Globalaffairs

Issue 23/January-March 2011
By Erica L. Green

The problem with writing about a country that is so rapidly changing is that by the time this is article is published, everything will be old news. However, one question will probably remain the same. What will Haiti’s future hold? One tragedy after another in past year alone has left many perplexed over the fate of the country of Haiti and its people. The year 2010 brought a deadly earthquake, a cholera epidemic, and election riots. These incidents alone had a death toll of an estimated 280,000 of Haiti’s inhabitants. When is enough enough? What will it take for the country to stabilize itself? Can a country so ravaged by poverty and health disparities before the earthquake rebound after so many setbacks?

I had the privilege of journeying back to Haiti one year after the devastating earthquake. What a difference 12 months can make. Structurally, there were some signs of improvement, but much has stayed the same. The biggest change, however, is probably in the sentiment of the people. These days many of the Haitians receiving aid are a tad suspicious, and rightly so. Many international faces have come and gone. Many promises of support have been, but lie dormant in the hands of the donors until the government can stabilize and develop a system to manage these resources, which is arguable the cause of such wide-spread destruction and loss of life.

Continue reading »

Issue 23/January-March 2011
By Kim Young

It was one of the darkest days in Barbados’ history. Barbados, a small island of just 166 square miles, most easterly in the Caribbean chain of islands, was plunged into mourning when the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon, David Thompson, QC, died at age 48 on October 23rd at his home at 2.30am, surrounded by family, hand held by his mother and his wife, after a short but painful bout with pancreatic cancer. It was not dark because Barbados had not lost a leader before since Barbados has lost a leader in the late Prime Ministers Barrow and Adams, but Thompson was relatively young, though Adams was 52. Adams died suddenly and Thompson illness was obvious, painful and the Country suffered alongside him.

Thompson, survived by his wife Mara Thompson, nee Giraudy of St. Lucia and their three children fought a tough battle which included several trips to New York Presbyterian Hospital for rounds of chemotherapy and even then, according to supporters, he did all that he could to make sure that Barbados was still being run from his bedside while placing the Hon. Freundel Stuart as the Acting PM. Criticism mounted severely against Stuart who was described be many BLP supporters and others as being “missing in action” Those accusations also came from some members of the press who described him as “silent” for several months during the PM’s illness. Indeed, the PM himself was asked while in NY whether he was going to disclose his illness and reshuffle his cabinet.

Continue reading »

Issue 21/July-September 2010
By Juan Carlos Triviño Salazar

The Colombian presidential election of 2010 will be remembered for its brief and intense campaign, marked by a rhetoric that never ceased to revolve around the importance of maintaining the legacy of outgoing President Alvaro Uribe. With approval ratings of almost 70% (1), the outgoing president has been recognised for his obsession with putting the state at the forefront of the fight against leftist guerrillas, which has characterized Colombian politics for the past 50 years. 2010 marks the end of Uribe’s second term and the election of now President Juan Manuel Santos, former Defence Minister, which confirms that Uribe’s mark is here to stay. Beyond the choice of Santos as president, this election confirmed that the country is unified around Uribe’s discourse; that despite other priorities, internal security is on the minds of Colombians when voting and that an important challenge for the incoming government is to correct the actions undertaken during Uribe’s administration.

Continue reading »

Issue 20/April-June 2010
By Roseanna Elizabeth Cox

When you think about the ocean, you shouldn’t have images of bloated fish bobbing around on the surface, surrounded by greasy swirls of oil, tar balls washing up on shore lines or sea birds trapped in oil slicks, waiting to die.

Since late April 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caught fire and exploded, the Mexican Gulf has changed, and not for the better. The corporation responsible for this, BP had estimated only 5,000 barrels of oil were pumping into the gulf a day. It was revealed, however, that the figures are significantly higher. Around 12,000-19,000 barrels a day are pumping out, according to a panel of government scientists known as the Flow Rate Technical Group. [1] If these figures are correct, then over 444,000 barrels (18.65 million gallons/70.59 million litres) have been released into the ocean, whereas the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster had only pumped out over 257,000 barrels of oil. Within the waters near the oil flow, the levels of Oxygen have already fallen by 30 percent, meaning it becomes a so-called “dead zone” as marine species simply can’t live there anymore.

Continue reading »

Issue 19/February-March 2010
by Erica L. Green

The scope of need has changed for the survivors a month after Haiti’s January earthquake. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that this new wave of need includes postoperative care, rehabilitation, and mental health services [1], only to name a few of the service needs.  Some sources on the ground recruiting personnel also note the high need for orthopedic and anesthesiology specialists. The United Nations Association of USA, Greater Chicago Chapter (UNA Chicago) is planning to be apart of this new wave of relief.

Coordinating a tactical relief effort at this stage can be quite complex.  The first waves call for military and trauma care for boulder removal and building collapse related injuries. The people with injuries are also centralized around the epicenter. Now, a month later health care workers are now confronted with infection, sanitation, and mental health issues on top of the chronic diseases that existed prior to the quake such as malaria and HIV. This means there are many more volunteers needed to pull off such an endeavor.  This writer, the coordinator of UNA Chicago’s relief effort finds the number of those willing to help encouraging. Whether is it military, government agencies, area hospitals or faith based organizations, support pledges have been steady. Assessments are currently being conducted to obtain a more accurate account of need but a challenge is the range of preexisting need. Access to health care was an issue long before the January quake.

Continue reading »

Issue 18/December-January 2010
By Juan Luis Dorado Merchán

What will the tensions between Columbia and Venezuela come to? Will the tensions brought on by international leaders make the violence escalate or even lead to an outright confrontation in the area? Is the new agreement between Bogota and Washington about military bases to blame for the reaction of Chavez?

There are many questions to be answered when analyzing the latest conflict between Columbia and Venezuela. The latest tension. One of many between neighbouring states that seem condemned to perpetual misunderstandings, at least while both leaders are in power. And at least one of them will most likely stay in office for many years to come.

The installation of seven North American bases on Columbian territory, a military agreement whose benefits for Columbia are questionable, is the latest battleground of Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarians. It is a renewed reason to resort to doctrines of fear for the enemy, and thus whip up its bases and allies. A new form of strengthening the Bolivarian Revolution.

Continue reading »

Issue 17/diciembre-enero 2010
By Sandra Azima

In recent weeks, Brazil has intriguingly become involved in diplomatic relations with key Middle Eastern leaders, as it has asserted its aspiration to readily engage and take a leading role in Middle East affairs. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has warmly welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad-the first Iranian president to visit Brazil. Furthermore, prior to Ahmadinejad visit, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, had been hosted by Lula. Lula took this opportunity to hint at Brazil’s determination to launch a new beginning in the Middle East peace process. Brazil’s fresh diplomatic dynamics reflect Lula’s ambition and determination to project Brazil into Middle East affairs and to act as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as US-Iranian relations. Brazil’s expectations to engage in a more active diplomatic post in the peace process in the Middle East has been consolidated by President Lula who has stressed the importance of searching for peace in the Middle East. This paper attempts to determine why Brazil desires to assert its role in the Region, what such a position entails and how this approach may impact the diplomatic realm.

Continue reading »

Issue 16/August-September 2009
By Felien De Smedt

The adequate use of the natural resources of a country is important for the national economy. However the question arises: how does one define “adequate”.

72% of the Peruvian Amazon forest is divided in 64 blocks for the exploration and exploitation of gas and/or oil. Of those, 56 have been just formed since 2004. This intensive increase was an immediate answer to the reduction of costs for foreign investments in Peru (1). In 2007, the Peruvian President, Alán García, announces, in his article The Dog in the Manger Syndrome (El Síndrome del Perro Hortelano) that he doesn’t intend to stop, saying that “[...] reality shows us that we must develop the resources that we do not utilize and put greater effort into our work (2).” Even though the government still doesn’t have a management policy on natural resources in a long term basis, the hydrocarbon landscape keeps extending. But what’s the cost?

Oil extraction has a serious environmental and social impact (3). It violates some of the most fundamental human rights of the indigenous people of the Amazon such as the right to life, to health, to property and social peace. The government has the duty to protect the living space of its citizens and to prevent contamination of the enormous biodiversity of the Amazon forest. The environmental management policy of the Peruvian state is weak. The National Environmental Management System stands under supervision of the National Environment Council (CONAM), a state body disposing of few financial resources and without political clout. Moreover, the environmental impact studies, necessary to register the quality of the environment, are carried out by firms, and contracted by the oil companies themselves. The evaluation lacks objectivity.

Continue reading »

Issue 15/June-July 2009
By Juan Luis Dorado Merchán

When a USA President is appointed he knows that he will have an international agenda very full. He is aware that he will have to deal with the Arab-Israel conflict, meet duties with allies, and try to maintain good relations with Russia …

This could seem the foreign policy of any country in the planet, obviously to some degree. But the tenant of the White House will have to deal with something exceptional, an unchangeable fact for 50 years: Cuba-USA relations.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy imposed a naval blockade on the Island and the resulting embargo, missile crisis, rafter exodus, Helms-Burton law, consecutive “alleged” murdering attempts of Fidel Castro, the aggressive policy of last Administration… all North American presidents since JFK have taken Castro’s Cuba as “their stone in the shoe”.

Continue reading »

Issue 14/April-May 2009
By Juan Luis Dorado Merchán

This article could perfectly be titled “Hugo Chávez’s nationalizations” or perhaps “Chávez’ economic politics”, but considering Chávez’s policies and manners, it is more suitable for the reader to write a crazy and a bit incomprehensible title.

Everyday Hugo Chávez clings more and more to power in Venezuela. His victory in the last elections gave him carte blanche in every regards, especially in controlling his main aim: oil.

Threatening foreign companies settled in Venezuela seems to be one of Chavez’ favourite sports in his thirst for nationalizing everything, taking the companies’ goods to give them to people. But, to which part of Venezuelan people does it belongs?

“Chávez threatens more nationalizations”, the media reported some months ago. Nothing new. No. This time it is different. Now Chávez has all the power he could achieve and he has got the option to remain in power all the years that the Constitution will establish, which means: all the time he will wish to keep in it.

We imagine that his economic and politic analysts, his nearest advisers, tell him about the misfortunes such as the slowdown to foreign investment will cause in Venezuela. However, Chávez doesn’t care because he has got oil.

Continue reading »