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2008 Program Report
A summary overview of all of the Dialogue's activities, publications, initiatives and events in 2008.

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Press Center
Resolution of the crisis almost certainly includes Zelaya's return to office, but probably as a ‘figurehead' … without the same credibility or respect he enjoyed before this action.
Peter Hakim
Christian Science Monitor
July 1, 2009.
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Uncertainty Reigns as PRESIDENT ZELAYA OUSTED in honduras

President Manuel ZelayaHours after President Manuel Zelaya was removed from office by the Honduran military, head of congress Roberto Micheletti was confirmed by the legislature as interim president. Hemispheric leaders, including the secretary general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, said they would not recognize the new government and are pressuring for Zelaya's reinstatement.

The Dialogue's Latin America Advisor published a Q+A on the situation on July 1. Dialogue experts also have weighed in on the ongoing crisis in the press; Peter Hakim was quoted by the VOA, CNN, in the Washington Post, Business Week and the New York Times; Michael Shifter was quoted in Time, NPR and the Wall Street Journal; Dan Erikson was interviewed on the Kojo Nnamdi Show and by AsiaOne news; and Manuel Orozco was quoted in the Miami Herald and by the AP. 

Please stay tuned for an upcoming Dialogue event on Honduras' political situation.

Publications And Events

"Ecuador's Correa Confronts Teachers With Job Evaluations," by Jeffrey Puryear, Latin America Advisor, June 26, 2009.

"The Economy's Effects on the Ballot Box in Argentina, Mexico," by Claudio Loser, Latin America Advisor, June 25, 2009.

EVENT: Cuba and the OAS with José Miguel Insulza, June 24, 2009.

EVENT: Managing the US-Mexico Relationship John Bailey and Tonatiuh Guillén, June 23, 2009.

EVENT: Caracas Mayor Seeks to Unify Venezuela's Political Opposition Antonio Ledezma, June 22, 2009. (Audio)

"To Specialist, Perceived Importance of Education is Increasing in Latin America," interview with Jeffrey Puryear, Todos Pela Educação. June 18, 2009.

EVENT: Tragic Events in Bagua Peru Amb. Luis Valdivieso. June 18, 2009. Co-sponsored by the Council of the Americas. (Audio)

"Nations are in for a bumpy ride," by Marifeli Pérez-Stable, The Miami Herald, June 18, 2009. (Spanish)

EVENT: Ecuador's Regional and Global Relations Foreign Minister Fander Falconí and Security Minister Miguel Carvajal. June 11, 2009. (Audio)

"Latin America Policy during Obama's First 100 Days," interview with Michael Shifter, U.S. State Department. June 11, 2009.

EVENT: Discussion on Mexcio and U.S. Mexico Relations Andrés Rozental and Sidney Weintraub. June 10, 2009. (Audio)

EVENT: The Significance of the Fujimori Trial Carlos Rivera, Antonio Maldonado, and Doug Cassel. Co-sponsored with the Due Process of Law Foundation. June 8, 2009.

"En Sintonía," by Michael Shifter, El Tiempo (Colombia), June 6, 2009. (English)

"Raúl won't face OAS challenge," by Marifeli Pérez-Stable, The Miami Herald, June 5, 2009. (Spanish)

EVENT: Politics in Nicaragua Carlos F. Chamorro. June 3, 2009. (Audio)

Testimony presented before the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Financial Institutions at the hearing titled "Remittances: Regulation and Disclosure in a New Economic Environment," Manuel Orozco, June 3, 2009. (Webcast)

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

Testimony presented before the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Financial Institutions at the hearing titled "Remittances: Regulation and Disclosure in a New Economic Environment," Manuel Orozco, June 3, 2009. (Webcast)

"The Summit of the Americas: A New Beginning for U.S. Policy in the Region," Peter Hakim testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the U.S. role in the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago on April 17-19. March 11, 2009.

"The New Challenge: China and the Western Hemisphere,” Daniel P. Erikson testified before the House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs on China's evolving role in Latin America. June 11, 2008.
Peru Revokes Amazon Decrees

Alberto Pizango Source: ANDINA / Rubén GrándezThe Peruvian government is working to rescind presidential decrees that had led to clashes that left at least 34 police officers and indigenous protesters dead in the Bagua province in northern Peru earlier this month. The decrees would have opened access to oil, gas, mining, and other resources in Peru's Amazon region. The Dialogue held a public event on the government's response to the violence, with the Peruvian ambassador, Luis Valdivieso on June 18, 2009. The Dialogue’s Latin America Advisor published a Q + A on the protests on June 17. Peter Hakim was quoted in CNN on June 8, the same day the Dialogue held a public event on human rights in Peru.

Video on remittances


OAs drops cuba ban
Representatives at the 39th General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Honduras reversed the 1962 provision that barred Cuba from the hemispheric organization. This will allow for the island's eventual admission, provided Havana approaches the OAS in the spirit of the "practices, purposes, and principles" embodied in that institution. The Latin America Advisor published a Q + A on June 16.  Michael Shifter was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor; Dan Erikson in AP, Time Magazine, and the Guardian; Marifeli Pérez-Stable had commentary in the Miami Herald.

Andean Region in perspective
Weakened democratic institutions and responses to the global economic crisis were two of the principal themes addressed at the sixteenth meeting of the Dialogue's Andean Working Group. In addition to the discussions, the Dialogue held two public events: Rodrigo Pardo, María Paula Romo, and Michael Penfold offered their thoughts on recent political developments in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela on May 19 (Audio) while Genaro Arriagada and Carlos Basombrío gave their outlook for Chile and Peru on May 20 (Audio). See the Andean Program page for more events and articles.

Drugs and violence in Mexico

President Correa Wins Reelection 
As expected, President Rafael Correa won a solid victory in Ecuador's elections on Sunday, April 26th. The Dialogue hosted an event on April 9th analyzing political and economic scenarios for the election and published an Andean Working Paper, "Two Perspectives on Ecuador: Rafael Correa's Political Project." The Dialogue's Latin America Advisor published a Q + A previewing the vote. Peter Hakim was quoted on CNN while Michael Shifter was quoted in the New York Times, AP, and El País (Colombia).

After the Summit of the Americas
Buoyed by President Obama's participation, the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago was generally considered a success—but questions remain. Peter Hakim's recent article, "After the Summit," details the events leading up to the meeting and its aftermath—with an eye to the Dialogue's 10-point policy agenda released in March. For a complete listing of all the Dialogue's activities and publications on the Summit, visit the Inter-American Institutions page.