Region Related Event Feeds

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 12 - May 21, 2012

Mgraybeal — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "How will the Colombia-U.S Free Trade Agreement affect Ecuador?"

IN THE NEWS: Mexico, Haiti, Costa Rica/Nicaragua, Peru, Colombia, UNASUR

PROGRAM NEWS: Conversation on El Salvador with secretar Alex Segovia; recent publications; upcoming events

Mexico's Election and the Economy - Voters Face a Tough Decision

Mgraybeal — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Although security is commonly seen as the defining issue in Mexico's upcoming presidential election, the country's economic development ranks a close second in voters' minds.

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 11 - May 14, 2012

Mgraybeal — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "Open Skies in the Americas"

IN THE NEWS: Canada/Mexico, Mexico, Honduras/Nicaragua, Haiti, The Bahamas, Colombia, Peru

PROGRAM NEWS: Event on Mexico - elections and prospects for structural reform; Peru's drug czar Carmen Masías at CSIS

Could July 1 Elections Impact Mexico's Progress?

sherry — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

On Sunday, May 6, Mexican voters got a rare chance to compare presidential contenders Enrique Peña Nieto (Institutional Revolutionary Party—PRI), Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Democratic Revolutionary Party—PRD), Josefina Vázquez Mota (National Action Party—PAN), and Gabriel Quadri de la Torre (New Alliance Party—PANAL) in the first of two nati

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 10 - May 7, 2012

Mgraybeal — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "Asian Investment in Venezuela"

IN THE NEWS: Central America, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina

PROGRAM NEWS: Americas Program host Ambassadors' Council cochairs; recent blog posts; upcoming events

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 9 - April 30, 2012

Mgraybeal — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "Peru's Booming Energy Sector"

IN THE NEWS: Mexico, The Bahamas, Guatemala/Belize, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Venezuela

PROGRAM NEWS: Americas Program discussion - social inclusion in the Americas; Americas Program hosts Fulbright NEXUS scholars; upcoming events

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 8 - April 23, 2012

Mgraybeal — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "Health Challenges in Haiti"

IN THE NEWS: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Honduras, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

PROGRAM NEWS: Americas Program cohosts Prime Minister of Barbados; new blog posts, reports, and commentary; and upcoming events

Point/Counterpoint: Assessing the Americas Summit

sherry — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Thomas “Mack” McLarty: A Strong Step Forward on Trade and Democracy

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 7 - April 16, 2012

Mgraybeal — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "Costa Rica's Tax Reform - Back to the Drawing Board"

IN THE NEWS: Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic/Haiti, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil

PROGRAM NEWS: Americas Program launches police reform report; Americasts; upcoming events

Nuclear Energy in America: Preventing its Early Demise

ian — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

America’s nuclear energy industry is in decline. Low natural gas prices, financing hurdles, new safety and security requirements, failure to resolve the waste issue and other factors are hastening the day when existing reactors become uneconomic, making it virtually impossible to build new ones.

The Americas: Risks and Rewards of Decaying Authoritarianism

ian — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Pushing regime change in Iraq and Afghanistan cost the United States trillions of dollars and involved the sacrifices of many nations. Regime change is starting to take place on its own in the Western Hemisphere without the loss of thousands of lives or draining the U.S. treasury.

2012 Global Forecast

ian — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 6 - April 9, 2012

Mgraybeal — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "Trouble Brewing? Latin America's Economic Ties with Slowing Economies"

IN THE NEWS: Mexico, Costa Rica, Haiti, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia

PROGRAM NEWS: Recent publications; upcoming events

Brazil’s President Rousseff Comes to Washington

ian — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: What is at stake for U.S.-Brazil relations at this time?

Sixth Summit of the Americas - A Primer

Mgraybeal — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

On April 14 and 15, President Barack Obama will gather with 33 other hemispheric leaders at the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Catagena de las Indias, Colombia. The meeting is sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS) and offers heads of state and delegations a chance to discuss mutual concerns and promote cooperation throughout the region.

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 5 - April 2, 2012

Mgraybeal — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: Nuclear Energy and Alternatives in Latin America

IN BRIEF: Mexico, El Salvador, Caribbean, Haiti/Dominican Republic, Colombia/Venezuela, Chile, Brazil

PROGRAM NEWS: Americas Program cohosts Peru's Minister of Defense; recent commentary and blog posts; upcoming events

Buenos Aires to Athens—The Road to Perdition

Mgraybeal — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The recent debt restructuring in Greece, which imposed up-front losses of about $130 billion on bondholders (mainly European banks), and all-in losses of more than 70 percent on a net-present-value (NPV) basis, is actually the third time in the last decade that a sovereign workout (1) has been driven largely by political considerations and (2) has led to the erosion of international creditor ri

The Other Americas Summit that Matters

sherry — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

While most eyes are fixed on the Summit of the Americas set for April 14–15 in Cartagena, Colombia, a smaller gathering, but just as important, is meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 2. It is the North American Summit.

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 4 - March 26, 2012

Mgraybeal — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: Haiti - Bringing Tourism Back to Port-au-Prince

IN BRIEF: Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia

PROGRAM NEWS: Americas Program hosts U.S. chiefs of mission to Central America; CSIS Americas Program at Chile's Army War College; recent blogs and upcoming events

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 3 - March 19, 2012

Mgraybeal — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: Colombia's Growing Trade Relations with Japan

IN BRIEF: Mexico, Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala, Guatemala, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina

PROGRAM NEWS: Americas Program releases new reports; recent podcasts and blogs

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 2 - March 12, 2012

Mgraybeal — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

IN DEPTH: "Guatemala: Initial Stab at Tax Reform"

IN BRIEF: Mexico, Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Brazil/Colombia, Ecuador, Summit of the Americas

PROGRAM NEWS: Anton Edmunds joins Americas Program as senior associate; Howard Wiarda honored in Dominican Republic.

Iran’s Influence in the Americas

jdunton — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Through trade, assistance, and bilateral cooperation, the nations of the Americas are more globally connected than ever before. Not just to former colonial powers, but to such faraway places as Afghanistan, China, India, Russia, and Singapore. In 2007, Colombian police were training Afghan counterparts.

U.S. and Iranian Strategic Competition: The Impact of Latin America, Africa and Peripheral States

sherry — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

US competition with Iran has become the equivalent of a game of three-dimensional chess, but a game where each side can modify at least some of the rules with each move.

Police Reform in Latin America

jdunton — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Police reform is a growth industry in the Americas. First, security threats have largely shifted from external state-sponsored aggression to stateless crime that affects citizens more directly and undermines confidence in government.

Iran's Influence in the Americas

jdunton — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 1 - January 2012

Mgraybeal — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

IN BRIEF: Cuba, Honduras, Southern Cone, Foreign Relations

UPDATES: Chile's Former President Ricardo Lagos Discusses New Book; Upcoming Events; Elections 2012

DIIG Current Issues No. 27: Internal R&D Productivity in Aerospace and Defense

gsanders — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In an environment of declining defense spending by what have traditionally been the largest customers on both sides of the Atlantic, aerospace and defense companies face difficult decisions on how to deploy their cash.

A New Security Architecture for the Arctic

jdunton — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Arctic will experience extraordinary economic and environmental change over the next several decades. Commercial, human, and state interaction will rise dramatically. More drilling for oil and gas in the region and growing shipping and ecotourism as new shipping routes come into existence are just a few of the examples of increased human activity in the Arctic.

Haiti’s Future—Two Years after the Quake

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In the 30 seconds that it took for a 7.0 earthquake to level Port-au-Prince, Haiti captured the world’s attention. With death toll estimates at more than 200,000 persons, and injured men, women, and children reaching double that number, Haiti would lose 5 percent of its population.

Ahmadinejad in the Americas: Part 2

sherry — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s trip to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Ecuador got off to an uncertain start Sunday, with no word whether he would add a fifth stop in order to attend the inauguration of Guatemalan president-elect Otto Pérez Molina on January 14.

Hemisphere Insider: Volume I, Issue 8 - December 2011

Mgraybeal — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

IN BRIEF: Peru, Bolivia, El Salvador, Brazil

PROGRAM UPDATES: Ambassadors' Council, U.N LAC Chief Discusses Near Term Outlook

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

U.S.-Mexico Migration—Prospects for Reform

Mgraybeal — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Recent evidence points to a dramatic shift in migration patterns involving Mexico, traditionally the United States’ biggest migrant contributor. According to a recent Pew Hispanic Center report, 35 percent of the 10.2 million unauthorized adult immigrants in the United States have been U.S.

Ahmadinejad in the Americas—What Is Iran Up To?

sherry — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Without leaving Tehran, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s upcoming tour of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Ecuador has already been successful at feeding fears of a minor Persian invasion. This will make a half-dozen trips he has made to the region since he was initially elected in 2005. (George W.

Colombia: Post-Conflict Politics

Mgraybeal — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

UP CLOSE: Colombia's Post-Conflict Politics, Economic Reform in Cuba

IN BRIEF: Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Oil, and Inauguration Updates

The Dominican Response to the Haiti Earthquake

jdunton — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

In the immediate aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Dominican Republic launched a massive cross-border emergency assistance mission, providing critical medical assistance, logistics support, and humanitarian aid.

Mexico's Retrogression: Implications of a Bankruptcy Reorganization Gone Wrong

Mgraybeal — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

An earlier essay (“Corporate Workouts in Mexico: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”) told of how Mexico had made considerable progress in the past decade-and-a-half in matters pertaining to corporate law, the strengthening of property rights, and the ease of doing business. It highlighted in particular the benefits of a new law governing the Mexican insolvency regime—the Ley de Concursos Mercantiles (LCM, best translated as the “Business Reorganization Act” of 2000, as amended in 2007).

It pointed out that the Mexican insolvency regime was being put to the test by the creditor-unfriendly precedent that Vitro S.A.B. was trying to set. Vitro, one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of glass products, is one of several major Mexican corporations that found themselves at the losing end of various currency derivative contracts in late 2008, when in the aftermath of the Lehman Brothers debacle, the Mexican peso unexpectedly took a big hit while the U.S. dollar rallied.

Elections Highlight Central America's Power Problems

sherry — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The November 6 elections in Guatemala and Nicaragua underscore the difficulty in bringing progress to some of the hemisphere’s poorest countries. In Guatemala, voters had to decide between two candidates who said fighting crime would be their priority, yet would be powerless to do much about it.

U.S. and Iranian Strategic Competition: Peripheral Competition Involving Latin America and Africa

sherry — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

US competition with Iran has become the equivalent of a game of three-dimensional chess, but a game where each side can modify at least some of the rules with each move.

Hemisphere Focus: Belize Is Emblematic of Counterdrug Dilemma in Central America

Mgraybeal — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Poor Belize. It reportedly has no air surveillance radar, only one working light airplane in its air wing, 19 patrol boats, and a handful of 4 x 4 vehicles to transport its 2,000-member defense and police forces over an area the size of Vermont.

Managing Brazil's Boom

Mgraybeal — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

UP CLOSE: Brazil's Global Reach, Argentina's Election

PROGRAM HIGLIGHTS: Central American Security Integration: The Greater Regional Response

IN BRIEF: Mexico, Haiti, Peru, and Trade Updates

The Rise of Enrique Peña Nieto and Return of the PRI

jdunton — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The prospect of the return of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) is no longer a novelty; in fact, most observers of Mexican politics now assume that the party is a shoe-in for electoral victory in July 2012.

Iran Delivers a Wake-up Call

sherry — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Last week, the Obama administration revealed that it had caught an Iranian-American used car salesman conspiring to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States and possibly carry out attacks on Saudi and Israeli diplomats in Argentina. At first glance, the plot did not jibe with familiar patterns of Iranian behavior.

TWQ: Will Obama Be Running Against the Economy? - Fall 2011

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

When the conversation turns to the 2012 presidential race, it usually doesn’t take too long before someone suggests that Republicans have little chance of winning next year.

Hemisphere Insider Volume I, Issue 5- September 2011

cwatson — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

UP CLOSE: Venezuela's Midas Moves, Post 9/11 U.S.-Hemispheric Relations

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Security and Democracy in Central America, Disaster Response in the Dominican Republic

IN BRIEF: Mexico, Colombia, Oil and Trade Updates

Still Adrift: Will Haiti Find its Anchor?

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

After 100 days in office, the government of President Michel Martelly should be better organized to accomplish key tasks.

A New Narrative for Mexico

cwatson — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

UP CLOSE: A New Narrative for Mexico

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Returning Government to Colombia's Post-conflict Zones

IN BRIEF: Canada, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Chile updates

DHS Contract Spending and the Supporting Industrial Base

jdunton — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) examines the contracting practices of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the contractor base that supports it.

Issues & Insights Vol. 11 - No. 8

bMizuno — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Let me talk to you a little bit tonight about the topic of the future of power. Not just because it’s the title of the book that I have just written but because it really represents something that all those young global leaders that you saw are going to have to cope with which is there are two huge shifts going on in power in this century.

Venezuela’s House of Cards

ian — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’s mysterious four-week disappearance and treatment for cancer in Cuba may or may not result in a momentous political event. Nonetheless, it underlines the faulty logic of surrendering too much control to one man.