Weekly Roundup: Panama's Canal Complications, Brazil's World Cup Spending, Colombia's Conflict in Numbers

Peña Nieto Talks 2014 Goals, Inks Banking Reform

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto delivered a televised speech on January 9, proposing seven goals for the coming year that covered topics ranging from education to pensions to entrepreneurship. The president called 2013 “the year of major reforms,” but added that it is important to pass necessary secondary laws to implement them in the coming months. Also on Thursday, Peña Nieto signed into law a banking reform that seeks to boost competition among banks and improve credit access.

An infographic by Mexico’s Cartográfica maps the more than 550 reforms to the Mexican Constitution over the course of its 97 years.

Mexico City to Begin Marijuana Legalization Debate

Next week, the capital’s assembly is expected to start debate on a proposal to legalize marijuana. The initiative seeks to establish that, according to Article 21 of the Constitution, each Mexican state can prioritize how to prosecute crimes. Mexico City would consider marijuana possession and distribution a zero-priority crime and dispensaries governed by a public health body would regulate marijuana distribution. Mexico City decriminalized possession of small quantities of certain drugs, including marijuana, in 2009. 

Protection of Mexican Vigilante Leader Sparks Controversy

Some analysts are criticizing the Mexican government’s decision to deploy dozens of police officers and soldiers to guard a Mexico City hospital treating José Manuel Mireles, who leads vigilante groups, or autodefensas, in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Mireles sustained injuries in an airplane accident but is in stable condition. Interior Secretary Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong indicated that the federal government is willing to pay Mireles’ medical bills and voiced support for him during his recovery. Security analyst Alejandro Hope noted that “autodefensas occupy a space the federal government can’t get to” and protecting these groups is “a dangerous game.”

Venezuelan Government Faces Fallout after High-Profile Homicide

Following the January 6 homicide of a former Venezuelan beauty queen and her British husband, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro held a meeting with the country’s governors and a number of mayors to discuss security solutions to Venezuela’s crime problem. In a rare gesture, Maduro shook hands with opposition leader Henrique Capriles during the meeting. In Foreign Policy’s Transitions blog, Caracas Chronicles’ Juan Nagel explains what’s behind Venezuela’s crime challenges, including insufficient gun control, weak rule of law, and a dysfunctional judicial system. Meanwhile, Maduro announced a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, appointing seven new ministers and replacing three military leaders, including the head of the country’s intelligence agency.

Colombia’s Conflict in 2013 Numbers

With the eighteenth round of Colombia’s peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) expected to begin on January 13, what’s the latest with the country’s decades-long conflict? On one hand, the National Defense Ministry revealed this week that the number of demilitarized guerrillas increased by over 18 percent in 2013 compared to the previous year. The large majority of the demilitarized came from the FARC. Plus, terrorist attacks fell 24 percent in 2013, said President Juan Manuel Santos this week. He also noted that over 2,700 members of the bacrim, or criminal gangs, were arrested last year.

On the other hand, The Los Angeles Times looks at the shortcomings of the 2011 Victims and Land Restitution Law, intended to recover land taken by guerrillas, paramilitaries, and drug traffickers. Less than 2 percent of the 46,000 restitution claims filed as of November have been decided, while violence and threats against displaced farmers often prevent those who win land claims from returning.

In Colombia’s Capital, Mayor Fights for His Seat

Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro continues to fight to regain his seat after the country’s inspector general dismissed him from his post on December 9. The ruling—which would ban him from office for 15 years—claims that Petro’s decision to replace private garbage collectors with a public-sector service was unconstitutional. The mayor filed an appeal with the attorney general’s office on December 31, and previously submitted his case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. A January 10 march in Bogota is planned to support Petro with over 150,000 people expected to attend.

Panama Canal Project Treading Water in Contract Imbroglio

A dispute over funding of the Panama Canal project threatens to place the project in limbo. European consortium GUPC says it will suspend work if the Panamanian government doesn’t come up with another $1.6 billion for cost overruns, reports NPR. But some say that GUPC underbid the contract for the expansion and the head of the Panama Canal Authority says the agency’s already dished out an extra $180 million. Haggling over a solution continues, even as January 20 marks a deadline for the contract dispute to be resolved under threat of stalled work. Some argue that the disagreement could delay project completion by three years, http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-25902-panama-canal-row-could-cause-three-year-delay/ while others contend that it will continue because it is too important to stall. "It will not stop," said Authority head Jorge Quijano. "Let me tell you, this expansion will be completed with GUPC or without them."

U.S. Congress to Consider Bill to Fast-Track FTAs

On January 9, U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014, a bill that would give President Barack Obama fast-track authority to enact trade agreements. The legislation would speed up the congressional approval process for trade accords such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and a free-trade deal with the EU, both currently under negotiation.

Brazil Spent More on Stadiums than Education in World Cup Cities

The Brazilian federal government spent more on the construction of World Cup stadiums than education between 2010 and 2013, reports Agência Pública. Over the past four years, nine of the 12 host cities received more federal resources for stadiums than for their public school systems. In total, the government spent $3.1 billion on stadiums nationwide, but only $195 million on education in São Paulo, the country’s most populous city.

More Brazilian Families in Debt as Housing Prices Grow

In 2013, the number of Brazilian families in debt grew 7.5 percent—rising from 8.5 million people in 2012 to 9.1 million families last year, says a new study from the National Trade Confederation in Goods, Services, and Tourism. The increase in debt stemmed from expanding access to credit cards and home financing. Meanwhile, Brazil’s home prices continue to rise. The Economist’s house-price indicators released January 4 show Brazil had the second highest increase in housing prices in 2013, jumping 12.8 percent.

Court to Rule on Chile-Peru Maritime Dispute

Chile’s decades-long maritime border dispute with Peru over a huge tract of ocean could come to a head this month: the International Court of Justice’s decision on the case is expected on January 27. This week, Chilean President-elect Michelle Bachelet met with current President Sebastián Piñera to review scenarios about the outcome of the case. Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has vowed to comply with the ruling. Bachelet takes office on March 11.

Bolivia’s Morales Assumes Presidency of Group of 77

On January 8, Bolivian President Evo Morales began his one-year presidency of the UN’s Group of 77 (G77), a coalition of 133 developing countries. Bolivia will host the G77 summit in Santa Cruz in June. The Andean country holds presidential elections in October, when Morales will seek a third term. 

The DR and Haiti Hold High-Level Talks on Migrant Rights

Officials from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, including Haiti’s Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and the Minister for the Dominican Presidency Gustavo Montalvo, met this week in an effort to diffuse tensions over a controversial September court ruling in the DR. The decision could strip Dominican citizenship from thousands of people of Dominican descent. Haitian officials asked the DR to guarantee rights for Haitian citizens and their descendants. The bilateral commission will meet again on February 3.

Drug Policies behind Rise in Women’s Imprisonment in LatAm

Strict drug laws are behind the surging female prison population in Latin America, writes the Open Society Foundation’s Voices blog this week. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of incarcerated women in Latin America nearly doubled, growing from 40,000 to 74,000. The “vast majority” of female inmates are in jail on drug-related offenses—which carry sentences of up to 30 years in some countries and do not distinguish between minor and serious offenses, reports the blog post.

Analyzing the Causes of Corruption in Latin America

InSight Crime takes a look at corruption in Latin America, pointing to organized crime and the region’s political history as significant causes. Using historical data from Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, the analysis found consistently low scores throughout the region over the last two decades. It also found a relative absence of organized crime in Costa Rica, Chile, and Uruguay—among the region’s top performers on the index. However, it cautions that “corruption has permeated the region far longer than the drugs trade and would likely persist even in the face of organized crime's demise.”

Who Are LatAm’s Wealthiest People?

In Latin America, there are 111 people worth more than $1 billion, with a combined wealth of nearly $500 billion, according to the latest Bloomberg’s Billionaire’s Index. Three more people joined the list in 2013, while Brazilian magnate Eike Batista is no longer on the list after filing Latin America’s largest corporate bankruptcy last year. With $72 billion, Mexico’s communications tycoon Carlos Slim is the richest person in Latin America. Meanwhile, Brazil has the most billionaires in the region.

Data Visualization: Ranking Life Expectancy in the Americas

Using a new visualization series by data artist Marcelo Duhalde, The Atlantic’s Cities initiative covers life expectancy around the world for babies born in 2013. It found that in the Americas, the highest life expectancies—all standing at 81 years old—were found in Canada, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands. Belize, Guyana, and Haiti have the lowest life expectancies in the hemisphere with an expected age of less than 70 years old.