Inter-American Dialogue

ingrid betancourt and 3 American Hostages rescued in colombia

The Colombian government announced today that the military had rescued 15 hostages held by the FARC, including three American contractors and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. The Dialogue's Michael Shifter is quoted by Reuters as saying "The Colombian government took advantage of the FARC's weakness and disarray to carry out the mission. It was a big gamble, but it worked."
Shifter appeared on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and was quoted in Time, Reuters,and the Christian Science Monitor.

Publications

La Visita de McCain by Michael Shifter, El Tiempo (Colombia), June 27, 2008. (English)

"Raúl Castro must reform agriculture and economy," Interview with Marifeli Pérez-Stable, Foreign Exchange, June 22, 2008

"Markets, not aid, are the solution," by Marifeli Pérez-Stable, Miami Herald, June 19, 2008. (Spanish)

"Prospects for US/Latin American Relations," by Michael Shifter, Oxford Analytica, June 12, 2008.

"Obama, McCain y A. Latina" by Michael Shifter, El Tiempo (Colombia), June 10, 2008. (English)

"Help opposition to restore democracy," by Marifeli Pérez-Stable, Miami Herald, June 9, 2008.

"¿Obama y Colombia, una política contradictoria?" by Michael Shifter, El Colombiano, June 8, 2008. (English)

"Challenge for Mexican 'Alliance' is Execution," by Jeff Puryear, the Latin America Advisor, June 6, 2008.

"Integration in the Americas: One Idea for Plan B," by Nancy Lee, June 3, 2008.

"Barack Obama tiene todo para ganar la Presidencia," Interview with Peter Hakim, La Nación (Chile), May 28, 2008.

"Experto estadounidense dice que su país "está más distante que nunca" de América Latina," Interview with Peter Hakim, El Mercurio (Chile), May 28, 2008.

Guatemala: Ten Years After the Agreements on a Firm and Lasting Peace, by Gustavo Porras, May 2008 (Translation of original report in Spanish).

"Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela, la refundación andina," by Michael Shifter and Dan Joyce, Política Exterior (Spain), May 2008. (English)

"Fair Growth: Economic Policies for Latin America’s Poor and Middle-Income Majority" presents a dozen “tools” meant to make life in Latin America more equitable for a majority of its people.

More Dialogue publications...

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

"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.

"Crossing Borders, Keeping Connected: Women, Migration and Development in the OSCE Region,” Manuel Orozco testified before the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Helsinki Commission on remittances in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region. April 24, 2008.

"Crisis in the Andes: The Border Dispute Between Colombia and Ecuador, and Implications for the Region," Michael Shifter testified before the House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs on the border dispute between Colombia and Ecuador. April 10, 2008.

More Congressional Testimonies...

Uribe and Supreme Court clash as McCain visits Colombia

President Uribe announced he wants a rerun of the 2006 elections after a Supreme Court ruling questioned the legitimacy of his reelection. This debate takes place as presidential candidate John McCain (R-AZ) travels to Colombia and Mexico to focus on trade and foreign policy. The Dialogue's Michael Shifter wrote a column in El Tiempo and was interviewed by Semana Magazine about McCain's trip and was quoted in the New York Times and Washington Post on Uribe’s call for a revote. The Dialogue's Peter Hakim is quoted about McCain's trip in El Universal (Mexico). See the Andean Region page for more information.

Violence from cartels erodes press freedom in Mexico

Journalist Lydia Cacho describes her illegal arrest and detainment. Looking on include Diputado Gerardo Priego Tapia, Dario Ramirez, director of Article XIX, and Ricardo Uceda, executive director of Peru's IPYS

Mexico's media face increasing threats from drug cartels and organized crime while the state lacks the capacity to protect those most vulnerable or prosecute those responsible for the violence. The Dialogue, in partnership with Fundación Prensa y Democracia (Prende) and Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (COMEXI), convened a two-day meeting in Mexico City with members of the Mexican government, the media and NGOs to discuss the decline in press freedom and the protection of journalists. A meeting in Colombia earlier this year covered similar themes. The closed door discussions ended with an open session with COMEXI members featuring commentary on the day’s findings and conclusions by political analyst and columnist Denise Dresser of ITAM, José Carreño of El Universal, and Carmen Aristegui of CNN en Español.

China's Regional engagement

Last week, the Dialogue's Dan Erikson testified before the House Western Hemisphere Affairs Subcommittee on China's increasing engagement with Latin America. Evan Ellis and Francisco González, members of the Dialogue's China and Latin America Working Group, also testified. In May, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Zhou Wenzhong spoke at a private meeting to offer the Chinese perspective.

Events

Is Haiti Drifting Towards Crisis? Or is it already there? A panel of experts discussed the food crisis and its political implications at CSIS. (Video)

Brazil's New Energy Challenges and Opportunities The former president of Petrobras Francisco Gros said the countries FDI could double due to the recent oil discoveries. June 24, 2008. ( Audio)

Local Venezuelan Elections Mayor Leopoldo López discussed his disqualification as candidate for mayor of Caracas analyzed the upcoming vote. June 23, 2008. ( Audio)

Discussion on Recent Trends in Remittances to Latin America The Dialogue hosted a conversation on the effects of economic slowdowns, anti-immigrant sentiments, technological innovations and regulations on remittances. June 12, 2008.

A Missed Opportunity in Peru Ernesto de la Jara, one of Peru’s leading human rights advocates, spoke about social policy under the García administration. June 5, 2008. ( Audio)

Politics in Bolivia George Gray Molina, director of the United Nations Development Programme in Bolivia, and Eduardo Gamarra, professor at Florida International University. June 4, 2008. ( Audio)

More Dialogue events...