Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—indirectly underwritten by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and with the Western response hampered by the threat of nuclear war—highlights a world transitioning away from the institutional, economic, and ideological order that has prevailed since the end of World War II. The transition will have significant and grave implications, and [ … ]
Recent News
Chinese Waste Pollutes Galápagos Islands
The Chinese fleet that periodically threatens the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador goes beyond engaging in predatory fishing that plunders the oceans of Latin America. The vessels also throw tons of waste into the sea, killing wildlife, polluting the waters, and destroying an ecosystem that is home to more than 7,000 [ … ]
US Helps Strengthen Paraguay’s Health System
[caption id="attachment_56040" align="alignright" width="300"] The United States trained personnel of the Paraguayan Ministry of Health and the Armed Forces to set up and operate the hospitals. (Photo: Paraguayan National Emergency Secretariat)[/caption] The United States, through its Office of Defense Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance program, donated four field hospitals and 24 [ … ]
Operation Discovery Dismantles Cybercrime Network in the Dominican Republic
Following months of investigations, the Dominican Republic Office of the Attorney General dismantled a transnational cybercrime network believed to have defrauded hundreds of U.S. citizens of more than $200 million, through sexual and economic extortion and identity theft, the Attorney General’s Office said in a March press release. On March [ … ]
British Soldier, First to Row Solo Across the Atlantic from Portugal to Miami
Monster waves, high winds, sleep deprivation, rogue killer whales, boat-sinking marlins, and salt sores, among other hazards of the open seas, didn’t stop British Army Corporal Jack Jarvis from achieving his dream. He trained tirelessly for months to complete a record-breaking solo transatlantic charity row. On March 24, after a [ … ]
Paraguay: Anti-Drug Agents Destroy Mega Drug Lab, Seize 3 Tons of Marijuana
In just over a week, special agents of the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) dealt two harsh blows to narcotrafficking. On February 27, during a raid in a rural area of Colonia Piray, Amambay department, SENAD agents found a mega marijuana processing lab. “We found a very well-appointed [ … ]
Russia-Venezuela Military Partnership A Threat to Latin America
The Venezuelan regime’s support for the Vladimir Putin government amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a destabilizing factor for Latin America. “Russia has the full support of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro said, upon receiving Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov at the Miraflores Palace on February [ … ]
Ecuador Fights Narcotrafficking in Its Ports
Ecuador’s port terminals stimulate and diversify the economy, but the large number of containers and ships the country receives daily attract narcotrafficking networks that attempt to send shipments of drugs to Europe. In 2021, 3,383 international trading vessels docked in Ecuadorian ports, including 1,764 vessels that entered ports in the [ … ]
12 FARC Dissidents Captured in Spain
Colombian and Spanish authorities captured 12 individuals accused of receiving cocaine shipments in Europe during a military operation carried out in early February 2022. The detainees — six Colombians, four Spaniards, a Belgian, and a Moroccan — are alleged members of the criminal group Jaime Martínez Structure, a dissident faction [ … ]
Brazilian Organized Crime Destroys the Amazon with Illegal Mining
Brazil’s largest narcotrafficking faction, the First Capital Command (PCC, in Portuguese) has been increasingly infiltrating illegal mining in the Brazilian Amazon. “In addition to narcotrafficking, the organization exploits prostitution, the sale of gasoline, food, beverages, and private security,” the Brazilian news site UOL reported in early February 2022, based on [ … ]
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 [ … ]
Narcotrafficking Violence Leads to Spike in Insecurity in Ecuador
Ecuador began 2022 with a record seizure of 25 tons of drugs and a spike in violence with more than 300 murders through mid-February, the EFE news agency reported. The previous year marked an outbreak of violence, with an average of 13 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, the worst figure in [ … ]