BOOK
Carlos Pascual and Vicki Huddleston, February 15, 2010
Huddleston and Pascual convened opinion leaders in the Cuban American community, leading scholars, and international diplomats from diverse backgrounds and political orientations to seek common ground on U.S. policy toward Cuba. This pithy yet authoritative analysis is the result. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ted Piccone, February 03, 2010, Current History
In the face of a widespread economic downturn, many Latin American countries are considering organizational changes, including stronger governments. Ted Piccone evaluates the region’s political and financial climate, arguing that the current economic crisis could have substantial negative implications for the future of democracy throughout Latin America. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, January 27, 2010, United Nations Human Rights Council Special Session on Haiti, 27-28 January 2010
In an address to a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Walter Kälin, Representative of the UN Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, argues that we must be attentive to the multiple human rights challenges facing victims of natural disasters, such as the recent earthquake in Haiti. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, January 25, 2010
1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Washington, DC
For many policymakers, counterinsurgency and counternarcotics policy are two sides of the same coin. However, eradication-focused counternarcotics campaigns typically fail to bankrupt belligerent groups and may even strengthen insurgents. On January 25, the 21st Century Defense Initiative hosted Vanda Felbab-Brown and Dr. Wendy Chamberlin for a discussion of Felbab-Brown’s new book Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tessada, January 22, 2010, The Brookings Institution
Haiti continues to grapple with the disastrous effects of the earthquake. As the relief operations begin to provide essential life support, other problems will emerge. Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tesada discuss the country's critical need for governance and state capacity, urging that Haiti's reconstruction should favor income generation and institution-building. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, January 21, 2010, The Brookings Institution
As President Obama completes his first year in office, Mauricio Cárdenas evaluates the administration’s policies toward Latin America. While the president’s popularity in the region remains high, Cárdenas stresses the need for a concrete, working agenda to maintain strong hemispheric partnerships and tackle key challenges, including trade, immigration, and renewable energy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Homi Kharas, January 21, 2010, The Brookings Institution
The recent earthquake in Haiti caused a staggering number of casualties, with the greatest loss of life and destruction in the poorest areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Homi Kharas highlights three valuable lessons from the recovery effort after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that can be applied to the current rebuilding efforts in Haiti. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Daniel Kaufmann, January 19, 2010, The Brookings Institution
The immediate emergency rescue and relief needs due to the devestating earthquake in Haiti are clear. Less apparent is the role of the international community in reconstruction and development in the short-to-medium term. Daniel Kaufmann examines Haiti's underdevelopment before the earthquake and discusses the involvement needed for an effective recovery and reconstruction effort. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Rebecca Winthrop, January 14, 2010, The Brookings Institution
Haiti's massive earthquake is a call to action for the international community to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, and a sad but urgent reminder of the importance of disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Rebecca Winthrop discusses strategies that can help countries prepare for these disasters and stresses the need to invest in disaster preparedness. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, December 02, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Brazil, a country whose emissions have increased dramatically during the past two decades due to rapid growth and industrialization, is beginning to take decisive actions concerning climate change. Mauricio Cárdenas discusses the challenges and concerns of these efforts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kevin Casas-Zamora, December 01, 2009, The Brookings Institution
After months of turmoil, Honduras elected a new president on December 1, conservative Porfirio Lobo. While some view the election as a step forward for Honduras and an opportunity for the country to renew its international legitimacy, Kevin Casas-Zamora contends that the election was in fact a failure both for Honduras and for the cause of democracy in the Americas. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Rodolfo Arango Rivadeneira, Editor, November 30, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Colombia is not only a country with one of the largest populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide but also the state with the most important contributions by the judiciary to the protection of such persons. This new book, published by the Brookings-Bern Project and edited by Rodolfo Arango Rivadeneira, provides the first comprehensive analysis of the role of the Colombian Constitutional Court in addressing the situation of internal displacement in Colombia and the protection of one of the world's largest populations of IDPs. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tessada, November 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Fiscal policy has been mentioned as a key driver of the resilience that many large Latin American countries have seen during the global financial crisis. Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tessada examine Chile's fiscal rules and caution that a comprehensive fiscal strategy cannot focus solely on the short- and medium-term evolution of fiscal policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Diana Villiers Negroponte, November 12, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In recent months, Colombia has experienced increased isolation from its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere, due to border and military disputes, refusals to cooperate on economic and political fronts and disenchantment with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Diana Negroponte examines the reasons for this isolation, and possible remedies the Obama administration may apply. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, November 06, 2009, The Brookings Institution
One of the values measured in the 2005 World Values Survey was political ideology. Mauricio Cárdenas discusses the concept of political cohesion in Latin America and how ideology and political polarization can impact economic growth. Read More