Safe Democracy Foundation - Safe Democracy

Aside from giving Bolivia a breather, the recent emergency meeting of the twelve countries of UNASUR - for which Michelle Bachelet took the initiative - has, above all, amounted to a display of smart power, and is further proof of the solidity of the consensus for stability and development in Latin America.

Wandering street vendors, self-employed workers, specialized workers, repairmen, small entrepreneurs, pensioners and even university professionals are faced with a paradoxical and hopeless reality in Latin America. They see that, no matter what they do, they remain mired in a life of poverty from which they cannot escape.

What lessons can be learned from the fall of Lehman Brothers? Is Lehman’s bankruptcy only a financial matter? How can an investment bank go bankrupt? What happens when it goes bankrupt? Why has Washington not intervened now if it did do so in the bankruptcies of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and Bear Stearns? Can more banks go bankrupt? Why is this crisis lasting so long? How did it all begin? What consequences can this have for the average citizen?

Europe’s mistake regarding Russia’s latest actions in Caucasus stems from its inability to articulate a strong position in keeping with its interests. Moscow wishes to diversify its economy and not limit itself to being a mere energy provider, and in this sense Brussels has some negotiating leverage. The author says that if the EU does not take advantage of this opportunity, Russia will end up rerouting its energy supply to Asia.

• Russia: the bear wakes up
  por Zidane Zeraoui
• Nostalgia for Russia
  por Silvia Marcu

A giant like Russia cannot be threatened with retaliation by its Western neighbors, above all because the energy that makes the European countries run comes in a large part from Gazprom, the most important oil company in the world. The author says that by merely understanding Moscow’s historic need to have a safety line, a stable relationship between the Russian bear and its Western neighbors can be achieved.

As its neighboring giants India and China continue to make significant inroads into the global economy, the still charter-less ASEAN is mired in integration problems and struggling to forge a single market. The author points to a disparity in the amount of foreign direct investments received by the member states, as well as the weak trade within the association, as possible reasons for the association’s heretofore failure to integrate.

• Southeast Asia reduces poverty, but increases inequality
  por Viviana Malvina Sosa

Now that Pervez Musharraf has finally resigned as Pakistan’s president, the author analyzes his legacy, and attempts to pick apart the unstable coalition currently ruling Pakistan. Read on to discover why the Pakistani people gradually turned against a man they initially trusted, and why a poor civilian government is always better than a poor military one.

• Islamabad’s Next Steps
  por Sohail Mahmood
• Assessing the creation of the new civilian government in Pakistan
  por Sohail Mahmood

The European companies with the greatest number of women in leadership positions show above average returns, as evidenced by Ericsson or Nokia. So why is the sex ratio so disproportionate in positions of responsibility in the political and business fields? Would the European Union work better with more female leadership?

The author says that there is a social democratic left in Latin America that has left behind schools of thought from the Sixties and ancient times in order to join the globalized world, without any messianic speeches. Michelle Bachelet’s Chilean government is exhibiting flexibility and pragmatism, and it has understood that foreign investment, political stability and economic liberalization are necessary for success.

• Success Can Also Be Latin American
  por Joaquín Mirkin
• Chile hopes to overcome its ultra-dependence upon energy
  por Juan Antonio Sacaluga