Weekly Roundup: Lula Exhorts UN on Economy, a New Hemispheric Initiative, and Sino-Venezuelan Pacts

Lula Optimistic in Face of Credit Crunch

Addressing the opening of the UN’s sixty-third General Assembly on September 23, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for strong leadership from the United Nations in the face of economic challenges stemming from turbulence on Wall Street. “The global nature of this crisis means that the solutions we adopt must also be global, and decided upon within legitimate, trusted multilateral fora, with no impositions. The United Nations, as the world’s largest multilateral arena, must issue a call for a vigorous response to the weighty threats we all face,” said Lula.

In addition to the Brazilian leader’s remarks, Latin American presidents addressed the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and voiced similar concerns over worldwide financial woes, calling for stronger financial regulations, reports the Miami Herald.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Brazil appears less concerned and more well-prepared to handle the rough financial waves affecting the U.S. economy in recent weeks. “A few years ago, if the United States coughed, Brazil got pneumonia. Now we have diversified, we don't depend so much on one or two countries.” said Lula, according to the article.

Lula also spoke optimistically during remarks delivered at a September 22 AS/COA event, where he received the Americas Society’s Gold Insigne. “Brazil has all the proper conditions to help respond to the many challenges that the world confronts in the twenty-first century,” said the president. Read a summary of the event and access audio, video, and a transcript of his speech.

As the UN General Assembly opens this week, AS/COA hosts several other leaders from the Western Hemisphere, including Presidents Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Álvaro Uribe of Colombia, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina.

Western Hemisphere Leaders Launch Trade, Prosperity Initiative

Leaders and representatives from 11 countries in the Americas met at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas on September 24 to launch Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas. Presidents and officials from Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States joined to launch the initiative, which aims to deepen a shared "commitment to democracy, open markets, and free trade." U.S. President Bush, who spoke before the meeting, said, "This initiative will provide a forum where leaders can work to ensure that the benefits of trade are broadly shared."

Read AS/COA coverage of the event.

Argentina’s Bond Offer

President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, also in New York for UNGA, announced plans Monday to make an offer to holders of bonds Argentina defaulted on in 2001. The Financial Times reports that the move “would enable Argentina to return to international capital markets, instead of having to rely on its ally Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, for financing.”

Kirchner addresses AS/COA on September 25.

Colombian President Meets with Bush, Palin

In advance of UNGA, U.S. President George W. Bush met with Colombian counterpart Álvaro Uribe as part of a renewed effort to push the U.S. Congress to approve the pending bilateral trade agreement.

Uribe also met with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a discussion that covered the free-trade pact as well as energy security. The Huffington Post describes Palin’s meetings with Uribe and President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai as the “art of mastering foreign policy by handshake.”

President Uribe spoke at an AS/COA-hosted event on September 24.

Ex-Hostage Says No to Politics

Ingrid Betancourt, rescued by the Colombian army in July after years held in captivity by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, expressed her intention to remain in France for now and away from politics in Colombia because of renewed threats to her security. Since she attained freedom, speculation grew over whether the former journalist and politician would seek to run as a Colombian presidential candidate in 2010.

Venezuela and China Ink New Deals

While world leaders convene in New York this week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez travels not only to Cuba and Russia, but also to Beijing to sign a series of bilateral deals involving plans to build refineries and increase energy shipments to oil-hungry China. Forbes.com says that boosting ties with Caracas “will test China’s foreign policy dexterity, as Beijing is also reluctant to provoke Washington, China’s second-largest trading partner.”

Peter the Great Heads for Caribbean

Russo-Venezuelan naval exercises get underway as the Moscow’s nuclear-powered warship Peter the Great and submarine destroyer Admiral Chabanenko set sail for the Caribbean. These maneuvers serve as the first Russian military operations in the Western Hemisphere since the end of the Cold War.

Read AS/COA coverage of growing ties between Caracas and Moscow.

Chávez Ousts HRW Activists over Report

The Venezuelan government expelled Human Rights Watch Director for the Americas José Miguel Vivanco and his Deputy Director Daniel Wilkinson after the organization released a report titled A Decade under Chávez, which underlines describes growing political intolerance under the rule of President Hugo Chávez. A Miami Herald editorial categorizes Chávez’s move as “intended to intimidate the media and undermine freedom of expression.”

Rising Fuel Costs Shift Manufacturing Back to Mexico

A Christian Science Monitor article says that although China’s low wages previously lured manufacturers away from Mexico, rising labor in the Asian giant coupled with shipping prices linked to fuel costs could turn some firms back. But some experts say an increased focus on education is required to raise Mexican technical and engineering expertise, currently outpaced by China’s.

Latinos’ Pessimistic View in America

A new survey published by the Pew Hispanic Center found that 50 percent of Latinos living in the United States described their living situation as worse than a year ago. Increased immigration enforcement, rising unemployment, and the nationwide financial crisis serve as factors behind a more pessimistic outlook among the country’s Latino population, which stands as the country’s biggest minority at approximately 46 million.

Police Reform Needed in Haiti

The International Crisis Group published a report urging reform of Haiti’s security sector. The creation, training, and deployment of a Haitian national police force by 2011 should be fast-tracked and supported by the UN peacekeeping mission to improve law enforcement and stabilize the embattled country, according to the report.

Brazil’s Love for “Green Oil”

Wall Street Journal’s Environmental Capital blog reports that over the last five months, ethanol consumption overtook gasoline use in Brazil. While the country’s sugarcane industry continues to urge the United States to drop a tariff on Brazilian ethanol, “it has the local market as a reliable fallback.”

During remarks at AS/COA, Brazilian President Inácio Lula da Silva described ethanol as “green oil” and highlighted his country’s capacity to expand production of the energy source.

Research and Business Must Work Together in Brazil

University of Pennsylvania’s UniversiaKnowledge scrutinizes the gulf between Brazilian businesses and universities, saying it must be bridged in order to boost research and development partnerships. Brazil has emerged as a global player in several industries but lags behind industrialized nations in terms of publishing scientific literature and registered patents.