Articles written by Eliot Brockner
By Eliot Brockner
08 Jul 2011 |
Briefing
Ecuador's June 28 extradition to Colombia of Fabio Ramirez Artunduaga,
the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia's 48th
Bloc, marks a significant step in the restoration of
ties between the two countries. Acting on months of intelligence work by Colombian and Ecuadorean
officials, Ecuadorean police arrested Ramirez during a sting in Quito. One year ago, such seamless cooperation would have been impossible.
By Eliot Brockner
28 Apr 2011 |
Briefing
Colombian authorities have
decided to extradite Venezuelan national Walid Makled to Venezuela to
face murder and drug-trafficking charges in his native country, rather
than in the U.S., where he is also wanted on
drug-trafficking charges. Though the decision appears to be final, the
political implications of his extradition from Colombia have just begun to ripple around the region
and in Washington.
By Eliot Brockner
01 Mar 2011 |
Briefing
Last week's nationwide protests by Bolivian bus drivers were the latest
in a series of demonstrations that have become a political headache for Bolivian President Evo Morales. Bolivians
have developed a growing list of grievances and are taking them to the streets across the country. Although many of these tensions have long been present, the scale and scope of the protests so far this year have been surprising.
By Eliot Brockner
11 Jan 2011 |
Briefing
As Argentines enjoy the final summer before electing a new leader later
this year, uncertainty surrounds the direction of the country's domestic
and international policies. High levels of inflation, social unrest, growing insecurity, a dissatisfied and powerful agricultural sector, and accusations of being a haven for
laundering drug money are but a few of the challenges the next Argentine
leader will face.
By Eliot Brockner
29 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
In spite of massive international attention and multilateral efforts in
the days and months that followed Honduras' 2009 coup, reconciliation -- both domestically
and internationally -- remains elusive. President Porfirio Lobo has achieved progress in stabilizing the country's finances and,
arguably, its political situation. But a persistent crisis in public
security continues to threaten the country's slow
and bumpy return to normality.
By Eliot Brockner
11 May 2010 |
World Politics Review
An edgy calm has settled over Nicaragua in the aftermath of political
violence that erupted in Managua late last month. The immediate cause
of the violence was Decree 03-2010, issued by President Daniel Ortega in January 2010, which allows for a number of public functionaries to remain in power beyond their term limits. But the decree is just one of many highly divisive issues reflecting the country's broader institutional crisis.
By Eliot Brockner
16 Apr 2010 |
World Politics Review
As China and the United States coped with fatal mining disasters over the past few weeks, two nations in Latin America faced mining tragedies
of their own. Those tragedies, however, had little to do with the
dangerous work involved in mining itself. Instead, they shed light on
the region's informal mining sector, where politics and crime can be as
life-threatening as the actual job.
By Eliot Brockner
11 Mar 2010 |
World Politics Review
In announcing on March 8 that Venezuela is interested in restoring
diplomatic ties with Colombia, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas
Maduro noted that any improvement will not take place while current
Colombian President Álvaro Uribe remains in office. The jab was just one
of many traded over the past eight years, but the conciliatory rhetoric suggests that the two
countries may be turning a corner in bilateral relations.
By Eliot Brockner
24 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
Drilling got underway this week off the still-disputed Falkland Islands, as an oil
platform belonging to a British company began operations on Feb. 22. The drilling marks the culmination of weeks of intense
sparring between Argentina and Britain over oil rights
and shipping lanes in the South Atlantic, and reignited historic tensions over the islands.
By Eliot Brockner
08 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
Many Hondurans as well as outside observers of the country's political
crisis breathed a sigh of relief when Profirio Lobo Sosa was sworn in
as president on Jan. 27. The new Honduran government is now delicately engaging regional
governments, while forging a new path that it hopes will lead the
nation away from the debacle that characterized the nation's politics
in the latter half of 2009.
By Eliot Brockner
03 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Brazil has had a lot to celebrate recently. The
nation has taken on an increasingly important role in matters of
regional diplomacy and has emerged as the de facto political and
economic leader of Latin America. And earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee awarded Rio de Janeiro the 2016 Olympic Games. But ever since Oct. 17, the spotlight has been on Brazil for all the wrong reasons.
By Eliot Brockner
27 May 2009 |
World Politics Review
Last week, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, on a tour intended to strengthen Brazil's diplomatic and economic ties with those three nations. Brazil has been slowly asserting itself as the economic and diplomatic leader in Latin America. Lula's visits demonstrate Brazil's commitment to expanding its influence on the world stage.
By Eliot Brockner
25 Feb 2009 |
World Politics Review
A year after Colombia's cross-border strike on a FARC camp in Ecuadorian territory, the political fallout between the two countries has
still not been resolved. The two sides' inability to make progress on reconciliation makes for a volatile border rife with
drug smuggling, U.S.-funded coca eradication efforts, and thousands of
troops from rival armies whose nations do not have official diplomatic
ties.
By Eliot Brockner
29 Dec 2008 |
World Politics Review
Most of the early analysis of President George W. Bush's Latin
American legacy concentrates on his failure to engage the region
despite early promises to "look south." But the emphasis on the
outgoing administration's general neglect of Latin America has diverted
attention from the strong alliance that has developed between the
United States and Colombia.