Academia

Introduction In October 2023, Chilean President Gabriel Boric traveled to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to participate in a forum commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, and for bilateral meetings with Xi Jinping and senior members of his government. President Boric was accompanied by a [ … ]

This article was originally published on Infobae on October 26, 2023.   From October 22-25, 2023, I had the honor to be a speaker in an event on the relationships of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the U.S. with Latin America and the Caribbean. The event was hosted [ … ]

This article was initially published in the Magazine Poder Terrestre y Seguridad Vol. 2 No. 4 (2023): October to December, of the Peruvian Army CEEP think tank Abstract The article presents the resumption of Iran’s relations with Latin America and the opportunities this offers for political and economic interaction. It [ … ]

This article was originally published in the Center for Strategic and International Studies on October 31, 2023. From September 24 to 28, the author traveled to Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, as a guest of Funglode, one of the country’s leading think tanks, to speak about security challenges in the [ … ]

The presence of the People’s Republic of China in Latin America is extremely dangerous for transparency and democratic institutional structure in the countries of the region due to China’s affinity with dictators and its willingness to make corrupt deals with politicians in Latin America, said Matt Schrader, International Republican Institute [ … ]

In recent decades, the geopolitical scenario in Latin America has undergone significant changes, particularly in the area of military training and arms trade. While the region has historically maintained close relations with NATO powers, the growing involvement of China and Russia signals a change in the security and defense landscape. [ … ]

This article was originally published in The Diplomat on October 21, 2023.   On October 12-13, 2023, the Jack D. Gordon Institute of Florida International University (FIU) hosted an event bringing together Africa and Latin America scholars, to comparatively examine engagement with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) across both [ … ]

“Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” – Sun Tzu “The Art of War,” written by Sun Tzu in roughly the fifth century B.C., calls for military commanders to avoid direct confrontation, reminding the [ … ]

ABSTRACT This article examines the growing influence operations conducted by the Chinese Communist Party-led government in Latin America, presenting strategic risks to US national security and global order. The author highlights the surprising breadth and scale of China’s influence, encompassing economic entanglements, critical infrastructure investments, coercive diplomacy, and information control. [ … ]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) continue to grapple with some of the highest rates of violence and corruption in the world, particularly due to the corrosive presence of transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Notorious regional TCOs continue to sell drugs worldwide, kill with impunity, bribe local officials, terrorize [ … ]

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 [ … ]

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 [ … ]