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COHA

The Hemisphere’s State of Same-Sex Partnership Recognition: Canada Very Much in the Lead

Gay couples are rejoicing in California, where they have recently obtained the right to marry, but in other parts of the Western Hemisphere, same-sex partnership-recognition is more of a dream than a reality. In Latin America, the historical influence of traditional rigid Catholic values toward gender and sexuality as well as the societal norm of machismo have created a cultural prejudice profoundly adverse to homosexuality. Many Caribbean nations, long known for their homophobia, lie on the opposite end of the spectrum from their North American neighbors such as Canada, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2005 with the Civil Marriage Act. Though there has been pro-gay legislation proposed by governments throughout Latin America, little headway has been made in actually passing laws that would expand marriage rights to homosexuals.

Successful National Legislation
Only two countries in the Western Hemisphere have passed national legislation legalizing gay partnership rights; one allows gay marriages and the other recognizes civil unions. Canada is by far the most progressive country in granting equality to its homosexual population, as evidenced by its nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2005. According to the 2006 Canadian Census—the only time the government has collected data specifically counting same-sex married couples—there were nearly 15,000 married homosexuals in the country. It is not surprising that the most socially liberal nation in North America would be the first to pass such a controversial law.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Taylor Holt.

Rebels With a Vanishing Cause: The FARC in Colombia

On Sunday, July 20th, hundreds of thousands of Colombians took to the streets on Sunday, July 20 to protest Colombia’s ongoing forty year civil war. Chants of “Libertad” echoed throughout not only Bogotá but also Paris, the home of recently-released FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt, a figure who could be of extraordinary importance to the nation’s future. Colombian immigrants also staged rallies throughout the U.S. to call for the unconditional release of all hostages by the armed group.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associates Suzana Shepard-Durini and Jessica Bryant.

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CanadaEconomicsPress Releases
COHA

Skilled Labor: Outdated Immigration Policy Threatens U.S. Economic Well-Being

    • U.S. losing the race for talented immigrants
    • Washington must update immigration policy to allow more skilled immigrants to work in the U.S.

In 2007, Microsoft opened a software development center in Vancouver, Canada, in part to have access to highly skilled workers who are presently prohibited from residing in the United States. Microsoft’s recent Canadian venture highlights a growing trend of U.S. companies seeking available talented workers in offshore countries and keeping them there. Much of this in-place outsourcing has to do with Washington’s failure to provide sufficient work permits to fill the pressing domestic need for skilled immigrant professionals. Making matters worse, many of the immigrants who are unable to receive U.S. work permits have been educated at American universities. The U.S. pours valuable resources into the education of would-be immigrants, whose knowledge and skills ultimately benefit other countries. The result is that the U.S. is missing out on substantial economic benefits by refusing to grant work permits to skilled laborers, especially to those schooled here.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Jamie Heine.

Does the End Justify the Means? The Misuse of the ICRC Emblem by Colombian Intelligence in Its Hostage Rescue Mission

The now famed Colombian rescue mission Operation Jaque, responsible for the rescue of former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other important and high visibility hostages from the FARC, is being criticized for using emblems from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of its elaborate ruse. Colombia’s president Uribe has acknowledged this deception and has formally apologized to the ICRC. Three photographs provided by an unknown military source, and sold to CNN, show a Colombian soldier wearing an ICRC bib on his arm. Furthermore, in previously unpublished video footage of the rescue mission, an emblem can be seen on the helicopter of the “Mision Internacional Humanitaria,” which is supposedly an NGO based in Spain.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Erina Uozumi.

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PanamaPress Releases
COHA

Operation Just Cause: A Historical Analysis

On September 7, 2007, seventeen years after Manuel Noriega’s violent removal from power in Panama, a legal order for his release was issued in Miami; however, to this day, the former Panamanian strongman remains imprisoned in a Florida jail as both France and Panama battle for him to be extradited to their respective countries. While Noriega awaits certain extradition and another trial at age seventy four, the world only distantly remembers his apprehension in 1989 and perhaps more importantly, the blemish it left on U.S. foreign policy throughout Latin America. In December 1989, President George H.W. Bush decided to forcefully remove Manuel Noriega from Panama to stand trial in the United States for drug trafficking and related charges. The intervention was given the name “Operation Just Cause,” a reference to the anticipated success of this exercise in freeing Panamanians from an evil dictator. But in the view of many, the operation not only broke international law, but severely destabilized Panama- an effect the country still feels to this day. President Bush’s decision to intervene with military force in Panama was a direct result of the crisis created by Noriega’s rise to power, largely as a result of Washington’s backing, and the complex and asymmetrical relationship between the two nations.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Jessica Wayne.

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