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Although generally considered a tolerant or even an ultra-pacifistic religion,
contemporary Buddhism is far from being free from internal political-religious tensions.
The present article sketches three conflicts: the first is located within the Kagyüpaline
where two sub-currents argue about the legitimacy of the spiritual leader of the
school; the second refers to the controversy over Dorje Shugden, a protective deity whose veneration was declared dangerous by the Dalai Lama and other leaders of the Guelugpa-school in opposition to the defenders of this religious practice; the third one is the dispute over Soka Gakkai whose status as a modern representative of Nichiren Buddhism is questioned by other Japanese Buddhist groups. After having laid out the basic characteristics of the three conflicts the article deals with their impact on contemporary Brazilian Buddhism.

An evaluation of Argentine, Brazilian and Chilean cooperation on security policies over the last decade demonstrates that high levels of trust have been sustained. This article proposes a heuristic model for the analysis of cooperation between states on matters of security policy. The model that is suggested is based on three levels of analysis that condition the security policies of the countries under consideration: 1) State and society; 2) inter-state relations and 3) international systems. Next, it is argued that common rules shared by different countries are more easily established when this involves small groups of states at a regional level, and not at a world scale, in which it is much more difficult to achieve unanimous or consensual acceptance of rules. Following a macro-theoretical debate on states' motivation to cooperate in an international system, the author introduces Karl W. Deutsch's concept of "security community" and questions whether such a community can be found in southern Latin America. The heuristic model that is introduced should permit answering the questions posed and determine the phase of integration.

Os acordos diplomáticos e negociações dos governos latino-americanos com instituições e corporações internacionais (UNESCO, BIRD) têm apresentado algumas tendências importantes em relação à educação e pesquisa universitária. Este artigo examina três tendências características dessas relações com alguns dos principais paradigmas do conhecimento e ação universitária no contexto histórico latino-americano e do Mercosul. Focaliza principalmente os problemas decorrentes da inserção histórico-cultural da Universidade no sistema de mercado e nas políticas educacionais, nacionais e internacionais que a envolvem.

This paper assesses empirically the way in which two Latin American upper chambers - the Argentine and Brazilian senates - made use of their confirmation prerogatives between 1989 and 2003: whether taking on a deferential posture towards executive proposals or a more active role, including both consultation and oversight. The article first analyses all nominations regarding outcome (confirmed, rejected, and withdrawn) and length of process. Then, the similarities and differences are used to advance some explanatory hypotheses. Special attention is paid to the impact of political factors, especially senates internal rules for the organization of the legislative work.

Relato de um período de nove meses trabalhando na Divisão Hispânica da Biblioteca do Congresso dos Estados Unidos, com uma bolsa de estudos patrocinada pela Fundação Lampadia através de sua representante no Brasil, VITAE Apoio à Cultura, Educação e Promoção Social. Focaliza dados históricos, números do acervo, estrutura física e quadro de pessoal de uma das mais tradicionais instituições americanas, considerada a maior biblioteca do planeta. Dá a conhecer alguns tipos de projetos desenvolvidos enfatizando a importância da experiência anterior para o bom aproveitamento e crescimento profissional, possibilitando ainda o compartilhamento com os pares quando da volta ao país de origem.