US, Colombian Armies Strengthen Partnership During Training Rotation
The United States and Colombian armies are continually looking for ways to further strengthen the already rich partnership they share. The latest example of this comes as an infantry company from the Colombian Army was embedded with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, alongside U.S. soldiers from the [ … ]
China Invites Venezuela to the Moon
On April 8, The Chinese government urged Venezuela to join its lunar research station project in a bid to expand international collaboration, the Venezuelan regime said in an April 8 statement. The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a joint China-Russia project, seeks to establish a research base on the moon [ … ]
Air Forces of the Region Train in Emergency Situations
Members of the West Virginia Air National Guard participated in a week-long humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercise in Lima, Peru, May 7-12. The exercise, appropriately named Cooperation IX, was led by the System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces (SICOFAA). SICOFAA is an entity intended to unite air [ … ]
Colombian Gold Enriches Criminal Groups, Impoverishes Soil and Population
Colombia is currently the 16th largest gold producer worldwide and the third largest in Latin America, according to the Statista world ranking. In 2022 alone, the country exported 70.7 tons of gold worth $2.9 billion, according to figures from Colombia’s National Mining Agency. Following oil, coal, and coffee, gold is [ … ]
China’s Influence Destroys Latin America
The Chinese regime is working to massively increase its sphere of influence in Latin America, and its “reckless policies would surely destroy the region in the next few years,” Indian news site Firstpost reported in early April. “Beijing uses its economic strength in Latin America to pressure and meet its [ … ]
Iran and Venezuela Strengthen Ties in Oil Industry
Tehran and Caracas signed new memorandums of understanding to expand cooperation in the energy sector in the face of economic sanctions imposed on both countries, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. The agreements on oil, gas, reconstruction, and renovation of oil refineries, which Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji and [ … ]
Colombia’s Fight Against Illegal Mining Thwarts Organized Armed Groups
The Colombian government has kept up with its vow to forcefully curb illegal mining that organized armed groups carry out, causing irreparable damage to the environment. The results are telling. For example, on May 10, the National Police reported the destruction of 32 mining production units in Tutendo, Certegui, and [ … ]
US Supports Peru with $500,000 in Humanitarian Assistance
U.S. Ambassador to Peru Lisa Kenna reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Peru’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HA/DR) needs to Peruvian President Dina Boluarte during the opening ceremony of exercise COOPERATION IX, led by the System for Cooperation among the American Air Forces (SICOFAA) and hosted by the Peruvian Air [ … ]
Chinese Space Station on Argentine Soil Continues to Arouse Suspicion
The Espacio Lejano Station, with its 35-meter-diameter antenna operated by the Chinese military in Argentine Patagonia, continues to arouse suspicion. Security and Defense experts insist that the structure, which sits on a 200-hectare compound in Neuquén province, leased to China for 50 years, could be dual use. “Five years after [ … ]
US Sanctions more Illicit Iranian Financial Networks
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified and sanctioned several “shadow banking” networks, multi-jurisdictional illicit financial systems that allow criminalized Iranian entities access to the international financial system. “The shadow banking network seeks out jurisdictions that have business with developing countries that Iran wants to forge [ … ]
UN Experts Warn of Worsening Attacks on Civil Society in Venezuela
“These attacks, both on the opposition and on journalists, have been going on for a long time, almost 20 years,” Leonardo Paz, a researcher at the Center for Prospecting and International Intelligence at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, told Diálogo. According to Paz, the increasing attacks indicate that the regime has [ … ]
Chinese Projects Violate Latin Americans’ Rights
China’s investments in Latin America come with social, cultural, and environmental violations, the Collective on Chinese Financing and Investment, Human Rights, and Environment (CICDHA), a network of 50 regional civil society organizations, indicated in a recent report. The report, presented in February as part of a United Nations (U.N.) review [ … ]
