So many questions…

After the announcement that the political prisoners from the “Group of 75” would be released, many questions remain. Claudia Cadelo has very good ones in a post on her blog :

“It bothers me deeply, horribly, to see the sleight of hand that has been shown to the voices of civil society in pursuit of a policy so opportunistic towards those who live in my country today: the release of the innocents. At what point in history was the dialog between the Church and the Cuban government, and with Moratinos left as mediator? When will the prisoners who want to live in Cuba be released?

A “safe” border

A FBI report released a few weeks ago revealed that the US-Mexican border was one of the safest areas in America. 3 percent of the border patrol agents were assaulted last year in the cities along the border. It is the lowest rate in 7 years and far less than on other regions. US authorities were pleased and enjoyed that good news, but is it really a good one?

Mockus won the Internet campaign

The official Website of Antanas Mockus

Colombia 2010 is probably the first massive Internet presidential campaign in Latin America and one of the most significant examples in the world of how Internet has changed politics. A few days before the election, the positions have been completely changed in comparison with what it was at the beginning of the presidential campaign. And Internet has played a major role. The last few days have seen the irresistible rise of Antanas Mockus, who seemed to be marginal at the beginning, the long fall of well-established candidates like Noemi Sanin or German Vargas Lleras.

Arizona dream

In a few weeks, the Arizona police forces could arrest dozens of Latinos without any reason. How? There is no legal abuse. They even have a law to explain this. The State of Arizona adopted a law that allow the police to arrest every migrant (the Hispanics are the most targeted) who cannot show his migration document.

The forbidden wedding of Guzman and Iparraguirre

They used to fight for the revolution… Now they fight for their wedding! Abimael Guzman and Elena Iparraguirre could begin a hunger-strike because the Peruvian authorities refuse them to marry. They were two of the most searches revolutionaries in the world before they were arrested together in 1992. Abimael Guzman founded the Shining Path that terrorized Peru during three decades.

Bluff and drug stuff

Panic spread over the weekend in the Mexican central city of Cuernavaca (about one hour from Mexico City). An email from a supposed drug gang circulated among the inhabitants and the thousands tourists and students who are used to spend the weekend there. The message recommended people to stay at home because two gangs could have taken the street to fight to death. “We might confuse you with our enemies”, they said.

Hocus Mockus

Antanas Mockus or the era of the erratic and philosophical politics

Update : Mockus won the Internet campaign. Analysis of the Internet strategy of each candidate of the Colombian presidential election.

He looks like an old high school teacher. But actually he is much more funny. Antanas Mockus is candidate for the next Colombian presidential election which will take place on the 30^th of May. He is not unknown as he was already candidate in 2006 for the Indigenous Social Alliance Movement (he is himself the son of… Lithuanian migrants !), candidate for the vice-presidency in 1998 with the conservative Noemi Sanin and he is the former mayor of Bogota (1995-1996 and 2001-2003).

Brazil, just like Chile ?

Jacques Wagner and José Serra / Manu Dias / AGECOM / Fotos Govba / Flickr.com

Lula and his government are very popular in Brazil. It is even the most popular Brazilian government since a while: 76% of the Brazilians approve its action. The rate is quite similar to Michelle Bachelet in Chile, a few weeks ago. But just like it happened in Chile, Lula’s party could lose the next presidential election, on October 3^rd.

Crisis? What crisis?

The president of the Inter-American Development Bank Luis Alberto Moreno gave an interesting interview in the Colombian economical daily Portafolio. Well, interesting, not because his speech is revolutionary and contains miracle solutions for the development of Latin America. But because his tone has quite changed between the beginning and the end of the interview.

He is (probably) the next president of Mexico

Enrique Peña Nieto / DR

Let me tell you the story of another foregone conclusion.  Two years before the presidential election, all the Mexicans are convinced that the next president has already been chosen. A poll created a shock wave among the analysts : according to Consulta Mitofsky, an independent consulting office, the PRI candidate Enrique Peña Nieto would win the election with more than a 50% of the votes. It recalls another era – not so far from us – that lasted over 70 years, when the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) was a single party in Mexico.