassu, an international relations professor at the Pontificia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, for openDemocracy. Ituassu provides an overview of the electoral results and political alliances along with what they could indicate for the 2010 presidential race.

Latin Americans Weigh in on Democracy

The Economist published the results of a Latinobarometro poll survey on how Latin Americans view democracy, noting that “a small majority of respondents are convinced democrats.” The poll showed that in Paraguay, Venezuela, and Colombia, support for democracy rose while Uruguayans are particularly satisfied with how democracy functions. Meanwhile Peruvians, despite witnessing economic improvements in their country over the past year, stand among the region’s least contented.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that, while emergence of a left-leaning governments in Latin America has received a great deal of press coverage, the region appears to be moving toward a moderate center. The article notes results from the Latinobarometro survey that show the number of Latin Americans who perceive themselves as moderates grew from 29 percent five years ago to 42 percent now.

Measuring Life Satisfaction in Latin America

Wealth, social services, and economic growth do not necessarily correlate with a high level of satisfaction, according to a new survey by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The report found that satisfaction rates in Trinidad, Chile, and Peru trail those of Guyana, El Salvador, Paraguay, and Guatemala, despite the fact that the first group of countries experienced some of the fastest growth rates in the region in recent years. “Not surprisingly, people with higher incomes are more satisfied with their lives than those with lower incomes, but economic growth actually breeds discontent rather than greater happiness, at least in the short run,” said IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno.

Venezuelan Crime Rate Could Affect Vote

With crime rates soaring in Venezuela, concerns about violence are topping the list of chief concerns for voters in the Andean country. The Washington Post reports that the government’s inability to stop the rising murder rate, which has more than doubled during President Hugo Chávez’s decade in office, could help give a lift to opposition candidates in the country’s municipal elections on Sunday.

In a recent AS/COA interview, Leopoldo López, the mayor of the Chacao municipality of Caracas, discussed his government’s successes in terms of decreasing crime as well Chávez’s efforts to block opposition candidates from running in the November 23 elections.

FMLN Ahead in El Salvador Polls

With campaigns beginning for El Salvador’s March 2009 presidential elections, polls show the left-leaning Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) ahead of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), which has governed since 1989. The FMLN also leads in polls for January 18 legislative elections.

Latino Vote May Not Lead to Quick Immigration Reform

Migration Policy Institute offers a rundown on the Hispanic vote in the U.S. presidential election and the overwhelming support given by that electoral bloc for President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress. The analysis also says that while immigration was a central concern early in the campaign, “issues like the economy and health care became more important to Hispanics” and that observers do not expect immigration reform within the next year.

Guerilla Knitting Strikes DF

Mexico City has taken a graffiti hit, but of knitting rather than spray paint. The Los Angeles Times La Plaza blog reports about a Texan woman who founded a guerilla knitting collective called KnittaPlease.com and covered a Mexico City bus in knitting and crochet.