Safe Democracy Foundation - Safe Democracy

The limit to energy sources poses a threat to the sustainability of Chile’s economic growth, which is a reason why Michelle Bachelet’s government strongly supports the development of hydroelectric energy in Patagonia. The initiative is tempting for Chilean and Spanish investors and the authorities, but ecologists, farmers, livestock farmers, fishermen, professionals and local cultural associations are making their concerns about the project known. The government’s objective is to have by 2011 or 2012 an energy grid that is more assured than the current one.

More than a hundred familial clans control 25 million hectares in Bolivia, five times the territory in the hands of the peasants. This figure translates to a hegemonic standoff, in which the political forces of today (historically low status majority groups) and the economic forces (dominant ethnic minority) do not converge, preventing each group from leading the country as it would like to. In this article I lay out the responsibility of Evo Morales, who will have to ensure a consensus in order to achieve the drafting of a constitution that is accepted by all sectors and guarantees national unity and the principle of authority.

Regarding the release of FARC’s hostages, the presidents of Colombia and Venezuela are prisoners of domestic policy, the author says. Chávez needs outside success to assimilate the referendum’s political debate, and Uribe needs to demonstrate that Chávez is not the only one capable of leading negotiations to free hostages. The author points out that the international community is hoping that these events will reduce the current tension between Colombia and Venezuela, and not the other way around.

• The intimate relationship between narcotrafficking and the State
  por Fabián Bosoer
• The international mediation in Colombia, is it defusing the conflict?
  por José Luis Gómez Garavito

The progress that Peru has experienced since Alan García regained the presidency is obvious: to the latest economic results (production growth, low inflation rate and proper fiscal discipline) we must add the FTA with the United States and the election of Lima as the host of the Fifth European Union-Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Summit, as well as the APEC summit. Even with all of this, the recent cases of corruption indicate that there is still a lot left to do, beginning with reform of the public, education, and health sectors, which is a major pending task.

Isolated for so long, and lacking a political culture on which to force democratic values, Paraguay needs help and support from its neighbors in order to move forward. This is especially needed from Brazil, the obligatory country of reference for Paraguayans, and one of the few countries that are capable of positively influencing the management of what will be the new government after the presidential elections in April.

Brazil, just like other emerging countries, is experiencing an shortage of infrastructure, which is hindering its economic growth. For this reason, President Lula’s government launched the Growth Acceleration Plan (PAC in its Portuguese initials) exactly one year ago: a four year, 190 billion euro investment plan that hopes to achieve the goal of a GDP economic growth rate of 5 percent between 2007 and 2010.

Hugo Chávez needs the FARC for his carom shot on the great Bolivarian homeland table, which includes Colombian territory. Álvaro Uribe has reasons to confront Chávez and to line up behind him the national unit of Colombians that are being held in check and offended from both the inside and the outside. Washington backs Uribe, its main ally in South America, but it is in need of a Chávez that will guarantee that, at the end of the day, Venezuelan oil finds its way to the American gas pumps and tanks.

• The international mediation in Colombia, is it defusing the conflict?
  por José Luis Gómez Garavito

According to the author, recovering Argentina has been doing better and better ever since its economy became a mostly cash/equity game (while having very little consumer credit and very little foreign, national, corporate and mortgage debt), and the United States is bound to discover that its cure for anemic economic growth (credit) just might turn out to be toxic in the long run.

• The Globalization of Brazil
  por Marcelo Luchino
• The Challenges of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in Foreign Policy
  por Luciano Anzelini

A particular political, diplomatic and legal phenomenon can be observed in relation to the drama of the kidnappings in Colombia: the matter has gone international. The question is whether this fact complicates or simplifies the liberation of those kidnapped, including those in the present as well as the future, those in Colombia and those that are held captive throughout the entire world.