BPM- Euro-Americas Zone: 2009

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 98

Week # 98- Dated 13th – 19th Dec. 09’

WESTERN EUROPE

The U.N. climate conference at Copenhagen, Denmark escaped absolute collapse as participants agreed last week to recognize a political accord brokered by President Barack Obama with China and other emerging powers.

Meanwhile France's immigration minister has said that he wants the wearing of Muslim veils that cover the face and body to be grounds for denying citizenship and long-term residence. While in Portugal the Socialist government has drawn up a proposal that would make the nation the sixth European country to allow gay marriage.
The Dutch government has denied allegations that it is allowing the United States to use Caribbean islands to prepare a possible military attack against Venezuela as Hugo Chavez contends. Meanwhile Spain's defense minister has announced plans to send 511 more soldiers to Afghanistan in response to President Obama's request for more allied help to fight the ‘War against Terror’.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE

In Greece Prime Minister George Papandreou unveiled a four-year plan Monday (December 14th) to reduce the country's crushing budget deficit and bring its soaring debts under control. Meanwhile in Romania the Constitutional Court has declared Traian Basescu the winner of the disputed presidential election. The court ruled that Basescu had won a second term as president after days of uncertainty following a vote the opposition Diplomatic representatives in Albania including the OSCE head and the Dutch Ambassador have warned that the country is risking its EU integration process as a result of the opposition's parliamentary boycott. Meanwhile Kosovars hit the polls last week (December 13th) to cast their ballot in the country's second round of local elections. The municipalities voting this time around have more than one million registered voters. Also the Republic of Malawi has become the 64th state to recognize Kosovo.
High Representative and EU Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Valentin Inzko said on Friday (December 11th) that the political situation in BiH could aggravate during 2010 due to the upcoming general elections. Meanwhile the European Union last week opened its borders unrestricted to more than ten million Serbs, Montenegrins and Macedonians after nearly 20 years, a major boost for the troubled region's hopes for closer ties with the 27-nation bloc.
In Serbia War crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic has said that authorities are searching intensively for the two remaining fugitives, Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, stressing that there is a clear political will to complete the country's co-operation with The Hague tribunal.
While in Croatia the Parliament decided last week that the nation will not increase its presence in Afghanistan next year. The country will keep its current presence of 293 soldiers in the mission. The decision has come despite a US call on its allies to send more troops

US/CANADA

In the United States, continuing the closure of the controversial Guantanamo facility the government is to acquire an underutilized state prison in rural Illinois to be the new home for a limited number of terrorist suspects. Many in the region have welcomed the prospect as a potential economic engine.
Meanwhile the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced that the United States is prepared to join other rich countries in raising $100 billion in yearly climate financing for poor countries by 2020. The announcement could give a boost to deadlocked climate talks which have faltered over disputes between rich and poor countries over emissions cuts and climate financing.

LATIN AMERICA

Cuba’s Fidel Castro has said that President Barack Obama's "friendly smile and African-American face" are hiding Washington's sinister intentions for Latin America —a statement depictive of a new cooling in U.S.-Cuba relations.
Supporters of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide marched through Port-au-Prince last week calling for his return from exile and protesting his party's exclusion from upcoming elections.
Meanwhile Bolivia's leftist government has seized another big ranch from a top opposition figure. It says the 2,500-hectare (10-square-mile) spread will go to landless Indians. One opposition lawmaker called the seizure "vengeance" by Morales, who easily won the December 6th re-election.

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Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Please Preview your comments before posting.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 97

Week # 97 - Dated 6th -12th Dec. 09’

WESTERN EUROPE
The European Union has accused Israel of trying to divide the 27-nation bloc to stop it passing a resolution calling for Jerusalem to be the shared capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state.

In Briton Clive Stafford Smith, director of the London-based rights group Reprieve has said that the British government misled parliament about two terrorism suspects who were subjected to rendition. Meanwhile the head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has criticized the government saying it viewed religion as a problem practiced by freaks and foreigners.
The United States and Russia faced off over Kosovo at the United Nation's highest court last week, with the U.S. arguing the world should honor Kosovo's declaration of independence while Russia insisted it was still part of Serbia.
Germany's defense minister traveled last week to a northern Afghan region where a September air strike is believed to have killed many civilians, an attack that has caused political turbulence in Berlin. Meanwhile the German trade surplus, a pillar of the Euro zone economy, climbed to 13.6 billion euros (20 billion dollars) in October. Also unemployment in Switzerland soared to a five-year high of 4.2 percent in November.
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou warned on Wednesday (December 9th) that the nation’s financial woes pose a risk to national sovereignty for the first time since the reinstatement of democracy in 1974.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
The European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Council of Europe Development Bank launched the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) on Dec. 9th, aiming to provide funding for priority projects in the region.
In Romanian presidential runoff incumbent Traian Basescu of the Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) won re-election with 50.33% of the vote. However Romania's Constitutional Court ordered a re-examination of voided ballots from the disputed presidential election, hence prolonging months of political uncertainty.
In connection with the 1991-95 Serb-Croat conflict charges have been brought against 10Croatian military officers including 4 generals with the former Yugoslav National Army (JNA).
US/CANADA
President Barack Obama called for a major new burst of federal spending, aiming to jolt the wobbly economy into a stronger recovery. A Bloomberg National Poll shows that almost half the people now feel less financially secure than when the President took office in January.

LATIN AMERICA
Honduras' interim government has authorized ousted President Manuel Zelaya to go to Mexico; however there was no indication Zelaya was preparing to leave his refuge in the Brazilian Embassy.
Bolivia and Brazil went on the record Friday (December 4th) saying Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence contradicts international law. Venezuela has also voiced its opinions in favor of the Serbian position at the international court of Justice.
Cuba's Fidel Castro having initially applauded Obama's selection for the Nobel peace prize is now calling its acceptance a "cynical act," given that the president is sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
Opposition groups are threatening to disrupt Haiti's upcoming legislative contests over allegations that election officials are stacking the deck in favor of President Rene Preval's party in a bid to boost executive power.
Some 950 people from 26 nations gathered in Venezuela's capital and agreed to form the Bolivarian Continental Movement a regional leftist movement in Latin America expressing support for insurgent groups like the rebels in Colombia. As a reaction a diplomatic complaint was launched by the latter.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez took over the rotating presidency of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) last week, vowing to boost the bloc's ties with the European Union (EU).
Brazil is to delay an 11th round of bidding for oil-exploration licenses because of concerns that production in the area may harm the environment. Being the world’s largest producer and exporter of ethanol Brazilian government is now pushing for bio fuels at the climate change summit as the only real alternative for a world trying to wean itself away from fossil fuels. Meanwhile according to an Ibope poll Brazil's recovering economy has boosted President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's popularity but done little to improve the prospects of his chosen candidate in next year's election.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Tuesday that the government will not cut back on its fight against organized crime, which, according to media reports, has caused 7,000 deaths this year.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary, Week # 96

Week # 96- Dated 29th Nov.- 5th Dec. 09’

WESTERN EUROPE
Top European Union officials attended a ceremony Tuesday to mark the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty, designed to ensure the bloc has a more influential say in worl

d affairs. Meanwhile according to official data Europe crawled out of recession in the third quarter with the 16-nation Euro zone posting 0.4 percent growth.
Britain's High Court dealt a blow to the government last week by ruling that terror suspects cannot be denied bail on the basis of secret evidence. Meanwhile Italy is considering taking in other prisoners from Guantanamo to help close down the prison. Also European leaders and top diplomats hailed President Barack Obama's speech defining the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, but few countries were forthcoming with pledges of fresh troops.
The United Nations has called Switzerland's ban on new minarets "clearly discriminatory" and deeply divisive, and the Swiss foreign minister acknowledged last week that the government was very concerned about how the vote would affect the country's image.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council decided on Nov. 30th to abolish the visa regime for Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. Meanwhile Albania says it has agreed to accept more former Guantanamo detainees, but not members of China's ethnic Uighur Muslim minority, for fear of prejudicing Albania's relations with China.
Macedonian President Gjorgje Ivanov has promised to deploy an extra 80 soldiers in Afghanistan, raising the strength of its contingent 250. Meanwhile the hearings on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence began on Tuesday (December 1st) at The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ).

US/CANADA
In the US, Despite expressing uneasiness about the details, lawmakers are poised to back Obama's plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan after being assured that forces will begin withdrawing in July 2011. Also the White House has authorized an expansion of the C.I.A.’s drone program in Pakistan’s tribal areas. Meanwhile the US ambassador to the United Nations has said the United States is not seeking a civilian coordinator for Afghanistan, a statement that apparently contradicts the State Department.
The United States on Monday recognized the results of a controversial election in Honduras but said the vote was only a partial step toward restoring democracy.
At the climate front- the announcement last week that Obama is pushing back his appearance at the Copenhagen summit to its final weekend, the critical negotiating period, signals a willingness to pour significant political capital into his climate agenda – and has raised expectations that the White House will reach agreements both internationally and at home.
In Canada opposition Liberal Party, softening its position on toppling the minority Conservative government, is to side with the Conservatives next week on a key financial vote and thus avert an election.

LATIN AMERICA
Honduras' Congress ended hopes of reversing a coup that has isolated the Latin American nation, voting against reinstating ousted President Manuel Zelaya despite intense international pressure to do so. The deposed leftist president said last week that democracy in the country was "dead" after lawmakers voted to block his return to power.
Meanwhile the Union of South American Nations, in which Brazil is the leading member, announced that it will not recognize Honduran presidential election organized by the de-facto regime. President Barack Obama's government suspended development aid and anti-narcotic cooperation with Honduras over the coup. But U.S. diplomats say Hondurans have the right to choose their next leader in regular elections that were scheduled well before President Manuel Zelaya's ouster.
In Nicaragua lawmakers are refusing to recognize a Supreme Court decision that would allow Ortega to run again in 2011 by overturning bans on consecutive re-election and serving more than two terms.
Meanwhile Cuba hit back last week at 60 prominent U.S. black leaders who challenged its race record, with a signed statement from island writers, artists and official journalists calling the criticism an attack on their country's national identity.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on has said his government may target more banks for state intervention, sparking investor jitters. Meanwhile Colombia accused Venezuelan troops of blowing up another makeshift bridge across their frontier. The holding of a Colombian soldier who crossed the border is also the latest incident to test fraying ties.
The U.S. ambassador to Mexico said last week that programs to provide more than $1.1 billion in equipment and training to help Mexico fight organized crime are on track.

AUSTRALASIA
Australia's plans for an emissions trading system to combat global warming were scuttled last week in Parliament, handing a defeat to a government that had hoped to set an example at international climate change talks next week.

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 95

Week # 95 – Dated Nov 22nd-28th, 09’

WESTERN EUROPE

A former head of MI6 criticized British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government over its funding for and handling of the Afghan mission. Also Foreign Office officials testified l

ast week at an inquiry probing Britain's role in the war that Iran and Libya, not Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime, were Britain's main security concerns before the invasion of Iraq.
European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has announced the nominations for his new team, with conservatives to the fore and more women members than the outgoing EU executive.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has urged Iran to endorse a plan that would strip it of most of its enriched uranium, saying Tehran could not defuse fears about its nuclear program with proposals that included keeping the material.

US/CANADA
President Obama is due to attend the opening of the Dec. 9th Copenhagen Climate Conference, where he reportedly plans to "put on the table" a U.S. commitment to cut carbon emissions by 17 percent over the next decade.
Meanwhile two former Canadian military commanders have denied accusations of having ignored warnings that Afghan authorities might torture and abuse detainees handed over to them.

LATIN AMERICA
Honduras' Supreme Court ruled last week that ousted President Manuel Zelaya cannot legally return to office, dimming the possibility of his reinstatement after a June coup.
Meanwhile at least a 1,000 people held a protest in Rio de Janeiro against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his Brazilian visit. Venezuela was the final leg of the Iranian leader's three-country goodwill tour of Latin America, after stops in Brazil and Bolivia. Ahmadinejad's visit triggered small protests and was condemned by Chavez opponents as well as Venezuela's Jewish community. However Chavez's enthusiastic embrace of Iran has made Venezuela a gateway for the Iranian government to make diplomatic inroads in Latin America.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's personal approval ratings jumped from 76.8 percent in September to 78.9 percent in November, banking on a good economic performance during the international financial crisis and the nation’s positive image abroad.
Valuing truth over the right to privacy, Argentina's Congress has authorized the forced extraction of DNA from people who may have been born to political prisoners slain during the 1976-1983 dictatorship.
Meanwhile Argentina's unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent in the third quarter from 7.8 percent a year earlier as a slowing economy pushed up joblessness.
Thousands of Mexicans rallied last week to show support for “shadow president” Manuel Lopez Obrador—who believes his country’s top job was stolen from him in 2006.
According to the Mexican Health Ministry the H1N1 flu virus, first detected in April in Mexico, has claimed 610 lives and infected more than 65,000 people in the country.
In the eastern Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines nearly 56 percent of voters rejected a referendum that would have replaced the British monarch with a president chosen by Parliament.

AUSTRALASIA
Australia moved to tighten security at its main immigration centre last week after a riot by 150 asylum-seekers, reportedly wielding pool cues, broomsticks and tree branches, left 37 wounded.
The Church of Scientology in Australia, founded in 1953 by the late U.S. science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, is under scrutiny. A senate vote to launch an inquiry into possible criminal activity is due to be held this week.
Australia's opposition leader Tuesday pledged his party's support for contentious legislation proposed by the government aimed at curbing the country's greenhouse gas emissions. Australia is one of the world's worst carbon dioxide polluters per capita because of its heavy reliance on its abundant coal reserves.

_______________________________________________________
Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Please Preview your comments before posting.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 94

Week # 94- Dated, Nov. 15th-21st 09’

WESTERN EUROPE
EU leaders agreed on Nov.19th to appoint Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy as the first permanent European Council President. EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton of t

he UK was named as EU foreign policy supremo. The two posts were created under the Lisbon Treaty, which aims to streamline decision-making within the EU.
Senior diplomats from the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members and German representatives took part in talks in Brussels considering measures against Iran for its refusal to halt nuclear enrichment activities. Meanwhile Germany is to extend its mission in Afghanistan for another year despite the growing unpopularity of the war at home.
Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery — essentially, a ban on blasphemy. The Associated Press reported that Algeria and Pakistan have taken the lead in lobbying to bring the matter to a vote in the U.N. General Assembly.
According to Officials Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to apologize for Britain sending thousands of children to former colonies, where they faced mistreatment and neglect.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
Voters in Kosovo headed to the polls on Nov.15th in the first elections since the country announced its independence from Serbia in February last year. Meanwhile the EU is optimistic about prospects for a compromise between Macedonia and Greece over their long-standing name dispute. Also the Macedonian Parliament voted on Nov.16th to remove the five-pointed red star from the country's coat of arms signifying the breaking of all ties with its communist past.
EU foreign ministers officially accepted on Nov.16th Albania's application for candidate status.

US/CANADA
Complying with a Supreme Court ruling last year, 15 federal judges in the U.S. are giving Guantanamo detainees their day in court after years behind bars. Meanwhile the Pentagon has announced that it will scour its procedures for identifying volatile soldiers hidden in the ranks following the Fort Hood shooting rampage.
Although producing no breakthroughs on key issues, Obama's first state visit to China is being heralded by both sides as a success. However, much of the U.S. media coverage was strongly negative, accusing Obama of failing to gain concessions on key issues such as Iran's nuclear program, climate change, and human rights.
The Canadian government last week dismissed calls for a public inquiry into allegations that senior officials had ignored evidence regarding Afghan authorities torturing detainees handed over by Canadian troops.

LATIN AMERICA
Street protests and strikes in Argentina depict deepening unrest where center leftist President Cristina Fernandez’s approval ratings are stuck at about 30 percent due to a slowing economy and disillusionment with her combative approach. Meanwhile hundreds of people gathered in the square opposite Argentina's congress in Buenos Aires for a protest march against Israel, scheduled to coincide with the visit of President Shimon Peres to the country.
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and his Argentine counterpart Cristina Kirchner said last week that they would not recognize the results of the elections to be organized by the post-coup de facto government in Honduras. Also ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya insisted that he will not accept any deal to restore him to office if it means he must recognize elections later this month. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has rejected a Brazilian proposal for a joint border monitoring system with Colombia, saying he would not allow any "extra-national force" along the Venezuelan border zone with Colombia.
The president of Israel, Shimon Peres recently paid a historical official visit to Brazil while Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are expected to be the next Middle East visitors to Brazil.
After recent talks between their Defence ministers, China and Brazil are set to enhance cooperation on military industry and science and technology. Meanwhile Brazil has announced to offer a "voluntary" cut of between 36 and 39 percent in greenhouse gas emissions at the December 7-18 UN conference. Brazil is the fourth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, largely because of carbon released through deforestation of its vast Amazon forest.
Mexico has decried Forbes magazine’s decision to name the country’s most-wanted drug lord, Joaquin Guzman, one of the “World’s Most Powerful People,’’ calling it an insult to the government’s struggle against drug cartels.

AUSTRALASIA
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an apology last week to half-a-million "Forgotten Australians", the disadvantaged children who were shipped to Australia to live in poorly monitored state and church institutions.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary Week # 93

Week # 93 – Dated, 8th -14th Nov. 09’

WESTERN EUROPE
European stock markets rose modestly last week as investor optimism was dented by a subdued performance in Asia. Official figures show that the 16-country euro area has joined the United States and Japan out of r

ecession, despite falling short of predictions, after the bloc's economy grew by 0.4 percent in the third quarter.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be publicly questioned about the Iraq war during a long-awaited inquiry. Meanwhile PM Gordon Brown says NATO nations may contribute 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
Denmark's premier sent invitations Thursday asking 191 world leaders to attend next month's U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, saying their presence was "pivotal" to its success
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has reiterated that there is no place for full face and body veils’ in France, calling it a debasement of women. In a speech on national TV he said that all beliefs will be respected in France but "becoming French means adhering to a form of civilization, to values, to morals." France has a large Muslim community but only a small minority of French Muslim women wears such veils. A French parliamentary panel has been looking into the possibility of banning them in public.
A former French interior minister says former President Jacques Chirac and other senior figures were aware of secret arms trafficking to Angola in the 1990s in a case being dubbed "Angolagate" for which former Interior Minister Charles Pasqua was among those convicted last month.
Italy's top security official announced that authorities have smashed an international terror cell with the arrest in Italy and elsewhere in Europe of 17 Algerians. Meanwhile Italy's parliament is considering a controversial bill that would limit the length of trials, with critics saying it was drafted to help Premier Silvio Berlusconi with his legal problems.
A four-day symposium in the Vatican is being hosted by the European bishop's media commission and is designed to delve into questions about what Internet culture means for the church's mission and how the church communicates that mission to others.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
In Serbia, Belgrade's produce markets the price of garlic has shot up which believed to be a good luck charm is being sought as a solution to the swine flu pandemic.
Meanwhile in Slovenia the ruling coalition has joined appeals coming from the opposition to hold a referendum on the new arbitration agreement with Croatia to settle the bilateral border dispute. Also the EU is expected to allocate nearly 3.5 billion euros to Croatia in the first two years of the country's membership.
In Bosnia the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) turned down yet another invitation last week from the president of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, Sulejman Tihic, for talks on constitutional changes, pending the reforms that would move BiH towards NATO and EU integration. Meanwhile Romanian President Traian Basescu has begun considering early general elections, should the second attempt to select a cabinet fail.
In Albania, ambassadors representing EU countries in Tirana are urging political leaders to find a way to entice opposition lawmakers back into parliament.
New Zealand has become the latest country to recognize Kosovo's independence, just three weeks before hearings begin at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of its unilaterally-declared independence in February 2008.
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said last week that resolving the name dispute with Macedonia is a precondition for Skopje's accession to the EU.

US/CANADA
The Obama administration plans to put on trial the professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and four alleged accomplices in a move that is being termed as politically and legally risky. Meanwhile it is expected that President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, will be able to sign a replacement for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty next month in Europe when Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10.
A radical American imam on Yemen's most wanted militant list who had contact with two 9/11 hijackers praised alleged Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero on his personal Web site last week.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is planning to join a 24-hour fast to spotlight the plight of the one billion people suffering from hunger world wide.

LATIN AMERICA
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lashed out at an agreement for American troops to use more Colombian military bases last week. Meanwhile Colombia brought what it called threats of war from neighboring Venezuela to the U.N. Security Council after the leader of the neighboring country, told his army to get ready to fight.
Venezuela and Russia are working on a series of agreements for Moscow to provide the South American country with technology for the development of industries ranging from robotics to biochemistry.
Meanwhile eight American scientists, including Nobel laureate in chemistry Peter Agre, are in Havana, Cuba to engage in "science diplomacy." The trip comes as Cuba and the U.S. are taking tentative steps towards improving 50 years of frigid relations.
Haiti's new prime minister was inaugurated last week. He promised to attract more investment and create jobs, while forging good relations with lawmakers who have ousted two heads of government in as many years.

AUSTRALASIA
Despite Australian government’s pledges to tackle their health problems, figures show that Aborigines die up to 11.5 years earlier than other Australians and are twice as likely to die as infants.
New opinion polls added pressure on Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last week to take a tougher stand against asylum-seekers and end a standoff involving 78 boat-people picked up by an Australian ship off Indonesia.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Zone 3- Telescopic Analysis- 'Middle East and Latin America- a New Proxy Field for Engagment?'- W # 92

Week # 92, Dated 1st-7th No. 09’

Latin America is being espoused as a battleground for competing Middle East powers, whose leaders are criss-crossing the continent seeking support from an increasingly strategic region. President Peres’ visit to the region from November 10-17 marks the first state visit by an Israeli President to

Brazil in 40 years and to Argentina in 20 years. Peres' visit comes amid stalled Middle East peace negotiations and only days before Palestinian Authority acting Chief Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to visit Argentina. President Ahmadinejad of Iran is also planning a similar trip to Brazil and the region this month. More over Hugo Chavez expects Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit Venezuela by the end of the year as well.

Israeli President’s trip is primarily to offset growing Iranian influence in the region. Iran has developed strong alliances on the continent with a number of socialist governments, allied to Tehran by their hostility towards America. Also a major concern is the launching of a new diplom

atic campaign by Palestinian Authority leaders to gain international backing for a Palestinian state, seeking to unilaterally declare statehood in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

Brazil and Argentina have Latin America’s largest Jewish populations out of a total estimated 500,000 in the region. Peres was in Brazil last week, where Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to arrive on November 23, and Brazilian officials say Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may also visit later this month. Asked if he thought Brazil, given its good relations with both Israel and Iran, might be a good nation to help temper Iran's supposed nuclear ambitions, Peres said: "Maybe. But I don't have this expectation.". During the UN General Assembly in September Brazilian President Silva defended Iran's right to have a nuclear program for energy and called it a great partner. Brazil’s close relations with Iran have been a source of concern for Israel as well as the United States, says Chris Sabatini, senior director of policy for the New York-based Council of the Americas. It has become a voice for poor countries in the G-20, and some governments see it as the moderate voice of the region'

s leftist-led nations. Brazil has a sizable Shiite Muslim population in the states of Paraná and São Paulo, which is another reason for its open relations with Iran, according to Sabatini.

Argentina on the other hand has taken the opposite tack from Brazil and has collaborated more so with the US in isolating Iran. One reason is Buenos Aires’ “large, vocal [and] politically powerful” Jewish population, says Sabatini, and the not-too-distant memories of the 1992 and 94’ bombings of the Israeli embassy and at the Israelite Mutual Association. Argentina and Israel accuse Iran of masterminding these attacks.

A visit to the country by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also scheduled for the coming week. Kirchner, Peres’s Argentine counterpart has been pushing for fresh negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians and has strongly condemned the illegal Israeli settlement policy in the occupied territories. Argentina has also offered to mediate between Israel and Palestine for peace in the Middle East.

Iran’s ideological and political agenda does have more traction in some parts of Latin America – especially with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Venezuela has deepened its ties with Iran in recent years, exchanging official visits and signing numerous agreements to cement economic, political and military cooperation. Both nations are strident critics of the United States and Israel. Venezuela has also been accused of aiding Iran with its ‘nuclear ambitions’, a claim that both nations deny. Israel has not had diplomatic relations with Venezuela since January, when Chavez kicked out the Israeli delegation to protest Israel’s war with Gaza.

Iran’s spreading influence in South America is causing concern both in the United States and Israel. Washington is clearly alarmed by Iran’s inroads in the region. Hillary Clinton at the commencement of her designation as Secretary of State signaled her concern about Tehran’s ambitions, claiming that it was making “disturbing gains” on the continent. Given the new administrations change of policy as regards engaging Iran, Latin America has the potential to pose as a proxy mediator. However, so far leadership on both sides seems more inclined towards forwarding their respective strategic interests in the region rather then any credible engagement.

Discussion Questions:
· Do you think Latin America has the capacity to provide a credible platform to resolve Middle Eastern rivalries?

· How active a player is the United States in these proceedings given its shaky reputation with the left inclined governments in the region?

Monday, November 16, 2009

Zone 3- Americas, Europe and Australasia Summary Week # 92

Week # 92- Dated 1st -7th Nov. 09’

WESTERN EUROPE

Britain is using genetic tests on some African asylum seekers in an effort to catch those who are lying about their nationality. This move has drawn criticism from scientists and provoked outrage from rights groups. Also a group of British lawmakers proposed new laws last week to ban the use of airports, harbors or highways in the secret rendition of suspected terrorists. Meanwhile Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Washington's closest ally in Afghanistan, tou

ghened his tone last week with a harsh message for the Afghan leadership demanding a crack down on corruption.
The British government moved Tuesday to break up the country's two biggest retail banks, imposing a major shakeup on the financial sector as it exacts payback for last year's massive state bailout.
Last week in Paris prosecutors said they will not appeal a judge's decision to order former French President Jacques Chirac to stand trial in an alleged corruption case that predated his presidency. The case would mark the first time a former leader of modern France would be forced to defend him self in court. Meanwhile President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is drawing up a reform plan to do away with investigating judges, a two-century-old Napoleonic legacy, who enjoy sweeping powers including ordering phone taps, home searches, interrogating terrorists and even bring down politicians.
With the Czech President Vaclav Klaus’s signing of the Lisbon Treaty the last major hurdle, the resolution looks set to become law within weeks. Meanwhile senior U.S. and Czech defense officials held talks Friday to discuss ways for the Czech Republic to participate in a reworked U.S. missile defense plan
Last week in Scotland, Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 countries gathered to negotiate the imbalances weighing on the world economy. Meanwhile Sweden and Finland approved a Baltic Sea pipeline project that would ship Russian natural gas to Germany.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

An Italian judge found 23 Americans and two Italians guilty last week in the kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect, delivering the first legal convictions anywhere in the world against people involved in the CIA's extraordinary renditions program. Meanwhile the Vatican has denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms.
Due to Africans' demands, most of the rest of this week's Climate Change talks in Spain will be devoted to discussing carbon-cutting pledges rather than other issues including carbon offsets and action by developing countries.

SOUTH-EAST EUROPE

Romanian Authorities have banned all visits to hospitals to prevent the spread of swine flu. Over the past week alone, 174 new cases of the H1N1 virus have been registered, bringing the total number to 555. Meanwhile Romanian Prime Minister-designate Lucian Croitoru lost a vote of confidence in parliament last week against his proposed cabinet.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik announced last week his withdrawal from talks on constitutional reforms aimed at speeding BiH's EU and NATO accession. Meanwhile Serbian President Boris Tadic announced that Serbia could apply for EU membership by the end of the year.
Croatian Presidential elections are due to be held on December 27th. Also the Croatian cabinet has approved an arbitration agreement with Slovenia that should result in solution to the year-long border dispute between the two states.

US/CANADA

Last week the US Senate voted unanimously to extend aid for jobless workers and broaden tax breaks for homebuyers and businesses in a bid to breathe life into the struggling economy. Meanwhile according to news reports President Barack Obama and the Democrats, heading into next year's elections for control of Congress are losing independents to the Republicans and parts of their own Democratic base to apathy.
According to a report, Preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games have given the Canadian city an economic boost comparable to those enjoyed by past host cities. However, overall Canada lost more jobs in October than previously predicted, dashing hopes for a quick economic rebound and suggesting a recovery in the labor market may have gotten off to a false start. Meanwhile close to 6 million Canadians, or about 18 percent of the population, will be vaccinated against H1N1 flu by early next week.

LATIN AMERICA

An agreement to end a four-month political crisis in Honduras collapsed last week after the ousted President Manuel Zelaya and de facto leader Roberto Micheletti failed to form a government of unity to heal the damage from a June coup.
Meanwhile Haitian senators have taken a key first step toward replacing the prime minister they ousted a week ago. In a 22-0 vote, lawmakers affirmed that planning and external cooperation minister Jean-Max Bellerive meets constitutional requirements to be prime minister.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government is sending 15,000 soldiers to the border with Colombia, claiming the military buildup is needed to combat drug trafficking and root out paramilitary groups.
Israeli President Shimon Peres is to visit Brazil next week, just days before Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to also arrive. Also Presidents Peres of Israel, Mahmud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are due to visit Argentina this month and according to a diplomat, Peres and Kirchner will discuss the "conflict in the Middle East" and address "Iran's growing influence in Latin America and its hate-filled ideology and intention to obtain nuclear arms”. Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America where almost 300,000 Jews reside.
Chilean government economists are upbeat about the country's growth, but Argentina is struggling with endemic stoppages by farmers and workers angry over government policies; recently Buenos Aires was hit by a series of strikes.
Meanwhile the last military president in Argentina's 1976-1983 dictatorship went on trial on last week on charges of kidnapping, torture and murder of 56 people in a concentration camp.
In a bid to cope with the economic crisis Brazilian president Lula de Silva is pushing a bill in Congress that would increase government control over the oil sector. Also the congress passed a bill which gives greater control to Brazil on its oil off shores. The new pre-salt oilfields are expected to cost an estimated $400 billion and could make Brazil one of the world's top ten oil exporters.
Showing its commitment to environmental preservation Brazil has promised to reduce 80 percent of the deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest by 2020.
Mexico has reopened its embassy in the Nigerian Federal capital of Abuja. The move is aimed at improving relationship with countries in the West African region were Mexico has no diplomatic representatives.

AUSTRALASIA

Australian authorities have declared a natural disaster along parts of the country's east coast as heavy floods cut the main road linking major cities, stranding thousands of people. Also the government launched an inquiry last week into a major oil spill off the coast which has been described as one of the country's worst environmental disasters.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Zone 3- Americas, Europe and Australasia Summary Week # 91

Week # 91- Dated 25th – 31st Oct. 09’

WESTERN EUROPE

Luxembourg's premier spoke out last week against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's candidacy to become the European Union's first-ever president. In the meanwhile Angela Merkel was sworn in for a second term as German chancellor a month after national elections. Also Germany's Lutheran Church has elected a woman, Margot Kaess

mann, to lead the nation's Protestants for the first time in its history.
British lawyers looking for ways to hold Israel accountable for its deadly advance into Gaza last year have expanded their legal campaign by seeking the arrest of Israeli military officers entering Britain. While UK’s Postal workers have threatened a second round of national strikes after talks to end a bitter dispute over pay, working conditions and modernization broke down.
A team of U.N. nuclear inspectors returned to Austria last week expressed satisfaction at their visit to a previously secret Iranian uranium enrichment site.
At a two-day European Union summit in Brussels last week the stalled reform treaty overcame a crucial hurdle after EU leaders agreed to last-minute demands from the Czech Republic in return for the country's ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Meanwhile EU leaders failed to reach a consensus about grants for poorer nations to counter the effects of Global Warming, raising fears of any significant development in the December Copenhagen conference. Also the EU has dropped the last remaining sanctions against Uzbekistan imposed after a 2005 crackdown on an uprising, proclaiming the move to be intended as further encouragement for the country to improve its human rights record.

SOUTHEAST EUROPE

Bosnia's top official canceled a diplomatic visit to Sweden last week following the Swedish decision to grant Bosnian Serb war criminal Biljana Plavsic an early release after serving two-thirds of an 11-year jail term. In the meanwhile in Bosnia, Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik invited all parliamentary parties to constitutional reform talks last week. Also after a two-day meeting of the EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg the 27-nation bloc stressed its readiness to continue working with Bosnian politicians to seek compromise in order to secure a future in the EU and NATO.
Croatians are set to vote on Dec. 27th to elect a new president. Meanwhile opposition parties rejected an agreement on settling the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia presented by Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor last week. Also Romanian President Traian Basescu has signed a decree regarding a referendum on making parliament unicameral, reducing the number of parliament members from 471 to 300.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has accused Prime Minister Hashim Thaci of turning Kosovo's Public Broadcaster, the RTK, into a "media arm of the ruling party".
In its annual report published on Oct. 26th, the European police noted that Albania is believed to play a central role in drug trafficking and maintains strong connections with Kosovo and Italy in human trafficking, heroin and marijuana smuggling.

US/CANADA

On the domestic front in the United States after months of negotiations House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has prepared to unveil a retooled health care overhaul plan intended to bridge differences among Democrats. In the economic arena a year after Lehman Brothers collapsed, triggering the worst financial crisis in seven decades, the Obama administration is pressing Congress for the power to dismantle other non-bank firms that have the potential to take down the economy. At the foreign policy front President Barack Obama is considering a scaled-down version of the war plan advanced by his top Afghanistan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
According to an Ekos poll, Canada's governing Conservatives are maintaining a strong lead in public support following an ill-fated attempt by the opposition Liberals to force an early election. While according to the CROP survey for La Presse newspaper Separatists in the province of Quebec have taken a slight lead over the governing Liberals, who are under pressure to investigate an alleged corruption scandal.
Also last week Canada's new spy chief accused journalists and human rights advocates of often glorifying terror suspects as "quasi folk heroes".

LATIN AMERICA

The Nicaraguan Congress narrowly rejected an initiative last week to force a debate on whether to annul a hotly disputed court ruling allowing President Daniel Ortega to seek re-election. While a senior U.S. delegation has asked Honduras' rival factions to be more flexible in the resolution of the coup-torn country's 4-month-old crisis. Also the U.S. ambassador and 3 Colombian ministers signed a pact last week giving American personnel expanded access to military bases in the country; a deal that Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has called a threat to the region's security. In the mean while Chile's president has sent to Congress a bill seeking to strip military courts of their ability to try civilians reversing the ‘excessive expansion’ during the 1973-90 dictatorship.
Ecuador's president was in London last week to promote a proposal seeking $3 billion compensation not to drill for oil in a pristine Amazon reserve, hence compensating for the high cost to poor countries of going green.
Pope Benedict XVI will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury next month in the leaders' first encounter since the Catholic Church moved to make it easier for disenchanted Anglicans to convert to Catholicism.
Argentine government has voiced its willingness to re negotiate on the U.S. government military accord, signed between 1953 and 1964, related to the internal security of the country, nuclear cooperation, as well as activities of intelligence exchange on issues that are now prohibited to the Armed Forces. These include drug trafficking and terrorism. Meanwhile the Argentine President Cristina Fernandez has introduced an official project for policy reform including obligatory internal open elections for the political parties.
The head of Brazil’s opposition party (PSDB, Party of the Brazilian Social Democracy) has criticized the President at his inability to overcome criminal gangs, as the nation prepares to host the 2016 Olympic Games. At the behest of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as well, President Lula Da Silva has announces US$75.8 million for Rio’s police to combat drug cartels.
Twenty four years after the military left power in Brazil, the government is set to create a Truth Commission to investigate crimes committed by the security forces between 1964 and 1985.
In the meanwhile Honduras has taken Brazil to court for allowing ousted President Manuel Zelaya to remain in its embassy in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. A case has been filed in the International Court of Justice at Hague against the Brazilian president Lula de Silva.
Hundreds and thousands of people marched in Mexico City against the rightist government’s decision to privatize the power and electric company fearing the loss of thousands of jobs. In the meanwhile due to low supply of swine flu vaccine, Mexican president Felipe Carlderon has ordered for a million doses, even allowing the French drug company Sanofi-Aventis to open its manufacturing plant in Mexico.

AUSTRALASIA

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is expected to make a formal apology to hundreds of thousands of child-abuse victims known as the "Forgotten Australians" next month. Meanwhile authorities may have to force people to evacuate coastal areas as rising sea levels threaten thousands of homes in the country.
China has called for a sweeping new era in ties with Australia including a free-trade deal, marking a dramatic turnaround in relations which reached crisis-point this year.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Zone 3- Telescopic Analysis- Economic Crisis taking a Political Toll- Europe’s toppling Dominoes W # 90

Week # 90, Dated 17th-24th Oct. 09’

The Romanian Government lost a vote of confidence this month becoming the latest political casualty in Europe’s financial crisis. Since the beginning of this year protest rallies have riddled the continents nations, not sparing even the power houses such as Germany. The economic crisis taking its political toll on governments has however been mainly prevalent in the post Soviet east. Widely being labeled as Europe’s toppling Dominoes, following is a brief account of the regions significant developments this year.
LATVIA
After surviving a no confidence vote in early February 2009, Latvia's center-right coalition government collapsed on the 20th of Feb., with the resignation of president Valdis Zatlers at the call for his dismissal from the nation’s two largest parties (People’s Party and Union of Greens and Farmers). The government collapsed following violent demonstrations in the capital Riga, in protest at the government's handling of the crisis and steep IMF-imposed cutbacks. Latvia has had a history of revolving-door politics and complex coalitions since pulling free of the Soviet Union in 1991. But the precipitous plunge of Latvia's economy, which helped provoke the worst riot since its post

communist history played a major part in the government's downfall. Elections are expected to be held in Oct. 2010. Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and an expert on the region, said Godmanis's resignation was simply "democracy in action”; "It is better to take the [economic] blow immediately, than to have a long steady slide," he added.

HUNGARY

On 21 Mar 2009 Hungary's Prime Minister resigned after facing mounting criticism over his government's handling of the country's economic crash. Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader o

f the ruling Socialists, made the unexpected announcement as his party’s popularity hit an all time low. His reputation failed to recover from a 2006 scandal where his statements regarding lying about the economy were leaked to the public and triggered massive rioting. The ‘political casualty of the economic downturn’ followed a political deadlock over how to slash public spending. The next elections are expected to be held in the spring of 2010.

CZECH REPUBLIC
On March 24th this year, four days after the collapse of the Hungarian Government, the Centre Right Czech government lost a vote of confidence, in a nation that surprisingly was perceived to be dealing well with the economic Crisis. Mr Topolanek, head of a three-party coalition government, a fractious parliament majority lost the vote following the defection of four government members as the Czech economy heads toward a recession and his spending plans were under pressure. Yet despite the succession of woes afflicting some of the EU's former

Communist states, some observers cautioned against linking the political musical chairs in Prague to a pessimistic narrative about the region. "What happened in the Czech Republic was driven by politics," said Piotr Kaczynski of the Brussels think-tank the Centre for European Policy Studies. The early elections scheduled this year have been postponed till 2010.

ROMANIA

In a latest development this month Romania joined the list of East Europe’s ‘Toppling Dominoes’, following a vote of no confidence that the centrist Government lost. While opposition parliamentarian characterize the vo

te as a ‘punishment’ for Mr. Boc’s poor stewardship of the economy, analysts said it had been at least partially motivated by the desire to dent the prospects of President Traian Basescu, a close political ally of Mr. Boc, who is favored to win a second term in the presidential election on Nov. 22.
Amidst the financial downturn in recent weeks there have been protests and strikes by railway workers as well as other public sectors, but non directly demanding this end. Presidential elections are expected at the end of this year.
UKRAINE
Amidst the financial crisis Ukraine’s political deadlock continues. The two heroes of the Orange Revolution that put Ukraine on a pro-Western course have become fierce foes ahead of the 2010 presidential vote. A bitter political rivalry between Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko drags on in a year that has witnessed some major protest rallies in the country. Ms Tymoshenko has called for all political forces to form a broad coalition, but the main opposition party and Mr. Yushchenko's allies denounce her idea as a "political confidence game." Many speculate that the nation is teetering at the brink of collapse.

ICELAND

At the beginning of the year Iceland’s Conservative government became the first in the world to fall as a direct result of the financial crisis. Iceland's centre-right government resigned in January amid mass street protests following the country's economic collapse. Mr. Haarde, the former prime minister called early parliamentary elections this year, bringing forward a vote

originally scheduled for 2011, in which Iceland's interim centre-left government won a resounding victory.

REST OF EUROPE
Waves of job protests have swept the whole of Europe since the beginning of this year. Including Germany, France, Belgium, Briton, Ireland, Spain, Russia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, widespread protests as well as occasional rioting has been in evidence this year. However the trend of economic upheaval perpetuating in a political collapse has been mainly observed in the east European region raising speculations about a return to authoritarian politics and a ‘New Iron Curtain’.

Discussion Questions:

· Is the impetus of changing governments in these East European Democracies depictive of :
A)- Underdeveloped institutions in nascent political systems or,
B)- Promising systems where non violent change is occurring seemingly with in the constitution?

· Given the volatile environment do you think such a change could be sustained or would it be an unbearable stress leading to a reversal to the authoritarian past?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Zone 3- Micro Analysis- Nicaragua- Another Regressing Latin American Democracy? W # 90

Week # 90, Dated 17th-24th Oct. 09’

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's allies in the Supreme Court lifted a ban on reelection last week, raising fears that Nicaragua might return to the kind of entrenched power that Ortega took up arms to defeat in 1979. He led the 1979 Sandinista uprising that ousted the regime of US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza, after 45 years of oppressive rule.

On 19th Oct. the nation's Supreme Court said a ban on presidents and

vice presidents’ seeking a second term was "unenforceable." Nicaragua's constitution, amended since 1995, allows only one presidential term at a time and a maximum of two non-consecutive terms. Ortega, who served as president from 1985-1990, recently returned to power in 2006 after a 16 year hiatus.

Many are terming the unfolding events as a constitutional coup. Unable to get the 56 legislative votes needed to reverse the reelection ban – and believed to be too unpopular to muster enough support for a popular referendum as leftist ally Hugo Chavez has done in Venezuela, Ortega Instead took his petition to lift a ban on consecutive terms to six pro-Sandinista judges who make up the constitutional branch of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court. They agreed with his argument that the prohibition on a second term violated his rights.

Internationally the United States has strongly condemned the development in Nicaragua. The US Sen. John Kerry (D) Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Ortega's "manipulation" of the Supreme Court "reeks of the authoritarianism of the past." He accused the Sandinista leader of "following the cues of the coup-plotters in Honduras."

According to the Nicaraguan M&R Consultores poll maker, 68.3 % of the Nicaraguans think that the presidential reelection "tends to weaken democracy and to restore a dictatorship," only 23.6 % think that the reelection "contributes to strengthening democracy," and 8.1 % said they do not know about the issue.
Also 71.3 % of the respondents think Ortega does not "deserve" to continue another presidential term, while 24.6 % think the contrary, and 4.1 % said they do not know.

Lately there hav

e been guerrilla-style protests from a growing underground movement against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. It’s a new trend of civil disobedience that has largely been driven underground by what Human Rights activists’ term as Sandinista repression on the streets. Even non-violent human rights leaders such as Gonzalo Carrión, of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights, are defending the peoples' "legitimate right to use all resources available to defend their liberty and country."

"We are now living under a strong and very original dictatorship," said constitutional analyst and retired Judge Sergio Garcia Quintero. "And we are quickly approaching a tyranny, where Ortega is no longer interested in even projecting the image of a democracy with a separation of powers."

One analyst notes that The Bolivarian block comprising Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela has made reelection its leaders’ priority. They range from “some like Hugo Chávez, who call popular referendums—and repeat them until the desired result is achieved—to Daniel Ortega, who has benefited from court decisions. Colombia’s Álvaro Uribe, for his part, is doing everything possible to extend his term, and others, like the Kirchners in Argentina, keep it all within their marriage.”
The broad consensus among analysts remains that in the Latin American region leaders who circumvent term limits are undermining the region's democratic progress.

Discussion Questions:

· Given the observed trend of power grabbing through presidential term limit extensions, do you think Latin America is adopting a new dictatorial trend in Democratic garb?

· Is the US sending out mixed signals—where it supported Zelaya against the Honduran preemptive Coup at his bid to seek reelection, while strongly condemning Ortega’s ‘Constitutional Coup’ for the same end?

Sources/ Related links-
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h-AFgS8LitQDCTBhuIlCWLuSCNDw
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1027/p90s01-woam.html
http://www.impre.com/laopinion/opinion/2009/10/27/victory-for-democracy-155897-1.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-termlimits26-2009oct26,0,6790603.story?track=rss
http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2009/october/24/centam-091024-03.htm
http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/1026
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/oct/130875.htm
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nu.html _______________________________________________________
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