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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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COHA

Still on the Drawing Board: the Banco del Sur a Half Year Later

COHA and the history of the Argentine human rights situation

COHA Director Larry Birns was recently mentioned in Hugo Alconada Mon’s article, “Piden desclasificar los archivos sobre los desaparecidos,” in La Nación. The article may be accessed by clicking on the following link:

http://www.lanacion.com/ar/politica/nota.asp?nota_id=1013271

• In the wake of the third summit of heads of state for the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the newest development is the creation of a South American Defense Council. One question still in the air, however, is what happened to the Banco del Sur, the South American development bank that was so heavily hyped a half year ago?
• The Banco del Sur may become an important actor throughout the continent, but for this to happen its members first need to agree on the subscribed capital upon which it will be levied.
• Once the bank’s capital subscription is decided, future challenges await: How to allocate the voting shares distribution and how to achieve high quality portfolios and credit ratings.

In December 2007, presidents from seven of the thirteen South American countries met in Argentina to create the Banco del Sur, a development bank originally advocated by Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez as a substitute for international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF )and the World Bank. However, as the Banco del Sur is still on the drawing board and its purpose still debated, the only relatively fixed points are the countries which have agreed to be members: the leftists Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, and the moderate left-leaning Mercosur countries, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The question at hand is whether the newborn Banco del Sur will be able to live up to the challenges of running a successful sub-regional development bank while still making a coherent and strong ideological statement.

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Argentina: At the Cusp of Change, Or, Continuity

  • A tumultuous past, a potentially problematic future
  • The candidates and projections of their political fate
  • What will another Kirchner presidency mean for Argentina?
  • Ideas about the nation's future
  • Peronist-bred mystifications go on

With the presidential elections coming up on October 28, Argentina is astir with speculation regarding its top candidates. First Lady and president presumptive, Senator Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, maintains first place in the polls, followed by Elisa Carrió, an outspoken critic of the current Kirchner administration, and Roberto Lavagna, former economy minister to that administration as well as the man credited with pulling Argentina out of its recent economic nightmare. The upcoming election, aside from all its innate drama, marks a very important milestone for the future of the Argentine polity as well as its economy.

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