Demonstrations in Iran that erupted in September 2022 over the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly, rapidly expanded into a movement calling for the ousting of the theocratic regime in place for more than five decades. While the regime [ … ]
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China Seeks Access to Antarctica with Port in Argentina
A multipurpose port project in Río Grande, Argentina set to be built with funds from a Chinese company has sparked controversy due to global conflict risks, EFE news agency reported. Río Grande is a city located on the northeast coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, in the Argentine [ … ]

US Special Operations Forces Deliver Medical Equipment Donation to Guyanese Hospital
U.S. Special Operations Forces consisting of Civil Affairs, Psychological Operations, and Special Forces service members that make up Cross Functional Team-Guyana, facilitated the donation of medical equipment, February 3, to a hospital in Linden, Guyana. Through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Assistance Program, the U.S. Embassy and Cross Functional [ … ]

Confronting China, Iran, and Russia Against Threats to Democracy
Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS) hosted the 2023 Western Hemisphere Security Forum on January 19, bringing together political leaders and defense, intelligence, and law enforcement officials of the region to analyze issues such as threats to democracies in Latin America and strategies to confront [ … ]

China Plunders Bolivian Gold
Chinese companies have been hiding behind mining cooperatives to extract gold in the northern regions of the department of La Paz, Bolivia. These cooperatives receive an income in exchange for maintaining secrecy. These Chinese companies have been enriching themselves with Bolivian gold without paying taxes, while polluting and damaging the [ … ]

Ecuador Strengthens Fight Against Arms and Explosives Trafficking
In January, Ecuador’s National Police stepped up its fight against arms and explosives trafficking, capturing 19 criminals involved in the transport, stockpiling, and distribution of arms and ammunition. Police carried out Operation Armed Border (Operación Frontera Armada) in the provinces of Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cañar, Azuay, El Oro, and Loja. [ … ]

US ‘Committed’ to Assist Latin American East Pacific Countries Against Illegal Fishing
The United States is “committed to the task” of collaborating with the governments and armed forces of Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama to protect the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Conservation Corridor (CMAR) and stop illegal fishing, drug and human trafficking, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro said [ … ]

China, 5G, and the Security Threat in Latin America
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is keeping up with its infiltration strategy in Latin America on various front, including pushing for its 5G wireless technology to attempt to influence all sectors of society, Argentine news site Infobae reported. “It’s a dual tool that serves to facilitate communications, but that [ … ]

US Military Medical Team Conducts Two Week Medical Mission in Guyana
The United States’ Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT), in partnership with Guyana’s Ministry of Health, performed surgical operations and provided dental services, and also conducted professional knowledge exchanges from February 20 through March 3 as part of U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM’s) Enduring Promise mission. LAMAT is a medical team [ … ]

Brazilian Military Leads Humanitarian Operation for Yanomami People Devastated by Illegal Mining
Since January 22, 2023, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and the Brazilian Army (EB) have been taking part in the Brazilian government efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the indigenous Yanomami people in the Surucucu region of Roraima state. The Yanomami people are facing a humanitarian crisis with disease, violence, [ … ]

First-ever US Army South’s Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
Highlighting the opportunity to strengthen ties with Latin American and Caribbean partner nations through military women empowerment, U.S. Army Major General William L. Thigpen, U.S. Army South commanding general, welcomed participants to the first-ever Army South’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Symposium, in San Antonio, Texas, February 21-24. “Our goal is to [ … ]

Colombian Navy’s Demining Work Brings Hope
The Colombian Navy closed 2022 with good news for the inhabitants of the department of Sucre on the Caribbean coast, declaring it free of antipersonnel mines. The efforts of the Humanitarian Demining Company, which cleared nearly 13,000 square meters of land, allowed the inhabitants to return to the fields to [ … ]