2009

The Washington Ballet debuted a fantastic production of Don Quixote at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this week.  The highlight was an awe inspiring performance by Viengsay Valdés, the Primera Bailarina of the Ballet Nacionál de Cuba. Ms. Valdés, a product of Cuba’s world renowned ballet schools, played the lead role of Kitri in a spectacular rendition of Cervantes’ classic Spanish novel.  Many in the crowd didn’t even know about the special guest, who tip-toed into DC almost unnoticed.  But the audience adored the Cuban ballerina and interrupted the show frequently with extended applause.  And out came Cuban flags with the endless standing ovation for such a rare and delightful performance.

Despite the Micheletti government’s announced intention following international and national pressure to lift the state of siege, the notice has not yet been published in the official gazette, and rights violations continue.  The de facto government issued a new decree allowing the government’s telecommunications agency to revoke licenses for radio and television stations that transmit messages that promote “social anarchy,” ensuring that censorship can continue.  Police continued excessive use of force against protestors, and some protestors remain in detention. Meanwhile, hopes for dialogue increased as the Organization of American States negotiators arrived, but no end to the crisis is yet in sight.

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Becoming Better Neighbors: Normally $15, now only $12!

Becoming Better Neighbors: Tales from Organizing for a Just U.S. Policy toward Latin America captures 25 years of LAWG's history through interviews with staff, coalition partners and activists.  Learn how we worked together to move U.S. policy from war to peace in Central America, lift the ban on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba, and increase attention to human rights and the needs of victims of war in Colombia—among many other successful campaigns.

A Compass for Colombia Policy: $2, now for $1.50.

A Compass for Colombia Policy makes a detailed, persuasive case for a new U.S. strategy that would achieve our current policy goals while ending impunity and strengthening respect for human rights.

The Other Half of the Truth: Only $1.50.

The Other Half of the Truth: Searching for Truth, Justice, and Reparations for Colombia's Victims of Paramilitary Violence explores the limited opportunities for truth, justice and reparations available to victims of paramilitary violence through the official process established by the Colombian government following a demobilization agreement with paramilitary forces.

Ready, Aim, Foreign Policy!: Also $1.50.

The Defense Department's leadership of foreign military aid and training programs is increasing. The State Department, which once had sole authority to direct and monitor such programs, is ceding control. Moreover, changes to the U.S. military's geographic command structure could grant the military a greater role in shaping, and becoming the face of, U.S. foreign policy where it counts--on the ground.

The Forgotten Border: You guessed it, $1.50!

The nature of transborder migration and human rights violations against migrants at Mexico’s southern border has received scant attention. The Forgotten Border: Migration & Human Rights at Mexico's Southern Border sheds light on the abuse and exploitation experienced by too many transmigrants as they journey northward, as well as trends in Mexico’s practices regarding immigration and border enforcement policies.

Below the Radar: $1.50

Below the Radar: U.S. Military Programs in Latin America, 1997-2007 reflects LAWGEF's decade-long commitment to monitoring U.S. military programs in our hemisphere, a project that began out of concern that poor access to information made public and congressional oversight of such programs impossible.

Retreat from Reason: $1.50

Retreat from Reason: U.S.-Cuban Academic Relations and the Bush Administration, written by an international team of U.S. and Cuban scholars, examines the history of and regulations on academic, scientific, and cultural exchange between the United States and Cuba.

Longing for Home: Only available online, Click here for free download .

As some 30,000 paramilitaries are demobilized in Colombia, little discussion has taken place about what will happen to the land they stole through violence. Longing for Home: Return of Land to Colombia's Internally Displaced Population calls for steps to return land to its original owners and provide other assistance to Colombia's massive internally displaced population.

Tarnished Image: $1.50

Latin America’s tilt to the left has been used to explain a surge in “anti-American” sentiment. Tarnished Image: Latin America Perceives the United States locates a major source of this sentiment instead in recent U.S. policies to which Latin American publics, leaders, and press are reacting.

Erasing the Lines: $1.50

Erasing the Lines documents current trends in U.S. military programs with Latin America that blur the distinction between civilian and military roles and increase the Pentagon’s control over foreign military training.

Scapegoats of Juárez: $1.50

Scapegoats of Juárez: The misuse of justice in prosecuting women's murders in Chihuahua, Mexico details the history of the 410 women who have been murdered in Cuidad Juárez and Chihuahua City since 1993. The Mexican Government's failure to bring the perpetrators to justice is examined through an indepth look at the victims and their cases. The report makes recommendations for officials on both sides of the border for bringing the guilty to justice.

Blueprint for a New Colombia Policy: $1.50

Blueprint for a New Colombia Policy presents a positive set of recommendations on how to improve U.S. policy towards Colombia. At the expiration of the original six-year Plan Colombia, Blueprint urges the U.S. government to take a tougher stance on human rights, prioritize social aid rather than limitless military assistance, and urge peace negotiations with truth, justice, and reparations for victims.

September's Shadow: $1.50

September's Shadow examines how the U.S. response to 9/11 has affected U.S. - Latin American relations. Using polls, op-eds, aid trends, and case studies of Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, and Cuba, the report details the fallout from the Bush Administration's foreign policy, as well as Latin American governments' cooperation on practical counterterrorism measures.

Blurring the Lines: $1.50!

Blurring the Lines: Trends in U.S. Military and Training Programs in Latin America reveals that the number of Latin American troops trained by the United States jumped 52% in one year and U.S. training increasingly blurs the line between military and civilian roles. This short, graph-filled publication gives you a snapshot of U.S. military programs in the hemisphere.

Going to Extremes: $3.00, now for $2.00.

Going to Extremes: The Aerial Spraying Program in Colombia examines the U.S.-funded aerial spraying program to eradicate coca production in Colombia. The report concurs that addressing drug abuse in the United States is a laudable goal. However, it suggests that this controversial strategy has harsh human and environmental costs, while doing little to curb drug abuse in the United States.

The Wrong Road: $1.50

The Wrong Road outlines Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's controversial security policies. These include permitting police and army to search homes and offices, tap phones and detain people without warrants, suspending basic civil liberties in war zones, and employing armed civilians as soldiers and informants.

Paint by Numbers: $1.50

U.S. military aid and training programs with Latin America have nearly tripled since the early 1990s. Paint by Numbers: Trends in U.S. military programs with Latin America and challenges to oversight, an analysis of U.S. military programs in Latin America, is based primarily on the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Training Report for 2002.

Troubling Patterns: The Mexican Military and the War on Drugs: $1.50

Troubling Patterns: The Mexican Military and the War on Drugs examines the human rights impact of the Mexican military’s growing role in the war on drugs. By analyzing 27 cases of human rights violations committed by the Mexican military during anti-drug activities, this study identifies distinct patterns of military abuse in carrying out counternarcotics missions.

We Will be Known by the Company We Keep: was $3.00, now only $2.00!

We Will Be Known by the Company We Keep draws upon the experience of U.S. Cold War policy in Latin America to offer eight simple lessons for the United States in the war on terrorism.

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They don't get it... yet.

Although we now have new leadership in Washington, they still don't understand what they need to do to stand up for human rights. They think that by saying more about the importance of human rights and democracy than the Bush Administration did, they are making progress. But we know that until they actually change U.S. policies to support victims of violence in places like Mexico and Colombia, they will continue to be a part of the problem, not the solution.

Now, if we can get them to hear what we hear from people in Mexico and Colombia and know what we know, they might change their tune.

So, this month we are launching a "Human Rights NOW" campaign, which will use innovative tactics to get them to make human rights come first in U.S. policy.