Nazih
Richani
October 31, 2011
Regional elections were held across Colombia yesterday. Voters elected 1103 mayors and municipal council members, and 32 governors. However, at least eight of the newly elected governors—from the electoral districts of Córdoba, Cesar, North Santander, Santander, Guajira, Sucre, Casanare and...
Emily
Achtenberg
October 28, 2011
In a stunning political reversal, President Evo Morales signed a new law this week prohibiting construction of the highway previously championed by his government through the TIPNIS national park and indigenous territory. The event marked a historic victory for lowland indigenous groups who marched...
Todd
Miller
October 26, 2011
At an event at George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute last week Daniel Brito, of the Drug Policy Alliance, asked keynote speaker General Barry McCaffrey if there was complicity between the Mexican government and the Sinaloa Cartel—the Mexican drug trafficking organization...
Fred
Rosen
October 25, 2011
Just a few days after President Felipe Calderón, in an interview with New York Times reporters, excoriated the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) for wanting to pact and dialogue with Mexico’s drug traffickers (a charge PRIistas vigorously deny), his position was undermined by a...
Nazih
Richani
October 24, 2011
Late last week, in just 48 hours, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) delivered two strong blows against the Colombian military, killing 20 soldiers and wounding many others. The timing of the attacks is significant, occurring less than 10 days before the October 30 Colombian...
Emily
Achtenberg
October 21, 2011
Two historic events took place in Bolivia this week. Indigenous groups protesting the government’s plan to build a highway through the TIPNIS national park and autonomous territory arrived in La Paz on Wednesday, after a 65-day, 360-mile cross-country trek that has riveted national and...