September 23, 2009

Venezuela: Hugo's "mad adventures"

Joel Brinkley is a terrific reporter and writer now teaching journalism at Stanford University. I thought this was a particularly thought-provoking column.

Since Venezuelans in February agreed to allow Chavez to seek re-election in 2012, he has turned to the left and tightened the squeeze on his opponents in Venezuela.

September 21, 2009

Bolivia: Gambling ban proposed

As the author of book on what happened when the state of Louisiana legalized gambling -- it's called Bad Bet on the Bayou -- I was interested to see what's being proposed in Bolivia. From my experience covering gambling, I know that it is exceedingly difficult to actually roll it back. The gambling boys have so much cash that they can spread it among lawmakers, architects, builders, unions -- and all become an effective lobby for the industry.

It will be interesting to see whether the Bolivian Congress indeed bans gambling and whether any other Latin American countries follow suit.

September 18, 2009

Argentina: What's up, Maradona?

I wondered whether Diego Maradona could be the savior when he was named to coach the Argentine national team into the 2010 World Cup. He has had a host of personal problems since retiring, and one-time superstars rarely make the best coaches.

After four defeats in five games, the Argentine team is reeling. Maradona has sought refuge at an Italian spa. Some wonder whether he might relapse on his weight and drug problems.

There are several good articles on what's happening. Forget Cristina and Nestor Kirchner. The fate of the Argentine team -- and Maradona -- is the most important story in Argentina these days.

September 17, 2009

Honduras: muddled picture = muddled policies

Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, asked some very interesting questions in this blog for the Huffington Post. It turns out, however, that the IMF is not disbursing $164 million to the de facto government of Honduras, as Weisbrot wrote. I'm revising this blog in light of that. An alert reader, Nell Lancaster, alerted me to a statement by the IMF that it was not disbursing the money because it does not recognize the Micheletti government. I went to the IMF web page and found a statement confirming this by spokesman David Hawley.

What I wrote in the rest of the blog still stands, though. The Obama administration's response to the events in Honduras clearly reflects a nuanced, centrist approach: condemning the June 28 coup while slowly ratcheting up pressure on the Micheletti government.

Conservatives want the U.S. to support the de facto government. Honduras has long been a reliable ally. Supporting Micheletti, however, would put the Obama administration out of step with the rest of Latin America.

Liberals want the administration to apply the full force of its economic power against Honduras. As Weisbrot has pointed out in columns elsewhere, the U.S. has an arsenal of weapons it could employ against Honduras that remain unsheathed. The Obama administration has not sided 100 percent with Zelaya because most of the main political and legal players in Honduras believe that he had violated the Constitution in the days leading up to the June 28 ballot measure. The fact that Zelaya was an ally of Hugo Chavez obviously hasn't helped his cause.

So a muddled picture in Honduras has led to something of a muddled policy by the Obama administration, as Weisbrot correctly points out. Just another reminder that the world is rarely black and white.

September 16, 2009

Peru: Trans-Amazon highway advances

Several years ago, I reported on the efforts to connect the coasts of Brazil and Peru via a paved highway. As this article notes, it's a long-held dream. It's also a project that offers enormous economic promise -- and the potential of environmental peril.

This is only one of several interesting NPR reports on the Amazon.

September 11, 2009

Brazil emerges from recession

It ain't sexy. But it's big news that Brazi is indeed coming out of its first recession since 2003. This is important not only for Latin America's biggest economy. But it's a positive signal for the other Latin American countries that are hoping to rebound.

Brazil's economic turnaround doesn't come as a surprise, as this report from a month ago shows.

September 10, 2009

Brazil: US climate goals fall short

There's no shortage of folks saying that the U.S. climate control goals need to be stronger. Add Brazil to the list.

Since last year, Brazil has been promising to cut its Amazon deforestation rate in half. That, of course, would be welcome. But it's one thing to make the promise, and it's another to implement it.

Brazilian government officials will provide a sense of how they're doing when they announce restrictions on sugar cane planting.

September 08, 2009

Venezuela: Chavez steals the show

With Fidel Castro sidelined by his illness, nobody can match Hugo Chavez's ability to catch everyone's attention with the grand gesture. He did it again Monday in Venice.

Like him or reject him, Chavez has shown once again why he has become the preeminent leader in Latin America.

September 07, 2009

Whose side is Brazil on?

That's the question the Economist asked on the cover of an edition last month.

It's a fascinating question. As I reported last month, Brazil is coming out of recession, powered by its newly created middle class. Meanwhile, Lula has been flexing the muscles of the long sleeping giant.

But as the Economist reported, many people fear that Lula stands too often with the autocrats of the world. Hence the question in the headline.

September 04, 2009

Honduras: What's next?

Is the de facto government of Honduras willing to find a way for Zelaya to return? This is one of the key questions in Latin America today.

As I reported yesterday, the Obama administration is ratcheting up the pressure. Will that cause the Micheletti government to dig in its heels or look for a negotiated solution?

The coming days and weeks will reveal the answer.