Tag Archives: Menges Hemispheric Security Project

Operation ‘Terapaima’ and the Takeover of RCTV

July 12, 2007Center for Security Policy

"Operation ‘Terapaima’ and the Takeover of RCTV." According to a document of the National Armed Forces of Venezuela (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or FAN) issued by the Minister of Defense of Venezuela , instructions were given to the military to confiscate the transmission equipment of RCTV. In a conflict scenario, military units would confront surprise attacks against military posts and acts of selective terrorism carried out by civilian organizations which the document refers to as bthe enemy.’

NEWS:

Peru: government accuses Chavez of trying to destabilize the country.
The White House hosts Conference on the Americas (full story).
Ecuador: Correa accuses lawmakers of corruption. Correa says Congress should be dissolved. Correa Starts European Tour.
Venezuela: Chavez threatens Globovision. Venezuela Exports Tractors to Bolivia and Nicaragua. Venezuelan RCTV may air on cable.
Bolivia, Miners-Government Dialogue Off. Operation Miracle treats 100,000 patients in Bolivia. Bolivia: Selling $100M in Bonds to Venezuela.
The US might ratify FTA with Peru in September.
Colombia: Uribe leads protest against kidnappings. Assailants kill mayor of western Colombian town.
Mexico Confirms Attacks on Gas Pipelines (Pemex).
Lula resumes nuclear program. Brazil to become ‘world power.’

View the full version of the America’s Report (PDF)

For any questions, comments, or those interested in receiving this report in the future or seeking to have their email removed from our list please contact Nicole M. Ferrand at our new e-mail address: mengesproject@centerforsecuritypolicy.org. If you have news stories that you think might be useful for future editions of this report please send them, with a link to the original website, to the same e-mail address. If you wish to contribute with an article, please send it to the same address, with your name and place of work or study.

“Fixing” relations with Latin America

July 5, 2007Center for Security Policy

On June 19th the House Foreign Affairs Committee debated how to "fix the broken relationship with Latin America". We decided to give our readers excerpts of the introductory remarks of Rep. Lantos (D-CA) and the response of Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN). These show that our topics shape the discourse and deliver early insider views. The increased anti-Semitism in the region as well as Ethanol, Free trade and Chavez are some of the topics we have been covering and here, the Democrat chairman Lantos and the Republican Dan Burton highlight the issues which have been brought up by our writers.

NEWS:

Colombia : FARC terrorists kill 11 lawmaker hostages.
US Congress prolongs American-Andean free trade.
Iran, Venezuela in "axis of unity" against U.S. Sign various agreements. Copa America: soccer fans in Venezuela shout against Chavez. Chavez in Russia – the Duma denies Chavez permission to address the plenary session. Venezuela may withdraw bid to join Mercosur – attacks capitalism. Venezuela : Climbing inflation in June. Venezuela’s membership in Mercosur viewed as complicated.
Ecuador : President Correa attacks the press.
Argentine first lady to run for President.
Protests of Lopez Obrador again in Mexico.
MERCOSUR Winds up Summit in Paraguay.
Province of Santa Cruz declares independence from Morales authoritarianism.

View the full version of the Americas Report (PDF)

“Fixing” US-Latin American relations

July 5, 2007Nicole Ferrand

The Menges Hemispheric Project is always monitoring the latest legislative events regarding Latin America. Nancy Menges, Editor in Chief, has already testified in Congress and the Project is sometimes asked to name experts for the panels or testify through staff members. The current discourse is quite vibrant.

The typical party affiliations are an inextricable part of the average debate but the topics, as highlighted by representatives from both sides of the aisle, have picked up on the growing concerns about increased anti-Semitism in the region as well as Ethanol, Free trade and Chavez; the Democrat chairman Lantos and the Republican Dan Burton highlight the topics which have been brought up by our writers.

Federal News Service:

June 19, 2007 Tuesday

HEARING OF THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE; SOUTH AMERICA AND THE UNITED STATES: HOW TO FIX A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP; CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE TOM LANTOS (D-CA); WI .

House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Congressman Tom Lantos, Chairman

South America and the United States: How to Fix a Broken Relationship

Opening Remarks of Chairman Lantos at hearing.

Hugo Chávez’s anti-Americanism could not have come at a worse time for our relationship with our neighbors to the south. Chavez jets off to visit the most reprehensible despots in the world – in North Korea, in Iran, in Cuba – probably just because they have been identified by the United States as rogue regimes. He signs arms deals with these and other countries in a quest to militarize Venezuela to the teeth for no discernable purpose. And he makes friends with despicable perpetrators of violence: Ahmadinejad in Iran, Nasrallah of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad of Syria, and the late Holocaust denier Norberto Ceresole of Argentina. I am deeply disturbed that anti-Semitism is on the rise under Chavez, accompanied by support for Islamic terrorist groups.

With his own people, Chávez angles toward his own brand of authoritarianism. Chaotic, retributive land seizures in Venezuela have led to violence, injustice, and crop shortages. Recently, Chavez crossed yet another dangerous line: curtailing freedom of the press. He closed the independent television station RCTV in a bid to consolidate power and squelch opposition. An international backlash and ongoing student protests seem only to have emboldened him. No sooner did he shut down RCTV than he threatened to do the same with Globovisión, the last remaining TV channel he does not yet control.

Confounding the problem is the gutless response of the Organization of American States, which held its General Assembly days after the closing of RCTV and could not muster the courage to express even a word of concern. Adding salt to this ulcerating sore, OAS Secretary General Insulza just days later practically ripped up and tossed away the hemisphere’s main pro-democracy instrument, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, saying he doesn’t believe it should be used to pressure OAS member states. This whole episode is a stark reminder that the United States can no longer even mobilize the regional body established to address this sort of outrageous maneuver by Chavez.

The sapping of U.S. influence in this region has had wide-ranging ripple effects. In Chavez’s shadow and with his oil money, the democracies in Ecuador and Bolivia are becoming increasingly undemocratic. Both countries have recently turned on their own media, and both are in the process of altering their constitutions. In Paraguay, we hear similar echoes.

Argentina is in many ways living in its past and grapples daily with the shadow of its 2001 economic collapse. President Kirchner’s government has presided over a significant turnaround – with more than eight percent annual growth over the past three years – but he seems to listen to Mr. Chavez’s advice with alarming regularity.

There are governments in the region that are strongly democratic. These countries ought to step into the vacuum and re-claim regional leadership from Chavez. Brazil and Chile, with two strong and visionary leaders, are the standouts. Peru and Uruguay also hold considerable promise.

Colombia is on the list of standouts as well, and President Uribe has made significant strides in providing security for his people. But his troubles at home are significant, with corruption and the drug trade all too powerful. He has more than enough problems to keep him busy without saddling him with the heavy lifting in the region that used to be the role of the United States.

All of these countries show that responsible governments can and should boost economic growth and reduce inequality without enacting authoritarian policies. Our ability to shepherd them into the power void will go a long way toward reestablishing our positive influence in South America.

We have ignored South America as a partner for far too long. We have allowed Chavez to define us to our neighbors. That must stop before we reach a point of no return, a South America where most national leaders resort to the political expedients of coercion and authoritarianism. We share central values with the rest of the region: democracy, open markets, and free speech.

REP. DAN BURTON (R-IN) :

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Regarding our influence in Central America and South America and trying to change governments, I’d just like to remind the panelists that Fidel Castro tried to cause revolution throughout Central and South America, and he was successful somewhat. He sent Che Guevara down there, and Che Guevara unfortunately got killed or fortunately got killed depending on how you look at it. And right now we have Hugo Chavez who’s a blood brother of Fidel Castro, and he has used millions and millions of dollars to influence the elections in Bolivia and Nicaragua and elsewhere.

And I don’t hear a great deal of mention about that. It’s always the United States and how the United States is interfering. We have a vested interest in democracy and freedom in our hemisphere, and I don’t see anything wrong with the United States being concerned about who is put on the U.N. Security Council that may be an impediment to freedom and democracy in this hemisphere. Venezuela obviously would be an impediment. Chavez wants to do everything he can to drive us nuts, and he to some degree has been successful. And he continues to keep his country in an uproar by going on television every other week or every week and saying that we’re going to invade and we’re going to try to kill him.

So he’s not a dumb politician. He’s pretty smart. And one of the things that I have a concern about regarding Iran being involved in South America and Central America is they are in the process of developing a nuclear capability. Chavez is right now buying weapons systems, submarines, airplanes, guns, everything else he can get his hands on with the money he’s getting from us and elsewhere. And if Iran is able to develop a nuclear capability, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Chavez would try to get some kind of a nuclear capability in his country to further influence the United States and our activities in Central and South America .

And that’s one of the reasons why I think it’s extremely important that we do pay attention to Iran’s involvement with Chavez, because Chavez now has a history of trying to build up a real military capability, and he’s in the process of doing it right now. Iran is developing a nuclear capability, and I’m not sure we’re going to be able to stop them unless we take very strong action because many of our European counterparts aren’t being cooperative in trying to put economic and diplomatic pressure on them.

Regarding our energy problem, we do get quite a bit of our oil from Mexico, Venezuela, and elsewhere in Central, South America . As a matter of fact, my information is we get almost half of our oil and gas from South America . And it’s extremely important that we recognize that fact. And that’s another reason why I really believe my colleagues ought to take a hard look at energy independence. We’ve been talking about that since Jimmy Carter when we had those long gas lines. Now we have gasoline — $3 plus per gallon and going up, and we know we can get between $1 and $2 million barrels of oil a day out of the Anwar, and we’re not doing anything about it.

We know that we could drill offshore around the southern coast of the United States and get oil. As a matter of fact, Cuba has cut a deal with China, and China’s going to be drilling within 45, 50 miles of Cuba, or 40 miles inside that agreed to zone, and there’s no doubt in my mind they’ll be drilling into some reserves that probably are in United States waters, and they’ll be getting those away from us. So I think we ought to take a hard look at — and we’ve got an estimated 500 year supply of natural gas, so I just say to my colleagues I think we ought to start looking at energy independence so we don’t have to deal with these problems down the road.

And finally, these free trade agreements — I want to just say to my colleagues or my friends on the dais there, or at the witness table — we really need to fulfill our obligations on the free trade agreements. Poverty is one of the biggest problems that Latin America has, and that’s why these radical leftists down there have been successful and will be successful. We’ve got to create an environment where people can get jobs, and the best way to do that is to extend these trade preferences and to have more free trade agreements, not less.

The Chile free trade agreement, for instance – we’ve seen trade between us and Chile increase by 154 percent since that agreement went into place. Our exports to Chile have gone up by $4 billion in three years. Their exports to the United States has gone up by $6 billion, and that means jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs fight poverty, and when you fight poverty you fight the radicals. And that’s why it’s extremely important that my colleagues on the other side of the isle pay attention to these free trade agreements and these trade preferences, because if they kill them they’re playing right into the hands of the leftist-like Chavez down there.

Two thumbs down for Insulza and the OAS

July 2, 2007Nicole Ferrand

The Organization of American States (OAS) or, as it is known in the three other official languages (OEA), is an international organization, headquartered in Washington D.C. Its members are the thirty-five independent states of the Americas, including the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. In the words of Article 1 of the OAS Charter, the goal of the member nations in creating the OAS was "to achieve an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence." [1]

[More]The OAS has adopted resolutions related to various themes that are part of the inter-American agenda, such as the promotion and protection of human rights, social and economic development, hemispheric security, the fight against corruption, strengthening democracy, conflict resolution and attention to crises, among others.

The 37th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) was held in Panama from June 3-5, 2007. [2] The event focused on "Energy for Sustainable Development," in recognition of the fundamental importance of energy resources for the future of the countries in the region. Ethanol has been a hot topic in recent months and since many countries in Latin America produce sugar cane, the promotion of this alternative fuel could have great impact on the development of the Americas. It could also be a way to become less dependent on oil especially from Venezuela.

But in light of recent events that have and are occurring in Venezuela against freedom of expression, the event in Panama presented the perfect opportunity to discuss the shutting down of the Venezuelan TV channel, RCTV. Surprisingly, the OAS and its members refrained from denouncing what happened with the TV channel, a decision which is incomprehensible and worrisome.

Andres Oppenheimer in his editorial "OAS Silence on Venezuela Censorship Scary " writes: "The failure by most Latin American countries to speak out against Venezuela’s censorship of its oldest nationwide television network at the OAS meeting in Panama marked a serious setback for freedom of the press — and democracy — in the region. In one of the most blatant displays of disdain for democratic freedoms, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Ecuador, not only failed to denounce Venezuela’s narcissist-Leninist President Hugo Chávez’s decision not to renew the license of the RCTV network, but openly applauded it. Nicaragua’s president, Daniel Ortega, even visited Caracas and personally congratulated Chávez for his decision to silence the network." [3]

Oppenheimer continues: "Caribbean countries, which increasingly depend on Chávez’s oil subsidies, remained silent. What is more difficult to understand was the failure of Latin America’s biggest countries — Mexico, Brazil and Argentina — to mention the RCTV case in their speeches at the OAS meeting. Only two countries made a clear reference to the importance of freedom of expression: the United States and El Salvador." [4]

Roger F. Noriega from the "American Enterprise Institute," accurately pinpoints, " When challenged in recent months to confront glaring violations of freedom of expression, separation of powers, and constitutional order, the OAS and its member states have done nothing …If the ideal of inter-American democratic solidarity is buried under such indifference, it is not merely because Chávez wants it dead. It is because most of the others in the region did not agree that the collective defense of democracy is a principle worth saving. In Venezuela, Chávez is consolidating dictatorial control over the legislature, the courts, the electoral apparatus, and now, with his closure on May 27 of the last independent broadcast station, the media. He is even bullying his domestic political allies into joining his unitary political party. He has militarized politics and politicized the military, and once-self-respecting, nationalistic Venezuelan soldiers are now forced to return salutes by barking the fidelista slogan, "Fatherland, socialism, or death." "Chávez’s anti-democratic campaign is not confined to his own country. Treating the largesse of his oil-rich nation as a petty cash box, Chávez has inspired and supported a band of elected autocrats like Ecuador’s Rafael Correa and Bolivia’s Evo Morales." [5]

US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, proposed including the freedom of expression situation in Venezuela in the OAS agenda because of the RCTV case , which Venezuela rejected point blank as an intervention in the country’s internal affairs. But Rice’s proposal was not included and Chávez celebrated that Washington was once again "defeated" in the OAS as was its attempt to coordinate an international condemnation of Venezuela. Secretary Rice told her OAS counterparts:

In a democracy the citizens of a country should have the assurance that the policies of their government will be held up for criticism by a free and independent press without the interference of their government. The citizens of the United States have that assurance. I sincerely hope that the citizens of Venezuela will have that assurance as well.

While Secretary Rice’s comments reportedly were met with loud applause, the OAS’s official silence was deafening. The gathering of regional diplomats did not produce a single resolution or communiqué committed to act on this blatant restriction of freedom of expression in Venezuela. [7]

Mr. Noriega makes an excellent point when he states: "Tenderhearted critics will always be appalled when a U.S. official makes public declarations that irritate Chávez or his cronies, but there is a vast difference between hurling personal insults, on the one hand, and expressing concern about where Chávez is taking Venezuela and invoking his obligation to respect representative democracy, on the other. If we send muddled messages and appear unwilling to make value judgments about troubling events in the region, we make matters worse for ourselves and for our friends in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, and elsewhere in Latin America." [8]

"…Ironically, those U.S. Latinamericanists who are the most offended by such value judgments or by the slightest criticism of unfriendly leaders are the first to find fault with our friends. They have very little to say as Chávez perfects a dictatorship in Venezuela, but in recent weeks they have been quick to make harsh–even humiliating–public statements about Álvaro Uribe, a U.S. ally and president of Colombia. Back in Venezuela, university students have led intense protests challenging President Chávez’s decision to silence Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV), the sole remaining broadcast network that was not a mouthpiece for his regime. This latest move is but one more step on the path toward dictatorship–with Chávez having undermined systematically the already weak democratic institutions of his country. [9]

In Noriega’s words "Most governments in Latin America and the Caribbean are unwilling to intervene in the internal affairs of a sister state–and even less so if it means risking a bilateral confrontation with the volatile and wealthy Chávez. For this reason, the OAS can serve a critical role as an instrument for concerted regional inquiry and action. If the OAS secretary general is strong and enjoys the confidence and the backing of key countries, he can speak and act–albeit cautiously and respectfully–as a representative of the region to examine troubling events and make recommendations for a regional response. [10]

Upon his election as secretary general in 2005, Chilean José Miguel Insulza pledged to make the OAS an effective instrument to deal with those elected leaders who do not govern democratically. But when member states failed to back these ideas in Panama, he apparently retreated. [11] Even worse, Insulza issued the following statement: "We should wonder why a number of democratic countries where freedom of expression prevails decided not to take a stance on this issue". "I believe the reason is that they believed this is an administrative measure a member State has taken which does not endanger its democracy". Insulza claimed that, under OAS, certain interventions are allowed "only when there is a serious threat of rupture of democracy." However, in his view democracy in Venezuela is not threatened, he added. [12]

Andres Oppenheimer adds: "When diplomats were asked (in Panama) about RCTV, they merely stated that they could not make an explicit reference to the case at the OAS meeting because Venezuela — as a sovereign country — has the legal right not to renew television licenses. In addition, they said the OAS meeting was to discuss alternative energy sources, and that Ms. Rice’s speech requesting an OAS mission to Venezuela to look into the RCTV case is something that Washington must now present officially in writing, so it can be discussed at the OAS’ regular sessions at the group’s headquarters in Washington." [13]

Oppenheimer differs by stating " these arguments are sounding pretty weak. First, Chávez’s decision not to renew RCTV’s license was an openly political move: Chávez himself announced five months before RCTV’s May 27 shutdown that he would not renew the network’s license because of its news coverage during a 2002 coup attempt. Most importantly, Chávez shut down RCTV — which had been on the air for 53 years — without calling for a public hearing. Chavez simply took over the network and turned it into another pro-government mouthpiece, in what was an effective government takeover of a private network. Now, Chávez controls most nationwide television networks, and the ones that remain in private hands — except for Globovisión, which is on cable and doesn’t have a nationwide reach — are self-censoring their news. Venezuela’s television has become a one-man show. [14]

"What could Latin America’s democracies have done? Under OAS rules, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and other countries could have perfectly well expressed their alarm over Venezuela’s assault on freedom of the press, citing the group’s 2001 Democratic Charter. In its Article 4, it says that "freedom of expression and of the press" are "fundamental components" of the regional treaty. In the end, the OAS meeting adopted a wishy-washy resolution in support of freedom of the press, but without mentioning either Venezuela or the RCTV issue by name. Worse, the OAS meeting appointed a Venezuelan government nominee as one of the seven members of the OAS Human Rights Commission. [15]

The OAS and Mr. Insulza have made a terrible mistake. In its Resolution Nº 1932 titled "ACCESS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION: STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY " which was adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 10, 2003 states: THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY establishes that the right to freedom of thought and expression includes freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas, regardless of frontiers and through any medium. [16]

If the OAS doesn’t honor its resolutions, it risks losing its credibility. With that in mind, how can it dismiss Chávez’s grotesque censorship of an independent media outlet? This decision sets a terrible precedent suggesting to leaders from countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua who are now threatening the free press in their respective countries that this may be an opportunity to carry our their threats effectively with the guarantee that no one will do anything about it.

[1] www.oas.org

[2] AG/DEC. 52 (XXXVII O/07) DECLARATION OF PANAMA: ENERGY FOR sustainable DEVELOPMENT (Adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 5, 2007)

[3] OAS silence on Venezuela censorship scary. Jun. 07, 2007. ANDRES OPPENHEIMER.

[4] Ibid.

[5] The End of Democratic Solidarity in the Americas? Roger F. Noriega from the "American Enterprise Institute." June 14, 2007.

[6] Quoted in Pablo Bachelet, "Rice Calls for OAS Action on Venezuela," Miami Herald, June 4, 2007.

[7] Noriega Ibid.

[8] Noriega Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Chavez thanks OAS for not intervening in the RCTV case. June 17, 2007. MercoPress, Uruguay.

[13] OPPENHEIMER Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/ga03/agres_1932.htm

Two thumbs down for Insulza and the OAS

June 28, 2007Center for Security Policy

The 37th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) was held in Panama from June 3-5, 2007. The event focused on "Energy for Sustainable Development." In light of recent events that have and are occurring in Venezuela against freedom of expression, this event presented the perfect opportunity to discuss the shutting down of the Venezuelan TV channel, RCTV. An analysis of the surprising and worrisome decision of the OAS not to address and denounce what happened with the TV channel.

NEWS:

Brazil to propound RCTV issue in Mercosur parliament. According to Paraguay, RCTV not an item in Mercosur agenda. Brazil – Venezuela dispute marks Mercosur summit without Chávez.
Work to resume in Brazil nuclear reactor.
Chavez’s weapons shopping spree in Iran, Russia and Belarus. Exxon, ConocoPhillips say NO to Chavez. Venezuela’s Chavez seen wanting office "for life."
Colombian Navy Captures top FARC member.
Bolivian Government takes over two oil refineries. Morales to visit Iran, Russia seeking investment in Bolivian gas.
Nicaragua : Ortega balances Venezuelan aid, IMF (commentary). Ortega hits approval low in Nicaragua.
Brazil ‘s Lula popularity still high.
Argentina : Kirchner’s black month.

View the full version of the Americas Report (PDF)

Gangs and violence in Central America

June 21, 2007Nicole Ferrand

Central America has the misfortune of being placed between drug supply and drug demand. The flow of cocaine from South America to the United States is one of the highest value illicit commodity streams in the world. Central America has been a conduit for these drugs for decades and now is the pathway for some 450 tons of cocaine headed to Mexico and the United States. This stream is worth about $10 billion US, and has a retail value of $50 billion US. The potential de-stabilizing effect of this massive contraband flow is considerable. [1]

[More]Drug trafficking is often associated with the growth of youth gangs in the region, in the form of the so-called ‘pandillas’ or ‘maras’ (both terms for gangs). The major gangs operating in Central America with ties to the United States are the "18th Street" gang (also known as M-18), and their main rival, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). The Maras are part of a troubling trend in Latin America: the rise of transnational gangs, narcotraffickers, and terrorists. [2]

El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua are at the epicenter of the gang crisis and are seen to be at the core of the local crime problem. During the civil wars, large numbers of Central Americans sought refuge in the United States. There, they congregated in Hispanic urban neighborhoods, particularly those in Southern California. These areas suffer from a serious gang problem, and the new immigrants found themselves targeted by locals. Partly as a defensive action, many young men either joined the existing gangs or formed their own. When the U.S. began to tighten its immigration regime in 1996, many gang members were deported after being convicted of a crime, spreading the gang culture of Southern California to Central America. While assessing the scale of gangsterism is challenging, there are an estimated 70,000 gang members in the 7 countries of Central America today, with Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala being the worst affected. Up to 50% of violent crimes in these countries are their doing. [3]

National Gang Member Estimates

Country	Total Membership
Belize	100
Panama	1385
Costa Rica	2660
Nicaragua	4500
El Salvador	10500
Guatemala	14000
Honduras	36000
Total	69145

Source: UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Crime and Development in Central America, 2007.

Universally, most street crimes and a good share of violent crimes are committed by young men, usually between the ages of about 15 and 24. Like many developing regions, the population of Central America is very young. [4] Some analysts believe these gangs could pose a serious threat to the region’s stability. Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador have some of the highest murder rates in the world. In 2004, the estimated murder rate per 100,000 people was 45.9 in Honduras, 41.2 in El Salvador, and 34.7 in Guatemala. High murder rates have persisted in 2005 and 2006, with gang-related violence reportedly accounting for up to 50% of violent crime in each of those countries. [5]

Several factors have contributed to the problem of gang violence in Central America . Scholars have identified income inequality as the strongest predictor of violent crime rates. Overwhelmed and ineffective justice systems, easy access to arms and an illicit economy, high levels of intra-familial violence and an absence of political will to fight crime have also contributed to the gang problem. [6]

Type of activity

The gangs are involved in human trafficking; drug, auto, and weapons smuggling; kidnapping, e xtortion, prostitution, murder for hire, theft, assaults on law enforcement officials and homicide. Violence is also the hallmark of mara life. Would-be members must bear a 13-second, nonstop beating by four veterans. If strong, women undergo the same initiation; if not, they must sleep with each gang member. Just to prove their mettle, new members have to carry out a murder. Once done, the marero is emblazoned with distinctive tattoos. Maras also fight one another over turf and, naturally, the gangs are always battling the authorities. [7]

The Maras are heavily armed with M16s, AK-47s, and military grade explosives. Inspired by al-Qaeda, they have added beheadings to their repertoire and mutilations, slaughtering their rivals and leaving their heads for show. [8] As guerrilla factions and paramilitary groups have slowly disbanded, weapons have flooded the market and become easily available to youth. Thousands of children saw their families killed or were forced to flee their homelands. Central American gang members are identified by the tattoos that blanket their bodies. They are boys as young as 10 who feel hopeless and are looking for a sense of belonging, according to Central American immigrants and advocates. Many of them are forced to join a gang. [9] Since the end of the 1980s gang violence in Central America has evolved from a localized, purely neighborhood-based security concern into a transnational problem that pervades urban enclaves in every country in the region. Gang activity has developed into a complex, multi-faceted, and transnational problem. [10]

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, have each responded differently to the gang problem. By and large, Central American police lack the skills, technology and resources to combat the maras. Corruption among officers is a long-standing ill. El Salvador and Honduras, for example, have largely committed to the mano dura (firm hand) or super mano dura approach, which emphasizes zero-tolerance law enforcement for tackling gang violence issues. A suspect in violation of these laws could find themselves facing a 12-year prison sentence even if no crime had been committed. Having a gang tattoo was evidence enough. The remaining countries are pursuing different approaches. Nicaragua has adopted an anti-gang approach that is weighted more towards prevention and intervention than heavy-handed law enforcement. Guatemala continues to debate mano dura while it struggles to engage in prevention and intervention amid accusations of social cleansing tactics used on gang members. [11]

Mara Salvatrucha MS-13

The gang name is commonly abbreviated as MS-13, Mara, MS, and is composed mostly of Salvadorans, Hondurans and other Central Americans. The MS-13 gangs have cliques, or factions, located throughout the United States and Latin America. Membership is believed to total over 100,000 worldwide. In the United States, the gang’s strongholds have historically been in Washington D.C., Miami, and Southern California. [12]

In addition to violent acts committed by the gang against citizens and gang rivals, the gang has even engaged in organized violent acts against the government. In 1997 the son of Honduras’s President, Ricardo Maduro, was kidnapped and murdered by MS-13 members leaving a note for the Honduran president that "more people will die…the next victims will be police and journalists." In 2002 in the city of Tegucigalpa in Honduras, MS-13 members boarded a public bus and immediately executed 28 people including 7 small children. On February 19, 2007, three Salvadoran representatives to the Central American parliament (Parlacen) in Guatemala were killed after inexplicably departing from their motorcade. The arrestees were never able to elaborate, however, as they were all shot dead in prison on February 25th. [13]

Costs of gangs and violence

Crime and gang violence is threatening economic and democratic development across the region. Estimates of the direct and indirect costs of violence suggest that the costs of crime are roughly 12 to 14 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Gangs such as MS-13 and 18th Street conduct business internationally, engaging in kidnapping, robbery, extortion, assassinations, and the trafficking of people and contraband across borders. The World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have made significant strides in developing an understanding of violence more broadly and its costs. They estimate the cost of violence in Latin America to be 14.2 percent of GDP. [14]

Soaring violent crime rates could jeopardize democracy in Central America and the region in general. Finding regional solutions to the gang problem is absolutely essential . It is of utmost importance to prevent Venezuela and Cuba from co-opting these groups to use them for their revolutionary plans. M ost worrying is the scenario of future al-Qaeda and gang cooperation. That is why it is imperative for countries in Latin America to tackle this threat immediately and effectively.

Source: UNDP HDR 2006, UNODC WDR 2006.
Crime and Development in Central America. 2007. UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
Sources: "Criminal Gangs in the Americas," Economist, January 5, 2006; "Gangs Undermine Security, Democracy," Miami Herald, March 30, 2006; "Marked Men," Dallas Morning News, October 29; 2006; Testimony of General Bantz J. Craddock, Commander, U.S. Southern Command, before the Senate Armed Services Committee, March 15, 2005.
Gangs undermine security, democracy. The Miami Herald. March 30, 2006. By Marifeli Pérez-Stable.
Sources: "Criminal Gangs in the Americas," Economist, January 5, 2006; "Gangs Undermine Security, Democracy," Miami Herald, March 30, 2006; "Marked Men," Dallas Morning News, October 29; 2006; Testimony of General Bantz J. Craddock, Commander, U.S. Southern Command, before the Senate Armed Services Committee, March 15, 2005.
D. Ledermann et al., "Determinants of Crime Rates in Latin America and the World," World Bank, October 1998.
Pérez-Stable Ibid.
Gangs, Terrorists, and Trade. April 12, 2007. By Adam Elkus. Foreign Policy in Focus.
Grim News in Central America: Wave of Gang Violence Grows. Resource Center of the Americas. January 29, 2004. By Kari Lydersen.
Central America and Mexico Gang Assessment. USAID. April 2006.
Ibid.
The Most Dangerous Gang in America. By Arian Campo-Flores. March 2007. Newsweek.
UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Ibid.
USAID. Ibid.

Gangs and violence in Central America

June 21, 2007Center for Security Policy

Central America has the misfortune of being placed between drug supply and drug demand. The flow of cocaine from South America to the United States is one of the highest value illicit commodity streams in the world. Central America has been a conduit for these drugs for decades. Drug trafficking is often associated with the growth of youth gangs in the region, in the form of gangs operating in Central America with ties to the United States. The most dangerous are the "18th Street" gang (also known as M-18), and their main rival, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). Analysts believe these gangs could pose a serious threat to the region’s stability.

NEWS:

Chavez thanks OAS for not intervening in the RCTV case. Aznar: Chavez seeks alliance with radical Islamism. Chavez loses popularity (RCTV). RCTV may transmit programming from Mexico. Due to food shortages, government threatens to expropriate farmers. Venezuela likely delay to enter Mercosur.
Freed Colombian FARC member travels to Cuba. Castro: Cuba to continue military building against US.
Attack against the French embassy in Uruguay.
Poll: Nicaraguan President plunges in popularity. Nicaragua ‘s Ortega meets with Castro.
Brazil: Extreme violence in Rio de Janeiro. Corruption scandals in Brazil.
Clear Threats against Freedom of the Press in Ecuador.
U.S military base in Peru worries Chile.

View the full version of the Americas Report (PDF)

Czech Parliament writes to Chavez on RCTV

June 14, 2007Center for Security Policy

In this week’s report, we publish a letter written by 41 Czech MPs to President Hugo Chavez (June 6 th), requesting that he not shut down RCTV. This document follows other similar declarations by the European Parliament, the U.S. Senate, the Chilean Senate and the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights.

ArtC-culo: " Carta enviada por el Parlamento Checo a Hugo Chavez sobre el cierre de RCTV."

A continuacian les presentamos una carta que le escribieron 41 diputados checos al presidente Hugo Chavez (6 de junio), en la que le piden que reconsidere su decisiC3n de cerrar RCTV. Esta declaracion se suma a las pronunciadas en dC-as pasados por El Parlamento Europeo, el Senado de los Estados Unidos, el Senado de Chile y la Comision Interamericana para los Derechos Humanos. Por lo tanto, les pedimos su colaboracion para distribuirla.

NEWS:

Latin America Disturbingly Silent on Venezuela (commentary).
Andean Summit Opens in Bolivia.
Evo Morales visits Fidel Castro. Bolivian Government Takes Control of Two Oil Refineries.
Brazil: Lula troubled by corruption.
Chavez orders supporters to give up extra possessions. Chavez-Brazil rift: dispute over Mercosur membership. Even off air, Venezuela’s RCTV goes on. Chavez visits Castro. Venezuela : 20 Percent Inflation Rate. Students and Journalists continue with protests over RCTV.
Ecuadorian President embraces Bank of the South. Business sector wary of Ecuador’s Correa.
Nicaragua: President Visits Iran to Ink Deals.
U.S. Helping Latin American Businesses.
Colombia: FARC reject government plan to release hundreds of jailed guerrillas. Uribe in the United States to discuss FTA.

View the full version of the Americas Report (PDF)

Ver la versiC3n completa del Informe de AmC)ricas (PDF)

RCTV: Dictatorship Chavez-style

June 11, 2007Center for Security Policy

Venezuela ‘s commitment to democracy has suffered a serious blow as the government forced private television station RCTV off the air for political reasons on Monday after 53 years of continuous broadcasting. Several protests broke out across Caracas and on university campuses, according to the press. Police fired tear gas, used water cannons, and shot rubber bullets into crowds of thousands protesting the government’s decision. Several people were injured during the incidents. Why was the TV channel forced out of the air.

Artículo: "RCTV: Dictadura al estilo Chávez."

A pesar del rechazo mundial, el presidente de Venezuela no le renovó la licencia de transmisión al canal RCTV. Las marchas y demostraciones en contra de la decisión del gobierno continúan en todo el país y las fuerzas armadas han reaccionado con violencia. Hay informes de gente que ha sido encarcelada y de muchos heridos por enfrentamientos con la policía. Las razones detrás del cierre de RCTV.

NEWS:

Brazil opposes Venezuela’s membership in Mercosur. Brazil and India Plan to Expand Trade. European Commission pr oposes EU-Brazil strategic partnership.
Venezuela : thousands protest closing of anti-Chavez TV station. Globovisión not afraid of Chavez. Rice criticizes Chavez for closing TV station.
Colombia releases first group of FARC members.
Mexico ‘s Calderon and Sarkozy agree on bilateral cooperation.
Judges across Bolivia on strike against President’s policies.
Bolivia ‘s Morales and Ecuador’s Correa target TV critic s.
Castro appears on Cuban TV. Wear your uniform, Chavez tells Castro.
Uruguay ‘s Vazquez ends speculation over seeking re-election.

View the full version of the Americas Report (PDF)

Ver la versión completa del Informe de Américas (PDF)

RCTV: Dictatorship, Chavez style

June 11, 2007Nicole Ferrand

Over the protests of Venezuelans, Hugo Chavez has silenced RCTV. Reuters photo

At last, and sadly for those who believe in Democracy and who have been trying to alert the world of the dangers of the Hugo Chávez Regime, Venezuela is now a dictatorship. If someone had any doubts, the closing of RCTV is enough proof of the intolerance of the Chávez government.

Although the news has received worldwide condemnation from the European Parliament, the Chilean Congress, press freedom groups, the US and leaders from many countries who have urged Chávez to reverse the closure, their plea fell on deaf ears because, as he himself declared just recently: "It’s over…Say what they say, do what they do, howl where they want, the license will not be renewed."1 [More]Although it has become a hot topic of the international press, US TV stations and the media in general have demonstrated poor coverage of the Venezuelan situation.

What has really surprised many observers is Brazil’s response. Even though Lula has been an ally of Hugo Chávez for a long time, that didn’t stop the Brazilian Senate from condemning Venezuela’s refusal to renew the license of RCTV. Chávez responded by saying that the institution was acting as a "parrot" of the U.S. Congress and added it would be easier for Brazil to return to rule as a Portuguese colony than for his government to renew the RCTV license. Lula ordered Brazilian diplomatic officials to summon Venezuela’s ambassador to explain the Venezuelan leader’s comments. The presidents of Brazil ‘s lower house and Senate both issued statements condemning Chávez’s declarations. "The presidency of the Chamber of Deputies declares vehement repudiation of the capricious and irresponsible declarations of the president of Venezuela, which don’t befit the stature required of a head of state," said lower house chairman Arlindo Chinaglia.2

Since having obtained the power to rule by decree, Chávez has nationalized telecommunications and electricity companies, taken over oil fields developed by multinationals, and formed a single pro-regime political party. However for Venezuelans, the loss of RCTV was the greatest shock of all. In order to further Chávez’s quest for total control, it was no surprise that he decided to go after the media. For 53 years, RCTV has been part of Venezuela’s culture, offering the public, comedies, soap operas, and game shows. But on May 27 th, Chávez sent in troops to seize RCTV’s broadcast equipment. The TV channel has been replaced on the airwaves with pro-Chávez programming run by a state-funded network called "Venezuelan Social Television."

Many believe that power has become so centralized in Venezuela that there are no checks and balances and the executive controls the Congress, the Supreme Court, the electoral commission, and the military. RCTV and Globovisión, in a way, did the job these institutions failed to do, publicly denouncing the wrongdoings of Chávez’s regime and that is why one was shut down and the other has been threatened with closure if it doesn’t stop covering the demonstrations.

Aware of the controversy the closing of RCTV would create, the Venezuelan Government made an all out effort to tell their absurd side of the story arguing that they were not closing the TV channel, they were just not renewing the license and that they made the decision based on RCTV’s support of the April 2002 "Coup." (The Supreme Court ruled that what occurred was not a coup). The reality is that Chávez doesn’t want any opposition and RCTV represented that.

Protests against the move continue to grow and expand across Venezuela, with students and others taking to the streets in many cities . Independent press agencies have reported that there are thousands of demonstrators, while the government has minimized the number count. The police have acted with extreme violence and there is information that many protesters have been jailed and many others have been injured.

Hugo Chávez seems unmoved by the concerns voiced by international press freedom groups that liberty of expression is under attack in his country. In fact, the Chávez regime has launched an investigation of another broadcaster, Globovisión , accusing it of using subliminal messages to incite an assassination attempt on the president. Chávez called Globovisión an enemy of the state, attacking its coverage of the protests against RCTV’s closure. "Enemies of the homeland, particularly those behind the scenes, I will give you a name: Globovisión. Greetings, gentlemen of Globovisión, you should watch where you are going," Mr. Chavez said. "I recommend you take a tranquilizer and get into gear, because if not, I am going to do what is necessary." CNN is also under scrutiny.3 Chávez doesn’t want the media to report or cover the protests and will stop at nothing to achieve that.

It seems RCTV is not going down quietly. It has found a way to continue its daily broadcasts, on YouTube . Although the station is officially off the air, CNN’s Harris Whitbeck said its news department continues to operate on reduced staffing, and the three daily hour-long installments of the newscast "El Observador" are uploaded onto YouTube by RCTV’s Web department. In addition, RCTV’s Colombia-based affiliate, Caracol, has agreed to transmit the evening installment of "El Observador" over its international signal. The program, which will run at midnight, could reach about 800,000 people in Venezuela. Although this is drastically reduced from RCTV’s previous audience, its continued presence is a sign of hope for the staff. "We’re just doing our job as journalists," said an employee of RCTV. "As long as somebody is seeing us, we consider what we are doing to be valid."4

Not far away, Ecuador and Bolivia are following the ideas of their mentors Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez with regards to the press and have already announced their plans. Morales proposed creating a tribunal to oversee the operations of privately owned press and broadcast outlets and Mr. Correa announced over the weekend that he would order a review of the broadcasting licenses of opposition news channels in his country. "The main adversaries of my presidency, of my government, are certain communications media," Mr. Morales said at the Fifth World Conference of Artists and Intellectuals in Defense of Humanity, a Venezuelan-backed group supporting "the process of change in Latin America." Meanwhile, Mr. Correa issued a statement saying that "radio and TV frequencies have been granted in ways that are frequently dark and it’s time to analyze the matter." He accused owners of major news outlets of using political influence to get their broadcasting licenses and using the press "to defend private interests that are often corrupt." He also announced legal action against Ecuador’s opposition newspaper "La Hora".5

Freedom of expression and freedom of information are fundamental rights of human beings and they are under attack in Venezuela, and possibly in Bolivia and Ecuador. It appears that Chávez is trying to suppress any possible outlet for further opposition. Unfortunately, without an independent media that is able to report what is going on, the opposition will most likely be silenced, and their ability to oppose Chávez and his ever tightening grip on power will become ever more dangerous.

Once the curtain falls on freedom of speech, the outside world will lack the necessary information to protect those who have the courage to stand up against this growing tyranny.

Notes

1 Chávez silences critical TV station – and robs the people of their soaps. May 23, 2007. The Guardian.

2 Senado brasileño repudia declaraciones de Chávez. June, 2007. El Universal.

3 La oposición venezolana pide un referéndum sobre el cierre de RCTV y los estudiantes vuelven a la calle. May 30, 2007. El Pa í s.

4 Silenced Venezuelan TV station moves to YouTube. June 3 rd, 2007. CNN.

5 Morales dice que los medios son su "primer adversario." May 25, 2007. La Prensa.