Mexico

As highlighted recently in the newspapers El Financiero and Milenio.com, new studies show that community forest management in Mexico has reduced poverty and social inequity while conserving natural resources.  Over 2,300 forest communities in Mexico have been given “forest use permission,” resulting not only in effective conservation, but also in economic growth within the communities. 

The following articles (in Spanish) provide details:
Informa BM, manejo comunitario de bosques contribuye a reducir pobreza en Mexico (Milenio.com); Reduce la pobreza el manejo comunitario de los bosques (El Financiero)

Facing threats from drug gangs along with two grenade attacks, the Mexican newspaper Cambio Sonora, announced that it will shut down temporarily. Located in the border state of Sonora, the newspaper had already halted most of its investigations into drug trafficking and organized crime. Newspaper officials said the attacks were designed to intimidate the staff and create an atmosphere of fear.

The newspaper’s closing is illustrative of two dangerous trends in Mexico — drug violence, and threats against journalists. In this case, as in many others, the two are linked as reporters in Mexico face personal risk for investigating or exposing drug traffickers.   The resulting violence has made Mexico the second deadliest place in the world for journalists after Iraq. 

See: Mexico newspaper is drug war casualty (CNN)

(AP Photo by Guillermo Arias)

The U.S.-proposed border fence along the Mexican border is facing opposition not only from immigrant rights groups, but also from some environmental organizations. Claiming that hundreds of miles of border fences will keep many animals from the Rio Grande River, their only source of water, wildlife experts fear that some land animals will be killed as a result of the fence.

There are several wildlife refuges along the border, forming a “wildlife corridor” that environmental and government officials have preserved over many years. Although officials at the Department of Homeland Security say that environmental considerations will be taken into account in the location of the fence, the Department may waive compliance with environmental regulations for security reasons, as it has done in some previous cases.

President Bush has proposed building 700 miles of fence along the border. The Department of Homeland Security is aiming to complete 370 miles of it by the end of 2008.

See: Border Fence Could Imperil Wildlife, Environmentalists Say (AP, New York Times) and River enthusiast spends 9 months navigating the Rio Grande (Fort Worth Star Telegram)

Economic ministers from Mexico and India agreed today on a plan to bolster bilateral trade relations.  Indo-Mexican trade has increased by 600 percent in the last 6 years, totaling about $530 million through March in this fiscal year alone.   The countries announced in New Delhi today that they would set up a group of senior government officials to work out details of an investment promotion and protection agreement.

Mexico’s Economic Minister, Eduardo Sojo Garza-Aldape, and India’s Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, will co-chair the group negotiating the details of the agreement. 

Sources: India, Mexico Seek to Boost Trade (AP, Forbes), India Looks for a Window in NAFTA through Mexico (The Hindu), and India, Mexico sign investment protection agreement (Economic Times, India)

Three notable Mexican film directors have signed a $100 million deal with Universal Pictures in Los Angeles to produce five movies, including Spanish-language films.  Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who individually directed last year’s Oscar-recognized Hollywood hits “Pans Labyrinth,” “Babel,” and “Children of Men,” will call their new production company Cha Cha Cha.  Universal will distribute the trio’s films both in North America and overseas.   The three directors marketed themselves as a group in their talks with Hollywood studios.

(Photo: Inarritu, del Toro, and Cuaron)

See: Mexican Directors Ink $100M Studio Deal (AP: ABC News)

The U.S. Senate this week will debate an immigration bill supported by President Bush that would provide legal status to approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S.  Allowing 600,000 workers into the country without their families, the measure’s guest worker provision would grant them 2-year periods of stay for a maximum of 6 years. 

For further details:

Ins and Outs of the Immigration Bill (NPR)
Bush strongly defends deal on immigration (LA Times)
Bush wants immigration battle resolved (ABC News)

(Getty Images Photo of Senators Kennedy (seated), Chambliss, Isakson, and Salazar announcing an immigration compromise between the Senate and White House)

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 411-3 this week to delay a Bush Administration plan to provide Mexican trucks full access to U.S. highways.  Proponents of allowing full access say it will save American consumers hundreds of millions of dollars.  Opponents are concerned that the Mexican trucks will not meet U.S. safety standards.  The House legislation specifies criteria for a Department of Transportation pilot program, requiring Mexican trucks to be declared safe and insisting that Mexico gives the same access to U.S. trucks, among other specifications.

See: Congress puts curbs on open road for Mexican trucks (CNN) and House overwhelmingly votes to put restrictions on Mexican trucks on U.S. highways (AP - San Diego Union Tribune)

At a conference convened by the International AIDS Society and sponsored by the United Nations, 25 leaders and HIV-positive women activists from across Latin America gathered to strategize for the 17th International AIDS Conference to be held in Mexico next year.  Participants emphasized the need to address the social stigma and cultural conditions affiliated with the disease, particularly as it relates to women.  According to the United Nations Population Fund, just three years ago, the ratio of men to women with HIV/AIDS in Latin America was seven or eight for every one woman with the virus; today, the ratio is three to one.

See: HIV-Positive Women Activists in Latin America Stand Tall (Inter Press Service)

National Public Radio (NPR) reporter Lourdes Garcia-Navarro filed a report examining how Mexico City is leading the way in Latin American liberalism. Reflected by the Mexico City Assembly passing progressive measures on civil unions and abortion, local attitudes are not as they once were. With its trendy art scene, the city recently hosted controversial photographer Spencer Tunick’s latest public project, attracting 18,000 participants and serving as further evidence of what Garcia-Navarro says is a city being “reborn and rebranded.”

Listen to the NPR report: Mexico Bares its Liberal Side, and More

Larry Birns and Alex Sanchez of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs analyze the power of Mexican drug traffickers in their report, “The Government and Drug Lords: Who Rules Mexico?“  Arguing that the only viable solution to combating drug trafficking is further deployment of the Mexican army to relevant regions as well as the subsequent extradition of criminals to the United States, the authors analyze what they call the “Bush-Calderon drug war.” (Click here for their report.)

Sam Logan and Kate Kairies, writing for the Americas Program of the International Relations Center, present their analysis in “U.S. Drug Habit Migrates to Mexico.”  In examining the U.S. role in the cross-border drug market, the authors argue that the drug trade cannot effectively be addressed unless demand is targeted along with supply. (Click here for their report.)