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Bernie Sanders at the Vatican

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Bernie Sanders addresses the Vatican conference on economic justice. Photo from the Bernie website.

Bernie Sanders in the Vatican

A moral economy: text of remarks at the Vatican conference


Bernie Sanders press conference just outside The Vatican.

 

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Gandásegui, América Latina y el colapso de Europa

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José Martí, retrato en el EEUU en 1885.

América Latina y el colapso de Europa

por Marco A. Gandásegui, hijo

Europa occidental experimentó un resurgimiento espectacular después de la II Guerra Mundial. Económicamente pasó de las ruinas para convertirse en una aparente ‘sociedad del bienestar’ en 25 años. En parte se debió a la locomotora alemana, a la austeridad de los escandinavos y al trabajo de los países mediterráneos. El crecimiento económico alcanzó su máximo esplendor en la década de 1970, momento en que el mercado comenzó a sufrir quebrantos que las inversiones públicas no podían subsanar.

Fue en esa coyuntura que el eje franco-alemán decidió darle al proyecto de una sola Europa un golpe de timón. Crearon el Euro como moneda única, suprimieron fronteras (incluso para la fuerza de trabajo) y montaron un Consejo europeo. El experimento coincidió con el colapso soviético (1991) y el fin del campo socialista europeo. Las ex-repúblicas soviéticas y los países del centro europeo se movieron hacia el proyecto de Comunidad Europea y se embarcaron en el pacto militar norteamericano de la OTAN.

En la década de 1990 la reunificación de Alemania la convirtió en una de las economías más grandes del mundo. La Europa con 28 países miembros superó a EEUU en producción y competía en riqueza. El talón de Aquiles de Europa es su dependencia frente al poderío militar de EEUU y la disminución de su participación en el mercado mundial. Otra de las debilidades del ‘viejo continente’ es su población envejecida, cada vez menos productiva.

En la segunda década del siglo XXI Europa se enfrenta a un mundo que no conoce. Hace apenas un siglo dominaba todos los continentes con sus exportaciones y plazas financieras. Era la potencia militar por excelencia y poseía colonias en los cuatro puntos cardenales. Su competitividad, sin embargo, fue reducida por EEUU y, en el presente, por la China emergente. La rica cultura europea ha sido secuestrada y desfigurada por el populismo mercantil que promueve EEUU.

Políticamente, la Europa del sur se ha rebelado y el centro se ha manifestado partidaria de políticas neo-fascistas que cuestionan las versiones, hasta hace poco hegemónicas, de un orden social-demócrata y demócrata cristiano. Más encima, la política europea que pretendía ‘rejuvenecer’ su población con migrantes del Medio Oriente se convirtió en una bomba que reventó en el corazón del ‘viejo continente’.

La promesa europea se está convirtiendo en una caricatura. América latina podría haber sido su salvación. No aprovechó las oportunidades que se le abrieron al comercio y a la transferencia de tecnología que se pudo lograr con los países de la región. La Comunidad Europea delegó en España las relaciones con sus antiguas colonias y Brasil. Los resultados fueron catastróficos. Madrid regresó a América con sus velas desplegadas con la idea de reeditar la conquista.

En el lugar de los europeos aparecieron los chinos, estableciendo campamentos mineros a lo largo de los Andes, haciendas agrícolas sobre las costas del Atlántico así como nuevas relaciones comerciales en la América meridional. Europa fue expulsada de su posición privilegiada en la región.

Europa está económica y políticamente en quiebra. La crisis griega puso fin al proyecto alemán de convertirse en potencia hegemónica. Los ingleses están poniendo a prueba el liderazgo teutón amenazando con su retirada. El proyecto europeo aparentemente sólo tiene una carta que puede jugar en esta coyuntura: China.

La carta china, sin embargo, pasa por Rusia y una región asiática convulsionada por las guerras interminables por el control de los yacimientos petrolíferos de Medio Oriente. La creación de un eje euro-asiático entre Pekín y Berlín que pase por Moscú puede devolverle a Europa el oxígeno que necesita la economía alemana y de paso a los demás países de esa región.

Un eje de este tipo dejaría por fuera a EEUU y, de paso, a América latina. EEUU dejaría de ser el centro del mundo moderno y de las enormes ganancias que generan las inversiones que se realizan a escala global. Sería el vuelco más significativo de la historia después de la emergencia del capitalismo mercantil en Europa occidental hace 250 años.

América latina regresa al dilema planteado por Bolívar hace dos siglos: ‘Somos uno o no somos’. A pesar de que hemos logrado levantar una identidad propia — América Latina — pareciera ser que es insuficiente. Lo entendieron Martí y Hugo Chávez. La crítica a la dependencia y las teorías de la ‘decolonialidad’ son caminos que pueden representar nuevas oportunidades. Hay que romper con ‘nuestro eurocentrismo’ y construir una nueva identidad.

 

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The Panama News blog links, April 14, 2016

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The Panama News blog links, April 14, 2016

Seatrade Maritime News, Second PanCanal draft restriction

Video, Transit in the new PanCanal locks

Hellenic Shipping News, Iran can now use Panama’s canal and ship registry

The Guardian, Nicaragua rejects bill to block the canal project

International Cry, Ngabe communities facing eviction

Reuters, Inside a Panamanian prison: a flawed legal system

The Intercept, Lawsuit over system that put a baby on the US no-fly list

BBC, Why Rousseff faces impeachment calls

Página 12, Cristina se presenta en el juzgado

AFP, Cristina: puede encarcelarme pero no voy a callar

Washington Post, Trump threatened to sue AP over Panama condo story

Forbes, Brazil charges world’s richest banker with bribery

Tico Times, Cuban migrants storm Costa Rica-Panama border demanding to pass

EFE, Costa Rica devolverá a Panamá a cubanos ilegales

Miami Herald, Costa Rica closes its doors to Cubans

Xinhua, Panamá pedirá a vecinos no impedir la migración cubana

Prensa Latina, Tico minister says US laws behind Cuban migration

Tico Times, Costa Rica seeks regional accord on illegal migrants

Sentinel-Tribune, US wind industry record

La Estrella, Potabilizadora de Penonomé está fuera de servicio

27east.com, Sag Harbor surfers to distrubute water filters in Bocas

Mongabay, Climate change is drying up small islands

Playa Community, Yellow bellied sea snakes coming onto Pedasi beaches

Christian Science Monitor, Red crabs swarm off Panama

STRI, What were Caribbean coral reefs like before humans?

Science Friday, The search for Peru’s “Boiling River”

Ancel, The lethal arms of the US drug war in Honduras

Zibechi, Building new worlds in Brazil’s favelas

Boff, What kind of Brazil do we want?

María & Romero, Chavismo from below

Bolton, Venezuela’s power outages and western press bias

Sánchez, Colombian civil society is the best bet for peace

Levy, Taking sides in the war within Islam

Stiglitz, What’s wrong with negative rates?

Varoufakis, Interview with The Economist

Springsteen, About North Carolina

US State Department, Annual human rights report on countries other than the USA

Variety, Latin American film distribution issues discussed at Panama film festival

Hollywood Reporter, Salsipuedes review

Variety, Guido Bilbao’s “El Bosque de las Paradoxas”

Variety, Panama International Film Festival kicks off with “Viva”

IFF Panama, People’s Choice Awards 2016 (Spanish & English)

 

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Mossack Fonseca blog links

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Mossack Fonseca blog links

And nobody says anything about the multiple breaches of the Lawyers’ Code of Ethics perpetrated by M&F.
law professor Miguel Antonio Bernal

 

ICIJ, The Panama Papers

AP, Panama firm usurped name of Red Cross to hide money

de la Serna, Macri y los Panama Papers

Blades, “Mossack-Fonseca Papers”

EFE, Parlamento ecuatoriano llamará a funcionarios por caso Mossack Fonseca

Sader, Tax havens: the brothels of capitalism

Corrado, ¿Qué hay detrás de Panamá Papers y las offshore?

Yao, Los Papeles Mossack-Fonseca y más allá

Beluche, Los papeles de Panamá y el capitalismo putrefacto

Cassidy, Panama Papers: why aren’t there more American names?

USA Today, Mossack Fonseca linked to more than 1,000 US companies

Ha’aretz, Hundreds of Israeli companies used Mossack Fonseca

El Confidencial, La infanta Pilar mantuvo una SA opaca en Panamá

Winship, Panama Papers offer more evidence that free trade isn’t really free

Blades, Sobre “The Panama Papers”

The Raw Story, CIA and other spies used Mossack Fonseca

Daily Mail, UBS whistleblower thinks CIA is behind Panama Papers leak

Reuters, Societe Generale headquarters searched

Radio New Zealand, Mossack Fonseca had NZ investment application

CNBC, Did “smart” people avoid the Panama Papers?

Reuters, Colombia y Panamá hablan sobre el intercambio de datos financieros”

Silber, Panama Papers lob “atomic bomb” on Brazil’s political class

Wilson, Why you can’t Google “Panama Papers” in China

La Estrella, Cinco países piden ayuda judicial a Panamá

 

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Harrington, Los Papeles Panamá

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MoFo t-shirt
The Panama Papers

por Kevin Harrington Shelton
De la rosa de ayer, solo perdura el nombre;
nos atenemos a palabras huecas de significado

Umberto Eco (“El Nombre de la Rosa”)

 

Cuando finalmente se escriba la (verdadera) historia de Panamá, se hará en términos de oportunidades-perdidas. Los grandes cambios en Panamá provienen desde el exterior. Después de la Invasión, perdimos la oportunidad de hacer borrón y cuenta nueva del cesarismo de 1968. Hoy vamos por igual camino. La oportunidad presentada por los “Papeles de Panamá” para diagnosticar nuestros problemas de impunidad, no la aprovechamos. Se pierde tiempo en minucias (el nombre del esfuerzo, billones de megabytes, colaboración de un montón de medios, sensacionalismo sobre personalidades de relieve internacional, etc), pero no se enfoca sobre el fallo de raíz que tiene esta campaña que ha indignado artificialmente a demasiados patriotas panameños. Para que las bases no se sobrepongan a la dirigencia, al conocer la raíz del problema.

En la legalidad tributaria territorial panameña los impuestos se pagan donde se generan las utilidades. Lo demás son maromas contables. Lo recalca el profesor Thomas Piketty, especialista en la distribución de riquezas tanto en la École des hautes etudes en sciences sociales de París, como en el London School of Economics. La inclusión de Panamá en la lista negra francesa sin duda obedece a su lógica expuesta en The Guardian.

No hay riesgo de oposición masiva, puesto que generacionalmente en el panameño se le viene cultivando lo opuesto a la democracia, mediante lo que el sicólogo Martín Seligman tildó de “indefensión aprendida“. Apatía colectiva que Demetrio Herrera Sevillano inmortalizó así: “Paisano mío panameño, tú siempre respondes “sí”, Pero no para luchar, Que no para protestar, Cuando te ultrajan a tí.”

El gobierno actual intentó inocularse contra respuestas a esta realidad cuando afecte a sus allegados, sacando de los medios masivos a comprobados forjadores de opinión como Miguel Antonio Bernal, Julio Miller, Candelario Santana, José Blandón Castillo, entre otros.

Pero el talón de Aquiles de la organización que fijará la agenda de tantos medios mundiales fue al seleccionar a La Prensa como participante en Panamá, en el en el ojo de la tormenta, donde está ubicada la caja de Pandora que constituye su piedra angular. Ahora que transita por dificultades económicas. Porque más que un periódico, La Prensa es un partido político. Su profesionalismo (e independencia) ha sido muy cuestionado. Con razón. Muchos de su entorno están hoy emplanillados en el gobierno. Al inicio de cualquier gestión de gobierno le brinda un cheque en blanco de 6-12 meses, aunque se trate de un asunto sumamente grave como el que consignó en su autobiografía su ex-director. Al renunciar un subdirector hace algunos años, informó de la existencia de un listado de temas y personalidades que tenía vedados mencionar. Tampoco da seguimiento a primicias que involucren a accionistas, bonohabientes y/o anunciantes. Su derecho a réplica es selectivo. Hasta pagado un emitido no lo publican; sin embargo sí publican a diario anuncios de protitutos(as). Sin mencionar el lapidario caso del soborno atribuido por La Prensa a un ex-Procurador General de la República, que ilustra el grado de impunidad otorgado a nuestro periódico de referencia.

No ha rectificado rumbo, a juzgar por recientes declaraciones del ministro de Gobierno que parecieran echarle kerosene al fuego. E indicar un poco importa de Panamá a la raíz del problema, que es tan sólo una manifestación más de lo inepto del gobierno actual. Tituló así El Mundo: “Milton Henríquez: ‘No entiendo por qué la evasión fiscal tiene que ser delito en mi país'”. Se observará que dentro del artículo el Premier dice de viva voz: “No entiendo por que Panamá tiene que convertir en delito todo aquello que los demás países quieren o no hacer delito”. El hecho de que el principal aliado del gobierno en el poder haya dicho semejante burrada de por sí es noticioso (aunque fuera tan sólo para negar lo dicho….). Esa entrevista presumiblemente tuvo lugar en nuestra sede diplomática en Madrid, por lo que le habría sido (extraordinariamente ) fácil para La Prensa corroborar lo que constituye un hecho noticioso relevante (que inclusive La Estrella de Panamá pasó por alto).

Mañana ese mismo diario español publicará otro elemento de alto valor noticioso: “El Gobierno español firmó en 2013 con Panamá un convenio para la lucha contra la delincuencia cuyo listado de delitos a perseguir ‘en particular’ omite la delincuencia económica y en especial el de blanqueo….”. Cabrá ver cómo trata La Prensa esta faceta relevante: a saber cuantos de los demás convenios atribuidos como triunfos en las salidas de diversas listas adolecen de similares “omisiones”….

Además de la falta de voluntad de demasiados panameños (incluida toda la clase politica) de someterse a la ley, el meollo del problema involucra una falta generalizada de transparencia. Pese a que el gobierno cimenta la defensa de sus aliados en la transparencia, en Panamá esta es más lírica que real. En parte atribuible a La Prensa. Ejemplo. Existen documentos que comprueban cómo, en dos habeas data identicos, contra dos ministros por separado, nuestra Corte Suprema ha concedido uno y negado el otro. Pero ese hecho noticioso no lo ha difundido.

Tenemos la obligación de dar a comer a cuatro millones de panameños. Y para eso, como un pequeño país en un mundo de rápidos cambios, debemos asegurarnos que Panamá funcione transparentemente y con la mejor información posible — para “desfazer entuertos”. En esto, todos sí debemos poner nuestro granito de arena.

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Who is and who isn’t touched by the Panama Papers

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Nowhere to hide?Those who are (or who are not) sheltered from the Panama Papers

by STRATFOR

Summary

On April 3, the Panama Papers hit media outlets around the world, and the fallout was swift. A prime minister lost his job, and other global leaders are under mounting pressure to account for their actions. But the effects of the leaks are not evenly spread; the documents contained far more information about the offshore activities of individuals in the developing world than in the developed world. Whatever the reasons for the imbalance, it will likely limit the papers’ impact. In the developing world, long histories of corruption have dulled the public’s sensitivity to scandal, and repressive governments leave little room for popular backlash.

So although less information was released on Western leaders, it is already doing more damage. Iceland’s leader has left his post, and relatively minor revelations have had a disporportionately large impact in the United Kingdom and France. Meanwhile, in the developing world, the Panama Papers’ effects have been most strongly felt in the former Soviet Union, a region in which political tensions were already high. The leaks’ results have been more mixed in China, where they have provided new targets for the anti-corruption drive already underway but have also implicated figures close to the administration’s upper ranks.

This is only the beginning. The Panama Papers are the largest information dump of their kind, and the information that has been released so far appears to be just the tip of the iceberg. They are also the latest in a string of public leaks that seem to be happening more and more frequently. As revelations continue to surface, calls for greater global transparency will only get louder.

Analysis

Former Soviet Union

The publication of the Panama Papers has drawn leaders and elites from five former Soviet states into corruption scandals. In Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan, politicians — or their family members or friends — have been accused of having ties to offshore accounts or corruption. This will be worse news for some leaders than for others.

Azerbaijan

As in Russia and Kazakhstan, corruption charges are a perennial feature of Azerbaijani politics. President Ilham Aliyev, the son of Azerbaijan’s third president, and his wife, Mehriban, both come from influential families with extensive business connections at home and abroad. Several members of the president’s family, including his wife, children and sister, have now been linked to secret offshore companies.

Nonetheless, little will come of the reports in Azerbaijan. The political opposition is too weak to challenge the Aliyevs, and the media have already begun to spin the accusations as Western propaganda. Given the country’s poor economic conditions, the scandal could spark protests, which Baku can quickly quell.

Georgia

Former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s foreign business dealings are also included in the Panama Papers. Allegations of corruption have plagued Ivanishvili ever since he threw his hat into the political arena in 2011. But until now, the accusations had centered on his activities in Russia.

Ivanishvili’s power in Georgia has been steady for the past four years. In Tbilisi, he remains a kingmaker, planting his followers in all the country’s top positions. His Georgian Dream coalition is fracturing, however, holding only a slight majority in the legislature. With parliamentary elections set for this fall, accusations are already flying between Georgia’s various political parties. Although most of the country’s population has ignored the news so far, the Panama Papers will fuel the opposition’s politicking. Moreover, if it gains more traction among the people, the scandal could erode Ivanishvili’s influence at a time when his ruling coalition is already falling apart.

Kazakhstan

Allegations of corruption, particularly concerning President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his family and friends, are constant and widespread in Kazakhstan. But because the country is on the verge of both economic recession and a succession of power, the fresh accusations could have greater impact than usual.

Nazarbayev’s grandson Nurali Aliyev is accused of ties to offshore accounts. Just two weeks ago, Aliyev stepped down as deputy mayor of Astana to return to business, inviting speculation within the Kazakh media over his motives. Aliyev has long been considered a possible eventual successor to the presidency, although he is still too young to take a top government position.

On the other hand, his mother, Dariga, is a viable successor and already one of the most powerful figures in Kazakh politics. Following the March 20 parliamentary elections, she unexpectedly did not take a position in the legislature. This has led to speculation that she is jockeying for a more influential position before the formal succession commences. As the power struggle in Kazakhstan begins in earnest, rival political elites could use corruption charges provided by the Panama Papers against Aliyev or his mother.

Russia

In Russia, the loudest corruption allegations concern President Vladimir Putin. Although the president’s name does not appear in any of the 11.5 million documents published, those of three of his closest friends — Sergei Roldugin, Arkady Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg — do.

Longtime intermediaries for Putin’s business, the Rotenberg brothers are unsurprising inclusions in the Panama Papers. Among Russia’s elite, the brothers are not decision-makers. Nonetheless, they are considered to be some of the country’s highest-ranked loyalists, trusted to handle Putin’s furtive financial and business affairs. Roldugin, a cellist, is also outside of Russian politics. But he, too, is a loyalist and one of Putin’s trusted associates; in fact, he is godfather to Putin’s eldest daughter. Following the Panama Papers leaks, Roldugin stands accused of moving more than $2 billion for the president.

The Kremlin’s reaction to the Panama Papers actually anticipated their release. Nearly two weeks ago, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned journalists that a Western “information attack” on Putin was forthcoming but that it would not be factually accurate. On April 5, two days after the release, Peskov went a step further, denouncing the Panama Papers as a demonstration of “Putinphobia” and claiming that the journalists’ allegations were nothing new. Indeed, corruption charges against Putin and his close friends predate the president’s rise to power. By now, they have been assimilated into the Russian people’s mindset.

Peskov also called the papers an attempt to undermine Russia before its elections in September. In this, too, there is a hint of truth. Putin’s administration has been concerned about the possibility of protests after the elections, on a scale comparable to — or perhaps worse than — the mass demonstrations that followed the 2011 parliamentary elections. In the 2011 protests, corruption in the Kremlin was a central theme. Renewed corruption accusations could compound public resentment over the weak economy in Russia, fueling larger protests.

To reduce the risk of protest, the Kremlin is trying to turn the Panama Papers into a rallying point. Russian media and the government continually highlight this as another attack on the country and its president. After the West imposed sanctions on Russia, similar rhetoric was used successfully, reviving nationalism across the country.

Ukraine

Of all the former Soviet states, Ukraine will likely see the greatest fallout from the Panama Papers, which allege that President Petro Poroshenko holds accounts offshore. In response to the revelations, Ukrainian politicians are already calling for an investigation into Poroshenko’s hidden funds. The head of the Radical Party has even pushed for the president’s impeachment. But Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General said the papers contain no evidence that Poroshenko committed any crimes. For his part, Poroshenko has gone on the defensive. In a string of tweets, the president called himself the first of Ukraine’s leaders to take corruption seriously. At the same time, he has skirted the issue of his culpability, claiming that he handed management of his assets over to a consulting firm upon taking office.

The papers’ publication came at an inconvenient time for Poroshenko. Over the past week, the president had been close to a deal on a parliamentary coalition between his party, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front and a group of independent lawmakers. In light of the scandal, Poroshenko’s faction now believes the deal may not come through after all. Poroshenko had been lobbying for the new government, a prerequisite for Ukraine to receive its next tranche of money from the International Monetary Fund and increased financial assistance from the United States. Poroshenko’s mention in the Panama Papers could not only further destabilize the fragile government, but it may also weaken the president’s rule.

Europe

France

In France, the fallout from the papers has landed mostly on the National Front, a right-wing party that has found some electoral success of late. They implicate former party adviser Frederic Chatillon, who was previously charged with electoral fraud related to the 2012 election. The National Front has already distanced itself from Chatillon. Evidence of offshore financing would be particularly detrimental if it was linked to party leaders, who have crafted an image of their party as honorable alternatives to their corrupt establishment counterparts.

Iceland

The Panama Papers have had the biggest impact in one of Europe’s smallest countries: Iceland. The papers revealed that Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson made suspicious transactions of some bank shares before the global financial crisis of 2008. Icelanders took to the streets in protest, and the prime minister resigned. (He would later say he had merely “stepped aside for an unknown period.”) His coalition in parliament now appears insecure. A snap election could bring to power the Pirate Party, an anti-establishment party that currently leads in polls and advocates a system of direct democracy.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister David Cameron has borne the brunt of the anger over the papers. His father was listed among those who held offshore accounts, and Cameron has now had to admit to owning a tax-efficient product before his premiership began. The media have begun to question actions he took in 2013 that appeared to hinder the process of increasing the transparency of offshore havens. Cameron’s interference might have been in Britain’s interest, since the United Kingdom could be said to have benefited from the global tax avoidance industry. Regardless of Cameron’s intentions, the subject has added fire to an already heated atmosphere surrounding the Brexit referendum. Though the latest leaks are unlikely to unseat Cameron on their own, further revelations could, and any damage done to the British prime minister’s reputation will hurt his campaign to remain in the European Union as well.

Latin America

Argentina

In Argentina, the Panama Papers linked President Mauricio Macri to an offshore company, although he has since denied being a shareholder in the company. An Argentine prosecutor has already requested the opening of an investigation into Macri’s involvement with the company. The opposition Front for Victory, which has been dealing with internal divisions, is eager to keep the spotlight on the Macri offshore company scandal ahead of legislative elections in 2017, and the opposition would use the investigation against the Macri administration.

Brazil

Brazil has enough political turmoil going on already that revelations in the Panama Papers will probably have minimal effect. The leaks have linked lower house leader Eduardo Cunha to an offshore company, but Cunha and other Brazilian politicians are already tied up in the graft scandal at state-owned energy firm Petrobras. Ongoing criminal investigations against members of the ruling Workers’ Party, such as former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and the impeachment attempt against President Dilma Rousseff will probably have a more immediate political effect than the Panama Papers will.

Guatemala

In Guatemala, the release of information through the leaked documents will draw greater scrutiny from the government investigative commission known as the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). The United Nations-sponsored body announced it would investigate the documents for evidence of wrongdoing. A CICIG investigation led to the indictment of former President Otto Perez Molina on corruption charges in 2015, and further evidence of Guatemalan officials’ corruption, if found, could kick off additional investigations by CICIG in the country.

Venezuela

The fallout from the Panama Papers leaks in Venezuela is likely to be minimal. None of the key individuals in the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela are named in the leaks. The ongoing political standoff between the government and opposition, growing divisions in the ruling party, and the country’s extreme inflation are all likely to more immediately influence the country’s political future than corruption allegations.

Asia-Pacific

China

Beijing imposed an almost total media blackout on the Panama Papers: The only state media coverage on the subject was a print edition of Global Times claiming that the Panama Papers were a way for the West to attack its enemies.

The papers uncovered at least eight cases of family members of current or serving Politburo members who have done business with Mossack Fonseca. These include President Xi Jinping’s brother-in-law (though his accounts have been inactive since before Xi took power), family members of current Politburo Standing Committee members Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli, the daughter of former Premier Li Peng, a granddaughter of former Standing Committee member Jia Qinglin, and a business partner of purged Politburo member Bo Xilai.

The papers are unlikely to affect the Politburo, whose members are all from the ruling class and are aware that other members of the same class tend to be wealthy (with some possessing ill-gotten gains). Given the pervasive anti-corruption campaign and the intense political struggle as Xi Jinping ascended to the presidency, there was incentive for factions to dig up any dirt on each other long ago. As a result, much of the political effect of any of the revelations is likely already tapped out. The revelations might, however, spotlight some lower-level or midlevel officials who have not yet become targets of anti-corruption investigations.

Chinese law enforcement and anti-graft authorities have shown a fair amount of skill in tracking down illegal capital flows abroad as part of fugitive hunting campaigns such as Operation Fox Hunt and Operation Skynet, uprooting Chinese underground banks that handled upward of $100 billion in transactions from April to November last year. These were domestic operations; whether Chinese law enforcement is good at tracing shell companies in offshore accounts remains unclear. Presumably, though, investigators have encountered the problem while handling the assets of fugitives — generally Party members and their families who flee China, bringing with them large amounts of embezzled or otherwise illegal wealth.

Chinese intelligence and anti-graft services will sift through the documents to identify potential new targets. To the extent that the papers shed light on how Chinese citizens like to hide their wealth, they may be able to seal off further escape options for fugitives and their assets. More interesting is the question of how much the Chinese already knew but never shared, both in terms of dirt on perpetrators and in understanding their tactics.

Middle East and North Africa

In many countries in the Middle East and North Africa, corruption charges will not create much of a stir because of media restrictions and because it is widely known that wealth often primarily benefits the royal family or ruling elite. Given the lenient tax structures in those countries, the kinds of things described in the Panama Papers may not even be considered crimes. In countries such as Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Egypt, however, the charges against prominent former politicians will fuel distrust of the establishment.

Egypt

In Egypt, the papers indicate that Mossack Fonseca did not conduct due diligence in identifying and cutting ties with Alaa Mubarak, the son of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, quickly enough after the 2011 Egyptian revolution. (Alaa used the firm to hold cash in a British Virgin Islands firm.)

Gulf States

While Saudi King Salman and UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nuhayyan were both implicated in Virgin Island shell companies, Gulf media coverage has focused on how the Panama Papers affect other places, such as Iran, and has not touched on domestic implications. It is unlikely that the revelations will instigate a serious challenge to the Saudi or UAE governments.

Iran

In Iran, the papers revealed that Mossack Fonseca conducted business for Iranian oil companies such as Petropars despite US sanctions, a revelation more damning for Mossack Fonseca than for Iran.

Iraq

In Iraq, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s name surfaced in the Panama Papers in connection to various London properties. Allawi was removed from office in August 2015 when Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi abolished the vice presidencies in a bid to stem protests. The leaks could undermine any attempt by Allawi to re-enter the government in the event that al-Abadi’s government collapsed. Iraq’s central government has already been overwhelmed by protests demanding a purge of corrupt officials, though recent reshufflings to install technocrats are more likely to deepen Iran’s influence in Baghdad than defuse anger at the government.

Israel, Palestinian Territories

In Israel, the papers implicated some major banks that have been linked to corruption before. Idan Ofer, the majority shareholder in Israel Corp., the largest private joint stock company on Tel Aviv’s stock exchange, was also named in the papers. Moreover, Tareq Abbas, the son of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, held shares worth nearly $1 million in a company associated with the Palestinian Authority.

Jordan

In Jordan, it was revealed that former Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ali Abu al-Ragheb became the director of an offshore British Virgin Islands firm before leaving office.

Syria

In Syria, Mossack Fonseca cut ties in 2011 with the Makhlouf brothers — cousins of President Bashar al Assad — after nearly 15 years of using offshore entities to invest in the brothers’ Syrian tech firms.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Though several prominent politicians of African countries or their close associates have been linked to the scandal, it will have little effect on the continent’s governments. The threshold of corruption in many places in Africa, whose history is littered with elites who engaged in egregious acts of self-enrichment, is higher than in other places in the world. More important, many of those mentioned in the leaks are either no longer in office or are related to former leaders. Moreover, some of the people named with links to current rulers likely used offshore companies with their governments’ blessing.

Angola

Angola Minister of Petroleum Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, a former president of the OPEC, held interest in an offshore company that was deactivated in 2009. The revelation may damage his career in the image-sensitive country. He likely had implicit or explicit sanction from the regime.

Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo’s current minister of science research and former energy minister, Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, requested that Mossack Fonseca create an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands. In a 2003 lawsuit, Itoua was accused of diverting oil revenues, but the case was dismissed. Itoua has close ties to President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, so any blowback on Itoua will likely be limited.

Rwanda

General Emmanuel Ndahiro, Rwanda’s former head of intelligence, is listed as the director of an offshore company owned by a former military colleague. Ndahiro is a close confidant of President Paul Kagame.

South Africa

Clive Khulubuse Zuma, the nephew of President Jacob Zuma, was linked to a company involved in acquisitions of oil fields in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has a reputation for being involved in shady business deals, and claims against him go back at least five years. He has denied any wrongdoing.

South Asia

Pakistan

Some 500 Indians and 200 Pakistanis were implicated in the Panama Papers, the most prominent of them being three of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s children. Although Sharif himself was not implicated, he went so far as to give a televised national address on April 5 to exonerate his family and announce the launch of a judicial probe to investigate the matter. But opposition lawmaker Imran Khan of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party quickly demanded that the prime minister allow the National Accountability Bureau, which leads Pakistan’s anti-corruption efforts, to take charge of the probe. The leak is unlikely to lead to Sharif’s resignation, but opposition parties will make political gains at the expense of the premier’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.

Those Who Are (and Are Not) Sheltered From the Panama Papers is republished with permission of Stratfor.

 

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¿Wappin? Bound and determined…

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Joss
Joss Stone.

Music for the bound and determined

Led Zeppelin – No Quarter
https://youtu.be/T3m_cPuhEPk

Peter Gabriel – The Rhythm of the Heat
https://youtu.be/rzwMe-3XVn4

Aswad – Warrior Charge
https://youtu.be/23qWXIqIogs

Sinéad O’Connor – This is a Rebel Song
https://youtu.be/wbre5Fs9m8I

Dixie Chicks – Travelin’ Soldier
https://youtu.be/AbfgxznPmZM

Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris & Neil Young – Across the Border
https://youtu.be/OfCS1yXg8gk

Los Ángeles Azules & Denise Gutiérrez – El Listón de Tu Pelo
https://youtu.be/daL7_QWYdkk

Grupo La Meta – El Quemazón
https://youtu.be/ZcaCL4OfoLM

Enrique Bunbury & León Larregui – La Chispa Adecuada
https://youtu.be/cOaO14GFCe4

Shakira & Mercedes Sosa – La Maza
https://youtu.be/TxzPPQvHIZo

Luci & The Soul Brokers – Surprise
https://youtu.be/baDYjoCQ-Ek

Johnny Cash – I Won’t Back Down
https://youtu.be/N8i5NLyXZdc

Eric Clapton, Roger Waters & Nick Mason – Get Up, Stand Up
https://youtu.be/F3buDdZbvZs

Joss Stone – Karma
https://youtu.be/eZ6xjTA8VoA

Bruce Springsteen – The Promised Land
https://youtu.be/A6I9BQzI4WE

 

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Varela, Message to the nation

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President VarelaMessage to the nation

by President Juan Carlos Varela

Since the discovery of the Isthmus of Panama we have always been a meeting point of civilizations at the service of the world and global trade. Today we are the most stable and growing economy in Latin America. We are the Hub of the Americas, which facilitates communication and connectivity of the continent with the rest of the world. Panama is the regional headquarters to more than 100 multinationals and we are a country where the law and legal security reign, with an economy open to foreign investment and a government committed to transparency, accountability, the separation of powers and the strengthening of democratic institutions.

The massive leak of coprporate documents from a Panamanian law firm with operations in different jurisdictions has resulted in a controversy that reflects a global problem.

Panama wants to make it very clear that this situation, which has been misnamed “Panama Papers,” is not a problem in our country, but in many countries of the world, whose legal and financial structures are still vulnerable to be used for purposes which they do not represent the common good of the citizens.

In 21 months of our administration the Republic of Panama has taken decisive steps in favor of transparency and the strengthening of our financial system and services platform, which have allowed us to leave the Financial Action Force (FATF) Gray List this year (2016) and move to Phase 2 of the Global Forum joint review, by which the international community has validated our legal framework as compliant with international standards. In addition, as of January 2016 we met the need to provide certainty in the identification of the owners of the shares of companies as a sign of our commitment to transparency.

We recognize that we need to move forward on the government agenda of that we have set to protect our institutions, but we are not going to allow this media situation define us as a country.

Serious and responsible governments do not negotiate the adoption of international obligations through the media, but through diplomacy — serious, responsible and constructive dialogue.

I have asked Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo to go to Global Forum member countries and reiterate to the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development (OECD) our willingness to talk respectfully and to reach agreements that will contribute to the economic development of our countries. And as it says on its own slogan, our country and our government are also committed to building a stronger, cleaner and more just world.

The government of Panama, through our Ministry of Foreign Relations, will create an independent committee of national and international experts of well-known experience to evaluate our current practices and propose the adoption of measures to share with other countries around the world, to strengthen the transparency of the financial and legal systems. We will work not only internally in our country but also we will lead an effort for the benefit of the rest of the world.

I would like to make it clear that Panama will continue to cooperate with other jurisdictions as we have been doing, both in judicial matters to prosecute crimes that are specified under our Penal Code as well as in the exchange of information to comply with international treaties ratified by Panama.

We reaffirm our commitment as a serious country, respectful of international law, cooperating with the efforts of the international community in finding solutions to this global problem. We call upon all countries to use diplomatic channels and mutual respect at this time.

Thank you very much.

 

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Oliva Corado, ¿Quién quiere ser humano?

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Nairobi
Huyendo el masacre del centro comercial Westgate en Nairobi, Kenia.

“Todos somos Bélgica,” ¿quién quiere ser humano?

por Ilka Oliva Corado — Crónicas de una Inquilina

Cada vez que nos enteramos de un atentado terrorista en países desarrollados -conforme el sistema- sentimos como nuestra esa tragedia, y no se debe a nuestro carácter humano porque claro está que carecemos de éste. Reaccionamos claramente acorde a nuestra doble moral, racismo y clasismo. A la negación lo que somos como sociedad.

Las reacciones en masa son alarmantes por esa falsa indignación. ¿Cuántos de nosotros fuimos Je suis Charlie cuando el asesinato de 12 caricaturistas en Francia? Nos indignamos y exigimos que se respetara la libertad de expresión. ¿Lo recuerdan? Sin embargo en México han asesinado a más de 103 periodistas desde el año 2000, ¿y cuántos de nosotros nos hemos pronunciado? ¿Acaso la libertad de expresión en México nos vale lo que en Francia?

¿Cuántos fuimos nuevamente Francia cuando el atentado sucedió en la sala de conciertos Bataclan? ¿Cuántos fuimos Túnez cuando terroristas entraron al Museo Nacional de El Bardo y mataron a 23 personas?

¿Cuántos de nosotros hemos sido Estados Unidos cada vez que se realizan masacres en las escuelas y universidades del país? Bueno, ¿cuántos de nosotros fuimos Kenia cuando terroristas asesinaron a 148 estudiantes en la Universidad de Garissa? ¿Cuántos fuimos Kenia cuando terroristas asesinaron a 67 personas en un centro comercial de Nairobi? ¿Cuántos de nosotros fuimos las víctimas de la Guarimbas en Venezuela? ¿Las fosas clandestinas en Colombia?

¿Recuerdan la epidemia de ébola?, ¿cuántos de nosotros sentimos las muertes de esos puños que caían en las calles de Guinea, Liberia y Sierra Leona? ¿Cuántos de nosotros sentenciamos lo inhumano de los países desarrollados que se negaron a brindar atención médica? ¿Cuántos nos indignamos por el secuestro de 219 niñas en Nigeria? ¿Tenemos noción de lo que esas criaturas están pasando en manos de terroristas de Boko Haram? ¿De qué estamos hechos que nos indignamos por unos y no por otros? ¿Acaso se trata de continentes, de clase social, de color de piel, de grado de escolaridad, de ideología? ¿De qué trata nuestra conciencia? ¿Tenemos conciencia acaso?

¿Cuántos de nosotros somos los 43 de Ayotzinapa, las desapariciones forzadas, los miles de feminicidios y el genocidio latente en México? ¿Cuántos de nosotros somos el triángulo norte de Centroamérica y las docenas de asesinatos diarios? ¿Cuántos somos los feminicidios y violaciones sexuales que sufren miles de mujeres diariamente alrededor del mundo? ¿Cuántos de nosotros somos las víctimas del tráfico de órganos y con fines de explotación sexual? ¿Tiene que haber un bombazo y en un país específico para que reaccionemos? ¿Así es como trabaja nuestra conciencia, por mapas?

¿Cuántos de nosotros hace unos días dijimos en coro “todos somos Bélgica”? ¿A cuántos nos indignó el atentado terrorista en un estadio en Irak donde murieron 26 personas? ¿A cuántos el atentado en Pakistán donde han muerto más de 70 personas? ¿A cuántos nos ha dolido en el alma la invasión y las innumerables masacres que hizo Estados Unidos en Libia, Somalia, Irak y Siria con la venia de la Unión Europea? ¿Y qué decimos de Israel en Palestina? ¿La de Arabia Saudita en Yemen? ¿Esas muertes no cuentan? A pero el muro de los lamentos es visitado por personas del mundo entero y lloran y oran en éste, pidiendo por la paz mundial. ¿De qué está hecha nuestra conciencia?

Autoridades del gobierno belgas anunciaron que atacarán Siria para “combatir” al Estado Islámico. ¿Qué más quieren hacer con Siria? ¿No es curioso que los atentados sucedieran a pocas semanas de acordarse el alto al fuego en Siria? ¿Qué tuvo que ver Jhon Kerry es decir, Estados Unidos- en esta decisión del gobierno belga? ¿Qué gobiernos capitalistas crearon al Estado Islámico? De la misma forma en que crearon enemigos imaginarios en tantos países alrededor del mundo para invadirlos y robarles la vid.

¿Cuál es la responsabilidad de la Unión Europea -en el contrabando de los diamantes de sangre-, en los genocidios y en los atentados terroristas en África y en la propia Europa? ¿Qué tiene que ver la política exterior de Estados Unidos con todo esto? ¿Qué responsabilidad tiene la Unión Europea y Estados Unidos de los mundos de refugiados que se ahogan en los mares buscando salvar sus vidas? ¿De los mundos que salen de Siria? ¿De los mundos de africanos que buscan sustento en España? ¿Quién es los mundos de inmigrantes centroamericanos que mueren en México y en la frontera con Estados Unidos? Que mueren por la misma razón, buscan salvar sus vidas, buscan sustento, buscan salvar sus vidas. ¿Qué tiene que ver Estados Unidos en las migraciones forzadas?

¿Por qué la palabra refugiados no nos encona como la del terrorismo? ¿Por qué no nos indigna el bloqueo de Estados Unidos a Cuba? ¿Por qué no nos indignan las atrocidades y el genocidio que están haciendo en Palestina y Siria?

Para no ir tan lejos, ¿qué está sucediendo en nuestros países, colonias, comunidades, y pueblos que no es capaz de despertarnos en indignidad contra el sistema de políticas neoliberales que hace de nosotros un partida de títeres? Porque pensamos lo que es el sistema quiere que pensemos. Porque reaccionamos como la polarización lo manda. Porque somos incapaces de pensar por nosotros mismos, de sentir en el fondo del alma todo injusticia como nuestra. Respecto al terrorismo que se ejecuta en pro de los gobiernos de políticas capitalistas hay muchas cosas que decir. No nos quedemos callados, ante lo injusto no podemos ser neutrales.

“Todos somos Bélgica,” ¿pero, quién quiere ser humano?

 

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