(Even more here)

February 22, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Ellen Mitchell, “Pentagon Asks Dhs to Justify Moving Funds for Trump’s Border Wall” (The Hill, February 22, 2019).

The document asks for locations where border wall construction would improve the “effectiveness” of military troops deployed there

• Joe Gould, Leo Shane Iii, Tara Copp, “The Pentagon Wants to Know How a Border Wall Will Improve Troops’ ‘Effectiveness’ Before It Contributes Dod Dollars” (Military Times, February 22, 2019).

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is asking for a priority list, as well as the data used to generate that priority list, to help him determine “what projects we support” and what could be delayed

• Dara Lind, “Hundreds of Families Are Still Being Separated at the Border” (Vox, February 22, 2019).

New government statistics show 250 parents have been separated from children since a June court order. Separations of siblings and other relatives could account for hundreds more

Brazil

• Alexandre de Santi, Andrew Fishman, “Jair Bolsonaro’s First 53 Days as President of Brazil Have Been a Resounding, Scandalous Failure” (The Intercept, February 22, 2019).

As Bolsonaro World quickly melts into a puddle, Mourão apparently spotted an opening — the latest chapter in a roller coaster of political controversies for the vice president

Colombia

• Jose Luis Bernal, Juan Carlos Garzon Vergara, “A Duque No Le Cuadran las Metas de Reduccion de la Coca ¿Como Ayudarle a Ajustarlas?” (Fundación Ideas para la Paz (Colombia), La Silla Vacia (Colombia), February 22, 2019).

La meta de erradicación de cultivos que, de acuerdo con el Plan Nacional de Desarrollo, es eliminar 280.000 hectáreas

• Paula Castaneda, “Alfredo Molano y su Mision de Desenterrar la Verdad en el Sur de Colombia” (El Espectador (Colombia), February 22, 2019).

El sociólogo y periodista lidera el trabajo de la Comisión de la Verdad en la Orinoquia y la Amazonia. Charlamos con él sobre el reto personal de construir una versión fiel a la realidad

• “De la Calle, Cristo y Otros Exnegociadores Salieron a Defender la Paz” (El Tiempo (Colombia), February 22, 2019).

Humberto de la Calle, Juan Fernando Cristo, Carlos Antonio Lozada y Rodrigo Londoño, entre otros exnegociadores de ambos bandos, se volvieron a ver las caras

Colombia, Venezuela

• Franco Ordonez, “Vice President Mike Pence Will Go to Colombia to Demand Maduro Step Down” (McClatchy News Service, February 22, 2019).

Pence will deliver remarks to the 14 nations that are part of the “Lima Group” in Bogota about addressing the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and ongoing U.S. efforts to deliver aid to the country

Haiti

• “Aumenta la Inseguridad en Haiti en Medio de la Tension Politica” (EFE, La Prensa (Nicaragua), February 22, 2019).

La tensión en la capital es palpable y el miedo ha hecho que muchas personas aún prefieran resguardarse en sus casas

Honduras, Mexico

• Marcel Osorto, “Caravana de Hondurenos: Nueva Politica Migratoria Mermo las Deportaciones Desde Mexico y Ee Uu” (El Heraldo (Honduras), February 22, 2019).

Desde el inicio de año han sido retornados al país 7,741 connacionales que representan, según el informe, un 20.9% menos que los del 2018, que a esta misma fecha alcanzaba 9,972 personas

Mexico

• “Heckler & Koch Fined for Illegal Gun Sales to Mexico” (BBC (UK), February 22, 2019).

H&K was found to have breached German arms export rules by shipping nearly 5,000 G36 assault rifles and smaller firearms to strife-torn regions

• Daniel Gonzalez, “Is Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Helping Donald Trump?” (The Arizona Republic, February 22, 2019).

A series of increasingly tough actions in Mexico suggest Lopez Obrador has turned his back on those promises and is tacitly cooperating with the Trump administration to stop the flow of Central American migrants

• Arturo Angel, “¿Que Delitos Va a Combatir? ¿Que Pasara Con los Soldados? Las Claves de la Guardia Nacional” (Animal Politico (Mexico), February 22, 2019).

Se acordó que las fuerzas armadas cedan temporalmente elementos de sus policías militar y naval para conformar la fuerza inicial de la Guardia Nacional, que se sujetará al fuero civil. La Guardia podrá investigar delitos del fuero común

• “Organizaciones Celebran Modificaciones en el Dictamen de la Guardia Nacional” (Animal Politico (Mexico), February 22, 2019).

“Podemos decir que es un resultado y un triunfo de la sociedad civil (…) este dictamen puede nos puede poner en la ruta correcta en que la seguridad pública siga siendo una tarea y responsabilidad civil”

• David Agren, “Mexican Activist Shot Dead Before Vote on Pipeline He Opposed” (The Guardian (Uk), February 22, 2019).

He was a human rights activist, producer for a community radio station and long-time opponent of the Proyecto Integral Morelos (the integral project for Morelos) – which includes the plant and pipeline

Venezuela

• Ana Vanessa Herrero, Nicholas Casey, “Venezuela’s Ex-Spy Chief Rejects Maduro, Accusing Leader’s Inner Circle of Corruption” (The New York Times, February 22, 2019).

Hugo Carvajal, 58, who is a congressman in the governing Socialist Party, urged the military to break with the president ahead of a showdown with the opposition on Saturday over Mr. Maduro’s blockade of aid shipments

• Anthony Faiola, “One dead, multiple injured after Venezuelan soldiers open fire on opposition supporters” (The Washington Post, February 22, 2019).

The volunteers were trying to keep open a part of the Venezuela-Brazil border to allow for delivery of humanitarian aid

• “Donald Trump, the Implausible Would-Be Liberator of Venezuela” (The Economist (Uk), February 22, 2019).

An American invasion would thus be highly risky. It would also be counter-productive, because it would deprive a new government of legitimacy and revive anti-imperialism across Latin America

• Aryeh Neier, “Venezuela’s Maduro Needs to Go, but U.S. Military Intervention Isn’t the Way” (Americas Quarterly, February 22, 2019).

The best role for the United States is to provide the diplomatic, economic and logistical support that is needed for collective action by the governments of Latin America to succeed, preferably by peaceful means

• Dylan Baddour, “When Humanitarian Aid Is Used as a Weapon to Bring Down Regimes” (The Atlantic, February 22, 2019).

In some respects, the world’s most powerful country showing up at Venezuela’s border with truckloads of food and medicine is much better than what it has done in the past