Hemisphere Highlights, Volume VIII, Issue 2 - February 2009

Latin America draws attention in the U.S. Congress, and an independent commission of former Latin American heads of state criticizes U.S.-led international counternarcotics policies. A wave in gang-related violence in Canada is tied to the drug wars in Mexico and the U.S. crackdown on Mexican drug cartel activity. Human rights groups in Mexico clash with the Secretariat of Health over legislation determining the rights of rape victims, and the country’s central bank undertakes massive monetary intervention to stabilize the peso. Underdevelopment in the highway system of Honduras begins to threaten the economy and public safety of the country. The President of Haiti is the first head of state to meet with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, amid controversy over the country’s exclusion of certain candidates from the upcoming Senate elections. Speculation continues over the political future of the president of Colombia. The government of Bolivia spars with investors over rights to the country’s lithium reserves. Several senators and deputies in Argentina announce their departure from the government coalition, weakening the Kirchner government’s chances in the upcoming October elections.