Introduction As Mexico looks to national elections in June 2024, the expanding engagement that the country is backing into with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will have profound implications for the country’s future, as well as the United States and the rest of the region. Background Mexico’s relationship with [ … ]
Academia


PRC Engagement in The Bahamas
Introduction In his March 2023 annual posture statement to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, head of U.S. Northern Command General Glen VanHerck referred to the substantial commercial and other presence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Bahamas as “efforts to gain a foothold only 50 miles [ … ]

Chinese Private Security Companies in Latin America
This article was originally published on The Diplomat on July 17, 2023. The enormous expansion of global engagement by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its companies over the past two decades has generated a corresponding need to protect Chinese operations and personnel in the dangerous environments where they [ … ]

Red Flags Among Golden Passports: An Analysis of Chinese Influence In Five Caribbean Citizenship By Investment Programs
This work was first published in March 2023 by the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, part of Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School for International and Public Affairs. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper explores the extent wealthy Chinese Citizenship by Investment (CBI) holders in the Caribbean use their [ … ]

Russia’s State Media Has A Credibility Problem
This article was originally published on Per Concordiam. Russia’s state-sponsored media is in a difficult position. The increasingly unbelievable narratives coming out of the Russian Federation regarding actions in Ukraine have created a credibility crisis for organizations like Russia Today (RT), Sputnik and the Russian News Agency (TASS), among others. The [ … ]

The Trouble with China’s Global Civilization Initiative
This article was originally published on The Diplomat on June 1, 2023. As in other parts of the world, Latin American history is marked by the recurring tragedy of publics rallying around leaders with attractive-sounding rhetoric, from new constitutions to government-led development and social justice, to prosperity through privatization. [ … ]

Race to the Bottom: China and the Self-Defeating Logic of Transactional Diplomacy in the Americas
This article was originally published on The Diplomat on April 18, 2023. Having closely followed China’s advance in the Western Hemisphere for more than two decades, I have always felt discomfort with the reasonable sounding, but self-defeating explanation from our Latin American partners: “Well, the U.S. isn’t offering us anything [ … ]

What China’s Global Security Initiative Tells Us About Its Strategic Engagement with Latin America
This article was originally published on The Diplomat. Chinese engagement with Latin America may be mostly about commerce, but it is nonetheless strategic in its character. Its new Global Security Initiative (GSI) openly highlights the explicitly military and other strategic dimensions of its approach toward Latin America and other [ … ]

Sovereignty in Space, No One Can Own It, which Drives Competition, Cooperation
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) fired off a letter to the United Nations in December 2021 complaining it had been forced to maneuver its newly occupied space station twice in four months to avoid colliding with two Starlink satellites, part of the constellation launched by United States-based SpaceX to [ … ]

Cyberspace Freedom, Allied and Partner Nations Resist Authoritarian Controls Imposed Under the Guise of Digital Sovereignty
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the internet in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) echoed the Chinese government’s noncommittal stance, declining to portray Moscow’s military assault in Europe as an unprovoked attack. Censors commissioned by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were similarly vigilant in early 2022, limiting [ … ]

One Step Ahead: Chile’s NCO Integration Pioneering Efforts
Effective militaries are those that not only can project power in various places simultaneously but who do so effectively. As technology and innovation continue to advance and yield new weapon systems, modern militaries should not forget the importance of investing in the style and potential of their soldiers, marines, airmen/airwomen, [ … ]

Dialogue about Cybersecurity
I believe it is crucial for all of us to have dialogue about cybersecurity, both the threats, and the opportunities for all of our nations. This is my first time in Colombia, and I am so excited to be here. If you are not familiar with the Inter American Air [ … ]