CIAO DATE: 05/2015
Fall 2014
U.S. Presidential Action on Cuba: The New Normalization (PDF)
Robert Muse
Hilary Clinton said in a recent interview that she would like to see the United States "move toward normalizing relations" with Cuba. This remarkable statement—from quite possibly the next president—came at the end of a critique of the current U.S. policy that insists on political and other reforms in Cuba as a precondition for modifying the current sanctions the U.S. imposes on that country.
A Skeptic's View on the "Peace Dividend" (PDF)
Alberto Bernal
On July 20, 2010, President Juan Manuel Santos promised the 9 million voters who had just elected him to his first term that he would build on the foundation created “by a giant, our President Álvaro Uribe.”1 He declared that Colombia could now look to the future with hope, thanks to the multiple successes that Uribe had achieved during his eight years in power.
The Obstacles to Political Integration Post-Peace (PDF)
Juanita León
After three years of negotiations with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia (Revloutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—FARC) Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has decided to go all-in on securing peace for his country. His political and personal commitment became clear earlier this year when he staked his entire campaign for his second term in office on being the candidate of peace. His inauguration, and inaugural speech, drew heavily on the rhetoric and symbols of peace, with multiple images of white doves, including dove lapel pins for the guests.
Law and Reconciliation in Colombia (PDF)
Rodrigo Uprimny Yepes, Nelson Camilo Sanchez
Ultimately, the success of any peace agreement between the Colombian government and the country’s largest guerrilla group, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—FARC), will hinge on reconciliation. A successful process of reconciliation requires finding the balance between defending the rights of victims and gaining the trust of former combatants—members of the armed forces and the FARC—that they are not being unfairly punished.
Colombia and the War in the Eyes of the FARC (PDF)
Jenny Manrique
In August, the 27th round of negotiations between the Colombian government and delegates from the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—FARC) took place in Havana. Since November 2012, both sides have been negotiating behind closed doors to search for ways to end the 50-year-old civil war that has killed more than 200,000 and displaced almost 6 million Colombians.
The ELN's War (PDF)
Ramón Campos Iriarte
The recent 50th anniversary of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (National Liberation Army—ELN) led journalist Ramón Campos Iriarte to the jungles of Colombia’s western Chocó province, where open war between guerrillas, government forces and paramilitary groups has been escalating. The ELN—self-defined as a Marxist-Leninist organization influenced by liberation theology—was created on July 4, 1964, in the mountains of central Colombia by a group of students and clerics inspired by the Cuban Revolution.
Constructing Peace: How the Private Sector Can Help (PDF)
Alejandro Eder Garcés
Colombia finds itself at a watershed in the country’s history. With the possible end to over half a century of violence, a new peaceful future beckons. But Colombia’s much-desired peace will not just fall from the sky. It will have to be built by all Colombians through an arduous, perhaps decades-long process.
Post-Conflict Campesinos: Recovering Rural Colombia (PDF)
Ricardo Argüello
Armed conflict and the presence of non-state armed actors harm both agricultural production and rural households’ well-being, for at least two broad reasons. First, conflict disrupts economic activities by hampering access to critical inputs and markets. As a result, producers may reduce or curtail planting or harvesting. Second, rural producers face an unpredictable environment for making economic decisions. Armed actors may “tax” producers, coerce them into growing particular crops (licit and illicit) or require them to follow their rules regarding production and land use. In these cases, farmers grow what will produce the least risk to their quality of life and safety.
The Myths of the Colombian Peace Process (PDF)
Marcela Prieto
From its very beginning, Colombia’s peace process has aroused enormous expectations, not only within Colombian borders, but also in the international community. The negotiation is, in good measure, the result of the “Policy of Democratic Security” adopted by President Álvaro Uribe Vélez during his two terms (2002 to 2010), which helped limit the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—FARC), weakened the group structurally and turned the dynamic of the armed confrontation back in the state’s favor.
Why Entrepreneurship Matters in Cuba (PDF)
Susan Segal
For almost two decades, I have watched entrepreneurship explode across Latin America and the Caribbean, empowering citizens, transforming economies and changing lives. In sectors ranging from restaurants and small manufacturing to high tech, entrepreneurs are changing the economic and social landscape of the region. Perhaps most important, they are also generating jobs. Across the region, 60 percent of employees work for businesses with five or fewer employees. In Mexico, 72 percent of employment comes from micro-, small- and medium-size businesses. In Brazil, small enterprises create two out of every three jobs.
Cuba: The New Leaders (PDF)
Richard E. Feinberg, Michael Voss, Collin Laverty, Fernando Sáez, Inés Aslan, Margaret Crahan, Maria Hinojosa
Read profiles of:
Miguel Díaz-Canel
Yamina Vicente
MalPaso
The Faculty of Economics
Yoani Sánchez
Double Trouble: Currency Unification in Cuba (PDF)
Yaima Doimeadios, Vilma Hidalgo
After nearly 20 years, the dual currency system enacted by Cuba to help mitigate the economic shock from the collapse of the Soviet Union is set to be retired. As part of the government’s efforts to develop the country’s socialist economy, the Cuban government recently announced that it would unify its complicated currency system.
Cuba's New Business Class (PDF)
Alana Tummino, Allie Fleder
A palpable energy is reinvigorating the once-stagnant Cuban economy. Entrepreneurial businesses—spanning all sectors and industries—are springing up across the island. Walking through the streets of Havana, Santa Clara or Camagüey, it’s hard not to trip over construction sites for private restaurants, or see the storefronts offering manicures, haircuts, cell phone repairs, or colorful artwork.
Cuba and the Summits of the Americas (PDF)
Richard E. Feinberg
In the coming months, the United States is going to face a tough choice: either alter its policy toward Cuba or face the virtual collapse of its diplomacy in Latin America. The upcoming Summit of the Americas, the seventh meeting of democratically elected heads of state throughout the Americas, due to convene in April 2015 in Panama, will force the Barack Obama administration to choose between its instincts to reset Cuba policy to coincide more closely with hemispheric opinion and its fears of a domestic political backlash.
Ask the Experts: Colombian Peace Process (PDF)
Joydeep Mukherji, Aldo Civico, Clem McCartney, Álvaro de Soto
Colombia has already had the foresight and wisdom to analyze the experience of other countries in bringing internal conflicts to an end—including South Africa, the Philippines and Northern Ireland. As I write, representatives of the conflicting parties in Northern Ireland have just finished meeting Colombian government and FARC negotiators.
The Francis Effect (PDF)
Daniel H. Levine
The election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis aroused enthusiasm—and expectations—in Latin America. As the first pope of non-European origin in nearly 1,300 years, and the first ever from Latin America, he embodies both hopes and concerns for the future of the Catholic Church in this part of the world.
Unaccompanied Kids and Unintended Consequences (PDF)
Sam Quinones
In 2014, a rumor spread through Central America that anyone who hoped to reunify with family members in the United States should leave immediately. The rumor, apparently picked up and relayed by one or more television reporters in Honduras, was unequivocal: it was now or never.
Is Mexico's security situation improving? (PDF)
Eduardo Guerrero, Alejandro Hope
Just look at the numbers; violence and murder are decreasing. When Mexican President Felipe Calderón left office in 2012, the nation’s war on the drug cartels had already claimed 60,000 lives. Now, two years into the presidency of his successor, Enrique Peña Nieto, security conditions are still far from praiseworthy, but have improved in several key areas.
Some of our hemisphere's emerging leaders in politics, business, civil society, and the arts. (PDF)
Mari Hayman, Rebecca Bintrim, Kate Brick
Some of our hemisphere's emerging leaders in politics, business, civil society, and the arts. In this issue:
Politics Innovator: Carlos Menchaca
Arts Innovator: Matika Wilbur
Business Innovator: Diego Saez-Gil
Civic Innovator: Alessandra Orofino
A snapshot of policy trends and successes in the region. (PDF)
Jennifer McCoy, Katerina Valdivieso
A snapshot of policy trends and successes in the region.
In this issue:
Climate Change: COP 20 in Peru
The Electoral Challenge for the Western Hemisphere
Richard André, Rebecca Bintrim
In this issue:
The All Souls Procession
DIY Wine
Manos Sucias
10 Things to do in Nashville
From the Think Tank
Timothy J. Power, Marcos Troyjo
In this issue:
The Resilience of the Latin American Right
Brazil: The Troubled Rise of a Global Power
Wilda Escarfuller
Our hemisphere produces some of the best (and best paid) athletes in the world. Unfortunately, many of our soccer (futbol) players go on to play in Europe, where the contracts and endorsements are better. For the same reason, two of those who top the list of baseball player salaries from Venezuela—Cabrera and Santana—playing in U.S. instead of their home country.