Hemisphere Highlights, Volume VII, Issue 3—March 2009

A meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Board of Governors evaluates the impact of the financial crisis on Latin America. The government of Canada pledges new funds to strengthen the rule of law and promote the democratic process in Afghanistan. The White House announces a new security initiative to stem drug cartel-related violence spilling over the border from Mexico. A cabinet reshuffle in Cuba reduces the predictability of who will succeed Raúl Castro. Mauricio Funes of the left-wing FMLN party in El Salvador wins the presidential election, ending 20 years of conservative rule. Colombia launches a new defense initative to consolidate state control over key parts of national territory that have been historically affected by the FARC and other insurgent forces, and the Colombian media ramps up anti-U.S. rhetoric. The capture of suspected members of Maoist insurgent group in Peru  suggests that it may still have a presence after a decade of inactivity. Argentina passes a bill to move up the date of its legislative elections to five months earlier than specified in the national electoral code in order to better respond to the global financial crisis.