Jimmy Carter and Human Rights in Latin America

Human rights was perhaps the defining feature of Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Although much attention was given at the time to its impact on US relations with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Latin America was equally, if not more, important in defining and implementing Carter’s vision of a human rights foreign policy. Latin America was the site of some of the Carter administration’s most visible and concentrated human rights diplomacy, and revealed the central logic and persistent challenges of implementing a coherent, comprehensive human rights policy that worked in tandem with other US interests. Carter’s Latin America policy reimagined US national interests and paired human rights with greater respect for national sovereignty, challenging US patterns of intervention and alignment with right-wing anticommunist dictatorships throughout the Cold War. In the Southern Cone, the Carter administration’s efforts to distance the United States from repressive Cold War allies and foster improvements in human rights conditions provoked nationalist backlash from the military regimes, and faced domestic criticism about the economic and security costs of new human rights policies. Similarly, in Central America, the administration faced the challenge of reforming relations with abusive anticommunist allies in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador without supporting communist revolution. Its tepid and cautious response to violence by the Central American governments called into question the Carter administration’s commitment to its human rights agenda. In Cuba, the Carter administration sought to advance human rights as part of a larger effort to normalize relations between the two countries, an effort that was ultimately stymied by both geopolitical dynamics and domestic politics. Although limited in the fundamental changes it could coax from foreign governments and societies, the administration’s policy had a tangible impact in specific high-profile human rights cases. In the long term, it helped legitimize human rights as part of international diplomacy in Latin America and beyond, amplifying the work of other government and nongovernment proponents of human rights.

Food Security and COVID-19: Impacts and Resilience in Singapore

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food supply chains and threatened food security. Singapore is highly dependent on food imports and has an open economy that exposes it to volatile global markets, so it is acutely vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic on other countries, the effectiveness of measures taken by foreign governments to combat the spread of the virus and overall disruptions of international trade links. Proactive and reactive steps have been taken to protect Singapore's food supply chains against the adverse impacts of COVID-19. In this paper, we discuss food security in the city state, the impacts of COVID-19 in the population, the local production, and imports from two main trade partners: Malaysia and China. We conclude by acknowledging the complexity of achieving food security under the very difficult circumstances.

Briefly Noted

The appellants originally brought this case against the World Bank Group's financing arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), alleging that IFC negligently funded (via a company based in India) a power project in India that damaged the appellants' environment, health, and livelihoods. The issue of whether IFC was immune from suit under the International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945 went to the Supreme Court, which decided in 2019 that international organizations enjoy the same immunity from suit that foreign governments enjoy under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act—meaning that they can be sued in the U.S. if their actions fall within one of the exceptions to the FSIA, including the exception for “commercial activities.” The Supreme Court's decision was published in full in Volume 58, Issue 3 of International Legal Materials. This was a reversal from existing jurisprudence, which had held that international organizations (unlike foreign governments) had near-absolute immunity from lawsuits under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the International Organizations Immunities Act. The case was remanded to the D.C. District Court, which dismissed the complaint in February 2020 because the “gravamen” of the complaint occurred outside the U.S., rendering the commercial activities exception inapplicable. Budha Jam et al. appealed that decision to the D.C. Circuit Court, which affirmed the lower court's decision in July 2021. The Court rejected the appellants' argument that the significant activity was IFC decision-making in the U.S., agreeing with the District Court that the gravamen of the complaint occurred outside the U.S.

Growing budget deficit and national debt: estimates, problems, risks

The article analyzes the structure of the US federal budget, the main sources of revenues, expenditures (annually revised discretionary spendings, mandatory financing of the main social and a number of critical areas of government activity, interest debt payments), factors affecting their dynamics. A special place is occupied by the analysis of the national (sovereign) debt of the United States, which includes two types of debt: the government’s debt to buyers of its securities (American individuals and legal entities, the Federal Reserve System, international investors, foreign governments) and the so-called intragovernmental debt. The article raises the question of where the "red line" is when the growing debt becomes dangerous for the United States. However, the article lists factors that mitigate the sovereign debt problem for the United States. Much attention is paid to the challenges that the administration of J. Biden and the Congress of the current and future convocations will have to face. In particular, in the short term, this is the need to reduce the budget deficit, to extend a number of social programs that are about to expire, but above all to resolve the debt ceiling issues. The paradoxes of decision-making in the budget process concerning the debt ceiling are considered. The points of view of experts are presented, arguing the need for refusal and preservation of the legislative codification of the debt ceiling. In the long term, the United States will face challenges such as a growing debt burden, the need to reform the budgetary decision-making process. The Congress will have to worry about how to defuse the time bomb laid down in a number of mandatory budget programs.

Canberra unveils new action plan against ransomware

Significance Reports of cybercrimes increased by 13% in the financial year to June 2021, according to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). Agencies linked to foreign governments and criminal enterprises have both become more active, targeting essential services and critical infrastructure in sectors including healthcare, energy and telecoms. Impacts The costs of cybercrime, particularly ransomware attacks, will rise as criminals choose targets that are insured. Supply chains are highly vulnerable, with distribution channels for COVID-19 vaccines becoming a particular target. Businesses will need to strengthen their guard against state-sponsored efforts to steal intellectual property through cyber theft.

The shot, the message, and the messenger: COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Latin America

Herd immunity by mass vaccination offers the potential to substantially limit the continuing spread of COVID-19, but high levels of vaccine hesitancy threaten this goal. In a cross-country analysis of vaccine hesitant respondents across Latin America in January 2021, we experimentally tested how five features of mass vaccination campaigns—the vaccine’s producer, efficacy, endorser, distributor, and current population uptake rate—shifted willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. We find that citizens preferred Western-produced vaccines, but were highly influenced by factual information about vaccine efficacy. Vaccine hesitant individuals were more responsive to vaccine messengers with medical expertise than political, religious, or media elite endorsements. Citizen trust in foreign governments, domestic leaders, and state institutions moderated the effects of the campaign features on vaccine acceptance. These findings can help inform the design of unfolding mass inoculation campaigns.

Party-State Capitalism in China

China’s economic model, commonly described as “state capitalist,” is now better characterized as party-state capitalism, in which the political survival of the Communist Party trumps developmental goals. Its tools for managing the economy include not only state ownership and market interventions, but increasing use of party-state power to discipline private capital. China’s entrepreneurs are now expected to adhere to the party line, as are foreign corporations operating in the country. The shift is fueling a backlash from foreign governments that view the fusion of state and private interests in China as a threat to their own national security.

Israel surveillance exports to survive Pegasus scandal

Significance The scandal exposed by the 'Pegasus Project' investigation has spotlighted Israel’s leveraging of capabilities in digital surveillance and other security-related technology to develop defence and commercial ties with many countries. Alleged abuses by foreign governments of the Pegasus spyware -- developed and sold by the Israeli company NSO Group -- has raised concerns about the threat to privacy and human rights from such surveillance. Impacts The publicity surrounding the Pegasus spyware may enhance its standing with many potential clients impressed by its technological prowess. Israel, long criticised for its Palestinian policy, will suffer more harm to its image for allowing spyware exports to problematic states. The negative publicity will impede NSO from going public and raising private capital.

Castillo will take office but faces headwinds in Peru

Significance Although she has recognised the announcement, she still maintains that the result was “illegitimate”. A new government is to take office next week, but Castillo was unable to name his cabinet until the electoral court validated the result. Impacts Backtracking on reform commitments may stir opposition from Castillo's supporters on the left. Fujimori may be overshadowed by new actors on the right. Foreign governments including the US administration will back Castillo, at least for now.