Political Geography

Latin America

Emerging National economies:

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa

Developing or newly industrialized countries (except Russia)

Large, fast growing economies and significant influence on global community

3 Billion people!! Leaders meet annually in a forum

that encourages economic, political and social cooperation

BRICS

266th Pope; 1st non-European in

1272 years Born in Buenos Aires, son of

Italian immigrants; Jorge Bergoglio

Known for: Humility Care for poor Bridging gap between groups,

social justice Conservative views

Made a Cardinal in 2001 by John Paul II

Pope Francis I

President of Venezuela from 1999 to his death

in 2013 Socialist quality of life improved according to a UN

Index and the poverty rate fell from 48.6 percent in 2002 to 29.5 percent in 2011

introduced a new constitution which increased rights for marginalized groups and altered the structure of Venezuelan government

program of land reform, while also nationalizing various key industries

Member of OPEC, known for trying to drive up prices

Anti-US, critical of involvement in LA and capitalism

Allies with Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua

Hugo Chavez

Vice president of Hugo

Chavez, president after death of Chavez

declared upon announcing Chávez's death that "historical enemies" had poisoned the president

Election on April 14th (Last week), very tight margin of victory

Expected to halt some of Chavez’ reforms due to economic constraints

Nicolás Maduro

Between opposing cartels

fighting for territory and the Mexican government

Mexican government was passive from 1980s to 2000

December 11, 2006, when the newly elected President Felipe Calderón sent 6,500 Mexican Army soldiers to the state of Michoacán to end drug violence there

During the 1980s and 90s, major efforts were made to cut off access to the Caribbean and Florida to the Colombian cartels Colombian cartels made a push

to get drugs through the Mexican border instead

Drug Wars

Cartels use extreme

violence to claim territory and spread fear Executions on YouTube,

banners with demands to scare people, body parts thrown into nightclubs, grenades into crowds

Driving investors and tourists away from Mexico

Bribe/threaten government officials

Over 60,000 people have been killed in the drug war and thousands are missing

Effects in Mexico

1959 Fidel Castro overthrew the corrupt

Cuban government Once in power:

Banned elections, violated civil liberties, denounced US, demanded Guantanamo, allied with Communist nations

US has used economic sanctions against Castro

After fall of USSR, Cuba faced hard times (as did N.K.) due to lack of support

2008, Castro stepped down in favor of his brother Raul Castro Announced that government restrictions

would be eased and removed some of Fidel’s government officials

Cuba

The Cuban government has been accused of numerous human rights

abuses including torture, arbitrary imprisonment, unfair trials, and executions

UN states that: the government represses nearly all forms of political dissent and that

Cubans are systematically denied basic rights to free expression, association, assembly, privacy, movement, and due process of law

The United States continues an embargo against Cuba "so long as it continues to refuse to move toward democratization and greater respect for human rights"

Cuba had the second-highest number of imprisoned journalists of any nation in 2008 (the People's Republic of China had the highest)

The right to use the Internet is granted only to selected locations and they may be monitored. Connecting to the Internet illegally can lead to a five-year prison sentence

Human Rights in Cuba

Why does the US have a military base in

Cuba?

Guantanamo Bay

Spanish-American War

US turned its attention to Spanish colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico

1895 José Martí, writer and activist, led a Cuban revolt against Spain

Martí was killed in battle and Spain rounded up thousands of Cubans and sent them to Prison/Death camps

400,000 died of starvation and disease

American newspapers began publishing all about Cuban struggles

1898, battleship Maine ordered to Havana to show American interested

Maine was blown up a few weeks later in the harbor killing 260 Americans “Remember the Maine!” was

headline US declared war on Spain, lasted 4

months, US won

Treaty of Paris (1898) Cuba freed of

Spanish control Puerto Rico and

Guam ceded to US Philippines sold to

US for $20 million

Significance: US now world power

with colonies in Pacific and Caribbean

Relations with Cuba US temporarily took control

after war; built schools, roads, sanitation

helped Cuba make a democratic constitution Included Platt Amendment

Said Cuba would not sign any treaty that threatened independence and would allow US to help preserve independence Granted US naval base at

Guantanamo Bay

1902 US withdrew

Poorest country in the Americas first independent nation of Latin

America and the Caribbean the first black-led republic in the

world second republic in the Americas

when it gained independence in 1804 as part of a successful slave revolution lasting nearly a decade.

In 2012, Haiti announced its intention to seek associate membership status in the African Union.

Haiti

7.0 magnitude earthquake

struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 and devastated Port-au-Prince. death count was estimated at

220,000. UN:

shortage of skilled labor, widespread unemployment, more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs,

describes pre-earthquake Haiti as "already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty

Haitian Earthquake

Latin America has had many

military coups Typically a Junta: committee

composed of several officers, often from the military's most senior leadership

Or under a Caudillo-a single military leader Typically charismatic with

support of people (at the beginning, at least)

Cult of Personality

Junta

Panama Canal

Spanish-American War showed need for a canal from the Pacific to Atlantic Protect colonial empire Further commerce with Asia

French Attempt French architect Gustav Eiffel tried to build

canal, but failed Colombia: US negotiated a treaty to pay $10

million to Colombia to use colony of Panama for a canal Colombia refused; Theodore Roosevelt

enraged Shortly after a revolution broke out in Panama

and US aided rebels US negotiated treaty with new nation of

Panama US control of area “in perpetuity,” US could

intervene to keep order, paid $10 Million and yearly fee of $250,000 (now in millions)

US transferred control of Canal back to Panama in 1999

Takes 8-10 hours to go through, but can wait days to get through if not scheduled

Toll based on size of ship most expensive regular toll for

canal passage to date was charged on April 14, 2010 to the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl, which paid US$375,600.

The average toll is around US$54,000

The sea level at the Pacific side is about 20 centimeters (8 inches) higher than that of the Atlantic side due to differences in ocean conditions such as water densities and weather

current plan is for two new flights of locks to be built parallel to, and operated in addition to, the old locks Will cost $5.25 Billion and be

completed in 2025

Panama Canal Facts

Panama Canal

British Overseas territory since 1833

Argentina claims and invaded in 1982 ruling military junta sought to divert

public attention from Argentina's poor economic performance and growing internal opposition

Argentina reiterated its position towards the Falklanders in 2012, after a meeting of the UN Decolonization Committee

In 2013, Argentina dismissed the Falkland Islands' sovereignty referendum (99% voted to remain British citizens-only 3 people voted no)

The population, estimated at 2,932 in 2012

Served as a British Naval Base in WWI and WWII

Falkland Islands

1. What are the major drugs that the cartels are

smuggling in from Mexico?2. Describe the ideologies of the pope.3. Why did Chavez hate the US?4. Why does the US not like Chavez?5. What is the importance of the BRICS?

Dailies: Day 7