Articles and opinion columns by Latin American analysts who take an unwavering stand for freedom, including members and directors of the IID.
Daron Acemoglu, and James A. Robinson argue that a nation’s economic problems are caused by a lack of inclusive political rights. Poor nations are poor because they are ruled by narrow elites that organize society for their own benefit. Nations are rich because they have succeeded in creating inclusive political and economic institutions that allow participation by all. Nature creates raw materials, not resources. It is human ingenuity and effort that transforms raw materials into resources, economic growth does not promote resource depletion. Ultimately, economic growth prevents resource depletion by allowing more creative minds to survive, to interact, and to innovate. Prosperity allows for a greater quantity of the ultimate resource: human minds.
“Both Bernie Sanders and Emmanuel Macron are victims of what Professor Yehezkel Dror labeled ‘the mirror image trap’,” “They both end up in an ivory tower that dries out their correct instincts while detaching them from ordinary citizens.”
In the primary elections in Argentina, the government party lost by a relatively large margin of 15%. According to Argentina’s law, anybody can vote in the primaries as long as he/she votes one time. There is no need for party registration or affiliation. Macri’s chances are not impossible, but he has to work hard to convince voters to vote for him. But perhaps more important, it was Alberto Fernandez’ ability to unify a Peronist movement that set the path to victory. Kirchner is part of the economic problem that Macri needed to confront. The question is if Fernandez will continue Macri’s position towards Venezuela. Will Fernandez reverse his position towards the pro-Maduro left-wing camp or will he be a different type leader? What will happen is uncertain. However, it is important to be ready for the worst-case scenario. Therefore, it is important for the United States and the Lima Group to begin to reach to Mr. Fernandez to make sure that Argentina stays among those who demand freedom, human rights and regime change in Venezuela and those who remain committed to democracy and human rights in the continent.
Americas’ Transnational Organized Crime’s dictatorships are “vote-catching dictatorships”. They hold elections in which people vote but do not elect, taking the people to a situation in which by voting for the functional opposition’s candidates, they vote for the permanence of the dictator. In a vote catching dictatorship what is contested with the regime is not the legality but the legitimacy. The dictatorial legality is totally built, controlled, and manipulated by the regime that legislates. Legitimacy is that which is “legal, fair, genuinely truthful, and truthful in any line”, that which is allowed according to justice and reasoning.
For decades — or rather, for the better part of the 20th century — Marxist dogma silently penetrated the intellectual networks of Latin America. And like hemlock it quietly pierced all fields of knowledge production to create paralysis and inoculate the dogma.”
In Venezuela Mr Maduro who has given ample proof that he is by no means affected by public opinion or voting intentions, seems to be searching for the fire escape after all. Mr Maduro seems to be desperately searching for a scape his Cuban masters have decreed immolation. A martyr is a much better ideological currency than an exiled leader. For Maduro a sudden climate change in the military could indeed spell havoc to him , his family and his retinue. Perhaps it is now time to set his eyes in the cold Russian steppes. This would definitely be a rather creative climate change.
Iter-criminis means the process to carry out a crime. It is described as “the path that a criminal goes through from the time he thinks to commit a crime, going through all intermediate steps in its preparation and execution, up to the point of the consummation of the criminal act”. A “vote-catching dictatorship is “the regime that by force or violence concentrates all political power in a person or a group, that represses human rights and basic individual freedoms and uses elections -as a means of simulation and disguise- and propaganda in order to indefinitely keep itself in power”. The existence of a “functional opposition” is key in the iter-criminis process. The functional opposition is a “make-believe opposition”, it is a “fake opposition”. Everything that is happening in the vote-catching dictatorship in Bolivia has already happened in Venezuela and in Nicaragua and the results are crisis, confrontation, and death.
Virtue takes on different meanings over time, and across cultures. Socrates concludes that virtue is not a kind of knowledge, and therefore it cannot be taught. He also does not believe that it is inborn. But then, where does virtue come from?. If we cannot teach virtue, how then, can we inspire high moral standards into the corrupt majority of world governments?. While behavior of high moral standards cannot be taught, it can be learned. This is not a distinction without a difference. Do not preach, focus on being an example of good governance. Some may deem this to be nationalistic or isolationistic. But, strengthening their own economic performance and democratic governance may be the most effective way to help others improve their governance. A foreign policy of teaching virtue by example, not by lesson plans.
The objective reality reveals that by using the Barbados’ negotiations, Maduro the dictator stops the TIAR’s enforcement, with the foolishness of placing as apparent operators of this move, those in charge of regaining freedom and democracy. President Guaido stated that “the TIAR is not magical, it is not a button that fixes everything, quite to the contrary, it compels us to get out and be the majority that we are in all areas”. Dictator Maduro reacted violently, threatening to jail those members of the Assembly who approved the TIAR. The steps to follow to invoke the enforcement of the TIAR are very simple, quick and yield conclusive results. President Guaido has the obligation to request a meeting of the “TIAR’s Consultation Team” that must “immediately meet” at the request of the President of the Permanent Council. Invoking the TIAR’s enforcement will comprise “a credible threat” against the usurpation. There is nothing lacking to enforce the TIAR for the usurpation in Venezuela to end, and the dictatorship knows this.
To trap color in movement and movement in life is no simple feat. But Master Carlos Cruz Diez not only trapped life in his works but gave it a new and more beautiful dimension: that of joy. I cannot remember visiting any of his exhibitions without being replenished with optimism; joy to live and faith in the future. Color and light would penetrate your soul so deeply that fear, insecurity and sadness would be immediately exorcised . As a result, Cruz Diez’ vision of progress and human achievement would nest in your heart to trigger creative ideas and inspiring missions. In a sense, through his work, he would transform reality from struggle to survive into a creative paradise where all dreams could become true.
