As many of you know, last week Atlas held its annual Freedom Dinner, which commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall and the liberation of millions from the grip of the Soviet empire. Along with this event, we recognized the work of 16 think tanks as winners of our Templeton Freedom Award.
Institución Futuro, based in Spain, won the award for Initiative in Public Relations for their work promoting “Tax Freedom Day” which was launched in June. President and founder, Julio Pomes, along with his staff of eight, have been diligently working to expose the immoral nature of excessive taxation.
True to form, Institución Futuro has done an excellent job of promoting this award. Click here to read more on Institución Futuro and its recent recognition in the Spanish daily,Diario de Navarra.
Creativity in the dissemination of ideas is always a desirable goal for the think tanks in our movement. Atlas Fisher Venture Grant winner, Fundacion Hayek in Argentina recently created a fascinating blog. Staff members of the foundation, including the president Ricardo Rojas, have instigated interactive discussion’s on issues such as the “Role of the ego in Ayn Rand’s objectivism” or “Complex Phenomena and Spontaneous Orders”. Their posts have generated a high volume of feedback and have lead to some truly remarkable conversations.
This past Tuesday, 15 thousand Argentine citizens took to the streets to protest the nationalization of their private pension funds. The demonstration was organized by “No Nos Roben” a group of activists that oppose President Kirchner’s attempt to take $30 billion from private funds. Young Intellectual Entrepreneur, Ezequiel Vazquez Ger, who interned at HACER this summer, was amongst the participants in the rally, and sent us these inspiring words:
“this is our opportunity to take our place in civil society and make sure that the government knows we will not allow anymore violations to our rights”
Atlas Fisher Venture grant winner, Fundación Ecuador Libre, made the news today. Carlos Vera, a local Ecuadorian TV news anchor, interviewed Pablo Arosemena, president and founder of Fundación Ecuador Libre. He was asked to comment on their recent event, which addressed the “Challenges Facing Liberty in Ecuador” and attracted over 200 people.
CEDICE, one of Atlas’s only partners in the difficult territory of Venezuela, recently produced a paper on the impact of Hugo Chavez and his policies. Here is a brief excerpt:
“The myth that [Chavez] is a godsend to the poor must be debunked. He may seem interested in the poor, be a modern day Robin Hood, he may have lots of followers within the country and abroad. They are probably influenced by so much propaganda, specious arguments, promises and hate talk about the rich. He may dazzle them with giveaways of all kinds, as long as his oil wealth lasts and their political behavior is adequate. If the latter is not, then they are traitors, coup-sters, and lackeys of the “American empire”. His help makes people dependent on him. It is never related to more capabilities and opportunities to succeed independently of him.”
In July 2008, The Human Rights Foundation (a think tank in the Atlas network) launched a campaign called “Tell Chavez.” Its mission is to raise the global awareness of political prisoners existing in Venezuela. This extremely well done video depicts the many atrocities occurring south of our border. It is great to see groups producing products of this caliber, especially when the message is so important:
Rejuvenating a website is a great tactic for attracting new readers. Agencia Internacional de Prensa Economica (AIPE) was founded in 1991 and has served as a reliable media outlet for Latin American news. Over the years, they have attracted over 675 economists, political analysts, journalists, and historians to publish articles on prominent issues within the free market movement. They recently updated their website by giving it a fresh new look and adding improved features such as rss feeds.
Rule of Law is a concept familiar to most of us in the freedom movement. It is unfortunate that Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa does not seem to understand the importance of respecting the law of his land. Six days from now, on September 28th, a new constitution will likely be approved in Ecuador. The approval of this constitution not only violates the existing law, but, unsurprisingly, encourages the authoritative power of Correa.
For those who may not have been following the civil unrest recently occurring in Bolivia, I encourage you to watch this video sent to us by an anonymous contact in our Network. It outline the motives behind the oppositions revolt against the existing government. The tension continues to build as we await the outcome of these recent events. And we hope for the best for our friends in Bolivia.
What was once a battle conducted in the political arena has moved to the streets of Bolivia, violence has ensued throughout the eastern provinces this past week. The clashes between indigenous groups and activist youth groups has turned deadly as government offices have been destroyed, private companies have been looted.Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, has reacted by expelling US Ambassador Phillip Goldberg from the country, who he accuses of inciting riots. Meanwhile, in an act of solidarity, Hugo Chavez, has declared US Ambassador Patrick Duddy persona non grata and has given him 72 hours to leave Venezuela. All while opening doors for Russian military envoys to enter. As of now, the immediate U.S. response is the designation of three high profile Venezuelan officials as collaborators of the FARC, as well as expelling Bolivia’s ambassador in the Unite States. This article, by HACER’s Eneas Biglioni helps set the stage.
Stay tuned for more news as Latin America heats up.
along with his staff of eight, have been diligently working to expose the immoral nature of excessive taxation.
