Recent COHA Publications
Memorandum to the Press: Taking Human Rights Watch to Task on the Question of Venezuela’s Purported Abuse of Human Rights: Over 100 U.S. and Foreign Scholars Take Issue with the head of HRW’s Latin American Division
By COHA
Thursday, December 18th
The following letter has been sent to the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch, carrying the signatures of over 100 U.S. and foreign Latin American scholars. The letter raises serious concerns over that organization’s recently issued highly critical report on the human rights situation in Venezuela and the conduct of its president, Hugo Chavez. It is now being distributed by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs to its mailing list at the request of a number of signatories of that document. COHA’s staff is taking this step (with considerable reluctance) because it feels that it is obliged for any organization committed to social justice and democratic values, to speak out regarding the dispute now raging over HRW’s recent and very controversial report on Hugo Chavez’s human rights performance.
PRESS RELEASE: UNASUR – Death before Life? Disagreements over Leadership as National Agendas Divide South America, Dashing Argentina’s UNASUR Prospects
By Alex Sánchez and Andrea Moretti
Tuesday, December 16th
On October 23, Uruguay announced that it would block former Argentine president (2003-2007) Néstor Kirchner’s ambition to become the first permanent Secretary-General of the newly formed Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (UNASUR, Union of South American Nations). In blocking his appointment, Uruguayan President Tabarè Vàzquez won the strong support of nearly his country’s entire political spectrum, particularly the two largest opposition parties, the Nacionales and the Colorados. Meanwhile, reports have emerged from Peru regarding whether the Alan García government was wavering in its reaction to the Kirchner candidacy. On December 3, Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio García Belaunde had declared that, contrary to a number of rumors, Lima had not vetoed Kirchner’s candidacy, “lo que esperamos es que sea de consenso” (what we hope is that he will be a consensus candidate).
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Learn about our bi-weekly publication, the Washington Report on the Hemisphere
Once held by rebels, Ingrid Betancourt now held in high regard in Colombia
Human Rights Watch Report on Venezuela Under Fire
At Meeting in Brazil, Washington Is Scorned
Leading anti-kidnap expert abducted in Mexico
“Funcionan como mano de obra de los carteles”
Jobs for the family and allegations of corruption in Hugo Chávez’s home state
Colombians debate third term for president
Conversations With Chávez and Castro
Learn about our bi-weekly publication, the Washington Report on the Hemisphere
Recent COHA Citations
Hartford Courant
January 5thOnce held by rebels, Ingrid Betancourt now held in high regard in Colombia
Inter Press Service
December 30thHuman Rights Watch Report on Venezuela Under Fire
New York Times
December 17thAt Meeting in Brazil, Washington Is Scorned
The Independent (UK)
December 17thLeading anti-kidnap expert abducted in Mexico
La Prensa Grafica (El Salvador)
December 11th“Funcionan como mano de obra de los carteles”
SF Luxe (San Francisco)
December 9thJobs for the family and allegations of corruption in Hugo Chávez’s home state
CNN
December 5thColombians debate third term for president
The Nation
December 2ndConversations With Chávez and Castro
MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESS: Is Richardson’s appointment as Secretary of Commerce good news for NAFTA’s revitalization? It certainly is good news for the region’s self-esteemBy Andrea MorettiMonday, December 15th
President-elect Barack Obama’s designated appointment for Secretary of Commerce, Bill Richardson, was welcomed with gusto on Thursday, December 4, after a visit by him to Mexico. Richardson, currently New Mexico's governor, spoke out during a visit to the city of Puebla, where his mother has lived for 95 years. Memorandum to the Press: The Colombia FTA: A Less Attractive Face for Trade?By Jennifer AcostaFriday, December 5th
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which came into being in December 1994, has been one of the more important free trade agreements of its time. The NAFTA pact was signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States in hopes of strengthening the prevailing commercial climate and promoting trade among the three member countries. | Memorandum to the Press: Honor, Shame and Duty: The Reality of Argentina’s Tattered Armed Forces TodayBy Alex SanchezTuesday, December 2nd
It is no illusion that the tone and substance of the Argentine military seems to have deteriorated in the last several decades, from imprudently aspiring to control the nation in the 1970s and early 1980s (during which time it committed massive human rights abuses, rendering it the worst human rights violator in the hemisphere), to an ill-advised escapade in 1982 to re-claim the Falklands/Malvinas Islands from British jurisdiction. REPORT: The Future of Mexico’s EZLNBy Orion CruzThursday, November 20th
According to UN figures, Latin America possesses the highest concentration of wealth of any region in the world, as well as debilitating poverty levels. | MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESS: Paraguay’s Lugo: A Genuine South American Hero and a Worthy Challenge to BrazilBy Jamie SmolenThursday, November 20th
As many Latin American policy analysts have suggested, the election of moderate-left Fernando Lugo and his Alianza Patriotica para el Cambio coalition is yet another manifestation of a South American referendum in favor of a socialist-tinged democracy. MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESS: Bolivia: Conflict and Compromise in La Paz, as Morales Visits WashingtonBy Jacob AbeytaWednesday, November 19th
Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, is visiting Washington for the first time ever this week, on a two-day visit during which he is scheduled to make his first speech at the Organization of American States (OAS). |