The Week in Review

08/02/13
U.S. Policy, Security, Politics and Security, Peace Negotiations

The following is a round-up of some of the top articles and news highlights from around the region over the past week.

Uruguay is likely legalizing marijuana

  • As of this week, Uruguay is set to become the first country in the world to legalize the production, sale and consumption of marijuana. In a landmark 50-46 vote on Wednesday, the country’s lower house approved legislation to legalize and regulate cannabis. While the initial draft gave the state a monopoly in the production and distribution of marijuana, the passed version approved a private, albeit strictly regulated, market. The United Nations said the measure violated (pdf) international drug control treaties and called for Uruguay to reconsider the legislation.

    According to InSight Crime's Steven Dudley, the bill is an important step as it will provide a real life experiment for legalization and provide proponents in the region with a boost, However, “Uruguay is too small to swing the pendulum in this political debate. The tendency, for the moment, appears to be keeping the status quo as evidenced by Brazil, Canada and the United States' federal governments firm positions against legalization.” The article, which complemented an excellent report written for InSight Crime by Pan-American Post author, Geoff Ramsey, noted challenges for the Uruguayan government going forward. The report, “Uruguay: Marijuana, Organized Crime and the Politics of drugs,” also maps out drug policy throughout the region as well as the marijuana market in Uruguay. Ramsey also provided good coverage on the issue in the Pan-American Post throughout the week, and noted that "Because the Senate is anticipated to make minor changes and pass it back to the lower house, the bill will likely be signed into law in September or October."

Honduras: the presence of gangs expands and the investigation into DEA-backed drug operation killings continues

  • It has been over a year since a DEA-backed botched drug operation in Honduras killed four civilians. This week TruthOut published an article on the follow up investigation and DEA presence in the country and found, “ Honduran judicial authorities highlight a lack of cooperation from the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, impeding their investigation. A leaked State Department memo suggests high-level interference in the United States' own investigation.” Read more here.
  • The Associated Press reported that Honduran gangs now have a presence in 40 percent of the country's territory. They are also increasingly targeting the middle class as officials estimate that the gangs obtain about $50 million from extorting small businesses, taxi drivers, teachers, and others. According to Honduran government numbers, 17,000 small businesses closed in 2012.

Mexico’s overall homicide rate dropped in 2012; Violence spikes in Michoacán

  • Mexico's homicide rate fell for the first time in six months, according to a report released Tuesday by Mexico's National Statistics and Geography Institute. The report found that the murder rate dropped from 24 per 100,000 people in 2011 (27,213 homicides) to 22 per 100,000. With a murder rate of 77 per 100,000, Chihuahua (2,783) and Guerrero (2,684) tied for the most deadly states in 2012. Despite the drop, as Alejandro Hope noted, the figure of 24 per 100,000 is still extremely high when compared to nine per 100,000, the rate in 2007. More from InSight Crime and Animal Politico.
  • In response to a government security surge, drug cartels in Mexico’s western Michoacán state have launched a wave of attacks recently in which at least eight federal police officers were killed, over 20 criminals shot dead, and several more wounded. Among those killed was a key Mexican Navy admiral. As the Associated Press noted, it is rare for cartels to target military members. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto deployed an additional 2,000 soldiers and police to the state, following the 6000-strong military and police surge in May.

El Salvador’s government and the gang truce

  • It seems as though the Salvadoran government is playing a much larger role behind the scenes in the country's gang truce than it will publicly admit to. While the government claims its role has not extended beyond facilitating the ceasefire, an article in El Faro's Sala Negra reported on a meeting between former deputy minister Douglas Moreno and gang leaders at the Ministry of Justice and Security. The publication reported Security Minister David Munguia Payes and President Funes had previously approved the meeting. As to why the Salvadoran government continues to distance itself from the truce, Central American Politics blog highlighted that the agreement is not popular among Salvadorans or the U.S. government.
  • The Center for Democracy in the Americas posted its El Salvador update for July that provides a great overview of the current political landscape as well as the security situation and the gang truce.

Brazil is still protesting

  • Although the waves of social unrest in Brazil have quelled since June, there still ongoing protests in major cities like São Paulo, where hundreds of people took to the streets in protest of Governor Geraldo Alckmin in solidarity with those in Rio de Janeiro who were calling for the impeachment of Governor Sergio Cabral, accused of “corruption and arrogance.” In a poll Al Jazeera took of 544 people throughout the country, the top issues were: “Putting an end to government corruption was the most visible demand of demonstrators, followed by calls for more transparency in public service spending; an end to police violence and a more participatory political system.”
  • The Financial Times reported that the protests are honing in on more specific targets while the AFP noted they are becoming more radical in nature.Reuters reported on growing concerns about the country’s ability to host the World Cup and Olympics following security blunders during Pope Francis’ visit last week. Human Rights Watch had an article on extrajudicial killings by police in São Paulo and another on police violence. The Rio Real blog has an interesting post on police, the military and public security in Brazil.

Snowden leaks: XKeyscore

  • According to the latest leaks by Edward Snowden, a program known as “XKeyscore,” which reportedly had the ability to track ‘nearly everything a user does on the Internet,’ had servers located in several Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. More from Foreign Policy and The Guardian.

Colombian peace talks re-start, but with tension

  • This week the Colombian Government and FARC guerrillas began a twelfth round of negotiations in Cuba. For detailed updates on the process, see the Washington Office on Latin America’s blog dedicated to the peace process. At the moment there are several issues of contention straining negotiations between the two sides, including protests in southern Colombia and the release of a former U.S. marine the group has held since June. Lead government negotiator, Vice President Humberto de la Calle reconfirmed that the army would continue to fight and that the FARC “will be held to account for everything that has happened during the conflict.” Uruguayan President Mujica, once a guerrilla himself, visited Cuba this week and reportedly met with FARC members. More from the BBC, Christian Science Monitor, EFE, Semana, and the Associated Press.