August 11, 2020
Western Hemisphere Regional
- Tracy Wilkinson, “Latin American Governments Move to Scuttle Trump’s Pick for International Development Bank” (The Los Angeles Times, August 11, 2020).
Canada has joined the opposition, diplomatic sources said, but has not done so publicly
Bolivia
- Rodrigo Perez Maldonado, “Jefes Militares y de Policia Alertan Sobre Clima de Confrontacion en Bolivia” (La Nacion (Chile), August 11, 2020).
¿No hemos visto cuántos años y muertes ha tenido un país como Colombia? ¿Eso estamos buscando?”, expresó el máximo jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas, general Sergio Orellana
- “Lopez No Descarta un Decreto para Que las Ffaa Intervengan” (Pagina Siete (Bolivia), August 11, 2020).
El ministro de Defensa Fernando López afirmó que de ser necesario se emitirá un decreto supremo que permita a las Fuerzas Armadas (FFAA) intervenir en caso de que “grupos terroristas” armados estén detrás de los bloqueos en el país
- “Bolivia’s Military and Police Called on Political Leaders to Dialogue and Lift Blockades” (MercoPress, August 11, 2020).
“On social media there are videos of armed people and groups of people,” said armed forces General Sergio Orellana. “This is terrorism and terrorism directly affects state security”
Brazil
- Bryan Harris, Andres Schipani, “Bolsonaro and the Generals: Will the Military Defend Brazil’s Democracy?” (The Financial Times (UK), August 11, 2020).
If the Brazilian leader decided to ignore a ruling by the supreme court, what would the armed forces do? Are the former military people around the president an accelerator or a brake on his authoritarian instincts?
Colombia
- “Los Impactos de Ser Mujer y Cultivadora de Coca en el Catatumbo y Sur de Bolivar” (El Espectador (Colombia), August 11, 2020).
A pesar de que los cultivadores de coca se han organizado en estos territorios, las mujeres encuentran relaciones de poder desiguales que limitan su acceso a los espacios
- “Editorial: Rodear a la Comision de la Verdad” (El Espectador (Colombia), August 11, 2020).
El país, el Gobierno y la comunidad internacional deben rodear a los comisionados para no perder la oportunidad histórica que tenemos en la Comisión
- Ivan Cepeda, “Sobre el Crimen de Genocidio en Colombia” (Cuarto de Hora (Colombia), August 11, 2020).
Colombia presenta un complejo cuadro de procesos genocidas contra grupos políticos, pueblos indígenas y movimientos sociales, cuyo reconocimiento jurídico es cada vez más amplio
- Valentina Parada, “Las Criticas a los Responsables del Conflicto Que Ocupan Cargos Publicos” (El Espectador (Colombia), August 11, 2020).
Aunque es legal que los excombatientes estén en el Congreso y los militares sigan activos mientras se esclarecen las investigaciones en su contra, víctimas han pedido que se instaure una medida cautelar para suspenderlos
Colombia, Venezuela
- Marta Martinez, “Covid-19 Turns Violent and Chaotic at the Colombia-Venezuela Border” (VICE, August 11, 2020).
With safe border points closed due to COVID-19, civilians have been left at the mercy of criminal gangs
Ecuador
- “Un Llamado al ‘Dialogo’ y a la ‘Unidad’ en Acto Militar por los 211 Anos de la Independencia” (El Universo (Ecuador), August 11, 2020).
Un llamado a comprender la crisis social y económica que enfrenta el país hizo el comandante del Ejército ecuatoriano
Guatemala
- Hector Silva Avalos, Parker Asmann, “Us Indictment of Fmr Minister Rekindles Stalled Guatemala Investigations” (InsightCrime, August 11, 2020).
The formula has become commonplace in Central America: the US Justice Department prosecuting elites long suspected of having criminal ties after local investigations are thwarted
Mexico
- Deborah Bonello, “Nobody Knows How Many Migrants Are in Mexico’s Squalid Detention Centers” (VICE, August 11, 2020).
The INM said there are currently 950 migrants in detention. But different statistics from the country’s Interior Ministry suggest that the number could be ten times that
- Eduard Ribas I Admetlla, “Cartel de Sinaloa, Beltran Leyva, Cjng, Santa Rosa: Son al Menos 12 Grupos Criminales en 32 Estados” (EFE, SinEmbargo (Mexico), August 11, 2020).
Hay al menos una decena de cárteles mexicanos, con redes que se expanden a Estados Unidos, Centroamérica, Suramérica y Europa
- Juan Omar Fierro, “Juez Ordena la Aprehension de 19 Excolaboradores de Osorio Chong” (Proceso (Mexico), August 11, 2020).
Un juez federal libró órdenes de aprehensión contra 19 exfuncionarios de la Policía Federal (PF) que estuvieron bajo el mando del exsecretario de Gobernación
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Todd Miller, “Border Agents Are Allowed to Operate 100 Miles Inside the Us. That Should Worry Us” (The Guardian, August 11, 2020).
In the 1950s, Washington decided that a reasonable distance from the border for enforcement purposes was 100 miles – creating what the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has dubbed a “constitution-free zone”
- Jean Guerrero, “How Stephen Miller Turned the Department of Homeland Security Into a Political Weapon” (The Nation, August 11, 2020).
The reality of the Central American crisis—rooted in US foreign policy—had impinged on the agents’ perceptions of themselves as vanguards and warriors of the border. Miller understood their unhappiness
- Michael D. Shear, Caitlin Dickerson, “Trump Considers Banning Re-Entry by Citizens Who May Have Coronavirus” (The New York Times, August 11, 2020).
Under the proposal, the government could block a citizen or legal resident’s entry if an official “reasonably believes” the person had been exposed to or was infected with the communicable disease
- Lauren Villagran, Kalley Huang, “Woman Who Fell From Sunland Park Border Wall Leaves Behind Three Girls, Distraught Family” (The El Paso Times, August 11, 2020).
Her family still hasn’t heard the official version from Mexican consular officials — only from the guide she followed, who told them she fell and died during the raid of a safe house in New Mexico
- Dara Lind, Lomi Kriel, “Ice Is Making Sure Migrant Kids Don’t Have Covid-19 — Then Expelling Them to “Prevent the Spread” of Covid-19” (ProPublica, August 11, 2020).
ICE’s comprehensive testing appears to undermine the rationale for the mass expulsion policy: that it is necessary to “prevent the introduction” of COVID-19 into the United States
Venezuela
- Vivian Sequera, Brian Ellsworth, “Venezuela Opposition Party Says Govt Supporters Take Over Its Hq” (Reuters, Reuters, August 11, 2020).
The country’s supreme court in recent months put Democratic Action and two other opposition parties in the hands of politicians expelled from those parties on accusations they were in cahoots with socialist President Nicolas Maduro
- Joe Parkin Daniels, “Under Cover of Coronavirus, Maduro Is Consolidating Control” (Foreign Policy, August 11, 2020).
President Nicolás Maduro has been treating this crisis as an opportunity, steadily strengthening his grip on power ahead of this year’s parliamentary elections
- Kristen Martinez-Gugerli, “Taking Stock of Chinese and Russian Relations With Venezuela” (Washington Office on Latin America, August 11, 2020).
Russia and China have long been allies to Venezuela, though the Maduro government’s failure to repay its debts to the two countries has strained these relations over the years