During the COVID-19 pandemic, life as we knew it changed dramatically as activities, both licit and illicit, moved to the virtual world. We witnessed shopping, college classes, diplomatic meetings, financial transactions, and organized crime activities transition online almost overnight. The pandemic has empowered transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) to establish new [ … ]
International Relations
SOUTHCOM Commander Says Partnerships Key to National Defense in Western Hemisphere
In just four months of leading U.S. Southern Command, there’s one thing that’s become apparent to U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson. The key to addressing security threats in South America, and by extension to the United States itself, doesn’t just lie with U.S. military but with the militaries of [ … ]
General Richardson Meets with President Castro, Defense Leaders during Visit to Honduras
U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), met with Honduran President Xiomara Castro February 23 to discuss continued security cooperation and issues of mutual concern. The meeting with President Castro highlighted Gen. Richardson’s February 23-24 visit to Honduras, her first to the country since assuming [ … ]
Velas Latinoamérica Regatta Kicks Off in Brazil
The Velas Latinoamérica 2022 regatta kicked off in Brazil on February 13. The nautical event, carried out every four years, brings together tall ships of partner nations’ navies to sail through the waters of South and Central America. Navy commanders of the Americas approved the creation of the event at [ … ]
Cuba Accused of Excessive Punishment Against Young Protesters
Food shortages, rising prices, lack of employment — these are some of the challenges that led thousands of Cubans onto the streets in July 2021, in what were considered the largest protests in Cuba in decades. According to human rights groups, more than 1,000 people were arrested during the protests. [ … ]
Cuban Medical Brigades Exploit Workers, Bring Millions in Revenue
As evening falls in Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Eloy hurries to close his office and return to the collective housing where he has been living for nearly five years. After graduating as a doctor in Cuba in 2013, he went to Venezuela in the hopes of increasing his salary, which barely [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Commander Looks for Ways to Deepen Cooperation with Central American Allies
The nations of Central America and the Caribbean must work together with friends and allies to confront the problems of the future, U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) told participants of the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC) in Belize, on February 1. Gen. Richardson [ … ]
Brazil, US Discuss Defense and Security Cooperation Activities
Delegations from the United States and Brazil attended the 4th Annual U.S.-Brazil Strategic Defense Talks, held December 14-15, 2021, in Brasília. Major General Himario Brandão Trinas, Brazilian Joint Staff Deputy Chief of International Affairs, and Daniel Erikson, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department [ … ]
Ortega-Murillo Regime Dismantles Nongovernmental Organizations
The Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo regime has been using Nicaragua’s Foreign Agents Law to dissolve movements and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) that it considers enemies, thereby “dismantling the rule of law,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in late 2021. Since its October 2020 approval until December 14, 2021, the regulation [ … ]
OAS Demands Immediate Release of Political Prisoners in Cuba
The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) has demanded the “immediate release of all arbitrarily imprisoned political prisoners” in Cuba. In a December 16, 2021 statement, the organization raised concerns about the condition of the island’s political prisoners. “The violation of their fundamental rights and their arbitrary [ … ]
US, Ecuador Sign Agreement to Mitigate Regressive Erosion on the Coca River
Mercedes Onofa/Diálogo On December 2, 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the strategic public company Electric Corporation of Ecuador (CELEC EP, in Spanish) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to articulate technical cooperation to “mitigate the effects of regressive erosion on the Coca River and protect the [ … ]
US, EU Impose New Sanctions on Ortega-Murillo Regime
Hours after the United States and European Union imposed sanctions on several officials in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega was sworn in on January 10 for a fourth consecutive term, following fraudulent national elections orchestrated by his regime in November 2021. First lady Rosario Murillo was sworn in alongside him for a [ … ]