ZERK, Jennifer An, “Human Rights Impact Assessment of Trade Agreements”, Research Paper, Chatham House, 19/02/2019, www.chathamhouse.org

  Summary:

“• The idea that trade agreements should be subject to human rights impact assessments has been gathering momentum in recent years. This idea springs from concern – particularly on the part of trade unions and civil society organizations – that states are not presently doing enough to anticipate and address the human rights-related risks associated with, or consequent upon, their trading arrangements with other countries.

• Proponents of human rights impact assessment of trade agreements argue that these specialized processes can offer perspectives on trade that are not available from other forms of assessment. […]

• While these are laudable aims, ex ante human rights impact assessments have struggled to provide compelling analyses of the relationships between trade agreements and the enjoyment of different human rights, let alone a clear roadmap for policymakers and trade negotiators as to what should be done.

• This research paper considers why this is so. Beginning with a review of developing practice in this area, it goes on to identify a number of significant methodological, political and process-related challenges which will need to be addressed if human rights impact assessment of trade agreements is to emerge as a robust and credible policy tool for states.

• It is argued that there is a need for greater realism about what ex ante assessment processes can achieve on their own. In reality, the circumstances in which it can confidently be predicted that human rights violations are likely to flow directly from a trade agreement are very few. […]

• Nevertheless, these processes provide a potentially important platform for stakeholder dialogue on trade policy, as well as an evidence-based starting point for longer-term human rights risk mitigation efforts by the states concerned. The paper concludes with some preliminary observations as to how human rights issues identified in ex ante processes might be followed up, either pursuant to the terms of a particular trade agreement itself or through complementary processes.”

  https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2019-02-18HumanRightsTradeAgreements.pdf      

RODRIGUEZ, Pedro, Rusia y Venezuela: la alianza geopolítica que preocupa a Estados Unidos, Documento de opinión IEEE 42/2019, www.ieee.es [consultado: 21/05/2019].  

Resumen:

“La historia de las relaciones bilaterales entre Venezuela y Rusia se remonta al siglo XVIII y desde entonces siempre han estado transversalizadas de alguna manera por intereses geopolíticos para ambas naciones. Desde la gesta independentista de Francisco de Miranda hasta la fecha han tenido lugar acercamientos y distanciamientos siempre asociados a intereses políticos mutuos. En tiempos de la URSS, la influencia de Moscú en esta nación latinoamericana estuvo asociada al nacimiento y actuación del Partido Comunista de Venezuela, organización que influyó notablemente en la historia política contemporánea venezolana. Pero será con la llegada del teniente coronel Hugo Chávez a la presidencia de Venezuela cuando se inicia un nuevo ciclo de relaciones entre ambos Estados. El Kremlin y Miraflores establecen desde ese momento una sólida alianza en aspectos energéticos, geopolíticos, diplomáticos y de cooperación militar. Esta relación se ha mantenido en la gestión de Gobierno del sucesor de Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro y, más allá de lo esperado, se ha estrechado y fortalecido en todos los ámbitos. Hoy por hoy, cuando Venezuela atraviesa una crisis estructural que afecta todas las dimensiones de la vida del venezolanos, Rusia se ha convertido en su aliado de mayor peso en el escenario internacional, donde mantiene una firme posición de veto a las iniciativas que se impulsan desde el Gobierno de los Estados Unidos para la remoción de Nicolás Maduro de la primera magistratura venezolana.”  

http://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/docs_opinion/2019/DIEEEO42_2019PEDROD-Venezuela.pdf