Weekly Roundup: Obama's Mexico Stop, Brazil's Arms Exports, and Argentina's Teen Vote

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Obama’s Mexico Stop: Focus Shifts to Economic Ties

Long-time Mexico reporter Dudley Althaus covers President Barack Obama’s visit to the country for GlobalPost; he writes that Obama and his Mexican counterpart Enrique Peña Nieto publicly emphasized economic relations, shying away from firm statements on what appears to be an evolving security relationship under the new Mexican president. In an interview with Americas Quarterly ahead of his trip, the president also noted the importance of bilateral trade ties, adding “I’m convinced there’s even more we can do together.”

Obama’s visit came a few days after the Peña Nieto government indicated security information would be funneled via Mexico’s Secretariat of the Interior, involving a shift from the strategy established by the previous Mexican administration, in which U.S. security agencies had direct contact with Mexican counterparts. In a Thursday press conference after their closed-door meeting, both presidents made statements saying this shift in the focus did not represent disagreement on security, with Obama saying it was “up to the Mexican people to determine their security structures.”

On Friday morning, Obama addressed an audience at Mexico City’s Anthropology Museum, making a call to overcome stereotypes. “Some Americans only see the Mexico depicted in sensational headlines of violence and border crossings. Some Mexicans may think America disrespects Mexico, that we seek to impose ourselves on Mexican sovereignty,” he said. “I have come to Mexico because it is time to put old mind-sets aside. It’s time to recognize new realities, including the impressive progress in today’s Mexico.”

An AS/COA Online guide provides resources on Obama’s May 2-4 trip to Mexico and Costa Rica, including links to transcripts, videos, relevant reports, and more.

U.S.-Mexico Opinion Surveys Reveal Contrasting Views

A new public opinion survey released this week from The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and The Woodrow Wilson Center shows that Americans’ favorable views of Mexico are at their lowest level in nearly two decades. The survey did find, however, that the majority of Americans consider the country to be an economic partner rather than a competitor. Meanwhile, a Pew Research survey also released this week finds that in Mexico, a favorable image of the United States rose 10 percent from 2012. The study reported that 66 percent of Mexicans have a positive opinion of the United States.

Mexico’s Sweeping Surveillance System

One element of security that U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto may have discussed includes a wide-reaching surveillance system funded by the U.S. Department of State for the past seven years, reports Wired’s Danger Room. The Mexico Technical Surveillance System allows the Mexican government to listen to and record private telephone calls, and gives it access to practically all Internet users in Mexico. According to a U.S. State Department contract, the purpose of the system is to “help deter, prevent, and mitigate acts of major federal crimes in Mexico that include narcotics trafficking and terrorism.”

Opposition Challenges Venezuelan Election Results at Supreme Court

On May 2, Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles challenged the country’s election at the Supreme Court, in an appeal to annul the results within 72 days. A vote audit by the National Electoral Council (CNE) began on April 30. However, the CNE refused to look at voter registries and fingerprint data, which the opposition says would prove that fraud took place.

Venezuela Prepares for Petrocaribe Summit

On Saturday, Venezuela hosts a heads-of-state summit for Petrocaribe, with 16 regional leaders slated to attend. Petrocaribe is an organization of 17 Caribbean and Central American countries that have preferential oil agreements with Venezuela. The last summit took place in December 2011, prior to the late President Hugo Chávez’s death. During Chávez’s illness, Petrocaribe members worried that his successor might discontinue the program. Maduro has also maintained Chávez’s Cuban ties. On April 28, President Nicolás Maduro met with his Cuban counterpart in Havana, when both governments agreed to 51 cooperation projects estimated at $2 billion over the next year.

Brazil’s Booming Arms Exports

Using Brazilian military data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Folha de São Paulo published a report on Brazilian weapon exports over the past 40 years. The United States is the largest market for Brazilian arms, and received 7.9 million guns during the last four decades. Gun exports to the United States increased by nearly 190 percent under former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s eight-year administration, compared to former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s 2003-2010 mandate. An infographic shows other top markets for Brazilian weapons exports, which include Argentina, Germany, Paraguay, and Yemen.

Quechua Communities No Longer Covered by Peru’s Prior Consultation Law

Peru’s prior consultation law may be limited after a decision by Mining Minister Jorge Merino to exclude Quechua communities, reports Reuters. However, when President Ollanta Humala inked the law, he said it would cover the Quechua, Peru’s largest indigenous group. Signed in 2011, the law requires companies to negotiate with local indigenous communities before implementing mining and oil projects. But Merino argues the Quechua do not count as indigenous since they mixed with Europeans during the colonial era and are less isolated than Amazonian tribes. On April 28, the president implied he would side with the mining minister on the Quechua issue. Merino wants to develop mining projects worth $50 billion in the country’s highlands, home to Quechua communities.

Chile Census Suspended amid Allegations of Data Manipulation

Francisco Labbé, head of Chile’s National Statistics Bureau (INE), stepped down last Friday following a Ciper Chile report alleging that he manipulated data from the 2012 census. The INE suspended the census results and began an internal audit on May 2. Chile’s undersecretary of the economy said he doesn’t rule out repeating the census.

May Day Decision: Bolivia Expels USAID

Bolivian President Evo Morales announced on May 1 that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would no longer be allowed in the country, saying it was a “tool which still has a mentality of domination.” Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador in 2008, though both countries signed a framework agreement in 2011 to improve bilateral ties. In April, the U.S. government announced it would no longer provide financial and logistical anti-drug aid.

Nearly a Quarter-Million Argentine Teens Eligible to Vote

Around 750,000 youth between the ages of 16 and 17 will be able to vote in this October’s legislative elections, as well as the primary election in August. Potential voters must have renewed their national ID cards by April 30 in order to be eligible. 2013 marks the first time that voters of these ages will be able to cast their ballots. Last year, Argentina’s Congress passed a law allowing Argentines aged 16 and 17 to vote in national elections.

Russia’s Anti-Drug Aid to LatAm: Competition for the U.S.?

An InSight Crime analysis looks at Russia’s increased role in defense and anti-drug trafficking efforts in Latin America. In March, Russian drug czar Viktor Ivanov inaugurated a new counternarcotics training center in Nicaragua, and said Russia would also supply firearms, helicopters, and assault vehicles to the Central American country. The same month, Peru agreed to buy 24 helicopters for $406 million from Russia. Analyst James Bosworth said Russian aid in Latin America should be seen as an opportunity for the United States, and that “combating organized crime is a potential area for cooperation, not competition, with Russia.”

Ríos-Montt Trial: Near the End?

Guatemala’s landmark genocide trial was put on hold again after a nearly two-week suspension and is due to begin again on May 7. Former General José Efraín Ríos-Montt and his chief of military intelligence Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. However, the defense issued a series of legal challenges last month, some of which have yet to be resolved by the country’s Constitutional Court. But as the Ríos-Montt Trial blog notes, “the only item of business remaining in the trial before the closing arguments is the presentation of the outstanding defense evidence.” The judge suspended the trial for five days on Thursday so a newly appointed defense attorney could have time to prepare his case.

Drones, Blimp Being Tested to Combat Caribbean Drug Trafficking

With impending budget cuts prompted by sequestration, the U.S. Navy is exploring more cost-effective means to patrol the Caribbean’s maritime drug route, reports The Miami Herald. The Navy is testing a 321-foot blimp and the Puma AE, a waterproof unmanned drone, for ocean surveillance. Both are remote controlled and because of their small size, are harder for smugglers to detect. The U.S. military has also employed the “Stiletto,” a 90-foot long, 40-foot-wide boat equipped with radars and computers able to reach speeds exceeding 50 miles per hour, explains Diálogo. This has been used in the Joint Interagency Task Force South as part of Operation Martillo, a regional counternarcotics effort in the Caribbean. The UN International Narcotics Control Board says that almost 80 percent of cocaine is shipped by sea.

The Haitian Diaspora’s Role in Development

An estimated 70 percent of Haiti’s skilled workers live abroad, with large communities in Canada, the Dominican Republic, and the United States, writes Tatiana Wah, director of the Haiti Research and Policy Program at Columbia University in The Cairo Review of Global Affairs. She warns that unless Haiti fosters intellectual capacity, Haitians “may never advance beyond their current low socio-economic status.” Wah looks at migration trends, education levels in the diaspora and in Haiti, and the role of remittances. She notes that strategies to engage Haitians living abroad have failed to create a concrete development plan and policy framework. Wah suggests economic incentives to entice Haitian expatriates to work or invest in the country, such as preferential treatment in joint ventures or licensing and access to loans.

Peru Recalls Ambassador to Ecuador over Supermarket Skirmish

Rodrigo Riofrío, Ecuador’s ambassador to Peru, caused a diplomatic imbroglio on April 21 when he was caught on camera getting into a tiff with women at a supermarket in Lima. Peru recalled its ambassador to Ecuador for consultation following the incident, but the Ecuadoran government initially backed Riofrío, saying he was “a victim of assault.” Still, Riofrío was also recalled for consultation, and is unlikely to return to Lima, reports El Comercio.

A Historical Tour of POTUS Visits to Mexico

Milenio offers a history of U.S. presidential trips to Mexico, filled with facts about their visits: Only six U.S. presidents have traveled to Mexico, prior to the latest Obama trip they only spent a total of 12 days all-told in the country, and few have braved crossing Mexico City. Not only did a million people come out to welcome John F. Kennedy as he crossed the city in a convertible, but he had to be rescued from a crowd of “groupies” when he decided to take a walk in the capital’s historic center. Still, some other presidents experienced graver problems; President Bill Clinton faced major protests while President Jimmy Carter suffered an attack of Montezuma’s Revenge.