The world has lost a true hero. Jaime Escalante, a native Bolivian who overcame great challenges upon immigrating to the U.S. to become one of the most inspiring teachers of all time, passed away today in his son’s California home. Made famous through 1988′s Stand and Deliver, Escalante was best known for teaching math to troubled teens in East L.A.
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Details here. Seems like a savvy business move given all the folks who migrate from Latin America to Spain.
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This isn’t related to South America per se, but Jimmy Carter has been doing some great work in Liberia. Click here to read about his efforts to improve local, community-based dispute resolution as a means to move past the ravages of civil war. As Carter explains,
in countries emerging from war, it is common that the state lacks the capacity to uphold the law, and that citizens do not trust the authorities. In such environments, local communities always will find ways to resolve local conflicts and address their own justice needs. One danger is that these will not be compatible with the new political order, human rights, or the maintenance of peace. In this transitional phase, giving citizens the tools to know and understand the law, and moving quickly to strengthen and supplement existing institutions are important steps that are seldom given sufficient priority. Governments and donors tend to focus on physical and structural reform, without providing the people themselves with parallel support to solve problems and maintain the peace locally.
It is in the communities scattered throughout Liberia and other recovering post-conflict countries that peace will either take root or discontent will re-emerge. Giving communities in transition the tools to address their own problems provides them with the means to reestablish social order compatible with the new direction of the state at the local level, making this an essential element of preventing a return to war.
It seems to me that the benefits of local, community-based justice apply not only to countries emerging from war, but to all nations where a significant percentage of the population feels disenfranchised by the formal, state-sponsored justice system.
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I don’t know enough about the situation to pass firm judgment, but I find this troubling.
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This post is only tangentially related to things South American–and it’s probably more in the way of shamless self-promotion than anything else–but there is a connection. A dear friend (Joe Mead) and I recently published an article in the Stanford Environmental Law Journal called “Equal Standing with States: Tribal Sovereignty and Standing After Massachusetts v. EPA.” In the article, we argue that Indian tribes within the U.S. should have the same ability as domestic states to sue the federal government. We say that the case for equal standing is especially strong in the field of environmental litigation, because Indian tribes have historically had (revisionism aside) a special relationship with the land, and because they have significant regulatory and enforcement duties under federal environmental legislation.
So what’s the connection with South American law and politics? Well, we’re living in a special time, a time when indigenous peoples in South America and beyond are achieving huge political victories. Bolivia is a prime example, but there are many others (including the UN’s recent Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples). As we think about indigenous rights in South America, we should ponder the situation here in the United States. In many ways, U.S. Indian policy is a model of what shouldn’t be done. But, as we all know far too well, there is a lot to be learned from mistakes.
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Argentina and Peru “relaunched” their relations yesterday, officially burying the hatchet on tensions that arose from Argentina’s 1995 sale of weaponry to Ecuador, then engaged in a border conflict with Peru. Presidents Alan Garcia (of Peru) and Cristina Fernandez (of Argentina) were all smiles yesterday. Of course, the increase in Argentine investments in Peru may have helped.
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Tagged Alan Garcia, Argentina, Cristina Fernandez, Ecuador, Peru
This is disturbing. Three hundred right whales have died over the past three years off the coast of Argentine Patagonia, their carcasses washed up on beaches for all to see. I’m no scientist, but that doesn’t sound good (especially when the average number of whales found dead per year in Argentine Patagonia is only 30).
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Posted in Argentina, South American Environment
Tagged Argentina, Patagonia, right whales
Colombia held legislative elections on Sunday, with 166 seats in the House and 102 in the Senate up for grabs. It will be interesting to see the outcome. With his decision to allow the U.S. to construct and maintain military bases in Colombia, President Uribe gave a lot of fodder to critics who paint him as a lackey for the U.S. How will this affect his party’s success in this round of elections? We’ll have to wait and see.
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Hat tip: Latin American Herald Tribune
UPDATE: According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, Colombians voted overwhelmingly in favor of candidates from Uribe’s Party of the U. Uribe’s party will retain the majority in Congress for a third straight term. Much to the chagrin of leftists within Colombia and beyond, “The ruling party’s victory indicates support for Uribe’s policies over the last eight years, from the time he took power in 2002 and imposed his Democratic Security Policy aimed at a military offensive against guerrilla groups and crime.”
The New York Times has the story here.
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Posted in Brasil
