Region Related Event Feeds

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

ecurran — 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.

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?

ecurran — 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.

Central America’s Costly Drug Dilemma

ian — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In this issue:

Up Close: Central America’s Costly Drug Dilemma
Program Highlights: El Salvador, the OAS, and Citizen Security and Colombia 2020
In Brief: Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Energy Updates

USAID/OTI’s Initial Governance Response Program in Colombia

sherry — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

A team from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) evaluated the programs and activities that USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) undertook in Colombia from 2007 to 2011.

Mexico State Gubernatorial Election

ian — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The July 3 vote for governor of Mexico State is a trial run for the nation’s mid-2012 presidential showdown in the jurisdiction with the most registered voters—10.5 million.

Constitutional Coups?

sherry — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Americans are so committed to elections and democracy as the only legitimate path to political power that it is sometimes hard to conceive of politics by other means. Moreover U.S.

A Conversation on Emerging Power Geometry

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The following conversation derives from an online chat between Global Forecast editors and four CSIS scholars on the rise of China, India, Brazil, and Turkey.

The recent global financial crisis has been a huge headache for the West. Three years later, do China, India, Brazil, and Turkey look back at it as the beginning of an opportunity?

The Role of the Haitian Diaspora in Building Haiti Back Better

sherry — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The peaceful transition of presidential power to Michel Martelly on May 14, 2011, marked an important moment for Haiti. After months of uncertainty surrounding a turbulent electoral process, a window of opportunity has opened for the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation to attract badly needed foreign investment.

Hemisphere Focus: Argentina's 2011 Presidential and Congressional Elections

Mgraybeal — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Argentina will hold presidential and congressional elections on October 23. The same day, local elections will take place in select provinces; other local races have already taken place or will be held on other dates.

Hemisphere Focus: Las Elecciones Presidenciales y Legislativas en la Argentina en 2011

Mgraybeal — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

La Argentina realizará elecciones para presidente y vicepresidente y miembros del Congreso Nacional el 23 de octubre. Algunas elecciones provinciales tendrán lugar simultáneamente. Otras competencias locales ya se han efectuado o han sido convocadas para fechas diferentes.

Mexico's 2012 Presidential Election and U.S.-Mexico Relations

mentman — Thu, 19 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship in recent months has been plagued by a series of highly sensitive issues. In December, Wikileaks postings revealed U.S. embassy dispatches critical of Mexico’s war on drug cartels and characterizing prospective presidential candidates from the National Action Party as weak. That led to a breakdown of trust between U.S.

Hemisphere Insider Volume I, Issue 2 - April/May 2011

cwatson — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In Brief:

Mexico's Economic Policy and Migration

jdunton — Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Mexican migration to the United States is primarily a result of inadequate employment opportunities in Mexico. Other motives for emigration exist, namely kinship relations in destination locations, but the primary motive remains economic improvement. Lack of opportunity for meaningful employment largely stems from stagnant growth in Mexico.

Health Diplomacy of Foreign Governments

jdunton — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In the fall of 2010, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center hosted three seminars featuring experts on regional politics, global health policy, and diplomacy to facilitate discussion, information exchange, and analysis regarding the linkages between health and foreign policy in key countries.

Cuba's Sixth Communist Party Congress—Going through the Motions

sherry — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Since the 1959 revolution that brought them to power, Cuba’s Castro brothers have been so hostile to democracy and capitalism that whenever they mentioned the possibility of easing their government’s authoritarian grip just a little, they made headlines. Usually, such talk occurred during episodic economic crises and was couched in terms of perfecting their brand of socialism.

Hemisphere Focus: Rebooting Haiti—A Burden to Be Shared

mentman — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Judging from his recent whirlwind Washington tour, Haiti’s president-elect Michel Martelly has hit the ground running. Although official election results had yet to be announced on April 20, Martelly was already in meetings with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank officials.

U.S.-Colombia Trade Agreement Takes another Step

ian — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

It may have taken a while, but the Obama administration finally did the right thing. On April 6, it announced an agreement with Colombia on labor reforms needed for the White House to send the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement to Congress for approval.

Hemisphere INSIDER Volume I Issue 1 - March 2011

cwatson — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In Brief

Haiti’s Orderly Runoff Election—Progress You Can Believe In?

mentman — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On Sunday, March 21, Haitians turned out in significant numbers to vote in runoff elections for president, as well as several legislators. Initial exit polls suggest that Michel Martelly, a popular entertainer turned politician, leads Mirlande Manigat, a former first lady and academic. While official results will not be available until March 31, the second round appeared to go smoothly.

Can Chávez Rescue Qaddafi?

mentman — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

When protests against Muammar Qaddafi’s 41-year rule began to envelop Libya in late February, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez may have been wondering if his 12-year-old regime could be next.

Time to Exchange Andean Preferences for Reciprocal Free Trade Agreements

ian — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The February 13 lapse of useful, but outdated, one-way trade preferences for Andean countries has made it more urgent for Congress and the president to implement the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Hemisphere Highlights Volume X Issue 1 - February 2011

cwatson — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

HEADLINES

Presidential contests in five countries promise excitement this year, the first taking place in Haiti next month. All mix familiar candidates with fresh faces. Though there are early leaders in each race, the possibility of close contests or upsets should not be discounted.

Emerging Powers, Emerging Donors

jdunton — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

With China, Brazil, and Russia now among the top 10 economies in the world and the continued second-tier growth of still other nations, most notably India, Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia, and South Africa, the term “emerging powers” is on the lips of policymakers everywhere.

Turmoil in North Africa—Contagion in the Americas?

mentman — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

As the so-called January 14 Jasmine Revolution inspires protests in Egypt and other nearby states, it may be worth recalling that North Africa is not the only part of the world clamoring for more representative, accountable government.

Hemisphere Focus: Mexico's 2011 Gubernatorial Elections and their Impact on Drug Policy - January 28, 2011

sherry — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Sunday, January 30, a hotly contested vote in Guerrero state marks the first of six elections this year for Mexican state executives. They will set the stage for the 2012 presidential race and indicate whether the once-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) can continue its political rebound.

The Challenges of a Post-Reunification Korea: Lessons from Reconciled Civil Conflicts

nanderson — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The unhappy division of Korea is unique in many respects. When Korea contemplates reunification, however, it is necessary to look for family resemblances, drawn from history, that alert Korea to the challenges of unification that lie ahead. But which models and which historical cases provide relevant guidance?

Hemisphere Highlights Volume IX Issue 9 - December 2010

cwatson — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

HEADLINES

Haitian Presidential and Legislative Elections: What’s at Stake on November 28?

ian — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What are Haitians voting for on November 28, 2010?