On the eve of the Haitian election

Some excerpts from a recent COHA analysis [Haiti: Headed Down The Path Towards An Electoral Farce, October 6, 2005]:

A totally unencumbered vote inexorably would end up with a Lavalas victory.
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Washington’s surrogate says that he wants to promote free and fair elections in Haiti where any candidate from any party may run for office. However, his actions contradict this by throwing into jail the two possible major candidates from Lavalas, Haiti’s most popular political party, Jean-Juste and Neptune. Essentially, Latortue’s government is making a mockery of democracy by violating the 1987 Constitution, while at the same time breaking international and regional democratic charters as well as international laws meant to safeguard political and civil rights.
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U.S. officials, who are largely footing the bill for the upcoming election, should take this opportunity to remind the Haitian cabal now ruling the country that no one elected it and that it must respect such democratic principles.

Noriega's resignation

COHA wrote a post-mortem [Noriega's Latin American Policy: A Disservice to the Nation, October 4, 2005] of Roger Noriega's service as the State Department’s Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemispheric Affairs, ended when he resigned a few months ago. The piece raises an interesting question of to what extent the Bush Administration's radical right-wing policies, exemplified by Noriega, have contributed or caused the weakening of U.S. standing in Latin America. A case can be made that Clinton's presidency was far more effective at maintaining imperial power. Presumably, elites are thus dissatisfied with Bush and yet the business class still appears supportive. Clearly Bush is good for short-term profit but I'm surprised there isn't more visible opposition from the more far-sighted.

China moving into the US backyard

A recent Council On Hemispheric Affairs memo [China’s Economic Invasion of Mexico: A Threat to the U.S. or an Opportunity for Mexico?, October 14, 2005] contains the following interesting passage:

"...the growth potential of any likely long-term symbiosis between China and Latin American countries has disturbed many on Capital Hill. As a result, several congressional hearings have being held to address the question. For example, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Representative Dan Burton (R-IN), in an opening statement entitled 'China’s Influence in the Western Hemisphere,' voiced his concerns that, 'Until we know the definitive answer to this question of whether China will play by the rules of fair trade, and engage responsibly on transnational issues, I believe we should be cautious and view the rise of Chinese power as something to be counterbalanced or contained, and perhaps go so far as to consider China’s actions in Latin America as the movement of a hegemonic power into our hemisphere.'"

Mining Companies in El Salvador

An update from the Asociación de Comunidades Rurales de Chalatenango in El Salvador on the recent activity of foreign mining companies in the country notes the successful resistence of communities in Chalatenango.

An excerpt:

In the midst of the catastrophe caused by the rains, Au Martinique Silver tried to enter the region of the organized communities of the CCR in Chalatenango to begin mining exploitation and the environmental destruction which that will bring.

We the organized communities of the CCR-CRIPDES, along with mayors and the legislative representative for the FMLN in Chalatenango, Marco Tulio Mejía, understanding the grave damage which could be inflicted on the environment and the health of the population, gave a identity and defense class of how citizens struggle to protect the lives of present and future generations. On the 10th of October at 7:00 am, we the inhabitants of the affected communities of Guarjila, San José Las Flores and Nueva Trinidad formed a human chain in the community of Guarjila, carrying signs that rejected the presence of the transitional and chanting slogans in favor of organization and defense of the environment. We blocked the entrance of 2 Canadians and a group of workers, representatives of the mining company Au Martinique Silver Inc., who are in charge of initiating the excavations.

The representatives of the company, tried to convince us that mining would benefit the development of the Chalatenango region and that they had authorization from the central government. We the communities declared that the government never consulted us about the decision, thus we are ready to make our own decisions and we will make them responsibly. We asked that they leave the region, and a group of citizens accompanied them out of Chalatenango, to be sure that they would not return.

The piece also notes that "The USA transnational Commerce Group Corporation is currently exploiting the mining zone of San Rosa de Lima in the province of La Unión and plans to earn 600 million dollars."