Fausta's Blog

A huge story mostly ignored in the USA, protests in all the major cities (link in Portugese), with 240,000 at 11 state capitals,

Drudge:

CARNIVAL: BRAZIL BURNS...
Bus fare rise last straw...
Protest World Cup costs...

BBC:
Protests spread throughout Brazil
As many as 200,000 people march through Brazil’s biggest cities, as protests over public transport costs and the expense of the World Cup spread.

Julia Carneiro
BBC Brasil, Sao Paulo
The mass of people gathered at Sao Paulo’s Largo da Batata was impressive – but more impressive was that after the demonstration began, thousands more kept arriving, streaming peacefully towards the city’s main avenues in a constant flow.

Their bright banners bore diverse demands – but all reflected a fatigue with what people here get from the state. I repeatedly heard the word “tired”: protesters told me they were tired of corruption, of nepotism, of high taxes paid for poor public services.

WSJ:
Anger Spills Onto Brazil’s Streets
Tens of thousands of Brazilian marchers gathered in São Paulo and in other cities after a small protest against bus-fare increases last week blossomed into demonstrations against everything from overspending to build World Cup stadiums to corruption.

“The protests on the street go straight to the heart of the long-term problems of Brazil, a series of complaints that are hard to fix, and a sense of business as usual in government,” said Matias Spektor, an author and associate professor at Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation university. “The political climate has changed.”

Al Jazeera:

NYTimes:
Thousands Gather for Protests in Brazil’s Largest Cities (slide show at the link)

One issue surging to the fore involves anger over stadium projects in various cities ahead of the 2014 World Cup, which Brazil is preparing to host. Some projects have been hindered by cost overruns and delays, the unfinished structures standing as testament to an injection of resources into sports arenas at a time when schools and public transit systems need upgrades.

The huge expenses involved with the upcoming World Cup and Olympics have been criticized by many Brazilians for years; it’s only now that it’s coming to a head.

Meanwhile, the Joao Havelange stadium in Rio, to be used at the 2016 Olympics, will not open before 2015 due to roof repairs.

More photos of the demonstrations at Noticias 24.

UPDATE,
Linked by Babalu Blog. Thank you!

ARGENTINA
Enter the Food Chain

BRAZIL
A moment of truth for Dilma
The president needs to do more to tackle the “Brazil cost”

Rio de Janeiro’s Olympics
The countdown starts
Compare and contrast with London

CUBA
200 Political Arrests in Just Two Weeks

A Graduate of my ‘Commie’ High School Goes to Cuba and Sees Paradise, or How One’s Education Can Warp You for Life, via Ed Driscoll.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Spanish firm says Dominican gov’t seized assets

ECUADOR
Wikileaks’ Assange and Ecuador’s Correa: Made for Each Other

Julian Assange ‘will be given asylum in Ecuador’
Julian Assange is expected to be granted asylum in Ecuador by President Rafael Correa, it has been reported.

EL SALVADOR
El Salvador’s VP Campaigns for Votes in N.Y.
A politician who celebrated the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. gets the ‘key’ to Long Island’s Nassau County

LATIN AMERICA
Silent Running
Russian attack submarine sailed in Gulf of Mexico undetected for weeks, U.S. officials say

MEXICO
Mexico: Criminal Leader Found Dead

In Mexico’s murder city, the war appears over

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Votes to Amend Constitution

Puerto Rico plans to vote on a two-part referendum Sunday that could see the island amend its constitution for the first time in nearly half a century.
The referendum would reduce the size of the U.S. territory’s government by almost 30 percent as a cost-cutting measure, and would give judges the right to deny bail in certain murder cases. Puerto Rico currently is the only place in the Western hemisphere where all suspects, including those charged with rape and murder, are entitled to bail.

Religious Left Infatuation with Puerto Rican Terror

VENEZUELA
My dog sabotaged my homework

Is Obama Protecting Hugo Chavez?

Venezuela: Law regulating leases wreaks havoc on housing market

The week’s posts:
Puerto Rico says “No”

Puerto Rico referendum: Live coverage

Yoani Sanchez on Assange’s asylum

Chavez insists the “mercenary” is real

This morning’s no-surprise news: Corzine and Assange UPDATE

Seals vs. El Chapo?

Willful blindness: Lonely Planet and Rough Guides

ARGENTINA
Argentine war heroes revealed to be henchmen in military dictatorship

BRAZIL
What’s Behind Brazil’s Slow Growth?
Politicians in Brasília are depressing investment by placating manufacturers.

VISIBLY ANNOYED OBAMA GETS LECTURE FROM FEMALE PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL

Army sergeant receives 2nd highest military honor

CHILE
Progress and its discontents
A popular student rebellion shows that, as Chileans become better off, they want the government to guarantee a fairer society. Politicians are struggling to respond

The rich are the best Communists, and the NYTimes loves them: Camila Vallejo, the World’s Most Glamorous Revolutionary

COLOMBIA
20 US agents could be involved in Colombian hooker woe

‘Colombian miracle’ takes off

Juan Forero’s Interview with Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos (transcript)

When will anyone in the Spanish speaking media tell Pres BO to stop speaking in tongues?

Obama promises to tackle immigration reform in second term

Obama Promises Immigration Reform in Second Term

CUBA
What Pope Benedict Got Wrong in Cuba

ECUADOR
Ecuador: Failing Universities to Close

GUATEMALA
Juan Forero’s Interview with Guatemala President Otto Perez (transcript)

HAITI
Vaccinations Begin in a Cholera-Ravaged Haiti

MEXICO
Mark me skeptical, Net illegal immigration from Mexico: zero

Mexico shaken by two earthquakes in 24 hours
A 6.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Mexico’s Pacific coast, the second to hit the area in the last 24 hours.

Car-saturated Mexico City lets bicycle riders rule the roads on Sunday mornings

PERU
Peru rules out talks with Shining Path over hostages
The Peruvian government says it will not negotiate with Shining Path rebels, who kidnapped a group of gas workers in the south of the country on Monday

PUERTO RICO
GOP strategists: Puerto Rico Gov. Fortuno is a sleeper vice presidential pick

Pricey gossip glossy’s new edition: ¡HOLA! Puerto Rico joins the celebrity news family

Weird news of the week: Puerto Rico paramedics detained in fatal shooting

VENEZUELA
Crime in Venezuela
No immunity here
A spate of kidnappings has embassies on edge

Chavez Predatory Appetite Sets Its Sight On Ripping Off The Workers

Chavez says ‘doing well’ after latest cancer treatment
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says his battle against cancer is “advancing” after he returned from a third round of radiotherapy in Cuba.

Chavez rallies supporters marking coup anniversary

The week’s posts:
Annals of smart diplomacy: Obama calls the Falklands the Maldives UPDATED

Summit of the Americas update: Hillary ties one on

A view from the Summit: A warm kiss

Colombia: Obama heading to the Summit of the Americas

After Chavez, the narcostate?

Argentina: Oil drama queens, and a king

Brazil: Dilma at the White House, another Latin American head of state slighted

A second Monday in a row of shining “smart diplomacy”!

Well, at least Obama didn’t talk about Obamacare, but the meeting was described as “cordial enough,” which definitely is not a good sign,

This disconnect was revealed in one account after another in the news media here about the visit, in which commentators lamented the fact that Ms. Rousseff was not received with the pomp of a White House state dinner, recognition granted by the Obama administration to the leaders of South Korea, India and Britain.

“The bilateral reality is far from being a disgrace, despite the points in dispute, but there’s a considerable lack of mutual respect,” Caio Blinder, a columnist for the magazine Veja, said in an essay describing the “downgrade” of Ms. Rousseff’s visit.

This was Dilma’s first presidential visit to the USA and she was not amused, and, at the press conference following the two-hour meeting,

the leaders’ eyes rarely met, and Ms. Rousseff rarely looked at Mr. Obama as he spoke. He looked intently at her during her remarks, nodding in agreement at times. But he seemed to bristle when she expressed concern that America’s “monetary expansion policy” could impair growth in emerging economies like Brazil’s. Monetary policy is the responsibility of the Federal Reserve; the White House and Congress deal with fiscal policy.

No breakthroughs were revealed regarding Brazil’s policies in the Middle East, which seem to have undergone some fine-tuning under Ms. Rousseff from those of her predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who in 2010 tried to forge an ambitious uranium exchange deal with Iran.

Dilma has made it known that she doesn’t like Iran’s death by stoning policy. However, she has not cut ties with Iran, is insisting that Cuba be invited to the Summit of the Americas, and is asking that the USA modify its monetary policy to put Brazil in a more advantageous position.

No wonder the two countries disagree,

As you may recall, three years ago Lula visited the White House and ate Obama’s lunch.

No word as to whether Obama told Dilma that Brazil was our closest ally punching above its weight.

Dilma’s stopping in Boston today. She’ll be talking about Science Without Borders,

a program that aims to send about 100,000 Brazilians to study at foreign universities. As many as half are expected to study in the United States.

Let’s hope they don’t get counted as “Hispanics.”

We frequently hear about Brazil’s emergence as an economic power, but Alvaro Vargas Llosa takes a look at the full picture, which includes a huge (and still growing) bureaucracy, cronyism, corruption, and debt, where the government consumes 40% of the nation’s wealth,

the government of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who deserves part of the credit for these developments, failed to streamline a labyrinthine political system riddled with cronyism whose federal, state and local structures overlap. And he succumbed to the superstition that economic power comes from the top-down promotion of industrial champions. As Mansueto Almeida shows in his book “The New Developmentalist State and the Lula Government,” billions of dollars were channeled to certain producers of meat, cellulose, iron ore, oil, etc. The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) was the main instrument. It even funded international acquisitions. Meat producers JBS and Marfrig received abundant help.

Inevitably, the model produced mediocre results and corruption. The Caixa Economica Federal, another mammoth financial instrument of the state, bought or subsidized banks and construction companies. Beneficiaries such as Banco Panamericano ended up involved in fraud cases. Others, such as Frigorifico Independencia, where BNDES “invested,” became insolvent. The jury is still out on what the increase of the government’s stake in the oil monopoly Petrobras will bring.

The result has been threefold. First, a colossal fiscal bill. The new president, Dilma Rousseff, has announced $50 billion in cuts (ironically, in order to boost her electoral chances last year, Lula raised discretionary transfers to state and local governments by 51 percent). Second, old-economy commodity industries have dwarfed services. Third, since the government dictated the nature of economic expansion, companies neglected to invest in research and development. According to the World Organization of Intellectual Property, Brazilian applications for patents fell by 20 percent last year compared to a 50 percent increase in China and 20 percent in South Korea.

President Dilma Rousseff

says she wants more fiscal discipline, less industrial champions and more innovation and services in the private economy.

The questions are whether Dilma, Lula, and their party agree to a government that intervenes less and allows private enterprise and ownership to grow and flourish.

Headlines today:
Gaddafi patronizes the POTUS:
‘To my Dear Obama, our son’, says Gaddafi, defending attack on rebels

Defending his decision to attack rebel cities, Gaddafi told Obama, “Al-Qaida is an armed organisation, passing through Algeria, Mauritania and Mali. What would you do if you found them controlling American cities with the power of weapons? What would you do, so I can follow your example.”

WSJ:
French Jets Fly Over Libya as World Leaders Meet

NYTimes:
France Sends Military Flights Over Libya

FP:
How Obama turned on a dime toward war

Congress was not broadly consulted on the decision to intervene in Libya, except in a Thursday afternoon classified briefing where administration officials explained the diplomatic and military plan. Rice was already deep in negotiations in New York.

Obama’s Tuesday night decision to push for armed intervention was not only a defining moment in his ever-evolving foreign policy, but also may have marked the end of the alliance between Clinton and Gates — an alliance that has successfully influenced administration foreign policy decisions dating back to the 2009 Afghanistan strategy review.

Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution states,

The Congress shall have Power…To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

Heritage yesterday asked Five Questions Obama Has Not Answered on Libya

Here are just some of the fundamental questions the Administration has failed to answer as our military stands on the brink of a new and costly commitment:

So far, the only firm commitments are a naval blockade, AWACS for air traffic control, and signal-jamming aircraft. U.S. officials said that it would probably take several days for a full operation to be undertaken and that President Obama had not yet approved the use of U.S. military assets. Will he? Will the U.S. be using military force against Libya?
If establishing a no-fly zone in Libya is so vital to U.S. national security, why did the Administration waste a week getting approval from the U.N.?
Imposing a no-fly zone entails substantial costs for U.S. armed forces and risks diverting scarce U.S. military and intelligence assets. Will the vital missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and the Horn of Africa suffer?
Are the rebels free of terrorist elements, and what precautions will we require them to take to ensure that weapons we supply are not sold or diverted to other groups?
Will we rule out supplying arms (“Stinger” anti-aircraft missiles, for example) that could pose a potent threat to U.S. forces if they end up in the hands of terrorists?

Obama’s in Brazil, taking a trip that should have been scheduled two years ago. I am glad he’s finally gone to Brazil.

His weekly address touched on the topic,

Obama should be creating a much more business-friendly environment for trade with Latin America, and instead of giving lip service, can easily approve the free trade agreements with Colombia and Peru, and possibly one with Brazil. That would increase America’s competitiveness within the hemisphere.

He and Dilma did not hold a joint press conference, just a press announcement, because Dilma doesn’t take questions:

a press officer in the Brazilian foreign ministry says Rousseff just doesn’t take questions. “It’s not her way. She didn’t do it with the prime minister of East Timor either,” the press aide said.

Hundreds of miles away, Brazil Sends Forces to Jirau Dam After Riots

Brazil’s federal government Friday authorized the presence of national security forces in the Amazon state of Rondonia after riots at the Jirau dam site halted construction on the 3,450 megawatt dam.

Brazil is one of the five nations that voted to abstain on Thursday night’s vote before the U.N. Security Council.

The WaPo’s headline has it,
In Brazil, Obama will ask what S. American economy can do for U.S.

When top American officials have visited Brazil in the past, they often have asked what the United States can do to help Brazil’s economy, which has been buffetted by periodic financial crises.

But when President Obama visits this weekend, he’ll be asking what Brazil can do for the U.S. economy.

White House officials said Tuesday that Obama’s trip this weekend — the centerpiece of which will be a series of economic talks in Brazil — would focus on ways that rapid growth in Latin America’s largest economy can pay off for U.S. businesses.

“This trip fundamentally is about the U.S. recovery, U.S. exports and the critical relationship that Latin America plays in our economic future and jobs here in the United States,” said Michael Froman, national security adviser for international economic affairs.

Let’s hope the administration at least attempts to couch that in better terms, because you can bet the Brazilians are focused on what’s in their national interest, and give a rat’s patootie about the US’s.

The trip’s supposed to be about trade,

President Obama will be heading to the region at a time of growing trade between U.S. and Central and South America. U.S. exports to the region grew 86% between 2004 and 2009 and are on track to double in the next five years, the White House said. Exports to the region are estimated at about $161 billion in 2010, supporting nearly 900,000 U.S. jobs, the White House said.

Obama’s scrupulously avoiding Colombia and Peru, two countries which have been waiting and waiting for their own Free Trade Agreements to be finalized

Brazil is the first stop on the trip, which will include a visit with the country’s new president, Dilma Rousseff. He will also be visiting El Salvador and Chile.

I can’t wait to see if former Marxist Dilma will be lecturing Obama on free trade and business, and against protectionism, as Lula did almost exactly two years ago during Lula’s White House visit.

Oil and tech are on the table, but other trade is unlikely to change,

In a nutshell, Brazil wants greater access for its ethanol and other commodities, and fewer U.S. subsidies in cotton and agriculture generally. On the other side, the United States is pushing for more access for its consumer goods in Brazil.

Preliminary talks, including a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota in Washington earlier in March, have convinced both sides to expect scant, if any, progress.

Brazil says it cannot offer greater access to its consumer market, in part because its industries are suffering due to a strong currency and a wave of cheap imports from China..

Andres Oppenheimer is predicting a honeymoon, but my prediction is that they’ll punt on the trade issues, after the photo ops are done.

Maybe Obama will get Dilma to toss a football, just like Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia,

Dilma, however may insist on kicking a soccer ball. We shall see.

Security will be tight while the Obama family takes in the sights in Rio and possibly a stop at the beach. No word if Obama will meet with the Brazilian politician who changed his name to Barack Obama trying to get elected.

Cross-posted at Real Clear World

Welcome to the first Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean of the new year 2011.

LATIN AMERICA
2010: Latin America by the Numbers

The Americano’s Top Ten Stories for 2010

ARGENTINA
The Year in Argentine Beef 2010: Good Luck Finding Grass-fed Beef in Argentina; It´s All Feedlot Now.

Argentina’s Forgotten Terror Victims
Thousands suffered in the leftist rampage that precipitated the 1976 military coup.

BARBADOS
Caribbean warmth

BOLIVIA
Gasolinazo part 3

Bolivians Protest Marxist Leader Morales – Torch Che Guevara Statue & Venezuelan Flag

BRAZIL
Our Southern Mirror

Raining on her parade, but still smiling

Rousseff Takes Reins in Brazil

CHILE
Yet another earthquake,


COLOMBIA
How Property Rights Might End Colombia’s Guerrilla War

CUBA
Raúl Rodríguez Soto, Cuba Political Prisoner of the Week, 1/2/11

Elsa Morejón Hernández publishes open letter asking for release of 11 political prisoners (morning roundup)

Cuba Un-Libre

Telecom Italia Tired of Tapping Cuban Phones

“Moral Certainty”

MEXICO
Dilemma for 2011 (and 2012, 2013, et cetera)

41 Guards charged for role in Nuevo Laredo prison break

La Familia on the Ropes

2010 Death Toll: Over 10,000 Die in Afghan Violence… Over 13,000 Die in Mexican Violence

Failed State Watch: How Much Longer for Mexico? (Part One)
We know about barbarous cartels. But more terrifying is their cancerous spread through Mexican government, and societal decay caused by a state with no justice. There is no avoiding the problem: we need to know all of Mexico, now.
NICARAGUA
Detienen en Nicaragua a pandillero hondureño

PANAMA
The status of Social Security in Panama

PARAGUAY
Palestinian FM: Chile, Paraguay to recognize Palestinian state in coming weeks
Uruguay also expected to recognize independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders in March; Ecuador also due to open PA embassy.

PERU
Peru extends reserve requirements to bank units overseas

PUERTO RICO
Pfizer Must Pay $1.5 Million in Prempro Damages, Jury in Puerto Rico Says

VENEZUELA
Venezuelan Minister of Finance announces sharp devaluation of currency

After a legislative coup, a sort of economy coup: massive devaluation in Venezuela

Hugo and Hillary have a ‘friendly chat’

EL PAQUETE CHÁVEZ-GIORDANI-FIDEL HARÁ DEL 2011 EL AÑO DE LA MÁS AGUDA CONFLICTIVIDAD SOCIAL

The week’s posts and podcasts:
Hillary and Hugo BFFs
Silvio Canto’s podcast, Let’s talk about Cuba 2011
Hillary to Hugo: “Use me! Abuse me!”
PBS’s Ray Suarez can’t believe the truth about Cuba’s healthcare, also at Hot Air.
Finally! The US shows some gonadal fortitude to Chavez VIDEO
Bomb explodes at Greek Embassy in Argentina
El Cuchillo druglord killed in Colombia
NewsHour’s Cuban healthcare fairytale

I’m truly enjoying my trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and have a brief post:

Clarin, the newspaper whose stock went up by 50% the day after Kirchner’s death, has these two top headlines today (all links in Spanish):
Cristina returns today and shows strength: “The President will resume her full schedule tomorrow. Tuesday she’ll be at a business event in Cordoba. She will start her tour of Asia on Friday where she’ll attend the G-20 meeting.”

The poster above is one of thousands printed, distributed, and pasted on every corner of the city by the government the day after Kirchner’s death.

Today is Brazil’s runoff election:
Brasil’s ballots: Surveys confirm Dilma as the favorite. “Results were released this morning and show she will obtain between 55-56% of the vote against her Socialdemocrat rival Jose Serra.”
I know a guy named Jose Serra who is neither Brazilian, nor politician nor socialdemocrat.

Internet connections are iffy, so posting will continue to be sporadic, but I see that in the States the Jon Stewart rally went entirely as expected.

At the Beeb:
Rousseff falls short of outright win in Brazil election
Supporters of Jose Serra wave flags after hearing that he goes to the second round, 3 October 2010 For Serra’s supporters, a second round is an achievement in itself

Brazil’s presidential election will go to a second round after Dilma Rousseff failed to gain the 50% of votes needed for an outright victory.

With 98% of votes counted, President Lula’s former cabinet chief has 47% with Jose Serra trailing on 33%.

The two will contest a run-off vote in four weeks’ time.

A strong showing by the Green Party candidate, Marina Silva, who polled 19%, may have cost Ms Rousseff a first-round win.

At the WaPo:
Backed by Lula, Rousseff ahead but faces runoff in Brazil’s presidential vote

With 99.8 percent of the votes counted late in the evening, Dilma Rousseff, 62, a Marxist guerrilla-turned-economist who served Lula as chief of staff, had nearly 47 percent, to 32.6 percent for Jose Serra, a former governor who is her main challenger. A third candidate, Marina Silva, the Green Party candidate and a former environmental minister in Lula’s government, had 19.3 percent.

Steve Kingstone speculates on why Dilma didn’t get the outtright majority right away,

What happened? A critical mass of support seems to have fallen away in the days immediately before polling – partly the consequence of a corruption scandal involving a former adviser, and partly the fall-out of a row over Dilma’s stance on abortion.

Evangelical Christians reacted badly to reports that the presidential favourite planned to liberalise Brazil’s strict abortion law – a claim she denied – and some appear to have shifted their loyalty to the Green Party candidate, Marina Silva, who is herself a devout evangelical Christian.

That may be the case, but as PoliBlog put it,

unless she shoot a man in Reno (or in this case, Rio) just to watch him die, she’s in.

That is testament to Lula’s popularity – considering that Dilma has never held elected office.

American Power links to the London Telegraph profile of Dilma:
The former Marxist guerrilla who is set to become Brazil’s first woman president
She is a former Marxist guerrilla whose organisation once stole $2.5 million from the safe of the governor of São Paulo.

The daughter of a middle class Bulgarian immigrant and a schoolteacher in Belo Horizonte, southeastern Brazil, she realised upon leaving a privileged school that the world was “not a place for debutantes”.

She was 16 when Brazil fell prey to a military coup in 1964 and like many was soon drawn into the world of underground opposition.

Introduced to Marxist politics by the man who became her first husband, Claudio Galeno, she helped build up one of the guerrilla organisations trying to overthrow the government – at one point spending three years in prison.

After democracy was restored she had a daughter, Paula, now a 33-year-old lawyer, with her second husband Carlos Araújo, a revolutionary leader who had met Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. She trained as an economist she entered conventional left-wing politics and professional public service.

In 2001, by now divorced again, she joined Lula’s Workers’ Party and her experience in the country’s energy ministry quickly impressed the new president. A cabinet job as energy minister followed before she was appointed his chief of staff in 2005.

But many have questioned how she can be running for the presidency.

Critics say she was simply the last senior Lula crony standing since one aide after another was forced to quit in scandals over alleged slush funds, bribery or blackmail – including, last week, her own former aide who had followed in her footsteps as Lula’s chief of staff.

Her lumbering speaking style and lack of personal charisma do not make her an obvious candidate and – in what was seen as a thinly-veiled attempt to protect Ms Rousseff – the government made it illegal for television and radio broadcasters to make fun of the candidates.

In effect, Brazilians have voted for a third Lula term, while we wait to see what Lula is planning for himself over the next four years. After Dilma’s term, he’s eligible to run for the presidency again.

Will Dilma continue Lula’s policies? We’ll soon find out.