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Security

What Awaits President Obama On His Trip To Mexico

By Hayes Brown on Mar 28, 2013 at 12:00 pm

The White House on Wednesday announced that President Obama will be traveling to Latin America for the first time this term, heading for Mexico and Costa Rica in early May. The former in particular holds several challenges for the President, given Mexico’s proximity and close ties to the U.S. and the many difficulties Mexico’s new President faces. Here’s a few of the issues President Obama will have to confront during his travels:

  • Border Security

    Given the domestic agenda in the United States, there’s little chance that Obama’s discussions with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto will manage to avoid the issue of immigration between the two countries. The debate in the U.S. has particularly focused on the security of the border between the U.S. and Mexico, with Republicans clamoring for more. Two GOP members of the U.S. Senate’s so-called “Gang of Eight” working on immigration toured parts of Arizona’s border on Wednesday, noting that they witnessed a woman scaling the fence between the countries. The woman was quickly apprehended, showcasing the billions of dollars already being spent on border security.

  • Economic Ties

    Issues of border security aside, Presidents Obama and Pena Nieto will likely discuss migration patterns and the economic links between the two states substantially. While the U.S. is home to an estimated 12 million immigrants from Mexico, net migration from the U.S. southern neighbor fell to nearly zero in 2012, possibly due to a less than robust U.S. economy. Despite that, the U.S. and Mexico engaged in over $200 billion worth of cross-border trade in 2012. Even more of an indicator of the ties between the state of the two economies, despite remittances — money immigrants send to their native country — dropping in 2012, they still made up over $22 billion.

  • Drug Trade and Violence

    Given Pena’s inheritance of former President Felipe Calderón’s war on drugs, the power of Mexico’s drug cartels is sure to top the agenda of the two leaders. Over 50,000 Mexican civilians have died in the conflict, which has so far not managed to crack the hold of the cartels on many towns and cities. In Nov. 2012, the Zetas — the largest cartel in Mexico — managed to take total control of the third-largest state in the country. A general inability of the central state to provide public security exists throughout many areas, resulting in vigilantes taking over towns and arresting the police. But even when central government can provide the forces necessary to provide security, the human rights abuses they’ve been accused of perpetrating tend to outweigh the benefits of their protection for civilians.

    The United States has done its part to help along instability in Mexico. A recent study shows that when the U.S. allowed the assault weapons ban to expire, the effect was felt heavily in Mexico. As much as 16 percent of the increase in homicides in Mexico can be tied to that expiration, according to the study. In terms of direct support for the drug trade, a new study of the Custom and Border Patrol’s own data shows that Americans are involved in as much as 80 percent of the drug trafficking across the border.

    • (Photo: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks with President Obama)

Election

Four Huge Global Issues The Candidates Didn’t Debate Last Night

By Zack Beauchamp on Oct 23, 2012 at 11:59 am

Monday night’s Middle East-heavy question lineup angered a number of observers of international politics concerned that significant issues in the rest of the world won’t get the attention it deserves. ThinkProgress has previously highlighted five international issues — the India/Pakistan conflict, global disease and malnutrition, overfishing, America’s shadow war on terrorism, and the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — that were getting short shrift in the campaign debate. Given that last night’s debate failed to expand menu of topics beyond expectations, we’re picking out four more issues outside of the Middle East that the Presidential candidates should have discussed, but didn’t.

GENOCIDE PREVENTION

The Atrocities Prevention Board is one of the Obama Administration’s least well known, yet potentially most far reaching, policy initiatives. The Board’s goal is exceedingly ambitious – developing an effective system for predicting when an episode of mass killing might be about to escalate and then head it off, ideally without using American military force. This idea has come under fire from hawks who argue it’s a bureaucratic roadblock to effective preventative action. Whether Romney agrees with this critique, and whether Obama was willing to and capable defend his policy, would have been valuable topics of conversation given the legion of 20th and 21st century victims of mass murder.

THE END OF THE DRUG WAR IN LATIN AMERICA

A cornerstone of America’s Latin America policy for the past forty years has been drug eradication, partnering with and supporting local governments willing to use harsh tactics in an attempt to limit the spread of drugs in the United States. While President Obama laughs off the idea of changing American policy, Latin American countries are increasingly taking the issue into their own hands. Colombia and Peru are taking the lead on relaxing drug enforcement. A recent Summit of the Americas historically declared the War on Drugs a failure and pledged to look for alternatives, while new Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has called for a debate about legalization.

CLIMATE CHANGE

While it’s commonly lamented that this issue has been missing from the Presidential campaign, its absence is especially acute in a foreign policy debate, as the nature of the problem is intrinsically global and its victims will disproportionately be the world’s poor. A recent study found that the climate change could kill 100 million people, mostly residents of the developing world, by 2030. This is in part a consequence of geography and topography, but also the fact that the massive wealth of the First World gives it many more resources to prepare for the changing climate than poorer nations, despite the fact that the wealthy were responsible for most of the emissions causing the problem in the first place. Any effective solution to this nightmare will require international cooperation, so the question of how best to get that agreement would, in an alternative world, have been an important topic in Monday’s debate.

THE RISE OF THE EUROPEAN FAR RIGHT

Reactionary racists in France. Neo-Nazis in Greece. Around Europe, the economic crisis appears to be fueling a resurgence of right-wing populism. Many of these groups have harsh anti-European Union views which could potentially complicate Europe’s attempt to put its economic house in order down the line, to say nothing of the consequences for the immigrant and minority groups against which they direct their anger. Moreover, the right-wing surge in Europe isn’t necessarily temporary: according to Matt Goodwin, an expert at the London thinktank Chatham House, “the big challenge that we’re going to see over the next 10 years is the rise of far-right groups and networks in Central and Eastern Europe.”

NEWS FLASH

Uruguay Legalizes First-Trimester Abortions | The Uruguay Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that allows women to seek abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy for any reason. Since Uruguayan President José Mujica has no plans to veto the bill, it is expected to go into law next month, representing one of the most progressive abortion laws in the Latin American region. Still, it has its own restrictions. The New York Times reports that the legislation will require women seeking abortions to explain their decision to a panel of at least three people, including a gynecologist, a social worker and a mental health professional. The panelists are required to warn the woman about abortion-related health risks and discuss alternatives to her decision, like adoption. And “after meeting with the panel, a woman must then reflect for five days before finally opting to have an abortion.”

NEWS FLASH

STUDY: Minority Gays And Lesbians More Likely To Attend Non-Affirming Churches | Based on new analysis of data collected in 2004-2005, it seems that Latino and Black lesbian, gay, and bisexual people tend to be more religious than their white counterparts, and were also more likely to attend services in non-affirming settings. As a result, they tended to have higher levels of internalized homophobia than Whites. Also of note is that although LGB Americans tend to be less religious than heterosexuals, those in this study reported higher levels of spirituality. It’s unclear how outspoken support of LGBT equality by prominent leaders in Black and Latino religious communities in the years since these data were collected has shifted the dynamics.

Security

Top U.S. General On Venezuela: ‘I Don’t See Them As A National Security Threat’

By Ali Gharib on Aug 1, 2012 at 9:30 am

Gen. Fraser, the top U.S. commander for Latin America

In a very matter-of-fact television interview earlier this month, President Obama said Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’s authoritarian machinations have “not had a serious national security impact on us.” Hard-pressed to find points of divergence between his own national security policies and Obama’s, Mitt Romney — focused on Chávez’s “military ties with Iran” — blasted the president as “simply naïve,” and called his comment “disturbing.”

One wonders if Romney feels the same way about Air Force General Douglas Fraser, who, as the head of Southern Command, has responsibility for U.S. military operations in Latin America. Asked by the Associated Press if Venezuelan arms purchases and weapons development posed a threat to the U.S., Fraser said:

From my standpoint, no, I don’t see it that way. I don’t see them as a national security threat.

…As I look at Iran and their connection with Venezuela, I see that still primarily as a diplomatic and economic relationship.

The experts side with Obama and Fraser on this question. Riordan Roett, who directs Johns Hopkins’ Latin American Studies Program, said Chávez “poses no security threat to the United States or anyone else.” Roett dismissed Romney’s outrage as “just pure electoral politics.” Another expert said in 2009, “They just don’t have the stuff that could pose a serious threat to the United States.”

On Afghanistan, Romney was for listening to the generals before he was against it. Maybe he should lend them his ear, at least for a while, on Latin America, too.

LGBT

Latino Coalition Launches ‘Familia Es Familia’ LGBT Equality Campaign

By Zack Ford on Jul 9, 2012 at 10:39 am

Thomas Saenz speaking at 2010's Creating Change, The National Conference on LGBT Equality.

A coalition of 21 Hispanic organizations announced yesterday that they are launching a public-education campaign called Familia es Familia aimed at building support for LGBT equality within the Latino community. According to the press release announcing the campaign’s launch:

Familia es Familia will be a bilingual campaign providing resources and information that are culturally appropriate to empower voices within and from Latino families and communities. In addition, the campaign will provide training, technical assistance, and support to the 21 Hispanic organizations and will spearhead a national effort to educate the public through a range of viral components including: an interactive bilingual website rich with videos, resources, and publications; social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; promoting stories and voices in the media; and an organizing campaign to engage the community through their mobile devices.

Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF), described the impetus for the effort:

SAENZ: The polling shows that many in the Latino community already understand that there is one struggle for equality, a struggle that benefits from appreciating common mission. Familia es Familia is a campaign that will help to deepen the understanding that a discriminatory deprivation of rights on any basis is a cause of concern for all. Together, we can overcome all of the irrational biases that adversely affect any member of the Latino community.

An NCLR poll in April found that 54 percent of Latinos support marriage equality, and a Pew survey in May found that 59 percent of Latinos believe homosexuality should be accepted by society. Among the groups supporting the initiative are the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), both of which recently passed resolutions supporting marriage equality.

Meanwhile, the U.S. embassies in many Central American countries have been joining in Pride celebrations, further emphasizing the intersections between the LGBT and Latino communities.

Security

Mexico’s Election Provides Opportunity For Renewed U.S. Relationship

By Guest Blogger on Jul 2, 2012 at 5:15 pm

By Michael Werz

Enrique Peña Nieto

Yesterday’s Mexican presidential elections mark the culmination of a tremendous comeback-story. Ousted after over seven decades in power in 2000, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, is back in control of “Los Pinos” and the Mexican government, determined to restore its image and broaden Mexico’s relationship with the United States.

The PRI had been a symbol of corporatism and entrenchment for decades, famously called the “perfect dictatorship,” for its grip of the Mexican economy and political stage. But the party has reinvented itself in recent years, eschewing its autocratic past and renouncing the party “dinosaurs” despised by many Mexicans. The PRI recorded a narrow victory with 38 percent of the vote on Sunday through a young candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto, who had few ties to the old regime. The closer-than-expected result at the polls failed to give the PRI the strong electoral mandate and Congressional majority for which it had hoped, meaning Peña Nieto’s first term will be a time for cooperation, conciliation, and pragmatic politics. President-elect Peña Nieto promised as much in his unthreatening campaign, and his legacy will be measured against this pledge and his ability to check the older factions within the PRI.

The election offers reason for cautious optimism; it was free, fair, and enjoyed over 62 percent voter participation. The result showcases Mexico’s tremendous progress implementing democratic procedures, which have made it one of the most transparent electoral processes in the Hemisphere despite the ongoing violence surrounding the war on drugs.

The election also provides an opportunity for the next American administration. The central problem facing U.S.-Mexican relations is the large gap that remains in U.S. public perceptions of Mexico, which are too often a breathtakingly simplistic focus on drugs, migration, and an outdated belief in building walls. This narrow perspective ignores the two countries’ interdependence and important changes in Mexican society.

Read more

LGBT

Latino Rights Group Passes Marriage Equality Resolution

By Zack Ford on Jul 2, 2012 at 11:05 am

This weekend, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) passed a resolution supporting same-sex marriage and opposing discrimination or the denial of civil rights against any American. Jesse Garcia, LULAC member and co-founder of its first LGBT Council, explained the significance of the resolution:

GARCIA: Today the LULAC National Membership reaffirmed its commitment to equality for all by voting in favor of marriage equality. LULAC stands with great Latino leaders like Dolores Huerta, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis who believe discrimination of same-sex couples should not be tolerated. This is a historic day for LGBT Latinos everywhere, plus this vote is another bond that reaffirms the partnership between the LGBT and Hispanic communities.

Huerta, as an example, wrote in May that the LGBT community and immigrants are “all in this together.” LULAC joins the National Council of La Raza, which also recently passed a resolution supporting marriage equality.

As one of the oldest organizations advocating for Hispanic rights, LULAC further obliterates conservatives’ efforts to sow divisions between people of color and the LGBT community. Opposing discrimination and supporting equality are values many communities can unite behind.

LGBT

National Council Of La Raza Endorses Marriage Equality

By Zack Ford on Jun 25, 2012 at 9:02 am

On Friday, the Washington Blade reported that the National Council of La Raza, the country’s largest Latino civil rights organization, has unanimously endorsed marriage equality. The resolution is not yet public, as the organization plans to announce it at its convention next week, but NCLR has confirmed that the vote took place June 9, less than a month after the NAACP made a similar endorsement. Danny Ortega, former NCLR Board Chair whose term ended just after the vote, said that though some people had some questions during the discussion, the decision was ultimately quite easy:

ORTEGA: We had a discussion about this and clearly some people had more questions than others, but at the end of the discussion it was unanimous. We thought it was not only the right thing to do, but consistent with our values as an organization.

NCLR joins The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund as well as the Texas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, both of which have also endorsed marriage equality recently.

These groups’ statements effectively debunk the National Organization for Marriage’s proposed tactic of race-baiting Latino voters to oppose marriage equality. According to confidential memos released earlier this year, NOM wanted to convince young Latinos that to support the freedom to marry was to somehow acculturate to white values, where as staying opposed could represent a “badge of youth rebellion to conformist assimilation to the bad side of ‘Anglo’ culture.” NCLR condemned NOM’s “diabolical plan” for its intolerant “cravenness.”

LGBT

Anti-Gay New York Senator Volunteers As Spokesperson For NOM’s Race-Baiting

By Zack Ford on Apr 4, 2012 at 3:45 pm

Díaz walking arm-in-arm with NOM President Brian Brown.

It seems the National Organization for Marriage believes that if it simply redoubles its race-baiting tactics as if they are not problematic and offensive, then the controversy over its now-known intention to do so will somehow be overlooked. New York state Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz (D) has unsurprisingly volunteered to be the anti-equality group’s latest token to help “drive a wedge between gays and blacks” and “make opposition to gay marriage an identity marker” for young Latinos:

DÍAZ: Brian Brown and NOM have done something, that no one has been able to do before: they have helped Black and Hispanic people throughout the nation to find our voice when everyone else rejected us and excluded us from the debate.

You should know that NOM has not divided us, it has brought us unity; NOM has given a voice to the voiceless on the marriage issue, and shown us respect for our core, and sacred values on marriage—a respect the mainstream media has consistently denied us.

No New York Times editorial, nor anyone else will be able to sow seeds of dissension between us and NOM in this great effort to protect marriage.

The New York Times had condemned NOM for its “poisonous political approach,” an approach Díaz is all too happy to help bring to fruition. His polarizing language suggests that all people of color believe together as one block and attempts to paint NOM as an ally to their communities. But as the Southern Poverty Law Center pointed out, NOM is simply using these groups for its own insidious purposes, and surely the group hopes that Díaz’s comments will provide another opportunity to take false umbrage when his offensive views are called out.

Díaz’s anti-gay antagonism is about as harmful as a state senator’s can be. In the lead-up to the passage of marriage equality in New York last year, he held a rally that featured religious leaders who said gay people are “worthy of death.” He lied about the religious exemptions in the bill to make his case for opposing it, and his own lesbian granddaughter even rebuked his “love” for her. Following the bill’s massage, Díaz declared “Today we start the battle! Today we start the war!” For him to claim his own anti-gay hatred as representative of people of color is affront to the diversity of those communities, including the many people who experience oppression both for their sexual orientation and the color of their skin.

NOM is free to highlight as many black and Latino spokespeople as it would like, but every time it does with such obvious malicious intent, it proves how little it actually cares about any group but itself.

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