For one of the students in the AIMS (Armonía Indigenous Mexican Scholars) program, his story of transformation means that he is beginning to learn how to cook fine food. Reynaldo is from a small village in Oaxaca, has been with Armonía for many years, and last Fall he entered a study program in culinary arts. [...]
Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
2 Jun
The Mystery of Capital
I just finished reading Hernando de Soto’s widely acclaimed book The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. De Soto is President for the Institute for Liberty and Democracy in Lima, Peru, which is one of the most respected research centers in the world. The book in based on [...]
22 Apr
How Not to Help the Poor
A recent short video posted by the Acton Institute gives some interesting perspective on this topic. Here are a few snippets:
The poor are often helped by being very personally involved
Relationships are the key!
We cannot do drive-by ministry or lob in support like a missile
Political and economic intervention is not the answer
There has been no evidence [...]
20 Apr
Hope and Politics (Liberation Theology 9)
In chapter 11 of A Theology of Liberation, Gutierrez explores the nature of the Christian hope and how this relates to the political dimension of the gospel. Christians have a hope oriented to the future that informs the present and leads us to live boldly, sometimes in conflict and confrontation with the present political order. [...]
17 Apr
Thoughts on Obama’s Visit?
Does anyone have thoughts about Obama’s visit to Mexico and what he said or did not say? Things he did say include the following:
Claiming dual responsibility for drug problem
Increased cooperation with Mexico on drug problems, trade, and environmental issues
Comprehensive reform of immigration policy
The creation of the Bilateral Framework on Clean Energy and Climate Change
Wanting stronger [...]
2 Apr
US-Mexico Partnership (4): The Border
The last issue tackled by the Mexico Institute in their report “The US and Mexico: Towards a Strategic Partnership” is the difficult issue of our shared border. The break down their recommendations in four main sections:
• Upgrading border infrastructure: Basically, the goal should be to make the border crossing more safe, efficient, and predictable, and [...]
1 Apr
US-Mexico Partnership (3): Immigration Policy
As opposed to the problem of organized crime and drug smuggling, the US and Mexico have not been working collaboratively in the area of migration and immigration. The Mexico Institute’s report at the Wilson Center states that we have been summarizing states that “the broken migration relationship between Mexico and the United States will not [...]
31 Mar
US-Mexico Partnership (2): Trade and Development
Central to the next section of the report by the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center is the idea that “the two governments have an opportunity to work together to manage economic integration in a way that could lift the economic futures of both.” In addition, “the two countries, together and in partnership with [...]
30 Mar
US-Mexico Partnership (1): Security and Organized Crime
In January 2009, the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C. published the results of the working groups on US-Mexico relations. The working groups tackled four crucial issues of US-Mexico relations—security cooperation, economic trade and development, immigration and migration policy, and border challenges—that are represented in the report. This week, I hope [...]
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