Subject: April Newsletter from Blue Star Strategies
From: "Blue Star Srategies" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 15:01:09 -0400 (EDT)

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Blue Star Strategies [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dgxbm4dab&et=1105071503348&s=956&e=001XFBoSawjdrGqrZzNmNgKYqqcW7NwKEyZBCCiZtcS_F3-ZbmFWdlCOL0mPDj37jSp0KUoZTb-TE33WPYXCJdIOdikT7rpH1hvIkw6Oa_XTn5eZlUvx-BLahzgxGjx6UYv]
is a dynamic interdisciplinary government affairs firm based in Washington, DC and
servicing the world.

IN THIS ISSUE

The Broader Implications of Peru's Election
The U.S. Trade Policy Hostage Situation
Free Trade Grows as Labor Rights Shrink
Obama's Bittersweet Trip to Latin America

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Peru's presidential election has broader implications for U.S., Latin America

As Peru's April 10 presidential election draws near, the last two weeks have seen
major shifts in the polls for the leading candidates. Less than a month ago, former
president Alejandro Toledo, a U.S.-educated economist, was poised to win the first
round by more than 10 percentage points. Today, after Toledo's recent comments in
support of abortion and gay marriage rights, Peru's Catholic and conservative population
has shifted some of that support to Toledo's rivals, notably Ollanta Humala, a former
army officer and ally of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez who was narrowly defeated the 2006
presidential election to current president Alan García.

Peru today is a much changed country since Toledo first became president in 2001.
Armed with a free trade agreement with the U.S. that has led to more than $9 billion
in annual bilateral trade, President García announced last week that Peru would 
experience economic growth up to 10 percent in the next five years. As García's 
economic vision has for the most part mirrored that of his predecessor Toledo, Peruvians
have grown accustomed to market-friendly policies that have led extreme poverty 
to drop from 23 percent to 11 percent between 2002 and 2009...

Read more here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dgxbm4dab&et=1105071503348&s=956&e=001XFBoSawjdrEiq25ZTuGArsQS1B9XUlpsUaQoxSXmLsXGy92bLzqF0IDUAVvE13hayecPFCRa2KGlMN0ieHUxFBsQnbHi8tuXMANB0jIT1ZntHLFNvKuC2Pcc9DTspy4qWNxDqO6daqAM9IevgBEt0uP3uMbOGS2OO7bm5SEOwTnMlEblBJNd1u_cf6mFyQCwzMRT1wugzrp2Y-H9k15Z7EAYInjtZ2R8wrUECEUr3NS3R6ITDxmmtolZe7Rr6fESsGIeYkt0e7A=].
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U.S. Trade Policy is a Hostage Policy

As the Obama Administration makes its way through trade negotiations, it is running
into conflict with Congressional leadership-especially from the House of Representatives-who
are approaching the exercise with the Bush-era mindset of quantity and speed over
quality of terms.

During the Bush Administration both industry and labor across all sectors had concerns
about the commercial terms that had been negotiated.  The Obama Administration -
 albeit pushed by several Members of Congress - renegotiated some of the less favorable
commercial terms, which has resulted in bi-partisan support for the Korea FTA.  
So why isn't it moving?

Frankly, the Korea FTA isn't progressing because a group of Republicans - both in
and out of the Tea Party- are holding the Korea Trade Agreement hostage...

Read more here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dgxbm4dab&et=1105071503348&s=956&e=001XFBoSawjdrEgebeRYGgOBftxwtScAgmDSnB8XqY0NIlgWZVlKtjKP-_Pph9dHxTZ7IhLry8m55ZDLVtbW2MCFxmZS-rg_KgFf9yMja5_ku6TCGpilZOdb0W7VaRHOB7UVKQnSLfymKfjBwcenKqguduS9zWnbs9J_0m1dDUzu0y_G5ff0RD5fWmu-BPqfVe8cBiy9uXuwpdC8necAwrYJvv6K_ubIM2JMadY98Pvn1DNohEqVYxrzqAbhdN63tFw7JyomGckCAE=].
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Free Trade Grows as Labor Rights Shrink

The global trade market has blossomed, creating a veritable tree of labor whose 
branches stretch from China to India to Latin America and Europe. Chances are, if
you look at the inside of any of your clothing, you won't see a "Made in U.S.A."
 label. This international boom in garment manufacturing has reduced the garment
 center in New York to a few blocks, shrinking it from its once 20-block span. Manufacturing
goods in countries around the world is cheaper, and consumers continue to purchase
items that cost less.

But the price of saving dollars at the store check out may be costing human lives.

In spite of historic events stretching back more than a century ago the tragic lessons
of ignoring workers' rights seem to be falling upon deaf international ears.

March 25, 2011 marked the centenary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire - a 
tragedy that took the lives of 146 disenfranchised garment workers, mostly women
 immigrants including dozens of young workers...

Read more here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dgxbm4dab&et=1105071503348&s=956&e=001XFBoSawjdrHHW28Obwu9u6mT_BbBJEC8dWbFpCuT0BdxcwsJhEtwAu0N6nS9p-21lCJNxxdNOVgdPtNlccX_SBlWm5VwW3FA8KL23OVxC7JWF3SvkxeTFRvh9EVlYXAaeBbTSbeDmaNW8FAvETzs0jMSqRaY3F1XAp9jompu-FKCHmbDYyFU586UoViN1bWna-3Y3Q5uC1R25p1IDo-qIG-EsNjObmKHCIQ8D-ohXZuu7DpafGQjihQvDDOPHiyjpbvjM5EE0_g=].
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High Hopes Dashed as Obama's Trip to Latin America Reaps Little Results

President Obama's visit to Latin America sparked optimism and high expectations 
in Brazil, Chile and El Salvador last week. Though there were high hopes that the
trip would mark a new, improved relationship between the United States and its southern
neighbors, the double whammy of geopolitical chaos in Japan mixed with the escalating
problems in Libya all but drowned out any concrete U.S. - Latin America results 
during the trip.

An impressive economic growth has propelled Brazil on to the world stage, so high
expectations were high when President Obama visited the country. Would he bolster
an already revved up U.S. cooperation in higher education, racial and ethnic equality,
push trade issue and promote Brazil's role in international politics? Sadly, no...

Read more here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=dgxbm4dab&et=1105071503348&s=956&e=001XFBoSawjdrGcdhpht5SeRDYjAJLf4P1fEhko_wQzC01UDW1F2-AGkA4Yn7i7U668JLWGULLHsJ0ZBoRXuk7d0ZbHNw6mB4jC9hJ4gK2Z7sUztp8FHJrsKY4EM61L3Ko3nGmumA4pL-olB2QAgTgH2vkAkibRfybVgKvCS9-5uY_9teOCPKFfe0ZIlW66Xkt-WvThlmb5dW-ODJQS0hf_VFtHEXLBLb7YqsObvF7YKXK908ZSqXpQJ2MlPT7nPgRjz_peRI3wy7M=].

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