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Articles in SourceMex, NotiCen, and NotiSur for Feb. 13-15
Cuba to Head CELAC in Coming Year of Change
Santiago, Chile, was the stage, on Jan. 27-28, of two
political events that will surely go down in the history
of Latin American and Caribbean countries as noteworthy.
First, the presidents and heads of state of the 33
countries of the region--speakers of Spanish, Portuguese,
English, and French--participating in the first summit of
the Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños
(CELAC), stood to pay an emotional tribute to Venezuelan
President Hugo Chávez. And within hours, they applauded
for more than two minutes when rightist Chilean President
Sebastián Piñera, a conservative, handed the rotating pro
tempore presidency to Cuban President Raúl Castro, a
Marxist.
- Andrés Gaudín Read More
Is Ecuador's Social Participation an Illusion?
The Ecuadoran Constitution approved in 2008 is described
as a guarantor or protective constitution because it
incorporates various legal innovations to protect rights
and social participation in political debate and public
administration. Five years later, not all innovations
seem to have met the objectives for which they were
created, such as the two branches of government added to
the traditional executive, legislative, and judicial
branches that make up the general structure of the state.
- Luis Ángel Saavedra Read More
Violence, Crime in Mexico Remain Obstacle to Growth of
Foreign Tourism
While Mexican officials continue to put a positive spin on
recent tourism trends, continuing violence remains a
significant deterrent to potential foreign visitors. The
contrast was especially clear in February, when Mexico
received special recognition at the International Tourism
Fair (Feria Internacional de Turismo, FITUR) in Madrid,
Spain, for the design and effectiveness of its display.
At the same time, two reports were releasd that month
with updates that very much reinforced the perception of
Mexico as an unsafe country. On top of that, an attack
on a group of Spanish visitors in Acapulco, including the
rape of six women, acted as a further deterrent to
foreign tourists.
- Carlos Navarro Read More
Three Years After the Quake that Killed Hundreds of
Thousands in Haiti, with 300,000 Still in Tents, a
Question Arises--Where Is the Money?
On the third anniversary in January of the earthquake that
killed 230,000 to 300,000 people and left 1.5 million
homeless in Haiti, approximately 300,000 people are still
lodged in tent cities. This, despite the international aid
that profusely moved to this Caribbean island nation of
some 9.1 million people, labeled the Americas' poorest
country, where income for 78% of the people is less than
US$2 per day. Reconstruction efforts, including massive
housing, face obstacles because of the government’s lack
of transparency and efficiency, as well as the absence of
coordination between nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
according to various observers involved in assistance.
- George Rodríguez Read More
Guatemalan Army Colonel, Eight Soldiers Will Stand Trial
for Totonicapán Massacre
Infantry Col. Juan Chiroy Sal and eight soldiers will
stand trial for the killing of seven indigenous protestors
in the highland department of Totonicapán, on Oct. 4,
2012. Angered by seemingly arbitrary price hikes imposed
by British-owned electricity company ENERGUATE, indigenous
leaders had erected two blockades on the Inter-American
Highway Chiroy Sal, a member of the Segundo Escuadrón de
Seguridad Ciudadana, did not heed a warning issued by
deputy chief of police Hugo Catalán, who had informed him
that the situation was already under control and that Army
presence was not required.
- Louisa Reynolds Read More
Mexico Taking Low-Key Approach on Latest U.S.
Immigration-Reform Initiatives
Momentum seems to have picked up in the US Congress for
comprehensive immigration reform, but President Enrique
Peña Nieto’s administration appears content to take a
wait-and-see stance in order not to rock the boat. This
low-key approach was evident during Peña Nieto’s visit to
Washington a few days before his Dec. 1 inauguration. At
a joint appearance with US President Barack Obama, Peña
Nieto said Mexicans "fully support" the idea of
immigration reform. But he added, "More than demanding
what you should do or shouldn't do, we do want to tell you
that we want to contribute. We really want to participate
with you."
- Carlos Navarro Read More
