South American Law & Policy

Belated: Chile and Haiti

fromherz — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:01:36 +0000

I have been woefully negligent in maintaining this blog over the past few months. But if I forget to mention everything else, I at least need to express my support for the peoples of Chile and Haiti. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

-NF

Lula Has the Right Stuff

fromherz — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:44:37 +0000

At least, that’s my basic impression. See this piece as an example of how Lula is bridging two worlds, taking a reasoned approach, and still acting with an appropriate level of independence. Am I giving him too much credit?

-NF

Venezuela makes deal with Chevron

fromherz — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:05:55 +0000

This past Wednesday, Venezuela assigned the rights to exploit a massive oil block to a consortium led by Chevron. Although Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, will retain a 60% stake in the revenues, the deal with Chevron is symbollically important. Is Chavez compromising his anti-U.S. stance as the going gets tough economically (Venezuela has had a very rough go of it this past year)? That’s what some are claiming. But Chavez can just point to PDVSA’s 60% stake, right?

ALBA Summit in Cochabamba: The Andean Block Stays the Course

fromherz — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:54:40 +0000

The leftist Andean block–comprised of Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador–is solidifying its commitment to internal trade and resistance to U.S. “imperialism.” As the 7th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas concludes today in Cochabamba, Morales, Chavez, and Correa–along with the leaders of Cuba and Nicaragua and the ousted leader of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya–all look to be on the same page. This alliance isn’t falling apart any time soon.

-NF

Hat tip: Latin American Herald Tribune

Congratulations, Rio!

fromherz — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:29:30 +0000

Brasil will have the honor of hosting South America´s first Olympics in 2016. It´s about time. Now we just need to have one in Africa . . . .

-NF

Seminar in Bolivia on U.S. Law: Un Exito!

fromherz — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:02:29 +0000

On Tuesday afternoon, I had the great pleasure of participating in a seminar on U.S. civil law at Cochabamba´s San Simon University. Estimated attendance was 150-180 students, and there was also a handful of professors. I spoke for about an hour (struggling mightily at times with my limitations in Spanish), and then responded to a number of very astute questions. The topics covered included important features of the U.S. civil justice system (the nature of our adversarial system, federalism, discovery, the right to a jury, differences between state and federal courts, etc.), as well as the basic procedural path taken by a civil case (i.e., filing of complaint through appeal). Special thanks to Professor Neyer Zapata and Mauricio Sanchez Patzy for organizing this event.

-NF

If You Think Zelaya’s Ouster Was Legit . . .

fromherz — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:04:33 +0000

. . . you should read this. Not exactly reflective of a government that believes it’s in the right.

-NF

GM to Invest $1B in Brazilian Operations

fromherz — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:17:47 +0000

Fresh off of partial nationalization, General Motors announced Wednesday that it plans to invest $1 billion in Brazil. The company’s Brazilian subsidiary is its largest in South America and third largest outside of the U.S. Lula praised the move, which is being aided in no small measure by financial support from Brazil’s national development bank, BNDES.

-N. Fromherz

Hat tip: Latin American Herald Tribune

Is It Really a Coup?

fromherz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:07:17 +0000

It is to me, but reader Joe isn’t the only one to question that conclusion.

-NF

Hat Tip: The Right Coast

For Once, Hemispheric Unity

fromherz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:04 +0000

Unfortunately it comes at a high cost–the coup in Honduras. I commend this article in The New York Times to any readers who may still have doubts about the legitimacy of toppling the Zelaya administration by military force. In democracies, policy differences are resolved through elections. And if a leader breaks the law, well, there are legal channels for handling that. The fact that this coup had the apparent approval of court and congress makes little difference in the final analysis. Those institutions aren’t above the law either.

-NF

UPDATE: Make that global unity? The UN has also sided with Zelaya.