Given the global revulsion toward Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, governments in Latin America and the Caribbean should rethink their relationship with Moscow. That’s what Daniel F. Runde, senior vice president for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said in a March 3 editorial. [ … ]
News
US Warns of Growing Influence of Russia and China in Latin America
The U.S. government remains vigilant to the movements of Russia and China in the southern part of the American continent. On March 24, during a hearing before the U.S. Senate, General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), warned about the “aggressive expansion” of both countries in the [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Supports Education in Belize
The U.S. government, through U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), delivered a new school building to the San Pedro Government School, in Belize’s Corozal district, to support the return to classes and improve the quality of education, the U.S. Embassy said in a March 1, 2022 statement. The project, carried out under [ … ]
South American Countries Help Their Citizens Flee War-Torn Ukraine
More than 2.5 million people have left Ukraine since Russia’s invasion on February 24, according to the United Nations. Among them are hundreds of Latin Americans, whose nations have mobilized to evacuate their citizens. Brazil About 500 Brazilian citizens were in Ukraine, German broadcaster DW reported based on information from [ … ]
Organized Crime’s Illegal Mining Destroys Large Areas of Ecuador
Organized crime has diversified its illicit activities in Ecuador into illegal mining, with serious environmental consequences in large parts of the country, contributing to violence and human rights abuses and worsening insecurity. According to Fausto Cobo, director of Ecuador’s Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES), the state faces a new “unconventional” threat [ … ]
Argentine Gendarmerie Seizes Drugs Hidden in Timber Shipments
In recent months, experts have warned about the close relationship between drug trafficking and the illegal timber trade in South America — a reality that is becoming increasingly visible in Argentina. Among the three large drug seizures the Argentine National Gendarmerie made in February 2022, two consisted of marijuana hidden [ … ]
China Sells Bad Military Equipment to Good Friends
A K-8 Karakorum two-seat single-engine jet trainer and light attack aircraft, which was on a night training mission, crashed on September 20, 2021 north of Omdurman, on the west bank of the Nile, in Sudan, The Defense Post reported. The accident — which killed two pilots —was due to a technical [ … ]
China’s Changing Strategic Priorities in Latin America: From Soft Power to Sharp Power Competition
For the past 15 years, the willingness of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to give billions of dollars in loans across Latin America created the perception that the country has been spending unlimited resources to woo allies in a region where the United States historically carries significant influence. Far [ … ]
Peru Jails Shark Fin Traffickers for the First Time
Continued demand for shark fin soup, dumplings, and other related dishes served in restaurants around the world — particularly in China — perpetuates the practice of finning, which consists of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the animal back into the ocean. The sharks are often still alive when discarded, but [ … ]
Russia Escalates Hybrid Warfare Against Ukraine and the World
Following the Kremlin’s order to launch a military operation against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “great machinery of interference” went into overdrive to sway global public opinion against Ukraine, the United States, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Spanish newspaper ABC reported on February 25. “The complex web [ … ]
Venezuela Did Not Vote on UN Resolution Condemning Russia, Here’s Why
March 2, 2022 was a historic day. At an emergency session, the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Russian aggression, with 141 countries voting in favor, 34 abstaining, and only five voting against, The New York Times reported. The no votes came from Belarus (a long-time close [ … ]
Brazil, Paraguay Dismantle Drug Money Laundering Network
On February 3, 2022, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) and the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) carried out Operation Capital Flow to dismantle a drug money laundering scheme. The criminal network was making million-dollar transactions with the use of strawmen, accountants, and front companies. “[In Brazil], [ … ]