Latin American Art: The Demand for Justice and Collective Remembrance.

11/14/2017

In both Guatemala and Chile, it has been decades since bloody civil wars have ended. But in a recurrent theme of Latin American history, both countries still struggle with the dark legacies that their nation’s respective internal struggles have left behind. One of BBC’s Latin American correspondents, Louise Morris, recently traveled to both Guatemala and Chile to observe and investigate the role of art in Latin American countries, and how forms of expression can be used to both facilitate demand for social and political justice, and also as a tool for remembrance and the inversion of commonly accepted – though often naive – popular historical narratives.

In Guatemala, performance artist Regina José Galindo uses theatrics to demonstrate the plight of the indigenous Maya in the small country, a group that was brutally repressed by the state during the 36 year Guatemalan civil war. While standing onstage reading testimony from victims, Galindo is regularly given shots of anesthetics to numb her mouth and make speech essentially impossible. However, the artist, against all odds, never stops sharing testimonies. Her efforts are meant to symbolize that the victims of former Guatemalan leader Montt’s regime, a man who previously has been tried for genocide (and is once again on trial), will never be forced into silence.

Farther south, Chile struggles to cope with the legacy of the Pinochet dictatorship. According to Louise Morris, it has become popular in Chile to try and simply forget and move on from the past. However, turning a blind eye to previous societal issues can only lead to social stagnation. Hence, the need for art. Art is both individual and collective expression, and through it collective memory can live on and can also be used as a conduit to potentially address unresolved issues from any given society’s past.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41926222

Rare Porpoise Accidentally Killed During Rescue Effort

As a part of a rescue effort Monday on the Gulf of California, a rare species of porpoise was unfortunately killed. Known as the Vaquita, these rare creatures can only be found off the west coast of Mexico, and are known to be the worlds smallest porpoise. On the verge of extinction, they are only thought to be about 30 of these little guys left in the wild, as they have suffered tremendously from the practice of gillnet fishing in the Gulf of California – which has since been outlawed. As a response to the plight of the Vaquita, an activist group was formed to raise awareness for the tiny fish-like creatures, and also as a means of saving the porpoises by transporting them to protected marine reserves. Mondays find of the rare porpoise was considered a huge win for the group, The International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, until it wasn’t. The Vaquita died “from complications” shortly after being pulled aboard. Irony.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41886417

Leading Opposition Parties in Venezuela will Boycott December’s Municipal Elections

As a means of protest against the Maduro dictatorship in Venezuela, three leading opposition parties will boycott the upcoming elections in December. The three groups, Justice First, Popular Will, and Democratic Action party, all deemed the electoral process in Venezuela to be biased, and have claimed that since at least 2013, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has rigged the elections. According to the opposition leaders, time and energy would be best served trying to reform the political institutions in their country, rather than by wasting more time attempting to win elections that, from their point of view, are illegitimate. Henry Ramos Allup, from the Democratic Action party, said that the groups “will continue fighting for fair elections. Other dictatorships have fallen because of people’s demands for a free vote.”

Maduro, of course, says that his opponents are simply sour from losing in the past elections, and implied that they were all behaving cowardly by removing themselves from the ballot: “When they lose, they denounce fraud. And when they know they are going into an election in an unfavorable position, instead of fighting they pull out.”

However, it is of note that there are significant divisions from within the opposition efforts in Venezuela. Earlier this week, former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, the main opposition leader, left the coalition, stating that he “would not be part” of the opposition coalition anymore “because it is not unified as a concept or a vision”.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41812179

Brazil police arrests 108 in major anti-pedophilia operation

That’s right, you read that correctly: Brazilian authorities arrested 108 people on Saturday who are accused of sharing and promoting child pornography online. The arrests signify the end of a six-month long domestic and international operation against pedophilia in Brazil, one which consists of arrests in 24 Brazilian states along with the capital city of Brasilia. Perpetrators utilized the dark web to conceal their actions, begging more questions in regards to the Internet’s insidious underbelly, and often also used elaborate mechanisms to hide their contraband – storing photos and the like on hard-drives abroad, for example. Among those arrested were police officers, civil servants, and people in change of youth sports clubs. This story is still developing, but one really does not needed any added information in order to feel a sense of utter disgust.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41704429

 

Amazon deforestation is down by 16% in the year to July 2017 compared to the previous 12 months, the Brazilian government says.

10-18-2017

Despite the optimistic title to the news article from BBC, a prevailing sense of pessimism prevails over the Brazilian government as they seek to promote environmentalism in the wake of omnipresent Amazonian deforestation. The overall statistics of Brazilian study do not reflect the accurate truth in this matter, as though deforestation has dropped in certain Brazilian states, it has risen in others. Some environmentalists cynically – and arguably precisely – argue that the drop in deforestation rates are not due to a changing of a collective Brazilian ecological attitude, but are rather caused by a drop in demand and subsequent drop in economic gain from raising livestock (which is the main culprit for the deforestation of the Amazon). All in all, the Brazilian government wishes to address the attitude of indifference that plagues its citizens (and the world, for that matter), as it acknowledges that apathy is no way to combat changing environmental conditions.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41670900

 

Mexico Warns the United States About Ending NAFTA

Today, October,11th 2017, members of the Mexican government – in conjunction with high ranking members of the United State’s government – issued concerns about the ongoing discussions on behalf of the Trump administration to end the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump claims that the current legislative framework creates an insurmountable trade deficit for the United States. However, people who are actually experts disagree, saying that scrapping NAFTA would cost both Mexican and American businesses over $1 trillion dollars. The downfall of scrapping NAFTA is not solely economic either, as a leading Mexican official stated that end the trade agreement would also “hurt relations between the US and Mexico and damage their co-operation on other issues such as fighting drug-trafficking and stopping illegal immigration across the US’s southern border.” Set to begin discussions with the United States and Canada soon, Mexico is preparing itself for all possibilities in our current atmosphere of American political volatility.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41576990

Donald Trump showers Puerto Rico with paper towels out of the kindness of his heart.

In a stunning and unprecedented act of generosity, President Trump reportedly gifted hurricane-stricken Puerto Ricans with well over $7 worth of off-brand paper towels during a press conference on the island nation Tuesday. Defying conventional aid giving practice, Trump effectively shot-putted the paper towels into the crowd at a blistering rate. Also, in the wake of Donald’s act of charity, the President also reminded the Puerto Ricans that the recent category 5 hurricane that struck the island has caused the Federal Budget of the United States much fiscal strain. Thanks Mr. President for saying what we were all thinking:how dare those assholes allow themselves to be hit by a hurricane? Obviously, a wall needs to be built around the Puerto Rican island, one large enough in scope to prevent any future tragedy; that’s the only rational solution to any problem.

To add on to Trump’s latest PR masterpiece, the commander in chief  did not fail to remind the world that Hurricane Maria had nothing on Katrina. That statement was, of course, 100% relevant to the plight of those affected by recent natural disasters, and our Trumpian inspired “nothing was worse than Katrina” foreign aid policy should inspire United States decision makers for generations to come.

 

For some reason, Trump faced a lot of backlash from the FNM (Fake News Media). The mayor of San Juan, which to the Presidents bewilderment was the name of a city – not an actual person – immediately condemned our fearless leader, stating that:

“This terrible and abominable view of him throwing paper towels and throwing provisions at people, it does not embody the spirit of the American nation,” [Mayor Carmen Yulin] Cruz said. “That is not the land of the free and the home of the brave, that beacon of democracy that people have learned to look up to across the world.”

This blogger disagrees with Mayor Cruz (to the shock of the orange one, Mayor Cruz is not related to Ted), as in recent times, there is absolutely nothing that embodies the spirit of the American Government than being utterly oblivious and ignorant of all things that may resemble some aspect of common human decency. The President did the right thing, as even though Puerto Rico lacks the crucial resources to rebuild in the wake of disaster, they now at least have the tools available to build  paper towel forts or something.

 

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/san-juan-mayor-trump-abominable_us_59d48333e4b0218923e632d9

 

The “Dark Web’s” Role In The Facilitation of Latin America’s Organized Crime

How the Dark Web Empowered Latin American Organized Crime

Truism of the century: The internet has, quite simply, revolutionized our world. Not to come across as a Luddite, but for all of the “good” technological globalization and democratization has caused, it is the negative aspects of such proliferation that is of the upmost interest to this blogger. Case study: Latin American organized crime and its use of technology – whether it be to the growing affordability of items such as smart phones allowing cyber crime to grow at an exponential rate (cell phones, due to being convenient, are not as network secure as we would like to believe) or from the use of mechanisms such as the Dark Web – to further advance their own interests and, generally speaking, make their activities easier.

For those whom have never bought several kilos of cocaine, or have not purchased napalm, or have never partook in laundering money for the cartel, the Dark Web is a heavily encrypted internet nexus that allows for users, in theory, to act in complete and utter anonymity. And in this figurative digital environment, real-world vices can flourish (as if the first sentence of this paragraph was not enough). Like any “good,” uh….successful organization(s), organized crime has reacted to the digital age by embracing it and adapting to what the internet has to offer. And it’s interesting to note just how monumental the use of the Dark Web can be for criminal organizations; how far-reaching the consequences can be. For example, the article that motivated this blog post details how Latin American organizations can market their products globally, find buyers in West Africa, then coordinate transport via the Central American passage and the Caribbean. From Africa, drugs can easily be transported up into Europe, sold, and then get this: profit from the sale of drugs is often used to fund terrorist activities (I’ll have to think of that next time I visit Christiana, Copenhagen).

And that’s just one example, essentially any good or service can be exchanged in that off-the-radar and underground community. Money earned illicitly has to be “washed” (laundered) in order to be used for legitimate means, done as a way of evading tax-hungry state suspicion (otherwise, basically all you can legitimately buy is small purchases, gas, and groceries). Digital currencies such as Bitcoin have allowed for an ease in laundering money, as (paralleling the Dark Web) transactions are done anonymously and without third-party oversight. The Dark Web and digital currency are interrelated, as law enforcement can’t simply “follow the money” anymore and expect to realistically stop criminal activity.

Which begs the question, how does anyone expect to limit criminal activity on the Dark Web? The issue underlying this phenomena is one of regulation, and I believe that circumstances such as these illustrate the folly of the free market. How much freedom is too much freedom? Beyond the seemingly impossible task of regulating the internet – which is borderline impossible – the issue at hand demonstrates the need for third party mediation in affairs similar to these, while also, in my opinion, demonstrating the downfall of libertarian inspired social and economic policy. In places that lack strong democratic institution – places like Latin America – the ability to, at the very least, hinder illicit online activity is severely crippled. Global trafficking, whether it be drugs, human capital, money, etc, is not isolated to South and Central America, nor is it a solely a Western problem. As global citizens, we all share these issues, and it will be interesting to see going forward how law enforcement adapts to criminal organizations who are seemingly always two steps ahead.

Cuba: An Uphill Battle in the Wake of Irma’s Devastation

While the United States was mostly spared from the full extent of Hurricane Irma’s destruction, island nations of the Carribean were not as fortunate – with many nation states experiencing unprecedented storm-induced mayhem. Specifically, the country of Cuba faces a perilous journey as it begins to rebuild. In Havana, residents have never seen flooding to the extent that it did over the weekend, with water rising all the way to the endeared Linea street in the historical district of Vedado.

However, and not to marginalize any suffering, Havana was only grazed by Hurricane Irma. Rural parts of eastern Cuba were not so lucky, with entire villages finding themselves directly under the eye of the storm. So far, there have been 10 confirmed deaths that have occurred from the hurricane. Cubans are scrambling to pick up the pieces of their pre-Irma lives, as material possession in the already poverty stricken country has reached a low-point for many residents.

On a related note, the Cuban state, one that lacks the funds to rebuild destroyed infrastructure, will struggle mightily to rebuild. In a world that sometimes seemingly lacks justice, disaster often strikes those most vulnerable. It is of my opinion that only via international aid will Cuba be able to recover. It is now up to the highly developed nations of the globe to extend generosity and empathy towards victims of this tragedy. Here at home, yes, it may cost money and conflict with our current “America first” foreign policy, but at the end of the day, every human being is entitled to compassion in difficult circumstances like the one that hurricane victims find themselves currently residing in.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41235494

 

Colombian President Calls Venezuela a “dictatorship,” but encourages the U.S to not take military action.

By Hunter Edwards, Wingate University

 

September 5, 2017

 

During a recent interview with CNN’s  Christiane Amanpour, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was highly critical of the regime to his nation’s east, equating Venezuela to that of a ‘dictatorship.’

 

Columbia, along with essentially the rest of the Western Hemisphere (whether directly or indirectly), has been struggling to catch up with the political unrest in Venezuela, as every day a copious amount of asylum seekers flood its borders in search of some sense of stability – even in a nation such as Columbia who is currently dealing with political and social unrest of its own, which further illustrates the dire situation on the ground in Venezuela. The Colombian government has refused to recognize the new legislation promulgated by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, yet wishes to reach a conclusion to the crisis via open dialogue and diplomacy.

 

The Colombian governments desire to reach peace with its neighbor through negotiation could potentially run counter to the United State’s aggressive foreign policy under President Trump. Responding to President Trump’s recent comments in regards to “not ruling out military intervention [in Venezuela],” President Santos urged the United States to not get in involved in the crisis militarily, saying that “A military intervention will not be accepted by Columbia or any other country in Latin America. This is not the way to go about this crisis.”

 

President Santos also took some time to, though not explicitly, criticize the Trump administration’s knack for “governance through Tweet.” The Colombian President advised that global leaders to stop playing games with one another and to cease the seemingly constant barrage of public insults (United States-North Korean relations, for example), stating “”My advice, and I think the advice of most of the world, is please insist through diplomatic channels, through dialogue. Because insulting each other from one side to the other and escalating the aggressiveness will only have a bad result.”

 

Columbia now prepares for the visitation of Pope Francis, who arrives in the wake of peace agreements between the Columbian government and factions of dissenters, as the nation is trying to reconcile with its own unsettling past – one that has been defined by civil war and institutional turmoil. When speaking of the Pope’s upcoming visit, President Santos had the following to say: “He comes in the perfect moment to push us, in his own words, for the Colombian society to reconcile, to leave aside 53 years of war, of death, of violence and start working together to construct that peace. He comes in the perfect moment.”

 

These developments in the northern portion of South America are an excellent illustration of the diversity of political thought in relation to diplomatic measures. In the interdependent nexus that is our global economy – and more broadly speaking our global society – what are the best ways to manage an international crisis such as the one plaguing Venezuela? Is it through a more “hard-line,” physically and economically aggressive approach, like the one that the United States could potentially propose? Or, on the contrary, can a solution be found through the exercise of soft power, through sheer dialogue and diplomacy? Only time will tell, yet Colombian President Santos has made it clear where he stands on the matter.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/05/americas/colombia-venezuela-santos-interview/index.html