Safe Democracy Foundation - Safe Democracy

The Mexican congress should debate how to extract the best profit from the diminishing supplies of petroleum and its elevated price before the business ends because it is surrounded by the laws of protection and environmental sustainability. However, while Mexico makes a gamble so that PEMEX and its economy earn competitiveness and sustainability in the short term, the politicians shut themselves in their dogmatisms and watch a different soap opera, states the author.

• Bolivia and the Energy Challenges in Latin America
  por Hugo San Martín Arzabe
• Chile hopes to overcome its ultra-dependence upon energy
  por Juan Antonio Sacaluga

The policy (singular) of national security is a failure, says the author. Colombia should resolve the dilemmas it encounters, but without darkening its future with the fallacies woven around a sensitive (and marketable) theme for Colombians, as is its conflict with FARC.

• Security and Cooperation in Latin America
  por Rut Diamint
• Latin America must create a permanent forum for security
  por Rafael Moreno Izquierdo

All indications are that, beginning in November, the scale of diplomatic relations between the United States and Latin America will increase. Although each has a different point of view, the three presidential candidates agree that Washington should pay more attention to Latin-American countries if it wants to influence the region.

Many Mexican citizens have resigned themselves to accept insecurity as something inevitable due to the inability (or the corruption) of the police and judges with regards to the control of drug trafficking and organized delinquency. The Calderón government only manages to tackle occasional skirmishes against the local mafia, affirms the author.

The Argentinean government is in a squeeze: with the intention of brutally increasing soy retentions, their principal export product, they disturb the scaffolding of the spectacular economic growth registered in the last five years. The conflict between the Government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and the field has exploded. Understand why.

The uncertainty generated by the energy politics of the government of Evo Morales has a negative impact on investment, states the author. The current production of hydrocarbons is stagnant and unable to cover, in the case of natural gas, the exportation commitments with Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. In addition, in case of the liquids, the increasing requirements of Bolivia’s own internal market cannot be covered by hydrocarbons. It remains slightly contradictory because in 2002 Bolivia aspired to be the energetic core of the whole region.

• Chile hopes to overcome its ultra-dependence upon energy
  por Juan Antonio Sacaluga

The Organization of the American States [OAS] was born to install peace and contribute to the development of the societies of the American Hemisphere. However, things changed and tension developed between the United States and Latin America. Nevertheless, the crisis between Bogota and Quito has shown that problems are solved through international law and the will of Latin American leaders–a demonstration of multilateralism in the region that is a reason to celebrate, assures the author.

• Latin America must create a permanent forum for security
  por Rafael Moreno Izquierdo

It does not make sense to think that the national interests safeguard can be guaranteed with measures that have exclusively national jurisdiction. Colombia will not be successful against FARC if its members find refuge on the other side of the border (which does not exempt Bogotá from having to ask Ecuador for complete forgiveness). Latin America will only achieve domestic and foreign security with a common and coordinated effort. Here is how.

The escalating tension between Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela is as incredible as it is dangerous. The shaky international community cannot allow an armed conflict to break out in the Andes region, or even a new focal point of tension in the American continent. Rhetoric can turn into drama, states the author.