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Noticias Fall 2012 Venezuela’s Presidential Elections 2012
Venezuela's presidential elections will be on October 7, 2012. The Latin American Program and IDEA Internacional commissioned two renowned Latin American experts to go to Venezuela, to assess the conditions for holding a free and fair election in a context of high political polarization. They came to the Wilson Center to present their report. Brazil-U.S.: Partnership for the 21st Century Policy Recommendations for U.S.-Mexico Relations The Brazil Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil for a bilateral conference on ways to promote and expand the commercial, economic, education, and innovation ties between the two countries. A discussion of the report, A Stronger Future: Policy Recommendations for U.S.-Mexico Relations, from the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands. The retreat was held to focus on fresh ideas to take the relationship between the two countries to a new level. In This Issue... Democratic Governance Citizen Security Development & Innovation Trade & Economics Foreign Policy & International Relations Border Security & Migration Environment & Energy Fellows & Public Policy Scholars Staff Notes Publications Forthcoming Publications Upcoming Events Sept. 12: Rio+20: Impacts and Ways Forward

Sept. 14: A Film Screening of "Reportero"

Sept. 27: Brazil, an Emerging World Power?

Sept. 28: Venezuela’s Presidential Elections 2012

Oct. 11: Access to Information and Accountability

Oct. 12: Brazil-China Businesses Conference

Oct. 13: Presentation on Freedom of the Press in Latin America

Oct. 17: Climate Change, Weather Extremes, Public Health

Oct. 18: Addressing Citizen Security and Youth Violence in Latin America

Oct. 23: FAPESP Week: One Year Later

Oct. 25: China and Latin America in the 21st Century

Nov. 14: China, US, Resource Competition in a Post-Election World

Dec. 11: Politics of Tax Reform in Latin America

Flora Brasiliensis Exhibit and Seminars Oct. 17: University of Toronto
Oct. 22: MIT
Oct. 24: University of West Virginia
New Publications In the Wake of WarCynthia J. Arnson, ed.Latin American Program: Report on Activities“Recommendations for U.S.-Mexico Relations”“Chronic Violence and its Reproduction”Tani Marilena Adams"Taxation and Equality in Latin America"Cynthia J. Arnson, Marcelo Bergman & Tasha Fairfield“The Legal Side of Mexican Immigration”David R. Ayón“Linking Development & Migration”David R. Ayón“Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime in the Americas”Bruce BagleyMexico: A Middle Class Society, Poor No More, Developed Not YetLuis de la Calle & Luis Rubio“The Rebellion of Criminal Networks”Juan Carlos Garzón Vergara“Considering New Strategies for Confronting Organized Crime in Mexico”Eric L. Olson“International Support for Justice Reform in Latin America”Luis Pásara“Bioenergy Potential in Northern Mexico”Duncan Wood, Jason Koman, David Richey, Omar Romero-Hernández, & Sergio Romero-Hernández“Re-Energizing the Border”Duncan Wood“Wind Energy Potential in Mexico’s Northern Border States”Duncan Wood, Samantha Lozano Medecigo, Omar Romero-Hernández, & Sergio Romero-Hernández Democratic GovernanceWhy Brazilians Like Dilma Despite The Bad News

A panel discussed the first year of President Dilma Rousseff’s administration and how despite several corruption scandals and a sharp slowdown of the economy, she gained high approval due to her ability to turn adversity to her political advantage. Read more...

Also See: • Two Decades after El Salvador’s Peace Accords Venezuela’s Primary Elections Guillermo O'Donnell and the Study of Democracy Drug Policy and Democracy in Guatemala Justice Reform in Latin America Discussion with Colombian Prosecutor General Luis Eduardo Montealegre Venezuela's Presidential Elections 2012 A Discussion on Mexican Politics Mexican Elections and the Future of Social Democracy Persistent Underfunding of Latino Communities Mexico's 2012 Election in Perspective Latino Leadership Project Human rights violations in Mexico The Future of U.S.-Mexico Relations (Republican National Convention) The Future of U.S.-Mexico Relations (Democratic National Convention) The Peace Movement in Mexico A Conversation with Governor Eduardo Campos Brazil's New Social Agenda Round-table on Brazil-U.S. Relations with Todd ChapmanIn the News:See what our staff, scholars and associates have said in the news about democratic governance. ^Table of Contents Citizen SecurityReducing Murder Rates in Central America

The Wilson Center and INCAE Business School, the The World Bank, the U.S. Department of State, and the Central American Private Sector Initiative hosted a discussion on practical solutions to reduce the rate of homicides in the region. Read more...

Also See: • Leyes, Penas y Carceles: ¿Cuánto sirve? Fighting Transnational Organized Crime Citizen Security in Venezuela Seguridad democrática: las políticas públicas Religion and Violence in Central America A Discussion with Genaro García Luna Drugs and Violence in Mexico Disrupting Mexican Transnational Money LaunderingIn the News:See what our staff, scholars and associates have said in the news about citizen security. ^Table of Contents Development and InnovationGreen and Inclusive Growth in Latin America

According to a recent World Bank report,in the 20 years since the last Rio Conference on Sustainable Development, Latin America has served as the world’s laboratory for green and inclusive growth. Read more...

Also See: • Getting Past Megacities Mexico Today Mexico Economy Structurally Sound Our World, Paradoxes, Problems and the Need for Change Rio+20: A New Agenda for Sustainability? New Directions in Brazil's Innovation System How Cities Network, Learn and InnovateIn the News:See what our staff, scholars and associates have said in the news about development and economy. ^Table of Contents Trade and EconomicsThe Trans-Pacific Partnership

Ambassador Demetrios Marantis gave the keynote address. He was followed by a panel that discussed new and possible future participants, and another panel discussed key U.S. interests in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Read more...


Also See: • Central American Fiscal Policy North American Integration Essential to Renewed U.S. Manufacturing Prowess? Mexico’s Economic Future Is Brazil's New Industrial Policy Working? Congressional Study Mission on Innovation Brazil Forum featuring Governor AlckminIn the News:See what our staff, scholars and associates have said in the news about trade and economics. ^Table of Contents Foreign Policy & International RelationsBrazil and South America

Brazil’s “rise” as a global power raise as many questions as answers about Brazil’s relationship with other nations in South America. Two panels discussed Brazil’s relationship with other nations in South America with perspectives from Brazil and various countries in the region. Read more...

Also See: • The Summit of the Americas: An Assessment Brazil and South America Policy Recommendations for U.S.-Mexico Relations How Canada and Mexico Construct U.S. Power Prospective Scenarios for U.S.-Mexico Relations in 2030 Mexico and the G-20 Leader’s Summit Mexico’s Election and the Nation’s Role in the World A Conference on U.S.-Brazil Relations A Press Roundtable on President Rousseff's Visit to Washington Brazil-U.S. Partnership with the President of Brazil Why the U.S. Is Not Destined to Decline Will the Ongoing Nuclear Talks with Iran Yield Better Results than Past Efforts?In the News:See what our staff, scholars and associates have said in the news about foreign policy and international relations. ^Table of Contents Border Security and MigrationHow to Build a 21st Century Border

The Mexico Institute hosted a discussion on developing efficient and secure border management strategies. The panel identified key challenges and opportunities regarding both the security and economic dimensions of border management. Read more...

Also See: • Borders, Crime, and Security: Challenges How Are Immigrants Shaping America’s Character in the 21st Century? "Living Illegal, The Human Face of Unauthorized Immigration"In the News:See what our staff, scholars and associates have said in the news about border security and migration. ^Table of Contents Environment and EnergySustainable Solutions for the Planet’s Energy Challenge

Environmental challenges of climate change, energy demands, and natural resource loss continue to mount. These challenges call for action at a planetary scale. Read more...


Also See: • Energy in the Americas Shark Loves the Amazon Brazilian Nature and Our Scientific Partnerships A Conversation on Climate Change The Global Environment Facility at 20 Brazil’s Energy and Infrastructure ChallengeIn the News:See what our staff, scholars and associates have said in the news about the environment. ^Table of Contents Fellows and Public Policy Scholars Fellows The Latin American Program is delighted to welcome five Wilson Center Fellows for the 2012¬-2013 academic year: • Steven Dudley, Co-director, InSight Crime, Washington, D.C. “Old Cartels and New Gangs: the Disintegration of the Underworld and its Impact on the Region.” • Laura Gómez-Mera, Assistant Professor of International Studies, University of Miami. “The Politics of International Cooperation in the Fight against Human Trafficking.” • Kenneth Greene, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Austin. “Political Finance and Party Systems in Latin America.” • Jeffery Paige, Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan, “The Discourse of Indigenous Revolution in the Andes.” • Gail D. Triner, Professor of History, Rutgers University, “Non-renewable Natural Resources, Institutions and Globalization in a Modern Brazilian Economy.”
Public Policy Scholars We were delighted to host as Public Policy Scholars: • Alejandro Anaya Muñoz, Professor-Researcher, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, "Human Rights: An International Relations Perspective." • Richard Feinberg, Professor of International Political Economy, University of California, San Diego, “New Directions in Brazil’s Innovation System: Lessons for the Global Economy.” • W.E. (Ted) Hewitt, Professor of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, "Foreign Direct Investment in Cuba: Existing Ventures and Future Potentials." • Mauricio Merino Huerta, Professor-Researcher, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, "The Inner Plumbing of Democracy: Measures and Remedies for Fortifying the Public Ethic in Mexico."
Don Eugenio Garza Lagüera Scholars The Mexico Institute, in partnership with the Instituto Technológico de Monterrey was pleased to host the 2012 Don Eugenio Garza Lagüera Scholars: • Sofía Jiménez Méndez, Ph.D. Candidate. • Miguel Angel Mancera, Ph.D. Candidate. • Freddy Mariñez Navarro, Professor of Government and Public Policy. • Héctor Juan Villarreal Páez, Associate Professor.
Of Note

On July 10, 2012, Librarian of Congress, and Wilson Center Trustee, James H. Billington awarded the 2012 John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity to former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, one of the leading scholars and practitioners of political economy in recent Latin American history. Cardoso was a member of a board of the Latin American Program’s original Academic Council and as president of Brazil, authorized seed money for the Wilson Center’s Brazil Project, the predecessor of today's Brazil Institute. Read more...

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of three former fellows/scholars affiliated with the Wilson Center:

Amaury de Souza former Wilson Center Fellow, influential political analist, and former university professor. Read more...Carlos Fuentes, former Wilson Center fellow and renowned Mexican author and public intellectual. • Guillermo O’Donnell, Argentine political scientist, member of the Latin American Program’s original Academic Council, and a moving force in the 1980s project on democratic transitions in Latin America, based at the Wilson Center. Read more...(See related content) ^Table of Contents Staff Notes

It is with great pride that we announce that Mexico Institute Director Andrew Selee has been named the Wilson Center's new Vice President for Programs. Selee succeeds Robert Litwak, who has been appointed Vice President for Scholars and Academic Relations. Andrew will continue as a Senior Advisor to the Mexico Institute, and to write and speak on US-Mexico relations. Meanwhile, Eric Olson has assumed the position of Associate Director of the Mexico Institute, with responsibility for day-to-day management of programming.

In announcing Andrew’s selection, Wilson Center Director, President and CEO, Jane Harman said:

“The search to find a Vice President for Programs to lead important changes and work with the Center’s programs to move from excellence to greater relevance and to ensure the Wilson Center can be more than the sum of its parts was a short one. Andrew will to bring greater coherence and coordination among the Center’s programs. He will also help build national and international partnerships with other institutions in and beyond Washington that can enable the Wilson Center to thrive in the 21st Century.”

Congratulations, Andrew!

We welcome new Latin American Program Associate Christine Zaino. Christine recently completed her M.A. at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University, where she focused on transnational security threats and security in the Western Hemisphere. She previously interned at the National Defense University and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

We also welcome Allison Cordell as a new Program Assistant at the Mexico Institute. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, she served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, where she advised municipal authorities on improving efficiency and encouraged citizen participation in local development. Allison previously was an intern for the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. She received a B.A. in Public Policy Studies (Phi Beta Kappa) from Duke University.

Interns • Julie Anderson, Brigham Young University • Alexander Ascencio, Georgetown University • Gabriella Ippolito, University of Denver • Kathleen Mason, Duke University • Diana Murray Watts, Georgetown University • Melissa Nolan, Georgetown University • Aurelia Ortiz, The American University • Lauren Phelps, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill • Mark Pigott, The American University • Elizabeth Sampson, The George Washington University • Elizabeth Sweitzer, University of Toronto ^Table of Contents Publications Books

Cynthia J. Arnson, ed., In the Wake of War: Democratization and Internal Armed Conflict in Latin America (Washington, D.C. and Palo Alto, CA: Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Stanford University Press, 2012).

Luis de la Calle and Luis Rubio, Mexico: A Middle Class Society, Poor No More, Developed Not Yet, January 2012.

Carlos Basombrío Iglesias, ¿Qué Hemos Hecho?: Reflexiones sobre respuestas y políticas públicas frente al incremento de la violencia delincuencial en América Latina, September 2012. Summary also available in English.

Reports

“A Stronger Future: Policy Recommendations for U.S.-Mexico Relations,” July 2012.

Eric L. Olson, “A Review of ‘My Country: Insights to Understand and Change Mexico’,” January 2012.

Eric L. Olson, “Mexico’s 2012 Elections: Key Issues and Critical Questions Now and Beyond,” June 2012.

Eric L. Olson and Erik Lee, “The State of Security in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region,” August 2012.

Celina B. Realuyo, “It’s All about the Money: Advancing Anti-Money Laundering Efforts in the U.S. and Mexico to Combat Transnational Organized Crime,” May 2012.

Miguel Salazar, “Innovation and Development in Mexico: The Promising Road Ahead,” February 2012.

Christopher Wilson and Erik Lee, “The State of Trade, Competitiveness and Economic Well-being in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region,” June 2012.

Duncan Wood, Jason Koman, David Richey, Omar Romero-Hernández, and Sergio Romero-Hernández, “Bioenergy Potential in Northern Mexico,” May 2012.

Duncan Wood, “Re-Energizing the Border: Renewable Energy, Green Jobs and Border Infrastructure,” May 2012.

Duncan Wood, “US-Mexico Cross Border Energy Cooperation: a new era in the Gulf of Mexico,” March 2012.

Duncan Wood, Samantha Lozano Medecigo, Omar Romero-Hernaández, and Sergio Romero-Hernández, “Wind Energy Potential in Mexico’s Northern Border States,” May 2012.

Bulletins

Tani Marilena Adams, “Chronic Violence and its Reproduction: Perverse Trends in Social Relations, Citizenship, and Democracy in Latin America,” March 2012. Also available in Spanish.

Cynthia J. Arnson and Marcelo Bergman, "Taxation and Equality in Latin America," June 2012.

David R. Ayón, “Linking Development & Migration: A Binational U.S.-Mexico Dialogue,” May 2012.

David R. Ayón, “The Legal Side of Mexican Immigration,” June 2012.

Bruce Bagley, "Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime in the Americas: Major Trends in the Twenty-First Century," July 2012.

Juan Carlos Garzón Vergara, “The Rebellion of Criminal Networks: Organized Crime in Latin America and the Dynamics of Change,” March 2012. Also available in Spanish.

Eric L. Olson, “Considering New Strategies for Confronting Organized Crime in Mexico,” March 2012.

Luis Pasara, “International Support for Justice Reform in Latin America: Worthwhile or Worthless?,” September 2012.

Articles

Paulo Sotero, “The Brazilian Challenge: How to Manage Asymmetrical Regional Relations Beyond the OAS,” Revista CIDOB d'afers internacionals, May 12, 2012.

Paulo Sotero, “Rio+20 and the World of Clarice,” O Estado de S.Paulo, June 22, 2012. Available in Spanish and English.

Annual Reports

Report on Activities 2009-11, Latin American Program, April 2012.

^Table of Contents Forthcoming Publications

Dolia Estévez, "U.S. Ambassadors to Mexico: The Relationship through Their Eyes," October 2012.

James E. Mahon, Jr., “Tax Incidence and Tax Reforms in Latin America,” September 2012.

Report on Second Brazilian Congressional Study Mission On Innovation, Winter 2012.

Report on the Brazil-United States Judicial Dialogue, Winter 2012.

Sergio Romero-Hernández, Bernardo Duarte Rodríguez-Granada, Omar Romero-Hernández, Duncan Wood, "Solar Energy Potential In Mexico’s Northern Border," October 2012.

Saulo Santos de Souza, “The Political Economy of Tax Reform in Latin America: A Critical Review,” September 2012.

^Table of Contents Follow Us: Latin American Program:

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The Latin American Program

The Latin American Program and its institutes on Mexico and Brazil serve as a bridge between the United States and Latin America, providing a nonpartisan forum for experts from throughout the region and the world to discuss the most critical issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program sponsors research, conferences, and publications aimed at deepening the understanding of Latin American and Caribbean politics, history, economics, culture, and U.S.-Latin American relations. By bringing pressing regional concerns to the attention of opinion leaders and policymakers, the Program contributes to more informed policy choices in Washington, D.C., and throughout the Hemisphere.

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